Katherine Chloé Cahoon

One of the reasons why I love walking the lighted paths of Denver’s Botanic Gardens during the holidays is that every step is a total surprise. You never know what visual delight is right around the corner, even if you’ve planned out every single step… And that is like life!

If someone had told me that I’d be moving to Wyoming from Washington in 2017, I wouldn’t have believed them. But here I am and loving it!

I had the job interview for my current position with CBS NewsChannel 5 almost a year ago under bizarre circumstances. I had a terrible ear infection. The only time that the news director could conduct a phone interview with me was just before my appointment with the ENT, so I had to hold it in the waiting room!

Two weeks later, I was in Wyoming, moved in, and learning how to navigate the anchor desk. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

In years past, I’ve made specific resolutions. Because of this experience, my 2018 resolution is to do what feels right and embrace life’s changes.

I hope this year brings you lots of fabulous surprises.

For as long as I can remember, I have been home in Seattle for the holidays enjoying our trademark Cahoon traditions. These include joining the happy throngs celebrating nightly at Snowflake Lane.

enjoying Christmas dinner at the stunning, historic Fairmont Olympic,

riding the downtown carousal,

sipping hot chocolate while wandering in and out of the vendors at Pike Place Market, and being a Secret Santa to a family in need.

This marks the first year that I will not be able to join in those traditions. I’m working over the holidays as an anchor, reporter, and producer for CBS NewsChannel 5, but I still feel like I’m home for the holidays. It’s just a new home…Wyoming…and with new friends who have become like family, and new traditions!

Throughout this holiday season, I’ve had fun exploring one of my favorite towns, Fort Collins, Colorado. I take a dance class there every week, and afterwards, I usually have dinner in the old, historic section of town. Then I take a walk through this magical land of cobblestones overhung with lights and beautiful skies.

At this time of year, festive decorations and Santa villages add to the charm.

On Christmas Eve, I’ll be anchoring two shows with some of the best co-workers anyone could ever have…and we will be broadcasting to one of the most loving communities I’ve ever experienced.

Sweater from Charter Club Women’s Cashmere
https://www.macys.com/shop/womens-clothing/womens-cashmere-sweaters/Brand/Charter%20Club?id=262

Tassel earrings and bandanas…style reminiscent of the 80’s is back and, hopefully, here to stay for a while.

In true flashback fashion, nothing I’m wearing is new…however, it’s still on-trend. Here are similar pieces you can buy now.

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This holiday has always been one of my absolute favorites…from baking ghost cookies for the neighborhood, to dressing up, and attending parties. I’ve loved it all since I was a little kid. So, I decided to chat with little kids in my community about what they enjoy most about this holiday.

If you look closely at this CBS feature, you just might spy the bee that snuck onto our set and flew right by my face. The zapping sound in the background is Taylor, our weatherman, saving me from the critter.

https://youtu.be/hA6xUoZXhmA

I hope you all have a spooktacular Halloween!

For years, I have been a fan of both Dancing with the Stars and Boys & Girls Clubs. So, when I was asked to help raise funds for our local club by competing in DWTS of Cheyenne, the answer was an instant, “Yes!”

While working as an anchor/reporter for CBS NewsChannel 5, I have had the privilege of meeting the staff and children at the Boys & Girls Club of Cheyenne. I have learned firsthand of the incredible opportunities this organization offers. I have seen how some of the children reaping these benefits come from tough situations. Doing something as fun as DWTS to raise funds for those kids made this competition even more special for me. I wanted to do my best for them.

My excitement grew when I learned that my partner would be Jonathan Hedger. I had just seen him in Ballet Wyoming’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He was a showstopper.

The day before our first rehearsal, my boss, General Manager Tregg White said, “In the past, CBS NewsChannel 5 placed second in this competition. When you represent us, I want to place first.” No pressure!

With this added incentive, Jonathan and I worked hard…and then we worked even harder.

He suggested some dance classes I could take to supplement our rehearsals that would help me build strength and improve technique. Here’s a little secret: I often wore my leotard underneath my dress while reporting live because afterwards I had to rush off to one of those classes.

When the night of the competition came, I was filled with excitement…and more than my fair share of butterflies.

The event took place at Little America and everything, from the table settings to the chandeliers, looked straight out of a fairy tale.

The three things that I will always remember most from this experience are the camaraderie between the competing dance couples, the generosity of those making donations, and the gratitude of the kids from the Boys & Girls Club.

And, yes, I was able to tell my boss that we won!

Here’s a panoramic look at the evening…

And here’s a CBS NewsChannel 5 interview of my dance partner and me after our first-place win!

With autumn sneaking up on us, my thoughts have been turning to crisp days, sweaters, and vibrant falling leaves.

This is in spite of the weather at my new Wyoming home. September here feels like summer will never end. The benefit of these warm days and clear skies is that I can continue bringing out my sunny fashions while anticipating a beautiful, late fall.

This Ted Baker dress truly is a fallback, because these pictures were snapped last spring―but the concept of a jeweled silhouette has become a classic that you will keep seeing throughout 2017! Here is another Ted with the same fit-and-flare shape and crystals…

And here is his embellished evening maxi, with a pleated skirt.

The shoot with my jewel-toned Ted was one of my favorites. Although it was spring, the days were still a bit chilly. My friend, Kylee, took the pictures at her house and her little nephew joined in the fun. What a terrific helper!

I was just getting over a miserable cold. This sweet guy noticed that I was shivering, so he brought me his “cozy” blanket, explaining that I needed to stay warm.

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Casper, Wyoming, officials estimate tens of thousands of visitors could descend on the city on Monday, August 21st, to view the solar eclipse—when the moon will cross over the sun, causing more than two minutes of darkness in the late morning.

Hotels are booked solid with travelers coming from around the world and claiming their spots at viewing sites. Homes of locals, like my two little friends, are bursting with excited houseguests.

Bart Rae Learning Circle is featuring a “Solabration on the Circle” with sunrise yoga, food, drinks, artists, dancing and, of course prime, eclipse-viewing.

This will be the first total eclipse visible in almost a century from coast-to-coast across 0.5% of the continental U.S.

When the moon is in the direct line-of-sight of the sun, the “totality” will block our biggest star from view. The temperature will drop, animals will become silent, and from the west, a wall of darkness – the moon’s shadow – will approach. The sky directly overhead will look like night, from horizon-to-horizon. Then, in an instant, the moon’s silhouette will appear as if from nowhere. Minutes later, daylight will return as though by magic.

In Casper, the eclipse celebration I attended this weekend will continue until night.

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There’s a reason why the Too Faced Love palette has the word “love” in it. I instantly fell in love with this versatile product.

The hues are so compatible they can be combined in an almost-infinite variety of ways. Here’s one of my favorite looks, and how you can recreate it:

First, use a fluffy brush to apply the cream shade in the right heart all over your eyelids and up to your eyebrows.

Second, use the lighter shimmer cream above the right heart to apply on your eyelids.

Third, use a smaller fluffy brush to apply the light green to your eyelids.

Fourth, with the same brush, dust the taupe shade onto the inner corners of your eyes.

Fifth, take a slanted eyeliner brush and use the dark green shadow as an eyeliner. Don’t wet your brush. This is meant to be more of a smoky line.

Sixth, use the pencil that comes with your palette to make a more distinct line over your smoky green line.

The opposite end of the eyeliner pencil has a slanted rubber tip that is perfect for gently smudging out your upper eyeliner.

Use your pencil eyeliner again on the lower waterline.

Seventh, mascara time.

Eighth, use your blush brush to apply the light beige as a highlighter under your eyes.

Add lip gloss…

And you are ready to head out the door for a day full of adventure!

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Every year, during the last ten days of July, Wyoming hosts Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD), the world’s largest rodeo. This celebration of America’s Wild West has been a tradition since 1897, when William “Buffalo Bill” Coty was a popular performer…

and Harry Longabaugh was becoming the Sundance Kid.

If you plan to join the 200,000 participating in this nostalgic look at American culture, be prepared to get your pulse pumping. There are bucking broncos, wild horse races, chuck-wagon pancake breakfasts, a frontier town, an Indian village, and a mercantile to outfit the best of the buckaroos!

For those of you who like to keep one foot firmly in the 21st Century, you can watch the Thunderbirds of the U.S. Air Force perform unbelievable stunts…

and take in the midway, attend concerts by popular American country music bands, and see comedy shows.

It’s no wonder this rodeo is called “the Daddy of ‘em all.”

CFD is even more special for me, when I cover it as a reporter and anchor for CBS News Channel 5. Every day, I get to wear traditional western wear to work.

And talk about heart-pounding adventures―our CBS team tries so hard to report on all the exciting events that it’s not unusual to see us sprinting from one story to another…and then broadcasting live!

This experience has been one adventure after another. Sunday is the last day of CFD. I wish it would never end.

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Comic fans were so excited about Cheyenne’s Comi Con, that CBS NewsChannel 5 sent me to cover the Denver Comic Con as well. And since these two cities are so close to each other, a lot of locals got two servings of cosplay. Lou Ferrigno, the title character from The Incredible Hulk, also attended both events.

In Denver, the first group I bonded with were these zombies. They are Umbrella Corporation, a group that cos plays as characters from Resident Evil, to raise money for charities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTyuYopTSm0

Denver Comic Con is put on by Pop Culture Classroom. As you can probably tell from their title, this is a nonprofit that supports education. They teach storytelling through comics and graphic novels by using science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. April O’Neal covered it all.

Comic Con gives you a chance to cut loose, assume a fantasy persona, make lasting friendships with like-minded fun-lovers, and learn valuable information that you can use in the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl26PG1Zugk&t=1s

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According to Variety, “ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” exceeded $500 mil at the global box office in early June.

In honor of this, I’m taking us back to the real pirates of the Pacific. They hid out in the Sea of Cortez, and stashed their treasures in the cave at Cabo.

To them, this was the Gold Coast. To hear their story Visit…

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Say it isn’t so!!! Landmark Theaters has abruptly closed Seattle’s Seven Gables and Guild 45th.

Both places have served up an eclectic mix of indie films, foreign imports, and avant-garde flicks, stirred together with new releases—since well before I was born.

The photo above is of the Seven Gables, and the one above that is of me in the theater’s sitting room. Built in 1925 in Seattle’s U District – that’s short for “University of Washington” for all of you nonnatives – it become known as “the house above the Italian restaurant.” And I’m sure you can guess why. Well, the Italian eatery is still there, but the graffiti-covered building across the street featured in the pic below isn’t.

This history of this edifice is typical of the Seattle culture. When it was marked for demolition, local teens, college students, and graffiti artists converged. The kind-hearted developer and community-minded police indulged their desire to make it a shrine to creativity before bringing in the wrecking crew. The spray-paint brigade brought me into their fold for a photo shoot, and my dad clicked the shutter. That’s him in the pic above.

The pic above is of the Guild 45th. It was built in 1919, in Wallingford, just west of the Gables. Francis Ford Coppola has often chosen the Guild for test-audience screenings.

You might think life is over for the Seattle lover of laissez-faire theater. Well, we still have the Grand Illusion (below), host to people like Quentin Tarantino, and others who walk on the wild side, as well as beat poets, professors, tech entrepreneurs, and hedge fund managers. Basically, Seattle makes room for everyone.

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If you’re looking to save money, but want to be on-trend with quality makeup products, try Maybelline. It’s one of my favorite reasonably-priced brands. And the 24k Nudes wins the versatility award. I’ve blogged about this palette before, but it’s worth looping back around to…especially if you live somewhere on the cusp of summer, and want to soak up the sun with a new look.

In just one small case, you get a whopping twelve different shades, all for only about $12. The colors range from eggplant to cream, gold, and brown. Combining them can create a variety of beautiful looks for any complexion.

I believe in 100% honesty, so I’ll give you the total scoop. In my opinion, this pick, can look as flawless as the expensive brands. The one downfall I’ve found is that it wears off faster if you’re in a humid environment. This isn’t the palette I’d choose for dancing the night away; however, for everyday activities it’s amazing.

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That would be Ted Baker! What I love about this line is how Ted always has me covered, no matter what the occasion calls for…or the weather brings!

Since moving to Wyoming, I have experienced the full spectrum of atmospheric conditions—from warm and sunny to cold and snowy. I’ve even learned that we can have a snowstorm in mid-May! So, as a reporter, on any given day I can either be required to trek out in mud and snow, or attend a fancy banquet…or both. I enjoy all these adventures, but to go on them, I have to be prepared to dress for any occasion with little notice.

I’ve found that dress-up outfits are often sleeveless or short-sleeved. And I’ve learned that those styles don’t work for interviewing people during a fancy event when Spring has delivered an unexpected winter wonderland.

That’s where Ted Baker comes in handy. I got this little number from his sale rack. It’s perfect for a dress-up occasion when the thermometer takes a nosedive—complete with long sleeves and thick material. Ted Baker does dress-up right. You can find a variety of styles in his line that fit a variety of temperatures.

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When I heard that Cheyenne was having a Comic Con, there was no way I wasn’t going to be there. Coming up with a costume was an easy choice. Since I’m a reporter for CBS News, April O’Neil was hands-down my top pick.

I was fortunate to be assigned to cover these events. Some people didn’t realize that I was actually a reporter. They thought I was going all-out with my costume…professional camera, microphone, and all! The fun happened last weekend. Anyone going to a Comic Con soon?

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