Reflection: 4.5 years in ABQ

​Taking it back to December 2014 -- Lubbock, TX to Albuquerque, NM

New Mexico was my second stop in my on-air career, my opportunity to jump out of 'small market TV' and into a place in life where I could actually pay bills & still have money leftover in my bank account (don't get me wrong, I loved my time in the Hub City... but that Market #147 pay was ROUGH).

I joined KRQE in December of 2014 as a naive 22 year old thinking 'OK, I can do this'. Little did I know -- the move to New Mexico would be the hardest transition of my life thus far -- both personally & professionally.

As both a forecaster and as just a gal in her 20s, life came at me HARD my first year in NM. The transition was difficult (to say the least). Viewers were very resistant, I knew no one outside of work, I barely knew the cities/geography of the state. It was a 'what the heck have I done' moment in life.

Everyday, I fought to prove myself. Prove to my coworkers & viewers that I wasn't just a blonde girl who could talk on TV. I spent every shift trying to 'earn my stripes' -- staying late, signing up for community events, getting involved in any way I could.

​Slowly but surely, I started to become familiar with the area, make a few friends outside of the studio and the viewers loosened up (kinda). Year 2... Year 3... and Year 4... I became a stronger forecaster & a stronger person. My skin got thicker... I focused a little more on 'me' and a little less on 'them'... and I could do +25 weather hits in a 4 hour morning show and still have enough energy to go to the gym after my afternoon nap.

Looking back now, I can honestly say, Albuquerque was the smack in the face I needed. I have grown more in my last 4 years here in NM than I have at any other point in my life.

There are definitely things I'll miss... and there's a few things I'm looking forward to going on without... but there's one thing I know for sure: I would not be who I am today if it wasn't for what I learned here in NM. I'll always look back on my time in Albuquerque and think of it as one giant kick in the tush. Between viewer criticism, failed relationships & long days in the Weather Center -- I became a better, badder & stronger version of myself. And for that, I'm grateful.

-- KC

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