I was born in Nevada and raised in Colorado. My father is a coal miner and my mother for a long time worked with handicapped children and is now a postal worker. I have three younger brothers. I spent 6 years in college before ending up with 2 associate degrees and a bachelor of arts in Marine Science from the University of Hawaii at Hilo. I have worked and at times still work in Alaska on fishing boats for the National Marine Fisheries Service. My job requires me to do a lot of traveling. I am currently in Graduate School in Greenville, NC for a masters in underwater archaeology.

I love to travel and hike. These 2 hobbies allow me to do some amateur photography of plants and wild life. I am a padi scuba instructor. I grew up swimming and swam competition for 10 years. I was a lifeguard for 6 years. Pretty much anything outdoorsy I like to do. I also like to read and go to movies.