Facebook is such a great tool to reunite long lost frineds and build a stronger bond between current ones. But sadly, things that can be used for "good" also seem to have the ability to be used for "evil" as well.

   Not only has Facebook been used to torment High School students, amazingly it can be used to hurt adults too.

   I know because I am one of them.

   I recently had, what I thought was a REALLY GOOD friend, "unfirend me". It took me about a month to notice, so it was too late to really discuss the problem with her. In fact, to be honest, at the time I really didn't think it WAS a problem. But rather than discuss it with me, she took her friendship away. The ULTIMATE punishment.

    Some people might argue that if she did that over some perceived slight that it really wasn't much of a friendship to begin with, and so there's "no loss".

    But I beg to differ. I believe we were VERY good friends at one point. 

   Maybe it was more than what we disagreed upon. I like to think the best of everyone (Which can sometimes be a negative trait) so I'd like to think that maybe she's just going through a hard time so what I may have said had more of an impact that it normally would have. Or she felt that it was a good way to "get my attention".

   Whatever the reason I just wish she would have given me a chance to talk it out. I would have been happy to accept part of the blame. God knows I'm not perfet, and sometimes say things that hurt others without intending to. But the LAST thing I'd ever puposely do it intentionally hurt a friend.

   I would like to think that deep down she really knows that.

   And I pray that some day I'll be given a chance to make ammends.

    Until then, I will miss you my friend. My thoughts and prayers are with you always.

   Who you are now, espeically if you are more than 10 years away from your High School Graduation date, is (hopefully) NOT who you were then. Yet, sadly,  many of the people who knew you from High School still see you as the person you WERE and refuse to see you any other way. Looking back, I like to think I was a pretty nice person, but Facebook has brought it to my attention that maybe I wasn't. Or maybe it's the person other people "thought I was" whot wasn't. Unless someone is really honest with me that's an answer I may never really know. 

    Facebook can be a really great way to reconnct with old friends and long lost family members. But it can also be a brutal "reality check" too. For there are probably a dozen or more people from my past that I have tried to "friend" and have been rejected. (and since I began I have even been "unfriended" by a few which has been extremely painful to me too)

     I'm one of those people (and maybe you are too) who wants to "get along" with everyone. I HATE to offend people, hurt people, or unitentionally insult people more than anything. I admit I was probably pretty self absorbed in High School, but through a series of really difficult and very painful experiences I think I have become (at least I HOPE I have become) and lot more compassionate and caring and more appreciative of the wonderful people in my life. Because of some things that have happened to me in the past I have come to value my friends and my relationships above ALL ELSE. I wish some of the people who knew me in High School as something "different" than that could at least give me a chance to show them that I have gowns and matured. I would LOVE to share some of those experinces with them, I would love to ask forgivness for whatever I may have done to make them choose not to "friend me" now, I would love to have the opportunity to show them I am not that person that they knew back then. 

    As I am sure they aren't either.

   I wish I didn't take this all so personally. Reaching out and CARING has it's drawbacks too. It's PAINFUL when you get rejected. 

   I just saw this entry on Facebook: "Martha Stewart's daughter now has an entire show devoted to slamming her mother.... SERIOUSLY! How low can you go".

  My response? Lower than that obviously.

  Isn't it sad that people who are totally and completely nasty, mean and disrespectful get their own TV shows... yet people who are kind, generous, thoughtful and respectful get NOTHING??? It's says a LOT about our society that what we consider to be "negative behavior" gets rewarded with million dollar contracts... while people who are trying to be "good" are not. We don't even get :30 on the evening newscast. What are we teaching our children????? Act like a moron and you'll be famous. (or infamous... either way you make millions... and most people don't differentiate between those two anymore anyway) In fact the worse you act the more potential you have to get attention and accolades.

   Shows that  delve into the very WORST of the human spirit make millions in advertiser dollars. While shows that send positive messages often get cancelled due to lack of interest. (I can't begin to tell you how hard it is to find sponsors for my TV show and even then I barely break even)

   When did rudeness, nastiness, and catty remarks start passing for "entertainment"? And how can we expect children to respect us when these shows teach them that the more disrespectful they are to someone the more well known and well paid they will become?

  The truth of the matter is: people watch these shows. LOTS of people. And until they switch the channel there are going to be more and more of these shows filling the airwaves. At the risk of sounding "old".... this is depressing.

   The "shock factor" plays into this too. Yesterdays "Shocking show" is todays SNOOZEFEST. So show creators have to "up and ante" and find people who behave in increasingly revolting ways to get viewers to watch. It really scares me to think about what's coming next.

   What will get people talking now? Do we do a reality show on pedophiles to watch them in action? I don't think that's as big a reach as I used to.

   And that makes me sad.

   A Wichita girl won a NATIONAL contest for teens who are doing good things and making the world a better place. Not one... and I mean NOT ONE of the traditional newscasts herein town even did a story on her. Interviewing her for my show was one of the greatest experiences of my career. Why don't we give someone like her, her own show? Why not encourage very teen in America to follow her example? The sad truth is, had she shot up a school she would have been the lead story on every newscast, been featured on the cover of "Time" and "Newsweek" and fielded offers to write a book. Again, what are we teaching our children?

     I have become a Social Media addict. With all these new ways to stay in touch, I find myself spending 2-4 hours a day EVERY DAY just updating all my sites. I used to have 2. My email and my website. Now there's Twitter (@sierrapscott), Facebook, Linkedin, My Space, Classmates.com, and about a dozen others. These sites have been both wonderful and painful. Wonderful in that I have managed to reconnect with a lot of people I had lost touch with YEARS ago! Painful in that some of the people I have tried to "friend" have rejected me. I have to admit that HURTS. A lot. Why is is that you can have 600 people who want to be your "friends", but you tend to focus on the 5 or 6 who don't? I have been agnozing over a person I "hurt" back in my college days for the past 3 days. And I mean REALLY AGONIZED over this. I tried to "friend him", but he rejected my offer. I really wanted to tell him how sorry I was, how ignorant I was, how immaturely I handled the situation, but because he won't "allow me to have access" I don't have the ability.

    I just feel so horrible about this... and have to admit it's really taken a toll on me. Why can't I let go of this and just move on?

    It was a STUPID mistake. But maybe there are some mistakes in life that we just never end up paying for. Why am I dwelling on this? I actually had thought about him off and on through the years, but until this "outright rejection" I hadn't experienced the pain again. it's like losing a person  you really care about all over again.

    I almost feel like I'm back in High School and being "rejected" by people in the "in crowd". Do we ever really get over that "need to belong"? Or is it just me? I'm I being silly by spending all this time analyzing the situation and focusing on that "one person who hates me"? (By the way I realize there's more than just one person who hates me, but this one really hurts)

   I HATE being rejected. Especially when I'm trying to open my heart. 

   There are so MANY ways to "stay connected" these days. I now have a "blog"... a Facebook page.... a My Space page.... about a dozen other "professional sites"... and now I'm on twitter. (I guess having a cell phone and sending texts just weren't enough!) I used to spend about an hour a day on email. Now that's "childs play"!!!! Now it takes me about 4-5 hours a day to update everything.

    Does anyone else think this is a crazy as I do????

       I JUST finished my one hour documentary on Darfur/Sudan and am so excited about the opportunity to premiere it in Washington, DC!!!! During the process of writing I found out I am one of only a SMALL HANDFUL of Americans and an even smaller number of journalists allowed into Darfur in the past 10 years.

      Not only do you have to get a VISA to enter Sudan but you have to get "travel documents" once you're inside the country in order to travel from city to city. At the time I didn't realize how difficult that really is to accomplish. My friend Mohammad worked so hard behind the scenes to make our trip possible that everything went smoothly so it seemd effortless.

   It wasn't.

   When we arrived we found so many distortions, manipulations and outright lies that are being told through the media about what's going on there it made all of us sick.  I really can't wait to show people what we saw! I think this story has the power to change a lot of perceptions and maybe make life better for the Sudanese in the long run.

    There are so many other journalists who are far more qualified to have undertaken this project than I am, that I still marvel at how things came together to make it happen. How a journalist with a TV show in Wichita, Kansas gets the opportunity to shoot one of the most AMAZING stories in the past 5 years can only be attributed to God. Think of all the hoops that had to be "jumped through" to bring that about. It just BOGGLES MY MIND!!! I am honestly still in shock that it actually happened. At times I look back and it feels like a dream. What an opportunity! What a life changing experience it was!

    After the documentary premieres in Washington DC, I plan to have a premiere party in Wichita as well. If you're interested in attending let me know!

    The Christmas holiday is my very favorite time of year. I LOVE EVERYTHING about it. The decorations, the hustle and bustle, the parties and most of all the time spent with my friends. This is the one time of year that we make sure to see those who really mean the most to us. (Even if it's just to drop off a present) There are a lot of talents that I "wish" I had, but there's one talent God blessed me with that I wouldn't trade for anything. And that's my ability to find really great friends. I have truly been blessed with the greatest group of friends on the planet. There are some that I don't see for years at a time, but when we do connect again it's as though not a single day had passed. Of all the gifts God has given me, this Christmas I am most thankful for my relationships. :-) Thank you to all of you who have made my life so special.

   I have been bllessed with a pretty amazing opportunity that I can't wait to tell you about. In January I will be going to the Sudan to shoot a story on that country's first free elections. It's a LONG story on how this came about, but suffice it to say that God makes connections in your life that you have no idea where they might lead at the time. This past year I was led to do a story on a man here in town who dreamed of coming to america from the time he was a 12-year old farm boy in the Sudan. If you ever saw the movie "Coming to America" this would be the "real life" counterpart. That 12 year old boy ended up graduation from college in Yemen with degrees in Economics and Political Science. When he finally made it to the United States this brilliant student took a job scrubbing toilets and floors at McDonalds to learn the language. He never saw that as a "demotion". He was just thrilled to be here.

   We take so much for grantid. His story re-inspired me to be thankful that I live in America! We are SO LUCKY.

   When I orginally wrote that story I had no idea of the connections that would be made through it. Because of it, I and my photographer, have been given the opportunity to travel to the Sudan with a delegation from Kansas. 

   This is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.

   I can't wait to tell you all about it!!!!

     I just had the most exciting interview of my entire 20 year career! I got the opportunity to interview the REAL "Rian Man". (i.e. the person the movie was actually based on)  "Rain Man's" real name is Kim Peek and he is ansolutely AMAZING!  I got to spend an entire day with him thaks to the generosity of his wonderful father Fran. Being in Kim's presence you realize you are in the presence of true greatness.

   While Kim has an IQ in the low 70's, his KQ (or Knowledge Quotent) is just  under 130.  (Which is higher than Einstein's)  Kim is in his 50's and remembers every single thing he's ever read almost verbatum. I spent most of the day trying to trip him up by asking him extremely difficult questions on just about every subject. He never missed a beat. I asked him where a letter sent to zip code 33710 would go, where a call to area code (913) would go, what highways intersect in Emmetsburg, Iowa, and who the LOSING world series team was in 1967 was and who the losing pitcher was on that team. 

   Kim is not just a Sevant. He is one of only 3 living MEGA-Sevants. He's a sevant in 16 different subjects! (Most sevants are only brilliant in one subject)

    My photographer and I followed him around while he spent time in the Salt Lake City Library, and YES, like his character in the movie, he DOES read phone books. On the day we were there he was reading the Seattle phone book. He can also count cards and everytime he flies through an airport that has a Quantus Airlines he goes up to the desk to congratulate them on thier wonderful flying record.

   The show I did on Kim airs Friday night August 28th at 8pm on KPTS channel 8.

   Unitl the movie his father Fran kept him away from people. After Dustin Hoffman met Kim he told Fran he had a duty to "share  him with the world". That's something Fran has taken very seriously.  Kim and Fran are coming to Wichita on November 15th. They will alllow some of the audience to ask him questions. I highly recommend that you go. It really will be a "once in a lifetime experience".

Where did the time go???? We’re already 6 months into the year and it’s been nothing but a BLUR!!!! I honestly don’t remember more than 7 or 8 days of it.

The first two months were entirely consumed with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Woman of the Year” competition. As I told you previously, being nominated for “Woman of the Year” is NOT a compliment. It’s a JOB! And frankly one of the hardest Jobs I have EVER undertaken.

When I realized what a HUGE undertaking it was, I knew I was not qualified to do it on my own. Last years winner raised over $100,000 in just 8 weeks. So I put together a group of 20 of the most intelligent, hard working, “POSITIVE ENERGIED” people to help me. And thank goodness I did!

When it was all over my committee members managed to hold 6 different fundraising events during that 8 week period ranging from a “Wine Tasting with Guy Bower” to a full 3-course plated dinner at the Marriott. Since I’ve never been married I hadn’t even planned so much as a reception up to this point, so without the help of my team there’s NO WAY I could have pulled ANY of this off.

In the end we raised almost $46,000!!!! Although that wasn’t enough to win, I won way more than a title. This event changed my entire outlook on life.

I have always believed the best about people (As evidenced by the show I do) but never in my wildest dreams did I realize the depth of that goodness or what lengths people would go to help me.

We ended up having “silent auctions” at all of the events, so I desperately needed items to put in that auction. Now those of you who really know me, know that I absolutely HATE to ask for things. HATE IT!!!! I have since I was a very little girl. In fact I hated it so much that when I had to sell things for school my parents ended up buying all of it from me. One time they bought the popcorn I was supposed to sell door to door. They had to buy so much of it that we were still eating that popcorn 2 years later.

Well this event FORCED me to ask. And thank God it did.

Although I was scared to death, NOT ONE PERSON TOLD ME “no”. Not one. In fact “Athena Jewelry” gave me a $3,000 diamond ring to raffle off. Being the beneficiary of that kind of generosity and kindness was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!!!! I’ve never been on the receiving end of such grace and it was so powerful. I can’t think of a single day I wasn’t touched by someone’s actions.

But that wasn’t all I gained. Being on the receiving end of the love, support and hard work of my friends was nothing short of phenominal. Those 20 people gave up everything for those 8 weeks. Raising that kind of money takes WORK. HARD WORK. And everyone on that team stepped up to the plate for me in one way or another. I have been blessed with the BEST friends on this planet and I am thankful for that every single day of my life. Each one of my friends their own unique and special talents to the table and raised the effectiveness of the entire group. For that I will always be grateful. I’ve thought about this, and still don’t know how I will ever repay them.

The whole thing was totally EXHAUSTING!

As if that wasn’t enough…. Just 2 days after the “Woman of the Year” contest ended I started 3 hour a day rehearsals for “Gridiron”. For those of you who haven’t seen it, Gridiron is a local variety show that is put on by local journalists around the country. (And had been for the past 40 years) Local journalists write skits and songs lampooning local politicians, local events, and local attractions and then perform it in their area.

It’s HILARIOUS!

The show runs for 3 nights and sells out every year. Here in Wichita it’s held on stage at the “Orpheum” which holds about 1600 people.

Since we are NOT professional entertainers (not even close) we have to rehearse a LOT ! So for 3-4 hours a night for about 30 days (including some weekends) we learned songs, skits and dances.

Although it wasn’t “easy” it was a BLAST! I try to tell everyone that the rehearsals are actually better than the show. Everyone in the cast is SO FUNNY (I’m the least funny of the group) that we laugh through the whole process. (And things are said in rehearsal that could NEVER be said on stage)

One week after “Gridiron” was over I began “Leadership Kansas”. WOW! What an eye opening experience that has been. Each year out of 500-700 nominations Leadership Kansas picks just 41 people from across the entire state of Kansas to take part in this wonderful learning opportunity. For the next 6 months we spend 4 days out of every month traveling across the state to learn more about the specific needs, issues and industries that are unique to each area. We tour the main industries and tourist attractions, talk to the politicians and city leaders, and learn a little bit about the history of each city.

It’s honestly one of the GREATEST experiences I’ve had in my entire life. We will be going to Garden City, Holcomb , Kansas City, Hutchinson & Wichita , (I can’t wait to find out what I don’t know about Wichita … It will probably be a LOT! J ) Hays, Manhattan , Junction City , Topeka & Lawrence .

The class members are CEO’s of major corporations, State Reps, Government Officials, and “Movers & Shakers”. Again I’m probably the “least qualified” of the group, but I am SO HAPPY to be there I don’t care how I got in! My classmates are PHENOMINAL people. You get a energy rush just by being around them!

So that kind of sums up what I’ve been doing the past 6 months. Man did that time ever go FAST!!!! Who knows that the next 6 months is going to being.

I can’t wait to see!

  Life is just a party... that's ALL you need to know--- Madonna

I am fortunate enough to have been nominated for “Woman of the Year” by the Kansas Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

“Woman of the Year” is a fancy title for “the woman who raises the most money."

This is a local version of a national contest that is held each year to keep hope alive for the thousands of people who have been diagnosed with a variation of these horrible diseases.

There are a number of ways you can help me meet my goal of raising *$20,000* for this GREAT cause. Let me know if you'd like to help!

1 ) I need at least (8) Silent Auction Items worth $100 or more and (3) silent auction items worth $1000 or more. If you, or a company that you do business with would be willing to donate an item I have a “tax deduction” auction sheet I would be happy to present to them (or you) for their (your) generosity.

2) I’m selling advertising pages in the “Grand Finale” book that will be given to each person who attends the formal dinner event at the end of the race. It’s $1000 for a full page ad, $500 for a half page ad, and $250 for a quarter page ad. Again, if you or a company you do business with would be interested in buying an ad, PLEASE let me know. I have to sell at least 5 pages.

3) I will be holding 2-4 fundraising events myself. One is a wine tasting of the “Best of the Best.” It will include 3 reds, 3 whites, and 3 champagnes that are considered to be in the “extremely high end range”. That event will be at the Airport Hilton on Feb. 27 th . Tickets will be $85. A portion of which is tax deductible. The second event is the “Emerald Ball”. This is a top notch (3) course meal at the “Eaton” which will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in STYLE! It’s scheduled for March 16 th . Tickets are limited and will run $125. The other (2) events will be announced shortly. We are in the process of securing the rooms and dates.

4) I am also selling tickets to the “Grand Finale” event on Saturday March 29 th . It will be held at the Hyatt beginning at 5pm. If you’re interested in attending please contact me ASAP. I only get (30) to sell so I want to make sure you get one if you want one. (All tickets have to be sold and the money collected by March 14 th )

5) The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is setting up a website for me that will accept online donations. That site will go up on Jan. 31 st (the first day we can “legally” start accepting money.) They won’t give me the website information until midnight the night before, but if you’re interested in donating, I’d be happy to pass it on to you. $1, $10, $100, or $1000. It adds up quickly-and it needs to. I only have until March 29 th to raise all the money I possibly can.

6) Hold your own “fundraising event” in the name of the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society! Hold a “bake sale”, Chili cook off, whatever you can think of. If you’re in a city other than Wichita the sky is the limit. There are (6) men and (6) women vying for the title here, so the competition is FIERCE! We all seem to be hitting up the same people which makes raising money here a little tougher.

7) Matching Gifts. If you plan to donate money and your company has a matching gift program, please take advantage of it. Its’ a GREAT WAY to help me raise even more and it makes your donation even more powerful.

I have to admit this is the BIGGEST and SCARIEST project I have ever undertaken. SO I THANK YOU for anything you can do to help. (I’ve been waking up with heart palpitations at 4am just about every single morning since I accepted this role) It has been extremely challenging and a GREAT learning experience for me, but the goal is really to help as many children as I can.

I have continued to learn more about life and what effect it has on this planet in 2007. Who would think I'd still have so much to learn?

My VERY FAVORITE aunt died just before Thanksgiving, which caused me to examine more deeply what life on this earth really means, and what's REALLY important. During my aunt's funeral, they displayed a montage of pictures shot throughout her life... which made me think about how much one person really does make a difference.

My aunt was county treasurer for almost 50 years, and during that time she helped innumerable people solve monetary problems along the way. Almost 200 people showed up for her funeral, which was a record in that small Iowa town!

My aunt was not famous, nor was she rich, but she took the time to enrich the lives of hundreds of people over the years, and it showed when her life came to an abrupt end.

She's exactly the type of person I look for when I choose the people I will feature on my show.

I look for those who are making life better on a daily basis. Even if it's some small way. That the world at large might not even notice.

It DOES make a difference.

When my time comes, I've always wanted my headstone to read "She aways did what she thought would help others"

That would be the biggest honor I could think of.