It’s been a while since I’ve been on here. Pardon me folks I’ve been quite busy adjusting to a WHOLE new world out west.
On March 26, 2012 I packed my car with whatever I could, kissed my dog and loved ones good bye and headed west. Begging my mind to press pause on all the good, the bad and the ugly that kept me connected to my beloved Austin, Texas for 13 years. It was too painful to look in the rear-view mirror. I just kept looking foward heading west on 1-10 to my hometown of El Paso, ate mom’s famous red enchiladas one more time and said a prayer with my family, asking for guidance and wisdom on my new lonesome journey. Making a couple of more stops along the way until I finally made it to where I never thought I’d end up….Los Angeles.
I couldn’t let tears, memories or ties keep me down. It was going to take every ounce of positive energy to get me to California. And I had to do this, it wasn’t just another job–it was an opportunity. Big difference. And as I quickly learned during my time in Austin, you always “dance with the one who brung ya to the dance.” This time my partner was KNBC in Burbank. President and GM, Steve Carlston offered me a weekend anchor/reporter gig that made it hard not to get back into the game. He saw something in me that few saw, and he believed in me in a profound way that made me believe in myself once again. That sealed the deal.
After KEYE, I spent a good year floating in the unknown, staying open to new adventures and opportunites–really enjoying wearing no make up and letting my hair grow long!
That year off was the best decision I’d made in a long time, giving me introspection and inner-peace to fuel my future. It was a true life-changer for me that reprogrammed my thoughts, attitude and self-confidence. For that one year I did exactly what I wanted to do: catching up on life, friends, travel, getting to know my pal and dog Emmylou, writing for my long-term book project (key word being LONG), writing columns for Austin Man Magazine, acting in 3 movies and a real musical, “A Ride With Bob” and not to mention traveling with my right-hand, tall man, Ray and his band Asleep At The Wheel, touring here and there.. golfing with Willie, fun public appearances and dinners with fancy and interesting folk–basically seeing and enjoying the world without the deadlines and pressures of a TV broadcaster. I cherished every day, because I knew “la vida buena” this way wouldn’t go on forever.
2012 came and now it was the season to work. I have had an amazing 7 months reporting and anchoring here at KNBC. It has opened my eyes to more ethnicities, cultures, and new life experiences. I wake up looking forward to going to work. I work with great journalists who inspire me to be better in my craft. I even wanted to spend my birthday at work. Wow–that’s never happened! I must finally really love my job and it feels right. I report about 5 days a week and anchor two morning newscasts on the weekend at 7am with Ted Chen and Carl Bell. They are like big brothers to me, not to mention I’ve been filling in quite a bit on Today in LA with Michael Brownlee. Some of the big stories I’ve gotten to cover include: Rodney King’s death, Shuttle Endeavour’s 12 mile street trek thru Crenshaw and MLK–(that 4 hour live coverage was just so fun) not to mention many reports on Lakers, Olympians, celebrities of course, but my favorite topic is getting to report on the people of LA. The rich tapestry of so many different communites can make any reporter in LA want to stay here for life. We’ll see. There is never a dull day here in LA- the best place for TV news, hands down. Life out west is great and out here they dig that Texas charm y’all! I miss Texas, but everything I learned out there I’m using over here and one is….always dance with the one who brung you.
