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I was born in 1979 in Germany. My parents were in the army and returned back to the US shortly after I was born. They were divorced not long after that and my mom and I set out into the world. My mom met a wonderful man, Chris, and they were married in 1985. He adopted me within a year. I grew up in
El Dorado, KS where I spent my days swimming competitively or just for fun. When I was 13 my mom gave birth to my brother and sister, on December 31. |
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Going into my freshman year of high school my dad was starting a new job in McPherson. While it was hard to leave my childhood friends I was ready for the adventure. It was in Mac that I met my husband, Matt. He was a sophomore and I was so in love with him. After a year of flirting and trying to make him jealous I decided to move on. His brother was now a freshman and although he didn't seem to have the same qualities as Matt I began "chasing" him. I was quite boy crazy at the time. I asked Matt's brother out on a date and offered to pay. Matt, over hearing, told his brother if someone was paying for him, he wouldn't turn it down. I'm sure Matt was trying to push his brother into going but it trapped him instead. I took him up on his statement and he took me up on the date. By my Junior year we were engaged and by senior year I was planning a wedding for a week after greaduation, May 31, 1997. |
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We both attended Central College in Mac where I was involved in cheerleading, dance, theatre, and journalism. Matt continued his love for cars by restoring and customizing his first car, a 1979 Camaro. We both graduated in 2001 with Bachelor degrees. We bought our first home and had a wonderful family. We had a 4 year old dog, Meg, and had just added a cute little kitten, Kwyjibo. Matt continued to work for his dad's buisness in construction. I was lifegaurding and managing the City Pool. During the schoool year I was substitute teaching and coaching the high school girls swim team. Swimming remained a passion for me. |
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In 2003 I went to work with cust-o-fab as they engineered and constructed a multi-million dollar project at NCRA, the refinery. It was also that Christmas that our beloved Meg passed away. The house was only silent for 2 weeks when we decided to bring Merry , a sweet mutt, into our home. We adopted her from the Kansas Humane Society. A few months later Matt recieved a black and white kitten for his birthday, Tux. |
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You would think with those three animals that our home would be full, but we found room for one more. On Labor Day 2005, we found Slate, our adorable Weimarener. This past year we also added a roommate. He is a freind of Matt's from last year when they were both Youth Pastors. Our home finally feels full.
This year has been so crazy and has filled my heart with so much love. It was also last year when I met my two high school freinds. We have so much in common and it has been a real joy to be a mentor in their lives. Matt is always continuing his love for cars. He has done work on our '59 Edsel, '79 Blazer and '02 Dakota. He is always looking for paint and customizing jobs. This will be our 8th year in the McPherson Area Cruisers and Matt is Co-President for the second time. |
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This Mrs. Kansas 2006 pageant will be my 5th time as a contestant. My first year I was second-runner up and this last year I was voted Mrs. Congeniality. I have been blessed every year to get to know some amazing people and learn so much about myself. I can't wait to see what this year holds. |
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