Some call it fate.  Others call it 'kismet,' a word Americans stole from the Turks sometime in the 1800s, meaning destiny.  In other words, it is that overwhelming sense that what just happened or who you just met was more than just chance. It was meant to be.  If we're lucky enough in this life, we get to experience a fate-kismet-destiny-written in the stars moment at least once. I count myself beyond lucky that I have experienced it many times, although I hate the word lucky because it implies that it happened by chance ... and in this case, I don't believe ..read more

That white spotted owl showed up again... I heard it last night.  Some say owls are a messenger of death.  But I've also read that owls symbolize wisdom and endurance.  Regardless, it keeps finding me... The other day, I bid farewell (with the rest of Arkansas) to an iconic radio legend, Tommy Smith. I went on the show to say goodbye the day before his last show on-air. The next morning, I listened to his goodbye, and the tears just did not stop.  Granted, he is a dear friend to me. But I think the tears were about more than his goodbye... I sat with the emotion (not an eas ..read more

When I saw the white, spotted owl on my morning walk yesterday, I knew it meant something. Can't explain it.  But I stopped in my tracks.  My dog noticed it too.  It was like a notice.  Pay attention.  I didn't think about it again.  Until this morning. When I was walking in the very same spot.  I didn't see the owl.  But I grabbed my phone and made a very important call. Today is one of the best days of my life. At 3:18am, October 20, 2008, I gave birth to a precious, perfect baby girl.  Every detail is still so crystal clear:  the s ..read more

It was pouring rain.  A complete pathetic fallacy, looking back at the events of January 7th. My 12-year old was beside herself all morning.  On the way to the appointment, she looked at me and smiled so big past those nerves that were wearing her down. I snapped a picture. We realized it was the last time in 2 years she'd be smiling without a mouth full of metal.  We were on our way to get braces. It wasn't just her anxiety that was through the roof.  My mother was in home hospice.  Her health had deteriorated.  Death was imminent.  Every time I left her sid ..read more

Since I announced I’m leaving television news at the end of 2020, people have said all kinds of crazy things to me.  One friend specifically felt the need to warn me, saying  I will lose people I consider “friends” because, as he put it, “they’ll have no use for you anymore since you’re not in a powerful position on TV.”  Really?! I thought.  Another shared that they felt I “had it all” and questioned why on earth I would ever give up a coveted spot on-air.  Others have asked me if I think this is a smart thing to do in the middle of a pandemic.  Hones ..read more

I've started typing this so many times. I have opened this blog countless times since the pandemic and I have writer's block, and I can't figure out Okay, 2020.  Stop already.   Covid, take a seat. We're sick of you. I don't even know what this blog post will be about - or where it will lead. Or whether it will be worth reading.  But I suppose that is just our new way of being right now.  Don't know where we're collectively headed.  No clue when or how this will all end.  Fuzzy trying to envision what this will look like on the other side. But I think I'm l ..read more

I officially lost it.   Yes.  Yelling.  Things I said that I really wish I could take back.  Yes.  In front of the children.   I don’t want to admit this to anyone.  It’s embarrassing.  It feels dark.  It feels shameful.  I really wish it hadn’t happened.   But I can’t help but think I’m not the only mom losing it about right now.  I can’t help but feel I’m not the only one sandwiched between these beautiful children (who are about to crawl out of their skin they’re so sick of being cooped up) and elderly parents (who remain shut-i ..read more

It took a TikTok video to finally send me into tears.  TikTok.  The app I've grown to both love and hate. Since March 11, when the pandemic showed it's ugly face in my community, it's been a non-stop rush to calmly inform, uncover and report facts to thousands of people who rely on me everyday.  Not fear-based, incorrect, shrill information.  Just the plain 'ole truth.  These days it takes some real thoughtfulness and digging to actually find it.  Needless to say, there really hasn't been a moment for me to stop to process what this all means. Until I saw the 25 ..read more

I'm a broadcast journalist by trade.  I've been a reporter now for 27 years.  Through the years, I've covered tragedy, natural disaster, death. I don't typically panic, nor am I a fearful person.  But I am deeply concerned about the coronavirus and Covid19.  Here's why. A few weeks ago, I interviewed a state infectious disease expert, who told me that coronavirus is highly contagious, spread by droplets, and it was only a matter of time before it arrived in Arkansas. She was right. As of today, there are 6 patients with presumptively positive test results.  One of the ..read more

Millions of people never even met Kobe Bryant. Yet the entire nation is in mourning. Why is it that we grieve the death of someone we never knew?  Absolutely, it is one of those moments in life.  You'll never forget where you were when you heard the news that Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash.  Maybe you cried. I did.  Maybe it kept you awake last night... ..the death of a man who for all practical purposes was a stranger to you.  But here's  the thing, though. Kobe wasn’t a stranger. He was in our homes, on our screens, and he was doing BIG things.  Th ..read more