I was born in Perryton, Texas in November 1969.  I am 38 years old, not quite single, and have an eighteen year old son named Josh.  He was born on my 21st birthday.  I live in Canyon and have three dogs (Max, Roo, and Mollie) and two cats (Lucy and Tecko).  My house is always a mess because I don't have time to clean it. 

I became a teacher because I really didn't know what else to do.  I started out as a music business major in college.  I loved playing my clarinet (and still do) but I didn't like the business classes.  I tried taking accounting twice and decided it just wasn't my cup of tea.  My other passion in school was speech.  I had the greatest speech teacher in the world, Mrs. Carol Marrs.  I still remember giving my first speech (over a toothbrush) and how much I loved that class.  When I decided to change majors in college I decided that I should still do something I love so I changed to speech education.  By that time, I had a son and was a single parent so I didn't have time to compete in college, though I wish I had. 

My first teaching job was at Valleyview Junior high which I attended in the ninth grade.  It was interesting to teach at the same school and in the same position as my favorite teacher.  I taught there for five years but I got frustrated with junior high kids and decided to go in a different direction.  I went to work for Jostens yearbooks as a sales associate.  It was a great job.  I made my own schedule and visited about 35 schools in the Texas Panhandle.  I worked with yearbook staffs and helped them in creating their yearbooks from covers to the pages in between.  I also had to trouble-shoot computer issues which is where I gained a lot of my computer skills.  During that time, I got married and divorced which led to my most recent job at Hereford High School.

I began teaching at Hereford High School in the fall of 2005.  I was hired to eventually replace Lana Hall who had been making plans to retire for some time.  (She finally retired in 2008)  I have some very big shoes to fill, but am quite excited about it.  Of course I came back to teaching with some trepidation, but I have found it to be quite inspiring.  There are some great kids at Hereford and I have enjoyed my job very much.  This will be another great year as I have a great team with some great leaders.  I really don't have much to complain about other than not having any time.

Speaking of time... I do have other things that I'm involved in besides teaching and tournaments.  I recently started grad school and am getting my degree in library science.  Although I love working with the speech team, I think my passion lies outside the traditional classroom.  It is taking up a lot of time, but I am enjoying it so far.  I am also active in my church - St. Ann's Catholic Church in Canyon.  I sing in the choir there as well as in the Diocesan choir in Amarillo.  I also still get to play my clarinet every once in a while.  I participate in a local community band called The Town and Gown Band and I also upkeep their website.  When I'm not at speech tournaments, I'm usually doing something with church or watching my son perform in band or theatre.  I like to do crafts at home like crocheting or making rosaries.  I love to read, but hardly find time for it much any more.  During the summers I love to ride rollercoasters.  It is a great passion of mine and I have ridden 125 different coasters.  I used to be a member of ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts) but I haven't been able to actively participate for the last two summers.  I hope to get going again soon and I really want to go to the parks in Florida some day! 

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