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Dad babysitting
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Born in Jacksonville, Florida before moving with mom and dad to Narragansett, Rhode Island at one month old, the snow and winter months seemed to be a bit of a shock for the native Floridians. Five months later, Mom, Dad and me returned to Miramar Florida to thaw out.
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By now, Dad has perfected his babysitting skills.
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At the age of 6, Mom, Dad, Cinder-rinder (me)and Debbie-doodle bugs (the baby for the next 7 years) moved up to northern Virginia just outside of Washington D.C. For the next twelve years, I attended grade school, learned how to "ice down" the hills to "improve" (accelerate!) the sled "courses", play flashlight tag in the backyard (grave yard), rock climb the Potomac river and mud around any off-road trail I could find along the way.
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It was 5 o'clock somewhere at this Parrot head party hanging w/ someone my mother warned me about. : )
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Music and live performances have played a big part of my life (I've lost track of exactly how many concerts I've attended, but the number is well over 50). Concert genres have run the gamut from Opera, Country, Alternative, Jazz, and (though painful to admit) Metal and Hair Bands. I've seen performers from Air Supply, Elton John & Billy Joel, Beastie Boys, Garth Brooks, Genesis and Terri Clark to Louise Mandrel, Moby, Motely Crue, Tesla, Van Hagar and What it (was) Is. High school weekend nights were often spent at the movie theater "playing" Janet at the late night Rocky Horror picture show (by RKO).
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Both high school and early college years were spent taking architecture and drafting classes as well as interior design. I've grown up with my parents building/remodeling homes most of my life in addition to my fathers restoration business, so I've become very comfortable with basic residential construction. I've also had a strong desire (need?!?) to decorate others homes as well as mine, and I absolutely love creating new living spaces (which might explain why I've moved so many times!) Currently, decorating is just a hobby, but maybe someday, I'll actually take some good advice and put my talents to better use.
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Sugar bear (Chen) hanging out in the lawn.
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Animals have held my heart ever since I was old enough to grab onto their fur and drool all over them! I'd bring home the zoo if I had the room. Mom and Dad were very generous with their understanding and allowed me many pets growing up including (many) hamsters, a rabbit named snowball and the family dog, Gretal, the gentlest Belgian Shepard to walk the earth.
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Shoei curled up in one of her favorite spots on the couch.
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Feline friends, Trissy and Rubies, were quite the surprise to Dad however, upon returning home from a three week trip ..."That was WAY to big to be a mouse...." :) He warmed up to both of them, though it took years for him to admit it. Our chow chow Chen, true to breed in spirit, is now missed with love, along with Frankie's little white angel, Shoei. We are "childless" right now, but someday soon we will adopt another little fur ball or two.
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I've have always been an adrenaline junkie, whether it was how high I could climb a tree as a kid, seeing how many roller coaster rides I could fit into a day at Kings Dominion, driving Frank's CBR 600 or having this huge desire to jump out of a perfectly good airplane before I turned 30 years old. (Frankie, my dearest Jen & hubby Jason made that dream become reality!!.....THANK YOU Again guys!!!!) I can't WAIT for the next jump!
I also enjoy skiing, hiking, scuba diving, swimming and snowboarding (though the latter is still a work in progress), but my passion is, bar none, rollerblading. I've been at it now for over 15 years and I like to think I'm not too shabby (though I do have a few scars that tell of my learning pains). It all started when I met a boy I couldn't keep up with, and of course, that just wouldn't cut it for me, so I strapped on a pair and prayed I would find something soft to stop me if I had to. A few months later, and some protective gear in place, I was jumping curbs, screaming down parking garages and bumping down staircases in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.
These days, I like to find a really wide bike path by the ocean and freestyle to my MP3's just as slow or as fast as my muse takes me (usually about 10 to 14 miles a run). I tell myself its great exercise, but the rush I get from rolling is like no other.
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Climbing the firecracker ropes course at UF. Those are free swinging logs I'm standing on.
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My future endeavors include hang gliding, some REAL rock climbing (I've tackled every artificial one I've come up against), maybe Mt. Everst, buying my own motorcycle to ride next to Frankie, as well as a few helicopter rides (first stop... Maui, HI). When I master that snowboard of mine, I'll jump OUT of the helicopter, down a virgin mountain of powder and ride that wave all the way to the bottom, though I'll be hard pressed to catch Frank or my brother Jeff!
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I finished my bachelors degree at the University of Florida pursuing a career in Veterinary medicine, and spent a couple years volunteering and working as a Vet Assistant in a couple practices. Seeing the (120K++ in student debt) light, I landed a great job with Lanier Worldwide and jumped into the corporate world of sales. Several months as their top Account Exec in the country for my vertical market (not for profit organizations), and I found Lanier offering me a promotion to move me to Atlanta as a corporate sales trainer! Yes, let the traveling begin!! Flying all over the country (All over Cali and NY, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and a few others) I had a chance to spread my wings, and rack up the miles. Lanier frequently had quarterly sales kickoffs, where they would send their trainers to take our classroom out into the field. As a "treat" they sent me to a pineapple field to teach (On Oahu, Hawaii.) Aloha! From the moment I stepped off the plane, it was love at first sight/smell/taste/touch/feel. Ten days later, I almost didn't leave. SERIOUSLY. Before stepping on that plane back to Atlanta, I vowed to bring the love of my life back to the place that had captured my heart, so I could offer it up to the one I'd love for the rest of our life.
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