The Month of Blessings

Big noticias to share today...I am now the newest Assignment Editor at NBC6 and Telemundo 51!

It's really humbling how quickly God moved in making this a reality. It still hasn't fully hit me yet...I'm getting paid to do something I love! Whaaatt? When did that happen? Two months ago I was a full-time student and an intern! And now... I'm a full-time NBC employee. Awesomeness.

As far as school goes, I only have 15 credits (about 5 classes!) left, and my original plan was to finish them up in the fall and graduate in December. But, God had other plans (obviously), so for now I'll just be taking two classes (one in person, one online) so that I don't overdo it with school and work. At this pace I should be walking in May (to make my mother happy) and taking one more class in Summer A....aaand I'll officially be DONE! I can't wait for that day. Seriously. I'm so over college. But that's for another blog entry. ;)

The job itself has its stressful moments... I'm still getting used to the different responsibilities, personalities, and schedules I have to work with on a daily basis. It's tough, and I've wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear on more than one occasion. But I know that God placed me here for a reason, and this is really such a great learning experience for me.

Thanks for everyone who prayed and thought of us these last few months! Your continued prayers are very greatly appreciated!

Happy Birthday Gabby!

Today is my hunny's 23rd birthday!

I'm so very blessed to have him in my life. He's so generous and kind, but most of all, he puts up with me on a daily basis (I think he deserves an award for that alone!). He's my #1 supporter and encourager, and has this innate ability to be positive when I'm down or negative. I don't know how he does it, but he does! 

He's also so intelligent. I mean, seriously. He knows all the U.S. Presidents and basically everything about American Colonial History. The man is a walking encyclopedia. Nuff said. 

More than anything, Gabby is my best friend. Over the past six years, he has been my rock in some of the most difficult times of my life. He has hugged me, laughed with me, cried with me, and most importantly, prayed with me. God has done such an extraordinary work in his life, and I am so proud of the Godly man he has become. 

After six years of hopes and dreams, our prayers are finally being answered one by one, and we're starting to grow up little by little. It's so exciting to see your dreams become a reality right before your eyes, and it's so much better to have someone to experience them all with. I can't imagine a better partner to spend my life with. And I can't wait to see what God has in store for us! 

Happy Birthday baby! I love you!

Jackie.

Anyone who know me knows that I've been Jackie Nespral's number one fan since I was like 10. I know. I'm a huge dork.

I grew up watching NBC6, and I was always drawn to the making of a newscast, and I just always loved her because she seemed so down to earth. She was the first person that I wanted to mold my career after, and she's been one of my role models for such a long time.

Since I started my internship there, I've been slightly starstruck from seeing all these personalities I grew up with face-to-face. But I've always wanted to meet Jackie.

Today I got that chance!

She usually comes in after I leave, so I'd never seen her in person before. But today she had a story to edit, so she came a little early. For the record, the woman is flawless. She doesn't look a day over 30. I want to look like that when I'm older. Before I left, I mustered up all my courage and stopped by her office. The conversation went a little something like this (with my thoughts for extra kicks):

(knock on door)
Jackie: Come in...
Me: Hiii. I'm Alexandra, I'm one of the interns this summer. It's great to meet you. (shakes hand. heart stops.)
Jackie: Hi Alexandra! Welcome aboard, it's great to have you.
Me: Thanks! I just wanted to let you know....(how do I tell her I love her and admire her without sounding like a creeper?)...you're awesome. (What did I just say??? I look like a fool. Good job. She thinks you're an idiot now.)
Jackie: (laughs) Aw, thank you so much.
Me: Well I really wanted to ask you... I wanted to know if you would be willing to look over my tape sometime and give me some pointers?
Jackie: Sure! Of course. Just drop by anytime and I'll be more than happy to look it over for you.
Me: Great! Thank you so much! It was great meeting you.
Jackie: Same here! Bye!
(leave office. legs shake.)

I'm so happy right now!

That's all I wanted to share. :)

Great News!

I want to thank everyone for all of your prayers!

Gabby got the job! :D

I'm so excited/proud/happy for him to start not just a new job, but a career that he is passionate about. God has been so good to us, and we have been patient in waiting on His will.

In our small group we've been studying the book of Genesis, and something we discussed (a few weeks ago in fact) was praying specifically for things. I argued that I wouldn't be able to tell God specifically what I wanted, just because I'd feel like I'm telling Him what to do for me, when He's the one who knows the plans He has for me. But some of my friends mentioned that they had prayed specifically for certain things, and in doing so were able to more clearly see God's answer to those prayers. That is definitely true in this situation. Gabby wants to teach at the university level one day, and I mentioned to him that teaching an AP course would probably be something he would enjoy.

Well, the position he is being considered for is to teach AP American History for 11th and 12th graders.

Seriously. How perfect is that?

Only God can make things work out so beautifully. Thanks again to everyone for all your prayers! :)

Naples Vacation

For Memorial Day Weekend, my family and I took a much-needed getaway to beautiful Naples. It was just what we needed after a crazy Spring semester! We stayed in my uncle's apartment on Vanderbilt Beach, and did absolutely nothing but lay out by the beach and pool. It was glorious.

Here are some pictures:

my cousin & uncle love gourmet cooking, so for dinner one night they grilled some salmon fillets on cedar planks! So good. :)

As you can see, Naples has some pretty awesome sunsets. On our last night (Sunday), we walked over to the beach to take some photos. It's actually pretty crazy, but you can see the sun moving over the horizon! The coolest part about it, besides the sheer beauty of it, is that after the sun faded over the horizon, everyone on the beach started cheering. It was almost like they were giving a round of applause to God for the marvelous creation He made. The only thing I thought about was this verse from the book of Psalms:

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

--Psalm 19:1-6

 

Keep Them Prayers Comin'!

I've already been so busy this summer! Spring classes went well for me (2 B's and 2 A's! Yay me!), but only a week later Summer A semester began. I'm taking Judicial Process and The Presidency, which Gabby is helping me with since he's my designated history nerd. Summer goes by so fast! I only have two weeks left of classes, then I'll have the rest of the summer off of school. Freedom!

On top of school and work, I'm also currently interning at NBC-6 up in Miramar. So far, so GREAT. I'm loving every minute of this internship! My schedule is Thursday during the day and Saturday/Sunday from 2-11pm. I'm crazy, I know. But I'm getting so much experience, and hopefully I'm leaving a good impression for the managers here. Pray for me!

Speaking of prayer, please keep Gabby in your prayers as well! He's been searching for jobs ever since he graduated in December, but hasn't heard anything. He recently submitted his resume to literally EVERY middle school or high school in the area, and he has an interview on Monday at Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School! We have been praying for patience in finding a job, and God has definitely challenged us to trust in His plan. Hopefully this is part of that plan. If not, that's fine too.

So things are definitely looking up for us right about now. We're both very grateful and very excited for what God has in store for us. Continue to keep us in your prayers, and I promise I will try to keep the blogging up to date.

60 Minutes: Deepwater Horizon Blowout, Part 1 and 2

Another excellent segment on this week's "60 Minutes". The blowup of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico led to one of the worst oil spills in history. Mike Williams, the rig's Chief Electronics Technician, told his harrowing story of what happened in the days and weeks leading up to the explosion, and how he survived.


Part 1:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Part 2:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

What NOT to do...when saying "penis" on Live TV

I've lived in Miami my entire life, and never have I seen anchors lose it on live TV! At least until the other night. This new installment of "What Not to Do" is pretty funny. It's not really something you can help, so I hesitate a bit in categorizing this as a TV 'no-no'. In any case, it's hilarious.

In high school, during our morning news show, if we lost it on the air we got the wrath of our teacher. But some things are just too funny to NOT laugh at. Case in point: WFOR-CBS4's Shannon Hori and Antonio Mora losing it after mentioning the male genitalia in a voice over. What ensues is a whole bunch of awesomeness.

Miami Lighthouse Soundslides Project

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to spend the morning with an inspiring group of people at the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  This rehabilitation center is close to the heart for me. My dad has been going there for a few months now, since his vision has dramatically deteriorated over time. He always told me how great the Lighthouse is, and when I had the opportunity to cover a story of my choice in my Broadcast News Reporting class, I decided that there was no better place to cover than the Miami Lighthouse.

This is the project I did using Soundslides. Tell me what you think!



(View the larger version of this slideshow)




For more information on how you can help the Miami Lighthouse, click here.

Special thanks to everyone at the Lighthouse for being so welcoming and gracious!

60 Minutes: The Lost Children of Haiti

For my broadcast reporting class, one of our weekly assignments is to watch the newsmagazine 60 Minutes each week. We're supposed to point out our favorite segments and discuss why they are important: Is there compelling video or audio? Is there a compelling narrative? Is there an interesting way the reporter interviews?

I thought it'd be a good idea to start a feature for this format, since 60 Minutes is a great way to see how real journalism is done.

So for my first 60 Minutes feature, I give you "The Lost Children of Haiti."

The narrative is so compelling, I literally stopped what I was doing when I was watching it and just took it all in. It's heartbreaking, yet still very newsworthy. The way the story is told, the descriptions, the compelling characters, their stories... it all blends together in a way that shows why 60 Minutes is the best newsmagazine on television.



Watch CBS News Videos Online

What NOT to do... on-air

This video literally made me laugh out loud when I saw it!

Knoxville's WVLT reporter Gordon Boyd lost it in a live shot...but I think the funniest part of it all has to be the anchor's face when they came back to him!!!!

I think "What NOT to do" will be an ongoing feature on this blog. I just love laughing at people.

Seriously, though, videos like this definitely remind me how important it is to maintain your professionalism in front of the camera at all times... you never know when you'll be the latest YouTube sensation! Note to self: If you mess up a live shot, wait until you're cued out to get upset.

Enjoy :)

Opportunities Abound

Nice header, eh? I'm proud to say I did it all myself. This blog is finally shaping up. :: Pat on the back:: :)

Anyway, some incredible opportunities have been coming my way. First of all, the Liberty City Link is about to print its first few articles in the South Florida Times! Here is the Times' announcement from last week. Four or five of my classmates will be published reporters by Friday! How exciting!

As for my story, where do I begin really? It started out as a relatively simple story, about the Hot Spot program and its impact on the Liberty City community. Eventually, though, my professor and I noticed some irregularities about the organization which sponsors the program. Needless to say, I will be writing the Liberty City Link's first investigative piece! My professor is giddy with excitement. As am I, but I'm just really intimidated by the whole thing. I really need to make sure I report everything as accurately as possible!

Reisner (said professor) told us the other day in class that the Times is even considering hiring some of us as interns over the summer, so that we can continue reporting for the Link and, in the fall, be able to be "editors" for the next batch of students coming in (who have NO idea what they're getting themselves into!). As heartbroken as he will be, I'm not sure about taking an internship at a newspaper. It's not personal or anything. It's just that my major is in broadcasting, so I want to be able to put together an impressive resume tape before graduation, so that I can increase my chances of being hired as a reporter soon after college.

I already got several opportunities! I applied a while back for the internship at NBC6 (or NBCMiami...or whatever they're called nowadays), and I am scheduled for an interview with them next month! Also, Reisner loves me as an investigative journalist, so he told me that he could hook me up with some of the investigative reporters at Channels 4 and 6. ALSO, my broadcast news professor told me she would be willing to hook it up at Channel 7, since one of her former students is currently a reporter there. I could tag along with her and get clips for my tape :)

All this is really exciting to say the least! God has really opened so many doors for me, and I'm so grateful for the wonderful professors He has placed in my life. They're great mentors and they're so willing to help! It's so refreshing and humbling.

This week is Spring Break (yay!), and after we get back we'll have just about a month to wrap things up. I'm praying God gives me the strength to deal with everything on my plate, both now and in the two (two!) semesters I have left. I know it'll be a long and busy summer, but I'm pretty confident that I can do it. :)

Coming Soon...

Liberty City Link

We are all so excited about this project! More to come soon...
(You can follow my experiences here)

Retail Therapy!

So, yesterday I was having a pretty "blah" day. I was super emo and angry at the world for no apparent reason... I still can't put my finger on what it was! Anyway, I decided to do some studying for my Consumer Economics exam at school. After a couple of hours of that, Gabby surprised me in the library and asked if I wanted to do anything later. I said yes, so I headed on home while he went to church for mass. On the way home, I passed by the Goodwill Superstore. I remembered a friend of mine telling me that she had bought a super cute and chic jacket there for just $3! And since: 1) I was in the area, and 2) I'm a broke college student with barely enough to pay the bills, I thought, what the heck. Goodwill it is!

Let me just say, it's my new favorite store.

I walked (skipped?) away with:

• Abercrombie & Fitch jeans ($4)
• Michael Kors pants ($3!! I still can't believe it!!)
• Vintage boyfriend blazer ($7)
• Mossimo for Target T-shirt ($3)

All that for a total of $18.73!! That definitely made my college-student's heart oh so happy. Considering that I haven't gone shopping in ages just because I never have any money and clothes seem to be getting more and more expensive, I am SO excited to have discovered the beauty of thrifting! 

That literally made my day. Retail therapy really exists, and its name is Goodwill.

I still can't stop raving about it! {Well, that, and we ended up watching The Book of Eli. AMAZING. If you haven't seen it, GO. Right now.}

"As Haitians Flee, the Dead Go Uncounted"- NYT 1/19/2010

This is an article by Damien Cave that ran in the New York Times on January 19. My journalism professor sent it to us to show the power of excellent writing in news, and so I wanted to pass it along. It really is a beautifully written story, and I think it conveys so much emotion. 


See it online here. 
---------------------------------------
January 19, 2010

As Haitians Flee, the Dead Go Uncounted

By DAMIEN CAVE

TITANYEN, Haiti — A few miles north of the busted-down buildings in Port-au-Prince, up a hillside where cows graze, an empty hole awaits the dead. Rectangular, 20 feet deep and wide, 100 feet long, it is one of the newest mass graves, but there are many more.

New Title!

Shout out to Anne Marie for my new cute, witty blog name! Yay!

Thank you, friend! :)

Release

I literally felt my heart break today.

I've felt a terrible sense of loss since Tuesday when I learned about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. I'm not Haitian. I don't really have a lot of Haitian friends. But for some reason this disaster moved me immensely. From the minute I saw the pictures, I felt compelled to go there, not just as a journalist to report, but as a human being to help.

Every time I eat a meal, I think of the little girl who has none. Every time I take a shower, I think of the elderly man who hasn't had one in nearly a week. Every time I hug my mother, I think of the little boy who lost his entire family in a few seconds.

Today at church we sang a song about how there will be no weeping, no hurt or suffering in our final destination, heaven. It was already moving, and at the end a slideshow came up of all the different images I had seen earlier this week. No suffering. No dying. No sick or lame. I looked up and literally sobbed for those people who, right now, are dying or have witnessed some of the most horrific scenes you could ever imagine. I thought of all the suffering they have endured over the last few days, and thought about all that God has in store for us in eternity. And it was so liberating. I know there are amazing things in store for the next life, and they are so much better than all the pain and suffering this world has to offer.

I'm continually praying for all the people of Haiti and for those who might know of someone who was affected, and I hope that God would be with those who were left behind.

Development

Last night, I watched Julie & Julia with my mom. It looks so easy writing and maintaining an interesting blog in the movies. So, I decided that I need a new focus for this blog, and a new, catchy, witty title.

Any suggestions from any creative folk out there?

Also, I'm pretty excited about this semester and all it has in store. For one of my classes, I'll be heading out to Liberty City to cover the Social Services beat for my journalism class's as-yet-unnamed online newspaper (The Liberty City Link? The Liberty City Wire? The Grid? We can't seem to decide). It's something new and exciting and fresh, and I can't wait to get out and start telling people's stories. Stay tuned, I'll be posting links to my articles as well as the newspaper once it's up and running.

For another journalism class, Multiethnic Reporting, we are to focus on an area that we would otherwise be scared of going due to prejudices or bias, and then we have to go there! And just hang out. Another cool class. It promises to be politically incorrect and never dull. We have to create a blog to journal our experiences, so if you wanna check that out, click here.

:)