Okay...August was so cool

August seemed to have some of the most amazing segments to date. I am really blessed to be able to do this job. Enjoy!




1. 10 week old Clouded Leopard Cubs.

I got a phone call from the awesome folks out at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium asking if I would like to be the only media person to come in and hang out in the cub den. Ummm, let me think about that one. YES, I WILL BE THERE! We had the best morning. I was missing patches of hair (they loved to sit on my head and pull it out) and I was scratched all over and bleeding but it was worth every second. Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://www.king5.com/news/pets-and-animals/Up-close-with-Woodland-Park-Zoos-snow-leopard-cubs-128468988.html

2. Rachel the Pig turns 25!

Rachel the Pig is a BIG DEAL here in Seattle. She's a brass pig who is the ambassador for the famed Pike Place Market. She's also a piggy bank and she's single 'hoofedly' raised over $200,000 for local charities. She turned 25 on August 17th and I decided to throw her a kick a$$ birthday party. Whoop Whoop!

http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Rachel-the-Pike-Place-Market-pig-to-turn-25-127891518.html

That's a cake btw ... crazy!

Me and my girl...

3. He's a super famous actor and now has the best gig in the world hosting the Price is Right. We hung out and had a great time with Drew Carey - check it out!

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Drew-Carey-ready-for-Seafair-Torchlight-Parade-126455718.html

4. I CAN WALK ON WATER

Have you ever been blown up inside a ball and then thrown on the water. It's high-larious.

http://www.king5.com/video?id=128390728&sec=549122

5. WAKEBOARDING

A pro wakeboarding series was in town and I went out to try it. Check out the face plants below ...

SEGMENTS:

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Northwest-Riders-Wake-Series-in-Monroe-this-weekend-127659583.html

WIPEOUTS:

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Christie-Johnsons-wakeboard--127660753.html



6. ENDUROCROSS

So I had on the best female Endrocross racer in the world - she just won gold at the X-Games. I decided it would be a good idea to give her powerful dirt bike a try on live TV, even though I've NEVER been on a motorbike in my life. BAD IDEA. Click below

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Worlds-best-female-dirt-bike-racer-from-Seattle-back-for-EnduroCross-127525678.html

7. WOMEN'S HOCKEY

HEY women!! Go ahead and give hockey a try. I've been skating forever, in fact, I think I was born with blades on my feet, so when they asked me to come out and skate with them I was stoked! Watch the video, see how fun it is, and then give them a call and get out there and give it a try!

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Women-urged-to-Give-Hockey-a-Try-Saturday-127616643.html

8. CHRISTIE WHIFFS NOT 1 BUT 2 BALLS WITH MR. BEN CRENSHAW...HELLO EMBARRASSING

So there I was...hanging out with one of the greatest golfers of all time thinking I could "fake it" for 2 mins that I was a decent golfer ... didn't happen. Mr. Ben Crenshaw saw what a loser I am on a golf course. I''m really good at looking cute out there but when it comes to actually hitting the ball ... not so much. lol

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Annual-Boeing-Classic-swings-into-action-Wednesday-128324723.html

July Highlights

HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM JULY!!

1. THE DIRTY DASH! Who doesn't love a good mud puddle? I know I do! This day I went jumping in them and didn't even get in trouble...lol. Welcome to the Dirty Dash!

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Dirty-Dash-125268244.html


2. BEE KEEPING! I was live with a QUARTER MILLION BEES...yikes! I'm the chica screaming like a little girl whenever one comes around. Not good.

http://www.king5.com/news/slideshows/Busy-bees-what-they-do-and-why-its-so-important-125426923.html


3. I GOT A FLIGHT LESSON!! This was beyond cool. In honor of the 1st American woman to earn a pilot's licence, Harriett Quimby, I got to take a flight lesson. Check it out.

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/KING-5s-Christie-Johnson-takes-her-first-flight-lesson-126342678.html


4. WORKING ON MY "SEXY GRUNT" ...HEE HEE HEE. A bunch of pro tennis players were in town for a tourney and I was wondering why they have to be so dang loud when hitting such a small ball. I got to the bottom of it.




http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Professional-Tennis-Championships-bringing-players-to-Tacoma-126173573.html

5. I GOT CRABS! Yup, it's true...that just happened. I caught 5 of them actually...lol. Click below to see what went down.

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/New-rules-for-crabbing-in-effect-126032128.html

Seattle Bike Expo

Okay, this was CRAZY! Picture this...

"Hi I'm Christie, nice to meet you"

"Hi I'm Lukas, hop on!"

"Ummm what?!"

"Get on my shoulders, I'm going to take you for a ride"

"Are you sure?" (said in a seriously questioning tone)

"Just get on"

So I got on. I climbed on to Lukas' shoulders as he hopped onto his bike and then proceeded to pop a wheely (that's shop talk for scare the Sh%&*t out of me). He was incredible and I'm sure very sore now considering he was smaller than I am...lol. All I'm saying is that I'm super glad I had a helmet on ... gotta protect the noodle.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THESE AWESOME ACROBATS!

TNA Wrestling

CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING???????

TNA Wrestling was in town on Friday but we got a sneak peek at what the show would hold for fans. Whoa! The thing I was most impressed with was their low low low voices. I think they teach that in wrestling school ... lol. I've never really been sure about the "sport" of wrestling - the characters these guys & gals play are always so in-your-face. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice all three of the peeps that showed up were.

We were joined by BEER MONEY and ANGELINA LOVE. They are normal folks except that they beat people up for a living. I asked them if the whole thing was "fake", they scoffed and then punched me in the mouth. Just kidding. They explained that there's some choreography & "storylines" - NO WAY??!! - involved but that they do actually fight and get injured (imagine a 250lb guy landing on you even if it is planned ...OUCH!). Okay, point taken.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME WITH TNA WRESTLERS!

Jimbo getting pinned by Angelina Love ... notice the grin on his face

Think these belts would go with my jeans?

Beer Money, Angelina Love, Jim, & I

The gang

Getting ready to "go live"

What are you lookin' at?

Somebody call for help!

Emerald City Reptile Expo

Ewwwwww! Gotta say, I'm not the biggest reptile fan in the world. I'm more of a cuddly puppy-dog kind of girl, but I did learn to respect the scaly, slithering kind.

I spent the morning hanging with the folks and their creatures from the Emerald City Reptile Expo. When I arrived all I saw was tons and tons of snakes in bags (that's apparently how snakes travel). Okay. Then they busted out the lizards. I've got to say that I think those little guys are actually cute. I always think that they'd talk with a British accent.

I decided to hold "Pizza" the Crested Gecko for my first segment and as Brad and Joyce came to me live, the damn gecko jumped from my hand up to my neck area. Scared the "H -E -DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS" out of me! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I sort of did a bit of both. It was a totally hilarious moment.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME GET ATTACKED BY A GIANT LIZARD

Once I recovered from the utter shock of that attack, I actually learned a lot about reptiles and how fascinating they are. Scientists are using reptiles to research many cures for human diseases. See they can be our friends afterall :-)

It turns out that reptiles attach to their owners, have personalities and feelings, and are actually quite sweet as long as you provide the kind of care that they require. This weekend's expo will feature hundreds of animals up for adoption as well as "care experts" that can walk you through how to properly own one of these creatures. If you can't make it to the show and still want to adopt one, you can find them on http://www.petfinder.com/ (search reptile and it will lead you to the NW's folks).

Some kind of lizard

This guy is just chillin'

Don't know if he's cuddling or getting ready to suck some neck blood

The cutest Bearded Dragon I've ever seen!

My new little friend

If you're looking for something to do with the kids this weekend, hit the Emerald City Reptile Expo and check out some of these cool little guys. It's being held at the Lake City Community Center on Saturday & Sunday. Admission is $10. Tell them you know the reporter that was "ATTACKED" by the 1lb gecko ... lol.

WATCH THIS REPORTER GET ATTACKED - HILARIOUS!

Scott Firefighter Stairclimb

Everyone loves a firefighter don't they? Well here's just one more reason to idolize these folks.

1500 firefighters from all over the world (the US, Canada, and New Zealand) will descend upon Seattle this Sunday for the biggest single firefighter event in the world. These amazing people will climb 69 stories in the Columbia Center, the tallest building in Seattle, all in an effort to stamp out blood cancers. Get this ... the record time is 10 and a half minutes!! I've waited longer for elevators! Last year's winner, a 29 yr old Missoula firefighter, did it in 11.135 minutes. That's nuts! Imagine how tired you would feel after sprinting up 1311 stairs, that's 788 vertical feet. CRAZY!

I couldn't even breathe in my live hit after running up about 20 stairs ... maybe that's a sign that I should be at Husky Stadium running stairs on a more regular basis ... lol.

Firefighters aged 18-69 will strap on almost 60lbs of gear (bunker gear & breathing apparatus) and sprint-climb up to the 73rd floor. I spent the morning with two amazing guys that are competing in the challenge. Firefighter Dan Nelson and Firefighter Pat McNerthney are 60 & 61 respectively, and spent the entire time in between our shoots doing stairs - they had to get their training in I guess. We were also joined by Anne Gillingham, the Executive Director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Anne and her team are the ones that make sure the money raised goes to patients, their families & caregivers, and live saving research.

The awesome team this morning! Pat, Anne & Dan

These guys are seriously fit!

Doing my best "firefighter holding a hose" impression

SO HOW CAN YOU HELP?????

Well for starters we need to you to go to Firefighter Stairclimb and donate dollars, benjamins, moola. You can pledge toward a specific climber or to a department. Whatever you can give will help. These guys are going to sprint up Columbia Center in support of folks with blood cancers ... it's the least you and I can do.

Playing with the Harlem Globetrotters

How did you spend your Sunday? Well, I spent mine showing off my mad basketball skillz in front of thousands at Key Arena. 

Okay, let me back up.  A couple of week ago, I had the Harlem Globetrotters on the show. It went well and I had a lot of fun. Before that even happened, the team had asked me to be their "special" guest at the game this past Sunday. BIG MISTAKE GLOBETROTTERS, BIG MISTAKE. Here's the thing, I have NO basketball skills in my bag of tricks. NONE. So the thought of playing basketball in front of thousands of people, against some of the world's best players gave me a migraine. 

My amazing teammates on the Washington Generals

I manned up though, put on the uni (and let me just say it's ummm...not the cutest thing I've ever worn. We should do something about getting cuter ones for girls), showed up to the arena, and put on my best smile. I had thought all along that I was going to be in the whole game. I was SO relieved to find out that I was only going in during the 2nd quarter. Whew. I can be a 'bench-warmer' - I'm so fine with that. 

So finally it's the 2nd quarter. I'm already sweating and totally nervous. They call my name and introduce me in front of the whole crowd. Great. Now everyone knows exactly who I am and who to make fun of on the blogs tomorrow. Super. 

"Special K" (my name is Christie "Can't Jump" Johnson) is who I'm supposed to guard. Ummm, good luck to Christie. He's 8 feet tall and I'm a whopping 5 foot 4 on a good day with heels. 

Do you see what I'm saying? 

Anyhoo, I tried my best to box-him-out (I think that's what they call it) and then it happened. 'Special K' says over the mic to the whole crowd, "Hey Christie, I think that you should try a 4-point shot." That's a new shot they're debuting this year from 35 feet out. I missed. Then with all eyes on me he tells me to try a 3-pointer. I missed that one too. Finally, he let me stand right under the basket ....and ... SUCCESS!! I made it! 2 points for Johnson!! 

CLICK HERE to watch  me play with the Globetrotters

"Boxing-out" ... or at least my version

Trying the 4 point shot. Granny-style

Check out my form...lol

Whoop whoop! Johnson for 2 baby!

Big sweaty hugs all around

THANKS SO MUCH to the Globetrotters. I had such a blast hanging with these guys! All of them were super nice and unbelievably hilarious. I would love to come back and play next year - I'm already working on my dribbling skills...lol.