Every reporter aspires to be an anchor, right?

It’s a question I’ve been asked a lot in the past few weeks, filling in for Tiffany Tarpley on the weekends on several occasions.

Before I get too far into this, I want to say – yes, I love the opportunity to anchor. Saturdays and Sundays, our anchor also produces the show – writing the stories, putting them in order for the newscast – meaning, that person has almost total control over the product.

And, sitting at the anchor desk and spending a half-hour live on TV when, at any moment, anything can go wrong or almost anything can be said? It’s all an awesome challenge, and I take every opportunity I have to anchor as a challenge to myself.

But right now, I’m sitting in the newsroom. Listening to scanners. Writing a blog. If something happens right now, I’m here. I’ll send Chris Poturalski, the photographer on duty, out to shoot it.

And I’ll sit here. Antsy. Wishing I could go out there and shoot it myself.

If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you know my parents are police officers. My mom, for example, just completed her 25th year and has the ability to retire – but not the desire. On top of that, she’s still a patrolman. Yeah, she’s had opportunities to move up but, as with most jobs, moving up means more time at a desk. She even had offers from the FBI but, instead, she wanted to stay on the streets.

It’s a desire that’s apparently hereditary. I love the adrenaline rush of heading to breaking news, and trying to piece a scene together. Talking to witnesses and emergency crews, shooting, writing and editing a story to share with you. Even when I’m not out at a scene, I have the scanner on in my news Jeep, waiting for the next call that we need to check out.

Strangely, sitting at my desk all day seems more tiring. My eyes hurt from staring at the computer. My leg hurts because I have the annoying tendency to sit on it while writing.

And I get really antsy.

But I’m still young. And young is synonymous with antsy. So, right now, if I had the opportunity to anchor all the time? It probably wouldn’t be something I’d jump at.

But down the road, when my back hurts from lugging around a camera, and my eyes hurt from staring through a viewfinder all the time – well, who knows?

Either way, I love this job. The variety right now of anchoring one day, reporting the next, it’s great. I still get to share stories with you, and I’m doing the job I’ve wanted to do since fourth grade – no joke.

So, do all reporters aspire to be an anchor? Nope. Not all of them.

At least, not at first.