Getting Personal


Meg Dickinson, a writer for the News-Gazette, has invited local bloggers to answer her "Getting Personal" questions. "Getting Personal" features a new local resident weekly. She'll be using blogger submissions in a post tomorrow.  Here are my responses...


Name, age, town of residence
Libby Kacich, 30, Urbana

Profession: Explain in one sentence what it is you do.
Market Champaign County as a premier Midwest destination for leisure, business and sports travelers.

What time do you typically get up? What do you do the first hour of the morning?
On a great day I'll get up at 6:00AM and do yoga or run. On a normal day I'm up by 6:45AM to take my dog Winston for a walk, eat peanut butter toast, check email and get ready for work.

What did you have for lunch today? Where? With whom?
Mushroom brie bisque from Sunsinger with my co-worker Angela.

Best high school memory.
I hosted a party at my house for our girls soccer team one weekend. All of us girls were downstairs hanging out when we heard the doorbell ring. Thinking it was just another teammate arriving we didn't stir, too much. Next thing we know, four new guests had joined us for the party.  They laughed and giggled along with us in their prettiest dresses and funniest wigs.  Turns out the guys soccer team wanted to play a joke on us.  The guys maintained character for an amazing amount of time as we all laughed hysterically. 
Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.
With more than one hundred pairs, it's difficult to choose a favorite... I guess it'd have to be the pair I'm wearing right now.  Nine West, brown suede, knee-high boots, wedge heel that puts me at about 6', with a side buckle detail. I bought them on sale when I lived in New York City for $20 on my way to meet friends for brunch. They've proven to be a wonderful investment.

What does a perfect Sunday afternoon include?
My perfect Sunday afternoon includes a long walk with Bob, my husband, and our dog Winston followed by cooking up something delicious in the afternoon to enjoy that evening with family. Also, couch time!

Was there one book you read as a child that you still cherish? Own? Read?
Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever. I loved spending hours upon hours reading these stories with my mom. I loved making up stories for the family of bunnies on the first few pages.

Where on earth are you dying to go? Why?
Ireland. My husband and I just booked our tickets for a trip around St. Patrick's Day next year. I can't wait to pick up our rental car and explore the countryside!

Tell me about your favorite pet.
My dog Winston is the best. He's sweet, makes me laugh, loves to play and lights up my day. Winston loves peanut butter almost more than I do.

Have you discovered as you matured that you are becoming like one of your parents? Which one and how?
I'm very much like my mother. In more ways that I probably even know. And, I'm quite happy about it.

What would you order for your last meal?
Gino's East Pizza, Grimaldi's Pizza, Courier Cafe potato skins, one of my husband's grilled steaks, a bottle of Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, one of my mom's twice baked potatoes and a cold fudge sundae with strawberry custard from Jarlings.

What can you NOT live without?
Yoga. It keeps me sane.

Who do you have on your iPod?
My ipod is packed in a box along with the rest of my house (I'm moving). I most recently was rocking out to Jay Z.

What’s the happiest memory of your life?
The night my husband asked me to marry him.

If you could host a dinner party with any three living people in the world, whom
would you invite?
Grace Bonney, Jay Z and my husband.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Laugh every day.

What’s your best piece of advice?
Take deep breaths.

What was your first job, and how much did you make an hour?
Detassling corn when I was 14. I think I may have made around $3.50/hour.

What was a pivotal decision in your career, and how did you arrive at that decision?
Moving back to Champaign after living in NYC for five years is the decision that brought me to my current position with the Champaign County Convention & Visitors Bureau. I have a great job and I get to do new and amazing things every day. Deciding to move back to Champaign was difficult. NYC had become increasingly less affordable, but I really loved life in the city. In effort to save money and slow my pace I chose to come back to the Midwest. Deciding to stay was much easier. I re-met Bob, who is now my husband, less than a year after I moved back.  Everything else just kind of fell into place.

Do you have a bad habit? What is it?
I probably have lots, but none that I'm willing to admit. :)

How do you handle a stressful situation?
I work through it the best I possibly can and then I either head to my yoga studio or to have a glass of red wine with a friend.