Heroes Get Remembered But Legends Never Die.

I figured I would start off this blog post with a quote from one of my favorite baseball movies of all time.. The Sandlot! How appropriate given the events of the past few days. For those of you who don't already know.. I am a HUGE Cardinals fan!

I bought tickets with my younger brother Matt for Game 6 which was supposed to be played on Wednesday. You see our ratings period (sweeps) began on Thursday and since we are not allowed to take off during sweeps, I wouldn't have been able to go to Game 7. (Hence the reason we bought Game 6 tickets instead.) Well when it got pushed back due to rain, I wasn't going to be able to go. I was devastated. So we came up with a plan. We sold the tickets for that game and bought Game 7 tickets hoping it would come down to it. Everything happens for a reason.

After the best comeback game I have EVER seen Thursday night in Game 6, my adrenaline was high. I am not going to lie, I was getting worried there towards the end. But I never gave up on the Cards. David Freese is a hometown hero and he is the reason I would get to see Game 7 (I was really excited to see him get MVP, he deserved it!). It was almost impossible to sleep that night and I had a lot to get done before leaving the next day to head back to St. Louis.

One of those things was an event for Special Olympics. Since I am a little daredevil, I was chosen from the station to repel down the 13 story Jefferson Building. Mind you I am terrified of heights but when it comes to helping out organizations and charities, I am willing to put my fears aside. I had a great view of the city, the river, and the govenor's mansion which was just off to my right. I couldn't look out too much because I didn't want to have a panic attack. I made it down in 8 minutes and I couldn't be happier to have my feet back on solid ground.

That's me repelling down the Jefferson Building! Crazy I know..

After repelling down the side of the Jefferson Building in Jefferson City for Special Olympics, I returned home to watch the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the World Series. My brother was beyond excited and we were just like little kids in a candy store. Smiling from ear to ear the entire drive downtown. We got there a little later than expected and didn't get to grab dinner on The Hill, a typical tradition in our family. So we got in the stadium early, got some jumbo hot dogs, and grabbed a few cold ones. I love ballpark food! The game was great, the atmosphere was indescribable (you really just had to be there), and the memory will last a lifetime. On Friday October, 28th, we witnessed history in the making. The Cardinals won their 11th World Series!

Me and Matt, right after winning the World Series!

"Weather" You Like It or Not

Welcome to my behind the scenes look into my life as a TV Meteorologist. I figure I will ease you into this. So this is how I decided I would start out. One of the first questions I get asked is why did I want to be a Meteorologist? What on Earth possessed me at such a young age to want to do this? So I will answer that. At the young age of 7, I saw a waterspout in Gulf Shores, Alabama. This started my fascination with weather. I also had the chance to visit Fox 2 News in St. Louis and meet Dave Murray, the Chief Meteorologist (I gave him a picture of that waterspout). The hustle and bustle of the news station intrigued me. I must admit, I always thought TV was so glamorous.

Prior to wanting to do this, I wanted to be an actress. But I was a realist even at that young of an age and knew that would be extremely difficult. So I decided to combine my love for weather along with my killer acting skills (ha!) and focus on a career in Broadcast Meteorology. I would imitate those who would do the weather all the time. I was also the kid that was standing outside looking up to the sky while the tornado sirens were going off. WARNING: Never do that, heed the warning of the weather folks and go to the basement!

Flash forward about 10 years.. As I got ready to graduate from High School, I was torn between which College to attend. I had the choice, University of Oklahoma (Too far away), St. Louis University (Too close to home), or The University of Missouri (Just right..!). I feel like the three bears with their porridge right now saying that. But it is true. I wanted the college experience but the comforts of being close to home (Not to mention the best Broadcast School in the world to help with my On-Air endeavors). I must mention that I am pretty close with both my parents and my younger brother Matthew, so it wasn't that hard of a decision for me to make.

My Brother and I at the Mizzou Football Game

So off to the University of Missouri I went. During my undergraduate career, I managed to work two jobs, (Mizzou Rec Center and KOMU), balance 16-18 hours of school, along with the rest of my extracurricular activities (Sorority, Volunteer Work, ect). I managed to do just about everything I wanted to do (minus studying abroad, you should really do it if you even have an incling to) and paid for everything on my own, something I am very proud of. Needless to say, I had the time of my life but worked my tail off to get to where I am today. Work hard, play harder right?

Living the dream. I'm the evening Meteorologist at KOMU-TV 8.

After a 'half victory lap', I graduated in December of 2008 with a Bachelors Degree in both Meteorology and Communications. I stuck around KOMU long enough to convince them to give me a job so I could stay here in Columbia and work. I really didn't want to leave, I felt like this place was a second home to me (St. Louis will forever be my home, no matter where I go). There was so much more for me to learn, so much more for me to still explore. So what did I decide to do? I went back for grad school to get a Masters in Meteorology (I'm crazy, I know). Working 40+ hours a week in addition to keeping up with classes has been a struggle, but I always seem to maintain that balance. I will finish up this December with that degree. That brings me to the here and now. That's just a little insight into my life.. for more, standby!