Just a few weeks ago, Lynette and I finally met the Man Behind the Traffic Map - Ryan Oberholtzer.

Ryan works out of Traffax in New Cumberland. So - just like the you - we were only able to hear him. A voice who can spit out traffic jams, crashes and contruction work quicker than a seasoned PENNDOT employee.

But now you can see Ryan - check out the photos from when he visited the Fox43 Studio!

Here are some little known facts about Ryan. He has a German heritage, he graduated from Penn State in 2004 and he used to be a Fox43 News intern.

We had a great time meeting Ryan, and now you can put a face to the Man Behind the Traffic Map!

Looking ahead to the weekend most of us start mentally planning what we are going to do. Many of our plans are based on.....you guessed it....the weather! So, It is with great pleasure to tell you the following: The weather for this weekend will start out a little wet Saturday morning but will gradually clear out and ample sunshine will rule the roost for Sunday. Temperatures both Saturday and Sunday will be seasonable. I'm also pleased to tell you that in the upcoming weeks I am going to start giving you a community calender. It will consist of activities and events that are going on around the area. I will post more detailed information about the calender in my next blog. The weekend is almost here! You have the forecast so start planning and enjoy every moment!!

Don't you love Lynette? As you can see below - she outlines our weekend weather for us. We start off soggy but then out comes the sun!

And after a lackluster winter -- I'm itching to come out of hibernation. Summer is my favorite month and it needs to get here fast. Especially when I had a taste of it this January.

That's when my boyfriend, Andrew and I took a fabulous trip to Mexico and the Grand Caymans. I put these photos on my desktop wallpaper just to remind me that sunny skies and 80 degree weather will soon be here in our area.

This morning on Fox43 Morning News I introduced "Signs Of Spring". I would like you to send in pictures that show signs of spring...flowers blooming, sunny skies. You get the picture!

If you would like to send in your picture, I encourage you to send them to lcharles@tribune.com and be sure you include your name, hometown and information about the picture.

This morning I received a picture of the cutiest little girl in an Easter basket. Her name is Avery. She was visiting her grandparents, in York, for Easter and because the weather was not very spring-like she had to have her Easter egg hunt inside.

Yesterday I was driving around, so I snapped a couple of shots of the signs of spring. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Pose for the camera, Avery!
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The trees are in bloom!

Temperatures are mild outside, but it was really heating up in our studio as Ace Young from American Idol Season Five visited Fox43 Morning News!

He's promoting his self-titled, debut album which comes out this June.

I like his single "Addicted. Lynette and I were be-bopping to it on set! The Morning News director, Mary, digs the song "You Redeem Me."

But, either way, we all "digged" Ace's visit. He's a charming, down to earth guy. He's living out in LA but says he does miss home - Boulder, Colorado. He's also the youngest of five boys - and he's the shortest out of all the brothers - standing at 6'1!

Watch the interview below!

Here are some behind the scenes pics of us with Ace Young taken by the floor director, Liz.

I am making a serious face because he's autographing photos for us. K-I-E-R-S-T-E-N...you have to spell it correctly!

We believe Ace has the best shot of the 3 of us on his camera. We're stalking his myspace page so we can upload it on to our blog!

I have wonderful news, and no it is not about the weather, listen up! Kiersten no longer has to stalk Ace's my space page to get the pictures of all of us that were taken on his camera. Liz, our floor director or Toshi, our writer, got an outstanding picture of the 3 of us! Check it out.

Say Cheese!!

We've been asking you to send in pictures showing us Signs of Spring. It's getting warm out and we want to see pictures of your kids, your pets, your gardens - anything that gets you going in the springtime.

So I didn't quite think of spring when I got these pictures from my Aunt Lisa and Uncle Geoff. They live in Durango, Colorado - it's in the southwest corner of the state. And they get a TON of snow. Just check out these pics --- last weekend they got another 8 inches! Can you stand it??

Their dog, Yukon Jack, loves, loves, LOVES the snow. He's an Alaskan Malamute and will spend hours in the white stuff.

So, even though to you and me this may not look like a Sign of Spring. It IS to my aunt and uncle. After receiving more than 15 feet this winter - temperatures are in the 60's and the snow is finally melting. Now THAT is a Sign of Spring!

Remember to send us yours! Look on the Fox43 homepage, click on News Features and then hit the Signs of Spring, near the flower icon. Send us your snapshots -- we want to show them off on the Morning News!

Height wise - I just don't stack up to Lynette.

She's 5'10 and I'm 5'5 (on a good day.) So to make sure I don't look like a troll and she doesn't look like a giant - I need to take some special measures. Each morning I build my seat up so we look closer in height to you on TV.

First, I put a phone book on the chair. It is wrapped in heavy tape so the pages can't slide.

Next I add a red pillow.

Then sometimes I'll top it off with a black cushion for added comfort.

Because if I don't stack myself behind the desk....then Lynette and I would look like this...pretty awkward.

Also in some shoots, I've stood on boxes and walked on big seat cushions. But this is all better than my last job. There I had to sit on a sandbag - not comfy at all. The lengths I go to get the height I need!

What you see is not always what you get, especially in the world of television. I would like to bring you into my world for a brief moment. Many of you may be surprised to know that when I'm presenting the weather I am standing in front of a plain green wall.

When I turn to the side, it looks like I'm looking at the "map" but actually I'm not because the wall is blank. What I'm actually looking at is a TV monitor that is placed on both sides of me that show my graphics. When I look forward, I am looking at a reflection of me and it shows the graphics behind me.

There is a box that I must stay in or I will go out of the shot or make the shot look out of proportion. Below are a few pictures that will transport you behind the scenes!

Plain green wall

This is the monitor that I look at when I move to my left

This is the monitor I look at when I move to my right

I better not think outside the box!

This is the front camera combined with the reflection of my graphics

This past weekend I took a trip to the big state of Texas. I travelled to Houston and took the ferry over to Galveston to go to the beach! All the ferry rides I have taken in the past, have been just the passengers but this ferry was for passengers and their vehicles. Yes, you actually drove your car onto the ferry! The weather was absolutely magnificent.....low 80s and sunny! If you are a loyal viewer of the Fox43 morning show than you know that Kiersten and I chat about food, a lot! If you are like the both of us and really enjoy food than you must go to Houston because the restaurants serve an ample amount of food. The saying everything is bigger in Texas is absolutely true when it comes to food proportion. Here are some pictures from my weekend getaway!

Here are the cars on the ferry

The sunlight is glistening off the water

This is an oil rig but everything looks pretty on water

It's the Pennsylvania Primary and Earth Day!

On Monday, I was interviewed by TV Tokyo. They visited Fox43 and asked me questions about the historical campaign here in PA. It was pretty neat and I wanted to share it on the blog - but, alas, I can't find it online. Turns out - I'm not up to speed on my Japanese and can't decipher their website.

But Tuesday was a spectacular day to hit the polls and take part in Earth Day!

What do you do to help protect the environment?

I was thinking of of some things that I do in my everyday life. Things that help both the Earth and save me money.

For example, take an exclusive look inside my closet. I have too many clothes and too many of them are "dry clean only." So I cut back visiting the cleaners by re-wearing suits several times. In fact, I try to go two months without dropping anything off. It reduces those chemicals, the plastic bags and it saves me cash.

Once my cell phone has all its bars, I pull out the charger. I also do the same with the toaster, coffee maker and all my hair applicances. Even when things are plugged in - and not turned on - it drains energy and drains your money.

I NEVER wrap gifts in wrapping paper or use tissue paper anymore. Look at all these gift bags! I save and re-use them for my presents. It helps the environment because I don't have to buy and throw away wrapping paper. Plus, it saves me time. It's quick and easy to toss a gift in one of these bags.

What little things do you do that can add up to make a big difference?

Lynette and I find our inner chi at Farquhar Park in York. We got a sneak peek of a free weekend event. It is the 10th Annual World Tai Chi and Qigong Day. Check out some of our moves!

Many Tai Chi movements are based on animals. So teacher Leada Davis had us acting out a tiger, crane and monkey. I was giggling at first but, holy cow, some of the moves were hard! And I have some problems with my balance. I was weebling and wobbling - Lynette did just fine!

We also learned how to do Tai Chi "Chih" from teacher Hope Spangler. It's all about joy through movement - almost like standing up meditation. Even with Nick (Fox43 photographer) running around us with the camera - Lynette and I both were in the zone.

You can flow with the rest of the world during the global Tai Chi Day this weekend. It's free - Saturday, April 26 from 10AM to noon at Farquhar Park Gazebo in York.

This past weekend I had the priviledge to emcee the Art in Residence event that was held at the Bonton Corporate Center in York. It was a fun time, which included a raffle, a silent auction, a drawdown which is basically the opposite of a raffle and of course the art....it was absolutely magnificent! While the viewers were perusing the beautiful art, they were able to partake in scrumptious hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. Not only was the night littered with ambiance and fun but it also benefited a good cause, which was to bring art to more than 700 at risk York city children and an additional 400 children throughout the county.

Abbie Leese, Director of Marketing and Development, standing in front of the DrawDown board:)

Beautiful art hanging from the ceiling and on the walls!

More great art and fabulous people!

Abbie and Lynette...lights, camera, action!

Lynette and I are girls who love to eat. We're not the type who orders a salad and then pushes it around the plate. We talk about food a lot! And today we were chit chatting about all the scrumptious things I had eaten over the past few days.

Take a look at this banana creme pie and chocolate covered strawberry. My goodness. Fox43 Photographer Jay and I got these treats from Cakes by Mardella in York while we covered a story. To die for.

On Saturday - my boyfriend, Andrew and I met a bunch of our friends at Blufin. It's an amazing BYOB sushi restaurant. I ordered a ton of rolls - Philadelphia, Spicy Tuna, and more. But look at what Andrew got! Shrimp and Veggie Tempura - it was edible art on a plate.

And as you can see - we really enjoyed it. (THIS is why I worked out on both Saturday AND Sunday!)

I have big plans this weekend. I'm venturing out onto the ice and dropping a puck for a charity hockey game.

It's called "Paint the Rink Pink: A Hat Trick for Breast Cancer." It is going to be a super fun Saturday with most of the proceeds going toward the PA Breast Coalition.

The game will have a pink puck, pink laces and the original Hanson Brothers from the funny flick Slap Shot.

It's 5PM this Saturday, May 3rd at the Twin Ponds East in Harrisburg.

Check out Paint the Rink Pink.

Let's just hope I don't fall flat on my face and it ends up on YouTube.

Plus - here's my lil' sis Juliana. She was the "Sign of Spring" on today's Morning Show. This is her enjoying the sun along Chester River in Maryland. Her "sign of spring" is wearing the shades and the sundress.

(Usually it's my sundress - but she didn't raid my closet for this outfit!)