Christa Dubill

Have you heard of the Golden Scoop?

It’s a new ice cream/coffee shop opening very soon with the sole purpose of making sure people with disabilities have a place to work. Feel empowered. Feel a part of something. Have a place to look forward to going each day and to interact with others.

They are in need of the final $250 to finish paying for the tables and chairs they need to open. Several of the tables will be ADA compliant, and with that comes a little extra expense.

I already donated in honor of my brother. If you feel moved to give, you can donate using the link on their website.

The Golden Scoop - The Golden Scoop Changing Lives One Scoop at a Time The Golden Scoop is a life changing, non-profit ice cream and coffee shop. We provide innovative and meaningful employment for individuals with developmental disabilities and delicious ice cream and coffee to the Kansas City community. Every scoop of our made-from-...

Happy to help with some virtual community events this year, especially those helping kids have opportunities. Last night’s event for St. Teresa's Academy is the most recent. Such an impressive group of women empowering girls to realize their incredibly important roles in this world!

I’m making breakfast for dinner (sausage, eggs, toast 😁) and just took sausage patties off this styrofoam tray.

I started to throw it in the recycle bin but decided to wash it and keep it. I have no idea why! Maybe it’s COVID prep.

But it reminded me of my great grandmother who had a cabinet shelf full of things like this. She would re-use these for leftovers. She always kept the cool whip container too. I smiled as I washed it just thinking of her.

Do you keep things like this? And what do you use them for?

In the last few days I’ve had more than a dozen people tell me I NEED to watch the Queens Gambit on Netflix. It keeps coming up. They say I’ll love it!

So, I’m starting now.

Have you seen it? Thoughts?
What are you watching?

I have the incredible honor of judging the BEST in SHOW for the Great Plains SPCA this year! This is Wilby. He is currently winning in the category for BEST SMILE - which makes all of us smile, don't you agree? 🙂

You should see all of the adorable dogs. There's a category for Best Ears! ❤ Sweetest Senior! Goofiest!...

Here's the link to see the dogs, vote counts and to learn more.

https://www.gogophotocontest.com/greatplainsspca

You can enter your rescue and/or vote for your faves! Voting is open through Sept. 30 and the finalists advance to the grand finale.

There's a fun virtual event planned to announce the big winners in October. I'll be there. You should join us!

Hi friends,

I'm sitting here on this beautiful morning waiting to pick up my groceries thinking of all of the changes in store for 2020. I'm also thinking of you all as I type this update.

Let me just say... Oh my goodness, you all are amazing! The nervousness I felt about making the decision to change careers after 20 years - so I can be home more with my family - has melted away because of all of you. I am having a hard time finding the words. It reminds me how much good there is in our world! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I have read through your comments, direct messages, emails and text messages and can feel your love and support.

I’ve been off work the past couple of weeks and am enjoying soo much time with family and friends. I have taken a deep breath, focused on family.. we've put away christmas decorations, cleaned out and organized the pantry, organized our kids rooms, and I still plan to organize my closet 😬. I am prepared for this brand new year.

With that said, I’m excited to tell you I do have a job. I’ll be able to work while my kids are in school and have flexibility to be where I need to be. I’m excited to say this job still lets me work with so many of you and still allows me to help people be informed and make decisions which have the potential for bettering their lives.
I am going to work for Blue KC - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City helping them with communications, community relations, public relations and marketing.

Their focus is on all of the things I care about deeply. I knew I wanted to continue to serve the people of Kansas City, still help people understand important issues, still tell great stories, and still be active in the community. In this role, I'll get to do all of those things and more.

As I think about these life changes for me, I’m also thinking of you. I’ve heard from so many of you who’ve made big changes in your life or have considered it. Thank you for your advice, your support, and your encouragement. I thank you for trusting me all these years, and for your continued support. Many of you have said you feel I’m a member of your family. I promise, I feel the same about all of you.

I’ll keep sharing good things happening in our city, sprinkled in with people I meet, charity events I attend, nonprofits doing great things, random things I just feel like sharing, and probably pictures of babies. ❤️

I’m excited and look forward to this new chapter.

Sincerely,
Christa

Hi friends,

I have some news to share with you, and I have mixed emotions about it. I’ve cried. I’ve felt scared. I’ve felt nervous and excited. Most of all, though, I feel at peace with my decision and THAT makes me know it’s the right one.

I want to start with saying I am healthy. There is no secret health battle.
I want to also say management at the station has been VERY supportive. I’ve been talking with them for a while now. They’ve tried VERY hard to change my mind. They are good people!

Here’s the deal. I need to be home more with my family – with my boys – and I can’t do that AND be on TV at night.

Right now, I see my boys before school. And some days, I don’t see them again until the next morning.
I head into work about two hours before they get home from school. I often don’t get home from work until 11:15 pm.

I want to be home more. I NEED to be home more.

I want to be there for homework in the evenings. I want to be there to cook dinners, and make them all sit with me at the dinner table. I might even use the good dishes AND make them help wash them by hand. Because that's what makes memories, right? 😊

I want to be there so my husband and I can catch up on our days face to face, instead of over text messages and phone calls throughout the day. We try to juggle our schedules, but he’s mostly managing on his own in the evenings. He’s been amazing! And thank goodness for grandma, grandpa and our family friend, Kate.

I want to be home to read books to my little man before bed. I want to be there as we get in cozy pajamas. I want to have the option of falling asleep while we lay together reminiscing about our days and then wake up at 2 am all crumpled in his little bed, probably sore because I don't fit, but happy that we were that close for that long.

I want to be home earlier for my teenage son who just made the freshman basketball team and is managing a pretty heavy load of classes. I want to see his games, and be in the car to take him and pick him up from practices. I want to naturally hear about things instead of trying to pull information out of him hours later or on the weekends. He's already an "as few as words as possible" kid... I don't want to miss any moments.

While I know this is the right decision for me and my family, there are several things making it VERY DIFFICULT.

One of those things is ALL OF YOU! I feel like I know you! I see pictures of you and your adventures. I’ve met many of you in person and gotten to know your stories. I've followed your heartbreaks and health battles. I've cheered for your job searches and felt broken about your losses. I feel like I know your children and your pets. We’ve done a lot of good together – like when we all donated food to Harvesters during our Fill the Fridge food drive. And oh my goodness - the STORIES! All the stories so many of you have been willing to let me share to spread good stories, raise awareness about sad ones or bad ones, and tell stories helping the rest of us know how we can make a difference.

I’ve loved every minute of my time with you. I’m so incredibly thankful so many of you came to trust me over the years. There is not a greater honor.

As I type this, I have tears in my eyes. I’ve loved my time at 41! I love our team at 41. I truly do love you all!!!

I have enjoyed sharing with you great things happening in this city, and being with you during the more difficult news, too.

I promise I’m not going away. I will still be here on social. I will still be at the grocery store and target and all the shops around town. I’ll still be involved in charity work and sporting events. And you KNOW I’ll still ask to hold your babies when I see you out and about.

I’m not going anywhere. THIS IS HOME!

With all of this said, I want to tell you my last day on the air here at 41 Action News will be Monday, December 16. I’ll anchor the 5 and 6 pm news that day.

I’m still finalizing my next steps as far as work, but I promise to let you know when things are set. I will work during the day while my kids are in school, and I fully intend to end up in a role which still allows me to help people, be involved in the community, stay in touch with as many of you as possible…..and still be home to cook dinners, make all the basketball games, and be home to straighten the covers over my boys as they fall asleep each night.

LOVE and hugs and a heartfelt THANK YOU! You mean more to me than you can ever know.

Sincerely,
Christa

HAVE A WINNER! CONGRATS RACHEL PETITT! :)
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Oh boy! Look what I have to give one of you.

The Holiday Boutique is happening this week in Overland Park.

They sent this media kit to promote coverage and - AS ALWAYS - I’m giving it away! ❤️

Holiday Boutique is a huge shopping event with more than 300 vendors held at the Overland Park Convention Center this Thursday - Sunday.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday
10 AM - 9 PM

Sunday
10 AM - 6 Pm

The fundraising part of this event is the festival of trees. The silent auction for the decorated trees is a fundraiser for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau .

I’ll put close up pics of items in comments. If you want your name in the Santa hat 😁 I’ll draw a winner Thursday at 3:00. ❤️🎄

Pickens Sweet Treats The Cordial Cherry Kansas City Popcorn Homestead Kitchen & Bakery

It’s been TWO YEARS tomorrow that we lost our kind, strong, LOVING, loyal, compassionate, beautiful MOM.... after she fought SO HARD to beat cancer.

I miss her every day. And each of those days, I try and live as she’d want me to live.

I hear her voice say, “everybody has a story” and “you never know what someone’s going through”. I imagine telling her about the things I’m struggling with, and telling her about my successes. I can hear her advice...and pride.

She was my biggest fan. And I purposefully work every day to continue to make her proud. ❤️

I think of her when I talk to my brother. When I talk to my sister.
When I remember her time with my children.

I think of her life’s motto every day, and try and live it.

“You may be sorry you spoke, sorry you stayed or went, sorry you won or lost, sorry so much was spent. But as you go through life you’ll find - you’re never sorry you were kind”

LIVE LIFE WITH NO REGRETS.

Say what you’re thinking of saying.
Hug when you feel like hugging.
Take the brave step forward toward something you dream about.
Believe in yourself.
Do what makes you happy.
Smile at as many people as possible.
Hold a hand.
Talk.
Ask questions.
Love.

Held baby ELLE WOOD, this morning!

Her mom says people always laugh because many make the connection to Elle Woods, Reese Witherspoons character in Legally Blonde.

Mom, with a huge smile, has this to say about the comparison (I’m paraphrasing):

“I’m fine with that. Elle Woods went to Harvard Law School, left a guy who wasn’t good to her, helped others, and could sport a sequined bikini and make it look good.”

😁❤️

You go girl, little miss Elle Wood. Ellie for short.

This wasn’t even a scheduled baby-holding visit. It was totally random. 😁❤️

Happy Saturday, friends!

LOOK WHAT I DID TODAY!!! 😁❤️

This is baby Duke. He just turned 1!

If you look real close, you’ll see his two side teeth came in ahead of his two front teeth so his family lovingly calls him a vampire. LOVE IT! I’m posting a better pic of his teeth in comments below! (Also of his vampire Halloween costume from last week.)

Duke is the youngest of three boys, so you know I immediately felt a connection to this fellow .

His mom, Aubree, was working full time and says she never felt like she got enough time with her kids.

“My husband and I were like, what are we doing!?!!”, she said, while we discussed why so many work so hard and miss so much of what life has to offer in the meantime:

So recently, she took the extremely SCARY leap of talking to her boss. Her boss happened to be another working mom.

To Aubree’s surprise, her boss totally understood! And with a huge amount of support, found a way for Aubree to contribute while working part time from home.

Aubree says she feels it’s the best of both worlds. She can embrace all that she loves about spending time with her children, but also loves having an outlet for her career-minded side. She is so thankful she had the talk with her boss!

I loved holding baby Duke and smooshing my cheeks up against his cheeks!
Thank you, Aubree, for letting me hold your sweet, sweet baby boy. And for the fabulous convo about balancing our worlds.

I’m set to hold a few more babies this week. Stay tuned....😁

❤️ happy Wednesday, friends!❤️