As a little girl, I always felt the presence of the Lord and a sincere desire to please God.

Growing up freckle faced, I had a true understanding of how it felt to be different. I attempted to overcome my differences with laughter. When I was little, I would tell jokes in front of the class, just to make people laugh. Celebrating differences and living a God-focused life is the root of my happiness.

Having served as a children’s minister, I had the privilege of sharing Christ.

The talent God gave me is to love people, laugh with them, cry with them, and rejoice in their good times.

My husband and I live on our ranch where we raise cattle. I love riding horses, collecting eggs from our chickens, and walking our dog, “Boss.”

I am honored to be a wife, mother of four, and a DeeDee of nine.

In my family, there was one red headed freckle face in every generation. I just happened to be the one. All my family members were dark haired with olive skin. I grew up being different. I learned that it was more than okay to be different in my own special way, the way God created me. As a little girl, I have always felt the presence of the Lord. I have a sincere desire to please God. I even imagined Jesus sitting at the foot of my bed and I would recant the day-before I fell asleep. I went through school thinking everyone loved me because I loved them. I would stand in front of the class and tell jokes to make people laugh. I wanted everyone to be happy. I lost my dad when I was twenty-two and it was very devastating. I lost my first husband in 2003 when he was forty-four years old, but even when I questions why God would take such God-fearing men, I never lost sight that God was in control. The talent God gave me is to love people, laugh with them, cry with them, and rejoice in their good times.