Tracy Kornet's Blog

Drum roll please…

The Eleven21 band is releasing an original Christmas song!

We’ve been recording it at Garland’s Zion Gate studios, whose owner has generously donated recording time after suffering a high-profile tragedy last year. In fact, tomorrow we’re finishing up the vocals with the help of 18 kids from Happy Hill Farm.  

This is an exciting project for all of us, but especially for Tommy Hiett and me. The lead guitarist of “Eleven21” came up with the idea in an effort to raise more money for the music program at Happy Hill Farm in Glen Rose, TX.

He composed the music and handed it off to me for lyrics and melody, giving me the hook “Around This Time of Year” and the concept of being benevolent all year round instead of just at holiday time.

I tapped my dear friend from my Japan days* - LeeAnn Ryan - who whipped up our first set of lyrics. I tweaked them, rewrote a verse here and there and created the melody. And voila, a song was born!

“This Time of Year” will be ready for airplay before Thanksgiving, with a music video to soon follow. You’ll be able to download the single on our Web sites cbs11tv.com and txa21tv.com with all proceeds going to Happy Hill Farm.

Please, spread the word and request it to be played on your favorite radio station. Let’s raise as much as we can for the troubled kids being given a second chance at a successful life thanks to the loving hearts and hands of Ed Shipman and his staff at Happy Hill.

And allow me to be one of the first to wish you all Happy Holidays!

~ Tracy

You know the world is changing when you wake up on the first Tuesday of November and see your Facebook page lighting up with excited voters-to-be.

The emails started streaming in early--pictures posted of Facebook friends delivering Krispy Kremes to polling volunteers. Others "donated their Facebook status" to announce their choice as president. People posted updates of how long they waited in line and shared stories of accompanying their teenagers to the polls for the first time.

What a great time to be an American, and what a thrill to watch the democratic process at work!

As you can imagine, the newsroom was buzzing today; everyone working together to cover every aspect of this historic election. You can't imagine the organization required to pull off this mammoth feat.

It's such a great feeling to cover breaking news that affects people's lives like this.

It's even better knowing how excited and emotionally invested we are in the outcome.

But the best part about today?

That regardless of who wins the presidency, we live in the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world...where we have the right to vote.

Oh, how I love this country.

And how I hope you do too.

I arrived at the Westin Kierland to a private pool cabana decorated in birthday balloons and more of my favorite peeps!

Tracy's b-day dinner at the fancy Deseo restaurant at the Westin in Scottsdale...

Life-sized Ricky Boy!!!! I couldn't take the full-sized frame on the plane...so I settled for just Rick Springfield's head!!!!

The 40's ROCK!

Sometimes words simply fall short.

This is one of those times.

It's taken me more than a week now to sit down and sift through what I want to share from my glorious 40th celebration.

After reading the rough draft, I realize some of it is too personal--and will most likely bore you to tears.

But I will say this: the highlight of my 5-day birthday celebration amounts to a few simple words.

I feel loved. I am loved.

And my life is packed with people who really care about me.

You have no idea how long it's taken me to really believe this. Well, 40 years, I guess.

I was reminded of my old self just last week, in fact, from yet another high school friend I reconnected with after 20 plus years.

I asked him how he would have described me back in high school. He replied, "Tormented."

Thank God I'm not that same person now. I think that's why this 40th birthday was so significant.

It officially marks the "Healed Tracy," or at least the "Healing-in-Progress-Tracy."

So here's how the day went down:

I woke up Thursday, October 16th to a teepeed front yard in hot pink and black crepe paper, balloons and a big ole "Happy 40th Tracy" sign.

Two girlfriends down the street, in their pajamas at 6 a.m., were the designated decorators. I LOOOOVED it!

The day continued with amazing emails, beautiful cards and thoughtful gifts from friends and family -- personal visits with two great girlfriends, two basketball games of my son's, and dinner with the family.

And then there was the official 40th Birthday Trip to Arizona, the weekend I will never forget.

My hands were trembling when I landed in Arizona. I was so uncomfortable being the center of that much attention. My girlfriend Michele noted, "Tracy, you have a really tough time 'receiving.' Stop. If you don't accept it, you will rob us of this joy!"

By day two, my hands stopped shaking, and I fully embraced the role of "Birthday Girl."

I'm attaching pictures to show you my fabulous girlfriends responsible for this over-the-top resort celebration.

From a balloon-filled cabana by the pool, to the massive suites on the golf course, to the practically life-sized framed picture of Rick Springfield, to the spa treatments and smoothies, to the fancy dinner wearing my tiara, to the duet I sang with my former co-host Kaley at the Ocean Club later that night...the weekend was filled with so much laughter and love, I could barely take it in.

The blessings continued later Sunday night when our family friends from our old parish hosted dinner for me.

Again, I LOVE these people.

Perhaps the most indelible moment, though, happened during a conversation early Saturday night where we five girlfriends shared what "attached" us to each other.  Without divulging too many details, suffice it to say that one person's kindness and trust can create a circle of it...allowing another woman to reach out to someone else...that person then shares it with another...and voila, best friends are born!

On Monday afternoon I returned to Texas absolutely giddy, reviewing the pictures and video in my new camera a million times over, recounting to the kids and Frank every detail of the weekend.

And I kept catching myself repeating the same phrase over and over... I feel so loved.

What a gift. And what a 40th birthday.

I haven’t mentioned this in a while, but it’s now SO on my mind I’ve got to spill.

My big 4-0 is coming up Thursday!

So far, so good. No drama. No tears.

I have been looking a little more closely at my wrinkles, but for the most part, I am one happy camper.

I must admit, a whole lot of my contentment at this stage of my life has to do with having an outlet to sing again.

This band is still so much fun.

We haven’t had a gig in a few weeks, and I’ve found myself really missing it.

I also can’t wait to celebrate my b’day with some of my best friends ever--my peeps in Arizona.

I’m heading there Friday morning for a girls’ weekend and birthday bash.

These girls know my annual stress better than no others, so they’re planning it all.

All I have to do is show up!

Finally, I feel so blessed for the childhood friends with whom I’ve reconnected in the last few months.

If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll see this is a common theme in my life of late.

Can you fellow 40-year-olds relate?

Wow—I can’t believe I just wrote that.

May this be our best decade so far!

Monday night on TXA we're showing off homecoming pictures from the various dances and games happening around DFW. If my kids weren't completely mortified, I would have added theirs to the mix.

But honestly, the behind-the-scenes homecoming story is even better to blog about here!

First, you've got to understand, neither my daughter nor son were planning to go the dance. One of the pitfalls of having a stay-at-home father is that he tends to pooh-pooh social events like that.

So with their mom home all weekend, I insisted they reconsider their decision. I would call the principal if necessary to get them tickets. I would walk the $25 myself to the organizer at the actual dance. I just did not want them to miss out on an opportunity if they really wanted to go.

"No regrets" is my motto. I happen to believe that homecoming only comes once a year and high school is waaaaay too short to miss out on a special event. At this age, I encouraged them, you don't need a date. In fact, they're more fun without them!

So by noon Saturday, Nicole was eager to go. John was still on the fence. In typical Tracy fashion, we scurried around a few stores and found an awesome dress, shoes and accessories. After band practice I rushed home to help Nicole with her hair and makeup.

Oh my gosh, my girl looked ADORABLE. Sorry, it's the truth. She's always been a tomboy, so seeing her look like a Disney star was amazing.

But what I'm most proud of is what happened once we pulled into the parking lot of the dance, watching other kids and their dates get out of limos and their parents' fancy cars.

As Nicole texted her girlfriends, trying to coordinate arrival times, she saw another friend walking in. So she hopped out of the car, told me she'd text me after she bought a ticket and checked in, and let me know when I needed to pick her up.

Within minutes she texted to tell me she was in, having fun, and planned to ride in her girlfriends' limo to IHop afterwards, where I'd pick her up.

That's my spunky girl, acting on a dime, willing to embrace fun no matter what.

I think her positive approach inspired my older son. Later that night, I found myself ironing his shirt. He decided to show up and catch the last 30 minutes of the dance with his friends.

Sure, shopping for that perfect dress, planning, renting cars and getting your hair done may be one to enjoy the tradition of homecoming. But as I hope my children learned, don't let "what you're supposed to do" stop you from BEING you. Seize the day. Say yes to positive opportunity.

No regrets!

~ Tracy

 

During Friday night's show, our music guy Chandler hinted at a "major announcement" his radio station was issuing today at noon. He whispered it in my ear on-air that night. In case you missed it on the radio today, allow me to spill the beans.

Duran Duran is coming to DFW!

Normally I would be squealing in delight and making my game plan as to how to get great tickets.

However, I was fortunate enough several years ago to catch Simon Lebon and the gang in Phoenix--before their most recent hit was released. As a result, they were a "has-been" group at the time. My friend Michele and I practically sat in the front row--and later I grabbed my camcorder and interviewed John Taylor behind the scenes in the green room!

(As I write this, I realize I MUST post a picture of my dream "scoop" for all to see. As you will soon see, John Taylor looked better than ever!)

I blog about all of this only to hint at a big announcement regarding my own band, Eleven21.  We rehearsed Saturday and started working on an incredible project I'm DYING to tell you about.

When the time is right, I will announce it here on this Tracy blog FIRST.

By the way, Eleven21 plays the Chili Festival in Dallas November 9th and Memphis in Addison on December 6th.

Hope to see you at an upcoming gig soon.

In the meantime, keep checking this blog for the BIG news!

~ Tracy

I called my older brother in Florida this morning to see how he’s weathering this stock market crash.

Ben’s been an accountant for years and recently lost his job.

A severe stutterer, it has not been easy finding new employment.

He told me today he is planning to move out of his townhouse and into our little brother’s place to save cash.

He will rent out his home in return.

Made me wonder what you’re doing to save money, how you’re planning for what’s to come?

Or maybe you’re trying to shield yourself from this bad news—focus on the positive and turn off the coverage?

Send me your ideas, especially if they’re encouraging or positive; would love to inspire others through these difficult times.

Hope you caught our special Wednesday night, “Weathering the Financial Storm.” You can browse through some of the video by clicking here.

Beyond the great information imparted, I stood amazed by the seasoned, knowledgeable panel of experts we have at our fingertips.

From one of the most gifted psychologists in DFW, Dr. Sylvia Gearing, to the man who needed a cot here at the station this week, our financial analyst Jim LaCamp — it’s incredibly satisfying knowing I get to work among these women and men.

We’ve truly become a team here at TXA, and the best part?

It’s all for you.

Thank you for watching!

I finally took the plunge, swallowed my pride and took my rightful place in the 21st Century.

I joined FaceBook.

I could tell you my high school friends like Tricia York made me do it.

I could blame my Kentucky friend Cynthia for encouraging it.

I could even say I was conducting a social experiment for a story I'm working on.

But the truth is, I just figured it's about time I got with the program. I don't want to be one of those out-of-touch adults who has no clue how the modern world communicates. An old-school type who calls "losers" (or pedophiles for that matter) anyone who uses a social networking site. (Although one must always be smart and keep info private from creepy predators.)

The truth is, many adults are lazy and judgmental, refusing to change with the times. I can say that. I've been one of them.

At this point, my FaceBook page is lame but operable and extremely effective. From the first 5 minutes of "confirming friends," I started hearing from some of my favorite childhood buds and former coworkers.

Every day the name of someone I've adored but lost touch with has popped out of the cyber-world and onto my Blackberry. It's like a weekly 20th high-school reunion.

So before you cast another stone at the "crazy world of internet communication," give FaceBook a click. And welcome, in advance, to a brave new world.