2023, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Boston, Derek Hough, Grammy, Idaho, Lisa, Mother, Mother's Day, Twin Falls

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s but especially to my mother, Lisa Joye Hadley.

Let me tell you about my mom. My mom is just the sweetest woman. She also has so much energy, and loves to go new places, try new things, and experience life! She also just loves her family so much, and is the biggest supporter of us all.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be a good parent. And the conclusion I have come to is to: be there. Be there when your child is having a good day, bad day, an off day, a sick day. Be there for them when they succeed but also when they fail. Be there for them for their sports games, their musicals, their dance recitals. Be there for them in the morning, and be there for them in the night.

My mom was always there. She was and still is the person who I know will always support me in my choices, and congratulate me on my accomplishments, and talk to me when I feel like I’ve failed.

A parents is a hard role to play, but I guarantee I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my mother who always told me I could do whatever I put my mind to. No matter what I wanted to try, she let me try it, and she let me figure out for myself what I wanted to do and didn’t want to do.

I am very thankful for my mom. She never tried to force anything on me, she would guide me and help me decide what I wanted to do, but she never forced me to do anything, and that is so important.

I never really realized any of this until I moved across the entire country at the age of 22. I realized then that the only reason I was able to do that all on my own was because of her and my father. Because I knew that she believed in me, but I also knew that if I needed her, she would be there.

I am so thankful for my mom for letting me figure out who I am without her forcing me to be who she wanted me to be. My mom is the best, and I love her with all my heart.

There are very few people who I would fly across the country to surprise for their birthday, but she is one of them!

I can’t wait for more adventures and fun with you Mom, and I am so thankful for you for always being there, supporting me, and loving me through everything. You are the reason I am who I am, and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. I love you so much Mom. Happy Mother’s Day!

I can’t wait to see Derek Hough again with you, as is our tradition!

(BTW, I will write one of these for my father on Father’s Day, because he also made me who I am today. I love you too Dad.)

Also, I would like to give a shoutout to my two grandmother’s my two aunt’s and all the other Mom’s in the world who are raising the next generation to be good, kind people who can think for themselves and make this world a better place. Where would we be without Mom’s?

2023, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Idaho, Jackson, National Puppy Day, Twin Falls

Happy National Puppy Day, Jackson!

I heard that today was National Puppy Day, and I can’t miss an opportunity to share about my dog Jackson.

Jackson is technically not a puppy as in he is 4 years old, but to me, he will always be my puppy!

Jackson is so sweet.

And he is so silly.

He loves a good nap!

And he loves to take walks!

He isn’t the brightest, that’s for sure, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He is my best friend.

I don’t like to think about where Jackson would be right now if maybe I didn’t get adopt him. I also don’t like to think about what will happen when he is no longer here.

The best thing about dogs is they live in the moment, so that is what I will do too.

I love you Jackson.

2022, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Andrea Nastri, Andrew Navaroli, Boston, Bruce, Christmas, Idaho, International Junior Miss, Jackson, journalism, Pageant, Reporter, Santa, Twin Falls

Goodbye, 2022!

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is almost over! I have been thinking a lot lately how fast this year went by, and how crazy it is that it’s almost a new year!

I’ve never really been a fan of New Year’s. I hate staying up late, and I often feel sad, because I think of all the things I wanted to do that year and didn’t.

But, what I’ve learned lately is that life just keeps going, and most of life is the mundane, the boring, the day to day things, but when you look back that is sometimes the most memorable.

Here is a recap of my 2022!

January started with my two best friends! I miss them so much!

Then we celebrated Jackson’s birthday! I don’t actually know if this is his birthday since I adopted him, but let’s be real, he doesn’t know either!

February I had the best time skiing at Sun Valley. I had a day off in the middle of the week and decided to ski by myself! I felt so free!

In March, my favorite Bruce’s came to visit and we also went skiing at Sun Valley!! I love my two favorite Bruce’s!

I also turned 25 in March! We took this picture on my birthday!

In April, my mom came to visit and we had a great time shopping and doing all the things we love to do together! I love my Mom so much!

In May, I spent a lot of time outside with Jackson!! We went on lots of walks, read lots of books, and enjoyed the beautiful weather before it got too hot!

In June, I found out I was going to be competing at International Junior Miss as Miss Idaho! This was a goal I set for myself back in 2019! Just goes to show that sometimes your goals take a while to accomplish, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on it!

July was super fun! I started my new role at KMVT as the morning show co-anchor!

My grandfather also passed away in July, I miss you Papa!

In August, Trevor and I went to DisneyLand and California Adventure! I am sharing this picture because I was so proud of myself for not letting my fears stop me and I went on the Incredicoaster!

In September we celebrated Trevor’s birthday with these great friends!! I’m lucky to have so many great friends!

October was exciting! We bought a house! I love this house and it’s finally starting to feel like home!

November was so busy! I flew back to MA for one weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday!! We pulled off the surprise!!

Then, it was time for Internationals in Florida! What an amazing week with new friends and my family!

December was full of Christmas cheer!!

Now, these are just some highlights of the year. Most of my days were just full of work, taking care of my dog, cooking, cleaning, food shopping, and just doing daily things.

There were also a lot of sad days, and a lot of happy days. And right now as I’m ending this year, I am very sick.

But, I choose to look on the positive side and hope that 2023 will be a year full of accomplishing goals, growing, and happiness.

Happy 2023!

2022, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Boston, Idaho, International Junior Miss, Pageant, Uncategorized

My week at International Junior Miss!

a.k.a the greatest week ever!

Hi friends!! Now that I have been home for a while, am fully unpacked and back to the real world, I can settle in and write about my week competing at International Junior Miss in Orlando, Florida!

Now, for those of you who don’t know, I have competed in pageants for a while, back in MA I competed for years before being the National American Miss Massachusetts in 2017.

When I moved to Idaho, I had set a goal back in 2019 to compete again. While it took me a few years to achieve that goal, I did and it was well worth the wait!

On November 19th I set off for Orlando, Florida with 4 suitcases, one crown box and one gown bag (it had 3 gowns in it.) I arrived Saturday night, unpacked and was excited for the week ahead!

Sunday morning was check-in! I was so excited to get the week started!

Little did we know when we took this picture, that Faith would go on to win the International Junior Miss title! A very well deserved win!

Later that night (Sunday) we had kick-off and the Neon Party! The best part about competing in pageants is always meeting all of the other girls!

On Monday, I was able to have a relaxing morning, followed by the Red Carpet Correspondent Competition and then a rehearsal later that evening! Each rehearsal and event has a different theme which is always so fun to plan the outfits out!

On Tuesday we started the day with the gift exchange, each queen brought 3 gifts, one for the outgoing International queen, one for the incoming International queen, and one for another state queen. Carrington got my gift!

Later that day, I competed in the spokesmodel competition, where I spoke about defining your own success, and how WHO you are and HOW you make other people feel is what matters most.

Tuesday was my brother’s birthday, so we had a nice dinner together that night. I was so lucky that my Mom, Dad and brother all were here this week too! We had so much fun together!

Then that night we had THE fashion event of the year!! The Ashley Rene’s and Ashley Lauren’s Under the Sea Ball!! It was so much fun seeing all the amazing outfits, and spending time with these amazing women!

Wednesday was our free day! My family and I went to Epcot! Epcot is one of my favorite parks, I just love all the countries and the different food, as well as the atmosphere!

Thursday, which was Thanksgiving was a super busy day!! I was up at 5:30 a.m. for hair and makeup! For all of the required competitions I got my hair and makeup done by Makeup and Maskara and her crew! It was the best decision I made, because not only did they do an amazing job, but they make you feel so good about yourself!! It was one big hype session in there!

Thursday morning we had interview, the first required competition of the week!

The interview was so fun, all of the judges were so nice! We had 3 minutes with each judge, there was a total of 6 judges. My favorite question was Do you have any regrets with your pageant journey? My answer, I only wish I started competing sooner.

I then had an amazing photo shoot with Imagine Studios! Check out some of these shots!

I just love these photos, it was a great addition to the pageant week!!

Later that afternoon, we had the car drawing! One lucky girl won a brand new mustang convertible. I unfortunately was not that girl.

Then we had the Thanksgiving banquet! I so admired the planning and thoughtfulness in hosting this event for more than 1,000 people! Truly amazing!

I love my family SO MUCH! They are the best part of my life!

Friday, we had our final two required competitions, formal wear and fun fashion!! Here are a few of my favorite stage shots, which I’m obsessed with!

I know it may be silly, but I was very proud of myself after this! I worked with Kailyn, my coach, for months preparing for this pageant, and I told myself I wanted to just do the best that I could do. I didn’t want to compare myself to the other girls, I didn’t want to be sad or disappointed in myself when the week was over. I just wanted to do the best for me. I can confidently say I did that, and had a ton of fun!

Saturday was the final day of the pageant! We started with the pajama rehearsal in the morning, and I was so sad that the week was almost over!

The final pageant was that afternoon!

I wish I could explain in words what it felt like with these girls. I mean this when I say that every single one of these girls is going to change the world.

I was honored to be a part of this group of girls, each one so smart, so talented, so kind, so nice, so supportive, and just so amazing. The support we all showed and continue to show for each other is what this world needs.

When we were on stage and they were announcing the top 12, of course I was a little disappointed that my name wasn’t called, who wouldn’t be. But, at the same time, I was so happy for the girls whose names did get called. I was thrilled for them!

Because pageants aren’t like other competitions, every single one of those girls could have won that crown, and I mean that. And just because your name wasn’t called doesn’t make you any less worthy than the others. We all worked so hard, we all put ourselves out there, and we all did something that most are afraid to do.

And at the end of the day, there is only one girl who walks away with that International Title, and I am so happy for her! But, what I took away from this week was friendships, memories, life lessons, confidence, and fun!

I think that unless you push yourself, and do things that are hard, and surround yourself with people who are better than you, you will never grow, and that is my ultimate goal in life, to never stop growing, and learning, and pushing myself to be the best me I can be, all while supporting everyone else!

Everyone has their time to shine, and I will be supporting the girl whose time it is, knowing that when it’s mine, she will do the same!

I am thankful, grateful and truly so so lucky that I got to experience this week. I will remember it for the rest of my life!

I was honored to win Best Personality at the final pageant!

Thank you to International Junior Miss, National American Miss, and the IAM Pageant Powerhouse for this amazing week, and for helping me become who I am.

2022, A Day In The Life Of Liz, College, Idaho, journalism, Reporter, Twin Falls

WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I MOVED ACROSS THE COUNTRY AT AGE 22 TO BE A NEWS REPORTER

When I decided to move to Idaho after college, I was excited. I was scared, but I was excited… It was a good job, I had just graduated college, and I thought I was ready for this next chapter in my life.

I was so wrong. 

Now, I’ve been here for almost 3 years and I was thinking how much has changed since I began that cross country drive. 

Not only is the world a different place, but I am as well. 

And I can honestly say, even though it has undoubtedly been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, it’s also been the absolute best decision I’ve ever made. 

It’s so hard to see that so much of who you are, and the things you believe, are solely because of the people you surround yourself with. 

“You are the sum of the people you surround yourself with” 

I believe this with my whole heart. If you are around negative, mean people, you will become one too. But if you are around people who support you and lift you up, that’s who you’ll become. 

But when you move away, and you’re all alone, you get to decide who you surround yourself with, and what type of person you want to be. And not because it’s what everyone else thinks you should be doing, but simply because you know it’s what is right for you. Sometimes, you are only friends with people because you’ve always been friends with them… not because they are adding anything to your life. 

So that’s number one, whether you need to move away to figure this out or not: 

SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE WHO FILL YOUR CUP, AND SPEND TIME DOING THINGS THAT BRING YOU JOY… 

Number two: 

BE PREPARED TO BE LONELY…

The only reason I moved here was for my job, and although now I have a lot of other hobbies and people and things going on in my life, that was not the case right away. 

I was so lonely, the only people I knew were from work. I missed the familiarity of my room, my friends and my family. 

But, in a way… that’s nice, because I got to decide what I liked doing, and what I didn’t. I got to figure out what type of person I wanted to be and what types of things I wanted to do.

It’s ironic, because now, I LOVE being alone. Please just give me 20 minutes after work to myself, I need to decompress. 

Third: 

IT’S GOING TO BE HARD…

I mean, working in journalism doesn’t pay a lot… at all, so not only will you be in a place that is new, and you will be lonely, but you will also be poor. 

You also will be learning how to succeed at your job and let me be honest… you will be bad at it, very bad.

You will make mistakes, and you will be lonely, and you won’t have a lot of money… so yeah, it’s going to be really really hard. 

But, that leads me to Number four: 

REMEMBER WHY YOU WANTED TO GO INTO THIS FIELD/PROFESSION ETC… 

On my worst days, when I would go home and cry and just want to give up, I didn’t… 

For a lot of reasons, mostly because I believe life is hard, and if you can’t handle hard days, that’s on you. 

“Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.”

I love telling stories, I love meeting new people and hearing about them and why they are the way they are. I love meeting people and thinking to myself, you are doing exactly what you were put on this earth to do. 

I love it, and the good days far outweigh the bad… but it is hard, it’s so very hard. 

Wow, already on number five: 

ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOUR LIFE ISN’T ALWAYS GOING TO GO HOW YOU PLANNED IT: 

I’m not going to lie, I had a plan in my head when I moved to Idaho, to finish my two year contract and move on to another station… I always wanted to be a head anchor at a big station… but almost three years later, and I’m still here. 

There are a lot of reasons why I chose to stay, but it really all comes down to the fact that you can have all these goals and plans and dreams for your life, but then things happen, and they change. 

For example: 9 months into me living here, COVID-19 hit and I was forced to work from home. 

I believe that “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.”

So, yes I wasn’t expecting to move to Idaho and like it, I wasn’t expecting to move to Idaho and meet my boyfriend, I wasn’t expecting to move to Idaho and for the entire world to shut down. But, it did. So what am I going to do about it? 

Which is another reason why I think it’s good to be alone, and it’s good to be somewhere where no one else is impacting your decisions on how you react to it. Because you know it’s going to be your choice, and no one else’s. 

Which leads me to number six: 

TRUST YOUR GUT: 

No one knows you like you. 

So, when you are alone, and you feel in your heart or soul or gut that something isn’t right, listen to it, don’t take anyone else’s opinions into the matter, just listen to yourself. You know what feels right to you, and you know what the right choice is… you always will. 

Seven: 

HOLIDAYS NEVER GET EASIER: 

It just sucks to work on holidays, there is no easy way to say that. We all do it, and we all hate it. The only bright side is, the people at the station will understand what you are going through on those days, and they will help you get through them. 

Eight:

IT JUST TAKES TIME: 

Everything takes time, it takes time to feel like you belong, it takes time to feel like you are good at your job, it takes time to make friends, it just takes time. 

But while it’s hard, and while it seems like it’s never going to get any better, embrace that… embrace the hard… embrace the days where you mess up, learn from those mistakes, and don’t do it again… be a little better every day. 

Life seems long, but it’s really not, and your job, your money, your “success” none of that matters in the end, I believe that with all my heart. 

I can tell you with absolute certainty that what people remember about you isn’t any of that, it’s all about who you are, and how you made those people feel about themselves, and what you did for them that matters, I promise. Who you are… deep into your core, is the most beautiful thing of all. 

So if you’re still reading this, I hope it helps you. I hope some senior in college about to move across the country for his/her first reporting job reads this and just remembers one piece of information, and maybe, just maybe it will help them. 

2021, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Boston, Derek Hough, Idaho, Las Vegas, Magic, Twin Falls

Seeing Derek Hough in Las Vegas

I had the absolute best weekend ever seeing Derek Hough in his Las Vegas residency, so I thought I would write about it.

So on November 6th, my Mom flew to Vegas from Boston, and I flew to Vegas from Boise and we met up to celebrate her birthday and see Derek!

We walked around and explored the city. I have been to Vegas 2 times but never with my Mom so it was super fun! We are such good travel partners, and my mom is really my best friend!

I love Vegas, it is such a cool place! I love the theme hotels, and all the people watching!

Then it was time to see Derek! His show was at The Venetian and I really enjoyed how the theatre was small, it made it seem like we were part of the show!

Which, actually, I did become part of the show!! Derek was asking for volunteers and he picked me!

I have been to every single one of Derek’s shows, and he has never picked me, so I was SO EXCITED!

He lined us all up, I was the tallest so I was in the back. He told me to stand really still and not move because he was going to come up and push off my shoulders to jump over us!

It was AMAZING!! I was so happy!!

The whole show was spectacular, an hour and a half of pure joy! The thing I admire the most about Derek is his passion, and who he is, he cares for people, and he cares about people, and he really truly is doing exactly what he was put on this earth to do, and there is something so special about that!

In this picture Derek was telling us how for so long he always wondered if he was enough, and it took him a long time to realize that no matter how many accomplishments he had, or how many awards he won, he was always enough, and so are we.

To be honest with you all, I never feel like I’m enough, I always wonder if I am going to be successful, but none of that matters. What matters is how we treat other people, and who we are on the inside. Thank you Derek for reminding me of that.

The finale dance was to a medley from The Greatest Showman, one of my favorite movies! Such a perfect way to end the show!

As soon as it was over, I wanted to see it again!

The next day was our last day, we spent it relaxing by the pool!

I am so thankful I got to see my Mom, and also Derek, I am so thankful for this experience!

I hope I have the chance to see the magic on stage again someday!

2021, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Idaho, mental health, Reporter, Suffolk University

My journey with mental health

When I was in 10th grade, I had my first panic attack. I was backstage waiting to go on for the closing number of Les Mis ( the spring musical I was in) and I thought I was going to pass out. My eyes were blurry and my legs were shaking. I didn’t go on for the number and instead sat backstage shaking and taking deep breaths.

I had my second panic attack in Mr. Flaherty’s history class 2 days after that. I went to the nurse because I thought I was going to throw up. My mom dismissed me from school.

I’ve had a panic attack in the shower, on the bus, on the train, in the car, and in my bed. I’ve had a panic attack during a band concert and on a plane. I had a panic attack on a boat in Greece and on my living room floor. 

By senior year of high school they seemed to be getting better, or at least I had learned how to control them. I knew the signs and the triggers and I knew how I felt before they started. I thought I was doing better. 

I was excited and ready to go to college. I was going to live in the dorms and it was going to be amazing, or at least that’s what everyone kept telling me.

But it wasn’t amazing, in fact I hated college my first year.

Every night, around 3 in the morning I would wake up from my deep sleep having a panic attack. I would cry and shake and be nauseous. I would walk out of the dorms to the middle of Boston because I just couldn’t breathe and I needed some air. My heart was racing and my palms were sweating, but I felt freezing cold. And it happened, every single day. 

I didn’t tell anyone. I went into college thinking it was going to be the best years of my life, and everyone would be having a great time. Why wasn’t I having a good time? What is wrong with me? I’m all alone, or at least that’s how I felt. 

By the middle of February I couldn’t take it any more. I was never sleeping, I was having 3-4 panic attacks a day. My only thoughts were on surviving. One morning in February after another night of constant panic attacks I sat in the 150 Tremont Street cafeteria eating my breakfast and crying. I called my mom and finally told her what was happening to me.

After lots of tests and discussion with my psychiatrist, it was determined I had panic disorder and Generalized anxiety disorder, and insomnia brought on by the GAD and panic.

I took the T home that day with so many emotions- relief, worry, shame, hope.

Panic disorder means I have a chemical imbalance in my brain, causing my body to have sudden and unexpected attacks of fear. The good news, with medicine and counseling, I can learn how to live with this disorder.

I made a lot of changes, I started commuting to college every day. I came up with a strict night time routine which helped my brain learn how to sleep again.

I learned how to cope with the constant anxiety. For me, the best way to cope was to have a set schedule and routine. I lived by my calendar, crossing things off when they were complete. To this day, straying from my routine messes me up for the whole day. 

I would stay busy, I worked a lot, I had some internships, I read a lot of books, watched tv, worked hard for my grades. I taught dance and competed in pageants and went skiing on the weekends. I thought if I was busy, I wouldn’t have time to be anxious, or at least I wouldn’t have time to think about how anxious I actually was. 

I would test myself to see how long I could go without a panic attack. 1 day, 1 week, 1 month. 

And just when I would feel confident with my progress, I would have a random panic attack on a Tuesday night and worry I was reverting to how it used to be. I had medicine to take if I did start to have a panic attack, but I felt ashamed if I needed to take it, like I was never going to be okay again. 

By senior year of college, I felt pretty normal again. Even if I started having a panic attack I could control it and go on with my day- a huge improvement from how it used to be.

I started applying for jobs, feeling ready to graduate from college and start in my field.

I graduated from college on May 19, 2019 and moved to Idaho on June 15, 2019.

Moving to Idaho has been really great, but also really hard. I love my job, and going to work, but I would be lonely on my days off. Sometimes I would just go to TJ Maxx or Target just so I wouldn’t be alone. 

About one month into living here I adopted my dog, Jackson, from the shelter, and I am so glad that I did, because he became my best friend and a great way for me to meet people, we would go on walks or hikes and to the dog park.

There has been so much good to come out of moving to Idaho and working here, but let me tell you, when the world shut down last March, I did not handle it well at all.

I went back to how I was freshman year of college, solely focused on trying to get through the day. 

If I felt lonely when I first moved here, that was nothing compared to how I felt when the pandemic started. 

I cried all the time, I felt like there couldn’t possibly be another person in the entire world who understood how I felt. I was alone. I was back to my daily consuming anxiety and not being able to think about anything else. 

Because one of my main coping mechanisms for anxiety is to be busy and not have time to focus on the anxiety, when the world shut down, there went my coping mechanism, and the anxiety and panic attacks came right back. 

After a few months of things staying the same, I decided to make some changes myself. 

I started going to therapy, I moved to a bigger apartment, I tried to find things I liked to do, even if it was something small like taking a walk or baking some muffins. 

Through it all, everyday, I showed up to work and tried my best. And some days, my best was really really really bad. 

So, if you are still reading this, you may be wondering, Why is Elizabeth sharing this with us? 

Well, I’ll tell you why.

Because over the past 2 years, I’ve been telling the stories of the people and for the people of Southern Idaho, and it’s been an honor. 

But, what I’ve learned from doing this is that everyone has a story to tell, and every story matters. Now, it might not matter to everyone, but my goal is to have each story I share affect just one person. 

So in reality, my story may only have an impact on one or two people who have read this far, but in my mind, that’s enough. 

I know what it’s like when you feel alone, when you lay in bed at night crying because it’s all just too much to handle. So if you ever feel that way, I get it. 

If there is one thing I’ve learned since 10th grade, it’s this: 

All of my life, I’ve wanted to be successful, thinking that I would finally be successful when XYZ happened. 

I still worry I won’t ever be successful, but I’ve come to realize there is no definition to success, like all of the stories I’ve told over the past year, everybody’s is different. Maybe I won’t ever be the host of Good Morning America, or a rockette, maybe I’ll just be happy.

2020, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Boston, Idaho, Jackson, Reporter, Suffolk University

Lessons from moving 2,546 miles across the country

Growing up, I had lots of goals, lots of dreams and ambitions. 

For a little while, I wanted to be an actor on Broadway. 

Then I wanted to be a princess. Don’t ask me why, I just wanted to marry a prince so I could be a princess and have all the fancy jewels. 

Then my goal was to go to college so I could graduate and be a news reporter and eventually work my way up to being the host of Good Morning America. 

So, I went to Suffolk University and I had 5 internships and 3 jobs and commuted from home to school every day. I mastored taking the train, and learned all the ins and outs of Boston. 

And I loved it. I mean, honestly I LOVED it. 

I took classes that were hard but would prepare me for my job, some of which I still think about today. 

On May 17, 2019 I got a job as a reporter. On May 19, 2019 I graduated college. 

On June 10, 2019 I began my drive to Idaho for my first job as a reporter at KMVT News in Twin Falls, Idaho.  

I was excited, scared, nervous, and really happy. 

I was moving from Easton, Massachusetts to Twin Falls, Idaho to start my career. 

A 2,546 mile drive to prepare myself for what was about to happen. 

And here is what I now know: 

I greatly underestimated how hard it would be to move literally across the entire country by myself at the age of 22. 

The greatest way to learn is by doing the job. College was awesome and great, but my goodness, I’ve learned more in the past year and a half than I did in 4 years of school. 

Nothing will prepare you to cover a fatal car accident, or horrific house fire. Nothing. 

You will go home at night and not be able to forget about your job. 

You really don’t get a day off. 

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your day will not go how you planned it. 

But, there is one thing I have learned over everything else that I will carry with me for the rest of time: 

Life has its own plans for you.

I mean, growing up I had all these dreams and goals and things I wanted to do, and moving to Twin Falls, Idaho wasn’t one of them, wasn’t even a thought that popped into my head. 

But it has without a doubt been the best decision I’ve ever made. 

There are people I didn’t know 2 years ago who now, I couldn’t picture my life without. 

The people in this community are some of the nicest, most genuine, most caring people I know. 

I mean, I really just love being a part of this community, with all my heart. 

Now, I’m not saying you should just drop your goals and dreams and hope for the best, but I am saying that some of the best things to happen in your life and too good to imagine, they are too good to dream up. 

I guess what I’m saying is, be open to all the possibilities that come your way, because sometimes the most unexpected ones are the best ones. 

I still have so much to learn, so far to go, so many more mistakes to make, so many more stories to tell. 

And I am so excited to see all the things that happen to me that were too great to dream up. 

2020, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Idaho, Jackson, Reporter, Twin Falls

Celebrating 1 Year at KMVT

1 Year ago on this very day, I started working at KMVT. I remember I was so nervous walking in that day, wanting to make sure I would make a good first impression.

It was the greatest decision ever to take this job, not only have I learned a lot about being a good journalist, but also about life.

Moving here was hands down the hardest thing I have ever done. I had just graduated college, and I left everything I had ever known and worked for to move here. I was lonely and sad, and some days I still am. But, most days I love it.

I used to be the type of person who was always working towards my next goal. Whatever I was doing wasn’t good enough, it could be better, I could be better. And while I still have goals and dreams, I have realized that if I live like that I will never be happy with where I am right now.

I love living in Idaho. It’s beautiful, the people are some of the nicest I have ever met, and there is so many fun things to do.

This job is stressful, there is so much that could go wrong, and I don’t want to do a bad job. But, the best thing that I ever could have done is plan ahead. I know I contradict myself, because I also say to live in the moment, but if you don’t plan ahead, you won’t get your work done in time, and make it in time for the shows.

I do miss my home in Massachusetts, but at the same time, I have made a home here, with people who I love.

The most important thing I have learned since moving here is everything works out. Maybe not what you imagined or pictured in your head, but sometimes even better. I love working here at KMVT News, and I love living here in Idaho, and I am excited to see what my future holds, but for now… I’m just going to be happy.

2020, Idaho, SPRING, Twin Falls

Spring is my favorite season

Hi friends. Recently, I realized that spring is definitely my favorite season. I love how everything comes to life again, how I can feel the sun on my face, I love the flowers blooming, but it isn’t too hot out yet. I love spring, it makes me happy.

You know what else I love? Seeing beautiful sights in nature.

Over the last few weeks I have taken pictures of pretty things I have seen while I was out walking my dog, or getting B-Roll for my stories and they will be in this blog, check it out!!

Yellow is my favorite color!
How cool is it that this is a photo I took? It looks like a painting.
Beautiful views while taking my dog for a walk!
Speaking of… my handsome boy
I had to go to Wilson Lake in Jerome County for a possible boat sinking. There was not boat sinking, but this was a great sunset!
Idaho is so pretty
I love tulips, I think they are my favorite flower, they close up at night, and come alive when the sun comes out! Such smart flowers!

I hope you liked looking at the beautiful pictures as much as I did! HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!