Welcome to the Fox43 Morning News Blog! Lynette and I have been talking about this since we started on the show in January.

So often - especially during the two hours - we talk about our pets, favorite foods, and what we did this weekend. Now, we can make these stories a little more personal.

Of course, I kick off this blog with Caliente! My orange tiger cat.

I got Caliente from my boyfriend when I first started working at a TV station in Upstate New York.

As you can see, Caliente keeps me company by landing himself into a variety of interesting postitions.

Soon we'll show pictures of Velvet - Lynette's Prince Poodle!

Just hours after he was booted off of American Idol, I had a chance to have a "heart to heart" with the loveable Chikezie.

He was a bit sleepy but said he still felt blessed even though America showed him the door.

The former contestant defended his song choice of a Luther Vandross ballad. The judges were not wowed, but Chikezie said the song meant too much for him NOT to sing it.

What's next in the "izzle" for "Chikizzle?" He says he's taking one day at a time. But he can't wait for the American Idol tour and he plans to start making his album soon.

What I love about Chikezie - his humbleness. He told me how his family was such a huge support. They were in the audience for every performance. Plus, Chikezie said did get help from a stylist but always added his own flavor.

Watch my interview with Chikezie below!

This past Saturday was so beautiful (even though it was a bit chilly) I decided to take Velvet to the park. We woke up, I had breakfast which consisted of Frosted Flakes and pizza from the night before. Velvet was intent on getting some pizza. So, in his usual fashion he jumped up on my lap and stared me down until I gave in. He had his fix for the day so he was ready, as was I, to go have fun at the park! Once we arrived at the park, Velvet was so excited I could barely put his leash on. Finally, I got it hooked and we exited the vehicle. When we first set foot on the grounds Velvet was greeted by 3 big dogs that looked like they were mixed with Pittbull and Bull Mastif. He wasn't scared. They sniffed him and he sniffed them back, then they got called away. They were leaving the park, so Velvet didn't get a chance to play with them. We went to an open area with nobody around and I took off his leash. Velvet looked around and took off like somebody lit a fire under him. He chased me, he did laps in the grass on his own and he rolled around in the grass. He also just stopped and took in the all the sights. After about an hour of playing and sightseeing, he was thirsty and wanted rest. We headed home but not before we made a stop at PetSmart to get him some goodies! We had a fabulous day:)

Velvet waits for me on the bed as I get ready to go to the park!

Velvet stares the pizza down licking his lips all the while!

Velvet takes in all the sights!

Velvet rolls around and basks in the sunlight!

Velvet gets some R&R for a brief moment!