2023 started off with me wearing a helmet while interviewing Zachk at Ollie’s Skate Shop. The year ended with me falling into the Sabine River in 40 degree weather with 23 mph winds. Throughout the last 12 months, I ate Czechoslovakian pastries, jumped on bounce houses, poked my head through cardboard stand-in cutouts, attempted pull-ups on camera at the Boorman Trail, and built my own bouquet in a flower garden. There were helmets involved….and sweat. A lot of it. I occasionally drank on the job–all for the good of my community, of course. Who knew my VERY legitimate, not fake at all VIP Press Pass came with so much clout?

As I reflect on the places I’ve been and the people I both met (and pretended to meet) through UL Live, a few things come to mind.

The first is this—there is nowhere else I’d rather be…and not just because I get to interview my dog, Gwennie, from time to time or eat Shivers shaved ice and call it work either. I truly cannot imagine myself living anywhere but here. This is my community, my home.

Second, having the opportunity to see our city through a different perspective has shown me just how special it really is. There is an unbelievable amount of fun to be had. I think about all the interviews and behind-the-scenes experiences. At first I thought, “I cannot for the life of me put my finger on any one thing that makes Longview unique.” Then it hit me. I can. It’s the people.

The reality is that I get an up-close look at the men and women who are making our little corner of the world a lot hipper and livelier. It’s the risk takers and daydreamers who had a vision and took off after it who keep adding ‘oomph’ to our neck of the Piney Woods.

If you would have asked me a year and a half ago if I ever saw myself bee-bopping around town making videos for Uniquely Longview magazine, I wouldn’t have believed you, mostly because I still can’t believe this is what I get paid to do. Every conversation, every wink, every sneak peek makes me stop in my tracks and breathe deeply, especially when I watch the bloopers. We giggle and mess up and forget what we were talking about. Ultimately, we are just having a really good time promoting our city as a wonderful place to live, work, and play…so, don’t forget to follow us for my next unique adventure!