In 1986, I believe, Dad was transferred to Greenham Common, in England. Although we didn't live on base I did attend a DOD school. I had to start mid-year when I was in 2nd grade, and so began my life of constant uprooting. I guess the culture in England really isn't too different from here in the states, the weather however, left something to be desired..it was always raining. When my grandmother got sick, my dad transferred to Myrtle Beach, SC so we could be closer to home. That was in 1988.

Coming into the 4th grade mid-year was a little harder than in the 2nd grade, so it took me a while to get adjusted. We stayed in MB for about 5 years; it's a great place to visit, maybe to retire to, but when you live there, the tourist aspect just gets old after a while. I do, however, wish I had let myself enjoy it more, but I was at that awkward age where you just don't feel like you belong anywhere. So after I graduated the 8th grade, we had to move again. The military had decided the base was no longer useful, mostly because they were no longer going to use the A-10 planes that flew out of it, so the base was closed.

I started high school in Yorktown, Virginia, at Tabb High School. Since I started playing the flute in 5th grade, I decided to continue on in high school. Most high schools have a "band camp" (popularized by the movie American Pie), but since I was late registering, I also missed band camp for the summer. Band pretty much ruled my life in high school; most of my friends, at least at the beginning, were involved in band, and practice took up so much time. I joined the flag corps my junior year, so that doubled my committment. High school was so different for me..it was the first time I had ever attended public school, I guess that sums it up right there. After 3 years of living in Tabb (and moving to 3 different houses), the Air Force decided we had to go again.

Summer before my senior year we packed up the house and drove across country to fly to Hawaii. Now that was a culture change! I had never been to the Pacific before; the water is unbelievable! It really is that clear. So moving with only one year of high school left was not my ideal thing, but it had to be done, so I dealt with it. My best friend, Christina, whose father was also in the Air Force, had moved there the year prior, so at least I knew someone. It was such a coincidence that things would work out that way. Even so, we still didn't get to go to the same high school. My junior year my grandfather had moved in with us, so we needed to find a 4 bedroom house and since we didn't qualify for a 4 bedroom on base we found a house in Mililani, about 20 minutes northwest of it. The school system was completely different there, so I had to take many sophmore and junior level classes to complete the requirements. Needless to say, I didn't meet many seniors nor did I make any lasting friendships. But I did enjoy my time there, and would absolutely love to go back for a visit.

I decided to attend Radford University in southwestern VA for reasons even unknown to myself. I didn't, and still don't know what I want to do with my life, so a small liberal arts college seemed perfect. After 4 years I have no regrets about my choice. I graduated in 2000 with a bachelors in Criminal Justice. My fiance, Jeff, and I moved to Richmond in July 2000 after he accepted a position with The Martin Agency. I'm now working at a community college in the accounting department, but am still trying to figure out what I want in life. Jeff & I are staying busy with many projects, Gizmo and good friends close by.

February 2002 on a random outing with Mike & Lauren, Jeff & I started thinking about buying a townhouse. Never did we imagine that on Valentine's Day we would be filling out a mortgage loan application! And eight months later be moving into our new townhouse! We're very happy with our decision (so far).

While on vacation in the Hawaiian islands in June 2003, Jeff proposed on the beach in Maui. October 16, 2004 we were married on the Heth Lawn at Radford University. The wedding was great, the honeymoon (Maui), even better!

April 18, 2005 we signed a contract for a single family home. It won't be ready until Summer 06, but we're looking forward to it! And that's been the 27 years of my life.