Keeping Austin Weirder

Done and Done

2010-09-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

Many of you may or may not know that I met Dave Matthews, my favorite singer of all time Saturday night. This has been a goal of mine for 10+ years, something I have been trying very hard to obtain for years. Throughout tons of networking, asking around and three previously attempts due to a job switch, swine flu/rain and Dave being sick, it finally happened.

Here's the story....

To say I was not calm the entire day was an understatement. A big thanks to Chrystal and Chris who put up with me in a state of pure nervousness, panic, and bossiness I have ever experienced. Chris and I got to the venue an hour before we were supposed to be there. Yes I had to be there 60 minutes early to sit and wait and get even more excited.

Chris one of my friends from summer camp met our contact Daryl and we were given our "stickies" as I call them. At this point I knew it was real and nothing was stopping this meet and greet experience.

Daryl escorted us to the meet and greet room. I have been in this room several other times for other meet and greets but never before has it been my turn to meet my favorite singer. We were told Dave would work the room and we would each get our time. Daryl would take our camera to take a picture, little did I know Daryl would capture some fabulous moments.

Dave entered the room. Chris says I stopped breathing, I thought I took quick little breaths which lead me to thinking I was going to pass out. I could have quite possibly pulled Chris's arm out of socket with the grip I was giving him just to stand. I WAS IN THE SAME ROOM AS DAVE MATTHEWS!!!

We were next! Chris and I had pictures to be autographed and we were both going to take our individual pictures. I had run through every scenerio possible of what to say, how to act, which sharpie to use etc...Holy cow, we were next!!!

Dave started doing some kung-foo/kick boxing moves out of nowhere. It was hilarous, thank you Daryl for capturing these moments.

As I told you Daryl had my camera, he captured all of this!!

After kung-fu time, he approached us. Look at my face, I was shocked, in complete awe, I couldn't speak.

The first thing he said was he liked my shirt!! (This yellow shirt was an outfit change, thanks to Chris). I put out my hand to introduce myself "Hi, I'm Whitney", "Hi, I'm David!!" Check out the grin, I am in complete shock still...

He signed our pictures, mine was an old Warehouse shot of the complete band performing, a classic picture.

The picture Dave signed for Chris he kept making fun of and was wondering out of the thousands of pictures taken, why this one was selected to be mailed out to all the Warehouse (fan club) members.

I next told Dave our picture would be on my holiday card and he could do whatever he wanted, make whatever face he chose (Dave doesn't smile in pics)

Here is picture #1 which you will see on this years holiday card.

Then Daryl took another one. Yes, Dave Matthews, security guard is the best meet and greet documentarian of all meet and greets!!

Next I asked if he did full fontal hugs, and he said yes and then we then proceeded to hug. Taylor Swift style, I got to FREAKING HUGE DAVE MATTHEWS!!

Then Dave or "David" as he was calling himself went to hug Chris, although Chris said he didn't need a man hug. Dave insisted saying he liked full frontal man hugs! (Chris, I can't believe you almost turned down a hug from Dave Matthews)

Then Chris got his picture with Dave.

I got my camera back from Daryl and it was over. Chris and I ran out of there of course after profusly saying "thank you" like little school girls looking at our pictures. I immediatly started calling and texting everybody I knew while posting to facebook.

Throughout the entire night we gripped our autographs like they were a life raft and we were drowning. I made Chris put the camera in his pocket and not take it out during the show. I wasn't letting anything happen to my camera or those pictures.

The show was great, it was a perfect way to end a beyond perfect meet and greet! I am so beyond thankful for the experience to meet Dave Matthews.

Thank you everybody who has put up with me for 10+ years on my quest to meet the man. I thank each of you and finally... WE DID IT!!

Run in the rain and howl at the moon.....

2009-09-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in Awesometown since I last blogged so here it is and of course not in chronological order...

Jack Ingram released a new CD and broke a Guinness Book of World Records record and visited Austin in one week. He made a stop at the KASE/KVET lounge and played an amazing intimate performance. He played my favorite country song ever Happy Happy Country Country. Friends, if you could have seen how big the smile on my face was it would shock you!

Of course we took a pic and it was just wonderful. Please notice my awesome new necklace and my new dress.....

That week Jack broke a Guinness World Record for doing the most interviews in 24 hours. Here I am holding the coveted award.

Marcia, one of my favorite people in the world got married to another one of my favorite people in the world, Seth and they had a lovely wedding in Fort Worth. Here is me with the happy couple. Please notice my new green dress and super neato yellow necklace!!

I got to see Alyson and Blake too! I love family! it is hard to believe it has been a year since their wedding.

Have you heard of Radney Foster? One of the greatest country music songwriters ever, one of the most awe-inspiring people in the industry? Well he came by to play for us, I was so starstruck. He is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

We had karaoke day at work, which was probably one of the most fun in-office days I have ever had. The entire office was split up, put on teams and we had to create karaoke songs and dances! I was on a team that did Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and was Garth from Wayne's World.

This picture is of Mac the KASE/KVET Program Director, Tracy Walker (my boss) and myself from the day! We make an awesome team .

I KNOW most of yall know who Bob Pickett is. Well here he is in a wig and a dress with boobs!

Ari and Ellen came in for a birthday party and to visit me! Ellen is right around 6 months pregnant with a baby girl! This little girl has no clue what fun she is getting into. Yall would be very proud that I haven't bought her anything, outside of the 3 Sesame Street bowls in the dollars spot at Target. Oh the fun we are going to have together!

While Ellen was getting a pregnancy massage and attending the birthday party, I got the opportunity to go to the UT football game with Ari, VIP Style. I created a full VIP experience for us beginning with a tailgate (free beer) and seats in a suite at the game! The suite belongs to one of our clients Denise and Jerry who are franchise owners of all the Sonics in Austin! Their suite was beautiful and it was gracious of them to host Ari and I for the game!

Ari and I had a great time in the fancy seats and a game is always better when UT wins, obliterating UTEP! Hook em!

Eric and Bucky make up 2/3 of the 98.1 KVET Morning Show, Bucky & Bob! The three of us are all snuggie wearers as well. Our office is freezing cold and we are the only three who wear snuggies. (snuggie pics to come next time)

The night before the football game was a little George Strait concert. This concert was a key focus for both KASE and KVET for months. It was such a relief for the show to be over and an even bigger relief once the show sold out. I didn't get to meet George but we did sneak backstage to watch him come on stage which was took my breath away. I was never a huge fan of George until this night and man he puts on an amazing show of non stop hits!

Our interns and part-timers who worked the show up until the end got to enjoy the show along with me. I am very grateful for the wonderful staff I get to work with and love the experience to let them experience such treats as great George Strait seats!

Quick Cake Ball shake break!!

The 26 week Free Texas Music Series has ended. For all of the Jewish blog readers to express the length of the series, it went from Passover to Yom Kippur. For those who have no clue what either of those holidays are it was 26 weeks long. For 26 weeks throughout heat, rain, and extreme heat KVET had a free concert on Wednesday night at a local restaurant Hill's Cafe. From big shows to little, the music was free, the beer was cold and much fun was to be had. I was lucky that I got to spend my Wednesdays with such wonderful co-workers like Eric and Chris!

The last night of the series was Cory Morrow! I love Cory Morrow, so it was a wonderful treat to go out instylee with one of my faves!

And now my friends, this blog gets video!Beat of Your Heart by Cory Morrow is one of my top 15 songs of all time and he was nice enough to play it for me. Throughout the entire series Chris Mosser and I shot videos of all the artists and our web guys created nice little montages of the performance.

Looking forward to the next series which fires up in less than 26 weeks!

The Texas Music legend Robert Earl Keen did an hour broadcast on The Roadhouse on 98.1 KVET. Getting to see Robert Earl up-close and personal was beyond a treat and my mom says I use awesome too many times in this blog, but it was truly a neat unforgettable experience that i am so glad I got to be a part of.

Austin City Limits Music Festival came to Austin. A 3 day festival with 180 bands and 8 stages is what ACL is made of. This year it happened to rain on this glorious festival, which added to the unique elements of a festival. Please check out my feet halfway through the day.

Dave Matthews Band played Saturday night at the festival after a day of rain, and mud. Seeing Dave with 50,000+ of my favorite friends was a true experience, a true sign of fandom that I would do again despite the lovely elements. Look how close I got!

He only played for two hours but the new stuff was greatness and Dave will always be my favorite concert experience!

Winding down the insanity is October, breast cancer awareness Month. KASE 101 has tear pads at our local HEB grocery stores, pretty neat!

We have a huge concert for the cure next week starring 3 up and comers in Country Music. It should be delightful! The second annual Bras Across the Bridge is also upon us in the month of October.Taylor Swift is coming to Austin in March and rumor has it I have no clue what I am in for.

My friends Scott and Candice came for a visit in which we went to see the Eli Young Band, ate at Hill's Cafe, embibed a few drinks and spent great fun times together. I'm going to go home this weekend to see some friends, atteed a fry party and get some QT time in with family and friends.

We have had two days of winter, or temperatures below 60 degrees and I am already sick of it. I joined a gym and go about 5 times a week before work. I have made some new friends and have fully been in Austin for over a year now, which means you need to visit.

shake the glitter off your clothes now....

2009-08-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's been three months since I have updated, I have no clue where to begin, there will be no chronological order to this blog but this is a little insight on what I have done since we last chatted....

I had the opportunity to help/work at a concert featuring two of my favorite bands/singers in my universe, Jackopierce and Creede Williams. They put on a show at a private ranch here and it was amazing to assist two of the groups of people who have been with me since the beginning of my passion. It was a dream come true and this could be one of the coolest pictures I have ever taken.

I bought a brand new car! It was time I buckled up and make a real adult purchase, so I bought a 2009 Ford Escape. This is me saying goodbye to my old car, as I was very emotionally attached to "the boat". My Bubbie and Zadie sold me "the boat" for a $1 when I graduated from college and I have been through a lot with that vehicle. I think my new car is named Billie Coozie, but I have yet to really decide. My new car is everything I want it to be besides payment free! If you are looking for a new car in the Austin area see my friend Dennis at Covert Ford!

Joe Nichols came to the station to perform. Joe was the first person I ever met while working in country radio way back in 2004. My how the times have changed! The other two gentlemen in the picture are Mac Daniels the KAE/KVET Program Director and Bob Pickett the KASE APD/MD!

For Fathers Day, I made a trip to Fort Worth for a few things including Father's Day festivities. Uncle Shayne-o made his famous guacamole and he won the Father's Day Burger Challenge. Congrats Uncle Shayne-O

I turned 26! This is the carrot cake Robyn made me for my birthday with green icing. I am not a fan of people calling me Whit, so commonly people will say Whit, and then wait a few seconds only to say ...ney. That is acceptable, however Whit isn't, unless you are in the circle. If you have to ask yourself if you are in the circle, you are not in the circle. As a reference on where you stack up, Jack Ingram isn't allowed to call me Whit....

Luling is a small town outside of Austin which is world famous for its Watermelon. Every year they have a festival called the Luling Watermelon Thump. Seeing as I am a HUGE small town festival junkie I went for work and had a wonderful experience. Here are a few pictures of me devouring watermelon and spitting speeds down the main street of Luling and on the official "Spitway" of Luling, Texas!!!

Gloriana, an up and coming band who happens to be on tour with Taylor Swift made a stop by the KASE 101 live Music Lounge. Fun, group, fun music, good looking guy in plaid shirt! Another great day to be alive in Austin, Texas when these guys came around!

My boss and I went to go see Keith Urban. Good picture, good concert, good times. It was ironic that the whole KASE programming department came to Dallas for the show, so it was like we never left Austin.

You never know you you will run into on the Barley House patio...like John Winchester... Slayer!

Sprinkles Cupcake paying homage to the greatest state ever!

My cousin Elizabeth turned 1 and we had a little celebration. I gave her two of the greatest books ever, "Oh The Places You'll Go" and "I Love You Forever" we had a great time crying and laughing while reading them, more baby news to be coming at the end of the blog!

Saw the Counting Crows, not the best show I have ever seen, no Around Here or Anna Begins but one of my favorite bands ever!

Luke Bryan came to the station to perform as well, what a nice guy and a great performer. I had a great time with him and his people!

I bet you didn't know that there was an American Cheese Society, I didn't know either until they had the yearly cheese convention in Austin with a Festival of Cheese. Of course I HAD to attend this event and got myself and Robyn some tickets to eat tons of cheese. There is NO WAY to quantify the amount of cheese that was at the cheese festival or how much cheese we ate that night. If the cheese society is ever in your town, go to the cheese festival!

Dan, Lindsay and Chrystal came to town for 4th of July! We went and floated the river and watched great fireworks and ate great food. We have started a nice 4th of July tradition of spending time together and I can't wait for next year. I also had another round of visitors when Dan, Lindsay, Ragon and Wendy came down for my birthday. Floating the river is the most relaxing thing to do and going with friends makes for a memorable time. Too bad it is almost 200 degrees here and the lakes and rivers are down because water fun is fun times.

It is hard to believe I have been in Austin a year. Time has flown by quicker than expected. I love the life I have created for myself here and Austin is a perfect fit for me. I still love country music and getting to play with the format every day makes me smile from ear to ear. The next few months will be crazy. Here is the September concert schedule just off the top of my head. Roger Creager, Cory Morrow, Pat Green, Eli Young Band, Radney Foster, CCR & Robert Earl Keen and some guy named George Strait plus many more. UT Football starts and the weather might dip below 150 degrees. Jack Ingram comes out with a new album on Tuesday and Thursday evening Jack will be in Austin supporting his album.

The most exciting news I have to share is Ari and Ellen are going to be parents and I am going to be an aunt at the same time, funny how that works! We find out the sex of the baby on Wednesday and I can't wait to have a kidlet to play with. I look forward to taking my new niece or nephew to their first concert, meet and greet and so much more! Help me think of names for the little tot to call me because Aunt Whit is not acceptable.

Have wonderful days and come visit Austin!

Aweseometown!!

2009-05-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

Clearly I neglected the blog for quite a while but here is the latest on my daily insanity!

When I last left yall I was getting ready for Rodeo Austin. The rodeo down here in Austin is rather small in comparison to the State Fair I am used to in Dallas or the Fort Worth Rodeo but it got me my rodeo fix of bull riding, muttin bustin, calf roping and more. The highlight of the rodeo for me was of course the music. Here are some pics of my multiple and I mean multiple trips to the rodeo!

Jimmy Wayne

Jack Ingram.

A funny little story here... When Jack was at the office he tried to call me Whit. Now if you know me, you know I don't like to be called Whit unless you are in a very small circle of close friends or family. Well clearly Jack is outside of the circle and at the rodeo I told him, I didn't like to be called Whit. He sent me a little note on twitter, just another reason why he is my fave!! (click on the photo for a closer look)

Quick Turkey Leg break

A little band, Eli Young Band played the rodeo as well on the rotating stage. The rodeo stage rotated, kind of creepy if you ask me.

EYB from the front

Without moving my seat, EYB from the back

The rodeo and SXSW were both happening at the same time which made for an interesting couple of weeks in radioville. It was nice when they both were over, but were both opportunities for massive amounts of fun.

Steff and her now fiancee came to visit, and of course I took them to Torchy's to eat mexiacn food out of a trailer!

A quick stop in from Wade Bowen was pure delightness.

Beginning in April KVET began another wonderful summer of the Free Texas Music Series, weekly free concerts happening at Hill Cafe featuring some of the biggest names in country music. From Stoney Larue, Roger Creager to Rick Trevino and Radney Foster this summer concert series is amazing. Usually I am out at Hills on Wednesday night soaking up the summer heat and listening to outsdanding free tuns. Check out my view from the "treehouse".

June 3rd is Cory Morrow and I can't wait. If you are reading this and can be in Austin on June 3rd be there with me!

If you don't think I go to enough concerts, there was a huge party called Lonestar State Jam featuring all my faves.

We had an Eli Young Band meet and greet at our tent, total insanity. KASE/KVET rocked the show and it was AMAZING!

Enough of work for a quick second. Somewhere in April I made it home to go camping with old summer camp friends. Despite the freezing cold, I had a blast tent camping outside, drinking Shiners with friends around the fire reminiscing old times! The best part about summer camp friends is that it may have been over 5 years since we had all seen eachother, but life didn't skip a beat.

Me & Holly, one of the greatest people I have ever had the chance to work with.

Speaking of summer camp... this band called Jars of Clay who sings many "campy" songs came to perform for our sister station 102.3 The River Pretty col to see a group this big in our little radio station airplane hanger!

My sequence of events is totally off here, but isn't all yall care about the celebrity pics?

Randy Rogers Band came to our live lounge to do an intimate performance. These guys blow me away every time! Love, love, love Randy Rogers Band. Do yourself a favor and check them out!

Should I send this pic of Joe Nichols and my radio peeps to the trades?

I helped put together a pretty big golf tournament with KASE which benefitted the Ronald McDonald House. What a whirlwind of an amazing day, we raised over $50,000 for the RMDH and had a blast doing it! We had different activites at each of the holes which made the tournament even more fun like teeing off with a marshmallow and bands playing at hole 9! My two buds Chad Hudson and Curtis Grimes played as well. Another HUGE success!!

Like I could forget another show with the Eli Young Band!? EYB played another KASE Benefit show this time for our friends at Make A Wish. 2 hours of awesomness and $10,000+ later another huge success was under the belt of country radio in Austin. Thanks to Mike, James, Jon and Chris for hanging out with KASE 101 yet again and for being so gracious with your time and playing some amazing tunes.

I took another interesting trip home to go see Dave Matthews Band with Ragon. Unfortunately it was raining really, really, really, really hard and our meet and greet with Dave got cancelled but, when does a Dave concert ever suck?

Ragon and I waiting in the rain

Work took the Promotions Department on a little work retreat/team building/vacation extravaganza to San Antonio to stay at a resort called La Cantera. It was two days of sitting by the pool, drinking cocktails, and hanging out with a tad bit of work! This was a great trip and I am thankful to be working for a company that appreciates their employees and is able to provide such luxuries.

On this Memorial Day I am recovering from a wonderful week of vacation, fun nights drinking, new friends, finally taking that shot with Gary Allan and so much more, that I must report some sad news. In the middle of all the madness of concerts, meet and greets, parties, and more my Zadie died. Talk about a very difficult time, but in the worst of times as my Zadie has taught us all so well, family is the most important!

Keep your nose clean!

2009-03-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

It has been almost 6 weeks since I last updated, I got kidnapped by monkeys and they just returned me.

The last time we left I was looking forward to a visit from Kevin Costner and his band Modern West. It was quite a day, but Kevin Costner has gone country and he is pretty decent! It was cool to get to meet him and experience a whole new level of artist visit. Definitely had a great time!

A long time ago I wanted the new Pat Green CD (3 Days) autographed, so I asked my grandma to stand in line to get it autographed for me. She ended up standing in a 5 hour line. I reminded myself of this story when I went to a few intimate Pat Green performances. Long live Pat Green and Texas Country.

The big chunk of my life since I last blogged was preparing for our KASE 101 Make-A-Wish Radiothon presented by IBC Bank. This radiothon took over my life for a few weeks, but it was worth every second! Our radiothon is two days, takes place at a local mall, has a huge silent auction and many moving elements to it. The total raised was for the Make-A-Wish Foundation was $343,616!!! With this money KASE will help grant and change the lives of over 60 children of Central Texas!

The weekend flew by with heartwarming stories, new friends and fun. I had a great time at the radiothon and can't wait for next year! This is me and one of the many wonderful kids I got to hang out with, Xavier who really liked guitars!

Tuesday leading up to the radiothon I was sent on a mission with one of my fabulous co-workers Earl, to down to San Antonio to get some stuff signed by Taylor Swift. It was a quick hour drive and a meet and greet, but still pretty cool. We didn't stay for the show as sleep was at a premium for the week. I absolutely love Taylor Swift and if you haven't listened to her new CD, make it happen.

Taylor Swift day was also Cory Morrow day as well. One of the dj's at KVET is beginning to do a lot of video work with artists and as one of his official cinematographers I got to see Cory play one of my top 10 favorite songs "Beat of Your Heart". I heart Cory Morrow!

Part of recovering from the radiothon was a nice trip home to DFW to see Ellen and friends in Oliver at the JCC musical! First was a night in Fort worth with Chrystal was home on her "winter break" and Dan and Lulu. Old high school friends perform magic on the I had a fabulous time running around Fort Worth. Dinner was had at Fuzzy's Taco's and the fun continued on, and on. The next morning I dot to see my dad and Grandma! It is always nice to see them both and catch up on all that is new in the world.

Dallas was quite enjoyable! The play was very cute and I loved seeing all my Dallas friends. After Oliver we went for a late night snack at Cafe Brazil (best coffee ever) and I stayed with Chris that night.

Sunday Brad's brunch group was in full effect and diner food had never tasted so good. Next was a stop at Sprinkles and then it was South on I-35 to come back home! On my way back to Austin I stopped at a place I was waiting very patiently to open... Carl's Corner, Willie Nelson's gas station!! It was partially open so I went inside and took a little tour. Willie's Place is right off the I-35 split so I will be back many of times!

One of my morning shows has a big health initiative every year called Bucky & Bob For Life. We meet throughout the week and train to run a 5K! Since it is one of my radio stations I decided to be a member of the team and get a movin! 5k training has been quite a challenge, but I love it. The parks are so are gorgeous in Austin, and running around Town Lake really isn't that bad , especially with the Jack Ingram training session on my ipod!The race is at the end of April. My goal is to run the entire thing, with a reward of an amazing concert following!

After I returned home from DFW I made a vow to myself to see if I could shop local for a whole month. By shop I mean get my groceries at a local store, eat at local restaurants and go the extra mile to be "local". This challenge isn't really a challenge and has been very fun, educational and rewarding! Of course I have had to go to a few chain stores, but I love going local.

One Saturday after Bucky & Bob for Life practice I decided to be uber local and go to a farmers market I love. Well while at the farmers market I discovered macaroni and cheese pizza. Of course I got a piece and it was super yummy! I can however say that will be my first and last piece of macaroni and cheese pizza! Too much of a good thing!

I have discovered a new favorite place/trailer park. The South Austin Trailer Park Eatery is a fabulous place where you can get food out of an airstream trailer. Please come visit me in Austin so we can go to Torchy's tacos and the new place where you can make smores over an open fire!!

Last night I went to a wonderful "ball" benefiting the Ronald McDonald House. A local cover band called the Spazmatics played and I had a great time with a new friend, and when am I ever not fun at a party?

Have you met my fish Barley Scott?

On the horizon is Rodeo Austin, a JACK INGRAM concert, a golf tournament, another radiothon, Texas Music Series, Passover, SXSW and some amazing concerts.

My life for the past six weeks has been a whirlwind of doing great things for the community, enjoying the beautiful Austin weather, trekking across Texas and enjoying phenomenal music!

Please come visit me in Austin, plan to stay a week as we will have tons to do and tons of fun to be had! Happy Happy Country Country!

Toe shoes rock!

2009-01-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

Remember my crazy toe shoes from the past post? They have been great footwear over the past month or so! They definitely have been key to many big accomplishments.

Austin in the wintertime is amazing. Never too cold, tons of fun and I have had some wonderful past few months.

Around the holiday time the big local Austin park has a huge display of zillions of Christmas lights, called trail of lights. Robyn, Robyn's mom and I went to go check it out. It was amazing to see what can be done with lights. Here are some of my favorites!

Look, this tree looks like its on fire, if you know me you know I love fire!!

This is the famous Zilker Tree. if you stand under it and spin in circles chances are you will get dizzy. Of course being an Austin newbie I spun under the tree and got very dizzy!!!

You see this guitar I am holding? It was signed by David Cook, my American Idol. I held onto that guitar for quite a while and touched all over it so I could say " I touched David Cook"

Right after I got to hold a piece of David Cook, I went home for a nice long while. Below was my schedule, just for the Fort Worth part! It was a very interesting adventure home!

For New Years I went to a little party with High School friends which was a lot of fun. Its amazing how everybody changed with marriages and babies on the way, we are all grown up!! Chrystal and I went to Billy Bob's too see Chris Cagle and bring in the New Years! Over the years Billy Bobs has become a second home for myself and I love, love, love it there! The show was pretty good and I love a good honky tonk!!

A very special part of Billy Bobs is a cement wall with cemented-in hands of a lot of performers who have graced the stage. Look at these hands from a Jerry Lee Lewis concert, May 10th 1991...

This was the first concert I ever went to in my life. Looks like we can all thank "The Killer" and my folks for getting me started!

Hanukkah was thrown in there some as well! My menorah is one of my most favorite possessions!

I got to see Bubbie & Zadie while I was in town,too!

My friends Geoff and Erin got married while I was home! It was a beautiful Jewish wedding! I loved getting to see Ari and Ellen too!!

The black dress I am wearing in these pictures was only 8 dollars. If you live in Dallas/Fort Worth, you must check out the 8 dollar store.

Back home to Austin after the wedding was to some very nervewracking but enjoyable days and probably the most event filled day in my promotions career.

I became a volunteer at Central Market cooking school. It is a lot of work but I have gotten to learn a lot about working in the kitchen and look foward to working with chefs and expanding my macaroni and cheese making skills. I got to shuck three oysters, which I was told as a child never to do as it was soooooo dangerous!

Clear Channel, my radio station's owners had avoided the layoffs and waited until after the New Year to make their cuts. Media leaked out the day of the cuts, which happened to be January 20th. Leading up to that day my stomach was turning that I would be cut as the new girl and the girl with one high functioning station so it only made sense to kick me to the curb....

Thank goodness that was not the case as I got to keep my amazing job and gained a new radio station, 98.1 KVET. KVET is a legendary station in Austin and it is a huge honor to be the Promotions Director for this heritage station. My workload practically doubled over night but so did the music, the events and the fun, so I don't mind. I am thankful and blessed for the opportunity. Basically what it all boils down to is twice as much Jack Ingram. I am now the Promotions Director for both the country radio stations in Austin, which is a great career move for me and the opportunities know no boundaries at this point.

Right after the layoffs which left major obstacles for our cluster I had the biggest day in my Promotions Director history with two private performance from Point of Grace, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley stopping by and a sold out Brad Paisley concert that night. Needless to say my Angelyn taught skills came into hand with a multi colored schedule, detailed planning and covering every last detail was in full effect. The day ended very sucessful and it was a great way to start off a new job and a new era.

Getting to see Darius Rucker again was a highlight of the crazy day. Hootie and the Blowfish has always been one of my favorite bands and Darius's solo career is one of awe. I am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to see him twice.

I also got to meet Brad Paisley as well. Brad puts on an amazing live show, one not to be missed.

Getting to see Alex Valentine was also a huge plus!

This is me and Bob Pickett. Bob is the KASE APD/MD and is my second half. We are attached at the hip and talk almost on a daily basis. I would be lost without Bob and I am so greatful for him!

In my free time I began to do some experimental painting. I have purchased plain tile from Home Depot and have been stamping and painting my favorite song lyrics. Who knows what I will do with these pieces, but here is one of my favorite Rocket Summer lyrics!

On the horizon my days see no sign of slowing. I will be undertaking a huge radio-thon for Make-A-Wish over Valentines Day weekend. My stations will have huge involvement in the local Austin Rodeo and about 1 zillion shows and events to follow. Wednesday Kevin Costner is coming to the station!

The best part about my job is the music that has created so many wonderful memories to share with you!!

Awesometown is where I live

2008-12-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

So this is what I have been up to since we last spoke.....

Lets talk music... Do what ever you have to do to hear the Fray's new song "You Found Me", its beyond amazing and might top my list of the best songs in 2008. Also check out Jack Ingram's new video "That's A Man".

Since the night before Barak Obama got elected president this is my life status....

I got a pair of cowboy boots and I love, love, love, love them. They are the perfect shoe for winter since flip flops are not too good for keeping feet warm in the fake winter we have in Austin. I also got the ugliest pair of flip flops I have ever seen in my life! I love them and I love that they are ugly and very, very, very Austin! Today I got the coolest new shoes ever! Think toe socks, turned toe shoes. They are super comfy and I predict great success occuring in these shoes!

This really hot country singer Jake Owen came to sing. Besides being hot the music was great and always the upclose intimate concert was amazing!

iphoto ate my picture with him, sorry about that!

After my encounter with the hottie country singer I made an impromptu visit to Dallas. I spent timw with Chris and Rachel, we were like a little family all weekend and we had a blast. From cupcakes, to line dancing and hanging out with crossdressers, finding amazing bargins shopping and partying up and down Cedar Springs with a $25 cab ride to Barley, I left Dallas quite content. I also got to have a wonderful meal with Bradley who performed a very unselfish act of driving me to Fort Worth from Dalls during a very difficult time. I greatly appreciate you Bradley!!

KASE's last New Face Showcase of the year was Ashton Shepherd. Ashton is a small town girl with an amazing voice and an even bigger heart. She still remembers hanging out/drinking at 12 Man Jam and how "fun" the next morning was.

Following Ashton's show. I got to meet Bill Engvall at his show at the famous La Zona Rosa club. Please notice my awesome green fleece. Thank you.

Thanksgiving was next and it was exactly what Thanksgiving is supposed to be, fun, family, food and shopping!

Little cousin Elizabeth is getting so big I love seeing her.

Of course my mom and I woke up at 4:30 the day after Thanksgiving to go shopping. Besides great bargins and quality mommy daughter bonding time I got to see Becca and eat some yummy food! Becca is one of my sorority sisters from college and although she lives in Altanta she is dating a boy from Fort Worth and I get to see her on occasion!!

Saturday after Thanksgiving, KASE 101 was involved in this super big huge parade with thousands of people! The coolest part of the parade is when the parade stops down and people come in the street and donate toys for Operation Blue Santa, a local Austin charity for kids! I love parades and this parade was no exception!!!

Following Thanksgiving things were nuts! I played a pivotol role in a huge event at our cluster called Media Day in which we displayed all the wonderful th

ings our radio cluster can do! Curtis Grimes my new favorite unknown country singer played! Media Day help our cluster get almost 3 million dollars in sales!!

The next day following Media Day, Coats For Kids came to an end with a huge live broadcast. KASE 101 takes part in this wonderful organization with the Junior League of Austin collecting coats for kids of Central Texas. Coats for Kids owned our station for the entire month of November and our last day broadcast was amazing! We raised over $7,000 in cash donations and almost 1000 coats. We blew last years donations out of the water and I am very happy to say 30,000 local kids are warmer thanks to KASE 101's efforts!

Have I mentioned how much I love the KASE 101 morning show also known as the KASE Morning Crew! This is us at our Coats for Kids live broadcast. They are an amazing group of people who I am so honored to work with and I love listening to on a daily basis!

John Rich from Big & Rich stopped by the station. I was never a huge Big & Rich fan but now I love John Rich. He is a song writing genius and I can't wait to hear his upcoming solo project and when Big & Rich start at it again! John Rich likes jalepenos, Rudy's breakfast tacos and my constellation of earrings!

Clear Channel Austin had the most amazing holiday party ever!!! It was an open bar, great dinner party at the Oasis here in Austin. We all danced the night away and had a fabulous time! I found this great beauty school in Austin where the wash, cut and hair straighteing was $12. The straight hair was a huge hit, but curly hair still rocks!

I made another trip back to DFW to celebrate Hanukkah with the family. While I was there I kept very busy.....

Ragon and I ventured out and tried a new cupcake place. Different than Sprinkles and very yummy.

We also drove by the future home of George and Laura Bush. Its not like we are Bush supporters at all but it is cool to know a future ex president is goign to be living in Dallas. The neighborhood is all decked out in their honor. I personally can't wait for them to move in!

I had a night at the Barley house with a few old Cumulus co-workers. It was great to see all my old buds especially the Kevin Scott! Tricia, one of my oldest summer camp friends came to hang out at Barley! I loved getting to see Tricia and I am thankful that Myspace and Facebook brought us back together!

Wow I have been busy! The next few weeks show a definite sign of a slow down. I plan on working on some art projects, doing some cool things around town and going back to Dallas for a wedding and beginning 2009 with a bang!

Thank you each for being a part of my life! Happy Holidays and Happy Happy Country Country!!!

Well Well Well

2008-11-02T13:43:00.001-08:00

I promised folks I'd blog today so here it goes.

Since the last time we have "talked" things have been nuts! So much has happened I don't even know where to begin..

The later part of October was focused on boobs, for breast cancer awareness month! Our Clear Channel radio cluster is the media sponsor for the Austin Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation!

On October 15th KASE had a concert starring the Eli Young Band and Kristy Lee Cook, Concert for the Cure. I worked on this concert from beginning to end and it was a huge success, passing last years attendance and money raised. With ticket sales and a silent auction KASE raised over $15,500 for breast cancer research. It all happened so fast that I still haven't given myself a suffecient pat on the back!

Above is me with the Eli Young Band. I have been a fan of theirs since the days they were Eli & Young and no band. As a local Dallas/Fort Worth band, they have reached the national level and it was a true honor to have them at our show. Their new cd is called Jet Black & Jealous and you need to own it. Kristy Lee Cook from American Idol opened the show, over all it was a great night!

Two days after the Concert for the Cure I headed home for Alyson and Blake's wedding! This was a fantastic weekend full of friends, family and a whole lot of fun!

My cousin Anita came in from Mexico, this is me and my mom at one of the fabulous meals we had!

I had the job of staying in the hospitality room! We were staying in the nicest hotel in Fort Worth and the hospitality room happened to get upgraded to the nicest suite in the hotel!

It was a constant party room with tons of Chick Fil A, beer and fun!

Alyson was a beautiful bride!

The best part of the weekend was catching up with friends and family. This is me with my cousin Lauren, one of my favorite people in the world, Marcia and my other cousin Elizabeth!

Friday night after the rehersal dinner I got to hang out with my favorite camp counselors ever Chris & Gini (pictured below). There is a great Facebook group going on with old camp friends, I am loving catching up!

After two nights of an open bar and very few hours of sleep it was very nice to get back to Austin!

The following weekend was very busy. I got to see an upclose and personal performance of Bens Fold from Ben Folds Five. His performance was simliar to VH1 Storytellers and was truly amazing!

The day after Ben Folds the month of breasts continued with a never been done before grassroots promotion called Bras Across the Bridge. We had 125 women bring their bras and hook them together across the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, to take stand against Breast Cancer. This event was a true success for the radio station and all the women who came had amazing stories. This event was truly magical and I can't wait to do it next year.

After all the excitement of the bras I had to gear up for the Carrie Underwood/Little Big Town concert. This was my first big, big concert for the station and the pressrue was on. We had a great set-up and I brought in two ideas from things I have done in the past and KASE looked great!!

Here is me with Carrie Underwood and Little Big Town

The next day I went with Hotel Robyn and Steve to volunteer orientation at Central Market, to learn about volunteering in their very nice and fancy cooking school. I hope to voluntueer in a few upcoming classes and truly be a chef or just better in the kitchen.

If you thought the month of the breasts was over, we ended October with the Austin Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure. The Komen Race is the one time every year I don't mind waking up at 3:45 in the morning. The Austin race is the same size of the one I am familiar with in Dallas, but the footprint was much larger and the race was in downtown. I ran the

last half mile of the 1 mile race, asit took us 15 minutes to get from our spot inline to the start line!

Clear Channel had a team, here I am with some of the ladies from Clear Channel Austin!

Oh yeah, Jack Ingram made a stop at the station and played a show that night for our sister station KVET. KVET has a live one hour radio show featuring Texas Artists and last week Jack played. It was neat to be part of a live radio show/concert and of course Jack was Happy Happy Country Country!!

Halloween is kind of a big deal in our office. Everybody decorates their cubicles and dresses up! This is the promotions department and our area was decorated with all sorts of Dr. Seuss stuff!

That has been most of my life for the past few weeks. I am happy to say October is over. I remember October of 2007 being just as busy, but this one was much more meaningful for me.

This week we have a Turkey Drive concert benefitting needing families in the Austin Area. Next weekend is a New Face Showcase starring Ashton Shepherd. I am getting ready for Thanksgiving and our fall coat drive starts on Monday. Tomorrow I will have been here for 3 months, time really has flown!

Have a great day, Happy Birthday Mom and happy, happy country country!

Since You've Been Gone...

2008-10-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

Is by far my favorite Kelly Clarkson song, and my favorite song Karaoke song next to Sk8tr Boi by Avril Lavigne!

I am sure many of yall are wandering what I have been doing since my last blog. Well below is a quick summary with pictures included as I type laying on my hammock, enjoying a beautiful Austin evening. The last time I did this I tried to email out a photo gallery and failed miserably, so now I will try the actual "blog" things with photos and commentary. I promise not to update without emailing everybody so you aren't checking a blog that is never updated.

Since the last time we talked so much has happened!

Robyn from "Hotel Robyn & Steve" and I decoupaged my kitchen table. This is what it looks like! You are each personally invited to come have a meal with me and my new table!

Kidd Kraddick dropped by to sign Chrystal's birthday card. One of my stations is an affiliate for Kidd Kraddick in the Morning and when he comes to Austin, like he did for ACL, he broadcasts from our studios! Yes I am wearing a sweater in September. Our offices are in an old airplane hanger and are freezing cold first thing in the morning.
Kinky Friedman (the first person I have ever met whom I voted for) and a turkey came to the station, on the same day. Neither of them were too photogenic.

Steve had a birthday and I gave him a scarf that doubles as a table runner and triples as a head warmer! Robyn made one of the top 10 birthday dinners I have ever consumed, consisting of... homemade pasta, homemade tomato sauce, homade veal which turned into veal parmigan, and I think we had green beans.

Robyn and Steve also cooked up a mean erev Rosh Hashannah dinner for Cousin Scotty and myself. If you ever stay at HR&S, you need to ask to see their tablecloth, it does tricks! I would also like to thank HR&S for cooking an amazing break-the-fast meal. They are great cooks and even better family to have in Austin!

For Steve's birthday I was allowed to ear candle on the kitchen floor!

It was a great success, look at my earwax!

Gary Allan played a show at Stubb's BBQ. I learned many valuable lessons that night regarding downtown Austin, mainly not to park at the homeless shelter. Somehow Bob Pickett the KASE music director and I managed to get onto Gary Allan's bus to talk about tattoos and being a car mechanic. I got a very rare pic with Hottie McHotHot Gary Allan himself!

Bob Pickett and KASE 101 were both nominated for two very prestigious CMA awards. Both of us may have lost, but it is a huge honor to be nominated!

I went back to Fort Worth for Lauren's wedding, which was fabulous! It was wonderful to see old friends from high school, dance a lot, eat yummy cake and have a mini Boston 4th of July reunion!

While I was intown I stopped over for a visit with Bubbie and Zadie for Bubbie's birthday! She got great gifts as I bought her a whole bunch of crazy silly presents and we had a lovely Sunday morning!

I left DFW in a big rush as I had to be back in Austin for a private Phil Vassar performance at the station. We have an amazing room that allows listeners and clients to come in to see up close and personal performances of great artists, just like Phil Vassar. Phil took requests, answered questions and played for over an hour each night of his two night stint at the KASE 101 Sprint Live Music Lounge. Hotel Robyn and Steve got to enjoy the concert and Phil was awesome, awesome, awesome!

I am sure many of yall have been wondering how I have been surviving without Sprinkles Cupcakes. I decided to take Heather, from our morning show on a cupcake adventure to support a local cupcake bakery who was taking part in a film festival KASE is part of. You are not going to believe it but, Sprinkles has been replaced by Polkadots Cupcakes in Austin. Heather and I got to ice some cupcakes, sample a few products and we had a great time!

I do have the greatest job in the world, when spelling your station call letters in icing is on that day's to-do list!

On Friday, I voted! Sadly, I have never lived in my actual county during a presidental election, so once again I have taken a picture of myself holding up my absentee ballot. If I had it my way, by the looks of the shirt and my cubicle, I think Jack Ingram should be on the ballot. I can hear it now, his campaign would be based off of "My name is Jack Ingram, and I play country music!"

So it has been a busy past couple of weeks. The next few weeks have no signs of a slow down. Jack is stopping by the office on Monday, KASE has a huge station event on Wednesday with Eli Young Band and Kristy Lee Cook, I am going to Fort Worth for Alyson and Blake's wedding, Jammin is taking part in a blood drive, KASE is participating in a major grassroots breast cancer awareness program in addition to the Austin Komen Race for the Cure, turkey drive concert and a New Face Showcase starring Ashton Shepherd, Carrie Underwood concert and much, much, more!

In my next blog I hope to have pictures of my new apartment, photos of many successful KASE events in addition to my office and coworkers!

Thank you for being a part of my life, have a great night and COME VISIT AUSTIN!