Well, I just got back from an awesome weekend in New York! A total blast and feeling rested. Scott and I got some quality time away and got some important work done too. I read a GREAT book on the plane and I can't put it down. It's that new one from Mitch Albom (the author of "Tuesday's with Morrie"). The book is called "To Have a Little Faith". So far, I'm loving it! I can't wait to get to the end. Although, don't you hate it when you are reading something you love and there is that excitement about getting to the end- and also the sadness that it will be over? Yep, I have that with this book. I'll let you know how it is when I'm finished.

Scott and I saw some friends in New York, we ate at some great places (you know it's a successful trip when your pants don't fit when you get back), we saw Avenue Q (an unbelievably funny show that was also here in Chicago), and we walked a TON.

We stayed in Soho and I gotta tell you we found something I am now obsessing over and can't stop. A tiny (and I mean TINY) little shop in the street called "BAKED BY MELISSA".

At first we were drawn to it obviously because of the name. But after we found out what it was- and had a bite of one of the tasty treats- I could not stop thinking about it. So what is it? THE TINIEST, MOISTEST, MOST DELICIOUS LITTLE CUPCAKES YOU HAVE EVER HAD!!!

They come in 9 flavors and they are so unbelievably good. I have never seen anything so cute before in my life.

Each cupcake is about the size of a QUARTER! The line was around the corner. Some of the flavors were tye die, s'mores, peanut butter n' jelly, red velvet, OMG!! Anyway, I thought I would pass the website on to you in case you want to order some! (I do think you have to order at least 100 online, so maybe if you are REALLY REALLY hungry! LOL! Or if you are having a big party). Check it out at http://bakedbymelissa.com/.

Okay I'm going to hang out with Ryan now! Plus a ton of stuff to do. The new website is close to being finished, so it should be fun. I love getting your emails, notes, letters, etc. and I love hearing from you. Keep em comin'!! We've got LOTS to do, you and me.

Well it's been busy, busy! I have been thinking of writing every day but SO much is happening. For those of you emailing- I LOVE you and am doing my best to keep up with writing back. I don't want you to think I'm sitting back on my tushy doing nothing. LOTS of work going on behind the scenes. We are revamping the website so it's taking a ton of energy. Plus, other cool work related ventures that I hope to tell you about soon. Jimmy and Tony and Rick all say hello! Just talked to Jimmy a few minutes ago- he wants to see a matinee. LOL! I'm dying to see "Fame", but Scott (my husband) wants me to save that movie for him! Shhh...don't tell his guy friends.


Also, went on a cool photo shoot in the city to take some new pictures for the web page. It was a TON of fun. I was worried I might get kidnapped because I didn'tknow the guy. But, it turns out not only is he a GREAT photographer but we had a ton of fun (thank you Gina Ferraro for the referral). His name is Gary at http://www.sonshinephotography.com/. Here is just one picture to share with you. That is me dragging all of my stuff all over Chicago! Kind of looks like a day of shopping- just a woman lugging all of her junk! The new website will have the rest of the pictures so you can check them out. Plus all kinds of cool videos the guys have taken over the years so we can all skip down memory lane!


I want to send a shout out to listener Timmy Skladzien. He has been a HUGE fan for a very long time. He and his mom, Bonnie, come to the studio a lot to visit. Timmy just became part of the Eagle Scout Court. I'm really proud of him and all of his aaccomplishments He's one heck of a great kid.




The kids are all good and so is Scott. We are just enjoying the time off before it will eventually be back to work for me. It will be a fun new adventure whatever it is (and whenever it happens). For now, I'm going to go continue crying over the loss of the Olympics (I really wanted my kids to see gymnastics up close- I thought it would be cool) and go join Producer Jimmy for a matinee!! I love ya!!!


More to come soon!


Melissa

Wow, what can I say except thank you so much for all of your help with this year's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure! It was a HUGE success and I can't thank you enough for being a part of TEAM MELISSA FORMAN. We laughed, we cried, we ate, we walked, we ate, etc. You know the drill!!

It was a ton of fun meeting you and I am really excited for next year. Special thanks to my friend Greg "Ponch" Blesius of Creative marketing http://www.creativepromo.net/ for the awesome hats! Also to cute little Sarah Chiren for the amazing pink ribbon key chains and Kelly for the awesome photos. Not to mention Sandy Day for the Fuze and Kristen for the outstanding donuts!! It was a day we will never forget and I'm so proud of our entire team!! If you didn't get to race- no worries, we will save a place for you next year!! You can't imagine the feeling you get knowing you are making a difference in the lives of those facing breast cancer.

It was like a weekend of great deeds. We also attended the Special Olympics Inspirational Gala at the Drake Hotel. It's hard not to be moved by these incredible athletes and their character and grace. One of the things I LOVE the most about the Special Olympics is their motto. It's something that has moved and inspired me from the first moment I heard it. This is what it is...... "Please let me win, but if I cannot win, at least let me be brave in my attempt". I LIVE by this every day. You know, we all try our best, but in the end if it doesn't work out (whether it's a relationship, work, etc.) as long as we are BRAVE in our attempt- that's all that matters.

Also, got stopped on the street to be a part of something really really cool. It's called Off the Street Club
http://www.offthestreetclub.org/ You can still donate to it. You LITERALLY donate and pick a child off the street for $10. This is the child I picked. Not only is he adorable, but I LOVED that he had a kitty on his shirt!!

Dying to know if you went to Kiddieland for the last time before it closed? I cried a bit reading an article in the Chicago Tribune over the weekend. One of the reporters talked about a day there with his daughter. It started to rain so they took cover under the giant carousel. His daughter gleefully jumped in the rain and started to say "dance with me in the rain daddy!". He did. So did 3 other daddy/ daughter couples. Then he heard his daughter utter the words that millions of moms and dads had probably heard before him. "I love Kiddieland!". Scott cried when he read it. I cried too. A part of my childhood (and of my 2 little girls) will forever live at First and North.

So how are you my friend? I hope you are doing great. I know I'm a little lax on the blogging lately, but as always, it's been crazy. Or you can always just call me and we can talk in person. LOL! We are busy getting ready for TEAM MELISSA FORMAN for Race for the Cure this Saturday at Grant Park. You can still get in on it! Registration begins at 6:30am if you want to come. I would love to see you there. The link is below.

I've been busy getting old show bits and clips together so I can share them with you soon. I've also been having some relaxing time with the kids and friends. My mom, Paula, and I saw the new Jennifer Anniston movie "Love Happens" yesterday. It was a cute movie- not amazing, but it touches the heart. I kept thinking how great it was to be able to have this time with my mom to do stuff like this. I know we will be back working before you know it- so I'm soaking up every bit of this time off. That's not to say I don't miss you. I'm still floored by the emails and letters. I know it means a lot to Rick, Jim and Tony too. We feel the love!!

Took the kids to Didier Farms and bought the pumpkins already. I think this is the first time EVER that I bought pumpkins that weren't the bottom of the barrel. Usually time slips away and we wind up getting the ones with all the warts! LOL. I'm also exploring the "gardening" side of me and I'm trying to plant mums. That should go well considering I can't even keep the fake plants in our house alive!! I'll have to post pictures. Also, thinking about diving in and going to Kiddieland for the last weekend. What do you think? Are you going? Hard to believe after 80 years it won't be there any longer.

Okay, just looked at the time! Heading off to pick Ryan up from Kindergarten (you know how the kids hate to be waiting at the stoop of school thinking you forgot to pick them up and they will be scarred for life). But, I'm loving hearing from you. You can also check me out on FACEBOOK- just search Melissa Forman. I'll leave you with a little video clip of Briar. She's begging for a job for her mommy so she can buy more Dunkin Donuts. If you know anyone that works there- tell them she's available for commercials! It'll cost them a 25 pack of Munchkin's though. LOL.

So we did it!! Newsman Rick, Producer Jim, Tony the producer and I met for lunch! It was a ton of fun and the good news is- NOBODY GOT HURT! We laughed, reminisced, and made a little fun of Rick (some things never change! LOL). We went to Ann Sathers and had a great lunch. Can you guess which of the dishes we each ate? I'll give you a hint (I'm the normal one who had eggs for breakfast).

It was a great time and we talked for hours. I'll spare you the details until we put everything we talked about into action. We have all been so busy that its been tough to get together. The time FLEW by- before we knew it everyone had to go. As is usual with this gang, nothing is ever normal. So, the three guys hopped on ONE bicycle and rode off into the sunset together. I'm pretty sure I heard a scream as they rode off. And a "ring" "ring" from Jimmy's bicycle bell. Click here to see that moment in "lunch with the show" gallery!

Keep the emails coming. So great to hear from you. We are working now on gathering years of tapes, fun bits, pictures, etc. to put on the new site we are building. If you want to come over to my house and help me dig through tapes- just give me a call. I hate doing it! LOL.

Miss you!

Melissa

DON'T FORGET TO JOIN US AT SUSAN G. KOMEN'S RACE FOR THE CURE!! JOIN"TEAM MELISSA FORMAN" at this site and sign up today!! IT WILL BE REALLY FUN AND IS AN INCREDIBLE CAUSE!!

Well, I know you are thinking "it's about time I heard from her!". LOL! It's been a crazy couple of weeks and the family has been non stop. SOO much going on. We are working on a new website, plus I'm headed in the direction of a brand new daily blog (to tell you about more later).

With the start of school and the beginning of fall- I'm a LOT like you- crazed beyond words.
Ryan, my oldest daughter, started kindergarten for the very first time and Briar started pre-school. I will post those pictures for you to check out. WOW, time moves fast! Paula, my mom is doing great and we have had LOTS of dinners in her garage dinning room. I will DEFINITELY have to post some of those pictures for you since you won't ever believe it. Producer Jim is doing great and so is newsman Rick. They are stalking me daily (some things never change). We are going to lunch soon so I hope to get some video of that gathering (although I'm sure one of them will do something that winds up making the news anyway).

I will keep you up to date on everything soon. Just know I LOVE hearing from you. Your notes, letters, emails, voicemails, twitters, facebook messages, and mail are all getting to me and I LOVE them. You have no idea how wonderfully overwhelming it is to hear from so many of you. I will definitely keep you up to date on what happens next, where we go, etc. For now, just know you can email me anytime at melissaontheair@yahoo.com and we are hoping to launch a new site soon.

Also I WOULD LOVE TO MEET YOU IN PERSON! Im going to be at the Susan G. Komen race for the cure. You can be on TEAM MELISSA FORMAN BY GOING TO
http://www.komenchicago.org/index.php?race-for-the-cure

IT'S SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH AND this way we can walk together!! I love and miss you and can't wait to see you and talk to you soon! Send me letters, pictures, etc. Im dying to know how you are!!

All My Best,

Melissa

We're just launching Melissa's blog, so check back in the next couple of days to get her first scoop on what they're up to and lots more!