Hey guys!

I wanted to remind everyone that I’m still on vacation and will be coming back on the air on July 26!

See you soon!

When I revealed my youthful fascination with Jay Thomas, I didn’t expect this to be his response. But I tend to get carried away when telling stories.

And … Jay Thomas Talks (and you don’t need a radio)!

I’m not sure why my memories of the 80’s are crystal-clear yet my photos are so blurry.  Apparently camera technology has radically improved since the 80’s and now you can actually SEE the subjects in photos.   Here’s what you need to know about these photos.  In the first one, I’m with my Mom (the woman who looks like my sister standing to my right), my 8-year-old cousin Kristin and my beloved late grandparents, Gram and Poppy.  We’re on our annual vacation to the Jersey-shore hotspot of  Wildwood, NJ.  Those were very happy, sunny times.  I often wore leopard print in the 80s, even at the beach, apparently.  The photos from Prom Night are noteworthy for the size of my hair.  It has almost as many layers as my dress.  Even my boyfriend has big hair and of course the requisite white tux.  The picture to the left of the prom pic is me with my first love Sam (doing his best Ric Ocasek impersonation).  This is not Sam and me heading to a retro costume party — this is really how we dressed to go out!  Yes, that’s a choker I’m wearing and yes, that’s a Members Only jacket on Sam.  The last picture is of course the most shocking because I haven’t seen abs like that in decades (and I’m not talking about Greg’s to my right).  I can only hope the muscles still exist somewhere under the layer of flesh I’m now sporting.  See, that was BEFORE three children.  Oh, and you can’t beat the standard-issue 80’s trademarks also seen in the pic:  the Wayfarer sunglasses and my Joan Jett mullet.  Enjoy.

This was one of our funnier problem-solver segments (though probably not to Darra Kollios who lost her job).

Darra was fired from her position as bar manager at a restaurant in Tampa, Florida for laughing. Not hysterically, not constantly, not, as far as we can tell, annoyingly. Just laughing. I can relate: I remember my first job in tv where my boss, the executive producer, told me to stop smiling. He said it sent people the wrong message.

(Yeah, that I was actually happy at work).

That boss later died suddenly of a massive heart attack in his 40s. So perhaps his admonition to look miserable was not a great life strategy.

What’s the most bizarre thing your boss has told you to do — or stop doing?

If you saw the package I aired at 8:30 this morning you saw the website storeadore.com featured.

Click HERE to see more about our shopping trip, the stores we visited, and the gifts you saw in the package this morning.

Hi Everyone!    Sorry for the Demi Moore impersonation this morning I’m baaaaack (even if my voice didn’t make the return trip).  I lost it somewhere in Bellingham, Washington.  If you find it, drop me a line; I kinda need it..   It was 50 degrees and rainy (of course) every day of my visit.  I was there to meet my bestfriend’s first baby.  I guess between the chilly temperature and all the cooing, my voice vanished.  Since I can’t talk, let’s type!  Did you watch our Problem Solver segment with the coffee addict who drank 30 shots of espresso a day?  Can you say caff-EEEEEEIne?  Can anyone relate?  (this means you Virginia)  Feel free to send us some photos of yourself before and after photos your morning cup of coffee!  Click on the “Hit us with Your Best Shot” button on the top right side of your screen.

While the cat’s away…the mice will play! Even though Ali was away yesterday, that didn’t stop me (Audra) from keeping Ali’s tradition of taking photos with the guests alive! If you watched the show yesterday or the AtSS you saw the crowd surrounding Mario Lopez outside. Luckily he was able to make time for a photo session for the blog!

Hey Everyone, I’m back and oddly well-rested.  It’s amazing what a solid 24-hours in bed will do for you.  So how many of you watched O’Reilly’s interview with Hillary Clinton last night?  If you missed it, we’ll replay much of it for you in the 6am hour. 

Oh, good news, the blog managers have figured out a way to moderate all your comments much more quickly!  I know many of you had been feeling frustrated by the lag time; hopefully, this will solve the problem.

I’m dashing off in the middle of F&F today to go report on a fun assignment.  Let’s just say today I may get the closest I’ll ever be to becoming a Bond Girl.  Stay tuned to the 6am show for more info on this upcoming segment… 

Good morning Everyone.  I’m not feeling well so I’m gonna head home early this morning.  But feel free to keep chatting with each other today and I’ll respond when I’m back tomorrow.  I know you get frustrated when the moderating is not instantaneous and I promise to yell at someone for you, just as soon as I’m feeling better.  In fact, that’s great incentive.

Have a great day!

Good morning everyone.   Happy Monday.  I’ll be hosting from 6am - 9am (edt) this morning (Gretchen’s on vacation), so it’ll be tough for me to blog or respond during the show but I’ll check in afterward.  Let me know what you think of today’s show and some of the things that grab your attention.