WDAZ

Hello all!

Here are some of my stories I’ve done so far at WDAZ!

Bacon Scented Pillows:

http://www.wdaz.com/content/settle-your-brain-long-winters-nap-bacon-scented-pillowcase

Retirement in North Dakota:

http://www.wdaz.com/content/many-north-dakota-working-past-retirement-age

First Insurance Deadline:

http://www.wdaz.com/news/3633729-key-deadline-approaching-health-insurance

And here I am LIVE on my birthday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3i6hyhHNaU

Catch the 6pm and 10pm shows live at www.wdaz.com/video

Thank you all who have been tuning in and I hope you continue to!

– Stephanie

Grand Forks, North Dakota

My dad and I have now been in Grand Forks, ND for 5 days.

I am the proud owner of a North Dakota drivers license. It was the quietest DMV I’ve ever been to. Very quick and efficient.

So far we’ve tried the Noodle Company and Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. So delicious!

Walmart has been our go-to place since we’ve gotten here. We’ve been there several times and also checked out some of the other stores.

On Wednesday, Nov. 19th we went to check out my new job. It was so exciting and we got an amazing tour. Here is a picture of me and my co anchor:

We’ve really gotten a lot done in the 5 days that we’ve been here. We still have a few more things on our to-do list but we’re ready to enjoy the weekend and the last week we have left with each other.

(the view from my apartment balcony)

Road Trip: Day 4

Woke up early, excited, refreshed and ready to hit the road for the last time! Everything started off great and then the wind started to pick up. We’ve both never experienced anything like it. Here are some pictures of how hard the wind was blowing. It was creating snowy swirls and it kept pushing our car. It was nonstop like this for most of the way. We found it pretty stressful.

 

Then the Welcome to North Dakota sign appeared. We couldn’t have been happier!

Soon we saw signs to Grand Forks. Luckily the crazy wind started to calm down and the road was empty and peaceful – after all it is the Peace Garden State!

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

Once we got to my apartment complex, we checked in at the leasing office and met Valerie who welcomed us with open arms. Then we had to make a quick trip to the Nodak electric company to transfer the account to my name. Once we got that all taken care of – we got the keys to my new place!

My new one bedroom apartment is amazing and everything I hoped it would be. It has new appliances and the layout is great. It even has a balcony. They even provided some sodas in my fridge, a nice welcome note and an air freshener. We were very satisfied.

Now the physical labor part. We had to unload all the things we had packed in my car and my new apartment is on the third floor so there were lots of stairs. And it is really cold outside so we had to wear our heavy coats while carrying everything up the stairs. It was definitely a workout. But once we were done, we felt accomplished and ready to plop down anywhere. As you can see below, that’s exactly what I did.

The rest of the day we went exploring and bought lots of things for my new home.

It was definitely a day to remember.

Road Trip: Day 3 – Minneapolis

A bit delayed due to technical difficulties… but we’re back online!

It took a while to get there and a while to get to our next destination from there but Minneapolis was a much needed resting stop.

After sadly leaving beautiful Chicago my dad and I had to go through Wisconsin to get to Minneapolis. 

Of course we tried some of their cheese to see what everyone’s talking about! It was pretty yummy!

Many hours later we made it to Hilton Minneapolis!

And after being in the car for so long we were so happy to get to the warm hotel and comfortable beds.

Then we were ready for some food and drinks! We decided to check out the restaurant/bar in the lobby. Emily “The Rock” was our bartender and she was awesome! She even gave us a complimentary appetizer.

    

Afterwards we enjoyed a steak and called it a night. The next day was a big day for us – Grand Forks, North Dakota!

To Be Continued…

My blog is being put on hold till we can get internet in my new apartment.

Pictures from Road Trip: Day 3 – Minneapolis
And Road Trip: Day 4 – Grand Forks
will be posted soon.

Stay tune!

– Stephanie

Road Trip: Day 2

Rise and Shine! Breakfast at 6am and out the door by 7am. My dad and I were back on the road again.

We decided to get some coffee first.  Starbucks is always a good idea.

And then we said bye to Cleveland!

 

Oh why hello there Indiana! Hope you don’t mind but we’re just passin’ through.

Chicago: 235 more miles. Oh my!

 

Here we are 5 and a half hours in the car and we’re close!

Once we got to the Windy City, we checked into our hotel. We got a nice room overlooking a part of Lake Michigan.

Now the fun begins…

My dad and I settled in a bit but then we were off once again. We had a special lunch date with my good friend Alyssa who went to college with me in SoCal. Haven’t seen her since graduation in May so I was really excited and happy to see her. She chose an amazing deep dish pizza place – Lou Malnati’s! Yum!

After the delicious lunch, we used Uber to get to Millennium Park. (Just a side note – before this trip, the Bean was all I could talk about so I was really excited, which is why I might have over did it with the pictures. But I honesty couldn’t help myself and it was SO worth it!) Here are some of my top favorites:

( ^ I got yelled at for standing on the chair but it just had to be done.)

Many photos later… We decided to walk back from the park down Michigan Avenue. The walk back to the hotel was about a mile and it was chilly but beautiful.

When we were almost back we stumbled upon this public art event involving chalk. We decided to participate. In the box there were two parts we were supposed to fill out. “I want to live in a world where…” and “To create this world, I will…”

Once we got back to our hotel, we couldn’t wait to take off our boots. We rang up the front desk for some house slippers.

Now it’s time to kick back and relax in our stylish slippers. Road Trip: Day 3 – Minneapolis starts early tomorrow morning! North Dakota – we’re coming for you!

Road Trip: Day 1

At 1am this morning, my dad and I woke up to get ready for our 3am road trip departure from our home in New Jersey. When we were ready we said our bittersweet goodbyes to my mom and the doggies and got in my overstuffed Honda Civic. And then our journey began…

Our first stop – Cleveland, Ohio!

My dad drove the first two hours and then I took over. We drove a total of 447 miles and for about 7 hours. We came across snowy and icy roads. The Hilton Garden Inn was a welcoming sight! We checked in and made our way up to the room.

After a long drive we were hungry and tired. We ate the sandwiches my mom made us and watched the snow fall from our hotel room window. We could see Progressive Field from our room on the 8th floor.

We FaceTimed my mom and of course I had to see my Zoe. We really miss each other.

Then it was nap time! I guess because of all the excitement I only got three hours of sleep the night before so I fell fast asleep.

After our nap we were ready for some dinner. And because of the weather, we decided to eat at the hotel restaurant downstairs. My dad had a yummy burger with fries and I had grilled chicken fettuccine.

After dinner, we took a nice walk in front of the hotel and took some pictures.

Now time to get some rest before Road Trip: Day 2 – Chicago!

Fond Farewell to CNN!

Hello!

Today is my last day at CNN! It’s been one heck of a ride. I interned here from June-August and started freelancing from September till now. My next adventure begins in one of the coldest cities in America – Grand Forks, ND! I’m extremely excited to be starting this new chapter in my life as an on-air general assignment reporter for an ABC affiliate station – WDAZ!

I will continue to update my blog when I start my roadtrip with my Dad in mid November to the “Peace Garden State”.

Stay Tune!

– Stephanie

Four Years

About four years ago I packed up my stuff and moved across the country .

Now, I’m graduating.

Huge thank you to my parents who gave me the courage to make the move. These past four years have been some of the best times of my life. And I couldn’t have done it without their support.

It’s been real, Cal State Long Beach. Thanks for the memories.

Commencement Ceremony: 1 week from tomorrow
Leaving California: 2 weeks from tomorrow
It’s going to be a busy, exciting and bittersweet couple of weeks!

RTNA Workshop

Attended an RTNA Workshop at Pepperdine University and I really enjoyed the guest speakers.