What I'll Miss About the Big Country

What will I miss about Abilene and the Big Country? All of it.

This place has been my home, my life, my passion. My best friends are from here, and some of my favorite places in the whole world have been right around the corner my whole life. I just want everyone to know that I never took my time here in Abilene for granted. I cherished every minute of it, and I can't wait to bring my kids here to see where I grew up.

Through our different community outreach programs, I have seen more generosity in this place than I have and ever will in any other. I will miss the West Texas sunsets, I will miss high school football, I will miss my family and friends. And I will absolutely miss my work. I will miss the opportunity to be in your homes every night. I will miss my fabulous co-workers, who are some of my best friends in the world. And I will miss all of you, the faithful viewers of KRBC.

Thank you so much for the support you have given me. This has been the best experience of my life!

Last Hurrah

If you didn't see the news at ten, then I need to fill you in on a bit of news in my life. In a little under a month, I will be leaving KRBC as well as the Big Country. So how do I put into perspective what this place has done for me? I owe everything to this area. This is the place where I grew up. It's the place where I went to school, watched high school football, learned my multiplication tables. This is the place where I found my passion, my career for the last 5 years. This is where my family lives, and where I feel like I am always home. So to say that my departure is bitter sweet is a drastic understatement. My husband and I will be moving to Malibu California. He took a job at Pepperdine University. It is an exciting new chapter in our lives. I can't wait to see what life has in store for me. Before I go however, on KRBC I will be crossing things off of my Big Country Bucket List. Everything from restaraunts I have always wanted to try, to conquering a fear of mine. It will be my last hurrah, for now, in the friendly frontier.

New Subway with Drive-Thru

I am a hypocrite. I go to Subway in order to try and live a healthy life. Yet I drive across town, passing up two perfectly good Subways, in order to not have to get out of my car to eat a sandwich. The new drive-thru at the Subway across from Abilene Regional is my latest addiction. I am obsessed with Subway's Chicken Sandwich, and now I can get it through my driver side window. Why didn't Subway do this earlier? We may never know. But I do know this; my dinner breaks will never be the same. No longer must I watch the Subway sandwich artists make my sandwich through those oddly shaped windows. No longer will I get the "Subway Odor".(You know that really strong bread smell) Thank you Subway… from the bottom of my couch potato heart.

Spider Attack At Ten!

One of my worst nightmares happened on the news set. First off, you should know that I have this weird trait. Spiders seem to follow me wherever I go. When I was a kid, a spider jumped on my face while I was watching a horror movie about giant spiders that attack people, I swore up and down that it came from the TV. When I was a little older, I went to see a movie at the theater and a spider came all the way from the tall ceiling and decided to slide down its web in front of my face and land right in my popcorn. Just last week, a giant wolf spider was lurking in my bedroom, waiting for me to come home and then pounce. Our reporter Tim Johnston had to come kill it for me. I got a package in the mail the other day. What was underneath? You guessed it… a tiny death machine with 8 legs. So you can imagine how I reacted when I was doing the news, and a spider dropped down attached to a web from the ceiling of the KRBC studio… during the beginning of the show no less. We are reading these serious stories, and an arachnid is preying on me like an insect stuck in its web. I was of course terrified, but what made me lose it was the look on Randy's face. He stared down the spider like a hunter on the prowl. So what does he do? He immediately smacks it with his script, but in my direction! So the whole first part of the newscast, I just KNOW, that the spider is crawling all over me. Luckily, during the commercial break, Randy stepped on the spider, getting rid of my arachnophobia at least for a little while...until I get home and have to leave all the lights on! Anybody have a cure for a spider curse?
View this link to see the spider drop from the ceiling!
http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=296235

Abilene High on ESPNU

It's not everyday you get to see one of your home teams play on national television. Randy and I along with the rest of the KRBC crew had a great time broadcasting live before the big game. Thousands of Big Country residents showed up to get in on the action. A High quarterback Ronnell Sims scored four touchdowns. This sent the warbirds into a win of 27 to 17 against the Plant Panthers from Florida. I'm not sure though if I had more fun watching the game or watching all the rowdy fans in the stands. It was a sea of black and gold at Shotwell Stadium. I saw so many people with face paint, noise makers, I even saw a woman in a black and gold wig. What a fun night. Way to go Eagles!

MDA Telethon Success

What a great telethon! We collected over $165,000 for people living with Muscular Dystrophy, ALS, and other neuromuscular diseases this year. I also had the privilege of meeting my new friend Brady Smith between one of the cut-ins we did that day. He reminded me that events like this are the reason I do what I do for a living. It is because of guys like Brady that so many people in the Big Country supported this year’s telethon. He gave me and others hope that we will find a cure for MD. Thanks Brady for our new friendship and thank you to everyone that supports MDA.

West Texas Friday Nights

It's time. Time to dust off the cleats. Time to grab the stadium chairs and cowbells. Time to fill plastic jugs full of pennies. Time to revolve our lives around something besides work, school, television, shopping. Time to believe that camping out all night for something isn't crazy. Time to believe that this could be the year. Time to paint our faces. Time to stock up on bug spray. Time to use words that we haven't used in a while: yellowhammers, pied pipers, blizzards, indians, cougars, eagles, badgers, bulldogs, and even bears. Time to fight for parking. Time to eat frito pies, sausage wraps, and nachos with extra jalapeños. Time to savor the glory of victory, and despise the agony of defeat. Time for our young heroes to run out of giant inflatable objects. Time for shoe polish on windows. Time for pep rallys. Time for kickoff, halftime, and really really loud horns after touchdowns. Time for FNL. Time to dig into the trenches. Time to go over the middle. Time to run the "Dirty Bird". Time for the cross-town showdown. Time to fight for extra yards. Time to believe in the impossible. Time to ride on the yellow dog. Time to turn on the lights that have been dimmed for 8 excruciating months, sit back, do anything but relax, and enjoy the show. It's time, for football.

The Real Housewives of Houston?

We've had Housewives from Orange County, New York, Atlanta, New Jersey, and D.C., but now are The Real Housewives are coming to the lone star state?
I am a reality t.v. junkie (I know it's sad but true) and I have been hearing that there will soon be a new installment of the Bravo show coming to the Houston area. I googled it and several entertainment websites are reporting that it's true.
Oh, I can't wait for the drama to unfold. Check out this link, they believe that these ladies may make the final cut as the newest cast members... I guess we will have to wait and see.

http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/05-25-10-look-out-the-real-housewives-of-houston-are-coming-producers-are-casting-now/

Do You Want Some Wemonade?

At KRBC, we love being involved with the MDA telethon to help Jerry's Kids. It's one of our favorite things to do. It's an absolute passion. So I have been challenged with raising money for MDA. And I have figured out the perfect way to do that. It happens in three easy steps:


1. Buy some lemonade.
2. Set up a table.
3. Use every cute kid you can find to be your employees.

I decided to start a lemonade stand in order to help raise some money for a good cause. So I found some cute kids in my family to help me. First was my 3 year old nephew. We set up our stand outside my parents video store. I think he was more interested in eating candy, but when he put his mind to it, that kid could flat out sell some lemonade. The cute factor was just too much to handle.

Our second stop was outside of shoe carnival. The management there was just wonderful to us. They even made announcements in the store about us being there to help out MDA. For this round, I hired my cousins' two little boys. They, like my nephew, are also cute, so we had no trouble selling lemonade. The youngest one would scream at the top of his lungs to everyone that walked by, "Do you guys want some WEMONADE!" and then he would say, "It's to get money for MBA".

We had a fantastic day, shared some laughs, and made a little money for some people in need. But our efforts really hit home when we met one couple. They saw what we were doing, and shared with us that their son has muscular dystrophy. A devastating case of it as well. They applauded us for our efforts, and donated to the cause.

I thought the lemonade stand would just be an effective way to make a little money. But I had no idea that it would hit so close to home for me. It made me realize that we can all make a difference. We can all help to find a cure for this terrible disease. Your efforts can make big money, or small money, but they will always be large in the difference making department.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

If you ever spent any time around Officer Rodney Holder, you knew that servant was a fitting description. So too was beloved father, fun-loving co-worker, and friend. His death, besides being tragic, hit especially close to home with me. My brother is now a police officer in our city, and he now proudly tries to carry on the legacy Officer Holder left behind.

Thousands of friends and family members attended the funeral today, and thousands more found other ways to pay tribute. All of us tried to make sense out of something senseless, and tried to find strength during a time of great sadness. Ironically enough, the strongest person in the room was not one of Abilene's finest, but rather a 13 year old boy.

You can tell Kyler Holder is a Daddy's boy. He loved what his Dad did, he even used his Dad's call sign "Tom 23", to select scripture for his Father's funeral (Psalm 23, he said they sounded similar). It is abundantly clear that Rodney Holder was his family's foundation. So what would they do without him? Kyler Holder did what his Dad would have done in a tough situation. He picked himself up, dusted himself off, and showed strength that a thousand men couldn't muster. Nobody can replace what Rodney Holder did for his family or his community. But luckily enough, Kyler Holder has what it takes to be the new man of the house, with mom right by his side.

Panhandling For Cash

Many of us are fortunate enough to have never wondered...Where is my next meal coming from? The homeless in abilene face this question all the time. I wanted to find out what is it like to be a pan handler.I caught up with someone who is living the life...And took a walk in her shoes as well. My experience taught me to give, even if i don't know the motives of the people that are receiving.
Are they really hungry? Are they taking advantage of people's generosity?
It may be impossible to know, but i found that it's a risk a lot of people, are willing to take. What would you do?

A Heavy Dose of Perspective

I spent an hour doing something I never thought I would do. I experienced things that were new to me, and hopefully the challenges I faced will never happen to me again. I have a new outlook on those who face similar obstacles on a day to day basis.

On April 29th, be sure to watch KRBC at ten to see how my life changed forever.

Randy's Talkin Panties!

It's really not fair. My co-anchor Randy Turner has the best poker face in the world. Whether he's reading about renovations at the zoo or an underwear thief, Randy stays cool and collected. As for me...not so much. After Randy read the "Panty Thief" story on the ten o'clock news, I lost it. Have you ever had a case of the giggles that you just couldn't get rid of? It's as if no matter what you do, you aren't going to shake them? It happened to me on the news. That's one of the great things about Randy; what you see, is what you get. What I saw was Randy reading about a panty crook, and what I got, was nothing but laughs. Take a look. Oh and be sure to watch until the very end of the clip, that is when the laughter sets in!CLICK HERE

My New Life

I just got home from my Lasik procedure. What an incredible experience! I was a little nervous going in, but the people at the Abilene Eye Institute were great. The whole procedure, from being in the chair until I walked out of the office, was only about a half-hour. They fixed my vision problems that I have had since I was a child in 30 minutes! The actual process of correcting my vision was only 10 minutes per eye. It was quick, virtually painless, and an amazing experience. I am so happy and I can't describe how great it is to have a new "vision" on life.

Melissa's Thoughts on The Biggest Loser

Melissa Morgan came to the Krbc Studio's after we said bye to her Tuesday night on the biggest Loser. Here our some of her thoughts on being on a hit t.v. show and changing her life for the better.



Melissa writes....

"I am humbled and honored that KRBC has asked me to write a blog about my experience on The Biggest Loser. I will start with a short blog about being a contestant and over the next several weeks I will share some insider tips and tricks that you can use to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.


"Being on The Biggest Loser was the adventure of a lifetime. I mean, really, who ever thinks they will be chosen when they send in an application to a reality show. I certainly didn’t. I sent in an application and video for me and Lance beginning with Season 6 and we were finally chosen for Season 9.


"Being a contestant on the show was both horrible and wonderful at the same time. Obviously it was wonderful because I learned so much about nutrition and exercise. But at the same time it was horrible because I was being physically pushed farther than ever before.


"I met some of the most wonderful people and hope to continue those friendships well after the show has ended.


"If I had to choose one thing to be my legacy for the show, it would have to be patience. Anyone that watched the show knows that I struggled on the scale in weeks two and three. There was some speculation that I was “playing the game” given my zero net loss over those two weeks. I hope that my +1 in week six helps people realize that I was not playing the game, but rather I truly struggled with my weight. The “roller coaster” weight loss has continued since I’ve been home. However, I have to be patient and remember that if I give myself time, I will eventually see the number on the scale go down. During my time on the ranch and since I’ve returned home, I’m fortunate that I’ve lost nearly 60 pounds. That is a huge accomplishment and I am proud of each pound. For anyone else that struggles with the scale each week, don’t give up. If you are patient, you will see results."

No more Conan

Randy and I say bye to Mr. O'brien!

Take a look

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=212242

Go Red Team!

Aspermont couple Lance and Melissa Morgan survive week three of The Biggest Loser, but not without a little controversy! Lance lost twelve pounds while Melissa only lost one! This lead trainer Jillian to believe that she was throwing the weigh in! Whether she did or not...we still get to show support for the local couple for another week, as they move on to week number four. Good Luck!!

Now if you want to become your own biggest loser here locally Gold's Gym is holding their own version. The twelve week challenge is open to people who want to transform their bodies and take advantage of the gym's facilities and programs. Gold's will have weigh-ins the next two saturday mornings. There is a fifty dollar sign-up fee, but one local winner could walk away with two thousand dollars in prizes! For more information call 325-695-8900.

Did I just say that?

I don't know what's wrong with me, but this is twice now that I have said a bad word on air! I promise you I really didn't mean to say it, the word just came out wrong.

To see my on-air screw up,

click here.

Cold Weather Recipes

Tortilla Soup Recipe

CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
8 6-inch corn tortillas
Salt
2 tablespoons CRISCO® Pure Canola Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
1 package (1 1/4 ounces) taco seasoning mix
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 tablespoons lime juice
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped cilantro
Sour cream
Lime slices (optional)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a baking sheet and both sides of the corn tortillas with Crisco No Stick Cooking Spray. Slice the tortillas into strips; sprinkle lightly with salt. Place on baking sheet; bake for 12-15 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat Crisco Canola Oil over medium high heat. Add onions and saute until soft. Add chicken, corn, beans, tomatoes, chilis and taco seasoning; stir to combine. Add chicken broth; stir. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, 10-15 minutes. Stir in lime juice.
To serve, place a few tortilla strips into soup bowl; ladle soup over. Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Top with remaining tortilla strips. Garnish with sour cream and a lime slice.

Read More http://food.ivillage.com/recipefinder/display/0,,9tmzxqq7,00.html#ixzz0c2rTkf4f
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Pampered Chef's Lean N' Green Chilli

Ingredients
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas, divided
2 teapoons vegetable oil, divided
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chopped poblano pepper (1-2 medium)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 (14 ounce) cans reduced-fat chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cups salsa verde (green salsa) or
1 (10 ounce) can green enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Directions
1Preheat oven to 400°F.
2Cut 4 tortillas in half and stack them one on top of the other. Cut into 1/2-inch strips & toss with 1 teaspoon oil.
3Spread tortilla strips in a single layer in a baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until crisp, stirring once. Remove from oven and set aside.
4Fold each of the remaining 4 tortillas into quarters & and coarsely grate using a box grater or your favorite method. Set aside. (Cook's note - I opted to just finely chop the tortillas rather than grating).
5Toss chicken pieces with cumin.
6Heat remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a large soup pan, add chicken and cook 5 minutes. Remove chicken.
7Add poblano peppers, onion and garlic to pan. Cook and stir 3 minutes.
8Stir in chicken, broth, beans, salsa and grated tortillas.
9Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
10Stir in cilantro, ladle into soup bowls and top with baked tortilla strips.

Big Country Biggest Losers!

NBC has begun its ninth season of the popular prime time show, The Biggest Loser. It's a show that tells the story of obese people trying to loose the weight, and regain control of their lives and this season the Big Country will be represented!
This year Melissa and Lance Morgan from Aspermont are on the show. They may come from a small West Texas town but this couple has made it all the way to Hollywood to make a change for the better!



You can watch Lance and Melissa right here on Krbc every Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Leave your comments to show your support, for the Big Country pair!