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Birth
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Started Preschool
I went to a private Christian preschool called Rainbow Connection. I still have distinct memories of playing, being read to, and eating REAL green eggs and ham! -
Started acting
My love for performance began early, and my parents enrolled me in acting, dance, and voice lessons. I started performing with a children's theatre group. -
Moved
Changed neighborhoods within the Dallas metroplex, moving from a blue-collar to a white-collar area. I dropped my nerdy loner status and became a popular girl. -
Majored in Musical Theatre
I attended a competitive theatre program at Webster University in St. Louis and sought a BFA, meaning I took only acting, dance, voice, movement, etc., no general education classes. I was in heaven. -
Cut from program
The program typically starts with about 36 people in the freshman class, and graduates only about 9. I was a casualty of the December 2001 cuts. I was devasted and depressed in a way I could hardly process. -
Majored in English
I wanted to combine my love of nerdy things with my propensity to perform, so I thought I would enjoy being a lawyer. Asking around what a good undergraduate pre-law degree is, I heard over and over again, "Just learn how to read and write well." I loved literature, so I majored in English. -
Started teaching
Professors kept telling me not to go into law. I was meant to be a teacher, they said. I think they wanted me to follow the PhD track and teach college level English, but when I got laid off from my retail job around the same time that I graduated, I scrambled for a teaching position. I found a place at a small charter school, teaching 7th grade English. I was dreadful at it. -
Begin Masters
I quickly realized that no amount of training in English had taught me to motivate and inspire middle school students. I went back to school to get my certification and a Masters in Secondary Education. -
Marriage
Met the man of my dreams through a mutual friend. I would have married him within the first week, but we decided to play it cool and date for about a year before officially getting engaged. -
Moved
Husband started law school at Washington and Lee, so I was along for the journey. I taught first at an alternative school in Staunton, and then a regular public high school in Lexington. -
Started UVA
Teaching struggling high school readers at the alternative school in Staunton helped me realize my passion for reading education. I started the UVA reading program and totally invigorated my desire to work with young people. -
IVF
After five years of trying to have a baby, we started in vitro fertilization. AND IT WORKED! -
Birth of my twins
Though I don't know their exact birth day yet, they'll be 38 weeks (considered full-term for twins) on Thanksgiving Day. I wonder if I'll still get some pie?