Sending Off Angela in Style: Her Secret to Looking and Feeling Fabulous

(Angela gets ready for her last newscast at KTAB)

As the Big Country says goodbye to Angela Taylor, the girls in the KTAB newsroom are saying goodbye to our big sister. I think I speak for all the girls in the newsroom when I say we all look at Angela in admiration and awe. With all four of us being either the only child or oldest child in our families, when we joined the KTAB family, we got the older sister we never had (and trust me... she's been there to witness all of our growing pains!).

(Neither of us can live without our lip gloss!)

Moving from home, and making that transition from college to career isn't always easy, but Angela (and Bob!) has always been there to give us guidance and support. There's plenty of things we'll miss about her... but let's take a trip down memory lane, and a quick look at her style file:

STYLE SECRETS: Angela in her own words!

• WHERE SHE GETS HER FABULOUS "NEWS-DO" DONE: Courtney Fortune, The Oak Creek Salon on S. 27th and Barrow.
• FAVORITE HAIR PRODUCTS: Tresemme! Ooh-la-la! My hair is so curly I have to manage the frizz!
• FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP: Express and Target! But I've found some great deals on jackets at Goodwill, but I'd really like to raid Priscilla's closet! How many shoes do you have?! (Answer: Hehe, enough to have a shoe problem!)
• PREFERRED PLACE TO GET THE ESSENTIAL MANICURE/PEDICURE: City Nails! Cute lady who loves her KTAB News.
• THE ITEMS IN ANGELA'S MAKE-UP BAG CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Lip gloss and powder, that's all I need!
• SHE NEVER LEAVES THE HOUSE WITHOUT: Cell phone, wallet, and Turner, let's shop!
• BEST FASHION ADVICE: Fit your body! I'm short with soccer legs! Skinny jeans are a no-no, but I love sundresses!
• BIGGEST FASHION "FAUX PAS": No comment! Haha, I don't want to offend anyone ;).
• ON DRESSING UP TURNER: Dresses and BIG Texas Bows! I love how babies look cute in everything!
• ON BALANCING MOTHERHOOD AND A CAREER: Luckily, Turner has always been a huge part of KTAB. She came in all the time, so I never feel like I am missing out on her.
• ON LOOKING AND FEELING FABULOUS: I am almost thirty, and have never felt better! Being a mom changes not just your life, but how you feel.
• BEST THING ABOUT ABILENE: The people. Everybody is so friendly! Plus great BBQ and Mexican food! And of course, KTAB News :).

When I began working at KTAB in October 2008 there's no question that the first thing I noticed about Angela was her talent and ability to lead a newsroom... but I'll tell you the next thing I noticed about Angela... her hair! I wanted to know where she got it done! She'd always walk into the newsroom with perfect news hair each day. To say the least, many of us girls at KTAB and KRBC followed her lead to the Oak Creek Salon, but be prepared to wait for a good thing, because it's not easy booking an appointment with her stylist!

(Angela's signature 'do! With Bob at the 2010 Ben Richey Boys' Ranch Telethon... I swear the side sweep is always perfect!)

Another thing I loved about Angela is how she sticks to her guns, as a journalist, as a person, and of course... a fashionista. She goes with what works for her. There's a long standing joke with many girls in news, we've all chopped our locks for the job, myself included... but Angela found a happy medium, and still kept some of the length. It always looks fabulous.

Aside from her fab 'do, another thing you'll notice about Angela over time is how she always has an awesome pedicure. Every time I've seen her in sandals, she's got a perfect "10." I guess you can say she's polished from head-to-toe!

But it's not just Angela anymore... when I came to Abilene in Fall 2008, Angela also announced she was expecting her first child!

(Remember this? Yes, she was pregnant! AND field anchoring)

I think I can speak for the 300,000+ people in our viewing area when I say, my jaw dropped when I saw Angela doing live shots in the freezing rain when she was pregnant with Turner. You won't believe the number of phone calls we got in the newsroom that day! She's a trooper, and to say the least, she did it in style in her red wool coat.

(Turner Renee with Mommy and Daddy! And of course, her trademark "Texas Bow")

Once all the ice melted, and the flowers started to bloom, her beautiful girl, Turner Renee was born. We knew long before "Baby-T" was born that she would be a pretty girl and a sharp dresser just like Mom, but I think most of us girls really fell in love with Angela's baby when we saw all of her bows! Turner Renee is without a doubt, one of the best dressed babies I've ever seen. And in case you're wondering where all the cute outfits are from, here's a little secret: when Angela heard there might be a Children's Place coming to Abilene last year... I made some calls to the corporate office, and we verified it :).

(Mother and daughter, looking sharp in all kinds of weather!)

Needless to say, Angela is a woman who wears motherhood well. Balancing a career and family isn't easy for any woman, but she's got it down! That... and there's a good reason why she's on the board for the Sports and Fitness Expo... I've never seen a mother bounce back so quickly after having a baby! She trained like a champion, and got back to her old self quickly. Watching her encouraged many of us girls to hit the gym ourselves!

For the past month, Angela has done a series on people who've inspired her through her time here in the Big Country, but I think she's inspired quite a few herself, as a journalist, mother, sister, teacher, mentor, friend, and member of the Abilene community. Good luck in Fayetteville, Angela, and thank you for inspiring me.

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Priscilla Luong thinks Abilene's loss is certainly Fayetteville's gain... but more importantly she thinks Angela's beautiful little girl needs an agent, "Baby-T" has some serious star quality. If you'd like to second that motion, e-mail Priscilla at pluong@ktab.tv.

Vintage Priscilla: Mommy and Me

(Me, Circa 1985: This was my life before hairspray, but if you've ever seen me when I wake up in the morning... some things never change!)

News hair is no easy feat... but she who can help me conquer **THIS** bad hair day, can conquer the world!

Mom is many things to many people, but she will always be queen of my heart :). She's my best friend, and if you notice our dynamic, at times, my mother is also the big sister I never had. I would need all the fingers and toes in the newsroom, plus the sales department... and then some, to count all the fashion disasters Mom has rescued me from!

My mother lives in Asia right now, so she might be 8,000+ miles away, but I'll admit... I still call her... ALL the time, for everything... which goes to show, you're never too old to need your mother, and loving her... never goes go out of style.

Happy Mother's Day, to all the Moms out there!

(April 2010: On the red carpet at the "De Mai Tinh/A Fool For Love" movie premiere in Saigon, Vietnam in cocktail dresses from our favorite Vietnamese designer Nguyen Cong Tri (KIN Boutique: 194 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, District 3, HCMC)... I'd be in serious "girl code" violation if I told you how old she is... but I hope I can age as gracefully! 25-years later, she's still everything I want to be...)

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Priscilla Luong has fond memories of being a little girl who'd sit inside Mom's monstrous closet thinking "someday I want to be as pretty and glamorous as Mommy, and wear all her beautiful clothes!" And... she grew up to be, about the same dress size, let's not talk about our jeans... it makes Priscilla feel like the ugly stepsister! Send her your adorable (and embarrassing!) baby pictures at pluong@ktab.tv.