WORLD'S LARGEST ICE CREAM SOCIAL

I scream, you scream, we ALL scream for ICE CREAM!!

It's the 9th Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social. All Cold Stone Creamery locations across the nation are giving away FREE 3oz cups of "Kate's Creation". It's a new flavor developed by an 11 year old girl from Florida that suffers from a congenital spinal condition. Her wish was to go to the Cold Stone Headquarters in Arizona and work with the Taste Master to create a new tasty treat. It's apple caramel ice cream, with apple pie filling, chocolate shavings, and graham cracker crust. Delish!!

I was good at this ... I see a part-time job in my future ...

CLICK HERE TO SEE US AMBUSHING MORNING COMMUTERS ON THE BUS IN FREMONT TO GIVE THEM FREE ICE CREAM!

WHERE: Nationwide (20 Puget Sound locations)

WHEN: September 30th from 5pm-8pm

WHY: It's for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and it's free ice cream for goodness sakes!

BACK TO CLASS

The University of Washington went back to school today. Over 40-thousand students descended upon Red Square on campus to begin the school year. We were live there all morning talking to the UW campus police, handing out bagels to students with the ASUW President, and getting fired up with the Husky Cheer Team!

Pretty dark on campus at this point ... lol

I was a cheerleader for years (a professional one at that - but our calendars shall remain hidden for eternity so don't even ask me) so this was exciting for me! They are a great team and so much fun. I wanted to do our interview from the top of a stunt ... so they appeased me at 6am. I thought that my stunt partner for the morning, Paul, was going to pass out after having to hold me in the air for 2 mins, but he lived and did great!

CLICK HERE TO SEE ME INTERVIEW THE CHEER CAPTAIN UP IN A STUNT!

Waiting for my cue to start talking ... notice Paul still looking good

Notice Paul starting think ... "I should have thought more about this before I let this crazy broad talk me into holding her for 2 mins"

The whole team! They're off to USC this weekend to cheer on the Huskies!!!

Dawg Daze are currently underway. Check the UW website for info on all the festivities surrounding this exciting time of year!

SMASH-UP DERBY

IT'S RALLY TIME!! Someone gave me permission to off-road in a rally car ... uh oh. I've said it before and I'll say it again ... I have the best job in the world!

Dirt Fish Rally School, the only one on the west coast, is now open in Snoqualmie! They have 315 acres of mud, gravel, trees, hills, jumps, and so much more for you to come out and off-road on. So much fun.

They have state-of-the-art instructors, highest of the high-end Subaru cars, and free range to have as much fun as possible. My new friend Forest was my instructor for the morning. We planned to do a "coming up after the break" tease on wet pavement, fish-tailing and sliding around. It was scary but I knew that I was in good hands. The good news: we didn't hit my photographer Jim as we slid to a stop right in front of him & the camera ... just in time for me to deliver my line. Whew ... live TV.


Then the fun started. They let me get behind the wheel. It had been raining all morning ... the humidity and rain were great for my hair (insert sarcasm)... I looked like a hedgehog. The track was muddy with puddles all over the place ... and trying to shoot live with me driving, my cameraman Jim strapped in to the passenger seat, camera hanging out the open window (our cameras are way too big to be in those little cars), and mud flying in the window, made it super fun. Every guy's dream ... and mine :-)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH US DRIVE

Forest trying to teach me to drive

Before I went out in the rain ... pre-hedgehog



The awesome crew down at Dirt Fish Rally School


The hedgehog

If you want to head down and check this place out here's how:

http://www.dirtfish.com/

ENJOY!!

Self Defense

Did you know that 1 in 4 college women will be victims of rape or attempted rape in their college years? That is a VERY alarming statistic. The good news? There are things you can do to get out of dangerous situations or better yet, avoid them all together. We were with Insights Training Center today and their instructors are awesome. They train SWAT teams, law enforcement, you name it ... but they also train everyday gals and guys like you and me.

Me working with Greg Hamilton learning how to defend myself

They gave us great tips on how to avoid a situation in the first place by being aware of your surroundings and using body language & verbal cues to let potential attackers know that you won't be an easy target. If you do find yourself in a bad situation there are many things you can do depending on how you are being attacked. I'm not the expert here and that's why you should take a self-defense class but the most important things I gathered this morning were to protect your airway and to "attack your attacker" by hitting them in the neck repeatedly. We also learned that you should carry pepper spray ... and not in your purse or backpack ... have it readily available to you and easily accessed.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ME LEARN SOME MOVES

Me hitting 'Bob the dummy'

Amy and Haley - two college girls that are old pro's at self-defense

Stephanie Kerns and I pepper spraying Bob

Insights Training Center is offering a free self-defense seminar for college students. Go to their website at http://www.insighttraining.com/ for more info. Take it ... it could save your life!

Susan G Komen 3-day Walk

1 in 8 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. The Susan G Komen 3 Day Walk to cure breast cancer happened this weekend and I was lucky enough to be there as they kicked off the walk. 60 miles, 3 days, and thousands of moving and inspriational stories - I cried all morning - even on the air. I couldn't help it. It was so moving to hear all of these women talk about their children & grandchildren, the battle they've fought and how they hope one day for a cure. I want to take part in it next year and so should you!

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO OF ME WITH THE WALKERS

Paint Dancing!

Have you ever thought of painting AND dancing at the same time? Revolutionary right? Well that's exactly what Matt Jones of Gasworks Gallery has done and the craze is sweeping the globe. I got to go and try this super fun pastime and just as I thought ... it was a blast!

It's held at his art studio and people literally come in and paint pictures and paint on each other while the music blares and they dance their hearts out. it's $15 bucks and a portion of the money goes to support the other "Paint Dancing" locations across the world (there are ???) that in turn use the money they earn to support their local food banks. Pretty great!

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO OF ME AND THE PAINT DANCERS DOING OUR THANG :-)

A huge mess but so fun!

Emily and Matt Jones painting me up





The whole gang


The amazing Emily

Everyone showing off their creations

Thanks to Matt Jones and his crew for an awesome morning! Here's how you can try it out:

Where: http://www.paintdancing.com/

Cost: $15

When: Every 2nd Friday of the month

Gettin' our hands dirty

It's the 2nd annual Habitat for Humanity Build-a-thon and it continues all the way through Sunday! We were out this morning volunteering with an awesome crew to get 4 homes done by the end of this weekend.


CLICK HERE to see video of us doing some building this morning

With some of the crew

There were 20+ volunteers there before the sun even came up ... just amazing! We broke down a lot of barriers and mis-conceptions this morning that I think a lot of us were probably confused about.

Did you know??
- the home are NOT free. Home owners pay a no-profit, no-interest mortgage
-home owners must put in 500+ hours of sweat equity into building their home (and those of their neighbors)
-they must be a resident of King County for at least one year

CEO Marty Kooistra and two men getting homes through Habitat


Doing some volunteering

Raking with the CEO

Here's the thing ... they NEED YOUR HELP! Visit www.habitatbuildathon.org to volunteer. They can use material donations, service donations (landscapers, tradespeople, etc), and of course your time! Who knows, you might make a new friend ... a total win-win!

I'm too sexy ...

I'm too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love, love's going to leave me ... da da da ...

My knees are still wobbly girls ... I spent the morning with the male cover models of "The Men of the Market" calendar that Pike Place is doing. It's being released this weekend at the market but I got my sticky little hands on the first one! Whoop whoop!

CLICK HERE TO SEE ME CATCH A FISH AND HANG WITH THE SEXY FISH MONGERS!

My very own autographed copy!

So if you've ever been down to Pike Place you've definitely seen the "Fish guys" - they are world famous and have done several corporate and motivational videos...hello Fish Philosophy. They are totally crazy and so fun - this morning they threw a 20lb fish at me ... you should have seen the whispers and stares I got back at the station ... I smelled like a salmon all morning long.

Sexy fish monger, Justin Hall

A whole crew of male models from the calendar ... ohhh la la

The whole gang - just great guys!!

This whole thing was masterminded by a bunch of women. Yup, a gaggle of gals decided that they wanted to see some beefy market guys looking sexy in a calendar. Good idea girls! They are the Thursday Walkers and I would like to say WELL DONE!

The gals from Thursday Walkers ... if you see them, high-five them for this great idea!

So how can you get your hands on one of these calendars? Well, head to the market itself or go to www.pikeplacemarketfoundation.org to buy one. It's only $15 bucks and all the money goes to the Pike Place Market Foundation - all for a good cause ... go get one!

Lake Union Park

There's some new green space in downtown Seattle! 12 acres (or 10 football fields for those of you that, like me, can't picture how big 12 acres is) of grass, beach, tree groves, interactive fountain displays, and they are throwing a huge party this Saturday (Sept 25th) to officially open the park! It's from dawn to dusk, it's FREE, and all of you are invited!! There will be free food, free exercise classes, and even a free family dance to end the day.

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO OF THE PARK AND LEARN ABOUT SATURDAY'S SHINDIG!

An aerial view of the park

Trying to get all my peeps ready for the segment

Our live-truck in the park ... notice our engineer, Jeff, trying to get his 15 mins...hee hee

Where the big party is happening this Saturday!

Here's the link to Seattle Strength & Performance - they kicked my butt this morning could do the same for you! (they'll be on hand doing classes on Saturday)

Party deets:

1. Saturday, September 25th

2. Time: Dawn to Dusk

3. Cost: Notta baby...it's FREE!

FREE YOUR GLEE!

It's that time again! FREE YOUR GLEE! The Puyallup Fair is rocking until September 26th down at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup and there is so much to see and do! I was lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most popular things....my fav...the baby piglets! 5lbs, 15 days old, and cuteness factor through the roof! They were loud but ohhhhh soooooo cute!

My new little piglet friends...so squirmy and squeaky!

Gives a whole new meaning to the term "pig pile"

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF ME WITH THE SCREAMING PIGLETS

I had the privilege of hanging with the "Scone Ladies." You know the ones... the girls that have been making the scones for what seems like forever - actually many of them have been there for three decades. Doris showed me how to knead the dough, cut the scones, and of course, put on the butter and jam. I ate about seven. Delish.

Getting my apron on ... ready to bake!

Don't for a second think that the pigs were the only ones that got some air-time that morning. The goats also got in on the action. I learned how to milk a goat. That's right...milk a goat. It's the first, AND LAST, time I will ever do that. I had to wipe the goat's udder with baby wipes, squeeze the udder with my index finger and thumb, and get milking. It felt like a water balloon....el disgusto. I actually just felt bad for the goat. So I made sure to give it some love after the whole ordeal was over.

I know what you're thinking ... and yes, I DID kiss it!

Look at what a good 'poser' this goat is

This goat is trying to get the heck outta there ... I think she's scared that I might try and milk her.

The Fair details:

1. Happening until September 26th

2. http://www.thefair.com/

3. SUPER FUN!

Make you smile on Monday!

IS THIS GUY SERIOUS????????

If you need a good laugh this Monday morning ... check out this speech by GOP candidate, Phil Davidson. It's so funny that you'll probably have half the office gathered around your desk just howling. He reminds me of the character that Chris Farley played on Saturday Night Live - "I live in a van down by THE RIVER" .... dude needs to take it down a notch, or ten....at least he has passion, I guess.

Side note - he didn't win. I wonder what kind of speech the guy who won gave? :-)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ... SO FUNNY

NFL KICK-OFF!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOOOTBAAAAAAL????

Get the lazy boy warmed up, fill up your beer fridge, and put on your comfy sweats ... the NFL season is starting up and this morning we were kicked it off with the Seahawks! We got to go where NO CAMERAS have been before with unprecedented access behind the scenes at Qwest Field....so cool for fans to see the locker room, training room, hot tubs, and the roof! A huge shout out to Suzanne Lavender and her team for hooking us up!

We started out in the Seahawks dressing room - the players only use this room for 10 games + post season each year. It felt pretty naked with no people in it (it was 5am of course), but that was kind of the cool part ... it kind of felt like we weren't supposed to be in there...hee hee...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY LOCKER ROOM TOUR

This is Matt Hasselbeck's locker - it's the only one in the entire room that has a poster in it .... autographed by other players like Warren Moon, etc. So cool....a player AND a fan!

Different angle of Hasselbeck's crib...he is very neat & tidy

Logo on the floor

Quarterbacks and the kicker

After that we had to hustle to make our next live shot on THE ROOF! Holy scary! They outfitted us with safety harnesses to that we couldn't fall off ... oh yea, we also had to sign a waiver in case we fell and died... yikes!

The hardest part was climbing up there. A catwalk, a ladder, and tons of equipment - they tied ropes to our camera and other equipment and brought it up like kids in a tree house bring up their goodies in a pail. See here's the thing...to "go-live" we either need to be tethered to our live truck or somewhere that we can plug in to an outlet that gives us a 'live signal'. We of course didn't have that capability on the roof of Qwest Field, so we had to bring our portable gear (it looks like a cheerleading megaphone that we point at a TV tower...no idea how it works). We had myself to do the easy part (the talking) plus my awesome camera guy Jim (who finds himself in some crazy situations with me lately), and 2 engineers, Ryan & Bob, who hustled their little buns off to get us up there and ready to go in time - GOOD JOB BOYS ...MUCH APPRECIATED!

Anyhoo...I learned how to change out those colored lights you see when driving by Qwest. I, of course, broke one of the bolts ...figures...but we got it done and man it was awesome! Check out some of the pics! They told me that I was THE FIRST person in the history of Qwest Field to be on the roof in heels AND bring a purse up there! Wow...that's quite a honor to have bestowed upon me...lol.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME ON THE ROOF OF QWEST FIELD...SCARY!

Our entire awesome team ...in our harnesses of course!

Tethered to a huge steel rope ... high heels were not the best choice of shoe today...lol

Great views from the roof of Qwest!

There are still tickets available for Sunday's game! http://www.seahawk.com/ GO HAWKS!!

World Championships of Sand Sculpting

Who knew that you could do so much with sand and water! This morning I was live at the World Championship of Sand Sculpting in Federal Way and boy are these artists amazing! Although they were just getting started (so there we no huge structures built yet) it was still quite a spectacle. They brought in 79...yes 79...semi truckloads full of sand from the ice age. I'm sure your wondering "ice age Christie...really?"... but it's true. It's glacial till sand that was formed way back when and it's the perfect sand for carving.

Pics of the pros getting down to business (they put the sand in those boxes to compact it so they can carve into it)

They put me to work early. The moment I got there, I was handed a tool and told to get carving - it was still dark for goodness sakes! I made a King5 logo and I've got to hand it to those guys ... this was not an easy task. A huge shout out to Charlie Beaulieu for helping me with this!

My King5 logo ... not bad :-)

I'm super proud of my creation

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME WITH THE SCULPTORS

Here's how you can check it out:

www.worldchampionshipofsandsculpting.com

Location: Federal Way

Dates: Happening until October 3rd

Cost: $7.50 advance tickets

Times: 9am-7pm Mon-Sat & 10am - 6pm Sun

My Long Walk Home

Can you imagine walking 3000 miles? Sounds crazy doesn't it? Well one local man did just that. Jack Morris is his name and he's one cool cat. He lost his job earlier this year and instead of wallowing in self-pity he chose to use this time in his life to do something good for others. Pretty cool isn't it?

He hopped a flight to Jacksonville, Florida, went to Home Depot, stocked up on Rubbermaid bins and supplies to attach to his cart, and starting walking back to Seattle. Armed with a few maps and a GPS, Jack weaved his way through America pitching his tent in people's front yards, under semi-trucks, and even walking through a tornado - but he says it's all been worth it!

Jack (in orange) and his friends that showed up to walk with us this morning!

We were lucky enough to be joined by the Wubben family (from Montana) that are currently being treated at Seattle Children's Hospital. Aleesha and her mom Lori were lucky enough to meet Jack as he walked through Missoula. Lori says that she's grateful from the bottom of her heart and can't believe that a total stranger would care that much about other people's children. It was a very emotional morning....

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF ME WALKING WITH JACK THIS MORNING!

Zach (Jack's son), Jack, CJ, Aleesha, and Lori - a great group!

JACK STILL NEEDS YOUR HELP! He is still short of his goal and I think that 'clicking' to donate some dollars is the least we can all do ... after all, he's walked 3000 miles.

www.mylongwalkhome.org