Knoxville.

Ahh, Knoxville in the Fall. What a glorious day in Tennessee for some football! It was time for my annual Knoxville trip to see my Vols take on #1 LSU. Yes, #1. And while we did lose (ok, got our butts kicked), I still had a blast.

From celebrating my mom’s birthday with my family, to seeing old college besties…it was good times all around.

Especially this: 

A Like Post.

When I like something, I blog, Facebook and Tweet about it. On the flip side, when I don’t like something, I’m also very vocal about it. I consider it a public service to let everyone else know what’s worth your time/money and what’s not. Fortunately, this is one of those things that is worth the squeeze.

At my best friend’s wedding last weekend, the bridesmaids stayed at the gorgeous—and I mean gorgeous— Hutton Hotel in the West End of Nashville. Wow! Not only was the hotel beautiful, the service was wonderful. Something, in my mind, that is so rare these days, it deserved it’s own post!

So here’s to you Hutton Hotel staff, thanks for being awesome.

Tip: Next time you’re looking for a spot to shack up in in Nashville, check out the HH. Bonus: Molten Brown products in all the bathrooms. Warning: It’s a little on the pricey side. But certainly worth your cash.

Check out HH’s Facebook page here.

Best Friend’s Bachelorette Party

Bachelorette party time! My best friend, Kendall Mitchell, is getting married to the love of her life, Billy. As  Maid of Honor, I had to throw a killer bach party… And with the help of the other bridesmaids, I think it was a huge success!
We kicked off the weekend in Nashville with a Burlesque Lesson at Delinquent Debutantes… I highly recommend this for any party, especially a bachelorette party! It was really affordable and SO much fun!
After that, we had a laid-back pool party and a few snacks with sangria at a friend’s rooftop pool in downtown Nashville. A little relaxing before the big night out! A few other bridesmaids threw our bride-to-be a shower that night, which was a blast! Then, we rented a bus and took Nashville by storm, in wigs, of course! Congrats Kinks!

Durham Wedding – Congrats Lee and Anica!

CONGRATS to the beautiful bride, Anica and her groom, Lee! Mr. and Mrs. Lee Land! I love weddings, and it’s wedding season baby! This is the first of many, but it will surely be one to remember. It was absolutely gorgeous, the reception, held at the Washington Duke,in Durham, NC, was filled to the max with more than 300 people…making for an outstanding party! The band, Party on the Moon, is literally the best wedding band ever. We had a blast!

New Rooftop Bar!

I hereby endorse the Arlington Rooftop Bar in Arlington, VA!

That is all.

No, really… During my most recent DC trip, I visited the Arlington Rooftop Bar. I LOVE rooftops and outdoor dining, so this was right up my alley. The food was delicious, the patio was open and had a great view.

If you go, get the Summer Salad. Super yummy. And the fried green tomatoes were good, too!

DC’ers: Go check it out.

Fun Fest!

It’s been several, long year since I attended Fun Fest, the biggest event in Kingsport! It’s a huge festival with big-name artists, events, games, etc…basically a good time for an entire week in East Tennessee.

Growing up, it was always something we looked forward to going. But since moving away from home, it’s been a lot harder to attend every year. This year, since I am lucky enough to live near home, I was able to attend!

Although I only got to go to one day worth of fun at FF, I truly enjoyed it. It was so nostalgac!

Here’s a picture from the Kellie Pickler concert…She’s just as adorable (and tiny!) in person!

So next year, make sure you get to Kingsport, Tennessee for Fun Fest. You won’t regret it!

Daufuskie Island

Back from vacay! What a relaxing vacation it was… My family recently bought a condo on Daufuskie Island, which is off the coast of Hilton Head. It’s a very small island (2 miles by 5 miles) but its filled with lots of character. With only a couple of restaurants on the entire island, we really felt like we were in another country! Everything was SO relax and SO chill. It was my ideal vacation: Sipping an alcoholic beverage on the beach, followed by a casual dinner.

But there are a few things we did besides lie horizontal in the sand… We went horse-back riding on the beach, took boat rides around the island, and played in the beach. Most of the time we were literally the ONLY people on the entire beach! It was like our own private island.

The golf is apparently fantastic, although I’m no golfer so I really couldn’t tell ya… One of my favorite parts about the island, is there are only a handful of cars there. Everyone drives a golf cart! It’s a nice change of pace, that’s for sure!

Our trip to the island continued with a day trip to Savannah, which was absolutely gorgeous. If you’ve never been to this historic city, you  must go!

Sad vacation is over. But it’s back to the real world! Here are a few pictures from the trip.

  More pictures here.

My Advice to Aspiring Journos

Aspiring journalists always seek my advice about getting involved. The best answer: Get involved. The best way to do that, is through professional organizations like RTDNA. I have been lucky enough to volunteer and work at the RTDNA convention last year, as well as several other RTDNA events throughout the years. Now RTDNA is seeking other students to volunteer and work at the convention. Guess where it is? NEW ORLEANS!

Last year it was in Las Vegas, which is always a good time! We worked hard and played hard, I met lots of great people and made several valuable connections. If you are interested in being a reporter, attend the convention. But better yet, work the convention. News directors from all over the country are there, as well as other reporters you can make friends with (and learn from!) The seminars are fantastic, the people are great and it really is a good time. Honest.

If you’re interested in working/attending the RTDNA Convention in NOLA, here’s the info.

Volunteer for RTDNA at this year’s Excellence in Journalism Conference in New Orleans!

On September 25 – 27, 2011, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), the largest association of electronic journalists, joins forces with the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) creating Excellence in Journalism 2011.  Our national conference in New Orleans will be more than a partnership; it will be a gathering of professional journalists with shared interest. As a student journalist, we want you to be part of it.

We invite you to volunteer for RTDNA’s editorial or logistics team.

Editorial team members are responsible for covering the conference from start to finish under RTDNA’s direction. Their work appears directly on the RTDNA, visited by thousands of news professionals each week. In the past our editorial volunteers have written stories; live blogged; shot, edited and posted video; taken pictures; ‘Facebooked’ and ‘Tweeted’ live events, live streamed sessions from their phones; conducted interviews; and recorded standups, all in front of influential news directors and news managers waiting to meet them and take resumes.

Our logistics volunteers work closely with RTDNA’s Program Manager in making sure that everything at the conference, from registration to AV setup to sessions, goes off without a hitch. Like the editorial volunteers, logistics volunteers will have time to attend sessions on their own and meet the hundreds of news managers and professionals who will be in attendance.

We are currently seeking six students for the editorial team and five students for the logistics team. Students who submit their applications early and meet the application criteria will be given priority. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. The final deadline for applications is July 31, 2011. Contact RTDNA Digital Media Editor Ryan Murphy at ryanm@rtdna.org with any questions.

Both volunteer positions require a fair time commitment and a responsible attitude. In return for your efforts, RTDNA offers its volunteers a free session-only conference registration. For more information about the conference, click here.

Be part of ‘Excellence!’ Click here to apply!

Los Angeles!

This post is long overdue… For my birthday and to celebrate another friends birthday, we decided to venture out west to LA! It was my sixth trip to the city of angels, but I still managed to do things I’ve never done before!

We stayed at the Grafton on Sunset, a gorgeous hotel (with surprisingly affordable prices)! We hiked up to the Hollywood sign, had drinks at Chateau Marmont, fun at Saddle Ranch, spent time in Malibu, walked the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills, and of course enjoyed a bit of Cali’s best night life spots! We even spotted a few celebs: Eva Longoria, Dane Cook, “Sloane” (Emmanuelle Chriqui) and “E” (Kevin Connolly) from Entourage, and “Mrs. Taylor” (Connie Britton) from “Friday Night Lights!”

The main reason for our trip was a friends birthday party! It was a hippie/70′s themed party, so we donned our best long hair and flowy dresses and headed out to the Hollywood Hills. The “Spazmatics,” an amazing cover band, played all night. What a blast! Hope to visit Cali again soon!

Below are a few of my favorite pictures!

 

 

Not an Advertisement

Rather, an endorsement. Last weekend when I was in Los Angeles, I went hiking in the Hollywood Hills. And when I say hills, I mean hills. It was gorgeous! However, I underestimated the actual hike…I set out to get as close to the famous Hollywood sign as I could, in my Sketchers Shape-Ups. Yes, I have a pair. I got them for Christmas last year. I thought, why not? At the very least they are cute shoes. To be honest I really haven’t worn them that much until last weekend. Mostly for short periods of time, while I’m anchoring the weekend and just lounging around the station, or on an errand run around town. But this hike, was a different Sketchers Shape Up experience. I hiked up hill after hill after hill in those shoes, not thinking much about it. The next day: My bootie was so sore! (in a good way!)

So while the shoes may not be a replacement for a personal trainer or your regular work out, it’s a welcome supplement to my routine.