Spotlight

An inventor. Traveling to speech therapy, I’d see a billboard that was seeking inventors. Each time I saw the sign I thought, “YES! I can invent something!” I dreamed of inventions and what I’d say when I called the number on the sign. I built “robots” out of toilet paper rolls.

A professor told me GIS was a great career for women who wanted the flexibility to work from home. To me, that spoke volumes. I’ve always been interested in geography but I didn’t know there were rewarding, flexible careers.

I was born with a severe cleft palate. I had to deal with being different and learn to accept the way it was. My elementary school years were filled with daily teasing and tormenting. Inside I knew who I was. Outside my appearance was a work in progress.

Until I was in high school, the bones in my face weren’t fully develop, which limited the doctors’ ability to really fix my face. The most valuable time in my life was before my face was fixed. I had to rely on who I was and not my appearance.

At sixteen, the summer of my sophomore year, I had the entire lower part of my face surgically reconstructed. The surgeon cut into my hip bone and hollowed in out. He took the bone and transplanted it into areas of my face that needed extra support. He put 12 metal plates and screws in my cheeks. He cut my chin in half, moved it forward, and screwed it in place. He broke my jaw, repositioned it, and wired it down so my mouth couldn’t open. I had a very long recovery. My jaws were wired shut for 6 weeks and I couldn’t eat any solid food. Later that year, I had another surgery on my lip and nose. It was very painful and uncomfortable.

My life changed for the better a few days before my seventeenth birthday. More than anything in my life, I dreamed of going to my junior prom. But the chances of getting asked were slim to none. One day in the school bathroom, I cried when I looked in the mirror. I closed my eyes and prayed that someone would see beautiful me and ask me to the prom.

That night, my prayer was answered. I went to my junior prom with the Prom King.

I’ll always be grateful for a family filled with chaos and love that supported and accepted me. I’m also grateful that my parents helped me get the medical care and therapy that I needed to lead a normal life.

Positive. Communicator. Planner.

I wouldn’t have been so boy crazy. My college roommate and I would stay up all night talking about boys. Thinking back, it was our biggest waste of time. Turns out that boys like interesting girls who have hobbies. If I’d know that when I was young, I’d have focused on developing my talents. I’d have traveled to different countries and lived in Hawaii. Just to see another side of life.

Getting myself through school with only $400 in student loans.

I’d like to run a half marathon (I’m in training); sell an oil painting; photograph people going through cancer as a tribute to their courage; publish a book; and learn to surf, preferably in Hawaii.

You can look professional in jeans as long as you pair them with a great set of heels.

I’d be a news journalist, surgeon, or work at an advertising agency.

I love the song Unforgettable. I’d like to be someone who is remembered, long after the moment or story has passed.

Art, oil painting, photography, writing, my two children, my cowboy husband, my country, and making new friends.

Perfect 74 degree sunny days with no agenda. Kisses from my kids. Krispee Kreme donuts.

Yellow!

A classic, perfect, pink rose.

Jo in the book Little Women. It’s where I got my middle name.

A River Runs through It, Lonesome Dove, and ahem Tommy Boy.

Ayn Rand, Terry Tempest Williams, Norman Maclean.

Happy and thoughtful music. I love Chris Ledoux, Neil Diamond, Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, John Denver, and of course ABBA.

It would involve riding horses with my husband. He looks like the guy in the movie Man from Snowy River and he’s an excellent horseman. Being with my husband in the outdoors is my personal slice of heaven.

A perfect dinner for me is sitting on our back porch on a summer night, with my husband grilling burgers, the kids playing, and me relaxing and taking it all in! We live on six acres of land. When we are outside, it feels like we’re in our own world. I love living in the “country” for that very reason.

San Diego.

I love being a mother, a wife, and having all kinds of different friends.

Adulthood can be tough. I thought if I made all the right choices I wouldn’t have to worry about anything. WRONG! Life doesn’t stop passing curve balls.

I don’t like anything that has to do with a budget.

I am inspired by people who do good when nobody is watching.

I have a deep sense of who I am and I strive to be true to me. I continually hear my ancestors’ voices telling me I can do better and go farther.

I’d love to open a fine art school for kids with big open windows, tons of light, and the finest teachers and supplies. Kids would learn how to see and create beauty. Today the school system doesn’t allow enough time for kids to draw and paint. Once a month, I volunteer in my kid’s classrooms and teach art. It’s amazing to see true imagination. When the kids see me walking into the room, they scream my name, and attack me with hugs. They love it as much as I do!

My Mom. She had six kids in eight years! When we were growing up, she read to us constantly and taught us to love to learn. She’s never said, “That is not possible.” She rarely watches TV and doesn’t indulge in worldly goods. She grows a garden and makes a to-do list of thoughtful acts of service each day.

American Soldiers including my Dad and my Grandpas. I remember being very young and watching my Dad put on his uniform for the ARMY. He was so handsome in uniform. Today, he’s a Colonel. He’s been true to his country, loyal to those who need him, and inspiring others to be their best selves.