Baby Shower - Part 2: the NBC Bay Area Baby Shower

We had a second baby shower from my good good friends at work! It took a lot of coordinating due to everyone's schedules: spring break, Scott's sporadic work schedule, Easter, vacations, days off, etc. You name it, it happened in the span of the month or so we were trying to figure out when to have it. It originally was going to be on Monday, April 13 at 1pm. It was perfect. Scott was off and most everyone would be at work. We were going to have it after work since the majority of everyone at my job ends their day around 1230pm. I work at NBC Bay Area News and work for the morning news. Yes, it's all LIVE and most of us start really really REALLY early in the morning at around 330am, give or take an hour or two or four depending on what newscast you work on. So we planned for that Monday. Cut to a few days later, word comes down the Giants Home Opener is that Monday afternoon so we (mainly Laura who was planning the whole thing with Michelle) knew it couldn't happen that day. Why? A live morning show broadcast. Since NBC Bay Area is the "Broadcast Home of the San Francisco Giants" we go live with our anchors and morning weather anchor for NBC Bay Area's Today in the Bay. The station is based in San Jose which is about 40 miles south of San Francisco for those not familiar of the Bay Area. So that meant half of the folks would be out in the field at AT&T Park at around 2 or 3am to set-up and the other half would be at the station. That wouldn't be so great because if half are down in the south bay and the others are up in SF. It would be too much of a crazy morning and rest of the day if on top of all of that, we threw a baby shower?! Nope! We ended up changing it to Tuesday, April 14. Unfortunately, Scott had to work that day. So we had to do it anyway because we didn't want to do it later on. Just in case.

Sidebar: 
I'll give you a little peak behind-the-scenes of the morning before from the live broadcast of Today in the Bay live at AT&T Park for the Giants Home Opener. For those of you know don't know, I'm a newscast director at NBC Bay Area News and also take on the role of Assistant Director, audio op or floor director for the morning and midday newscasts depending on staffing for the day. I asked to work out in the field that morning since I haven't worked out in the field for a live broadcast in maybe seven years or so. I felt like a fish out water because I didn't really know what to do but I tried to make myself as useful and pitch in as much as possible pulling cable, moving stuff around, setting up whatever needed set up, etc.

Call time for me was 2:30am. This first picture was at 3:40am as you can see on the clock to the right of the picture. EARLY! We were doing tech checks (making sure the control room could see and hear us) and I was sitting where the anchors would be sitting holding a white card so the photographer (note: never call a news camera man a "camera man" they are called "photographers" or what we say in the biz, "photog" for short) can white balance the camera and get the shot that would look good. 

Panoramic shot of our set-up when we were all done setting up.

Sometime during the 6am hour. I was the floor director out in the field for that morning. It was really cold! 

Shot of the other local station set up along side us. 

Selfie with Laura (anchor) after all was said and done! How cute are we!?! 

Selfie with Sam (anchor) after the show. He's really tall! Like circus tall! If you ever read this Sam, I say that with love!!

Our amazing and efficient crew putting our gear away and cleaning up post-broadcast. I didn't see him at the time, but I think that was Larry Baer, President and CEO of the SF Giants, walking away as I took this picture. 

end sidebar

Thanks for indulging me with that sidebar! Back to the work baby shower:
We had it at Sonoma Chicken Coup in San Jose. It's the one close to the station. It was really great to get out and meet up outside of the station which we all hardly ever get to do because of the crazy crazy hours and shifts we have. The theme, and there always has to be a theme, was Sock Monkey. My good friends at work Laura and Michelle came up with the theme and did so much; Michelle made cupcakes, favors, she made up a couple fun games and put together a really creative way to sign a guestbook. She somehow found these little mini paper clothes and micro sized clothes pin and she made everyone write a message and sign it. Then everyone got to hang it up on string so it looked like a clothesline. It was pretty creative if you ask me. I should have done that for our family one! Laura got a whole bunch of appetizers and what not. It was perfect and really fun to hang out with everyone outside of work! 

Photos Courtesy: Mike Inouye
Thanks Mike!

Guest List:
Laura - Host
Michelle - Host
Adrian
Sami
Gabrielle
Caitlin
Willie
Mike
Sam
Erika
Kevin
Eva

Thank you to all of my co-worker friends who came to the baby shower! You guys are the best!