"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!