- Staff
- #1
Just give out information that you are comfortable, I wouldn't worry about last names or your exact location of home and work. However, let us know a little about you, why you joined TW this time or the last time. A memorable weather experience and what section of TW you visit most and why.
I'll start....I joined in April of 2002, I was wanting to learn more about the 74' Outbreak. At the time I'd just turned 35, I had a 14 year old daughter that I was homeschooling, I was married to my high school sweetheart whom I'd just gotten back together after being separated for 5 months. He wanted to start our lives over so we moved into the middle of no-where in Clay County with the only neighbor being an arsonist-bootlegger (Clay County is dry but he never was!!).
I'd always known I was fascinated with weather but no one acted like it was normal nor could I find anyone as enthused as I, except for my Daddy.
TalkWeather was just the outlet I needed to hone my inner weather geek! John Oldshue had started the forum and was working at ABC 33/40 as a met. Back then social media such as Facebook and My Space hadn't taken over so a lot of TV mets and NWS mets posted information on TW.
Then it was decided to start meeting one another, I think the first meeting took place in Inverness or Birmingham.
After that we started having frequent meetings with good attendance, we even went to the movies to see The Day After Tomorrow and tour TV stations with the focus on the weather segment. Forum members started becoming my life-long friends as well as I was learning so much. That's when we started promoting Skywarn Storm Spotter classes, many of us took several of the first course and then the second course, almost all the classes were under Brian Peters.
Huntsville members had meetings too, visiting TV stations there and meeting with mets that posted on the forum as well. Huntsville has always had a good group of members some that are part of the behind scenes here.
For a while, the Mt Cheaha forum meeting became quite large and a wonderful tradition. Occurring usually during the AL/TN game (no worries, we had a TV or two) with a traditional forum members football game with a lot of smack talk that lasted till the next meeting. One of our faithful members to attend was the sweet, awesome and legendary J.B Elliot that would bring the equally sweet and legendary Molly.
Jack Watkins started being our grill master, cooking the most delicious grilled foods as we started meeting in the Pavilion.
The biggest meeting we ever had at Mt Cheaha that will live in infamy was when JB Elliot and Brian Peters attended in the 33/40 Storm Chasing van and David Neal and family came in the Fox6 Storm Tracker humvee. So many attended this meeting, many that would eventually become meteorologists in their careers. The group took pictures with both chaser vehicles parked among them. That will be something we will never see again but we all were just in weather geek heaven!!
In 2004 when ABC 33/40 held their first Storm Alert Extreme, Talkweather (via JO) was invited to have a booth. I printed out information about TalkWeather and promoted TW as best I could. When it came time for lunch, JB Elliot (whom I'd gotten close, as he was praying for my Daddy that had been quite sick a while, he'd check on him daily and had his SS class pray) asked if my friend and I would like to have lunch with him and James Spann, I thought my friend was going to flitter right there! LOL! We did and listened to their stories of the people they meet as they would tour schools and businesses. Then James asked me if I wanted to go on before his segment and promote the forum to the audience. OH YEAH!! What better exposure! But having to go on BEFORE SPANN??!! We were in the Civic Center ballroom, so there was a good bit of people there, I was so excited! I got up there and I promise I coined the phrase first, I asked; "How many of you are weather geeks?" That crowd knew exactly what I meant and all raised their hands!
By then JO had offered Daniel Lamb the forum and administrator title, Daniel in turn offered Jason McCay and I (we were all moderators at the time) co-administrator roles.
The most awkward and hilarious conversation we ever had was deciding what all bad/cuss words we wouldn't allow. I think we were all blushing in cyber space before that conversation ended!!
Move on a few years, Daniel became a met (he works in at the NWS in MS), Jason started a successful company and moved to California for a while (I think he and his family are back) and I was going through some personal crisis and needing some time off from my admin duties at TW.
Then Jack came into the picture with a great group of moderators such as Carrie and then help with administrative duties with Mike and Brandon on board for tech admin.
The most historic thread (and we still have it) was started by Michelle H in April of 2011....you all know which one I'm speaking....not to make light of that day but I tease Michelle all the time that she's not allowed to start a Severe Wx thread!!
Since starting TW, I became a Memaw 3x!! This March, I will celebrate my 50th birthday!! I've watched so many members grow up, have families and also dedicate their lives to weather and it thrills me as I see them succeed, I tell many of them, I feel like a proud Mama!! I've made some of the most awesome life-long friends that I treasure so much.
Okay, y'all don't have to go into so much detail or write a novel, I'm known for novels because I can't express myself without a million details!
I'm so thankful for Wes, for bringing back TW, for many of us it's home, just plain and simple, HOME! Thanks to our administrators Jack and Mike, our moderators Brent, Tyler and Stormstalker.
I hope this forum lasts forever in some form or fashion and I hope everyone that joins or just visits, feels welcome and learns something or just has a good time!!
I'll start....I joined in April of 2002, I was wanting to learn more about the 74' Outbreak. At the time I'd just turned 35, I had a 14 year old daughter that I was homeschooling, I was married to my high school sweetheart whom I'd just gotten back together after being separated for 5 months. He wanted to start our lives over so we moved into the middle of no-where in Clay County with the only neighbor being an arsonist-bootlegger (Clay County is dry but he never was!!).
I'd always known I was fascinated with weather but no one acted like it was normal nor could I find anyone as enthused as I, except for my Daddy.
TalkWeather was just the outlet I needed to hone my inner weather geek! John Oldshue had started the forum and was working at ABC 33/40 as a met. Back then social media such as Facebook and My Space hadn't taken over so a lot of TV mets and NWS mets posted information on TW.
Then it was decided to start meeting one another, I think the first meeting took place in Inverness or Birmingham.
After that we started having frequent meetings with good attendance, we even went to the movies to see The Day After Tomorrow and tour TV stations with the focus on the weather segment. Forum members started becoming my life-long friends as well as I was learning so much. That's when we started promoting Skywarn Storm Spotter classes, many of us took several of the first course and then the second course, almost all the classes were under Brian Peters.
Huntsville members had meetings too, visiting TV stations there and meeting with mets that posted on the forum as well. Huntsville has always had a good group of members some that are part of the behind scenes here.
For a while, the Mt Cheaha forum meeting became quite large and a wonderful tradition. Occurring usually during the AL/TN game (no worries, we had a TV or two) with a traditional forum members football game with a lot of smack talk that lasted till the next meeting. One of our faithful members to attend was the sweet, awesome and legendary J.B Elliot that would bring the equally sweet and legendary Molly.
Jack Watkins started being our grill master, cooking the most delicious grilled foods as we started meeting in the Pavilion.
The biggest meeting we ever had at Mt Cheaha that will live in infamy was when JB Elliot and Brian Peters attended in the 33/40 Storm Chasing van and David Neal and family came in the Fox6 Storm Tracker humvee. So many attended this meeting, many that would eventually become meteorologists in their careers. The group took pictures with both chaser vehicles parked among them. That will be something we will never see again but we all were just in weather geek heaven!!
In 2004 when ABC 33/40 held their first Storm Alert Extreme, Talkweather (via JO) was invited to have a booth. I printed out information about TalkWeather and promoted TW as best I could. When it came time for lunch, JB Elliot (whom I'd gotten close, as he was praying for my Daddy that had been quite sick a while, he'd check on him daily and had his SS class pray) asked if my friend and I would like to have lunch with him and James Spann, I thought my friend was going to flitter right there! LOL! We did and listened to their stories of the people they meet as they would tour schools and businesses. Then James asked me if I wanted to go on before his segment and promote the forum to the audience. OH YEAH!! What better exposure! But having to go on BEFORE SPANN??!! We were in the Civic Center ballroom, so there was a good bit of people there, I was so excited! I got up there and I promise I coined the phrase first, I asked; "How many of you are weather geeks?" That crowd knew exactly what I meant and all raised their hands!
By then JO had offered Daniel Lamb the forum and administrator title, Daniel in turn offered Jason McCay and I (we were all moderators at the time) co-administrator roles.
The most awkward and hilarious conversation we ever had was deciding what all bad/cuss words we wouldn't allow. I think we were all blushing in cyber space before that conversation ended!!
Move on a few years, Daniel became a met (he works in at the NWS in MS), Jason started a successful company and moved to California for a while (I think he and his family are back) and I was going through some personal crisis and needing some time off from my admin duties at TW.
Then Jack came into the picture with a great group of moderators such as Carrie and then help with administrative duties with Mike and Brandon on board for tech admin.
The most historic thread (and we still have it) was started by Michelle H in April of 2011....you all know which one I'm speaking....not to make light of that day but I tease Michelle all the time that she's not allowed to start a Severe Wx thread!!
Since starting TW, I became a Memaw 3x!! This March, I will celebrate my 50th birthday!! I've watched so many members grow up, have families and also dedicate their lives to weather and it thrills me as I see them succeed, I tell many of them, I feel like a proud Mama!! I've made some of the most awesome life-long friends that I treasure so much.
Okay, y'all don't have to go into so much detail or write a novel, I'm known for novels because I can't express myself without a million details!
I'm so thankful for Wes, for bringing back TW, for many of us it's home, just plain and simple, HOME! Thanks to our administrators Jack and Mike, our moderators Brent, Tyler and Stormstalker.
I hope this forum lasts forever in some form or fashion and I hope everyone that joins or just visits, feels welcome and learns something or just has a good time!!