I get the question quite often, “Do you do anything else in addition to being the Face?”  Boy, do I have an answer for that.

I’ve owned and operated a mural/faux painting business for the last decade, which up until this current economic time has been pretty successful.  Now my jobs are a little more few & far between, but right now I’m painting murals in three kids’ bedrooms.  I will be leaving shortly to finish up a ballerina in a young lady’s room, then in the weeks to come a lollipop-princess theme, and a Halo scene from the popular video game.

I also work a couple nights a week at Main Street Bar and Grill in downtown Sylvania.  I’ve never done anything like this before, but I’m finding it to be very entertaining as well as challenging!  Tonight, after I perform my “face-ly” duties at Monster Jam, I’ll be heading directly to this job, where I work second shift.  This means I will be closing down around 2:30, then get the fortunate task of vacuuming, mopping, and restocking.  I will probably arrive home around 4 am tomorrow morning!

Because I thought a fourth job sounded like a good idea, I started selling Miche purses.  If you haven’t heard of these, they are super cool!  A Miche bag consists of a base bag, and then a choice of about 40 interchangeable shells.  It has changed my life….my purse matches no matter what now!  I have been selling them quite frequently already, and have a purse party scheduled for next Thursday evening.

Does that answer the question?  I suppose I thrive on a very busy, sporatic schedule.  I’m curious to see just what “other” job the next Face of FOX Toledo will have…it’s pretty hard to sustain oneself on just being a popular commercial star alone.

I competed in a racing challenge with Channel 13 Weathercaster Kristen Emery. Check out the video to see who won! I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t me. But it’s still a good video!

The Fourth of July weekend has come and gone, and I never did partake of any sparkly explosions in the sky.

This has happened to me quite a few times over the years, and I can’t really figure out why.  I guess I’m just always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When I was little and this happened, I thought I was the unluckiest kid in the whole entire world.  I even thought my parents were cruel for not finding a brilliant light show with which to entertain me.  But now I look at this problem a bit differently.

Traffic.  I think that is now, as an adult, what I associate most with a spectacular fireworks extravaganza.  I guess some would say that the never-ending stream of taillights is an adequate trade for a beautiful spectacle of fire.  And believe me, I’m not trying to sound like a loser.  But it’s nice to know that when the fireworks were over this year, I was exactly where I wanted to be.  Miles away. 

Empire Drift won the “Song of Toledo” contest, so my capable producer and I set out to make promos highlighting all the different places mentioned in “A Good Place to Call Home.” We hit the docks, Fifth Third Field, the Blarney, the Beirut, Adams Street District & much more. The professionally shot videos will soon begin airing on FOX Toledo, but I wanted to give everyone a behind the scenes look at the silliness that goes on during one of my shoots. Thanks to Sarah, my producer, who is sooo laid back and fun, and also to Joanna, an intern from BGSU who did the Flip video taping.

~Julia talks Cherry Fest, Easter Seals, and Contest Countdown!~

My longest weekend of the year as the Face is definitely Cherry Fest weekend. And this year it even began a night early! The 157th Annual Northwest Ohio Firefighter’s Convention was in town, so the festivities began on Thursday evening. I was shocked at how many people were already meandering around Whitehouse Park! Then on Friday night, I helped out from 6pm – Midnight, making announcements, giving out free stuff, & mingling with the crowd. I returned early Saturday at 9am & didn’t leave until Midnight. Did I mention that I’m completely addicted to carnival food? Most would have exercised greater restraint, but the smell of deep fried foods just does something to me, I guess. What an amazing festival this has turned into! Even since last year it has come such a long way. I’m so impressed with how everything went so smoothly and how huge the crowds were. I hope you’ll make a point of attending next year if you missed this one!

After helping out with countless Easter Seals events over the past year and three quarters, I was asked to join their advisory board! I was so honored to be considered, and I attended my first meeting in June. I’ll be helping out with new ideas, promotions, and doing some volunteer work. Easter Seals is such a great organization…they help everyone from the very young to the very old. For instance, they may assist a family in getting an expensive car seat for their handicapped child, or they may help out an infirmed elderly person by assisting them in their daily activities. The organization is even launching a speech therapy program for youngsters this summer. I’m so excited to help in any way I can! I’ve never done anything quite like this before, so we’ll see how it goes.

Well, I guess it had to end sometime. I can’t be your Face forever. Sigh. I wish I could, but the contest is due to start later this summer, and any brave, enthusiastic individual is welcome to come and try to fill my shoes. Will I be sad to give up my title? Of course. This job has been so much fun, and I’ll miss it terribly. However, even though it will be incredibly bittersweet, I’m looking forward to seeing just who will take over for me. In the meantime, I plan to live out my final three months with vim and vigor, and I promise to enjoy every moment! The whole community has been so good to me….I don’t know what I’ll do without all of you. But onward and upward: there is something else for me out there that I have to do. I just don’t know what it is yet!

Recipe Corner

Funky Fun Pizza Dip

1 cup light Mayo
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
1 minced jalapeño
1 minced red pepper
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper as desired

Mix all together & serve with crackers or Fritos Scoops!

Wow! What a weekend! After putting in a 16 hour day at Cherry Fest on Saturday, I was exhausted. But what a fun festival! You’ll definitely have to put this on your calendar for next year.

It’s Cherry Week!

I was bored. But productive.

I didn’t know much about Easter Seals before I started helping them out. They help so many people…..watch the video to find out more!