When I was younger, I spent my summers hiking all over Appalachia. Old Man’s Cave is a second home to my siblings and me. I even had the opportunity to hike, mountain bike, and canoe a portion of the Appalachian Trail as a teenager.
My love for hiking and being amongst the forests is part of the reason I went to Ohio University and Louisiana State University for a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Conservation Biology. I just knew I wanted to spend my days underneath the shade of trees. So even though my life plan changed & I work as a birth worker now, I get to spend my days in nature with my family!
Watching my babies go from hiking with us in their baby carriers to trekking up trails all by themselves has been a heartwarming experience. So far, they have hiked state and national parks in Ohio, Kansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and a few more. We would love to take them hiking in all 50 states before they graduate high school!
My whole life, I have always felt such a connection to nature! Before becoming a birth worker, I worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Louisiana and was working towards my Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Before that, I worked as a kennel tech during high school and volunteered at my local animal shelter.
As an adult, I am a foster parent for neonatal kittens at the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare shelter. My family and I have nurtured several tiny day-old kittens and puppies until they were old enough to find their forever homes. In addition, thirteen chickens, two dogs, two cats, one bunny, and a freshwater fish tank call our house home and our family theirs!
I love geeking out about permaculture & houseplants. I have a great green thumb! Nothing quite compares to the accomplished feeling you get after cooking a meal entirely from produce from your own backyard garden! I recently started learning more about herbal medicine and hope to cover our quarter acre with veggies, fruits, and herbs!
Yup, you read that right. I am a professionally trained fire artist, including fire props, fire breathing, fire eating, fleshing, & more. I have a license from the state of Oklahoma to perform fire and I have fire safety certifications. I also practice and perform aerial arts, with my favorite being Lyra or the Aerial Hoop.
How did I get into fire and circus arts? Experienced instructors taught me at circus arts festivals that my husband and I work with or own. My husband and I spend our summer vacation time traveling around the U.S., attending different circus arts and ‘flow arts’ festivals with our kiddos. They are fantastic road trip buddies! Together, we have camped at festivals in Kentucky, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio, & danced to artists like Beats Antique, Clozee, Dirtwire, Atmosphere, and SO many more!
The memories we have created and the friends we have made at these festivals and on our journey to them are important to our family. I am so grateful we have created a life where traveling and experiencing these things together is possible.
My previous and current birth work families have loved that they have a fire-breathing birth team member!
I decided in 2021 to learn how to ride a motorcycle! So, with no previous motorcycle experience, I went through the full Harley Davidson riding academy that summer, passed the course, and earned my motorcycle license!
My dad and stepmom visited us from South Carolina on their own Harley Davidson motorcycles. While they were here, they went window shopping for motorcycles with me. I wasn’t planning to buy a motorcycle that day, but the OKC Indian dealership just happened to have my dream Emerald Green Indian Scout! I left the Indian dealership that day with my new motorcycle & my husband’s face when he heard it pull into the driveway was priceless!
If you see an emerald green Indian Scout pass you by, it might be me on the way to Midwifery Clinic!