“This much, this much, this much, this much!”

That’s how three-year-old Adam Blakeman responds to the question, “How much do you miss your dad?”

He waits one very long year as his dad, Sergeant First Class Mark Blakeman serves in the Iowa National Guard in Afghanistan.

Click here to see how the Blakemans manage to maintain their relationship over 7,000 miles.

When men and women in uniform face mortal danger on a day-to-day basis, how is it possible for them to maintain loving family relationships thousands of miles away?

One family manages to stay close despite the distance, and an additional surprising sacrifice.

“I love you, too, when raindrops fall…”

Little Adam Blakeman’s dad reads him a story every night, even though he is 7,000 miles away.

“We have a book that Mark recorded before he left, we read it at bedtime so he can hear Mark’s voice,” mother Monica Blakeman said.

Mom Monica keeps watch at home in Washburn while husband and father Sergeant First Class Mark Blakeman serves in the Iowa National Guard’s First 133rd Iron Man Battalion in Mihtarlam, Afghanistan.

The Blakemans keep in touch through occasional email and cell phone calls.

“Hi daddy! Nice hair you got!”

But the highlight of communication finds the family face to face via Skype.

“It’s been a slow day like most of them have been,” Mark said through Skype.

“That’s good. That’s what I want to hear,” Monica said to the laptop screen.

“Agh!” Monica said.

“It goes offline?” Adam asked.

“Yep, it went offline,” Monica answered.

Unfortunately technology glitches lurk around every conversation.

“You there?” Monica called through the computer.

“Yes I am,” Mark said as he suddenly appeared.

“Hey! We got video!” Monica said.

Mark and Monica Blakeman met through friends four years ago.

Mark worked as a lifelong member of the Iowa National Guard and Monica worked as a Waterloo Police Officer.

“Where is daddy? What’s he doing?” she quizzed Adam.

“He’s in Afghanistan,” Adam said.

They welcomed son Adam together three years ago, and this past May they made their bond official with wedding vows.

“It’s not ‘if it’s going to happen’, it’s ‘when it’s going to happen,’” Monica said.

Monica knew what marrying into the military meant, her family has served clear back to the Civil War.

But that didn’t make things easier when she said good-bye to Mark just three months after their wedding, along with 2,800 other National Guard members.

“You know they say everyone talks about sacrifices that people make,” Mark said, “but uh.. It’s the family at home that faces the sacrifices.”

Sacrifices like 3-year-old Adam passing another notch on his growth chart without his dad.

“Adam, how much do you miss your dad?”

“This much, this much, this much, this much!” Adam said.

“It’s rough because he’s at the age where he knows daddy’s gone, but he doesn’t really understand why,” Monica said, “He’ll pick up his play cell phone and call Mark.”

To keep Mark a part of Adam’s daily life, Monica made a ‘Daddy Tree’ with pictures of them together.

“It’s me and daddy and mommy, that’s my dad and me, me and my dad.”

Little did the Blakemans know their sacrifice would go even further.

Just a month after Mark left, Monica discovered she was pregnant, due in April, at least three months before Mark returns.

“I was excited but it scared me – him not being here,” she said. “He’s going to miss the baby move, the heartbeat.”

“She is a phenomenal persona and obviously strong,” Mark said. “Going through all this by herself.”

“He has me, as he calls it, ‘Show him the belly’ when we’re on Skype, so he can see how big I’m getting,” Monica said.

“Can you give daddy a kiss?” Monica said as she held up Adam to the laptop.

“Mwah,” Adam said as he tried to kiss the screen.

The distance has made their bond even stronger.

And that makes saying good-bye even harder.

“I love you,” Mark said.

“I love you, too,” Monica said, “Miss you.”

“Bye-bye,” Mark said.

“Bye,” Monica said.

The Blakemans have high hopes Mark will get a two-week leave around the time of the baby’s birth in April.

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They have amazed audiences around the world with their masterful piano playing, all five siblings having attended Julliard School in New York.

I was already in awe of The 5 Browns’ talent and strength, but a truly shocking revelation today makes me admire them even more and wonder how they carried on throughout the years.

The siblings have come together to speak out on sexual abuse from their father.

55-year-old Keith Brown  has been charged with sodomy and sexual abuse.

His daughters allege the abuse happened throughout the ’90s.

This took a great deal of courage for them to come forward and speak out against their abuser – especially considering they are internationally-famous musicians and the alleged abuser is their father.

This happens at the same time Massachusettes Senator Scott Brown announces he, too, was sexually abused by a camp counselor and physically abused by a stepfather.

I believe as more people come out and talk about their abuse, they emerge from the shadows of shame and sorrow and gain strength they didn’t know they had. 

They also give others power to do the same.

Here is an article about The 5 Browns.

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I admit I was vain enough to put on makeup before heading into labor and delivery.

But I do think the pressure for women to look good before and immediately after giving birth has gotten out of hand.

Since the explosion of Facebook and Twitter, parents have sent the first shots of baby and mom into cyber space faster than extended family can run in from the waiting room.

This means image-conscious moms have started to bring blow dryers, flat irons, lipstick and more to the hospital, and pre-birth, moms are starting to get pedicures, facials, even special waxings. 

Seriously?

I mean yes, you want to look good in those photos that will no doubt circulate for years to come, but are we taking things too far?

Check out my story “Push and Primp” which aired on KWWL.com

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He’s graced the cover of Rolling Stone, filled-in for David Letterman, and starred in his own TV show.

..Not to be overshadowed by appearing on KWWL’s Today in Iowa this morning!

Comedian Tom Green gave us a jolt of a wake-up call.

He is on a “World Tour” – that apparently runs through Iowa.

My co-anchor Bob Waters and I didn’t know what to expect, besides the unexpected, and we were on to something.

From “gifting” us our own large head-shots from the hallway, to ending with a game of Twister, he was full of energy and his trademark wacky humor.

He was actually quite nice as well.

You can check out his antics right here.

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In a day of drive-through weddings, with some marriages lasting just more than the length of the ceremony, couples like Charles and Kay Lefler are more than an anomoly. 

They are nigh unto a miracle.

But they do exist.

The Leflers of Central City, Iowa just celebrated their 50th anniversary. 

On January 21, 1961 the Leflers and just a handful of others went to a judge to be married.

They had no wedding reception at the time, so a few days ago their son organized the party they never had.

At the 50th anniversary party Kay Lefler mentioned a tip that really stood out to me.

“It’s the sense of humor, but also a lot of communication.  A sense of humor is important because there are so many bumps in the road.  You have to learn to laugh about some of them!” she explained.

It made me remember for the umpteenth time that no one escapes this life unscathed, that “bumps” occur in everyone’s life – no matter how much money you have, or how much influence.

So a sense of humor amid difficulties is essential – for sanity, for happiness, and according to the Leflers, for a lasting marriage.

They know this well.  Kay just helped Charles beat a bout with cancer.

Now, they look forward to at least 20, hopefully 30 more years together.

To see the story by reporter Molly Nicho

KWWL just aired a story illustrating some of what it takes for true love to last.

To see the Lefler’s story, click here.

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I love my job.  That said, today is one of those days when I think you have to be just a little bit crazy to be a broadcast journalist.  I woke up at 2:45 a.m. in a hotel close to the station because I knew there was no way I could’ve gotten out of my parking lot at home.

I then prayed my way through the semi-snow-blown streets of downtown Waterloo to barely make it to the station.

Then I bundled up and got in the live truck with my trusty photographer Matt, and we navigated the streets of Waterloo, some snow-blown, some not.

We did this, and then we arrived to a truck stop, got out of the van where I told people to stay home! (Basically do what I say not as I do.

I shoveled some snow, played King of the Mountain (or “Queen” of the Mountain), helped shovel-out a driver, interviewed a snow plow driver and a 5-foot trucker from Georgia with a Jack Russell Terrier named Baby Girl.

In other words, it was a fantastic morning.

I am however, just beginning to feel my toes again.

You can check out my riveting interview with a snow plow driver who had been working through the night here.

P.S. Now I need to point out we have been cautioned to remember that safety is the most important thing in our news gathering, and our station paid for the hotel, which is great.

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