Today I popped into Town Square Cafe & Bakery for brunch! I was quickly enticed by their strawberry ice box pie, before deciding on a turkey, pimento and bacon sandwich.
This Cafe & Bakery is famous for their coffee that they import globally. Town Square has a beautiful turquoise espresso maker from Italy displayed at the front of their counter. I settled on a cup of Drip Brew to go wit my cake. Cotton Blues Sunday Brunch is a sacred tradition in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Their special 10 item menu is tailored for the occasion with breakfast classics that have a southern twist. My favorites, because I really can't pick one, are the apple pie french toast, lobster scramble and MS egg sardou. Each order is served with free bottomless mimosas and bloody marys. According to Yelp, Cotton Blues is the best brunch spot in the state. From experience, I think it can be attributed to the phenomenal food and great atmosphere. Every room of the restaurant is lined in cotton cloves and different shades of blue and yellow. The waiters wear gingham shirts and suspenders. Cotton Blues is the quintessential southern brunch spot. If you find yourself in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Ed's Burger Joint is the one place you need to stop. In between a game of corn hole and giant Jenga, chow down on mouth-watering burgers. My favorite is their bacon cheeseburger, topped with fresh cut pickles, and a side of sweet potato fries (of course)! While their burgers are well-known, their milkshakes are what make them famous. Ed's Hand-Dipped Shakes are brimming with delicious toppings. A Hattiesburg favorite? The Shipley's Donut inspired shake! This year I had to work the Fourth of July. In the news world, it's not a big deal to work holidays. I've been on call for Christmas and New Years.
I was asked to cover a local parade and fair in town, easy enough right? Yes, but the stories I've lived to tell are hilarious! When the parade started rolling, I was dualing as a camera operator and a Facebook Live host. About three cars in, I felt something on my leg. It was a mound of fire ants. I jumped and the woman next to me understood. The nice woman helped me get all the bugs off my shoes! A few days before this incident, I had been laughing to my friend about a story where a woman died from fire ant bites while on a hay bale...I will never laugh at this story again. As I hopped into my station car, I realized the only way to leave the town was through the parade route. I'm not sure if it was the deadline, or my enjoyment of waving at people from my work car, but I pushed my shift in drive and joined in! Seriously I was living my best life as I drove behind a group of people on horses throwing beads. Happy Fourth! I've never been a huge fan of beer! Maybe it's because I've only had the delight of drinking Natty Light in college? Ever since I started my job in the real world, I've spent more time at breweries and pubs. For me, the beer isn't the appeal...it's the atmosphere! I love spending time outdoors with a cold drink, corn hole and fun conversation. Craft beer has become my new summer staple! If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with Starbucks. Like actually OBSESSED. In college I had a radio show dedicated to reviewing Starbucks drinks and informing listeners about the Kardashians. #JacAndShelbyShow When I found out about the unicorn frappucino, I came out of retirement and put my Starbucks drinking skills to the test. Looked Great, Tasted Fine
10/10 would gram again.
Do the things in life that scare you. For me that includes, Disney rides, ghosts and zip lining in tall trees. Last month I had a travel series where I explored interesting places around where I work. While filming my final episode, I realized something. Every trip I took was a little on the scary side. Ghost Hunting, Climbing a Canyon and Zip Lining were a part of the series I pitched. I'm not a thrill-seeking person. Why I managed to come up with the scariest ideas, I have no clue...but it was sweeps month and I wanted good video. Let's start with my hiking episode. For starters I've never hiked a day in my life. During this trip, I had to climb, mostly slide, down a HUGE canyon, walk through a creek with quick sand (and on numerous occasions almost die) and trek back up to the top. The whole time I ran on adrenaline, but did manage to stop and enjoy the experience. Crisp air, birds chirping and breath taking views! Looking down at the canyon I had just went through, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I did something terrifying and foreign and was able to complete it in a short four hour time span. Next up, ghost hunting. I went to a rumored haunted house! As soon as I walked in the doors, I let the home know that I was ghost friendly. A woman lead me on the tour and when I went to film extra video alone, I knew my time had come to meet a ghost. Luckily, the ghosts were friendly, the most spirit action I got was deleted Snapchats. My final trip was zip lining, something I would never imagine myself doing in a hundred, no, a thousand years. I had to climb massive tall trees with a secure harness and a willingness to take the first step. It was completely daunting at first, but once I got comfortable, I realized how beautiful it was 40 feet in the air of a forrest. When I came to the zip lining part, I had to tell myself again and again to just let go. After realizing I couldn't get down without trying this adventure, I did it. It was exhilarating! I even went one hand free to wave at the camera! Talk about promo gold. This past month, I've done a few things that scared me and I stood on the other side with new stories to tell. Do the things that scare you, you'll suprise yourself and most likely have cool pictures and video to show off! Whenever the opportunity comes up to cover a cute animal story in the newsroom, I pounce. The community raised money to give a shelter dog surgery? *hand shoots up* Bunnies are used for therapy at a senior citizen home? *through tears, "please pick me"* Dog survives tornado? *already assigned story* After every story that I cover, I'm convinced that its time for me to get a pet. Each time I get this urge, I call my mom and state my case. Our typical conversation goes like this: I talk about how much I want a fluffy animal and my mom responds with the same five words every time. "Pompom does not need a friend." Pompom is my super cute Pomeranian. She'll turn 14 in August. Pompom is super high maintenance. She only drinks chilled water from the fridge, has an established bedtime and eats organic treats that my mom makes every two weeks. Once when my parents were on vacation for two weeks, I had to actually take care of her. It was the longest two weeks of my life! Pompom needed out, Pompom wanted to go to bed, Pompom was thirsty for fridge water. Pompom was a pain in my butt. Every time that I get the hunch for a new animal, it is quickly shut down with the reminder that I could not take care of the dog I already owned for two weeks.
I'm a multimedia journalist at a small southern television station. My daily routine includes writing, filming, editing video, interviewing and reporting on camera. It also includes listening to this list, of what have become familiar phrases. Fun Fact: My name is Jac and I can carry heavy camera equipment :)
Waking up in the morning is hard, but waking up at in the middle of the night is tough. I'm a morning reporter for a local news station, that means I get up every day at 2:30 a.m. How do I do this? I just make one cup of Columbian roast coffee...at 4:30 p.m. Prepping comes in handy. Every afternoon I get my coffee and breakfast ready for the following morning. The hardest part of this shift isn't waking up early, but going to bed. I'm on grandma hours, meaning I force myself to go to sleep at 7 p.m. Black out shades are essential to my early morning routine. When my phone alarm goes off at 2:30 a.m. I never hit snooze. I force myself to get up and go to the coffee maker. I turn on the insomniac newscast and start preparing myself for my shift...and when all else fails I blast a mix of Bruno Mars, Vampire Weekend and Fifth (Fourth??) Harmony when I get ready. My fail proof early morning routine: blackout shades, black coffee and pump up music. Side note: Don't text your friends back during your shift! Your lunch break, is an hour before they need to get up and go to work. |
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