Live Local Late Breaking for the Last Time

And so it begins...

Tonight I walked out of the newsroom for the last time as a reporter. In less than two weeks I begin my journey as a journalist and nanny in London, England. I like to think of it as Mary Poppins meets Bridget Jones.

If you know me well and you're familiar with those characters you'd probabaly agree that's a pretty good description. Practically perfect, and poised for disaster. It's organized chaos at it's best really.

Why London? That's a questions I've been asked many times since I decided to follow my heart, take a chance, and move across the pond.

Gertrude Stein once said: "America is my country, and Paris is my hometown."
Well, that quote is true for me if you take out Paris and insert London. I had dreams about that city even before I went there at sixteen. The only way I can describe the pull of that city for me would be to say it's as if I lived there in a past life. To me London was pure bliss, even with my incredibly vivid imagination and high expectations, the pictures in my head did not do it justice. However, London's just a start at this point. I told my mom: "Maybe next year I'll want to live in Brazil." She said: "Okay, can we focus on London again?! They speak English there -- I'm more comfortable with that"

Now, let me say this decision did not come without an incredible amount of soul searching. In fact, Cape Girardeau and KFVS are so much a part of my soul, even on my last day it in no way feels like I was "Live Local and Late Breaking" for the last time.

It probably won't until I am in London....learning about rugby and cricket instead of baseball, searching for Harry Potter landmarks (There as no Harry Potter the last time I was in town), and telling my aunt about my visits to Harrods (that's gonna kill her).

Oh I will miss the Heartland so much -- I'll miss my momma and daddy -- I'll miss grandma and my aunts and uncles -- I'll miss my amazing wonder dog Potter (yes, after Harry) and I will miss all the viewers and contacts I've made that entertained me right down to the last stop at the gas station tonight. (Rochelle, you know what I'm talking about.) I'll miss Splenda, I'll miss Barnes and Noble (no worries though, the tea I am addicted to is sold all over England), I'll miss the gym terribly, and occasionally I'll glance at my watch about 8 p.m. London time and think about how I'm missing the 2 o'clock news meeting.

But I could not be more sure or more excited about my next adventure. The way I see it, I only fail if I don't try. Meanwhile, on hollybrantley.com I'll do my best to entertain you with my antics, flubs, traumas, and observations about the world.

I still have several days until I fly out though -- no telling what I can get myself into between now and then.

But, I have faith. I pray a lot and I truly believe in that. As Rochelle - my photographer extraordinaire - witnessed tonight - I was scratching off lottery tickets and I won a dollar.

I looked up and told God: "One dollar is nice, but this chick could really use more than a dollar."

I scratched off the next line - and won another dollar.

The way I see it -- I doubled my money -- that's enough of a sign for me. If that's the way it works, I'll keep praying and it looks like the odds are in my favor.