Stories published during weeks of travel

Although I haven’t posted in my blog in a couple weeks, I’ve had several stories and briefs run in the Tribune. I’ve been out of town for the majority of the time – but that’s for another post.

While I was away, I finished an assignment about two Navy SEALs, who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, being added to the Medal of Honor display at the national SEAL museum in Fort Pierce. It was amazing to learn how these heroes sacrificed their lives to save others.

Read the story here on TCPalm.com: “2 added to Medal of Honor display”

During the couple days I was home in between trips, I covered the dedication of a new building at the Florida Atlantic University branch in Port St. Lucie. I joined a massive audience to listen how this facility would double the FAU campus in size.

Read the story here on TCPalm.com: “FAU branch doubles in size”

I was back in time for Port St. Lucie City Council’s Monday meetings and covered the public workshop the council held to discuss their plan for the use of $13.5 million from the government to help fix the bad home foreclosure mess in the city.

Read the story here on TCPalm.com: “PSL council OKs home rescues”

Before I left on all of my travels, it was election day. Not only did I cover Port St. Lucie City Council meetings for three briefs, but I also worked for The Associated Press again as an election night reporter. I called in the general election results for St. Lucie County to The AP in Miami, similar to what I blogged about doing for the primaries. The one exception this time was covering the presidential race also.

Read those posts here: “Conference call prepares reporters for election night” and “Freelancer reports local primaries successfully”

And stay tuned for more on my travels.

 

Taking a mini-vacation of music

Today I started packing for my mini-vacation, coordinated my mom’s birthday and covered a story, which I need to write before some much needed sleep tonight.

If that isn’t multitasking, I don’t know what is.

I’m getting up early to get ready, finish packing, make food to bring, go by the bank and max out my credit card with gas to make it on the road by 8:30 a.m.

Wish me luck.

I’m going to two all-day concerts during my trip, the Vans Warped Tour in Orlando on Thursday and Jacksonville on Sunday. Since this is going to be a very music-filled next few days, I wanted to share something I’ve been hearing about.

Digital music isn’t the only reason CD sales have dropped so significantly; vinyls are making a comeback. Many bands see this trend and release vinyl records instead of CDs. Even one of my best friends has been raving to me for years about her record player.

Read an interesting and informative article about it here: “Vinyl record sales up, popular with a new generation.”

 

High school mini-reunion

Although it’s six more years until my official high school class reunion, I attended a smaller post-college reunion tonight.

Even though there were many not there, these were my best friends in high school. This is the group I hung out with inside and outside of school, as well as during the summer when we bonded on our annual mission trips.

And tonight was the first time we’ve all been together again since high school graduation. To get an idea of how great it was, we stayed from early evening until far into the a.m. I smiled during the whole half-hour traffic-less drive home to Fort Pierce from Vero Beach.

One thing we always talk about was how much fun we had together in high school – and how we did everything sober, never needing alcohol or drugs. When we get together, it’s literally like old times with the same inside jokes and stories, and they get even better as we get older.

I definitely suggest everyone getting together to play the card/board game Apples to Apples. I still find myself laughing at fun moments from our hours of playing tonight.

It’s also great to know my old crew still has my back in supporting me in my journalism career. Even though we’re all in different cities and states now, the distance hasn’t and never will affect our friendships.

 

When putting journalism before life backfires

After I managed two daily stories in one day, my editor at The Fort Pierce Tribune put some faith in me. She called me Thursday a little before noon to see if I could do a story with a deadline of Friday at 7 p.m.

She said it’s 15-inch story for A1.

I planned to leave for Gainesville Friday afternoon, but I also needed to cover this assignment for a couple hours at the same time. Even though I conducted my interviews with the sources ahead of time and got the basic information written, it still wasn’t enough time to finish to get on the road before it got dark. I could have rushed through it, but the pressure of the story and its meaning made me realize it deserved diligence and care.

I was packed and ready to go, but I didn’t finish my story until right at deadline. I decided to postpone my drive until the morning.

Not long after, I received an e-mail from my editor. She said not to be alarmed when I don’t see my story in the paper tomorrow – too much “late breaking news” bumped it. She didn’t want to cut my story and its photos, so she plans to run it Tuesday after I freshen it for that day instead.

I could tell she felt bad, but I know I have to learn it’s all part of being a newspaper reporter – especially a freelancing one.

Let’s just say I’m definitely looking forward to having a couple days off this weekend.

 

Business isn’t slow for freelancer

Be careful what you wish for, or should I say, be careful for what you wish.

I was disappointed after Monday passed without hearing from my editor at The Fort Pierce Tribune. Sunday I sent her the photograph she needed for my “tryout story,” which should run any day now, and she said she would have a story for me. I actually spent my weekend eager for the week to begin.

Instead she e-mailed me this morning with one assignment she needed done today with a deadline of tomorrow.

Then she called me a few hours later with another shorter assignment that’s from 8 – 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning – with a deadline of 1:30 p.m. And it’s a 30 minute drive.

If you saw the way I skipped through my place after we hung up, you would’ve thought I lost my mind. I feel reassured of my editor’s confidence in me, and I have the journalistic buzz. It seems my favorite part of the reporting process is getting the assignments.

I haven’t even had one story printed yet, and I’m already sure this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Well, back to work.

 

The big move from college to the real world

After living in Gainesville for all four years of college, I finally moved away today. Instead of being sad, I was ecstatic to come to Fort Pierce.

Who wouldn’t be excited to go from a duplex with just one room to claim as my own to having an entire house to myself? Moreover, who wouldn’t be pumped to live in that house rent- and tax-free?

Sadness only hit when it was time to say goodbye to my boyfriend, Kevin. It’s hard to leave the person who has been attached to my hip the past year. But as hard as it was to finally break our final hug, I knew it was necessary for me to go. Change is an unavoidable part of life.

However, Memorial Day weekend is only two weeks away, and he’ll come to visit then. And there’s nothing like Fort Pierce beaches and the cove on Memorial Day.

There’s just nothing like this town. Driving with the windows down to my new house, I noted the scents outside change in an instant from orange blossoms to grilled hot dogs.

It’s good to be home.

 

My last time just visiting

Given no more family emergencies – knock on wood – I won’t return to Fort Pierce to visit again.

In other words, the next time I leave Gainesville, I won’t be coming back.

A little melodramatic? Maybe, but I cherish firsts and, in this case, lasts.

This last visit home for spring break was the only thing on my mind as I drove three hours with the driver-side window down and the music off. If you know me, music remains on in my car, especially in the case of a long journey.

Yet I was lost in thoughts of how my spring break would be unlike most others spent at the beach or on vacation: I will be figuring out my life – what to do, where to live, how many ideals to compromise, etc.

Luckily I have some voices of experience and wisdom around me this week. As an objective journalist, I have to say that my Gramma, my mom, my dad and my brother are the greatest people in the world, each for their own heroic reasons.

I just hope some of that can rub off on me.