Goodbye Lecavalier... Just not for long, k?

For those of you who know me, you know today is a hard day. 

I've been a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning since the mid 90s. What was I 8?? I remember the good times and the bad. When I was about 10 or 11 there was a handsome 18 year old French Canadian that arrived in Tampa Bay. His name was Vincent Lecavalier. Boy... Was he cute. Forget the Backstreet Boys and Hanson. Move over Jonathan Taylor Thomas. This kid is cute and he plays hockey. Ok, so I may or may not have been quite that dramatic. 

As I grew up.. So did Vinny. I've met him a dozen times or so. He always managed to remember my name. Or at least that's the way I remember it. He was just as cute in person. I think I came up to his hip. Lol! He was so tall, handsome and sweet. 

And yes, I do know he played some good hockey. He was awesome. Pass after pass and goal after goal. He just brought this young life to the Bolts. And we all remember when Vinny fought Jerome Iginla and when the Bolts won the Cup. It was a magical moment for Lightning fans. Many thought that day would never come. 

Vinny meant a lot to me, still does. I wear his signed jersey proudly and always will. Vinny was a class act. The things he did for Tampa Bay will never be forgotten. Check out this article : http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/lecavalier-touches-tampa-bay-in-lasting-way/212894

You don't find athletes like Vinny in every sport or every team. He's a good person. Tampa will never forget that. 

We all know he doesn't want to leave Tampa. He never did and that's why he's in the situation he's in. It's quite sad. I wish him nothing but the best. But, I do selfishly want him to stay. I can't picture him in another teams sweater. Can anyone?

I really thought he would retire in Tampa. I really did. #4 deserves to be hung up in the rafters and retired. No one can fill those shoes. 

Being a sports lover is hard. Believing in your team isn't always easy. Today-- it's like I'm losing a best friend. Does that sound weird?? Ok, I just re-read it and it does LOL!

But, thanks VL4. Thanks for giving your heart to us. Please keep helping those kids with cancer. They need you. 

Love-- your #1 fan! (Cliche I know :))

Why Hello, New Orleans

Recently, Vincent and I went on a trip to New Orleans, LA. Neither one of us had ever been and we weren't really sure what to expect. All we ever really heard about was the craziness that is Bourbon St.

We arrived into town on a Wednesday. We stayed at the Marriott on Canal St. Amazing hotel! It was in perfect walking distance of everything. My cousin sent us a list of every restaurant we had to try so we set out for our first excursion.

Our first restaurant was Port O' Call. We hear the burgers and baked potatoes were amazing. As we set out, we took in our surroundings. Restaurants and bars everywhere. For a Wednesday, the city was pretty busy. We ended up in a courtyard with some live music. That's our kind of party. We ended up in a neighborhood-like area after that. It was quaint and cute. I kept wondering what the inside of the homes looked like. So, we finally ended up at Port O' Call. Cute little place. You enter and it's very dark. A big pet peeve of mine. I like to see my food when I eat. Anyways, we were seated next to a window. YAY. I felt like I kept trying to kill flies my entire time there though. Big negative. We both ordered burgers and baked potatoes. YUMM!! Delicious. The burger and potato was HUGE! A little on the more expensive side but worth it!

Next, we headed for a famous Hurricane at Pat O'Briens. We are lovers for some live music and were kind of disappointed they didn't have any. But, it was a great time to hang out and talk. Believe what they say, these suckers are dangerous! 

We spent the rest of the evening just walking around town and seeing what's out there. 

The next day we went exploring! 

Found this beautiful church! I was in love with the building. It has a garden area right in front of it. The inside is amazing. Painted ceilings and stained glass! LOVE!

We also found some live music to enjoy! I loved this band! They were absolutely awesome. I love sitting out and enjoying some good music!

Later, we went on a ghost tour. Cost was about $20 per person and lasted about 2 hours. It was pretty good! Didn't see any ghosts but learned a lot!

The amount of entertainment in this city is amazing! I loved this guy! He was tons of fun and really good!

Ahhh yes!!! The ever-so famous beignets from Cafe Beignet. Marvelous! The place was packed but service was quick. Mind you.. all they seem to serve are beignets and coffee. The live music outside was a great addition! This place is just a must-do! 

We also visited a plantation called the Houmas House. By far, one of the best tour of a plantation I've ever been to. The tour guide was dressed in character and really seemed passionate about her job. The owner of this home actually still lives there! COOL! It's obvious he put his heart into really keep this house in tip-top shape and it's character. 

During another tour, we went to the areas that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. My heart broke. The amount of people that are still struggling to rebuild. I mean, it's awful. My heart really goes out to these people. But, it's also a reminder that we must never forget how powerful Mother Nature actually is. 

There is good in the world

Yes, I'm a journalist and this just came out of my mouth. Out of all the 100 "negative" stories I cover, I know there are 10x more happy stories.

Recently, a colleague in the business and a former competitor wrote a blog on why we don't cover good news. You should read it. http://www.chattanoogaradiotv.com/general/why-dont-yall-ever-show-any-good-news/

David is a great journalist and person. He's one of the "old tv." He gets it. Trust me, a lot of people "don't get" the business.

Lets face it. "Good" stories don't generate Facebook clicks or hits on the website. However, that shooting story in your neighborhood received hundreds or thousands.

Trust me, I'm one that loves good stories. I love to see the positive in the world. Almost any chance I get.. I'm jumping at the chance to cover some positive news. Unfortunately, it just doesn't happen as much. Because frankly, you just don't want to hear it. You say you do but at the end of the day.. you just don't.

I do believe there should be "good" news in every newscast. Maybe it should be the last story of the day so we always end on a positive note.

Saying yes to a dress

Whoa. What an experience. 

Let me preface by saying I've worn tons of beautiful dresses in my lifetime. I dance for 13 years and I wore tons of tutu's and dressed up like a princess more times then I can count. 

So, trying on dresses was quite the experience. They're all so beautiful. But, a lot of them felt like I was wearing a tutu. It was a strange feeling. 

The whole time I'm expecting tons of tears and this music to appear out of nowhere. Do I watch too much Say Yes to the Dress or what?? 

After a far less than perfect experience at one bridal shop we headed south for more choices. 

The final stop was this cute boutique in Birmingham. They really were all about the experience and knew exactly what they were talking about. 

I think we all knew the last dress I tried on was it! Nothing felt quite like it! I could wear it everyday! Lol! 

So... The planning continues! We now have a venue and I have a dress! 

Woo!!!!

Week 1: I want to be a runner

Eww... Am I actually saying this?

I'm not a runner, unless I'm playing football. Something I haven't done since I moved to Huntsville... so if you know a place where we can play some co-ed flag football let me know!

I've always wanted to be a runner. I recently spent some time in New Orleans. As we sat on some patios and walked around the safe zone of NOLA... I saw some many people running. Number 1, these people were in killer shape. Number 2, they looked so at peace. I want that.

Therefore, I'm setting out to achieve this goal. I want to love running! Why is that such a daunting task?

Today, I ran a mile. Barely.. but I did it. Tomorrow- I'll try again. Someone save me.. why am I doing this to myself? LOL!

Wedding, Wedding, Wedding.. Work, Work, Work

Living and planning a wedding on a journalists budget. AKA not as much fun as it could be!

Obviously.. I'm on a budget. I'm not going to have the $50,000 wedding and I'm okay with that. It's not nearly what we want anyway.

The hardest part has been venue. Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama?? All of them have had such a big impact on our lives. Florida is our "home." Georgia was our first home away from home. Tennessee is where we finally were able to live and let live! And Alabama is where we got engaged. A lot of decisions. Tennessee would be nice because it's kind of in the middle of all my family. But, ultimately-- we went back to our roots.

I've known pretty much my whole life I didn't want a beach wedding. I love love love the beach and we'll probably spend 90% of our honeymoon at the beach. But, I don't know. Something about it.

So, here we are. Trying to decide some magical place that's not the beach. Clubhouse!! No way. I'm not a "fancy schmancy" type of girl. And.. I just don't see myself forking over that kind of money.

So-- now what? I finally found the most perfectly imperfect venue.

What do you think??

My heart breaks

<Don't ask why this never posted... Sorry it's so late>

Boston. Ricin letters. West Texas.

All terrible incidents that I've covered this week.

I spoke to a group of college students weeks ago and I was asked a very good question. "How do you remove yourself from stories?"

This one stumped me. All through college I was told you can't be involved, you can't be emotional.

I've realized over the past 3 years in this business, that life is sad. Covering tragedies doesn't get any easier. I'll never forget the first time a story really got to me. April 27, 2011. Most of you who follow my blog will never forget this day. That whole day I was in work mode. Get the official sound, get the "real person" sound and rush back and edit. Problem was, I was in Catoosa County, GA and officials wouldn't let the media in the city to get the "real sound." So, it was a bunch of waiting around. We couldn't see much of anything from the Sheriff's office where we were staged. But, hours and hours later (if not the next day) we were allowed in. That was definitely something I was not prepared for.

So, I was in work mode for hours upon hours. I remember getting home, looking at my pictures, and just crying. Mother Nature is crazy.

So, on Monday-- the day of the Boston Bombings. I'm sitting at home, glued to CNN. I just start crying.

Needless to say-- I think there's a time and a place to put yourself in the situation. Is it ok to break down and sob on live TV? Probably not. Is it okay to get emotional with a mom who just lost her child? Sure.

I feel like people think journalists have no emotion. Please. I'm a real person and I put my pants on just like anyone else. (Shocking.. I know)