today. today is significant because on this very day 15 years ago, matt lauer sat down on the "today" show and started his reign. unbelievable. today on this very day. >> that is great. >> here he is back in the day. >> live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> some things never change. oh, my gosh. that's his before look. >> katie's changed a lot, too. >> oh, my gosh, look how cute. >> adorable. >> katie couric and matt lauer and matt lauer. >> very cute. look at matt before as you see him here. and let's look at him today. >> i think he is like a fine wine. he has fermented beautifully. >> i think he looks sexier and more handsome now. >> he grew into the smile. >> he sure did. >> we love him around here. >> we also love jimmy fallon. >> not really. >> lately has been digging on us. >> yeah. for all the wrong reasons. take a look. >> tv news in advance of the season premiere tonight mtv started airing 12 hours of "jersey shore" at 9:30 this morning. seriously, if i wanted to see people getting drunk and acting weird at 9:30 in the morning, i would just turn on hoda and kathie lee. it's easier. i love you guys. i'm kidding. >> we have a news flash for you. >> we're not on at 9:30. >> we're on at 10:00. >> that's when we start getting drunk and weird, okay? >> get your facts right, buddy! there, jimmy. >> i do love that little commercial he does with the little boy. you want more money? no. that's very cute. >> if you were flying this weekend, we have news for you. there's one of those annual airline surveys out. they ranked the airlines in terms of how often they lose your bags, how often they leave on time. >> flights cancel. >> yes. the number one airline according to this survey goes to alaska airlines. that is a small domestic airlines. they probably have fewer bags to handle and fewer delays. >> less people. >> good for them. congratulations. >> number two. this surprised some. >> yes, it did. this is the airline that ran out of wine on our flight. >> delta is number two. southwest is third. southwest did lose my bag last time, but it does happen. >> it does have the second worse rate of mishandled bags after american. >> usair is fourth. it has the second highest amount of customer-filed complaints. jetblue which used to be the go-to airline, the inexpensive one with the corn chips and tv is now fifth. >> it got too big, too fast and you lose a little bit. >> united is sixth. it has the most customer complaints and it merged with continental, so it got all their complaints. >> those mergers take a while to flow nicely. the one around here with comcast was like, you don't even know, not a blip on the radar. >> the worst airline is american. according to this survey. they say they have the worst record of making sure bags made it to where they need to be and had the highest percentage of canceled flights in 2011. every time i think of these flights i think of the movie "meet the parents." do you remember that scene? is that what it is? >> "meet the fockers?" >> i'm in row eight. >> please step aside, sir. >> it's just one row. don't you think it's okay? >> we'll call your row momentarily. step aside, sir. thank you for waiting. we would like to continue boarding the aircraft now. we are now boarding all rows, please, all remaining rows. >> hello. enjoy your flight. >> come on. it is harder and harder all the time now. you get so frustrated. the stewards and they're frustrated. everybody's on edge. >> once you're at the airport, you already have anxiety. >> you know you're old when all you do is talk about the good old days. we'll talk about one time we took the concord. it was called the concord, right? concord. you're in europe in three hours and it was just such a phenomenal, sexy experience. those days are over. >> all right. there is a woman and she is called the human barbie. i don't know if you heard about her. >> we talked about her before. >> she is from britain. >> she had the most surgeries, i guess, and paid a fortune for them and there she is. >> here is the breaking news about her. she decided to give her 7-year-old daughter a gift this holiday season. she gave her a voucher for lipo suction worth about $10,800. >> to be used on her what birthday? >> well, 16th, it says here. when she is of legal age to get lipo. she did give her a boob job last year and she can use that when she is 18. >> poor kid gets nothing at christmas she can enjoy now. you can pierce your ears. >> who is giving their kid -- >> the same woman who has such a horrendous body image, self image or hates herself so much she needs to do all this or loves herself too much. i don't know. i would be interested in delving into the woman's personal history, because it would explain a lot. >> but to give it to your child? >> yeah. >> but, survey says, hoda woman, one in three of us rate ourselves an eight, a nine or ten in looks. >> i can't believe that. >> that means most people don't look in the mirror. most of us say we are a seven or better and we are better looking than the average joe. >> joe is better looking. vainous is miami. hottest is cleveland. most common plastic procedure is a boob job. followed by laser, hair removal and botox. >> and spray tan. >> we were talking about what do you think you are. what did you say? >> i don't think about -- i don't know. i never think about that. not great. i don't think great. >> jay says you're a 10. >> that's jay, baby. probably in the middle somewhere. you know? >> you're at least a six. >> what are you? what are you? >> i think you're beautiful. i am a five on a good day. okay. it's time for my friday funny. >> buckle up, everyone. >> i haven't seen this. a nutritionist -- so far it's hysterical. a nutritionist addressing a large audience in florida said the material we put in our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here years ago. red meat is awful. soft drinks corrode your stomach lining, none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by germs in our drinking water. however, there is one food that is the most dangerous of all. can anyone tell me what causes the most grief and suffering for years after it's been eaten. >> what is it? >> an elderly lady in the front row raised her hand. yes, said the doctor? the lady replied, wedding cake. >> all right. >> i'm going to start reading these before we go on the air. >> it's time for bobbie's buzz. >> what would you rate yourself? most people around here think you're 10 1/2. >> before or after the two hours of hair and make-up. >> when you're walking down the street. >> maybe five, six. >> let's ask the crew on three to tell us what you think bobbie is. one, two, three -- >> ten! >> we love our bobbie's buzz. >> i don't feel that way. i'm on a major fitness revolution. this is for my girlfriends out there with girlfriends like myself. this is the -- >> that's why they give you a ten. five points for both of them. >> here goes the minute. this is called the no-bounce bra. it claims to reduce the jiggle while you jog up to 83%. for my lady friends who have a hard time in the gym, this is great. workout wear doesn't have pockets. this is the kangaroo that has a pocket inside the water bottle. you can put your keys. last but not least these are laces with knots in them so you never have to tie your shoes again. i almost killed myself when your shoe lace comes untied on the treadmill. these are great, only $15. >> awesome. happy new year. she is going to start joining us soon for tuesday trends. >> nice! >> we are doing something a little bit different. usually the first tuesday in every month we do our everyone has a story, but because of the holidays and such we made it a week later. we start celebrating next year the 06 years of the "today" show. that is going to be a big deal next thursday. we are going to have our everyone has a story song next wednesday. we needed to meet our winner today. let's listen to me for a moment. ♪ everyone has a moment that changes their life ♪ >> miss carolee carmelo who is in "sister act" will be singing for us. first time we've had someone sing a second time. on the phone we have johnny maupin and betsy gentry. they're from cleveland, tennessee. when betsy was 4 her mother gave birth to her brother george who had severe birth defects. the doctors said take him home and let him die. johnny refused to. she took him home, cared for him and loved him for 53 years till he passed away this past october. betsy wants to honor her mother. and so do we. >> hello. >> congratulations. >> we are so excited you're coming to see us in new york city. >> we are so excited to be coming to see you. >> they're from cleveland. we just talked about -- >> cleveland, tennessee. >> oh, tennessee. i didn't see the tennessee. oh, good, good. you lost your beloved george this past october, wasn't it? >> yes, we did. >> how are you doing? >> day by day. >> we are going to lift your spirits when you come and see us. >> have you ever been to new york before? >> no. i've been through new york, but didn't stop. >> we are going to ask you to stop for a couple of days. we look forward to honoring you. you're an incredible lady. i'm sure you are an amazing mom. we are going to listen to betsy and give you your day and your song, all right? >> thank you. >> we are so excited. thank you for picking her. she deserves it. >> you wrote a beautiful letter, betsy, thank you. next, three women who have become half their size weigh in on how they did it. >> head-to-toe overhauls we call ambush makeovers. but first, these messages. every year "people" magazine scours the country for americans who have used only diet and exercise to become exactly half their size. >> the magazine is out and three of the ladies featured are here with us today. this is amazing, they lost more than 500 pounds. >> this is the tenth year "people" magazine have done this. every career it's like a show stopper. this is going to be our first lucky lady wendy mcconkey. she's a teacher from tacoma, washington. this is her before picture. she lost 302 pounds. now, guess what? she weighs 147. wendy, come on out. >> oh, my gosh. look at her. she deserves applause here. come over and have a seat. we'll talk to you in a moment. congratulations. >> thank you. >> who is next? >> next up is yolanda marshall from houston, texas. she dropped 146 pounds. here is her before picture. she now weighs 146 pounds. >> come on out. let's see yolanda. oh, my gosh. >> fantastic! >> come on and have a seat. >> you're enjoying standing there. >> finally, karen from denver, colorado, a hairstylist, mother of four. she lost 72 pounds. here is her before picture. she now weighs 122. come on out, karen. >> oh, my goodness. i thought it was vana white. come on over. have a seat. congratulations, ladies. >> wow, wow, wow. diet was a big part of it. who are the two zumba people. this exercise is one of the few exercises a lot of people enjoy doing. >> it's fun. so much fun. >> how much of an impact did it have on your weight loss? >> i use it for maintenance because i started afterwards. it's so much fun. i know i'm not doing exactly what she is doing. but i'm having fun with it. >> but you're moving. >> in my mind i'm doing exactly what she is doing. >> how long did it take to drop the weight? >> five years. >> five years. >> mine was a little bit less, about six months. >> did you guys have specific diets that you did or did you follow weight watchers or one of the others? >> weight watchers. >> weight watchers. >> my own diet and exercise. >> what did you cut out and change? >> just calories. just calories. didn't eliminate anything from my diet other than the calories. >> was it the food you cut out? the amount? >> the amount, absolutely. >> what did you start doing for exercise? >> i started out three half hour walks three times a week. then i increased it every week. then i increased intensity, then i increased what i was doing and started adding in. >> your family must have freaked out. tell us the best reaction you got. >> i being a teacher, i run into former students and they don't recognize me at all. you don't remember your kindergarten teacher. the best is my mom, she takes my pictures wherever she goes. my before and after. >> i imagine just the ailment, just the knees and all that stuff that was painful. >> i was always in pain. i woke up in pain. i would work the kinks out. if i was standing more than ten minutes my back would hurt. i would have to sit. when you sit for a few minutes and stand back up, everything stiffens back up. 450 pounds. i took a lot of advil. >> i guess you had to. >> what about for you? >> i was uncomfortable. a lot of it for me was psychological. i'm the biggest person here. especially income college and in a sorority. you're uncomfortable. you don't want to talk to people. i don't think people even like you because of what you look like. >> what do your sorority sisters think of you now? >> whose life changed the most, would you say? >> i don't know. we were talking about zumba, i'm a zumba instructor now. certainly five years ago i wouldn't have thought i would be here. >> i went from not exercising to, doesn't matter what's going on, i've got to get to the gym four times a week and zumba twice. >> a lot of people are fighting this battle. this is the time of year. they are discouraged. what is that little bit of advice for everybody? >> my advice would be just to keep physically active. maintain. >> start getting active. >> start getting active, but make that move. make that part of your new journey. >> that's good advice for everybody. it does get easier. the first step is the toughest one. >> congratulations, ladies. >> you guys all like terrific. so happy for you. >> you can find their stories in "people" magazine. up next, sara has that crowd full of questions ready to ask us anything they want. could be dangerous. 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[ male announcer ] 5-hour energy. every day. it is time for three, two, one live with sara haines who is hanging with the crowd at the nbc experience store. >> we hope you did a good crowd screening this crew. >> yeah. can't you see them from there? first up michaela from florida with a new york city question. >> this is for both of you. i'm a senior in high school considering moving to new york city. what advice would you give to someone like me from florida moving all the way here? >> besides packing warm clothes for the winter time, bring a lot of money. it's an expensive city. >> give it time to adjust. i moved from new orleans and it was a big and scary place. you realize the city is divided up into neighborhoods. you'll get to know your newspaper delivery guy. all within the three-block area don't be overwhelmed by how huge it is. >> that is great advice. >> next up john from chicago. >> how you doing, kathie lee and hoda? >> hey. >> how do you feel about "snl" skits portraying you guys? >> if only they were funny. we don't mind being parodied, but make them funny. unfortunately, everybody who plays hoda gets fired. >> i like the last one. i think she is going to make it. >> thanks, sara. >> thank you, guys. >> still to come, those amazing transformations, our ambush makeovers are coming up. >> another story of reinvention proves you can do it. you can start today. >> if you're having those post holiday blues, we are here to party! >> if you're in the move for a funny "saturday night live" guy, fred armisen is back. but first, these messages. we are back on this try day friday with our first installment of plaza ambush makeovers in the new year, the first friday of 2012. we plucked two lucky ladies from the crowd and surprised them with a whole new look. >> the team responsible is "today" contributor and stylist to the stars luis lacari and "us weekly" contributor and author jill martin. >> good morning. >> how was it? not freezing out there. >> no, today we were lucky. i thought it was going to be cold. there were still plenty of people and we could see them because they weren't completely covered up. >> let's start with melinda watson, 53 years old from san diego, california. she hasn't changed her look in 20 years. her daughters decided to push her for a brand-new style. >> we have the sign, we have the daughters. tell me why you want this for your mom. >> she had five kids within eight years, all of us played multiple sports and she was always there for every single one of our soccer games, wrestling tournaments, swim meets. she is there for everything. 40 kids per class on a daily basis. she is amazing. >> i think we should make you the hottest teacher in the country, what do you think? >> yes. >> i would love it. it would be awesome. i'm excited and nervous. >> she looks like their sister. >> she is with her two daughters, matalie and kaitlin. please keep your blind felts on until you get the green light. let's see the new you. >> oh! >> uh-oh. all right, girls, are you ready? take off your blindfolds. >> all right, mom. ready to see yourself? >> right here behind you. >> oh, my gosh. >> i love that haircut. it's adorable. >> you look really great. >> come right around here. tell us about the hair. >> first of all, vanessa gave her a great haircut which gave her a few layers and made her face softer, pretty, not that it wasn't before i added depth. when i looked at her i saw ali mcgraw. >> right. >> i said, wow, she is such a beautiful woman, classic good looks, classic good hair color. >> what do you think? >> she looks amazing. >> wow. that dress, jill, i want that dress. it's gorgeous. >> donna morgan. if you're tired of a black dress, gray is the new black. then you see just to accentuate her waist, put the tie on the side. >> she is like, take that off. >> i love it. >> you look beautiful. congratulations. >> go join your daughters. >> our second lady is mary west, 49 from jupiter, florida. when we asked her about her daily beauty routine she laughed and said, i don't have one. she was thrilled to receive a glam new look. let's listen to her story. >> you are perfect for our show. show everyone your shirt. >> these girls are ready to drink, but the question is, are you ready for a makeover? >> i am so ready for a makeover. my 50th birthday is monday. i share it with the duchess and i need to look like the duchess in 30 years. >> you straightened your hair back in the day. >> i did it felt like straw. >> you're going to let luis do it today. are you ready? >> i am ready to go. >> what a personality. she is here with her friends chrissy, kristen and donna. let's take a look at her before and bring out now the new mary west. >> all righty! >> oh, mary west. >> look at her. she knows she's rocking it. >> girl, you are working it. >> are you ready? take them off. >> oh, my god! >> she is ready to go to the duchess' birthday. >> take a gander at yourself. >> oh, my word. they are not going to let me on the plane to go back to florida. who are you? that's amazing. >> you guys are fabulous. thank you so much. >> we know you changed the hair. >> i'm ready for my close-up. >> thank you so much. that is amazing. >> a star is truly born. >> this shy little woman, i wanted to make her hair color softer. we took away her red. she did her color at home because she has a teacher's salary. she did pick the wrong color. this is more natural. we softened her make-up. we softened her curl. her haircut can be worn curley or straight. >> what do you think? >> i don't know her. >> that personality is the same. that's the good news. tell us about another gray dress. >> as if she needed more sparkle. adrianna arpel, you can wear it like this or with a blazer over it. and those boots. >> i needed some height. >> you're hilarious. i love your brenda vacarro voice. >> congratulations. thanks, again. "saturday night live's" fred arnisen is probably best known for his impressions of barack obama. america, i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want a big hat... ...'scuse me... ...or a big steak... ...or big hair... i think we have our answer. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. [ male announcer ] next time, try a subway turkey blt or a fresh fit turkey melt, merely 7 grams of fat each. subway. eat fresh. 2:30 in the afternoon, a lot to do, and you've hit the wall. but you got to get stuff done. so take 5-hour energy. just open it up, knock it back, and roll up your sleeves. 5-hour energy is faster and easier than coffee. man, does it work. you'll get that alert, energized feeling you need to get stuff done. a lot of stuff. wow. look at you go. 5-hour energy. when you gotta get stuff done. zw "saturday night live's" fred arnisen is probably best known for his impressions of barack obama. and prince. >> we are here to celebrate -- >> his show was such a success it was renewed for a second season. >> it stars fred and carrie brownstein, the city of portland and envirens around. great to see you. we're happy for you. a lot of stuff that is supposed to be so hysterical is not funny to me, but this, i laughed out loud. >> thanks, guys. thanks for checking it out. >> you're on your second season which meant the first season did very well. >> we thought it would be like a pilot, see what happens, then we are doing a series and a second season. we feel very fortunate. >> the title is misleading. you think it's all about portland, but these kinds of characters you play can be found in any city. >> yeah. they could be brooklyn, here, parts like austin, and san francisco. >> you all are from portland? >> i'm from here, carrie is from portland. >> what do the people of portland think? >> they are so nice. we shoot on location, all the houses. everywhere we go people literally give us things and they've been nothing but nice. >> look at you. there is one you've got to see where this elderly man comes to fix the book store owner's air conditioner. i was screaming. it is so funny. >> you have a lot of your "snl" friends. >> andy sandberg did it and kristen. they're all so supportive. >> do you write it, do you do everything? >> write, and we have other writers, as well, but we write and put everything together. it's a lot of work, but good work. we are busy all the time. >> do you miss imitating barack obama? >> yeah. >> he is still president. >> we don't see him as much now, obviously. >> the gop, there's been so much of that that all the comedy is there. >> who have you been doing there? >> i don't do any of them. i don't look like any of those people. it's funny. soon as you start meeting these people, i don't look like any of them. andy does a great job and jason. they are so good. i get to just sit and watch. >> who is coming on this weekend. kelly clarkson as the musical guest. >> and charles barkley. he is so funny. every word that comes out of his mouth, i laugh. >> we wish you great lick with this, not that you need it because it does so well. >> it's tonight 10:00, 9:00 central on ifc. coming up next, have a party and stop whining, right after this. good morning. i'm meteorologist chris warren with your forecast. as we kick off the weekend, we do have a few spots where we could see a little precipitation falling from the sky. a little rain, maybe a storm for parts of the south. most of the rain will be pretty light with the exception of where we do get those storms. a little snow for the peninsula of michigan. otherwise, a snow for a few locations around maine, along the canadian border. then we'll start to see more snow as a low drops down into the rockies. it's good news for some of these ski resorts. we could see up to 6 to 10 inches. now, as we look at the temperatures for today, 60s and 70s in the south, and you look at these readings in the 30s, you might think it's cool, but if you live here, you know it's still warmer than average. we're cooling down, but just cooling down to average here. chance for rain and some storms in the south again on sunday. and we see a nice looking day in the northeast. a fair amount of sunshine. lower 40s still looking pretty good for daytime highs. not quite as mild as saturday. 51 in d.c. still some cool air in the west. we start off the new week with a storm potentially brewing here throughout portions of texas into louisiana. we'll watch that on monday and tuesday as this moves farther into the south or deeper into the south, possibly seeing severe storms. pacific northwest, pushing into the northern plains by wednesday. chance for rain, mild conditions for many locations. backside of this system on thursday could bring slightly cooler temperatures. remember, "wake up with al" weekdays on the weather channel. [ male announcer ] when do you take 5-hour energy? when i'm on the night shift. when they have more energy than i do. when i don't feel like working out. when there isn't enough of me to go around. ♪ when i have school. and work. every morning. it's faster and easier than coffee. every afternoon when that 2:30 feeling hits. -every day. -every day. every day is a 5-hour energy day. [ male announcer ] 5-hour energy. every day. but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! with the holidays coming to a screeching halt, cold weather can make it hard to stay happy this time of year. >> don't fret. sonja, author of "the how of happiness" and founder of designs by lolita are here to tell us how to beat those post holiday blues. i'm trying to be happy. >> we are going to talk about the hearties and fun. we are beginning with the holiday blues. why do we have the blues? >> we look forward to and anticipate the holidays for so long, longer than they begin. that anticipation period can be more positive than the experience being anticipated. no wonder we feel such a huge letdown. >> is it like your state of mind changes, obviously. is it something you can bounce back? >> research shows a great deal of happiness is under our control. we can practice happiness and increasing strategies as we do it with effort and purpose. for example, we could embrace the little things in our day. for some people that could be listening to their favorite piece of music or playing catch with their kids or sitting down enjoying a glass of orange juice. >> drinking orange juice makes people happy. whatever you can appreciate, savor, that will take your mind off the negative things, stresses and put you in a positive mindset. >> i feel relieved when it's all over. i feel like, oh, because there is a lot of pressure. >> there is a lot of strife and friction and hostility. there is a saying a mother can never be happier than your least happy child. there is one person who could create friction drinking too much. that could ruin the time for everyone. >> if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. >> let's talk about drinking. you say throw a party is a nice way to snap out of it. >> pick a theme and throw a fun party. have you had a margarita when it's 20 outside? it's cheerful. a summer party in the winter. >> thank you. >> have a dress code, shorts and shirts. don't forget the guacamole. >> blue is a great color. doesn't have to be a feeling, you can wear it, you can eat it. it's a blues party. you can make it fun. do blue lights which is fun. >> that's cool. >> have your guests wear blue. >> let's continue on the cocktail theme. >> so far this seems to be the answer to all your problems. drink them away. >> this is not just your normal orange juice. this is about bringing the cocktail in a bag. that's the theme. put together one drink in a bag and bring it to the party. you draw names and everybody gets bags. the key is you buy the ingredients for the drink and put it in the bag. it can be simple. pick simple cocktails with three ingredients or less. you can do the miniatures, which makes it easier. >> let's talk sweets. s'mores is a great party. >> nothing like hot chocolate to heat things up on a cold day. if you want to make it an adult dessert party have a little bit of chocolate liquer on hand. we have s'mores here, marshmallows, pound cake. can become an adult great dessert for the evening. >> that brings back childhood memories. >> we have so many positive memories. triggering those memories will make you happy and relieved from the stress. >> pot luck is a good one to have. >> pick an ingredient and have everyone bring a dish with that ingredient. this is maple syrup. everything tastes totally different. it's a twist on how to do a pot luck. >> great ideas. >> thank you very much. up next, the teacher who went back to school to support her family. another story of reinvention. but first this is "today" on nbc. time for our special series, new year, new you. we've been sharing inspirational stories from people who reinvented themselves for many different reasons. >> today we have one more. janice was 49 years old when she realized teaching piano lessons wasn't going to bring in the income her family needed. she headed back to school to pay the bills. >> i feel like music is a pathway to the soul. i've been playing the piano since i was 4 years old. i think that enjoyment that kids get today from video games, that's what i got from learning piano. i have a bachelor and masters degree in piano performance. >> she stayed home, took us to and from school and taught us lessons and tucked us in at night. >> my husband came home one day and said something is up at work. >> my career was abruptly cut short when my company decided to down size. she was still teaching. we said with the money i have coming in and what you have coming in, that's not enough. >> i was about 49. who is going to hire me? whatever kind of job i was going to look for was going to have to have health benefits. >> my daughter holly was born 11 weeks early. she was 29 weeks and weighed two pounds. >> holly had to stay in the hospital approximately ten weeks. it was scary to see her on respirator and looking so fragile. i had a lot of contact with the medical profession during that time. one of the interns there had asked my daughter and i if we were nurses. we had been asked that question a lot of times. i thought instead of being mistaken for a nurse, why don't you be one? i decided a two-year program was my best bet for getting through quickly. i work in a mental health hospital. the more i did it, the more i loved it. it felt right from day one. >> what a story. here to talk to us about starting over when you're older are life and career strategist fran harris and jean chatzky. >> these are so inspirational. wow, 49 years old. how do you just stop and go back to school? money seemed to have been an issue, right? >> there are a lot of programs available. financial aid during the week is not just for young people. you can go out, look for grants, look at community colleges. i think what is so amazing about her story, she picked the hottest career to go in. >> i think the one thing you don't want is regret. you don't want to say i wish i had done something. no matter how old you are. you don't want to get to that stage and say ten years ago i wish i had gone to school and gone into nursing. i think it's great. >> it's a big change. i don't know people are equipped for what's ahead, the studying, the hours, weekends, some things sound good initially, but once you get into it, you think i had no idea. >> that two-year period being in school is a good time to figure out if you're on the right track. she got a taste of it in the hospital. she had a strong suspicion this was something she would like. >> do you have to like it from day one? she said i knew day one it was the right thing. >> i think you need that gut feeling and your internal gps good practical sense. passion doesn't always pay the bills. it's good she is getting a second job. >> these things don't always turn out to be the magic that you're expecting, but at least you will have known i did it, i tried. it wasn't what i thought it was going to be, but at least i know. the regrets of what-if. >> it's hard to stay motivated if it's not your passion. but you're doing it to pay the bills. luckily for her it's a passion and pays the bills. but for a lot of people it's not both of those. >> we've got a lot of lawyers out there now who are saying, gosh, i went down this track because i thought it was what i was supposed to do and they are regretting it. this is why internships even you -- if you're older are so important. >> it's inspirational. >> i'm going to find something. >> what? >> jennifer hudson next week. >> real life housewife camille. have a great weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com in rockefeller center, the national broadcasting company presents -- tonight's guests are -- and featuring the legendary roots crew. and here he is -- jimmy fallon! 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