This is my last week working for the place that's been my second home for the entirety of my adult (re: post-college) life. I've done some pretty cool things working in television news, and the people who've been with me on this journey for the duration have become like family. So when Friday rolls around, there will likely be some tears shed for the life I'm leaving behind, but make no mistake - they'll be happy tears. My decision to pursue another career path may be bittersweet but it's so necessary and here's why.

When I started working in television, the relationship between news and social media was still new and barely existent. Myspace was still a thing and poke wars were still raging on Facebook. I hadn't even heard of Twitter yet. Viewers actually commented on web articles instead of just reading a headline on social media and jumping to conclusions in the post comments. Viewers were content waiting until the evening news to learn what happened that day. In other words, the local news cycle wasn't 24/7. That was 2009.

Fast forward to 2018 and everything I just wrote is no longer relevant. Viewers no longer differentiate between national and local media. They expect their local news sources to follow the same 24/7 news cycle of CNN. They want their news as it happens, and local news has been adapting to that demand.

At first the bigger time commitment was no big deal, but then I got married and had a baby. More and more I felt like I was having to choose between news or spending time with the most important people in my life. Even worse, it began to feel as if I was expected to put my family aside time and time again for the sake of news. That demand on my time had even crept into my weekends, stealing the two of the four whole days I had with my husband and daughter every month.


I will be the first to tell you: news is not for the faint of heart or for the person who can't commit. But I never imagined my job as a producer, or even as executive producer, would turn into a 24/7 commitment in which I was expected to constantly be on. The constant battle of feeling like I was letting down coworkers or bosses by making my family my top priority became my biggest stressor.

As I said in my post about leaving TV news, I wasn't looking for a new job, but when I accepted that I no longer wanted to pursue this path and that a new opportunity was possible, it was as if a giant weight lifted from my shoulders. When the job offer came I felt more joy and excitement than I've felt over employment in a long time. And that was when I knew my course with TV news was drawing to a close.

This will be the first time in my life that I've taken a risk this big - leaving a sure thing for something that may fail. But you know what they say: you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.

Nothing says summer quite like blue and white polka dots. A couple of years ago my favorite blue and white polka dot skirt literally wore out, and I’ve been looking for a replacement ever since. Cue this under $20 a-line skirt from Forever 21. It's flowy, a perfect midi length, and has pockets. It's not lined but I didn't find it to be see-through. The waist band is not stretchy so you may want to size up for comfort. I'm usually a large at Forever 21 and got this in a large.

Details:
Shirt: old Van Heusen
Skirt: Forever 21
Shoes: old ShoeDazzle (similar, similar)

I began my journey in professional journalism nearly nine years ago. At the time, the job was temporary. I was asked to fill in for a couple of months while the station's morning show producer was on maternity leave. When she came back, they found other ways for me to fill in through the end of the year. Then in January, I signed my first contract, and the rest is history.

It's a story most everyone has heard about me by now: a print journalism major who'd been graduated for almost two months with no job prospects gets a call from a news director in need of someone who can write. I had no idea what to expect when I went to that interview, and I certainly wasn't expecting a call two days later asking if I could start that night. Soon, a couple months had turned into a couple years.

What was meant to be temporary had turned into a permanent job, one that I have enjoyed immensely over the years. Not that there haven't been bad days (or months) or times when I unsuccessfully sought out other opportunities, but from the start I knew that if I ever chose to leave the station it wouldn't be for another job in TV. As much as I like TV news, I love print media, and I have missed it more than I've let on, but for the past nine years I've wrongly believed that world was closed to me.

Then, a couple months ago I got an idea to launch an online resource for Wiregrass parents that could eventually earn me some money and maybe turn into a printed magazine. So I started talking to my friends who also have kids, asking if they would take advantage of such a resource. That's when one of them sent me a link to Mobile Parents magazine. It was exactly what I was envisioning and it was obviously thriving. There was an email listed for the publisher, so I took a chance. All I wanted was to talk to her about how she had gotten started and learn about her day-to-day operations.

That simple email launched a new adventure. I had stumbled into a job opening I had no idea existed. That one email was forwarded to the owner of a group of parenting magazines looking to expand to the Wiregrass. That email led to many more, a phone interview, an in-person interview, and finally an offer.


Things became official this past week, and I told my coworkers and everyone else on Friday. The reaction was overwhelmingly shock. Like me, none of them though I would ever leave. But the world of television news is hard, especially on families. So the prospect of going back to my roots and a dream I thought had died, coupled with flexible hours that will give me more time to spend with my husband and daughter wasn't something I could ignore.

I will miss the newsroom, especially the people I've been working with for nearly a decade. I've taken countless shows on the road, been through hurricanes and tornadoes, won some awards along the way, and met a lot of cool people. Over the past nearly nine years I've made lifelong friends and learned so much about journalism and life in general. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity, but it's time to move forward. My last day as a producer is June 29. After that, I'll be the regional publisher and event coordinator for Wiregrass Parents magazine.

Keep scrolling to see pictures from throughout my years at WTVY.

Dress: exact

This is one of my new favorite dresses. The pattern, flutter sleeves, and wrap top are just so flattering. It comes in two other patterns if green isn't your color. Oh, and it's on sale for under $50 right now. Fits true to size.

Dress: similar, similar // Shoes: exact

This dress isn't available anymore but Old Navy has so many good, similar options like the two I linked above. Let's talk about my shoes. They have quickly become one of my top pairs for warm weather. The color goes with pretty much everything, the heel's not too high, and the footbed is slightly cushioned. I got mine on sale but they are worth the full price.

Shirt: exact // Skirt: exact // Shoes: similar, similar

Have I told you how much I love Target's A New Day collection? This shirt is the stuff of polka dot dreams, and it's thin enough to keep you cool in our humidity without being see-through. And I'm honestly surprised that this skirt is still available, but it looks like there are only a few left in each size so if you want to snag it you better hurry! My shoes are from last year but I linked a couple of similar options above.

Shirt: exact // Jeans: exact // Boots: unavailable

I'm not what you'd call a t-shirt person, but this one might convert me. The tied bottom makes it so much more interesting than a plain t-shirt, and red and white stripes never go out of style.