I was born in the Atlanta area in Georgia and grew up on the last small dairy farm in that area. By the time I was 5 years old we were boarding horses and raising cattle. I went to Kennesaw University near Marietta Georgia after High School, then taught Scuba Diving in the Caribbean, where I became interested in Marine Biology. After two years teaching Scuba at University of South Florida and earning a Bachelor's in Biology, I began teaching, and eventually made my way back home to Georgia. I've been in Ashe County, North Carolina for 10 years now, teaching High School Earth/Environmental and Physical Science.