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You know it's February when...

Momma Neal and Drew post the Christmas photos!

We knew it would happen sooner or later...

Last night I was ao pumped when I went to bed because I got some great coverage hits on the big announcement I've been working on. I went to bed at 11 and hadn't even had the chance to fall asleep yet when our door buzzer started going off repeatedly...

At first I tried to ignore it, but when it was clear that the buzzing wasn't going to stop, I got a little nervous. After all, Brian's show had just started so I couldn't reach him and I was home alone. So I called our neighbor Wilson (he's a coworker of Brian's who also worked with him in Sacramento) to see if by chance it was him. No... plus he wasn't home to go see who it was for me. However, he was nice enough to stay on the line with me while I peeped over the balcony...

Only to find the cops. By then I was pretty scared. Somehow, I remained calm and went downstairs.

That's when I found out my car had been broken into - right in front of our house! Someone had broken the front passenger window. Nothing was stolen - all the paperwork, all the CDs, even all the quarters in the coin tray - still there. I'm convinced the would-be burglar saw one of my neighbors in the window and got scared away. This same neighbor (not Wilson, but also in the house next door) gave the police a good description, but unfortunately it was too late. The perp got in a non-descript car up the block and rode away. Cops said there's nothing we could really do, though they gave me a case number in case I needed to file a claim. At least they were nice (and they complimented me on not buzzing them in without checking their identity)!

It stinks, and it's inconvenient, but it's ok. I drove my three-windowed car (heat blasting - it was freezing!) to the station and met Brian, and we kept the car there overnight. The window was fixed this morning on-site, so less than 24 hours and $200 later (not worth a claim), all is back to normal. Luckily I never keep anything of real value in my car, and this experience reinforced the importance of not doing so. I guess it doesn't really matter what neighborhood you live in, I just hope it doesn't happen again.

Little Zak, big head?

This weekend Brian's extended family got together to celebrate Christmas (yes, it was more than a month ago - this is Brian's family, not mine). We weren't there, but I heard everyone was oohing and aahing over little Zak. He's about 6 weeks old now, and word on the Roemer street is that he looks just like Brian did when he was a baby. You decide for yourself...

I'm back!

Greetings! It's been a very long 2-3 weeks at work - good stuff, just 12+ (sometimes 15+) hours/day recently so I haven't taken the time to update the blog. If you haven't heard from me by phone either, this is why. Anyway, the hardest part is behind me and I didn't have to work this weekend. Brian and I spent most of the weekend playing house, watching movies and just relaxing. He's off to the batting cages, getting ready for spring training right now.

I spent last weekend in Sonoma celebrating Jen and Carolyn's birthdays. Lisa Marie planned an awesome trip for our group of six, which also included Carmen and Vern. I'm almost embarrassed to say this now, but I had never been to Sonoma before - only Napa. But I have to say, Sonoma is awesome. The little downtown area is so quaint, friendly, and walkable - only a block from our hotel. That's where we spent the first day: tasting, talking, and eating mostly. Third only to the good wine and great friends, the Sonoma Cheese Factory might have been the highlight. Obviously the intent of the shop is to sell lots of yummy cheeses, but the store offers a free cheese buffet, literally. It's like the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, except better! If you're pondering what you might give me for my birthday, consider the 10-pound blocks of cheese. Cheers!

Blog on Hiatus!

No, we haven't been doing anything cool like going on vacation (although these ladies are headed to Sonoma this weekend)! I've just been working...like 15 hours/day. So that's why no love. Maybe some wine love after Sonoma.

Safe and sound (just wet)

If we wanted hurricane force winds, we would have moved to Miami.

Seriously, the weather has been nuts here since last night - the "fiercest storm in more than 5 years." We heard slate roof tiles and tree branches crashing to the ground overnight, and some parts of the Bay Area received more than 8 inches of rain. Yikes! The good thing about living on top of a hill is that I'm not worried about flooding. The bad thing is walking down three enormous hill-blocks to get to the bus. So I drove this morning, and there was a torrential downpour when I left for work. It was pitch black like midnight! I actually hit a big plastic recycling garbage can that was in the middle of the road because I didn't see it in time. Luckily it was empty and I was able to slow down some before clipping it. When I got to the office, the dumpster behind the building was rolling around the alley hitting cars that were parked in it. Oops!

Even though more than a million people lost power at some point today, we still have our's. We're in the between 2 and 3 of a 1-2-3 punch, so I don't want to speak too soon. Anyway, in case you were wondering, we're ok.

Check out this video. Not only does it show how awful this storm has been, but it also reminds me why I don't miss reporting!

(Still photos from the SF Chronicle)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It was so nice to go home over Christmas and see both families. It's hard to believe we've been home one week from tonight! Even though it was dead at work last week, I've stayed busy with my ongoing to do list. Other than re-uploading our iTunes (which I still haven't done since we got our computer back), sharing and posting photos was the last thing on my four-day-weekend list. Rather than a long, drawn out post about our many adventures back East, I thought you would enjoy the photos even more. Before we flew back East, we celebrated Brian's 29th birthday. Thanks to me, he no longer needs to wear Foakleys anymore!
Here we are with Zak, just days before his first Christmas. He slept almost our entire visit, despite the fact that Dale kept trying to wake him up. Finally he woke up so she could take tons of photos, and he was still well behaved! We saw Brian's grandparents and Aunt Debbie earlier that day. I don't have photos of that yet, but hopefully I can add some soon.

We made a quick trip into NY to meet Mike & Jen for lunch. Jen didn't have much time, so we just ate in the commisary at the ABC studios where she works. It was so good to see them! Plus, during our tour we saw Charlie Gibson, John Stossel, Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodward. Dale (pictured right, with Drew) couldn't believe we didn't take pictures! Later that night we had Christmas dinner with the Neal clan (I don't have photos of the sibs, but I think Drew does).

As soon as we got to Kentucky, Brian and I changed clothes for the Ugly Christmas Sweater party at Tabitha's house. Mom would probably like it if I said that my sweater wasn't technically ugly, just outdated. It has shoulder pads. On the right, check out what the other Paris girls wore.

On December 23, the extended Kemp family gathered to celebrate Granny K. and Poppy's 60th anniversary. It was fun reading most of the memories that afternoon - even if they were supposed to last through the next year!

This is our annual picture under the tree with Jake. On the right, Brian pretends to fight off the Red Sox in his new Yankees robe ("the best gift of the season").Here I am with Mom and Dad. We had a great visit and already miss you!