I’m a true valley girl, born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I finally learned to cut “like” out of my vocabulary. I lived most of my life just 15 minutes from Malibu. Here I am at my favorite beach in Malibu called Point Dume. The things I miss the most about Southern California are the warm beaches and the sun. The things I miss the least are the earthquakes and traffic.
I am an only child and the daughter of a Hollywood actor. My father’s acting career stretched from the 60s to the 80s. His stage name was Lincoln Tate and he spent 7 years in Italy shooting spaghetti westerns like Aquasanta Joe. He had roles in films such as In Harm’s Way with John Wayne, The Legend of the Lone Ranger with Christopher Lloyd, and Grotesque with Linda Blair. My mother also worked in Hollywood, but behind the scenes on shows like TJ Hooker, V, and In the Heat of the Night.
Even though I have the height for sports, I never played sports. I spent much of my spare time riding horses, taking dance, singing, and piano lessons. I even took a tap dance class with my mom. How about those outfits?
My husband and I are high school sweethearts. We met in 1997 at Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California. This is a picture of us from a high school dance. We also went to college together in Texas. The best day of my life was my wedding day on August 9, 2009. I married my high school sweetheart after 12 years together. I had my dream ceremony on the beach in front of Haystack Rock. For once, the weather cooperated in Cannon Beach. The overcast skies made it great for taking pictures, but then the clouds parted to reveal sunny blue skies in time for the ceremony.
I was a Texan for 7 years, spending 4 of those years at the University of North Texas. Went there on an academic scholarship and got to hone my anchoring and reporting skills at a student run TV station. Here is the student news team I worked with. We recorded daily newscasts. Let’s just say I have hidden those early tapes of my work really well where no one can find them.
When I moved to Portland in 2007, I weighed almost 175 lbs and wore a size 12. I then lost 40 lbs with the help of a personal trainer. That inspired me to earn my own personal training certifications and help people lose weight just like I did. I used to train clients part-time at several Portland area gyms.
My first reporting job was in College Station, Texas, home to the George H. Bush Presidential Library. I reported on his numerous visits to the area. I eventually got the chance to take this picture with him a week before I left for the Northwest. He and his wife Barbara were genuinely nice people.
I love whale watching from a boat on in the ocean. I’ve been whale watching along the Oregon Coast and in Canada. My most memorable Northwest experience was orca whale watching in Victoria, BC. The whales get so close to your boat, it will take your breath away. In fact just talking about it makes me realize it’s time to go again.
One of my favorite activities is dog agility. My pomeranian Chance and I often competed in dog agility trials. Running courses consisting of jumps, tunnels, and ramps has been our favorite hobby for past two decades. I have a wall full of Chance’s agility ribbons at home. If you can’t tell, I’m a very proud pet parent. Chance succumbed to cancer at the age of 16 in 2019. His Shiba Inu brother is still living life at 16 years old. In March 2019 we welcomed a new furry family member, another Pomeranian we named Ash. He is currently training in dog agility.
I had never reported on traffic until I started at KOIN in 2007. It was my foot-in-the-door to the Portland market and I am so happy that my television career went in this direction. My goal is to be Portland’s #1 resource for traffic news. In 2008, I won an Associated Press Award for Best Traffic Reporter in Oregon. The year after, the AP got rid of that award category so I guess you can say I have that honor forever. I had my time in the national spotlight in 2010. David Letterman made fun of something I said about him on our morning show. He aired the clip on his late night show and I instantly became famous…for a day or so. As part of the joke, he sent me $2,000 worth of girl scout cookies. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just Google it.
