After having four daughters, both my mother and father were suprised to see me come into the world on a chilly September morning in 1966. My dad admitted that he was hoping for a boy, but swears that I smiled and winked at him the first time he saw me. I always wanted to be his little helper... at least until my teenage years!

I grew up in a small but flourishing suburb of Cleveland, Ohio in a somewhat strict, Catholic family. My father was a truck driver for United Parcel Service (UPS) and my mother was a cafeteria manager at a local elementary school. My father planted gardens for a hobby and my mother made and decorated beatiful wedding cakes. Both of my parents worked very hard all of their lives. My dad always told me that I could be whatever I wanted. They both pushed us to do our best in whatever endeavor we pursued... and quitting anything was unacceptable. My father passed away the last day of school my senior year of high school. I obviously was sad, but mostly because we were just starting to be friends again, as I was just getting out of the "cool" stage when I didn't think my parents knew anything!

I graduated from high school in 1984 with a College Preparatory Diploma, then attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.