It’s all happening! Baby girl and I are on the move in just about a month. We are loading up everything and heading to Fayetteville, Arkansas… home of my new workplace, KNWA-TV as well as the University of Arkansas, Walmart’s corporate base, and some really awesome local food and art!
When I called my agent after Thanksgiving, I told her Brielle would turn one February 26 (ahhh I still cannot believe it! Time flies too fast..) and that I’d like to go back to work around then. Well, she started the hunt right away and we were both overwhelmed with the amount of responses to come in so quick. It was a huge compliment to me, but I was just so nervous and did not want to feel pressured to rush back to work. So, I promised myself I would make sure to take my TIME and make sure I am making the right decision for Brielle first. This would mean many things: are we close to family? is the environment healthy for her emotional well-being and mine? is the job something I really want to do? will the schedule work with being a single mom with a child in daycare? can I afford it? Well, aside from the last one (come on, this is news) I found the right fit with a station who has taken their time with me and really given me the opportunity to make sure this is a good move for us.
When Fayetteville first responded, my agent had sent me (meaning sent my work to them) for a weekend anchor/weekday reporter gig there (not the schedule I needed or the $). The news director recognized my love for investigative journalism by watching my reel and told my agent they had been looking to open this new position and just needed the right person, and that could be me. Turns out, it is! The position is a political/investigative reporter. I had an initial phone interview and we immediately agreed I should come out and visit. I did, and it was great. My mom and I loaded up the baby and two days worth of clothes and we hit the road for four and a half hours. I was pretty much “grilled” (in the best way) by each person in that newsroom. They all really cared about finding the right person for the job and making sure whoever joined their newsroom family could blend well. I did the same, and it made for some great conversations (admittedly a nice change of pace from the “goo goo ga ga” conversations I’d been having.. and loving.. for 10 months).
So, after following some other options in the job search and getting the offer from Fayetteville, I have decided it is the absolute best position for Brielle and I to be in. The station waited and waited for me to find a daycare and be completely comfortable with the transition. Then they waited as I traveled back up to visit the daycare and REALLY make sure it was the best decision. Long story short (now that you’ve read the long story) Brielle LOVED playing with the other kids on two separate visits to her “academy” (I’ve been corrected after calling it a “daycare”). We found an amazing apartment less than a mile away, too! My Monday through Friday schedule works perfectly for childcare, and I will be able to provide that childcare, a place to live, my child’s insurance, etc etc on my own. We are only 4.5 hours away from family (in the news world that’s a rarity) and the environment is so positive!
I know hard days are ahead, I know I will miss Brielle like crazy, and I know at some point I will wish I just stayed home with her all the time. But I know I am making the right decision. I am so blessed to have found a positive newsroom atmosphere, an investigative reporter position with a flexible schedule, and a childcare place with an opening that I am more than comfortable with. I have an agent who has experience in investigative journalism and will help me better myself through my career.
I want to thank everyone for their support on this journey, but most importantly my mom and Suman, who have given me the opportunity to spend an entire year at home with Brielle. It has been the most important year of my life and has given her the foundation to be successful anywhere. She is the most adaptable baby I have ever seen and we will both be successful because of you two.
So, February is the move and in March I’ll be the newest addition to the KNWA family as their investigative and political reporter. Go Razorbacks!
Natalie Eucce 