I’ll never forget the first time I visited Lafayette, LA I fell in love with it! I loved the culture and the people were so kind, the food was the best I had ever tasted, and I can’t forget to mention the nightlife was incredible! I immediately knew that’s where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life.
So, I packed up my bags and headed out!
I met my some of my best friends at UL Lafayette, cheered on the Cajuns from the sidelines and joined a sorority! I didn’t miss out on anything! I enjoyed ever minute of my time in Cajun Country! I could go on and on about my college days!
But I want to know… How you decided which college you were going to attend? Was it the nightlife? Academics? Scholarships? extracurricular activities or friends?
By the way the Princeton Review just released its list of top party schools (sorry all you LSU fans… you didn’t make the list).
Penn State was the #1 party school… and coming in at #19 was Tulane University!
I just finished covering the most difficult trial I’ve ever had to cover. It was the trial of retired Caddo Fire Captain Joe Prock.
For those of you who have been under a rock for the past 3 weeks or 3 years… Joe Prock was killed after he walked in on a robbery at his mother’s house in Greenwood on April 1st 2006. The two robbers (Felton Dorsey and Randy Wilson) tied him up, put a plastic bag over his head and pistol whipped him and set him on fire. All the while his mother Bobbie, who is now 82 years old, was tied up in the other room. She was able to crawl out of the burning house.
Mrs. Bobbie Prock is the sweetest and strongest person I’ve ever met. Each time I saw her throughout the 2 1/2 week trial I couldn’t help but give her a big hug. Just thinking about what this poor woman went through brings tears to my eyes. There were several days I was sitting in the courtroom and caught myself getting teary eyed. One of those times was when they played the 911 tape from that day of the brutal murder. You could hear a frantic Mrs. Bobbie on the tape telling the operator what happened and how her son had just been set on fire. To think what she had to go through breaks my heart. Then, to hear her on the stand retelling the story… to hear Joe Prock’s friends and fellow firefighters talk about the kind of man he was… to hear his brother’s tell stories about him… it really got to me.
As a reporter it’s our job not to be biased, but covering this story I admit I failed. I think anyone who has half a heart would have done the same. I found myself constantly putting myself in that families shoes… thinking, what if it was my family. It made me so mad to look at Felton Dorsey in that courtroom… just knowing the pain and suffering he caused that family. .. what he put poor Mrs. Bobbie through.
Hats off to the Prosecutors in this case (Dhu Thompson and Brady O’Callaghan). They did some of the best work I’ve ever seen. They had dozens of friends of Felton Dorsey testify and left no doubt in the jurors’ minds that Felton Dorsey was the man at the scene of the crime.
As Prosecutors said “this is the worst of the worst crime… and Mr. Dorsey deserves the worst of the worst punishment”. I’m not one to wish death on anyone… but in this case… after hearing the evidence… death is the sentence Dorsey deserved and it’s the sentence he got.
To The Prock family: keep your head up and know that Joe is in a better place. I know this will never bring him back, but hopefully it can give you some type of closure. I’ll be praying for you all.
The wedding date is getting closer and closer. We’ve got most of the big stuff done for the wedding and now it’s time for showers and pictures and all the fun stuff.
Two weeks ago Patrick and I took engagement pictures. It’s something I had been looking forward to… however, Patrick, not really being one who enjoys taking pictures, wasn’t too excited about it! But, he ended up having a really good time once we actually started taking pics.
We did the shoot at this beautiful ranch in Doyline. Our amazing photographer spent two hours snapping photos of our every move. She blogged some of them… feel free to check them out!
Click here to see some of the engagement pictures!
There are lots of different types of birthmarks that can appear on almost every part of the body. Contrary to a popular myth, they’re not related to any stress or trauma experienced by mothers during pregnancy… that’s according to doctors.
I have a small brown one on my knee and another small one on my stomach. I remember as a little girl I never understood why I had these marks. But now it’s just become part of my identity.
What about you? Do you have a birthmark? What kind? What color? Where?
Over the past few days my chocolate lab, Dude and I have been taking advantage of the nice weather. We’ve gone on several walks and jogs around my neighborhood.
But it never fails… at least twice in the past week I’ve looked back and seen Dude going number 2 in someone else’s yard. And, to make matters worse he seems to pick the yards where people are outside working. Yesterday, for example… the yard Dude choose… a man was working in his flower bed… luckily he didn’t see what happened.
My immediate response is always “Dude, no! Come on… that’s not our yard!” He just looks at me like I’m crazy! Meanwhile, I try to keep on walking hoping no one notices him doing his business.
I guess I’m going to have to start carrying around a pooper scooper! Ewwwwe!! I use to make fun of people who followed behind their dogs with one of those things. I guess what goes around comes around!! Oh well, it looks like Barbie uses one… so I guess I can!!
I had the chance to interview one of the sweetest and strongest families today.
Jackson Kennedy is only 7 years old but you’d never know it talking to him. The 1st grader has been battling cancer for about a year and a half. He has a brain tumor that’s growing.
This little guy was such an inspiration to me.
When I asked him how it was dealing with the disease he simply replied
“I always think positive; I always think about the good things, I just don’t worry about the next day.”
For me this story was even harder to tell… Jackson’s mother Lindsay graduated from my high school a year before me. I just can’t imagine being in her shoes. But just like her son… she remains optimistic… and takes it day by day. Never knowing what tomorrow will bring.
I really encourage you all to hear Jackson’s story during our 30 minute St. Jude Special. It’s Tuesday, March 24th at 6:30.
I was flipping through the channels today and happened to catch the UCA Cheerleading Nationals on ESPN. While watching it I found myself thinking back to my college cheerleading days. Oh, those were the good ole’ days.
I remember the early morning (5am) and late night practices just to get ready for National Competition. The big competition came right after Christmas… so we would practice through the holidays.
We would leave practice daily with lots of bumps and bruises… Icy Hot was one of my best friends!
I remember spending months and months preparing to step on the big blue mat and perform a 2 1/2 minute routine. Looking back now I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Those were definitely some of the best years of my life.
Any favorite college memories you’d like to share?
We just got back from Breckenridge, Colorado. I’ve spent the past week snowboarding… well, I guess I should say… trying to snowboard!
I really started to get the hang of it and started cruising down the slopes our last day… go figure!
Snowboarding is a REAL workout! I could barely walk after our first day on the slopes! I guess I should have actually tried to workout before I went on the trip!
Anyhow, Colorado is such a beautiful place… all the mountains covered in snow. Everywhere I looked was like a picture on a postcard. I would move there in a heartbeat if I could. How about you? If you could move any place in the U.S where would it be? Why?
I spent part of my Friday cleaning my house. Fun, right? My philosophy…. clean a little while… watch some tv… play with the dog,…then clean a little more. So, it’s an all day project for me!
But it never fails… every time I decide to clean… I do the bathrooms very last. I HATE cleaning bathrooms. Whether they’re dirty of not… I just don’t like cleaning them!
What part of house cleaning do you hate most? Dishes, mopping, dusting, folding clothes or all of it?!
It seems like every Saturday when I walk into work I’m singing Taylor Swift’s song Love Story. I know my producers and poor little Casey Ferrand wish I would sing another song or just stop singing altogether!
Any songs stuck in your head today?! Any suggestions on other songs I should start singing instead!!
We just got back from Breckenridge, Colorado. I’ve spent the past week snowboarding… well, I guess I should say… trying to snowboard!
Anyhow, Colorado is such a beautiful place… all the mountains covered in snow. Everywhere I looked was like a picture on a postcard. I would move there in a heartbeat if I could. How about you? If you could move any place in the U.S where would it be? Why?
