If you haven't noticed, this is a pretty busy time of year. That's my excuse for not blogging in quite a while. (I know you missed me. All three of you.)

It all started the day I posted my last blog. December 5th was the day of the Omaha Mall shootings and I headed up there that night to cover the tragedy for KMBC and ABC News. Obviously, it was a sad story to report on and heartbreaking to see a great midwestern town devastated by violence. The residents of Omaha simply can't believe they are now on the list of communities impacted by mass shootings. They will recover, but the healing will take some time.

On a much better note, I've been busy preparing for Christmas. I'm proud to say almost all the holiday shopping is finished. Most importantly, the gifts for my kids, Jack and Kate, are purchased and wrapped. All we need yet is the delivery by Santa.

So, Merry Christmas to everyone who watches the news and (the much smaller number) who read this blog. I hope your holiday season is happy, safe and joyful. Of course, before all that, tune in tomorrow morning to see just how much snow we'll get on Saturday. Hey, you want a White Christmas, right?

Okay, last Saturday morning turned out just fine. Our friends to the north got plenty of nasty weather, but it spared us here. Thank goodness. I made it into work just fine.

Oh, but winter is just beginning. Now, they're calling for ice this weekend and I'm hearing directly from the ice/snow/sleet experts in the KMBC Weather Center that this looks like the real deal this time.

I know Bryan, Joel and Lisa wouldn't be happy with me, but I'm hoping they're wrong again. Is that too much to ask?