9 years in the biz...wow time flies!

It's hard to believe that I got my first job in televsion just over 9 years ago. I was still in college when I accepted the weekend meteorologist/reporter job at KTAB in Abilene, TX. I had never been to Texas when I took the job over the phone. It was a big step, but I wanted to follow my dream of becoming a broadcast meteorologist.

I missed home terribly, but my family and friends came to visit when I couldn't get back to the east coast. I made some great friends in the Lone Star state, who are still in my life now. I also got one of the best presents of my life (okay probably the best) when coming home to visit...Abbie. She was my companion when I was lonely and my travel buddy. I can't believe she will be 9 years old later this month, so happy birthday to Abbie! And for those that didn't know she was named after the city of Abilene, Texas.

My next stop took me to Wilmington, NC. It was a good move for my career and was my chance to get back on the east coast. Six months later, Ed and I got engaged on Wrightsville Beach, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. We got married while living in the Port City too. We also adopted Blondie from my dad while we were in Wilmington, so that Abbie would have a friend.




Next stop...Macon, Georgia. This was a move for Ed and I. I was offered a morning and noon job doing just weather and he got the chance to go back to school and work on his MBA. We throughly enjoyed having the same schedule, which meant working out together, training for sprint triathlons, and traveling on the weekends. WMAZ was a great station with amazing viewers and I think their support of me from day 1 was what gave me the energy to get up before 2am every morning.





Last stop Charleston? We sure hope so...lol! Ed has a great job at Boeing and I'm working at the ABC station doing weekend weather and reporting 3 days a week. It is home for me and a great place for Ed's family to come visit, so the plan is no more moving....looks like the Heaths are here for the long haul.

Congrats to Ed!

It's been a big year for him and yet it's only June!

He "landed" a great job at Boeing and has finished all six weeks of training. He already has projects that he is working on and may be visiting the Seattle plant later this month.

He finished all of his classes in early May and now has his MBA. I told him that he is now officially smarter than me...and I have no problem with it :)

And let me just say to all of our friends and family that have gone back to school after undergrad, KUDOS!

Ed "lands" a new job

One of the reasons that we decided to move to Charleston last summer was that there were more job opportunities for Ed. Well he finally "landed" a great job at Boeing (get it? They make planes...cheesy line I know!) He will be a manufacturing engineer to Boeing, although he isn't exactly sure what that will entail. He starts on Good Friday and will have training for several weeks.

He had been applying for numerous jobs in the area while still working part-time for his company in Wilmington and taking classes for his MBA...in other words he was staying busy! We are just thrilled that he will be able to do something within his area of expertise while also getting to branch out from his past two jobs.

And while Ed has a solid resume, we know it was all God's work and timing.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Thanks for all the prayers....we know they helped too. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Heaths!

We hope that this blog finds all of you happy and healthy! It has been a fun and exciting year for us as we moved from Central Georgia to the beach. In late August, we moved to Sonya’s hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.

                                         


Sonya is now the weekend meteorologist at WCIV, which is known as Channel 4 by folks in the Lowcountry. She not only does weather but reports three days a week, which means covering anything from sea turtles being released to school board meetings. Her new gig keeps her busy, but she is enjoying it so far. She has also rejoined the Charleston Community Band which she played with in high school.

Ed has almost completed his MBA and will finish his last class online this spring. He is still working part-time for his old company in Wilmington as well. The hope is that he’ll “land” a job here in Charleston soon. He is still playing soccer as often as he can. The fall season wasn’t what you would call “winning”, but he did get a lot of play time.

We competed in our first sprint triathlon in April. It was a 500 meter swim, 12.4 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile bike ride in Charleston. We liked it so much that we did another one in June in Macon. We are happy to say that we are triathletes and are looking forward to doing more in the spring when it warms back up! We are also planning on doing a half marathon this winter, which Sonya says will be her one and only. We have already done two 5ks, the Race for the Cure and the James Island Connector Run, and plan on doing the Bridge Run in the spring, which is a 10k. Since we both hit 30 this year, we are trying to stay active!
                                         

Abbie and Blondie love being back in the Charleston. They have 3 pet sitters at their fingertips: Sonya’s mom, Sonya’s dad and Sonya’s brother. It’s a safe bet that they will never be boarded here!

We hope that you’ll come visit us in Charleston…after all it was named the #1 city in the country to visit by Conde Nast. J We do have an extra bedroom at our apartment in Mt. Pleasant and always love to see family and friends.                                        

It's Almost August??

Wow...time really does fly! I keep meaning to sit down and write another blog, but it just never happens...so here I go!

Since my last post, Ed and I completed another triathlon. It was at Lake Tobesofkee in Macon. The bike ride was hilly and the run had a slight incline, but we both made it (of course Ed was waiting for me at the finish line). We are hoping to do another late summer or early fall...I think it's in our blood now :)

Ed and I are both 30 now, which was harder for me than him. We spend his birthday weekend in the mountains with good friends. We went tubing down Deep Creek in Bryson City, NC, which was quite the adventure! Ed and I also camped out one night...I think my favorite part of camping is roasting marshmallows as you can see from the pictures :)

We have spent the rest of our time this summer battling the heat and humidity! And there doesn't look to be much relief in sight, but it's not like I'm a meteorologist or anything! :p

Hope everyone is doing well and staying cool!

We are Triathletes!!

Ed and I completed our first sprint triathlon in late April in Charleston...that's right we are now triathletes!!

We have been training off and on since last fall. Where did we get the bright idea to do a race that includes swimming, bike riding, and running? I blame my former co-anchor (Just kidding Tyler)! He and his wife told us about the race they did, so Ed and I thought it would be fun to do one together...although it definitely took a lot of convincing on Ed's part!

Ed and I were both in the novice category, which was nice since we got to start at the same time. I swam past him quickly as I'm the better swimmer and was on my bike before he finished the 500 meter swim.

He passed me on the bike though about a third of the way through the 12.4 mile bike ride. I was left in his dust at that point and didn't see him again until I ran huffing and puffing across the finish line. For those of you that don’t know, I’m not a strong runner, but I can HANDLE a 5k. The bottom line is that Ed is much more athletic than me!!

Ed finished 3rd among the guys in the novice division with a time of 1 hour and 28 minutes. I didn't place, but was just happy I wasn't last! My time was 1 hour and 44 minutes.

I guess you could say we got bit by the sprint triathlon bug since we are doing another one this month. Several of our friends have gotten bit to, so if you haven’t done one…we encourage you to “tri” it! I mean if the Heaths can do it….anyone can do it! 

Happy Belated Birthday to the best brother in the world!

My younger brother, Blake, turned 26 this past Saturday. Since we are 4 years apart, it means I'll hit 30 next month...yikes!

My dad threw a party for Blake Saturday night. Ed and I were able to come home for it and had a great time, but it was a huge success for other reasons. My mom and dad were both there, which meant alot to Blake and I. We were thrilled to have them both in one place at the same time! We hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...ok well just an amicable friendship in the future :)

The other thing I discovered at the party is that everyone loves my brother just as much as I do! Of course, our family loves him very much, but he had people of all ages at the party that just adore him. It melted my heart to see that all those people recognize my brother's heart of gold. He is always willing to help people out, and always puts other before himself. I'm truly blessed to have such a great brother, who is always one of my best friends.

So happy belated birthday bubba...I love you!
I'll post a few pictures from his party this weekend!