I grew up a lover of the outdoors, having learned to fish with my dad as a toddler, going "real" camping in a tent with my family before I was born and living at the beach.
 

At age 12, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Since then, I have used 6 different insulin pump brands, a continuous glucose monitor, various types and brands of insulins, endured far too many injections and blood tests and even lived through a severe hypo (low blood sugar). Diabetes is an all encompassing monster, but I think it has taught me most of my resiliency, adaptability and stubbornness. Yes, I eat candy - 1000 Grands and MilkyWay Midnights are my favorite.
 

I have been a horse lover for even longer than I have had diabetes. In fact, my inherent love of horses and horseback riding has been the one thing that has stood the test of time, even through traumatic life experiences and moves. My first time on the back of a horse was in the late 80s at my aunt and uncle's ranch in Wyoming and I still ride to this day. Horses have taught me so much about life and myself, and many of them throughout my life have been my best secret keepers.
 

I love to bake. I've made a wedding cake, my parent's 50th Anniversary cake and many many birthday cakes. What's not to love about art you can eat!
 

As mentioned before, I grew up in a small town on the South Shore of Massachusetts. That little town is called Scituate (Sit-chu-ate), and it is famous for the American Army of Two, Rebecca and Abagail Bates. My high school graduating class had less than 175 students, the town still has one middle school and it is a 30 minute drive to the closest highway.
 

I cannot get enough Arizona Zero Green Tea iced tea and Nacho Cheese Doritos (Cool Ranch are a close second).
 

From the fall of 2022 until the spring of 2024 I was a puppy raiser with a local organization that offers service dogs to veterans and first responders free of charge. "Wise" was one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I miss him a lot. 
 

In 2021, I got back into pottery, a much beloved medium that I hadn't worked with since college in the early 2000s. In the spring of 2025 I submitted my first piece of art to a juried art show at the Virginia Beach Art Center in a show themed "Imagine That". I sculpted a piece of cake out of clay with a clay insulin pump and real pump infusion set wrapped around it and placed it on a handmade plate with the words "you cant eat that" stamped into it. The concept is that while I have diabetes, many people have told me I cannot eat certain things, but with the tools and technology available to me today, I very well can. "Imagine That".