Animal House

We sure had fun recently when Singer Laura Bryna brought her birds and Tim Link, the Pet Communicator, joined us on set. What were those birds thinking? Tim said they sure love Laura!

Young Talent

A little girl from Georgia sang her way into our hearts this month.

We sure enjoyed Sylvia Lee Walker as an in-studio guest recently. She may be tiny, but she has a BIG voice. You can find out more about her at http://www.sylvialee.net/.

News and Talk

It's tough being a talk show host and not being able to talk about some of the biggest stories of the year! We are "dark" this week due to an HD conversion in our studios, so we are missing talking with you about Governor Sanford, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

It reminds me of another time at FamilyNet when Scott JuVette and I were doing news back in Texas. It was during the Christmas break and everyone--I mean everyone--took off two weeks around the holidays of Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year's. Then the tsunami hit Asia. And we had no way to update the evergreen newscasts we had produced for the vacation period. It was frustrating not to be able to provide the latest and most-up-to-date news for people who watched FamilyNet Television.

Although I don't anticipate these long breaks ever happening again... you never know. Despite the inability to talk, it sure has been nice to sleep a little later and jog in the cool of the morning. But that Atlanta traffic... now I know what everyone has been fussing about!

See you Monday in real life!

Programming Note

For the week of June 22, we are not broadcasting live shows. Due to tech upgrades here at FamilyNet, we were asked to pre-record the programs. We combined "best of" segments with some new interviews, and hope you will like the results, even if you can't call in.

We will be in the office, planning new programs and getting caught up on all our stacks of books and papers! So email or call us if you want to talk.

We appreciate your patience and will be back live on the air June 29.

Twittering

At our weekly chapel time at FamilyNet this week, we had a memorial service of sorts for a new employee who had already made a big difference. He died in a car accident, leaving his wife and young daughter. The memorial was a PowerPoint display of his "tweets." I had never met this man, but I felt like I knew him after reading the succession of his short messages. He loved God, he loved his wife, he was crazy about his little girl, and he ate ice cream to celebrate and when he was stressed.

I was so inspired by his tweets, that I resolved to encourage people with twittering, too. So if you want to follow me, please go to www.Twitter.com/LorriVAllen.

We have several FamilyNet regular guests who are twittering, too. Randy Singer is RandyDSinger, and Linda Swindling is LindaSwindling.

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Wow, did we have a fun Friday today with fabulous food from Rosa Mexicano. The guacamole with the mango and jicama was so tasty. As promised, here are the recipes so you can celebrate Cinco de Mayo in style!

Guacamole en Molcajete
Courtesy of Rosa Mexicano, http://www.rosamexicano.com/
Rosa’s New Mexican Table by Roberto Santibez

Makes 4 servings

For the chile paste:
1 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
1 firmly packed tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeňo, or more to taste
3 medium ripe but firm Hass avocados (about 8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons diced tomato
2 firmly packed tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
Salt if necessary

Tortilla Chips
Fresh Corn Tortillas

Make the chili paste: Grind the onion, cilantro, jalapeňo, and salt together in a molcajete until all the ingredients are very finely ground. Alternatively, use a fork to mash all the ingredients to paste in a wide hardwood bowl.
Cut each avocado in half, working the knife blade around the pit. Twist the halves to separate them and flick out the pit with the tip of the knife. Fold a kitchen towel in quarters and hold it in the palm of your “non-knife” hand. Rest an avocado half cut side up in you palm and make 3 or 4 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts through the avocado flesh down to the skin, without cutting through it. Make 4 crosswise cuts in the same way. Scoop the diced avocado flesh into the molcajete. Repeat with the remaining avocado halves.
Gently fold the avocado into the paste, keeping the avocado in as large pieces as possible. Add the tomato, cilantro, and onion and fold in gently. Check and add salt if necessary. Serve immediately, right from the molcajete (or bowl), with the chops and tortillas.

Note: Jalapeňos can vary tremendously in hotness, so taste the guacamole just after folding in the avocado and add more if you like.

Kelly's Getting Married!

We love Kelly, one of our main makeup artists. She has been making Larry and me and our guests look better since the beginning of our TV days. We're so happy that she and Marty are tying the knot. They seem to be a great, joy-filled couple. They like animals, motorcycles, the beach and hanging out with their families.




The women here at FamilyNet had a lot of fun this week when Kelly let us (it took a lot of begging, believe me) throw her a bridal shower. We won't show you the gifts (they weren't THAT racy), but we will show you how cute Kelly looked with the delicious red velvet cupcakes that Lisa Ryan brought.




Best wishes, Kelly and Marty! We hope you have a Happy-Ever-After Marriage!

Super Bowl Photos

We love our regular guest, Dr. Rick Winer. Larry and I get a kick out of the fact that he is a renowned psychiatrist, specializing in ADHD, depression and anxiety disorders, AND that he is an NFL statistician. Dr. Winer got to work the Super Bowl in Tampa and was kind enough to share a few photos.

You might recognize these men that Dr. Rick works with: Marv Albert, Jim Gray and Boomer Esiason. This photo was taken following the Westwood One broadcast of the game between the Cardinals and the Steelers.

This photo is in the booth, and if you look to the right, you will notice all the notes on index cards! Dr. Winer brought in some of the tools he uses during a game yesterday, and it's wild. The way he keeps some of these stats on the tip of his tongue amazes me!

The New Car

You may have heard the interview with Texas-based evangelist Ronnie Hill about his year-long promotion to get people to hear his story and register for a new car. He picked a name out of the hat on December 12, and it took several calls for Carol to believe that she really did win the new Chrysler she desperately needed.


On January 25, Ronnie preached at the church which sponsored the fair booth where Carol registered. Carol was on hand to get the keys.

Carol's husband sent an email to friends and family about the exciting experience, and Ronnie gave us permission to share it.


"The first picture shows Carol and Dr. Ronnie Hill in front of her new car and our 23-year old sedan 'Old Blue!' This is at the entrance of Cumming First Baptist Church. The second picture shows Dr. Hill giving the key to Carol for her new Chrysler 300 LX! The (next) picture shows Carol with the Sales manager and his wife who sold the car to Ronnie Hill Ministries. He had prayed on his way to work the month before to sell a car and 30 minutes after arriving at his
dealership, Dr. Hill calls from Texas saying he needed to buy a car!

God's hand was on this event from start to finish!

Please go to http://www.3minutestory.com/ and enter the 2009 program."

Congratulations, Carol!

To Old Friends

Those of you with us Monday or this coming Friday had or will have the pleasure of hearing guest co-host Ray Metoyer. Ray is smart and a lot of fun. For those of you listening and not viewing, you may wonder what Ray looks like. Here is the photo where we talked about the "relic" of a video camera.

More recently, Ray worked for the Black Family Channel, based here in Atlanta. We didn't know until we were talking yesterday that both he and I were in Boston covering the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Although there were thousands of people, I am still surprised we didn't run into each other. He's tall!

Ray and I worked together about 14 years ago in Dallas, and it's always nice to work again with someone you respect, just as Larry and I have been able to do. I think that's what Heaven will be like--reuniting with people we haven't seen for years or decades and remembering all over again why you liked them in the first place.

I sure look forward to seeing Mornings listeners and viewers some day... If not in this world, then the next one for sure!

Update on Larry

Thank you so much for your calls, emails, prayers and concerns about Larry. He sounds strong and optimistic on the phone. His surgery Thursday was long--five hours--but seemed to go well by all accounts. We hope to have him back on the air with us as soon as Monday!

Little Sunups!!!!

Duane's little chicks have hatched!!!

Here are a few pictures if the new baby Sunups.










We usually only get to hear from Duane, but here is a picture of his wife, Vonnie, with the baby chicks. Duane tells us she does most of the work at the Chicken Ranch!

Emile's new found daughter Devyn

Here are some pictures of Emile's new found daughter.
We give her an official welcome to the FamilyNet family!



































We also included a familiar face in here, Emile's son Josh.

Comments from a Listener about Bristol Palin

Listener Vince from NY has given us permission to publish the following message. Thanks, Vince!

It was upsetting to hear some of the comments about Bristol Palin this morning. Many of us are so quick to judge this young lady, but the Bible is very clear that it is not our place to judge anyone. Besides, judging doesn’t help anyone. It just fuels the fire of animosity and character assassination that we keep throwing at her.

This is one of the most blessed and joyous times of her life. Her family should be allowed to focus on the beauty of pregnancy and childbirth. She should be cherishing the new experiences of motherhood and filling her heart with the grace and love the Good Lord provides with His Miracle of life. But rather than showing her our love, support and happiness, we are disgracing her and forcing her to wear the scarlet letter of “teen parent.”

But not all teen parents are worthy of such disgrace. About 2000 years ago, an unwed, pregnant teenager had to survive in a society that wanted to stone her to death. Today she is revered as the mother of our Savior.

Twenty years ago, I was a teenager in high school. My future life looked fantastic through that windshield with nothing but blue skies ahead... I vividly remember calling my girlfriend on a pay phone by the cafeteria and finding out she was pregnant. In an instant, the priorities of my life changed. I could no longer see the blue skies ahead, even though they were still there. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t know what society would do to me. But I was fortunate. My girlfriend and I accepted this responsibility with love. My mother was so encouraging and supportive. Some people accepted us; some did not. We stuck close to those who did. We got married and raised our family together. Here it is, 20 years later, and we just spent the morning getting our four kids off to school. We have one in college, one in high school, one in middle school and one in elementary school. And we have a morning schedule in chaos. ;)

Unfortunately, our society finds much more pleasure in ridiculing someone than encouraging her. Maybe we think we are lifting ourselves up when we push others down. But when we push people down, they will just move over to others who do lift them up. Some of those influences may be negative and provide false hope. Fortunately, we all have someone we can turn to and He will lift us up. Thank God that he sent His son not to judge us, but to save us. Pray that those who need encouragement turn to the Lord Jesus for the real hope of eternal love.

Brina Our Young Superstar!

We wanted to send a special shout out to former intern Brina who has been competing in the Miss Georgia Teen International Pageant. Brina was second runner up in the pageant and the Mornings crew is very proud of her! Here are some pictures of our young superstar!

Farewell Andy!!

On Friday, July 18th, we said goodbye to one of our favorite Mornings crew members, Andy Sixsmith.

So in honor of his departure, and in celebration of our newest member Tom we threw a little party. Doughnuts and coffee!

And of course our celebration would not be complete without a few pictures of the stunning Mornings crew.

( Above: Lorri, Larry, and Andy)

We were able to get a few pictures of the whole Mornings crew together one last time before Andy left!

(From L-R: Tim, Josue, David, Lorri, Andy,

Chris, Larry, Patricia)

We were also able to take a few pictures of the Mornings crew behind the scenes. We thought we would introduce some of the people you don't see in from of camera often. So here is a look at the people who make up the Mornings family! Enjoy!

Now Introducing..... the Mornings Crew, behind the scenes!

Producer extraordinaire Chris Larson, He was having a rough day....

Graphics Genius David Hamilton

Josue Rodriguez also known as J-Rod

Tim Rhodes, also known as Dusty Rhodes

Graphics Mastermind, Patricia Gaddy

And last but certainly not least, the newest addition to the Mornings Family, the incredible Tom Williams!

Prayer Answered

I received this email from Phil Boatwright, our Christian Film Critic, last week. He gave me permission to share it with you. If you were listening to him a few weeks ago, you know that he'd had a car accident.

"The Lord took care of everything. It all fit together so easily. The car insurance company paid me more than I thought I’d get, my boss sent my check early so I could make up the remainder of my down payment, the financing went through with a breeze, the car was at a sales price, each of the places I went to were close to one another, and I was able to return the rental car directly across the street from the car dealership.

"Though most of you probably have more expensive cars, I’ve got On Star in mine! And it’s free for a year!! I swear, this thing does everything. If I can just get a girl, it’ll do the proposing. It really is amazing. It’s like out of Flash Gordon.

"When I prayed, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get a new car. I just asked the Lord to provide a car that I felt safe in and that would be comfortable for the Old Ones. I care for my parents and have to take them everywhere now, so a four door was in order. Well, I got one. A new one.

"I’m telling you all this because even though life seems to be a series of trials, the Lord does intercede. And though we are attacked by the enemy, our Heavenly Father is ultimately in charge and won’t desert us. I’m assured that He is with us even in those times when He seems so still. I’m sure you’ve had spiritual moments when you just knew God was involved. That was my day, yesterday. It’s sometimes difficult to convince others that those moments are indeed governed by Heavenly leadership. But inside we know that it was Him.

"I am also convinced that your prayers were very much a part of this equation. I asked a few of you to pray for me and you did. The Lord heard those prayers. Some of you emailed me back, saying, “We got you covered.” I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. I turned around and prayed for you, that your prayers would be answered and that you would be blessed for doing it."

Phil, we are so happy for you. Thanks for sharing how the Lord worked in your life!

Coco is a Star

Kelly, our makeup artist, is a woman of many talents. Not only has she raised her ducks from eggs, and not only does she make Larry and me look much better than we deserve to do each day, she is also a turtle rescuer!

Her turtle Coco is famous at the University of Georgia exotic animal school! About a year ago, Kelly took Coco in, and he had such dire viruses that the vet and vet students thought he had very little chance of making it. If you look closely in the first picture, you can see that Coco has a feeding tube and IV. Kelly was having to take him in to UGA almost every week to get checkups.

Now, a year later, Coco is thriving. Isn't it nice to know God watches over creatures big and small? It may not take an exotic animal clinic to make you feel better, but God knows just what you need.

Kelly says photos of Coco hang all over the walls at Georgia. He's famous for being a case study! And you thought he was just a turtle...

Baby Ducks are Growing!

Kelly's ducks sure are cute!

Here are the latest photos.

Ducks!

Kelly, our makeup artist, has quite a menagerie at her house. She'd always wanted baby ducks, but her two pet ducks weren't quite ready to be parents. Then this spring, they laid eggs. But they weren't sitting on the eggs, so Kelly got an incubator. We've been hearing about the eggs' progress for weeks, so we were so excited to hear that the babies have hatched. Enjoy the pictures.