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Running a small business is tough. Not “easy tough” like climbing Mt. Everest or getting a doctorate in micro-genetics — no, running a business is much harder. I know from first-hand experience that It takes lots of effort to run a profitable business. Having an excellent business idea and sufficient funding is not enough to make you successful. Running a profitable business is three dimensional game of chess where every move will cost you and your family dearly. If you fail, your kids’ education could be in jeopardy. If you fail, you could lose your home. If you fail, you could lose self-respect. Running a successful business is tough, and there is always much to lose. I mean, if you can’t make it to the top of Everest, you can turn back. If you bust out of micro-genetics with only a masters degree, chances are you will be fine. Successful business owners are problem solvers. They fight to succeed against all the odds, but successful entrepreneurs have one other thing they have to maintain — family. Some of you may laugh, but it is 100% true. Without emotional support from family and friends, your chances of success in business are much lower. You have to put your family and friends first. Engrossed in the day-to-day pulls from their needy companies, how can a business owner put family and friends first? Personally, and some will think this is old fashioned, I make to-do lists. I plan my “can-do-anytime work” around my family- time schedule. I end up doing 20 or so hours of late-night work per week after my family has hit the hay. There are a million ways to climb this mountain. Recently we met up with a super entrepreneur to let us in on how she manages her time. Meet Dr. Karen Melton — mother, spouse, daughter, granddaughter, doctor, business owner.
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573: Dr. Melton, you run a very successful audiology business, please tell us how you manage business and family time. Everyone I meet struggles to make work time and family time manageable. I am blessed to have a loving and supportive family- not only my family at home, but my work family, church family, and community family, too. At home, I have a 15-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son attending Farmington High School. I also have a 20-year- old son working to obtain a business finance degree at Mizzou. My husband, Neil, is one of my biggest supporters. The poor guy has to hear all of my frustrations! He takes it all in and then gives excellent advice. My parents, Jerry and Dotty Bach, also live in the area. My work family is the BEST. The church and community here have given me the foundation I need to succeed. Southeast Missouri is full of amazing people, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. 573: Tell us about your business. Imagine a time when you were in a busy restaurant and struggled to understand the person across the table. You might ask them to repeat what they said once or twice, but after that, you smile and nod as if you understand. We’ve all been there. For some people, this scenario happens more often than not, and it happens in many different environments, not just a noisy dining establishment. This happened to my grandfather. When I was attending Farmington High School, I remember having a Christmas dinner with my grandpa. I was trying to tell him about something that happened in biology class. He would look at me, smile, and then turn away. I thought he was mad at me. When I brought it up to him later, he told me that he couldn’t hear over the rest of the noise in the room. What he said next changed my life. He said, “I feel so alone.” He felt that he was sitting there watching all of us have conversations, but he couldn’t join the conversation. That event is what led me to the field of audiology. It is a great feeling when you help someone that has been struggling to have conversations with their friends and family. Every person you meet knows something that you don’t know. It’s wonderful when you can give them the tools to easily share their thoughts and experiences with others regardless of the noise in the environment. I opened the Audiology & Hearing Center in Farmington in 2003 with the intention of helping my community. That focus has led us to grow to 13 locations and 17 employees. We have also recently changed our name to Hearing Care Partners. Most of what I do is educating the public about hearing. I was able to collaborate with Dr. Keith Darrow, the only audiologist and neuroscientist in the US. Dr. Darrow graduated from MIT and Harvard. He agreed to help me create a book to help people understand hearing loss. This book will provide the answers to questions about the science of maintaining independence, proven ways to reduce the risk of dementia, the impact of untreated hearing loss on cognitive function, and the medical treatment of hearing loss, including topics related to tinnitus, NeuroTechnology (TM), and so much more.
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573: Any advice for struggling entrepreneurs? I think we are all entrepreneurs and leaders when you break it down. A homemaker is the entrepreneur of the family home. A businessman, construction worker, teacher, grandparent, and factory worker are all leaders of teams and manage goals. That puts us all in the same bucket. My recommendations for success are the same for everybody. 1) Make your bed. It may be the only thing you accomplish today. 2) Spend 10 minutes a day praying or meditating. 3) Exercise daily. You can’t be your best when you don’t feel your best. 4) Care for your team. You work with people every day. Make them a priority. 5) Assume good intent. It’s easy to guess a negative reason why someone decided to say or do something you don’t like. It’s harder to imagine they did it out of love and care. Assume they meant well. 6) Eat dinner as a family at a table and without electronics. There are so many distractions. Give focused attention to your loved ones a few minutes every day. 7) Be a go-giver. Donate your time, talents, and resources. 8) Close the door on fear. Imagine what you could accomplish if you weren’t afraid! Afraid of what people might think of you. Afraid of losing what you have. Afraid of succeeding! Slam the door on those fears and accomplish greatness! 9) Prepare for tomorrow. End your day by getting ready for tomorrow. It reduces stress, and all of us need more of that! 10) Set a goal, write it down, and repeat it out loud every morning and every night until it is met. Yes, out loud! Many people get hung up on simple solutions. It’s easier to make an excuse than it is to do the work to make your dreams come true. Don’t hide behind your excuses. In the famous words of Nike, JUST DO IT! 9
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573: Tell us how you got here. Each year we present a performance series of events which typically includes about five I grew up in Bonne Terre and went to Maryville shows. We make an effort to plan a diverse University where I earned a BFA in graphic series of events in multiple venues throughout design. After college, I lived in St Louis and the area. This year’s performance series began in September when we hosted a group of worked in the in-house advertising department Tibetan monks at Mineral Area College. Over at Dierbergs Markets. Then I took a job with the course of a week, they created a beautiful a design studio, Cheree Berry Paper (CBP). I sand mandala and did an evening showcase of their sacred chants and traditions. In worked at CBP for about seven years and loved October, we hosted the world famous Glenn the work! We did beautiful custom stationery Miller Orchestra. In January, we’ll host a one- for weddings, new babies, holidays... During woman theatrical storytelling performance by my time at CBP, my husband Neil and I had a Lisa Marks of Hannibal, MO. It is a chance for young daughter, Mia, and decided that we us to support a regional artist, and we know wanted to raise her closer to our parents and our local audience will love learning more family who lived here in Bonne Terre/Desloge. about the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown at the We decided to move back, and for a while, show. One of the most exciting and popular both of us commuted to St. Louis. Our son events we hosted is a family-friendly theatrical Maddox was born in 2009, and once he and production by a New York City-based theater, Mia started getting close to school age, we TheaterWorks USA. They do a fantastic job decided that the best thing for our family was bringing popular children’s books to life on the to ditch the daily commute. So in 2011, I took stage, and we have no doubt that kids of all ages will love “Pete the Cat” coming in March. a part-time position in the Fine Arts Department We’re also looking forward to hosting the at Mineral Area College. In 2013, I was hired full Missouri Saxophone Quartet in April. time as the Executive Director of Mineral Area In addition to our performance series, MACOA Council on the Arts. My kids are now 12 and 9. produces a number of events throughout Neil and I try to encourage them to appreciate the year that specifically target children and students. For the last several years we offered art by going to concerts, musicals, and arts an in-school performance of a touring children’s events. Overall, we have encouraged them musician to some of our smaller local school to try new things artistically. We believe that districts. These in-school performances give a even if they don’t end up wanting to perform large number of students, generally about 200 or create, they will be able to respect the work per show, an opportunity to experience the that goes into creating art and will be great arts arts during their school day. For the last five years, we partnered with the city of Farmington supporters. in hosting a student art contest with winning artwork printed on banners in the downtown 573: Tell us about MACOA. Farmington. (Entry forms for the 2019 contest will go live at www.MineralAreaArts.org). The Mineral Area Council on the Arts (MACOA) Lastly, MACOA’s biggest project each spring mission is to promote and strengthen the is the Annual K-12 Student Art Show at Mineral Area College. We transform the field house cultural environment in all segments of the at MAC to an art gallery over the course of area served by Mineral Area College by a week! During a typical year, about 1300 pieces of artwork are on display created by creating and supporting opportunities for the 900 students from throughout the area. We are community to experience the arts locally and so appreciative of the time and effort the art at an affordable cost. Mineral Area Council on teachers put into this project! the Arts continues to benefit from the support of Mineral Area College in that we are housed If you would like to get involved with the local on the campus and jointly fund the Executive arts, contact MACOA at MineralAreaArts.org Director position. The college’s support, along with that of businesses and individuals in our community and the Missouri Arts Council, helps us to continue fulfilling our mission for our region. . 13
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Wow, did I get a surprise when I visited the new Grissom Space Museum! Located in the center of Bonne Terre is a group of very passionate people busy setting up a world-class museum. When I first walked into the museum, I couldn’t believe that all the displays were real. The materials in the displays were collected and donated by NASA and people who really, really like space. One guy, in particular. Meet Earl Mullins, the leader of the space pack. Earl knows the secret to success. It’s simple really: NEVER QUIT! Interviewing Earl and his friends was a total pleasure. The passion and excitement these guys have are out-of- this-world. (Sorry for the pun.) But really, Earl has been working on this project for years. He started with a tiny museum to house his personal collection of space memorabilia. Through countless hours, a zillion phone calls, and a trillion emails, Earl held on to his dream and with the help of a few friends, built something wondrous. Huge personal investments of time and money allowed these space monkeys to reach their goals. In March, the Grissom Space Museum will hold it’s official opening day.
573: Who is Earl Mullins? On March 3, 1952, I was born the youngest of a family of eight on a dairy farm outside of Vienna, Illinois, population 1,100. We were poor, but we didn’t know that until we grew up. At the time, we were probably considered “from the wrong side of the tracks” and somewhat dysfunctional as families go. Again, we did not know that. Remarkably, all of us turned out OK. In fact, my brother started a business and became a millionaire. I think the reason for our success is that none of us considered ourselves a victim. Living poor in a small community did not provide for a lot of entertainment, so we depended on our imagination. Fortunately, I was born with a good one. My imagination was the key to where I am today. I’ve never been able to explain my love for aerospace other than I was designed that way. My wiring kept me looking at the night skies and dreaming. I can tell you when that love was solidified, though. It was when I spotted Echo America’s first attempt at satellite communication. It was big, bright, and easy to spot. Needless to say, it spawned all manner of imaginations. I wanted to know all I could about Project Echo and anything else involving space travel. Again, maybe it was by design that I was born at the dawn of the Space Age. Ultimately, I followed it all my life. 573: What started your journey to space? I started collecting the relics of space early in life. My first pieces came from a local carnival. I was around 7 or 8 years old. I had 30 cents to spend, and I dropped it all on a claw machine at 10 cents a pop. I won three Mercury space capsule pencil sharpeners— design or fate!? I was thrilled to have them, but it also taught me something. I liked them so much that I wanted more, and being poor was a problem. I could have pouted and lamented my fate, but as I said before, none of us kids considered ourselves victims. I knew if I was going to have anything, I was going to have to earn it. My first job at 12 was mucking out horse stalls. I have been working hard ever since. I excelled in science classes. In high school and college, I favored technical classes would prepare me for a career in aerospace. I was only able to eke out an associates degree in engineering technology by working as a janitor. I carried 21 hours a semester and worked 30 hours a week. Somehow I still managed to be in the top 10% of my graduating class. Sadly, my desire for an aerospace career was not to be. By the time I got my degree, we had beaten the Russians to the Moon and funding was drastically cut for space. I chased the rainbow for a while as I tried to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Through different jobs I learned carpentry, construction, millwork, machinist skills, speaking skills, management skills, and organizational skills. I always thought that my jobs were coincidental, but as I look back, every one of them prepared me for what I am doing now— fate or design? If anyone deserves credit for the existence of the museum, it is my dear wife Suzanne. She is my rock. She does not share my love of space, but she BELIEVES IN ME! She allowed me to follow my dream unfettered.
Though I was unable to follow my dream of an aerospace career, I continued to collect the artifacts of the Space Age. The collection too large to house at home. It was time to take the logical next step. A museum would allow me access to even cooler space stuff. In 2003, I opened the doors and waited for the swarm of visitors. You could hear crickets chirp! I went almost one and a half years without a single visitor! I considered quitting many times, but frankly, I had no place to move the collection.
Since there were advantages to becoming a not- for-profit, I incorporated as a 501(c) 3 in 2007. The museum then became eligible to receive NASA artifacts. Since that time we have received well over $22,000,000 in artifacts and continue to select and receive more. Thankfully, I have a board that shares my vision and supports my direction 100%. In fact, several of them are former engineers who designed and built the first spacecraft. They added a new dimension to the museum and love interacting with the visitors. There is no real way of recouping the thousands upon thousands I have personally invested in this project. I knew the story going in, so I have no complaint. To me, it is a reasonable investment in our future. You might say it is my Cadillac, bass boat, and lake villa rolled into one. I never had a hunger for any of those so hey, money well spent. Now, we have expanded to the Grissom Center. The museum is all about inspiration. It is about promoting noble things that will make a positive impact on a troubled, chaotic world. We wish to convey this way of thinking to all those who visit, regardless of the direction their dreams take them. The Space Museum and the Grissom Center stand as testimonies to that way of thinking. The museum project gives people something good to believe in. 573: As a guy who refused to give up, do you have any advice for other people with a dream? Perhaps the most compelling reason to keep a dream alive is that they can come true. If acted upon, a dream is the energy that propels us to a better place. No true dreamer dwells on making things worse! Dreams are the antidote to mediocrity and stagnation. Every individual who has made a positive impact on humanity was at first a dreamer who considered what might be. A distinction has to be made. It is not enough to dream. A person must empower the dream with action, and they must be willing to accept that their dream may not be realized in their lifetime. To achieve our dreams, we must suspend the logical, “It cannot be done!” The realization of my dream is as much about being too stupid to quit as it is about being smart enough to succeed. Though I was unable to pursue a traditional aerospace career, many the astronauts and engineers involved in the Space Race consider me their friend and colleague. Perhaps I have achieved my dream, and I didn’t even realize it!
The Grissom Center Museum is supported in part by McDonnell Douglas retirees, who directly contributed to the development and production of the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft. The Grissom Center, named for astronaut Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, tells the story of the U.S. Space Program, with emphasis on manned exploration from Mercury to the Space Shuttle years. For some four years, these guys volunteered, working long hours every weekend renovating, painting, wiring, and building the displays. 573 Magazine wants to extend a special thanks thanks to Lou Mavros, Purdy and Earl Robb. They are all great guys. Thank you for bringing this gift to the area. You can go to 573mag.com to see their video interveiws. It’s very interesting. www.573mag.com/space 23
With the beginning of the new year, I’ve Let your pen fly when you want to vent about work, been looking over my past journal entries. when you recall a great dinner out with friends, or when you have a strange dream or thought. The Since 2017 I’ve filled one and a half journal exists for when you need it. journals. In the past, I would write two or three entries and then hit the journalist’s Be creative in how you make entries. Entries don’t wall. I would get overwhelmed with the have to be written paragraphs! I don’t always task of recording every thought and event have time to sit down and recount everything I’ve from the day, and eventually my resolve done in a week. Instead, I collect receipts, tickets, and to-do lists to tape in my journal later. At the fizzled out. end of the week, I add them to my journal with little notes. I have a whole page of restaurant Now I look at my journals with a sense of receipts on which I’ve written the names of people pride. I’ve successfully kept up, and it’s with whom I shared dinner. Little mementos make comforting to have a recollection of my life it easy to remember something without taking the for when I want to reminisce. I think most time to carefully reconstruct every detail. people want to keep a journal of sorts. I’ve always wanted to, at least. After all, Entries can be more than mementos and souvenirs. I believe that I am the spunky protagonist They can be a list of the day’s events, drawings, in my life story. What better record of my playlists, poetry, photos, and recipes. The only daily mishaps and struggles than a journal? qualification for an entry is that it means something What better way to remember the person I to you and helps you remember a moment of your life. used to be? In an increasingly digital world, I find myself unable Don’t pressure yourself to make daily to accept boredom. There’s always something entries. Instead, write when you are in new to watch on YouTube or more posts to peruse the mood. This was the most significant on social media. While I love the connection and information available to me, sometimes they change I made in my approach to become a distraction from self-awareness. journaling. Making daily entries is exhausting, especially if nothing interesting happened. If you force yourself to write, journaling will quickly become a chore.
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573: Tell us about your journey to space. I was interested in the early space program and watched all that TV coverage. I liked math, science and reading (always a good influence on our imaginations). While I was completing my Ph.D. at the University of Missouri in physics, NASA announced they were hiring astronauts for the upcoming space shuttle program. My educational background made me eligible to apply, and I also became interested in working on getting a pilot’s license as I thought that would be helpful, plus I had always wanted to do that. I got my license and flew at a small airport near Columbia called Cottonwood Field. It doesn’t exist anymore. I learned that continuing to try is important because I didn’t initially get into the program. I did get an interview with NASA my last year in graduate school, and while I was not selected for the astronaut program they offered me a job which I accepted, and I moved to Houston, TX to work at JSC. I worked in Payload Operations in the Mission Operations Directorate at the NASA Johnson Space Center and was accepted into the astronaut program in 1985. The answer to this question can take an entire presentation/ talk. Briefly: There is an initial training period, training in spacewalks, robotics, shuttle systems, flight dynamics, waiting to be assigned to a crew, supporting other missions and programs. Over my time in the office, I was assigned to four shuttle missions. Each required unique training and all were different: a deployment of Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and other science, an earth-focused observation mission with studies of the atmosphere and an imaging radar for surface investigations, a visit to the Russian Mir space station with a special laboratory carried in the shuttle cargo bay with a suite of European Space Agency experiments, and my last flight was to the International Space Station, not yet complete with everything that is there now, where we brought up a new crew and brought home the crew that was there. We brought up a module with supplies for the station and repacked it with things they no longer needed or science that was being returned. I had a spacewalk on each of the last two missions. 573: Tell us about your first blast off. Liftoff is very impressive with over 7 million pounds of thrust which were generated by the solid rocket boosters, part of the shuttle system, and main engines on the shuttle. Powered flight to orbit lasted 8 ½ minutes. At that point the shuttle was not yet in a safe orbit, but we were high enough to be above most of the atmosphere (about 250 miles) and following an additional firing of the main engines, going fast enough, just under 5 miles a second) to stay in orbit and not fall back to Earth. The orbit speed required at that altitude results in orbital periods of about 90 minutes. We orbited the Earth 16 times day, where we had 16 sunrises and sunsets a day. The Earth filled our view out the windows, and that is one of the best memories – seeing the oceans, coastlines, deserts. That perspective makes all of the Earth and the people on it seem very connected to each other – or they should be. We live on a beautiful oasis in our solar system and perhaps within our galaxy. It is the only planet we will ever have, and we need to take care of it. 573: What advice do you have for all the young women and girls looking to follow a dream? They need to believe in themselves and their abilities. Everyone has some failures, and often may not succeed the first time (multiple attempts for me to get into the astronaut program), but it is worth trying again. It is essential to have confidence in themselves and have supporting friends and family. Also, one can enjoy what they are doing while working toward a goal.
573: I can’t help to ask... Do you believe in UFO’S? Did we really go to the Moon? UFO’s – no. I believe there is life in the universe, likely other places in our own galaxy or certainly somewhere in the billions of other galaxies within our universe, each with billions of stars with planets of their own. The conditions for life could be very very rare, but even then there could be billions of other life-supporting planets across our universe. I don’t think we will ever know. The chance that any other life has traveled to our part of our galaxy is about zero or is zero. Stars are just too far apart. Within our own spiral Milky Way galaxy, our solar system is ½ to 2/3 from the galactic center in the galactic disk with the closest star about four light-years away. With any kind of regular rocket ship travel of today, it would take thousands of years to travel just to this nearest star system. We don’t have propulsion for higher rates of speed – there is matter/anti-matter propulsion of which not enough anti-matter exists, a constant thrust which could build up a high rate of speed but requires amounts of matter for propulsion which are not available. We went to the Moon. You can meet Dr. Godwin at the grand opening of the Grissom Space Center this March. 33
Starting at the lower picnic area, Pickle Creek Trail, you guessed it, follows along Pickle Creek, which is a beautiful sandy-bottom stream. The creek carves through massive stones to create some of the most beautiful views in the land. In no other park do the scenic trails change so quickly. Pine and oak forests, sandstone bluffs, canyons, clear water streams, and abundant wildlife make Hawn one of my favorite winter hikes. Designated as a state natural area, Hawn never disappoints. It’s an excellent hike for nearly all ages. So to put my theory to test, we found a local family who put their hikers to the path. Meet Danielle and Chad Carron.
Chad and I have been married for twelve years. We were high school sweethearts, and he stuck by my side through my education and career, including two moves for my job. He proposed to me atop Longs Peak during one of our successful attempts summiting the mountain. We married during my final year of med school. I am a physician and trained at UMKC’s 6-year combined BA/MD program. I completed residency in family medicine at Cox in Springfield. Afterward, I did full scope family medicine with OB for about seven years in Farmington at a private practice. I loved delivering babies and caring for women and children. Two years ago, I joined a clinic only- based practice at St. Francis Farmington Physician Associates to improve my balance between work and family, and I have not regretted it.
Chad is a lead survey technician and is working towards earning his full surveying license, which is a long process. He waited to go back to school for his surveying license until we were settled and I transitioned my job. We have two biological children, nine-year-old Claire and seven-year-old Paige. After having two daughters, I knew I did not want to birth any more children—not because pregnancy and childbirth were hard. I felt like life was too easy, and when you truly serve God to your potential, he asks you to do uncomfortable, hard things. I love children, and I see kids and families struggling all the time as a physician. I think the most significant difference you can make in someone’s life is to love them. I wanted to love kids who needed it, so I discussed my idea with Chad. We decided to foster children and then adopt. We’ve been foster parents for three years now. We are proud to have found long-term placement for two girls we consider our own, and we still see them all the time. Their family is awesome and allows us to continue our relationship with them. We are working towards the adoption of another child and accepted short- and long- term placement of two other children.
Our family is very outdoorsy and thankfully we live in Farmington which offers lots of trails and parks. Our kids enjoy hiking, camping, blazing trails, and making tree forts in the woods behind our home. Chad has always been a woodsman. He grew up in a family that enjoyed hunting, fishing, and gathering mushrooms. My family always camped, but we lived in the Fenton suburbs until I was in sixth grade. We camped at Hawn State Park one weekend, and on a whim my parents stopped to view a property that was for sale. They decided to buy it, so we moved to Ste. Genevieve County. I started running in seventh grade and found one of my passions. To train for track and cross country, I would run from the house down to Hawn State Park with my dad. Soon I started running the trails there and loved that even more. To this day, I love trail running, and my parents still live right next to Hawn. We now take our girls there to hike and play in Pickle Creek. We hiked the Kalalau Trail out and back in a single day and hiked from rim to rim of the Grand Canyon in one day. We climbed Longs Peak several times with alpine start up and down in one day and up Rainier with IMG company in a 3-day climb. We’ve gone on many other long hikes in Glacier National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Chad loves to mountain bike and is trying out sprint triathlons. I am a marathoner with hopes to qualify for Boston.
I didn’t even want to go. I was too busy. My job, family, and selfishness were way more important than traveling to Africa. I hate to fly, and the thought of sixteen hours in a plane made me panic. I didn’t even have a passport. But I made a promise to a friend that if she raised enough money to build a children’s home, I would go and see it. Be careful what you promise. My name is Danea, and I am a storyteller. Not so much with words- I prefer to use my camera. I grew up in Cape Girardeau. My day job has nothing to do with my camera. I own a hair salon and boutique. I have centered around beautiful things, the most important of which are people. I started playing with photography about 18 years ago with an all-manual Pentax camera and an old- fashioned darkroom. Photography has become my creative outlet from my creative career.
When I went to South Africa in 2010, I asked if I could bring my camera and photograph the people. The reply I received took my breath away. “Yes, you can bring it. But be ready to show them the photos after each shot. Most have never seen their own face (no mirrors), so when you show them what they look like, they will be fascinated.” I never even considered that. I stand in front of a mirror every day to show my customers how beautiful they are, and I was going to a place where most people had never seen their reflection. To say that Africa changed my life is a serious understatement. Travel will do that if you allow yourself to be vulnerable. Ten days on a mountain 9000 miles away birthed a passion for capturing the spirit and beauty of people that most would never notice. I’ve since collected 13 more stamps on that passport and thousands of images of beautiful people and places. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to share some of these with you all. The photos are dear to my heart. A face is the window to the soul. These people, these faces, these souls matter and deserve to have their stories told, if only through a photo. View more of Danea’s photography on Instagram @capturedbydaneaphotography
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My name is Beth Hinkebein Altenthal. I am I grow all types of flowers from cacti to very blessed at my young age of 51. I am wildflowers in my flower beds and especially love happily married, and I have two awesome the flowers that attract birds and butterflies. No stepchildren, a daughter, and a son. They have matter what I’m doing, I love the outdoors. I don’t have a favorite season because every given me five amazing grandchildren. season has something special about it. Be it the beauty of snow in the winter, the flowers My grandchildren are Maddie, London, and appearing in the spring, the dog days of summer Dylan. They live in Atlanta, Georgia, but spend spent playing in the creek, or the color changes of fall, each season has a reason to hope. their summers here. My other grandchildren are Teghan and TJ who live in Jackson. The Hope lies at the center of nursing, my career grandsons and I love to ride motorcycles out on and purpose. I wanted to become a nurse after the farm and go fishing. One summer when my helping my grandma take care of my grandpa granddaughters were both 15, we practiced during his sickness. I have good memories of my driving around on the farm in our old 1974 Ford grandpa because of this experience. I recall Fairlane. They definitely could not hurt it or us in the tenderness we shared, the time we spent together, and the love between us. I realized that boat! what a gift it is to help someone. I came face to face with the beauty of life. I wanted to When I am not enjoying the company of my give these experiences to other families going family, I devote time to my many hobbies: crafts, through trials, sicknesses, and tragedies. I painting, training and riding horses, hiking, fishing, wanted to give them hope. gardening, whitewater rafting, and riding bikes. My husband and I hike the beautiful Missouri trails and admire the wildflowers. I love to whitewater raft all over America. My friends and I try to do a different river every year.
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