I was born in East Tennessee way back in 1966. My birthday just happens to fall on Halloween. I was the youngest of two girls. My mom worked as a nurse at Blount Memorial Hospital, and my dad was a Civil Engineer for the State of Tennessee. My sister followed in my mother’s footsteps and became a nurse. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up – I’m still struggling with that concept.

I moved to Marion, North Carolina in 1988. I had two sons, Joshua and Joseph. Joshua grew up to follow in my dad’s footsteps and became a civil engineer. Joseph grew up and followed in dad’s footsteps another way – he joined the Army. I thought it would be a short stint that would end after bootcamp, but it became his way of life. He went on to make me a “Nana” by having two boys – Maximus and Gabriel. They are pure sunshine. Both of my children had the artistic quality from birth. Joshua could listen to a song and play it on the guitar. I forced Joseph to take violin lessons which he still growls about today. But Joseph had that drawing and creative side in him. I went to college and received two things – a degree in Graphic Arts and a best friend. Tonya Cook-Band has been my co-hort for many many years. And we both the love of art in all forms. Tonya is a good teacher that has done painting classes in her hometown. She loves showing people how to create. We have a dream one day of owning an old shipping warehouse (or barn) that we could turn into studios.

I moved back to East Tennessee in 2011. And then BAM – the best thing in the world happened to me. I met my husband, Jim Moore. He stole my heart on the first date by having on a necklace that had “Man of God” on it, and he showed me photos of his artwork. I was a goner. He had been a business owner that did concrete finishing. My goodness what that man knew about concrete was amazing. And he had dabbled in resin and epoxy. I was in-love. He taught me the chemical process of pouring resin and how to manipulate it to get different effects. Later he would teach me how to ride a motorcycle and helped me buy my first Harley Davidson softail. This man is the biggest cheerleader a girl could ever have.

I currently work at the University of Tennessee for the Vice Provost of International Affairs. I get to use my Graphics degree sometimes in event planning or creating agendas and flyers. It is a job that has kept my curiosities growing and allowed me to open up and be myself. My future plans are learning surface design and self-teaching myself stained glass art (along with my side-kick, Tonya). In case no one has told you, God loves you. (and He loves me)