Wednesday, July 23, 2014

One year later, do it #ForKidd

I’ve mentioned in my blog before that I’ve not even started to deal with Kidd’s death. The one-year anniversary is on Sunday and I don’t know where my head is in regards to that. It doesn’t seem real even though it smacks me in the face every single day. Here’s the impact of losing him. My dad is my dad. He raised me and taught me to walk and talk and survive. Kidd was my second dad in a way. I knew him since I was 17. I listened to him since as long as I can remember. He was one of my heroes for forever. Once I started working with him, he taught me every skill that I have to be an independent radio producer or personality or whatever. No one else does it like him. Period. Tons of shows have stolen his bits because he was a creative genius. Perfectionist to a fault. He drove me nuts. I drove him nuts. But in the end, he was and is family to me. We would argue and bicker and sometimes not speak off the air because that’s just the way it was. That’s how it is when creativity clashes. Perfectionists don’t always see eye-to-eye…especially exhausted ones. But no matter what, there was love. And I knew that there would be love no matter how crappy of a day we had. I wish that I would have thanked him for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity that most people dream of, but I didn’t. I hope that I proved my gratitude through my hard work and dedication to this show bearing his name. He had to have known. I hope that he did.


In an effort to keep the positivity behind his legacy going, we want you to “Do it for Kidd.” You know he was a man who was all about paying it forward and random acts of kindness. It doesn’t have to be anything huge or over the top or even monetary.  Just make a conscious effort to make a difference…a positive difference…in someone else’s life. Can you imagine if you were Kidd up in Heaven, looking down and saw so many people “doing it for you?” THAT is a legacy to be proud of. To make someone’s day better no matter how bug or small the gesture. Need some help with ideas? Let me think for a minute.

There’s always the option of paying for the meal of the person behind you in the drive through…and pray that they’re not being generous and buying for the entire office that day, Maybe you see an older person unloading some groceries into their car…slowly and calmly offer to help them. See a poor puppy wandering the street? If it looks like it won’t eat your face off, take it to the animal shelter. Pass out a case of bottled water to landscapers or construction workers. Take a couple of hot pizzas down to the fire station. You get the idea. Just do something that will help or bring a smile to someone else’s face. It’s not hard. And I promise you’re going to feel better about yourself when you’re done. So do it for yourself, but in the Twitterverse or social media world #ForKidd. DO it this weekend and tell us about it.

If you want the Kiddnation way of explaining it, they may do it better. Kiddnation.com

I know the impact that the Kraddick family had on my life. I know that when Kidd passed, he was a single man and that things were a lot different than when I first started. I would be crazy if I didn’t say that the people he introduced into my life have made a huge impact. From Carol and Caroline to his friends and family to trusted radio friends…I know that I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am if it weren’t for him. It’s as simple as that. He taught me that it’s ok to be selfless and it’s OK to cry and to be vulnerable. It makes you human and that’s something I would have never accepted before. It’s scary and opens you up to get burned and who wants that? With the schedule of the show I was able to have the strongest bond of my life with my nephew. I picked him up as much as I could. Kept him out too late. Bought him wench wise and coke…which he wasn’t supposed to have…and took the sweatiest, drooliest naps ever with him. Stuff I can’t imagine not having memories of and would literally trade anything to have back. I’ve also been given the opportunity to love in a different way. I know that we talk about Kidd’s Kids and the bonds that happen with the families on the trip. I also know that the main bonds you hear about are the ones with the cast.  I’m gonna give you a little peek behind the curtain. I get to go and hang out with the families before the trip and go out with them in the parks, so I also have a chance to bond with them. You just don’t hear about it. I will never have a child of my own, so I have a lot of love to give. And with these trips, I’m blessed to meet kids to share it with. Kids like Michael Hope, Emma Elizondo, Victoria, Maddy, Ayden, Sissy, the triplets, Krista Brewer, and so many more. I wish I could list everyone, but I suck at spelling and last names. And names in general. Kidd gave me that chance with his vision made reality and for that, I am grateful.

How many people get the chance to say that they have met their hero? Even better, how many people can say that they go to work every day and can call their hero a co-worker? I am one of those people. I am well aware of the fact that I work with the best in the business. I say this in a completely professional, yet fan girl way. Kellie Rasberry is hands down the most talented woman in the radio industry. Period. I don’t have a single doubt in my mind when in comes to that statement. She has the patience of a saint to have dealt with an A.D.D. perfectionist like Kidd for as long as she did. Their chemistry is impossible to create. It’s either there or it’s not. Kidd was a petite man, but an intimidating one. Kellie didn’t let him scare her one bit and I admire that about her. She is strong, smart, kind, giving, loving, and so many other things I can’t articulate at the moment. She is and has been my hero for as long as I can remember and I don’t see that changing. So a big thank you to Kidd for giving me the opportunity to work with such a talented, inspiring woman.


This blog could go on for days about the past 15 years of my life with the show, but that’s a long read. I know I can get pretty wordy as it is, so I’ll cut it short. Just please remember to pay it forward this weekend, do it #ForKidd, and always Keep lookin’ up, cuz that’s where it all is.