The Other May 5th Celebration

While you may be off swilling tequila to kill any traces of the swine flu and eating enough Mexican food to claim you actually have it - all in honor of Mexican Independence, of course...

The Breaking News Team is celebrating the other May 5th holiday.


It is our favorite news reader (aside from the husband) - Brian Williams' birthday. B-Dub, as he is affectionately called around the Breaking Newsroom, turns a crowd-pleasing 50 years old today.

I don't know if it's the new self-tanner or the never-repeated Carlo Franco seven fold ties, but our fair Brian is looking particularly handsome as of late.

We do love a news reader that doesn't take himself too seriously and is as comfortable on a late night talk show as he is scanning the ole' teleprompter Monday through Friday. And we would be remiss to not compliment his wit and comedic timing. (Did you catch his 30 Rock moment? In a word - brilliant.)

See?! He even gets along with those that mock him professionally. What a guy.

In honor of this auspicious occasion we will dining on a meal complete with all of B-Dub's favorite epicurean delights accessible in City K - from Cracker Barrel and Cinnabon. Sadly Le Cirque has yet to franchise in this neck of the woods, as hell has not frozen over.



So, cheers to Brian! One day older...and closer to vacating that highly coveted anchor chair.

How to be better than Grandma...

...in the eyes of a child. Momentarily.

My first name is fairly common, but my mother had a late-seventies moment (as in the 1970's) and replaced an "i" with a "y" and well - the rest is history. A history riddled with tears on vacations because I couldn't get a license plate for my Strawberry Shortcake bike...or barrettes for my hair...not even a pencil with my misspelled "y" for an "i" name.

Damn. Life was tough. Thankyouverymuch, Mother.

My own life experience is probably the sole reason why I am a fervent believer that gifts should be personalized. Because you just can...

Recently I've started bestowing the ever growing number of minis in my life books from Frecklebox.

What is more fun than an entire birthday book with your name spelled out on cakes every other page or a coloring book complete with fire engines and your name in big letters? The seven year-old in me says, "Nothing better.."


Preview the Birthday Book here.



Preview the Rev It Up coloring book here.



Preview the My Name is Book here.


They have a good selection and even a book for new big brothers and sisters. My guess is if the book has their name in it - it will lessen the blow of a new baby. Good idea.

Which would have been nice to have when my parents told me about the best Christmas present ever...my younger brother born December 27.

Mmmm. Not quite. See I was thinking more along the lines of the Strawberry Shortcake bake shoppe shaped like a strawberry.

And to add insult to injury - his name is totally normal and afforded him all of the personalized tchotchkes imaginable.

It's a miracle that I'm not more medicated...


More at 11.

New Year's Resolution. Putting pen to paper.

New Year's Resolution #1: A handwritten note to my friends on their birthday.

I'm not very good about remembering birthdays. Sorry. (I wasn't even sure if mine was October 3 or October 4 until I was 12. True story.)

Thanks to Facebook, I know when all my "friends" celebrate their birth. Now I really have no excuse.

Since all of my besties reside far enough away that celebrating with them would require a flight, cards usually have to suffice. That's all changing.

Instead of sending a card or writing on someone's wall - it is my New Year's resolution to send a handwritten note to my dearest friends on their birthday.

Who doesn't like receiving a handwritten note? And why should it just be reserved for times of acknowledging gifts, gracious hospitality or offering words of comfort during grief?
A birthday is the perfect opportunity to tell someone you care for what they mean to you.

First things first...stationery deserving of such an important note.

These are all from The Printery:

Bone White Empire Card with Plain Edges and Powder Blue & Noonmark Green Monogram



Bone White Empire Card with Seafoam Green Borders and Seafoam Green Monogram




Tobacco Empire Card with Red Borders and Cream Acorn & Monogram




Ecru Card with Plain Edge and Primrose, Artemis Green and Copper Monogram



Bone White Corinne Card with Lavender Borders and Lavender Monogram

They also have charming birth announcements. Just saying.

Have you made a New Year's resolution or resolutions? Do tell.


Mr. News Readin' seems to be keeping his. Tuesday will be the real test.

More at 11.

Partying like it's 1998...literally.

Mr. News Readin' had a humdinger of a 21st birthday bash in the backyard of his parents abode, complete with a beer truck and a kick-ass band from Virginia Beach, the Right On Band.

They played everything from Motown to '70s and '80s and they put on a phenomenal show. That was 1998 and I still remember dancing my ass off and hijacking the tambourine. (Yes. I was that girl - that night.)

We saw them again recently at our college's alumni weekend aka Frat Fest. Again, great show.

Apparently someone at Fox News is also interested in dancing their ass off and hijacking a tambourine from a big bosomed, boa wearing lead singer.

They're performing at Fox's U Party 2009 hosted by Megyn Kelly (Mr. News Readin's Plan B) and Bill Hemmer (the guy CNN told "thanks for the good times" in 2005) from 10pm to 1 am tonight.

Who knew!? From a backyard, beer-drenched throwdown to the world's largest New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square in a decade. Not bad. Not bad, at all.

This makes me think that come his 40th birthday, we are more likely to secure the beer truck than the Right On Band.

Guess I'll have to bring my own tambourine.

Happy New Year from the Breaking News Team!

Thirty-one years ago today...

Today I am officially a 31 year-old, northern grown, southern living, wife of an anchorman.

Damn. How did that happen? Just last week I was in my early twenties...

No fear. I was asked if I was still "in school" at the grocery store recently. I'm not sure if it was my youthful glow or my Nike running shorts, frat-tastic t-shirt ca. 1999 and hair piled on my head.

Probably the latter.

30 year-olds, and certainly 31 year-old women, do not dress like they are dashing off to chicken finger night at their university's dining hall. What can I say? I still rock (on occasion) my senior year formal t-shirt with pride...It reads: "Last time I had this much fun I got spanked," accompanied by a cartoon of a sorority girl paddling a frat boy. Nice. I'm all class.

On other fronts...this morning I started my routine at 6:05 am with coffee and decided since it is my birthday, I'm just going to lounge on the couch for a little bit. Mr. News Readin' (who usually sleeps until 7:45/8:00) poked his head in the den around 6:45 am to inquire as to when I was getting in the shower. Cute husband! He wanted to surprise me with Starbucks après showering on my birthday.

Life in a word is excellent. Amazing husband, caring family and friends, good job, awesome dog and cat, cute house, fab hair and no regrets. Not bad.

Now, if I could just add passenger rail service to and fro' work and friendship via Facebook with Tim Gunn - it would be perfection...a News Readin' Wife can dream, can't she?

More at 11.