41 Things that have Changed Since the Bears were in the Super Bowl Last Time

In honor of the Chicago Bears going to Super Bowl 41. Here are 41 things
that have changed from the last time the Chicago Bears played in the Super
Bowl (which was Super Bowl 20 in 1986):

1. Brian Urlacher was in 2nd grade. Rex Grossman was in
kindergarten.

2. Peyton Manning was 10 years old. Eli Manning was 5 years old.
Their dad, Archie, had just retired from the NFL two years
earlier.

3. Lovie Smith was in his first college coaching job at University
of Tulsa.

4. Ronald Reagan was the President, and Harold Washington was the
Mayor. James R. Thompson was the Governor running for
re-election and his office was in the new State of Illinois
Center, which is now called the James R. Thompson Center.

5. George W. Bush was 39 years old. His father
would run for President two years later.

6. Rod Blagojevich was just out of law school and was a low-level
prosecutor working for the Cook County State's Attorney,
Richard M. Daley.

7. Barack Obama had just moved to Illinois, and Osama bin Laden
was fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan.

8. Red Grange and Sid Luckman were still alive.

9. The Colts had just moved to Indianapolis from Baltimore and
were the doormat of the AFC EAST. The Bears were the champions
of the NFC CENTRAL.

10. Property in Wicker Park and Bucktown was cheap because
they were really bad neighborhoods.

11. CD players, cellular phones and fax machines were
expensive, cutting edge technology and only a few people used
them.

12. "Surfing the net" meant a volleyball game at the beach,
and virtually no one used the "@" key on their TYPEWRITER.

13. Sam Walton was still alive and was wealthier than Bill
Gates. Windows were panes of glass...not a computer operating
system

14. The Soviet Union was our main enemy, and Saddam Hussein
was our ally.

15. There were no lights at Wrigley Field, and the oldest
park in baseball belonged to the White Sox.

16. Michael Jordan and Ozzie Guillen had just finished their
"Rookie of the Year" seasons. Jordan's coach was Stan Albeck
and Guillen's manager was Tony LaRussa. (Three out of four of
those guys are now wearing championship rings, but what ever
happened to Stan Albeck???)

17. Soldier Field had AstroTurf. The Houston Oilers played in
the AstroDome.

18. The Fox TV Network didn't exist, and ESPN had yet to air
a single live pro football, baseball, or basketball game.

19. MTV played music and so did some AM radio stations.

20. Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff weren't born yet; Jackie
Gleason and Richard Nixon were still alive.

21. Hillary Clinton had dark hair and was the First
Lady......of Arkansas!

22. "The Love Boat" and "Diff'rent Strokes" were still on
network TV every week.

23. Martin Luther King Day was about to be celebrated as a
National Holiday for the first time. "9-11" was a phone number
many cities were just adopting for emergency calls - not a date
of terror.

24. I-88 was called "Illinois Rt. 5" and I-355 hadn't been
built yet.

25. What the CTA now calls "The Blue Line" had just been
extended to O'Hare, and the Orange Line to Midway hadn't been
built yet.

26. Q101 played adult contemporary music and most teenagers
listened to WLS. Music from the 70s and 80s wasn't "retro" yet.

27. Tiger Woods hadn't won an amateur golf tournament yet.

28. Most people knew Seattle just as a city in the Northwest
U.S. - not the home of grunge or Starbucks.

29. Only Southerners went to NASCAR races and only
Northerners went to NHL games.

30. The Chicago area had no Wal-Marts, Targets or Home
Depots, and Walgreen's was only in the Midwest.

31. Depending on your bank, your ATM card was good at only
"Cash Station" machines or only at "Money Network" machines,
but there were no fees.

32. "The Phone Company" was Illinois Bell.

33. They still sold leaded gasoline and you couldn't pay for
your gas at the pump.

34. Discover Card hadn't been discovered yet

35. Stereo TVs were the rage that HDTVs are now. 8-track
tapes were still being made.

36. All of the Blockbuster Video stores that are now closing
hadn't opened yet. Betamax was still competing with VHS.

37. You paid cash for your groceries and fast food, and you
used a travel agent to book airline flights.

38. Bowl games didn't have corporate sponsors, and if the #1
ranked team was in a conference that played in one bowl game
and the #2 ranked team was in a conference that played in
another bowl game, then so be it! They let the sportswriters
vote on the national champion. (and no college football games
were played after New Year's Day)

39. The Baltimore Ravens were the Cleveland Browns. The
Tennessee Titans were the Houston Oilers. The Oakland Raiders
were the Los Angeles Raiders that had just left Oakland. The
Arizona Cardinals (the former Phoenix Cardinals) were the St.
Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Rams were the Los Angeles
Rams. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Houston
Texans, and the Cleveland Browns (not to be confused with the
Cleveland Browns that are now the Baltimore Ravens) didn't
exist. The Seattle Seahawks (last year's NFC Champions) played
in the AFC.

40. Number 9 on the Bears was their Punky QB...not their
perky field goal kicker.

41. There were no iPods - just Sony Walkmen - so if you said
something about a "shuffle" on your Walkman, they assumed you
were listening to "The Super Bowl Shuffle"
and one thing that will be the same from the Chicago Bears last Super
Bowl appearance.....
THEY WILL WIN!!!! GO BEARS!!!!!!

Mourning a Miscarriage Interview

This morning we spoke with Laura Mills who wrote the article "Mourning a Miscarriage" in the Jan/Feb issue of Today's Christian Woman. In March of 2003, Laura and her husband experienced the loss of a miscarriage after months of trying to get pregnant.

She told us about the grief and healing process she experienced in the months that followed; learning to trust and rely on God.

Check out the article in the magazine - available at your local Christian book store. The magazine website is http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/

Producer Adam's Sense of Humor

Ha ha! I'm quickly learning to do my own editing!! Producer Adam is great about keeping elements of an interview that were supposed to be edited out.

For example, I had him edit the New Year's Resolution bit with Debra Lund from Franklin Covey. Sometimes when I'm interviewing someone - my mind doesn't work very well. She asked me how to eat an elephant. The obvious answer is one bite at a time, which would lead very well into goal setting. But ditsy me - I didn't say one bite at a time. I said "make sure he's dead!" What kind of dumb answer is that??

It was supposed to be edited out! But, Producer Adam with his sense of humor - left it in there, so now all of Chicagoland knows that I'm a dork!!

Thanks, buddy!!!

Producer Adam - The Famous Hungarian Folk Dancer

What a guy! Not only is he a great producer - making sure Rob and Russ sound great, plus making coffee every morning - but he can dance!!

In fact, he's such a great Hungarian Folk dancer that he is going to do a demonstration for us on Friday. You may be thinking, oh, that'll be funny. I'm serious, this guy is so good that Producer Jonny Rob actually found a picture of him on the Internet performing live.

Check it out - and be listening Friday for his live performance.

PS - If you'd like to see REAL Hungarian Dancers, they will be performing at Governor's State Center for Perfoming Arts on Sunday February 11 @ 4:00. www.centertickets.net

Valentine's Day Trivia

35% of men cannot remember this ... what is it??

What their wife got them for Valentine's Day last year!!

New Music Today

The Big Hurt - Todd Hertz joined us again this morning to talk about the new releases in the music world. Here's what he mentioned:


X 2007 Worship - Including Relient K, David Crowder Band, Hawk Nelson, Underoath, Kutless & more.

Can you imagine these bands breaking out in "Here I am to Worship?" Ya, neither can I. But this worship album isn't like traditional worship music you'd sing in church. These bands are redefining worship music. You'll have to take a listen.

Future of Forestry - Twilight

Two former Something Like Silas members, joined forces with two new guys and is releasing their first album. The name of the band comes from a poem from the great C.S. Lewis. The four guys hail from San Diego. You can check out the review at:

http://christianmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/future_of_forestry__twilight

Kind of a slow week...

I realized it was Tuesday and I hadn't posted anything for a while. I guess it's a slow week on the Morning Show. Today we did give DJ E a wake up call. Producer Adam gave him a jingle at 6:45 AM and told him that Johnny and I got mad at each other and stormed out leaving him here to do the show by himself.

Then he hung up.

No, ha ha ... no, this is your Rise & Shine Wake Up Call ... nothing

When we called him back - DJ E was dressed and ready to head out the door!! Poor guy. Of course, all those people he called and woke up when he was on the morning show may not agree. What goes around comes around!

Johnny said this morning that yesterday was calculated as the most depressing day of the year. It's calculated based on the fact that Christmas bills are coming due, the weather is gloomy and cold, and it was Monday!! Did any one besides me have a horrible day yesterday? Maybe they were right!

The good news...WE SURVIVED!!!!

Roadway Fears

What are you scared of when you jump in your car for the morning commute?? Personally, I'm scared of a train crossing North St and making me late for work!

The question today was: What are 3% of drivers most scared of when they get behind the wheel??

We had some great guesses including -
~getting caught picking their nose
~getting a ticket
~hitting a deer
~having bad breath and needing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
~road rage
~making left turns
~running out of gas

But the winner was Donna from New Lenox who guessed "not having toll money"

Jesus Freak Book

The past couple of days Johnny has shared stories from a book that has been out for a while, but is being re-released. It's all about people, young and old, around the world that have given their life for their belief in Jesus. The short stories are incredible and encouraging.

Check it out!!

For the History Buff (like me)...

I have to say, I love history. Not enough to dedicate my life to it and defiantly not enough to be considered a history geek. (I have a friend who can tell you EVERYTHING you want to know about anything history related from creation to today!! He could probably tell you the name of all Napoleon's generals)

But I do enjoy little snippets of history - like what happened on this day and celebrity birthdays. So, every morning at 6:10 I share just that. Most of the information comes from the book On This Day by Carl D. Windsor.

What I don't share from the book is the daily devotional that comes along with the trivia snippets. It's a great book - check it out!!

National Squirrel Appreciation Day

You think I'm joking, right? Who thinks of these holidays?? I have friends who are deathly afraid of these "beady-eyed" little monsters!! (I kinda think they are cute - from a distance)

So - in honor of National Squirrel Appreciation Day on Sunday January 21st lets take a look at how people across the country celebrate this joyous occasion -

Some people write, some people sing to show their appreciation. This guy shapes balloons!

And then their are the truly bizarre people who enjoy dressing up (I hope) dead squirrels in cute little costumes and posing them. Something about this just seems wrong!

I hope you get a chance to enjoy National Squirrel Appreciation Day! I think I will celebrate by...mmm...I actually think I'll skip this holiday. I do love all of God's creatures, but a holiday?? Seriously, people!!

Shopping for Coffee

Okay, I generally don't like to complain, but Johnny made the most disgusting coffee I have tasted in a long time!! It's not Johnny's fault; I found out what brand he brewed and I have to say, now I understand why I didn't drink coffee for the first 25 years of my life - unless it was DROWNED in cream and sugar.

I think I am spoiled. Our good friend Shannon LaFrance - in our Business Relations Department and co-owner of Moon Monkey Coffee Company - makes it her personal goal to keep the station stocked with Moon Monkey Coffee. It's all I've been drinking over the past several months. So when Johnny brewed the Folgers this morning, I took a long sip - expecting the smooth take of Costa Rican or Mexican. Nope - I got a mouthful of tangy, bitter Folgers.

The situation grew worse a couple hours later when I went to take another sip. If Folgers is bad hot - it's straight nasty cold!!

So...if you are buying coffee at the grocery store anytime soon - skip the Folgers!!!

Parkview Christian Church

Johnny and I re-aired an interview that Tower & Mallory had with the Noyola family (who were on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition this week). Jackie, a member at Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, called to tell us about a project her church did for a local family.

As part of their 40 Days of Community, the church helped remodel their home. You can see pics on page 11 of their newsletter. Here's the link:

http://www.parkviewchurch.com/news/Winter2006/winter_newsletter_2006.pdf

If you'd like more info about Parkview Christian Church, you can check out their link:

www.parkviewchurch.com

Thanks, Jackie, for calling in and sharing with us!!

Tickets Heard Round the World

Do you have relatives that live a long way away? Maybe a grandma in Texas? Uncle in Germany? They can help you get win-them-before-you-can-buy-them tickets to see Mercy Me, Audio A, and Aaron Shust on March 18th in Champaign.

Listen next week (January 22 - 26) and when Johnny and I announce the contest in the 7:00 hour - have your friend or family member call in to claim your tickets. The call from the longest distance from the studio will win!!

New Music w/ Todd Hertz

New releases this week include -

Stacie Orrico - who has taken a few years off to be "normal." She's back with her new album called Beautiful Awakening.

Todd introduced us to a new band - This Providence that is also releasing today. They could be compared to Anberlin.

Fund for Momence Murder Victims

Yesterday we talked with Chicago Tribune reporter, Dave Wischnowsky, about the double homicide over the weekend in Momence, IL - a small town about 15 miles East of Shine.FM. Two Burger King employees were killed while opening the store in the early hours of Saturday morning. Pam Branka leaves behind a husband and a 16-year-old daughter who attends Bishop McNamera High School in Kankakee. Paul Jones had a wife and 6 children.

A memorial fund has been set up for the families. Donations can be sent to help offset educational expenses for Pam's daughter to the following address:

Brandi Branka Educational Fund
Cotter Funeral Home
224 E Washington St
Momence, IL 60954

Redenius Funeral Home in Gilman, IL will be holding the visitation for the Jones family.

More information can be found in the Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-070115momence2,1,2676874.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Looking for a Scrapbooker

During the 12 Days of Christmas, Shine.FM collected hundreds of Christmas cards from our wonderful listeners! We have collected all of them and would like to keep some of the pictures and personal messages!

We are looking for a generous scrapbooker to put all of these in an album for the station. Please let me know if you have the creativity, resources, and time to do just that! We would forever be grateful!!

Happy Anniversary to my Husband!

I want to take a moment to say Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband, Garrett! He's put up with me for 5 years, so he deserves a few moments of fame! (He deserves a million bucks, a new truck, and a flat screen TV - but no, Garrett, you don't get those things!!)

Last summer at a friend's wedding
My 5 favorite things about my husband...
1. There's never a dull moment - Garrett is the social director of our house, which means I meet great people everywhere we go.

2. Garrett is a great provider for our home and very dedicated to our family.

3. He dreams big - and always sees the best in people!

4. Garrett is a great mediator, never burns a bridge - which keeps hot-headed me in line!

5. He's awfully good looking as well!

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

One of my favorite guests joined us today - none other than Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. He is the author of the best selling book Love & Respect. I found out about this book in Sunday School (another great reason to be a part of a good Sunday School class). The book was life changing for me - I didn't even know I needed to respect my husband before that!!

Well, he's back with another great book called Cracking the Communication Code: The Secret to Speaking Your Mate's Language. His new book takes a deeper look at communication in marriage. Dr. Eggerichs has found in his counseling that when men and women talk their messages are frequently misinterpreted.

For example: A women will say her husband works to much. He hears that he is a failure and his effort to provide for the family is not respected. She's just looking for reassurance that he loves her more than his work! And the Crazy-Cycle begins!!

Sound familiar?? I know it happens in my house! Dr. Eggerichs even says that it happens in all houses. So, if you get frustrated because of communication in your marriage - take heart - there is hope!!

This is a must have book for everyone who is married, is getting married, or thinks they may someday marry.

Meet Jonny Rob

This is our buddy Jonny Rob, who filled in for Producer Adam while he was on vacation!

He usually doesn't look that mean!

If you have any music questions - he's the man. I think he owns every album that has been released since he got his first allowance!!

Duane Brummit's Tri-Star Martial Arts Academy

Last night Johnny, Producer Jonny Rob, and I took a little Road Trip to Duane Brummit's Tri-Star Marital Arts Academy in Bradley. We had a great time watching the kids in their class and talking to the parents. We found out that the kids are encouraged, not just to learn karate - but to build character!

As a parent, I could appreciate the "Attitude Stripes," which are rewards the kids get for reading, doing chores at home, and even doing their work without being told!! The parents we talked to just praised the changes they had seen in their kids - better in school, better behaved at home!!

Duane also told us about choosing a Martial Arts Academy - what to look for, what questions to ask. He has a website with all that information www.freekarate.info

If you would like more information about his Academy you can get that at www.tristarkarate.com or 815-932-5425. Tell him Johnny & Abbie sent you!! :)

Johnny & I talking to Duane Brummit

The lead instructor at Tri-Star - Mr. Russo

Black Belt kids - Brock & Tiffany

One of the classes in session

It was a lot of fun watching the kids practice their moves on their instructors.

This was the closest thing to learning Karate for Johnny & me!!!

Thanks Duane for having us out!! We had a blast!!

If you would like more information about having the Road Trip at your business - check out our website www.shine.fm

Emerson Eggerichs

This morning Johnny & were going to talk to Emerson Eggerichs. He had an unexpected funeral to attend, but will be with us on Friday at 7:40 to talk about his new book. Tune in!!

Hink Pink Anyone??

My son Hunter introduced me to a great new game that he learned in school. It's pretty addicting, so be careful!!

Hink Pinks are riddles whose answers rhyme and have the same number of syllabals. For example..

"What is a hink pink for an oversized feline??" ~~A Fat Cat

If the asnwer has two syllabuls each it's a hinkie pinkie. So...

"What's a hinkie pinkie for a middle location where apartment dwellers go??" ~~A Renter Center

If you get really good - you can come up with hinkity pinkities.

"What's a hinkity pinkity for someone who derives a conclusion about a vegetable farmer?" ~~A Producer Deducer

Have fun!! Let me know if you come up with any really good ones!!

Helping Men Dress

Many men have a hard time picking out their clothes. Well, they don't have a hard time picking them out - they just don't match very often. I'd like to help you out if you are one of those men!!

When matching colors - think football (seriously). Complimentary colors are across the color wheel from each other. And most football teams use complimentary colors for their uniforms. For example look at the color wheel below and find the Viking's colors (I'm not a fan of theirs, just a good example). You can see that they are directly across from each other!

Another idea is to pick colors connected to each other by the lines- take for example my Redskins - Burgundy (a shade of red) and gold (a shade of yellow). The University of Michigan is another example of this with yellow and blue.

When Picking Shoes - Even though my husband disagrees, there is a difference between casual shoes and dress shoes. For example - these are NOT dress shoes!!

When Picking Ties - Keep color in mind, but also NEVER wear a tie with a short sleeved shirt. I don't know why - just don't!!

Willy Wonka Hits the Stage

If you loved Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, you'll want to see Charlie on the Big Stage. The classic child's book has been adapted into a musical production.

The "Skrumdiddlyumptious" Children's Musical will be in Skokie on Saturday March 10th (1:00 and 3:00) at the Centre East Stage at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts.

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd., at the intersection of Skokie Blvd. and Golf Rd. Subscriptions and single tickets can be purchased by calling the box office 847-673-6300.

Ode to Russ

Skies are cloudy,

But we won't fuss.

Sunny and warm,

Now that's a plus.

Cold, windy weather

We won't cuss.

When we plan for the weekend,

we just call Russ!

We Love Rob Rodewald

From time to time I like to highlight members of the Shine.FM staff. Take a look at my Ode to Producer Adam, which includes a little poem I wrote about him.

Well, today I wanted to do a little Ode to our Newsman - Rob Rodewald, but he refuses to let pictures of himself out! The only rule about being on my blog is that I have to be able to post your picture. Well, Rob won't give in - so I did a Google Image search and got this picture:

Thinking maybe that this isn't really Rob, I did a search for his alias. This is what I found:



Man, Rob I knew you were old - but what's up with those glasses??

Special Guest Next Wednesday!!

Join Johnny & me on the Rise & Shine Morning Show next week as we talk to Dr. Emerson Eggerichs about his new book Cracking the Communication Code: The Secret to Speaking Your Mate's Language.

The Best selling author of Love & Respect will be joining us at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday Janary 10th. We'll be talking about the book and also giving away a few copies of the book.

National Trivia Day Trivia

Happy National Trivia Day!! Johnny and I celebrated in style with a trivia question!

The Question...

Doing this consistently over 11 years will cost you approximately $6,500 - what is it??

The Answer...

Raising a dog

Dieting Trivia

Today we discovered that (according to a University of Nebraska study) that only 4% of women and 0% of men have tried a Vegetarian Diet!

Of course, our New Years Resolution expert today, Nurse Practitioner Deanna Reddick from Trapp Medical Associates in Kankakee told us that good nutrition is better than dieting because it's a lifestyle, not a sudden change. (Johnny was also thrilled that she said you can eat all the salad you want - no guilt!!)

January Book Club

January's book is Blah, Blah, Blah: Making Sense of the World's Spiritual Chatter by Bayard Taylor. Don't be intimidated by the title, it truly is a great read. I have to admit, I am a little bit of a theology junkie - but by no means am I an expert or sophisticated about theology!!

I chose this book because I wish I had read it a lot sooner in my life. A couple years ago I worked at Applebee's - along side some great, but theologically mixed up folk. One guys stands out in particular. We had some interesting discussions about spiritual matters. Had I read this book before then, I would have be more confident in the biblical worldview (with a better understanding of his worldview) to go deeper in our conversations and encourage him.

The book outlines 6 worldviews (all given fun nicknames):

1. The Haunted Worldview - or the pagan religions that believe that everything around us is filled with spirits. This includes Greek & Roman mythology, fertility religions, Wicca, and tarot cards

2. The Biblical Worldview - people that believe their is one true God and includes Christianity, and Judaism (look out for Quasi-Biblical worldviews that claim to be Biblical, but do not keep with some of the main doctrine)

3. The WYSIWYG Worldview - that's pronounced "Whizzy-Wig" and stands for What You See is What You Get. These are the naturalists that do not believe in a reality outside of nature. Some other names for this group is materialism, Marxism, and Social Darwinism.

4. The Dueling Yodas Worldview - in the spirit of Star Wars, this world view believes there are two equal and opposite forces at work in the world - and we get to choose which one to be on. (This is much different than God v. Satan - 'cause we all know Satan is a big wimp!!)

5. The Omnipresent Supergalactic Oneness Worldview - the name comes from a joke in the movie Ace Ventura, but the beliefs are real. The goal of this worldview is to become "one" with the spirits or the unity of all things. Some religions include Yoga, Kama Sutra, yin & yang, & Zen Buddhism.

6. Designer Religions - these are the people that pick and choose from all worldviews. They are the "spiritual," not "religious" folk.

This is just a general overview - for more info check out http://www.blahblahbook.com/ or just go buy the book (and a highlighter - you'll need it!!)

Rise & Shine Resolutions

Today we revealed what each of us had resolved for the new year - so make sure to call in and ask Johnny what books he's read lately!!

Johnny - to read (that means finish) at least 10 books this year

Abbie - to write out some short and long term goals

Producer Adam - to waste 15 minutes each day (as if he doesn't do that already!!)

Rob Rodewald (with the news) - refuses to resolve to do anything

Russ Murley (our trusty meteorologist) - take a real vacation

New Year's Resolutions

Each day during the month of January we will be talking to experts about popular New Year's Resolutions.

January 2 - 5: Improving your Health
Deana Reddick ~ Nurse Practitioner, Doctorate in Women's Health
Trapp Medical Associates, Kankakee, IL

January 8 - 12: Reading your Bible, Growing Spiritually
Lois Tverberg & Bruce Okkema
The En-Gedi Resource Center http://www.egrc.net/
Book: Listening to the Language of the Bible

January 15 - 19: Improving Relationships
Drs. Milan & Kay Yerkovich
Book: How We Love Website: http://www.howwelove.com/


January 22 - 26: Save $, Get Out of Debt
Bob Goss
Crown Financial Ministries Area Director ~ Greater Chicago
www.crown.org

January 29 - 31: Get Organized, Set Goals
Deb Lund, Company Spokesperson
FranklinCovey www.franklincovey.com