WTVT_Emily's Blog

You've seen her on the air for months as a mom-to-be, and now the baby is here! Good Day's Nerissa Prest welcomed a brand new baby girl on Wednesday morning at 7:54 a.m. Ava Evelyn weighs 9 pounds, 14.5 ounces, and we hear the whole family is doing great.

Congrats, Nerissa, Paul, and family!

You heard it on Good Day: Russell, Dave, and Nerissa want to know what you'd rather see on Dave's 7-day forecast in honor of Valentine's Day. So what's it going to be-- the heart, or the cupid? Blog us here and tell us which one you like better!

                      

As you probably already know, there was no shortage of big news in the Bay Area in 2007.  From John Couey's conviction to Nick Hogan's horrific crash in Clearwater, the year brought us headline after headline.  But which story was the biggest? 

We've come up with a list of 10 of the biggest-- in our opinions-- but now we want to know what you think.  Blog us here about the stories you think were the biggest of 2007. 

Here's our top ten (in no particular order):

1. Nick Hogan arrested for Clearwater crash
2. Housing crisis in Florida
3. John Couey convicted in Lunsford murder
4. Two USF students face explosives, terror charges
5. Debra Lafave arrested again
6. State's property tax crisis
7. Former Idol Jessica Sierra's arrests
8. Former Largo city manager Steve Stanton has sex change
9. USF Bulls in the national spotlight
10.  Dual championships for the Florida Gators

On Monday, September 17, a new addition to our Good Day Tampa Bay family was born. Reporter April Kellogg and her husband, Chad, welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world!

Cameron Chad Kellogg was born at 1:06 p.m. He weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces. So far, April, Chad, and Cameron are all doing wonderfully. We've even posted a few photos below to show off her new addition.

Congrats, April!!!

 

Can you believe Good Day Tampa Bay has been on the air for 13 years?  We can't-- but we've got the tape to prove it!  Russell, Anne, Tom, Nerissa, Bill, Dave, and Jen celebrated this milestone last Wednesday morning, and they shared a few bloopers we've collected over the years.  You can watch them by clicking here.  

 It takes a village to run Good Day, and after the show we all got together on the set for a picture.  Here's a shot of the group (or most of them) who bring you Good Day Tampa Bay every morning!

 

The City of Tampa is celebrating its 120th birthday, and they're commemorating the occasion with a time capsule.  It will be opened in 2037, and guest contributors have been invited to add an item of their choice to the capsule. 

FOX 13's own Kelly Ring was selected to take part, and she's chosen to add a DVD with clips of our newscasts and video of the city.   She's also adding a mini-DVD player, so that those who open it in 30 years will have no problem viewing it. 

Kelly chose the DVD, but what would you pick to add in the time capsule?  Blog us your thoughts here. 

This morning on Good Day, Russell and Anne showed off a few ways to boil the perfect eggs for hunting this Easter-- but we know you have suggestions.  So tell us-- how do you boil your eggs so they'll come out just right for decorating?  Any special tricks you want to share?  Post them here, and Happy Easter! 

This morning, Florida Governor Charlie Crist and the state clemency board voted to restore most felons voting and other civil rights upon their release from prison.  This means all but the most violent felons will be able to avoid having to go through a hearing process to have such rights reinstated once they've served their time.  Governor Crist strongly supported the rule, but he faced heavy opposition from other lawmakers who said the rule should not change. 

What do you think?  Should felons be allowed to regain their rights once they've done their time?  Or, instead, does the rule welcome criminals back into society a little too easily?  Blog your thoughts here. 

President Gerald Ford passed away Tuesday evening at the age of 93. As our nation's 38th president, Ford was Richard Nixon's hand-picked successor. He had battled both pneumonia and heart troubles in recent years, and was the country's longest living president when he died.

Feel free to share your thoughts on President Ford here on our blogs. We'll share some of them live on Wednesday's Good Day Tampa Bay.

Weather just wouldn't cooperate for Thursday's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Discovery, so NASA will try again on Saturday. Launch time is set for 8:47 p.m., and I'll be at the Cape to give you the latest on the preparations right up to launch time. Check back here for updates throughout the day on Saturday. And remember, you can watch the launch, should it happen, live on FOX 13 as well as here on myfoxtampabay.com!

It didn’t take long to figure out that there were many, many people with very tired feet on day three. But nevertheless, the last leg of our 60-mile journey went on. The pace was admittedly slower on Sunday, and in saying that I also speak for myself! After three days of walking for about eight hours a day, you start to feel aches and pains you might not have expected. That was me on Sunday.

We started out a little later for the final day, because we knew that no matter what time we finished, we would have to wait for the other walkers to finish at the end before closing ceremonies. So, we arrived at camp, and started walking around 8:00. For the final leg of the journey, we traveled through lots of St. Pete neighborhoods, including the old Northeast area, Snell Isle, and Shore Acres. Eventually, we finished by walking along the water in downtown, through Vinoy Park and next to the Pier. It was a beautiful day, and an even more beautiful place to end.

While our bodies might have been a little sorer, our spirits weren’t dampened. We even managed to hang on to our thundersticks right up until the very end. Of course, if you look at the pictures, you’ll notice that they’ve changed colors quite a bit. They started out hot pick, and by the end of the day on Sunday, they were more like a pale pink, and even white in some places. They got a lot of use, though—all the walkers knew us because of our sticks!

Roughly 1800 walkers started out on Friday, and from what several crew members told us, about 1400 of those walkers finished the entire route. Some were sidelined with blisters, and others even became dehydrated despite drinking water and Gatorade constantly. But everyone came out to Straub Park for closing ceremonies, which were well worth the wait.

After the last walker entered what they call the ‘holding area’, all the walkers, crew, and survivors lined up. Our friends and family had gathered near the stage, and we walked between them on our way in to the ceremony. That was very, very exciting, because there were literally thousands of people cheering and clapping for us. Many of them held signs that said ‘Thank you for walking’. That’s something we heard all along the way, but we never got tired of it.

The ceremony was short but sweet. All of the walkers formed a circle around the flag pole, where the 3Day flag was raised at the very end. The crew was led in and we cheered them on. Without their hard work, the walk would never be possible. They took care of everything from serving us lunches and dinners to bandaging our blisters and rubbing our tired feet. Those people are amazing—and they’re ALL volunteers.

When it was time for the survivors to make their walk in to the ceremony, all of the walkers dropped to one knee and took off one sneaker. We all held up our shoes in the air—so all you could see were shoes everywhere. It was such a cool moment. They, after all, are the reason the walk goes on.

It’s hard to believe the walk is over—as we said over and over all day on Sunday. Before we did it, I heard people say it was an experience that would significantly impact you. Now I see why. The people I met, the stories I heard, and the support we got from complete strangers is something I’ll never forget—and nothing could have been better than sharing it with two of my closest friends.

No matter how many blisters we might have had, how tired we were, how hard we had to train to get ready, or how stressed out we might have been while we struggled with fundraising, walking across that finish line made it all worth it. It’s something everyone should do once if they have the chance. The sense of accomplishment is overwhelming. The 3Day in Tampa Bay raised more than $4.8 million. If you ask me, that’s monumental.

One down, two to go! We successfully completed day two, even though it was admittedly longer than the first. A little of the adrenaline from day one was gone, but we were still pumped. Unfortunately, the aches and pains were not gone—making it tougher. But, Team Superfox did just great!

Day two started at camp, bright and early at 7:30. Our team has chosen not to camp this year—and we’re certainly not the only ones. You see, you have the option of staying in tents at camp, or checking out. Jenn did the walk last year, and had a terrible camping experience (torrential downpours that soaked EVERYTHING), so we decided that we would play it safe and not camp. We had plenty of company—the first night more than 400 people checked out.

So, we arrived early. The trail doesn’t open until 7:30, but the line to start forms early. We began in the first third of the 1800 walkers—but when we looked behind us, the line to start wound through camp. Before we began, there were plenty of crew members doing their best to entertain us. They dress up in crazy outfits—wigs, bras on the outside of their clothes—anything to get us pumped! They work so hard to make the 3Day what it is, and it doesn’t take long to figure out that they’re the backbone of the whole operation.

When 7:30 rolled around, we were off! Day two took us back over to the beach—first Madeira Beach and John’s Pass, and then further south on Gulf Boulevard. Eventually we found ourselves at Upham Beach (St. Pete Beach), and then we crossed back over into Pasadena. From there we made our way back to camp, which is located really close to Tyrone Square Mall.

The best part of the day? The cheering stations. There were stations at John’s Pass and Upham Beach yesterday—along with the many supporters who followed us on our way. Yesterday’s cheering stations were packed. There were people EVERYWHERE. And as we walked through, they all just clapped and told us what a great job we were doing. At John’s Pass, people came out of their businesses to applaud us. It was very touching—especially the little kids who held up signs supporting us. My favorite of the day was one we saw at Upham Beach that said “U Go Girls”! It’s amazing how many people have come out to support this cause-- from the people at the cheering stations to the ones that roll down their car windows just to wave at us. It's so encouraging!

Speaking of that, we were thrilled to see some friends of ours yesterday afternoon! Our families had been out to see us on Friday, but yesterday three of our girlfriends came out to bring us Gatorade and squirt us with water at Upham Beach! It meant so much that Anni, Angie, and Kristina made the trip… thanks girls.

Today is the third and final day of our journey. It’s gone by so fast that it’s hard to believe it’s almost over. We’ll be walking around the neighborhoods of St. Pete today, and eventually ending at Spa Beach Park in downtown St. Pete, where they’ll hold closing ceremonies. I’m expecting that today will be a very emotional day, and I’m excited to get the chance to meet even more of the walkers. We’ve talked to so many fantastic people so far, and they all have a story.

Much more to come after day three is over… we’re in the home stretch!

Well, day one of the walk is complete, and the good news is we all made it! All three team members are still entacted, though I am the only one still awake at this hour. Between us, we had no significant injuries, and only a blister or two. All in all, not bad for day one.

The day started with a variety of different emotions. My team met up with FOX 13 reporter Tanya Arja’s team, including ‘Your Turn’ producer Anne-Marie Fagler and former reporter Giselle Guerra. Tanya did a couple of liveshots on Good Day, and it was great to hear the well-wishes from Russell and Anne before we got moving.

Opening ceremonies was short but sweet. Several survivors took to the stage to share their stories, and other stories were told about some of the walkers and why they were walking. It was very inspirational, and within minutes there wasn’t a dry eye around. What a great way to kick off the event.

Then came the fun—we took our first steps onto the beach at Sand Key Park. We made our way down Gulf Boulevard and back across the bridge into Seminole, finally rolling into camp in St. Petersburg near Tyrone Square Mall many hours later. 18.1 miles in all.

Along the way, there are stops set up for us every couple of miles. They give us a chance to refuel with Powerade and water, and of course, snacks. Our favorite by far: peanut butter and jelly on graham crackers. Yes, I’m aware it’s probably not the most healthy thing we could have eaten, but they were fantastic. We decided very early on that all three Superfoxes gave them two thumbs up!

Day One was a little overwhelming because I had no idea what to expect. Probably my most significant memory, though, would be the many faces we saw along the way. That included not only the faces of our fellow walkers, but also the faces of the many supporters that came out to see us. As we wound through the residential neighborhoods in Seminole, people came out of their houses to wave and cheer us on. Others had decorated their lawns with words of encouragement in anticipation of our arrival. Most of them were perfect strangers to us, and we all thought it was incredible how they showed their support for us and our efforts.

Another note-- Team Superfox owes a special thanks to one of our great friends, Jeff. He was wonderful enough to get us some pink thundersticks from the Lightning Game on Monday night, and we had them today to carry on our way. We were the only walkers that we saw with them, and they were a total hit! We could be heard coming from a distance, and you'll see them in most of our pictures since we couldn't seem to put them down.

Day Two is next on the list. We anticipate it will be a little longer than the first, and we’ll be traveling down the coastline. Should be a beautiful walk! I’ll let you know how it goes, of course! In the mean time, check out my photos from day one—they’re posted to my blog. And if you’re in Pinellas, come out and cheer!

Most people would agree that the night before a race, or in this case--a really long walk, you should probably hit the sack early and get a good night's rest. Not so in this case--- as I write this, I have yet to finish packing, and I have exactly five hours until I have to leave for the walk. A 60 MILE WALK. It's my own fault, being that I chose to 'celebrate' the start of the walk by going to see Sheryl Crow tonight (hey, she's a breast cancer survivor, so I figured it was fitting). Probably not a good plan.

So, hopefully my plan so far isn't indicative of how day one will go. My biggest concern right now (aside from sleep deprivation)? Blisters. I have trained and trained, and been lucky enough never to get one that was terribly bad. But, being around people who have done these walks before, I have heard horror stories about the blisters you can get from not wearing the right shoes, or the right socks, or not soaking your feet at the end of each day. For the 3Day, they recommend that you wear two different pairs of shoes: one on the first and third day, and one on the second day. Apparently, it's supposed to lessen your chance of being one of the lucky ones to get those blisters. Not sure I understand why, but I'll go along with it.

More than anything right now, I'm just excited to get the walk underway. I'm relatively confident I'll be running on adrenaline for day one! I'll be walking with my two of my closest friends, Jenn and Debbie. Together, we're 'Team Superfox' (each participating team names themselves). We've been busy planning, and training, and fundraising for months now, and after raising almost $7,000, our three-person team has actually been pretty successful. You might say we're small, but mighty! We've done a car wash, a garage sale, a bachelor auction, and a golf tournament-- all in the name of saving lives. Now, we're ready to get going, because we know that our efforts will mean so much to so many people who are or have been suffering from breast cancer.

So, for the next three days, I'll be walking-- and you'll get to hear all about it! Day one kicks off with opening ceremonies, starting at 7:30 a.m. at Sand Key Park. Then, from what I can tell from the list of cheering stations we've been given, it looks like we'll go back across the bridge and wind into the Seminole area. It's hard to be sure, though, becaust they don't give out the route at all. From what we hear, the idea is not to have people crowding the streets to cheer on the walkers (though there are designated cheering stations), since they don't close off the roads for this event.

Check back on my blog each day, and I'll try my best to give you a feel for what the 3Day is really like. And if you're cruising around Pinellas County this weekend, keep an eye out for us. Wish me luck!

-Emily