It’s December and that means the holiday season has officially arrived! Usually, I have friend’s parties throughout the month, but this year marks my first company one! I had to say I did not know what to expect – what do you wear, do you have a drink or do speak of work or not?! Oh the pressure!

When we arrived at The Hilton, it was so nice to see everyone in their holiday best! The party was filled laughter and genuine appreciation from everyone – what a relief! I can’t believe I was even stressing over it! I also loved meeting some of the spouses – they were so much fun! They had a full spread for dinner my plate was overflowing, and did I mention over six desserts to choose from?!

I was able to learn who has been with the company the longest and who won a cruise?! How do I sign up for that? To end the presentation we all got to enjoy bloopers from everyone, and I made the cut! Remember my Purdue drum incident?! Oh yeah, slow motion on the big screen for everyone to see! Thank you Audra!

Overall, what a fun night! I’m just going to have to sneak in next year!

So I think I have a new calling! I have been The Face for almost three months now and I have just competed in my third eating contest! I have always been competitive, so when a challenge arises, I can’t help my self!

It started off with Zup’s Rib Eating Challenge, where I finished 26 ribs in three minutes! I am not even a rib fan, but to receive that trophy from Big Joe Staysniak was worth it! Now it sits on my desk for the next year!

Then came breast cancer awareness month, and what better way to help out than by having a yogurt eating challenge! Sure why not! This one was only 90 seconds, where I finished five and a half yogurts! The winner had 11?! I am not worthy!

And last night at the Butler basketball game, I had the most recent challenge of QDoba burrito in 30 seconds. I almost got half of it! This one was tricky because I had to store everything in my cheeks and worry about chewing later – it  paid off though because I won!

All in all, I have no idea what I am thinking when entering these, but man do I love winning!

You can watch my latest eating contest on INDYTV.com under videos!

Everyone keeps asking me, “What is The Zone?” To answer your question, The Zone is high school sports! Since Fall is upon us, that means football!! MyINDY-TV 23 along with WISH-TV 8 find the exciting game of the week and visit that school! There have been three Friday night games so far, two Horseshoe Classics at Lucas Oil Stadium and they have been a blast! The school spirit that the fans show has blown my mind! The Zone wraps up every Friday night at 11PM on WISH-TV with highlights and scores from around central Indiana. So if you just happen to be at your high school, past or present, and see The Zone crew come say hi! You could score a Zone t-shirt if you do! See you guys on the field!

Last weekend was amazing! Not only was I blessed enough to experience my first Emmy nomination this year for my work as the Face of MyINDY-TV… I won! The regional Emmys awards ceremony took place in Cleveland on June 11th. I took home the Emmy in the “Outstanding Talent – Host” category and I’m still in shock… the ceremony was a new experience for me and it was inspirational to be around so many talented media professionals. I also had the pleasure of meeting legendary meteorologist Dick Goddard. MyINDY-TV took home trophies in all three categories we were nominated in… I love working for such a great station!

Sooooo… I’m super excited because a really cool event is happening in Indy this Sunday!

Students from all over the city are coming together, partnered with industry professionals, for a cultural explosion of music, dance, fashion and art.

The event is going to showcase our community’s cultural diversity and the talents of area young people as they pursue their dreams against all odds.

Fight the Wackness and the COLORS program are putting on the event and I will definitely be in the house!

If you’d like to buy tickets to support and hang out, here’s some info:

COLOR THE RUNWAY
SUN, FEB 20
IUPUI CAMPUS CENTER ROOM 450
317-401-9225

WOW. I volunteered at the Salvation Army’s Toy Shop today… I helped those less fortunate shop for free gifts to give to their children on Christmas day. In addition to the awesome feeling of giving to others I learned a little (unexpected) lesson on love!

While I was there, I came across an older gentleman who was also volunteering. The man, who looked to be in his 60s smiled brightly & said, “There goes my bride!” pointing to an older woman.

I said, “Newlyweds? Congrats!”

The man replied, “Nope–been married 15 years!”

“Geez, that gives me hope for a quintessential love.”, I responded.

“It exists! As long as there’s life, there’s hope..”, he said.

I can’t wait to have a husband who looks at me after years of marriage and still sees the bride he stood before on his wedding day. ♥

-Z

Last Thursday was the 10th annual Santa Slam concert put on by Radio Now 100.9–they were kind enough to hook me up with a backstage pass!

Carly, an intern, and I hung out backstage to watch the show and got some really cool interviews with 5-time Grammy nominee B.o.B. (aka Bobby Ray) (“Nothin’ On You”, “Airplanes”, “Don’t Let Me Fall”), Mike Posner (“Cooler Than Me”), Marianas Trench and teen heartthrob Cody Simpson!

Check out some of our pics from the concert, and be sure to check out the actual interviews here: Santa Slam 2010.

So when I found out I’d be visiting haunted houses all month long, I wasn’t too geeked up about it. I still double check my closets, shut all doors tightly, flip off the lights and dive quickly into the bed every night (because every knows that fresh linen sheets are like kryptonite to ghosts and goblins).

Our first stop was Fright Manor and I was none too pleased when I discovered that you actually get a free t-shirt for making it through the entire haunted house. Huh? A reward for survival? I offered my position as The Face for the evening to any one of the interns willing to shoot the segment for me while I cowered in the back of the station van. No such luck.

Surprisingly… I had a good time! I was absolutely terrified, horrified, and traumatized–especially considering the fact that a dead body on the floor was the first thing to great us upon entering the house, but I made it through and gosh darnit, I got my t-shirt!

Hanna Haunted Acres was just as awesome… they offer six different attractions, including a haunted hay ride, corn maze and four haunted houses. The hay ride was just my style–creepy enough to make you wanna cuddle up if you happen to be on a hot date… or… even if you’re just sitting next to a random, but understanding stranger with a free shoulder to hide your face on.

The corn maze was surprisingly fun also–better in a small group for that “how the heck are we gonna get out of here?” feel. It was fun pretending to be in your own scary movie. After that first ghoul jumped out to scare us though it was clear: every man (woman, Face of MyINDY-TV, and intern) for him or herself. The haunted houses were exciting too–crazy detailed visuals and friendly greeters who were more than willing to take you through if you were too afraid to go at it alone (ahem… ::raises hand::).

The clock is ticking, and why not take advantage of this awesomely random warm weather by getting a good scare before it gets cooler? Check out the haunted houses’ sites for pricing and hours of operation! I’m going to go get some garlic, rosaries, and Ghostbuster backpack thingys before our next stop… Necropolis!

http://www.frightmanor.com/

http://www.hannahauntedacres.com/

So I’m finally getting the hang of the blog… mentally prepare yourself for a (potential) barrage of posts in the coming weeks. Here are some more of the photos from my first shoot as the Face of MyINDY-TV! Hopefully there are many more to come!