What is your favorite TV show and why? 

I thoroughly enjoy watching American Idol and The Voice and I’m partial to thrillers or action adventure-themed shows. However, I must say that watching the last football (soccer) World Cup was a blast! I loved the athleticism, skill, and emotions displayed by players during the games, and found the roar of the fans thrilling! I watched Lionel Messi play an amazing game for Argentina to win their third Cup title. 

What is the best vacation place you’ve ever been to? 

One holiday vacation stands out as a near-perfect. We were living in Italy and I was missing family with Thanksgiving around the corner. We decided to visit Sicily for Thanksgiving and chose to visit “Agrigento,” a hilltop city on Sicily’s southwest shore. It’s known for the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas in the Valley of the Temples, a vast archaeological site with well-preserved Greek temples. What I learned was that we create our own “Joy”. The day was crystal clear, my two young children were in high spirits running through and around the ruins, Willie relaxed from his busy military career and I from the business of early motherhood. The ruins lived up to our expectations, and our eight-course Sicilian meal was amazingly delicious. The musicians and dancers had both young and old alike on the dance floor. The night sky sparkled and cool evening temperatures didn’t disappoint as darkness descended upon the island. Life is good, a moment to be savored. 

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? 

Well, there are any number of superpowers I’d love to have, but first and foremost, I’d want to emulate “Flash.” My chores would be done within minutes and I’d have the rest of the day to donate my time to worthy causes, accomplish more things, mountain bike, travel, paint, read, learn new things, and generally enjoy living. I’d cram every bit of living I could into a single day. 

Why is the church community important to you? 

We who call ourselves Christians are in a unique position to walk alongside one another, both believer and non-believer alike, as we experience the mountains and valleys of life. We have an opportunity to share Jesus’ LOVE, that one defining characteristic of Jesus’ ministry. I’ve been “loved on” by fellow embodied Christians and have been able to share that “love” with others. We all have different gifts and the simple things we do can make a difference to someone known, unknown, unseen, or othered. I believe those embodied actions of fellow Christians are sacred works. In those instances, I feel “contagious joy.”