Reporter by Day...Cop at Night

Citizen's Police Academy...what's that? That's what I said, until I was asked by MaryAnn Martin with AISD to be part of it.

Here in Abilene, they offer a unique 10 week course that shows you the "behind the scenes" stuff that our local police officers go through here in Abilene.

There are 26 of us in the class and we all come from entirely different work backgrounds. Media personnel are often chosen to be part of this academy because police feel that we could benefit from more insight into their careers, since we often work together.

We've only had two classes so far and I am very intrigued. Specifically by one of the female police officers who is one tough gal. You can tell she definitely holds her rank within the Abilene Police Department and is well-respected. When people think of police officers, they often think of men. So, I admire her and the tough job she has.

Last night's class was really interesting. We learned all about the Narcotics Division. I was amazed at just how many drug seizures go on right here in Abilene. They told us about some crazy run-in's with drug dealers and prostitutes.

We have lots of fun and exciting classes to look forward to within the Police Academy, such as shooting guns and learning about the K-9 unit.

It's also just interesting to interact with cops in the classroom setting instead of on the streets covering a story.

I think I am going to learn a lot about Abilene just by learning from the Abilene Police Department. It's also been a great tool to network with other members of the community, who are also students in the class.

Becoming a Texan

It's been just about 7 months since I made my move to the Big Country. I think it was when I cashed in my Florida driver's license for a Texas one, that it finally hit me...I'm a Texan, at least an honorary one. Although, I wasn't born here and haven't been here all that long, I finally feel at home here.

I always deemed myself as a Florida girl (don't get me wrong, I still am a beach lover) but there's something about that Texas pride that just grows on you!

I've started adopting the national verb, "fixin' to." I haven't quite adopted the ya'll but I am sure it will come with time. I recently visited Florida and had people tell me I had already adopted a Texas Twang.

Plus being the City beat reporter for KRBC, I am constantly around members of the community just beaming with Abilene pride. Mayor Archibald; perhaps the proudest Abilenian of all is a great role model in the community, not only for his responsibilities as the mayor but for his incomparable dedication to the City of Abilene. He wouldn't return my phone call to a non-Abilene number. I was quickly informed that he felt if people move to Abilene and make it their home, they should have a local number. Shortly after I got the memo, I did get a local number and now can receive calls from the mayor. : ) Having a 325-area code puts me in the category of an Abilenian.

Now don't get me wrong, I've still got a lot to learn...such as learning to like beef. I am a seafood and chicken-kind-of-gal. I've also never been to a rodeo yet...Among many other things. I'd love to hear from some of my "fellow" Texans about other words unique to the state and even traditions. ; )

And while I can't make any guarantees that I'll be an Abilenian forever...I am happy to call Abilene my home! : )

The Real Housewives of Taylor County: Off Camera

The Real Housewives of Taylor County: Off Camera

You may have seen the Housewives of Atlanta, New York, and Orange County, but have you seen them in Taylor County?

I hung out with some of the most stylish southern belles to see how they spend their time here in the Big Country.





Tonya Doby, Darla Cooper, and Donna Sewalt are three best friends that are all about spending quality girl time and a little bit of money here and there. What girl doesn't?

While the show on Bravo makes the Housewives out to be a backstabbing bunch that live vicariously through the drama they stir; the Housewives of Taylor County are some of the most friendly and fun woman around.

Instead of trying to outdo one another, these ladies are all about doing things for each other.

They enjoy hosting parties and even throwing each other surprise bashes.

Donna recently had a birthday, and sure enough Tonya and Darla were busy planning and plotting an extravagant event held at the Country Club. The girls usually share everything with each other, but this surprise party luckily didn't slip through the cracks and made for a fabulous fiesta for Donna.

The girls rarely go a day without speaking to each other. I was told that Monday's are usually their "spend time at home with husband's day". But, you can bet that these girls are gabbing on the phone planning their fun for the week ahead, even on a Monday.

Tuesdays are generally, "let's go to lunch days" where they dine out at some of the finest restaurants here in the Big Country. Copper Creek is a favorite of theirs, where they love to enjoy a glass of wine over their meals.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are somewhat interchangeable. These days are spent getting massages, manicures, and pedicures; all of which are just so much more fun doing together.

While these three may seem like the three musketeers; their social circle is much larger. They've got other girlfriends all over the Big Country.

As for their husbands, they're a bunch of buds too. They enjoy their guy-time just as much, on the golf course and grilling out by the pool.

The three Housewives I've highlight vacation together and even spend the holidays together.

It was a lot of fun hanging out with these glamorous gals. They were very kind to not only let me see how they spend their days and nights but you as well.

Drinking and Driving Course

I recently did a story on drinking and driving over at ACU. The week before Spring Break, ACU's Peer Health organization puts on a week long event called, "Making Good Choices." One of their events was an obstacle course that included duck tape and cones...that looked rather simple to complete. However, students had to wear a pair of goggles that blurred their vision; confusing their depth perception.
Watching the students sway from side-to-side and trip over cones and veer far from the duck tape, I thought that they were just goofing around. So that's when I decided to give it a try. And almost immediately after putting the glasses on, I felt disoriented. I couldn't even stand before the starting line without being directed to it. Then when they said, "Go" and I raced in my heels, I not only was way off of the tape but I stepped on cone after cone.
In the end, the "police" (students) wrote me a ticket for 6 violations in 6 seconds. Violations are given out for not stepping on the duck tape and for stepping on cones. My ticket frustrated me because without the goggles, it looked so easy. So, I gave it a second try to prove to myself that I could master this course. I went for a different strategy this time, thinking slow and steady could win the race. It didn't work out that well for me, I wound up with more violations in more time.
I think the drunk driving course serves as a good reminder of how not only alcohol effects your decision making, but even something that looks so simple and harmless is really not. I think it had a pretty good effect on students at ACU and hopefully they'll remember that while they're on Spring Break and throughout the year.

Utmost Respect for Producers

Last week, I got the opportunity to learn the ropes of producing and anchoring, shadowing West Texas Today anchor, Stephanie Harris.

Instead of coming into work at 9 am, like a normal day for me, I was coming in at 2:30 am. Now that's a time, I usually never read on the clock. However, in order for Stephanie to teach me how to produce, and still having her show ready by 6 am show time, that's what time we needed to come in.

There are so many little things that a producer needs to remember. And as for functioning at that time in the morning, it's certainly difficult. That's where 3 cups of coffee comes into play.

After finishing the show by 5 am. That's when Stephanie hits the makeup room.

I learned how to produce over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, Stephanie also let me do the morning webcast and the Today Show cut-ins. That was my first real anchoring experience.

Then on Thursday, I co-anchored the morning show with Steph, which was a lot of fun. Except for the fact that I didn't get the memo that I didn't have to wear a suit jacket. So while, Stephanie was pretty in pink, I wound up looking like a Hillary Clinton. Getting ready for the show was especially fun because Stephanie had to teach me how to have the anchor hair, which requires some serious teasing.

Then on Friday...I was on my own. Stephanie decided not to come in even to supervise until 4:30 am. So, instead of the 2:30 am time I had been coming in all week, instead I got into work at 1 am. Which means that I got up, showered, and blow-dried my hair at midnight. Friends were wishing me good luck on my solo anchoring debut, as they were going to bed and I was going to work. I went into work so early to allow myself plenty of time to triple check everything and still have time to relax before sitting at the desk.

I feel good about my anchoring debut, but boy was I exhausted after a week of crazy hours. I respect the morning crew so much for their ability to function at that time in the morning.

Wylie Jr. High Career Day

Today, I went to Wylie Jr. High's career day, where they invited all kinds of people within the working world of Abilene to come in and speak to students about what they do for a living.
Before the students even started showing up to class, KRBC's Chief Meteorologist, Randy Turner and I were sitting at the small desk chairs, reminiscing about our middle school days. When the bell rang, I had to snap out of my daydream and realize my middle schools days are long gone.
Speaking to all of the classes was a lot of fun. Although, many students did seem interested in my job, they did not ask too many questions. I guess I might have been a rare middle school student because I can remember having guest speakers and asking them a million questions...which could explain why I continue to ask people questions for a living! ; )
I think it's a great experience for students, even if they're far from entering the working world to hear from people about how they got to where they are today, after sitting in a classroom just like them years ago.
So, I just want to thank those that organized Career Day at Wylie Jr. High for inviting me to be part of it. It was a lot of fun and I really hope the students learned a thing or two from me!

Why don't Texans Rollerblade?

I'm well aware that rollerblading was popular in most places during the 90's. I remember rollerblading with my parents when I was still in Elementary school. Back then my rollerblades were bright blue with hot pink laces. In Florida, we'd rollerblade to get ice cream. A few years later, my cotton-candy-looking rollerblades no longer fit and then rollerblades kind of went out of style.

I didn't think much of them until a guy in high school asked me to go again, saying that I could use his sister's pair. It ended up being so much fun rollerblading around our tiny town in Massachusetts. Then, I realized just how good of a workout rollerblading was and decided I needed a pair of my own. As I was heading to college in Miami, I knew investing in a pair of rollerblades wouldn't be a bad decision. So I bought a pair and rollerbladed all through my tiny High School town, Harvard Massachusetts. I got a little ahead of myself, skating uphill not realizing that I had to go back down. Clearly, going downhill creates even more speed, and yeah pretty much had an ugly wipe out shortly thereafter. I gave rollerblading a rest for awhile...until I left for college in Florida.

Luckily, with Florida being so flat there were really no hills to worry about. So, I picked up rollerblading once again and even encouraged friends to get a pair to come along. It was definitely fun rollerblading by the beach and being able to get a workout in before going for a swim in the ocean.

Now in Texas, you'll still find me rollerblading. While, I often rollerblade in my apartment complex, I have neighbors looking at me like I have eight heads. Once I meet them, they usually say to me, "you're that girl that rollerblades, aren't you?"

Which is why I have to ask why Texans don't rollerblade? It's a great way to make exercising fun and be able to enjoy the nice weather by being outside. I encourage those that gave up their rollerblading days in the 90's to pick it back up and give it a whirl again. A great place to go rollerblading in town is the track around ACU. ; )