Tag: one year

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Fabulous living

One Year Since the World Changed

Hi all! Happy Wednesday! A very happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate! I hope your week is off to a good start. This week, both at work and at home, there’s been a lot of reflection of a year ago and where we were then compared to where we are now.

I remember just over a year ago, I started a new shift at work, and on that night, the NBA shutdown, and Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, we thought it would be a two week period of people staying at home and then it would be back to normal, and boy were we wrong…here we are… one year later…months of staying at home, countless events cancelled, missed moments, and learning new things every day about a virus. The words: pandemic, Zoom, N-95, testing, Pfizer, Moderna, social distancing and more, all became part of our vocabulary.

Almost a year ago…I went in for a haircut, little did I know it would be my last one for months…also the day, Covid-19 was declared a pandemic.

In the past year, we spent more time with family, picked up new hobbies, shifted our priorities and binge-watched a lot of tv.

We spent a lot of extra time at home and with family in the spring.

We had setbacks but saw great advances in science and medicine. Our daily lives were altered but here we are, all changed but still standing.

It’s hard to imagine how much has changed in a year, in some ways it’s almost as if the year didn’t happen. But when I look back, I’m glad this past year happened. I grew a lot at work, every day the news was changing, we were constantly shifting gears and working to provide viewers with the latest news and updates.

How it looks to work in news during a pandemic

Although, I couldn’t see as many friends in person this year, zoom and facetime became the biggest tools. From bi-weekly calls with best friends to Book Club via facetime, my friends and I made it work to still in touch while being spread a apart.

Seeing friends in the summer involved being socially distant and masked up

The best part was the extra time with family, having my whole family home together for months at a time was such a blessing. We watched movies, worked on house projects, had most meals together and got quality time that wouldn’t have happened had there not been a pandemic. 

The pandemic brought lots of extra time outside.

No one could have imagined what this past year would bring. There has been enormous loss and devastation but also unity as a nation. I realized what things were important to me and at the end of the day, I’m so grateful for having a job I love, a loving and supportive family and my health. 

In times of crisis, I think we truly realize what’s important and what matters. 

It was a year of chaos, change and adapting, but here we are, stronger than ever.

It’s been a year of constant change and confusion, but also growth and love.

How much have you changed this last year?

Categories
Fabulous living

One Year in News

Hello all! Happy Wednesday!

I hope your week and year is off to a great start! Now, that the holidays have calmed down, I wanted to reflect on my first year as a reporter. I did a recap in the summer about what I have learned 6 months in. You can read all about it here. In the past 6 months, I have learned even more. Every day I continue to grow and learn and get stronger in my skills as a reporter. I try to learn something new, I know not every day will be a slam dunk story, but I always try to take something away from it, whether it is a new editing skill, a better way to write something, or different way to be creative with my storytelling.

It’s always fun getting to share stories that are important to me

I have loved to tell people’s stories in my own hometown. From big to small stories, whether it was an event going on, like a toy distribution for Christmas, talking to local businesses about struggles of the past year, covering historic events like the first Covid-19 vaccines arriving in Erie, following the election, and everything in between. I have travelled to other states, neighboring counties or even just down the street to talk to people about their lives.

I also have got more opportunities at work too.  I have been able to fill in and anchor some of our shows. It’s something I have dream about doing for a long time and the fact I am anchoring them and producing them on my own is a huge accomplishment for me. I have covered for different shifts during the holidays, helped out to make sure things go smoothly and worked more on my craft through the year. I also love getting to work on our digital team and learn more about the art of producing and stacking shows, both skills that are helpful for anchoring.

Working the anchor desk on Christmas

When looking back on these past 12 months, I have learned a lot about the job, but some of my best memories are of conversations with co-workers or laughs when I was preparing for a story, from early more shifts, to late nights, working weekends or holidays when no one is there or when it’s all hands on deck. It has been a year of change and excitement. I have truly learned that it’s the people that make any job worthwhile. I am so lucky that I have such great and supportive co-workers and mentors to learn from every day. Especially working long days and hours, it helps to have co-workers that make the days go by fast.

In the middle of a live interview

I have worked long days and shifts, but I covered winter weather, tornado damage, breaking news, things reopening, things shutting down, back to school, new events and opportunities for the community, exciting and happy stories, and ones that break your heart. In the end, I love what I do. I love that I get to find stories and tell them, meet people and get their message out. It’s so special and surreal that I get the chance to give people the news.

Covering the presidential election

It’s also been too fun to have my family and friends watch me and send me pictures of it and supporting me. It’s such a humbling experience that I don’t take for granted.

Getting pictures from friends and family that watch me never gets old.

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better first year in news, it truly was a monumental time to get, I can’t wait to learn more and grow and see where I am a year from now.

It’s been an incredible first year, let’s bring on year two!!!