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

BUMBERSHOOT

It's that time of year again ... BUMBERSHOOT is here! It's North America's largest urban arts festival featuring talent from all over the globe. This morning I hung out with some of Seattle's homegrown talent that will be featured over this Labor Day weekend.

So I know I've said this in the past, but I really do have the best job in the world. Not because I get to be on TV, but because I get to meet some of the coolest, nicest people on the planet and today was no exception. It all started this morning with Youngstown Records - a youth driven record label committed to building community by empowering the voices of Seattle youth. Side note - these were the most polite and well spoken young people I have ever met!

These kids are so good that they caught the eye of some very important people and were flown to Washington D.C. to meet the President! They sing, rap, beat box, and so much more. You can catch them this weekend on Sunday at the Performing Arts Stage at 3:30pm.

My peeps from Youngstown Records

Have you heard of the Vicious Puppies? They're a local break dance troupe out of Arts Corps - very talented guys. They'll be performing this weekend as well on Sunday at 3:30pm on the Performing Arts Stage.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ME DOING THE "WORM" WITH THESE GUYS!

"B-boys" ... the Vicious Puppies

Arts Corps is a non-profit group that believes every child, regardless of financial ability, deserves the freedom to imagine and the courage to be. They utilize teaching artists to mentor youth in the arts. Very cool! This morning we were joined by some of those teachers who happen to have a group of their own called Air 2 a Bird (http://www.air2abird.com/) and they are amazing singers. They will be performing alongside their students this weekend on Sunday at 3:30pm.

Air 2 a Bird - check out their website and download them on iTunes

BUMBERSHOOT INFO:

September 4th-6th

Seattle Center

http://www.bumbershoot.org/

Make it a great day!

What are your kids doing?

As the kids head back to school, parents are starting to wonder what activities to put them in after school. There are the standard soccer teams and piano lessons, but let's think outside the box, shall we? Have you ever thought about putting your daughter in a rock camp or having her skate on a roller derby team? That's exactly what we explored this morning. I wish I was a kid again because there is so much cool stuff for them to take part in now... I had to walk both ways to school, uphill, barefoot, and in the snow... geez, kids have it so much easier these days haha!

First up was the I-5 Roller Girls (they were also joined by some of the Kitsap Derby Brats) - a huge shout-out to Chris Hunter for gathering all of the girls and to Fast Girl Skates for supplying me with all of my gear!

Super cool kids. They all have these witty nicknames that they introduce themselves by - I never heard a single first name all morning. They are confident, tough young women that are having a blast and this sport is no joke. I got to skate with the girls and thankfully I didn't break a hip :-) If you want to check them out or have your daughter tryout for the team, head to http://www.i5rollergirls.com/ for more info. Thanks so much to all of the girls and parents that showed up this morning at 4:45am on a school day - you rock!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME PLAY ROLLER DERBY

My new roller buddies

Check out how many girls showed up at 4:45am - way to go!

Has your daughter ever wanted to be Joan Jett or a DJ? Well there's a place that she can go to learn all of those skills! It's called Rain City Rock Camp for Girls and it's an awesome program that focuses on building self-esteem and confidence through music. I was joined by Holly Houser (the co-founder) and Jenn Johnson (Asst Director) - two totally amazing ladies. They brought with them a wonderful young lady named Mackenzie who attended the camp this summer. She didn't know that this morning would be her big break on King 5!! She sang and played guitar live for us and she was AWESOME! I think that when she went back to school this morning she probably had to sign autographs!

This is a must for musical girls! http://girlsrockseattle.org/

Mackenzie with her guitar, Holly Houser, & Jenn Johnson

Have you ever thought that it would be nice if your child helped out in the kitchen or got more excited about eating dinner? Well now they can! Did you know that there are cooking classes for kids from ages 2-18? Yes, I did just say 2 ... apprently they learn to make cookies and other fun things with their parents. What a great idea! Check it out at http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/

Leika Suzumura, RD - a nutrition educator with PCC Natural Markets

We also went to 'Charm School' to fine-tune our manners with Mrs. DeGroot of Wallingford Charm School. I think that most of us wish sometimes that our children, husbands, wives, etc, had better manners - we should probably all take a class at least once in our life! http://www.wallingfordcharm.com/

Now go find something cool to have your kids do this fall!

Make it a great day!

The Art of the Tease

The Art of the Tease is sweeping the nation and the Northwest for that matter. I wasn't sure what I would learn, or have to wear for that matter, when I signed up to go and see what Burlesque is all about - but what I found was a group of people so comfy in their own skin that it put me at ease instantly. From the gloves, to the feather fans, and the pasties, (yes you read that right....pasties) the clothing was so feminine and beautiful. It really is a fun way for adults to play.

The Academy of Burlesque, in Seattle, is the longest running in the entire country and was founded by a charming woman named Indigo Blue - who by the way, has performed with Dita Von Teese ... she's a big deal you know! She met me this morning along with a crew of her performers to teach me what this sexy and seductive art form is all about.

This form of entertainment has been around forever and is now being used as a great way to get in shape and gain some confidence ... everybody needs more of that don't they?!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME LEARN SOME MOVES

Practicing how to 'hold the peaches'

Don't think I'm actually getting the hang of it

Check out my awesome head-piece ... Vegas here I come baby!!

I bet your wondering why there's a man in the pic aren't you? Well, burlesque isn't just for the girlies.... it's also for the men out there. His name is 'Waxie Moon' and he's a performer and instructor with the Academy ... and he rocks! The Academy of Burlesque offers "Boy-lesque" classes and workshops too - get in touch with your feminine side!

Miss Indigo Blue is the most amazing hair stylist - she whipped this up in 5 mins!

It's SHOWTIME!!

The Academy of Burlesque is always accepting new performers of all ages and body types - YOU should take a class! Here's the 411 on how to do it:

- http://www.academyofburlesque.com/

- 206.47.TWIRL

- They offer classes for ALL bodies, ALL sizes, and ANYONE that wants to try. From folks in the process of fighting breast cancer to those in the midst of changing genders, they welcome everyone with open arms.

SIGN UP AND TAKE A CLASS and if you can't do that .... go and see them perform in the Blue Moon Cabaret this Friday (September 3rd) at the Pampas Room.

Make it a great ... and confident....day!!