Two-thousand-K8

As the new year began, I heard a lot of people say how relieved they were 2008 was in the rear view mirror. Not me. I had a great 2008. I'll go as far to say I LOVED 2008. It was the Year of Kate (in my humble opinion).

Here are some of the highlights:
-- my first professional job in my field of study in the city I moved to on a whim
-- winning a radio contest and various ticket raffles and random competitions (quite lucky, I must say!)
-- joining The Morning Group (TMG) running group and taking on this new hobby
-- the Austin Marathon and the Portland Marathon
-- Central Texas adventures
-- meeting my cowboy and learning how to horseback ride
-- Stefanie and Jordan's Sunriver wedding
-- the engagements of several of my friends
-- Christmas at the new Benz house

These are just a few I could think of off the top of my head. Although I'm embracing the notion of havin' a fine '09, I've just got to thank God for a great 2008!

My 'brush' with death

I'm scarred for life thanks to Rocky's horse ... more to come.

Marga-reeeally? I won?

Imagine my surprise as my co-workers and I were sitting around post-Moonlight Margarita 5K run, stuffing ourselves full of Tex-Mex and unlimited complimentary margs ... when I made a statement along the lines of: "Someday, I'd like to win one of these races -- it's on my Bucket List -- but, I bet I'll have to wait until I'm in the master's division." Then, we hear the announcer say ... "The winner for the 22-29 age division is Kate Benz." Shocking. Hilarious. Awesome.
My co-worker J.J. and I decided to challenge each other. It was a photo finish. Lots of laughs. Accepting my crystal award and celebrating the night away.

I know it's quite laughable that I've become a runner as I never was the quickest out on the basketball court.

I wanted to start a tally of completed races, just for fun:

L.A. Cancer Challenge 10K - 10/07

Austin Marathon - 2/08

Toughest Race in Texas 10K -

Keep Austin Weird 5K - 6/08

Bat Run 5K -

Moonlight Margarita Run - 8/08

Nike + Human Race - 8/08

Portland Marathon - (to be completed) 10/08

Countdown to Beijing!

The Olympic Games are just about here! One of my greatest friends, Mariel Zagunis, will be representing Team USA in sabre fencing. Mariel is a pretty big deal. She won the gold in Athens, and we (her many fans, friends and I) have been counting down the days to Beijing! It's finally here! Since I'm in Texas, and I missed out on all the festivities (the Gold Medal Party -- where Mariel donned gold lamé pants, the Good Luck Mariel Party, the Goodbye Mariel Party, etc.), our friend Katie sent the fun and favors to me. Imagine my excitement when I opened my mailbox to a package complete with heart-shaped Team America cookies and an official USA Olympics T-shirt. What a gem! Thank you, Katie! GOOD LUCK MARIEL!

I made these for the 4th, but they're fitting for this post!

And we danced anyway...

It was a scorching hot Austin summer day. I spent the morning biking around town, eating lunch and drinking Hefeweizen on a dive bar patio deck and strolling the downtown streets with my buddy Kelly.

Then, in the afternoon, I went to my friend Ashley's out of control apartment complex, where a typical Saturday consists of free poolside hot dogs and margaritas for residents and guests. No. Joke. Her pool is one of those sprawling types, with fountains and waterfalls and good looking people everywhere. It was Spring Break '08, except it was July 19. We lounged around and got a lot of sun.

Then, I went home and realized it was early, and I had not a care in the world...nor a plan...for the evening. I didn't have to work the next day, and I had just gotten paid a couple days prior. So, I called up co-worker J.J. and said we were going out downtown to celebrate being young and having money (until we had to write our rent checks and pay our bills...you know, reality).

So, J.J., another co-worker, Chris (Crod), and I painted the town red. While at our fall back/always the Plan B/guaranteed good time bar, I decided to take a stroll around the bar and ran into another co-worker. While chatting with him, I noticed a group of tall guys. I had enough courage to approach them and, "Y'all aren't from here..." is the line that fell out of my mouth. Hmm...why did I decide to say that? I couldn't come up with anything better? The moment I said it, I wished I could take it back...but, I couldn't...and I was stuck explaining to these guys why I thought they looked like they were from Dallas and not Austin. Wow. I talked in circles. But, an hour passed, and I was still talking to them.

To make a long story short, this group had seen me earlier...right when they walked in. You see, I was showing J.J. and Crod how Cougars dance. No, not Wazzu Cougs, but, you know, Cooougars. The tall guys told me they saw me dancing, and I started laughing knowing that I was mock-dancing, and immediately I was embarrassed. Coincidentally, as if on queue...as if scripted, two Cougars came walking in and stood a few paces behind me. "Show them how it's done, Kate...c'mon!" Yeaaah...riiight...like hell I was going to go over to these middle-aged women dressed like teeny-boppers. So, I flipped this comment around and dared the guys to go dance with the women.

Instead, one of the guys grabbed my hand, whisked me off my feet and showed me the best Texas two-step/country swing dancing skills I've ever witnessed. My smile couldn't have been any bigger. I'm not sure if I've ever grinned as big as I did that night when we were dancing.

Prior to the dancing showdown, "the" guy and I were chatting about all sorts of things ... I found out he grew up on a ranch, is a bonafide cowboy (in high school he "played" football, basketball and ... RODEO!) and much, much more. I mentioned that I played basketball and he got my number so we could play. Not that exciting in my mind. I've given my number to many guys for this reason, and most of the time they call and we go play basketball ... and that's it. Maybe it's the fact that I can't be flirty and brush my competitiveness to the side when playing basketball ... and it's not really the "Love and Basketball" fantasy they hoped for.

I'm finally completing this post months after meeting the guy, so I can't recall all of the exact details, but I will say that he did call and ask to meet at the park for a game of hoops and then a bite to eat after. I almost called to cancel that first date. I had a terrible day leading up to it ... full of car issues, work issues ... and my bike even broke down on the way to the park! But, I made it, and I must say he wasn't half bad at hoops! After several games of 21 and a great dinner I knew we'd be seeing each other again.

Ups and downs

The following points of interest aren't necessarily connected...this post is more or less a schmorgusboard of happenings...

***

When my friends and I ran in the KAW 5K, I entered to win...well...at the time, I had no clue what I was entering to win...I think I wanted the free giveaways that accompanied giving a man in a booth my name, address and phone number. Without thinking, I jotted down this information, took the freebies and continued on my merry way.

About a week later, a boisterous man calling from "sunny San Diego, California!" called to say I had won a 3-night cruise for two to Cozumel! Eh, too good to be true is what I thought initially. But, after convincing my coworker to check it out the legit-ness of it, we have two tickets for a seemingly fabulous cruise from Galveston to Mexico.

***

After weeks, months, OK...a bit more than a YEAR of good fortune with my car...and bragging about the fact that I NEVER have trouble with it, the car gods swooped bad luck upon me. Despite the fact that I hate my car, I take very good care of it. I keep it sparkling clean, get my regular maintenance, etc.

Let me paint a mental picture for you...imagine this...
It was payday. I could not have been more excited because I planned to put a big chunk of this check in my SAVINGS. Yes, it's so hard to do this because in the news business, journalists make below the poverty line (not even kidding). But, I have learned to be so so so frugal with my money. On this day, to celebrate payday, I went to get my monthly pedicure...my one big splurge. After Tina worked her magic on my gnarly feet ("I run every day, I am so sorry they are so gross!"), I looked at my watch and noticed I had exactly one hour before I needed to be at work.

"I can make it down and back to Academy Sports for some new running shorts," I thought in my head. So, I cranked up the floor AC to get my toes dry, and ripped out of the parking lot. I jumped on the freeway. I never take the freeway. I live exactly 2 miles from work. I drive my car a total of 8 miles (tops) each day. This was quite an excursion for me. I'll mention it was a blazing hot Central Texas day. I got a few miles from the salon, and, with quite a few more to go, my steering wheel locked up on me. In my head I thought I was imagining it. "Oh, it'll loosen up...I've gotta get some new running shorts before work!" Hmm...it wasn't unlocking. As I trudged on down the freeway with a locked steering wheel, I began to think maybe this wasn't such a good thing. Maybe I should try to get off the freeway. "If I can just turn my car off and on again, maybe that'll do the trick." REALLY? In retrospect, am I really that stupid!? LUCKILY, I manage to get my car to the shoulder, which happens to be the exit ramp to the access road, coincidentally very near my apartment. As I FORCE my steering wheel off to make the widest turn ever to a side street off the access road, the dashboard is lighting up like Las Vegas and warning bings and chimes sound like slot machines. Clearly, it wasn't going to "be OK" if I could just turn it off and on.

As I tried not to panic, a conversation I had with my dad just two days earlier replayed in my head. "Hey Dad, am I still covered by AAA?" ... "Oh, I'm not, OK, I am going to put that on my list of things to do...yeah, AAA has saved my toosh a few times, I really need to renew my membership." I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. JUST TWO DAYS PRIOR! I was going to call them before I went anywhere outside of the city...I just didn't think disaster would strike in the coming DAYS. Ugh. I called AAA and renewed my membership for one year over the phone. Ca-ching, there goes some of that paycheck. But, a tow truck came instantaneously to pick Goldie and me up...and escorted us to the body shop. Maybe I should mention that a couple weeks before this, the motor on my window stopped working, so in my head I thought, "OK, I can get that window fixed while I'm here." Long story short...what happened to my car was "unforeseeable" and "a total fluke." I was reassured that there's nothing I could have done to prevent what happened. BUT, I had to fork out that big chunk of money I was planning to save. And, I'm still driving without the ability to roll down my window as this repair would have cost an extra $340. Boo...

Just a couple short weeks later, automobile disaster struck again. I'd been noticing that one of my tires needed to be refilled quite frequently, and my windshield wipers really needed replacing (and we're in tropical storm season now in Texas), so I decided to be proactive and get those things checked before I headed down to Houston to see some family friends. In a grand proactive gesture, I asked the mechanic to go ahead with an oil change, even though I had a few hundred miles before the scheduled maintenance.

Two brand new tires later (apparently they were so bald I wouldn't have "passed inspection" -- I mean, really? They looked like they had sufficient tread in my non-car-minded mind), a patched tire (yeah the one that "looked low" had a nail in it), an oil change and...A BRAND NEW WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR???!!! ... I'm not even going to go there...there was a recall a few years ago...umm...huh? I left with a well-oiled machine, and an empty bank account. The thing that frustrates me the most is that I take care of my car...so why the bad CAR-ma? :( Oh well. C'est la vie, I suppose.

***

J.J. and I finally got out of the newsroom and got to do some writing on our own. Exciting, right? Not. They sent us to a blogging convention. I thought I might learn a thing or two. Wrong. It wasn't an instructional conference on how to pimp your page, it was a gathering of liberal, grassroot-types figuring out ways to get their messages to the masses.

I did, however, get the chance to write a couple stories:

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/?SecID=278&ArID=215391

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/?SecID=278&ArID=214895

Roddick-ulous!

He's in the middle...behind the bearded man...yes, it's him: Andy Roddick. He's the tennis pro whose picture was plastered on my locker door in high school...the guy who I picked to be my future husband when playing MASH in between volleyball matches. Silly, I know, but I was a little starstruck when I saw Andy working out on the same track as my running group. Of course, I was giddy as a schoolgirl. The leader of the pack--er, running group--Paul, knows Andy from a committee they serve on together. We were introduced, shook hands (death-grip handshake), exchanged a few words and took this pic.

Typically, I don't go ga-ga over celebs...but, I must say, for living in a city in the middle of Texas, I've seen my fair share. Other sightings include mingling with Luke Wilson and Bachelor Brad (does he count?) at local bars and walking past Bachelor cast-off Jeremy from Dallas on Sixth Street. Is Austin a haven for celeb rejects or what?

Is there a volleyball tournament in town?

I'll admit, at 23 years old, I don't go out on the town as much as I suppose I should living in this single-friendly city. But, a new friend from running group and I decided we had to seize the day as we're both 6 feet tall and love wearing heels. Some of the lines we heard on our nights out were just unbelievable. I've never been asked if I was a volleyball player more times in my whole life. I ended up telling one fella that yes, in fact, there was a volleyball tournament in town...that we were on the pro tour...and yes, we will be going to the Olympics. Adrienne swam in college...so we kind of clicked on that level mere moments after we met. She also has so many nuances that remind me of my old roommates, the swimmers.

That's Ashley in the middle...my friend from Wazzu who just moved to Austin to work at UT...and Adrienne's on the right...my fellow giant. :)

Keep Austin Weird

Keep Austin Weird is a motto the city lives and thrives by. The mission is to support local businesses, but the concept spirals into much more than that. Austin is a special gem in the middle of a giant state. It's the Crown Jewel of Texas, in my opinion. It's diverse, unique and well...just great. I gush about this city in other posts, so I'll keep this to one to the point.

The Keep Austin Weird 5K is a run in which people dress up in costumes and partake in games and other random enjoyment, food and fun along the race route. A group of friends and I dressed as Dr. Seuss characters and not only had the most entertaining jog through the city, but we won the costume contest and fancied ourselves local celebrities for the day. A concert featuring What Made Milwaukee Famous and Alejandro Escavedo followed the run, and our group was introduced by Amy of Amy's Ice Creams as the award winning group. The gang was even featured live on the news. It was truly one of the best days in Austin to date. I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. The Seuss group!
My co-worker and good friend, JJ. My buddy Chris.
The gang post-race, post-15 minutes of fame on the nightly news.

Gov. love

I’ve been running in the RunTex morning group (TMG) for a few months now…led by Austin’s running guru. Without going into too much detail, this run group is nothing short of boot camp…three days a week. Today, Gov. Rick Perry joined us for a wicked workout. What a genuine Texan. He shook my hand, wanted to know my first and last name, why I moved to Texas and what I do for work. He comes from time to time to TMG, but just once since I’ve joined. We run through my neighborhood often, and today was no different. Toward the end of the run, we jumped into the local pool and the gov. hopped on in, too. (His secret service detail, however, did not.)

It’s days like today that make me re-think my moments of homesickness. Austin’s a special, great place. I’m constantly meeting amazing people, with fantastic stories and instant connections. It’s an eco-friendly, fit city, where hippies and cowboys walk side-by-side and no one thinks twice about wearing jeans and boots to black tie affairs. It’s proved to be everything and more than I could have hoped for.

I hear people say Austin is the “biggest small town around,” and that’s totally true. I run into the same people when I’m out and about. I know my postman, butcher (Archie) and the checkers at the grocery store that’s a block from my apartment. I greet my neighbors, and even when I try to do something as borderline scandalous as using the neighboring apartment complex’s swimming pool (for lack of one at my own)…I still come away with new friends and no sideways stares for trespassing.

I get to hear live music every day of the week. I can drive through the Texas Hill Country or mosey out to one of the bordering small towns for some straight southern comfort rivaling Paula Deen. I live a quick bike ride (or a nice Sunday stroll’s distance) from downtown, and I leave for work five minutes before I need to be there. I jog a couple of blocks and I’m on the Lady Bird Lake Trail, which wraps around the lake that unifies the city. I rarely have to factor in the weather to my plans – it’s almost always sunny. I haven’t worn a sweatshirt since December. Oh, and don’t get me started on Tex-Mex or barbecue. Ahhh…the food is so lip-licking good!

My decision to move to Austin was loosely based on Texas stereotypes…you know, friendly, kind-hearted, down-home people who love their country music and small town traditions. I read all I could get my hands on about Austin, and the city itself sounded much like Portland…but I knew it had to have that true-Texas flavor mixed in. Truth be told, it’s all those things and more. I had this vision about what my life would be like if I moved across the country. I wanted to escape the rain and embrace a new culture. I thought it would be challenging to embark on a journey where I had no set plan and literally knew not a soul.

After the initial excitement and obsession with the city, I became a bit homesick…even after a visit home, I continued to yearn for the creature comforts of familiarity. Then, I woke up and realized all the blessings in my life here in Austin. Hello! Nearly every day I am slapped in the face with wonderful opportunities. I have great friends, and my loving family is just a phone call away. I am getting credible journalistic experience under my belt, and I am networking with solid people who have a genuine interest in my future.

My mom often tells me to “just live life” and “take things one day at a time.” Recently, I found myself planning my “next” move and “next” job and getting so wrapped up in the “next,” that I noticed I wasn’t enjoying the immediate things going on as I planned. I made a promise to myself that I would stay at my job for a year, at the very least…so why would I need to plot and plan until that timeframe draws near? Not to mention the fact that I love this city…my friends here…my lifestyle…and many other uniquely Austin, Texas facets of my life at age 23.

With that said, I’m going to stop complaining that I miss my family…because I certainly don’t miss the rain, nor do I want to pack that car up and head back home just yet. And, if I keep living this life…who knows who might show up to run along with me next.

Old friends, best friends

One of my college roommates, Laurie Gregg, rolled through town with her family en route to a Texas ranch wedding. Although I had to work, I escaped for a fantastic lunch with her parents and brother...at which time the Gregg kids vowed they wanted to "hit up Sixth Street" for the quintessential Austin experience. I was thinking to myself, "They're going to be so tired and over-served after that wedding, there's no way they'll make it"...but, in true Gregg fashion, the duo called me at midnight and I headed downtown. We managed to pack a lot into three hours...highlights include dancing on stage at Lucky Lounge and making new band friends at the Speak Easy where I won $5 by playing the drums after the band finished its set. I introduced Laurie to Roppollo's pizza...a delicious dish for those 3 a.m. post-bar-hopping nights. Lo and I reminisced about Wazzu memories and crammed some post-college memories into the shortest and sweetest night out.

Just a week prior to the Women of D Street Reunion, I surprised my mom for a late Mother's Day treat. She had no clue I bought a ticket home, and our time together was just what the doctor ordered. I came back to Austin 5 pounds heavier after her home cooking (naturally, it was worth it). Also, I got to spend a night out in Portland with three of my nearest and dearest: Kelley, Mariel and Katie. Thanks to a long-overdue favor, I scored us behind the plate tickets to the Portland Beavers game, and in grand tradition we toasted to friendship at the Marathon Taverna (a Joe Benz fav). Being with old friends is one of the most comforting feelings, and I was thrilled the three of them were in town on my short holiday.

Another meet-cute

Have you seen the movie, "The Holiday?" You know how Kate Winslet's character meets her elderly neighbor, a former famous screenwriter, and they discuss "meet cutes"...the classic first meetings of women and men that seem to only happen in the movies? Well, as if the Amy's Ice Cream story wasn't enough of a meet-cute...I met another fella recently in a coffee shop. We were standing in line and he told me he liked my skirt (knee-length, colorful, floral)...and then we met again at the condiment bar...and then as my friend and I were chit-chatting away a few tables away from this stranger...he interrupted our conversation. To his credit, I have a terribly loud indoor voice, so I don't blame that he overheard, and I didn't find it creepy that he said he overheard me mentioning the airport. He asked if I was from out of town, and I said, "No, I live here, but why?" He proceeded to tell me he was going to offer me some suggestions as to fun things to do around town. After he told me his first tip, I asked him what else he had in mind. To this he replied, "Well, I didn't really have any other suggestions, I was just trying to find a way to talk to you." Kudos for honesty, eh? I'll spare the details, but we exchanged numbers and went out on a date. On that first date, the two of us got caught in one of the worst storms in recent Austin history. We're talking green lightning, 4-inch hail, power outages, massive wind gusts and falling trees. Isn't getting caught in a storm a common romantic fantasy? I think so. It was terribly cute. I should probably mention that his name was Fernando...a real cutie pie from Argentina. But no, there's no future for us. Sorry to get your hopes up.

Birthday burst of confidence

I had been so busy and stressed from the preceding weeks that it was nice to have a carefree evening of celebrating for my 23rd birthday.

About eight of my friends got together for dinner (including Allison, who flew in from Portland for the week) at a cute restaurant I’d wanted to go to since I moved to Austin. Afterward, we went to Amy’s Ice Cream – one of my favorite places in this city. It’s a local version of Coldstone. The employees are kooky and like to perform tricks with the ice cream to entertain the customers. It’s a fun place, and the ice cream is to die for.

Well, most of my friends were stuffed from dinner…and I have to admit, I was too. But, there was no way I was walking by Amy’s without getting some ice cream. You see, my friend Aimee and I had a bet going since the start of the year that I couldn’t make it to my birthday without eating sweets. Anyone who knows me understands the severity of this bet. Kate without sweets is like cereal without milk. Not a winning combination.

To avoid making this incredibly long, let’s just say that Aimee and I were the only two out of our group waiting to get ice cream. So while I was waiting in line, I was semi-entertaining the rest of the group as I had had a pretty strong margarita at dinner and was feeling on top of the world as THE birthday girl.

As luck would have it, a tall guy stood behind me in line and started chuckling under his breath at the comments I was making. I struck up a bit of a conversation with him (yeah, I know, so unlike me, huh?), and by the time we made it up to the cash register, he had slipped in front of me and told the employee he was buying for the birthday girl as well.

If I stopped right there, the story by itself would be cute, right? Well, I introduced myself and introduced him to my friends and we all kind of awkwardly sat there. He got up to leave, I said goodbye and as soon as he was out the door my friends yelled, “Kate, what the heck? Why didn’t you give him your number?” To which I replied, “Because he didn’t ask for it!”

After a few moments of my friends nudging me to “go after him,” I said, “You know what, I think I will go after him,” and so I did. I ran into the parking lot and encouraged him to come out with the group. After declining and telling me he had a busy day, he asked for my number and told me he’d give me a call. I didn’t really expect him to, but he did the very next day.

Our first date was equally as adorable as our meeting. I couldn’t have written it any better if it were a script. Picture two people hopping on their bikes at their separate apartments and meeting at a restaurant directly in the middle of the starting locations. After dining outdoors on a delicious dinner, the duo hopped on their bikes and went for coffee and some more chatting. The evening ended with him throwing my bike in his truck and driving me home. It was charming.

Too much good stuff

Wow -- I've been having the time of my life!

I vow to write down this stuff in better detail, and now that things have calmed down around here I think I can hold myself to that. Why have things been so hectic? Well...let me briefly recap the month of February:

* The marathon --

After 18 weeks of training, the date of the marathon finally arrived. I had it pretty much set in my mind that it was going to be a one-and-done situation for me. I had no intentions of running after the race, but it truly is an addicting experience.

Stefanie and I ran side-by-side the entire way. We continued to run in our mom’s honor with t-shirts that said, “My mom, my hero” on the front and “If she can do it, we can do it” on the back. The Lady is celebrating 10 years free from breast cancer this year, and it’s a pretty big feat. For me, there’s no greater inspiration in the world than my mom. Whenever I felt like I was even the slightest bit tired, I thought of my mom and was instantly motivated to continue. People asked us about the shirts along the way too.

It was an amazing race. The weather was gorgeous, and we never stopped running. When we took the final turn into the finish line, we grabbed hands and sprinted. Tears ran down Stef’s cheeks, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

The fact of the matter is, we had put so much time and energy into training that we could have run two marathons that day. I’d like to do another one, but it will have to be someplace like Portland, so my parents can be there – it was weird not having them there to cheer me on as I have been spoiled by their constant athletic support my whole life.

* The move --
Immediately following the race – I’m not joking…we’re talking the same day…I began moving into my new apartment in the Tarrytown neighborhood. A friend of mine helped me move my couch and bed, but I single-handedly moved every other item from the place I had been living in since my arrival in Austin. It took forever. I underestimated the amount of stuff I had because I moved to Texas with only the belongings in my car. I neglected to acknowledge the fact that my mom had sent me several boxes of my belongings from home, and also I have a little problem called impulse buying.

* The great debate --

After a smidge more than a month at my job, my boss asked me if I'd be interested in going to the Democratic debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama at the University of Texas. Hmm...let me think about that, boss...a chance to see the possible future U.S. president? Well, I got to go...sneak in and out of the CNN live shots...report and write a story for our Web site. Unfortunately, media was not allowed in the actual debate, but running around the press area was more than enough excitement for me...and I got canoodle with some impressive people.

Here's my story: http://www.news8austin.com/content/elections/presidential_election/?SecID=579&ArID=216357

The lucky streak continues

Later on the evening of my big radio contest win, I went to Whole Foods and bought a sandwich and a drink...my total was $7.77.


At work the next day, I got four free tickets to the UT women's basketball game...not only were those tickets in the "lucky section" (we got $10 off at Shoe Carnival coupons!), but the prize blimp (a giant Rudy's BBQ sauce bottle) dropped its prizes (free meat vouchers!) into my hands!

I should have bought a lottery ticket, but I didn't...hopefully, I'll keep luck alive!

Yes, people really do win radio contests

I'd been hearing plugs for this "Rodeo Austin Gala" on country radio. It sounded like quite the engagement...black tie, cowboy boots optional, live music, free food, drinks, dancing, etc. I checked it out online and saw that tickets were outrageously expensive. Then one day, I heard you could win tickets through the radio station. On a whim, I went online and made a few clicks, entering myself in the contest. I didn't give it much thought though because, c'mon...who really wins radio contests?

Well, well, well...check out this email I received:

"CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! You have been selected from our winning weekend contest on kvet.com to be a part of the Rodeo Austin Gala on February 9th. You will have a place for yourself and a guest at the 98.1 KVET table plus free food and drink and a concert from KVET artists Josh Turner and Trisha Yearwood. We will be getting your tickets into our station at a later date and will call you as soon as they arrive so you may pick them up. Again congratulations and we look forward to seeing you at the Gala."

---

I KNOW! RIGHT? NO WAY!
Click here to check out more: http://www.rodeoaustin.com/austin_gala/default.php

A business casual world

After my months of part-time work and part-time pay, I took the plunge and became a big kid after all. I felt so fortunate to land a job in journalism...in such a coveted city. In college, I did not study broadcast journalism mainly because I don't like seeing myself on TV, and...furthermore, I've always wanted to write for a magazine. But, getting a job at a local news station helped me accomplish several of my short-term goals: gaining knowledge about current events -- whether local or national; building my resume and gathering copy editing experience; and, becoming financially independent from my parents.

I plan to expand upon this post, but one thing I must say is that journalism is probably one of the toughest fields to be in when financial independence is a personal priority.

More to come ...

THE holidays