A little about me...
I grew up in Westlake (in Austin, Texas), went to EISD schools and graduated from Westlake High School in 1986. Upon graduation, I went to acting school at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and lived in NYC for 7 years. I moved back to Austin in late 1992 and have lived here since. I have been married to Fireman Dave (now #retirementdave) for 25 years. We have 8 children: Emma (22), Martha Keith (19), Mac (16), Charlie (14), JD (12), Stuart (9), Piper Evelyn (angel in heaven), and Ruthie (5).
If I could go back in time, I'd tell myself...
If I could go back in time, I would tell myself in BOLD, “God is in control and He will ALWAYS take care of everything”.
My biggest takeaway from being part of iGnite is...
Wow! I don’t even know where to start with what iGnite means to me! I started iGnite kind of on a lark. My “sister wife” Alice (pictured with me in the red cowboy hat), and I started in the fall of *2011*. We were trying to get back to our inner Hyline (Westlake dance team) roots. We wanted to take a Zumba class and found Betty’s class randomly. We took her class (almost passed out) and we were hooked! After a few of Betty’s classes, we learned that there was more than Zumba! We soon found out about Neissa, Kathleen and the iGnite community and our lives 100% changed for the better! Neissa and Kathleen kicked our rears in a different way than dance.
I have to say that Neissa, Betty and Kathleen collectively entered our lives unexpectedly and gave us so much more than we could have ever imagined. There are so many amazing iGnite leaders, but it is also important that I give a huge LOVE shout out to leader Molly Daniels as well (for the newer iGniters, she trains teachers on the private side and you’ve seen her sub occasionally).
In 2013, I was pregnant with Piper Evelyn, our 7th child. Tragically, she was stillborn due to a umbilical cord accident. The pain was unimaginable and brought me to my knees. It was the darkest year of my life and I really wasn’t sure I would see light again. God was there and I am certain He put iGnite in my life when He did. I received so many letters and emails from friends I really didn’t know were my friends. It was so amazing to have all of these wonderful women in my life when I needed them. The outpouring of support was just incredible. I simply have no words. And here’s the funny thing I learned early this March….the G in iGnite stands for God! Who knew! How amazing is that!?
In my free time...
In my free time, I love to watch true crime. I am an Investigation Discovery Channel addict! In my vacation free time I love to read - I especially love to read on the beach .
Something people may not know about me is...
Dave and I met in 1990, in a soap opera acting class. We were given a kissing scene and we’ve been together since!
My acting headshot photo was used in a few episodes of “All My Children”. I was Sean Cudahy’s dead ex-wife Allison. The characters were trying to figure out if Sean murdered me. My photo sat on the fireplace mantle in a few episodes!
Also, my family loves to send crazy Christmas cards. We do outrageous themes such as airport losers, attack of the big baby, food fight, and country club snobs. We are three time “Bybee Christmas Card Cup" Champions (those who know, know)!
My favorite accounts to follow are...
@pkdesignsaustin, @austinfiredept, @wefundteachers, @westlakehyline, @westlakenation, @txhoneyham @reesesbookclub, @jenhatmaker, @lonestardoodles, @inagarten, @hopemommies