Goodbye

Farewell, FOX19 viewers!

It’s not without some sadness that I find myself writing my final blog for FOX19. Hi, it's Meghan. :)

Wow. It's hard to believe this is my last day. It went by so fast. I guess that's a sign I enjoyed my five years here at FOX19.

It was a little more than five years ago that I signed on as a WXIX reporter, coming from Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I was so thrilled to be able to come to Cincinnati and live in a big city. Living and working here has been all that I hoped it would be and more. That may sound cheesy but it's true. I have met so many great people and formed lasting friendships.

Me with my new co-anchor, Pete Scalia

Reporting for FOX19 allowed me to cover an important breaking news story one day and hang on a trapeze to showcase a circus in town the next. It's a job that's hard to leave. But being a morning anchor was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I am excited to join the ABC22/FOX45 team in Dayton where I’ll co-anchor alongside Pete Scalia.

I want to thank everyone so much for watching my colleagues and me at FOX19 the past several years. Live TV can certainly be an adventure, but we enjoy what we do and work hard to deliver a quality product every day. I hope it shows.

Top 10 things I’ll miss (and a few I won’t – you’ll have to guess which are which):

1. My close friends on the show and my main photographer Dale.
2. The camaraderie behind the scenes, like chatting with Sheila while we put finishing touches on our makeup.
3. Rob’s cornucopia of strange morning foods like beef jerky, watermelon, Greek yogurt, and popcorn.
4. Frank’s annoyingly chipper attitude at 3:30 AM.
5. Live shots at GABP when Reds fans camp out for Opening Day Tickets, and Opening Day itself.
6. Getting out of the warm FOX19 truck to do a live hit in the cold – 8 times per morning!
7. Setting up at our four favorite live locations: the courthouse, CVG, the police station and… the salt pile.
8. Watching countless salt trucks get refilled during bad weather at the aforementioned salt pile.
9. Dressing up in a German Dirndl for the start of Oktoberfest.
10. All the viewers who got up with us each morning and especially those who were so nice when I saw them around town.

Thanks everyone. I will really miss being on the air here in Cincy. I really appreciate your support. Remember I'm not too far away. You could buy a really strong antenna to watch me in Dayton!  :)  Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving!

Bengals Blackout

The blackout actually turned out to be a good thing.

Good Tuesday morning. Rob here.

It was ugly Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, but it didn't start that way.

As I was getting ready for the game, I asked myself, "Will I be too warm in a long sleeved t-shirt?"

That's a great question to ask in late November. I caught the Monks bus down, and like a lot of Bengals fans I was hopeful. They were facing off against the Buffalo Bills. A team with fewer wins than the Bengals. The stadium was actually fuller than I expected. In the first half, they were playing well. We were cheering ALOT. Carson was playing well. Benson was running well. We kept saying, "They're playing well, but its the Bills." Nevertheless, happy that the Bengals entered the locker room with a 31 to 17 lead. Then it happened. A huge collapse. One of the biggest I have ever seen. Everything was falling apart. The offense could and didn't score and the defense couldn't stop Fitzpatrick and the offense. Before Sunday, the Bengals have never been outscored 30 to 0 in a half. Final score 49 to 31. Take a look at the picture I took in the beginning of the 4th quarter. A virtually empty Paul Brown Stadium. I hear some of the fans walked out wearing their Bengals jersey inside out. Who can blame them. Talked with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com yesterday morning on the Fox19 Morning News. He said the players don't want to be embarrassed this Thursday against the Jets. I say, after losing their 7th straight, it's maybe too late for that.

Up...Up...And Away...

Good Morning Everyone...Frank Here...It was up, up, and away this Saturday in Eden Park. The annual Balluminaria took place around Mirror lake and officials say they had record crowds. Over 4,000 people showed up for the event which many call the official kick off of the holiday season here in Cincinnati. In addition to Santa the little kiddos lined up for the always popular balloon animals. I attended the event with our reporter Corey McConnell and her husband and children. This is such a cool event, you can actually interact with the balloons and there crews, you can get up close and personal and actually feel the heat from the giant flames that keep these large balloons flying high. The real cap off the event is when all the balloons line up in place surrounding mirror lake and for 30 minutes they light there flames in a orchestrated time frame which provides photographers with stunning pictures. If you have not made it to this event in it's 15 year plus run I highly recommend you bring your families next year.

It's time for the next Harry Potter Movie!

Good morning Everyone!

Dan Wells writing, I hope this note finds you well and in good spirits!

So I woke up a bit early this morning to check out the hype of Harry Potter. YES, I'm a fan of the books and series and YES...I was one of those people who stood in line and went to see the premier of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1,"

Ok here's the deal Harry, Hermione and Ron don't spend ANY TIME in Hogwarts but it actually just fine....the movie in my opinion is great!

In this next-to-last installment in the "Harry Potter" franchise, the story rushes ahead and it takes the young heroes (Harry, Hermione and Ron) across a desolate England that's almost post-apocalyptic.

I needless to say thought the shooting or filming was pretty cool.

"Part 1" is a quest story. An on-the-run thriller, drama and moving exploration of loyalty.
There's a ton to take-in, including an early, mind-bending scene featuring multiple Harry Potters (I lost count) in one room. And the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic is just plain cool. The scene starts off comical, turns thrilling, and ends up poignant.

I don't want to give away the movie but I have to tell you that it ends at a perfectly logical place that left me dying for July 15 (that the next movie "Part 2" to arrive.

If you're a Harry Potter fan you will like this movie...it sticks to the book for the most part....if you're not a fan...sorry I just wasted your time.

Have a great weekend.
Dan

I Love CrossFit

I may like high heels and mascara, but I am proud to say that I can also do pull-ups. Hi, it's Meghan. :)



Box jumps!  Man, I'm moving fast! :)

 Have you ever done a workout where after six minutes you are out of breath and the sweat is dripping off? If you've tried CrossFit, you'll surely say yes. For those who haven't, let me explain.

CrossFit is a mix of strength and conditioning, combining weightlifting, sprinting, and gymnastics. The goals are cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance and coordination. CrossFit athletes run, row, jump rope, climb ropes and carry odd objects.

I've been working out at CrossFit NKY in Florence three times per week for two years. All CrossFit gyms are linked and there is always a prescribed workout of the day which changes every day. Here's an example from Wednesday:
- 5 dumbbell push jerks (25 lbs)
- 7 box jumps (2' box)
- repeat, completing as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.

Sounds simple, right? Well, I went non-stop and completed 25 rounds. That means I did 125 push jerks holding 50 pounds and 175 box jumps in 15 minutes. It was exhausting (it always is) but I feel a exercise high and a sense of accomplishment afterwards.



Luckily, Lucas is a much better trainer than he is a photographer. ;-)

 CrossFit is for anyone and everyone who wants to work hard. I've been in classes with people of all ages and all skill levels. This picture is of me, Laura and Stephanie doing pull-ups. Laura is in college and has worked super hard to become one of the instructors. Stephanie is pregnant! Yes, it is hard to tell. She started recently and does a workout tailored to moms. You can see she is also using a band to do pull-ups. Adjustments are made based on a person's strength and skill. I should know, it took me a year to get rid of the band and start doing pull-ups on my own!

I highly recommend trying CrossFit. There are at least 4 different locations in the Tri-State. Of course, I'm partial to Coach Lucas and all the great people and athletes at CrossFit NKY:)

Come to Christkindlmarkt!

A wonderful annual event for families will kick off the holiday season this weekend.

Sheila here. I'll be at the Germania Society's Christkindlmarkt this Saturday to lead the lantern parade. Children will parade through Germania Park, in a tradition which dates back to the 300's A.D. The children carry lanterns as they sing and walk to the bon fire where each child will receive a Sankt Martin's Weck (a pastry honoring St. Martin).

Catholics who live in Europe celebrate the feast day of St. Martin, who lived from 317 to 397 A.D. He was always very generous and even gave away some of his military earnings (while he was still a Roman soldier) to needy farm families. He is most famous for one special deed: When he was returning to his home on his military horse and a beggar stepped into his path and asked him for alms. Martin had just given away his last coins, but he did not think it was right to just ride past the beggar. He decided, to share his warm wool coat (in German it is called a Mantel). He took his sword and cut the coat in half, gave the beggar one half and kept the other half. He felt if both had half a coat, they had a better chance not to die in the cold winter weather.

Martin later became a monk, and all of his good deeds and his generosity resulted in him being chosen as a Bishop of Tours. The lantern parade starting Saturday at 6:30 is a wonderful opportunity to learn about and celebrate German childhood traditions.

St. Nikolaus and Santa Claus will also be at Germania Park this weekend to visit with children, and live Christmas trees will be for sale. You can also find lot of German goodies like pastries, Christmas ornaments, Advent calendars, and toys and puzzles. Of course, Germania Society is well known for its wonderful cooks, so lots of German food will be on the menu along with Gluhwein (Hot Mulled Wine). Live entertainment is planned all weekend long.

Germania Society's Christkindlmarkt runs this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Germania Park. Kids younger than 14 get in free, and admission is only $3.00 for everyone else. A heated pavilion will help you get in out of the cold. I hope to see you there! Learn more at http://www.germaniasociety.com/christkindlmarkt10/christkindlmarkt10.html

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a great way to clean up your diet.

Hey everyone. Rob here.

Its been just over a month since the Columbus marathon and I took most of that time off. Time off running, working out and eating well. Now it's time to pay for nearly 4 weeks of fun and get back on course. I start with Greek yogurt. It is how I start most of my days. It's higher in protein. It typically has double the protein compared to standard yogurt. The brand I eat has 17 grams of protein and only 130 calories. Its also relatively low in carbohydrates. Greek yogurt averages 9 grams of carbohydrates.

The one I buy at Kroger has 8 grams.

It's healthy, but also tasty. I don't feel like I'm sacrificing. Regular yogurt is strained twice. Greek yogurt is strained 3 times, so it's thicker and creamier. Give it a try. Either today or may be after the holidays.