Born: Flint, Michigan
High School: Beecher High School- class of 1983
Military: United States Air Force (1984-1989)
I grew up in a family of 9 children. I have two brothers and six sisters. My identical twin, Teresa, and I are # 6 & 7 in line. She was born 6 minutes before me, and we have always been incredibly close ever since. Our mother used to tell us that, while only weeks old, we would reach out for each other’s hands in our crib. Only then would our fussing stop. We’ve remained as close as two people can be, considering the fact that she’s now living in Colorado, and I’m here in Texas.
My older sisters constantly displayed their musical talents, harmonizing for relatives at a moment’s notice, or performing with the high school elite choir. The three of them would win choir awards year after year. Usually their only competition was each other. I remember seeing my older sister, Paula, perform in the high school production of “The Music Man”, and I was mesmerized. She played the little boy with the speech impediment, although she was really vying for the part of Marian the Librarian.
I
remember our parents asking us (my twin sister, me, and my older brother, Matt)
if we wanted to join choir or band. I
was always very shy, so I figured I could blend in with the band.
Anyway, I went through elementary school and junior high school playing
first the trumpet, then the french horn. By
the time I made it to high school, I had just about had all the marching band I
could stand for one lifetime. My
sister and I both decided to quit band and concentrate on other studies.
We both got into the Co-op program and ended up getting jobs at the local
Ponderosa Restaurant, leaving us with only about 3 actual classes during our
Junior and Senior years. When high school was over, I celebrated!!!
Even so, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,
a.k.a. a career.
My older
brother, Matt, had joined the Air Force right after high school, and called home
during his technical school to tell Teresa and me about how great it was.
Well, it didn’t take much convincing to realize that finding a
meaningful “career” in my hometown was not going to happen anytime soon.
And the idea of “seeing the world” was an exciting one.
About 6 months before our 19th birthday, Teresa and I enlisted
in the U.S. Air Force. We both went
to basic training at Lackland AFB, in San Antonio, Texas, then moved on to
Keesler AFB, Mississippi, for technical training in the Administration career
field. After school, Teresa got
stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada, and I was sent to Sheppard AFB, in Wichita
Falls, Texas. Neither of us
realized how difficult it would be to no longer see each other on a daily basis.
But we both took it in stride, and knew that we would be seeing each
other soon.
A few
months into my stay at Sheppard AFB, someone overheard me singing in my room.
He approached me and said he was a member of a band and needed someone to
sing backup for him. Of course, I
told him that I didn’t sing in front of people, and that he should go find
someone else. He was relentless,
though, and so I ended up singing in his band, the B&B band.
I was scared to death when my bandmates announced that we would be
competing in the base talent contest that year. Up to this point, we had only practiced together at one band
member’s home, and no one ever watched us.
I was petrified at the thought of all of those strangers hearing me sing.
Even so, I can’t believe I actually agreed to compete in the female
vocalist category, too. When I called to tell Teresa, she said I was crazy!
Well, I competed, shaking the entire time, but I got through it.
And once I received applause from the audience, I knew I had to have
more. The following year, which was
1986, I competed again, and won in the female vocalist category. I had worked hard for that victory, and I was ready to move
on to the Command level contest at Keesler AFB, Mississippi.
While at Keesler, I had the pleasure of hearing a multi-talented young
man from Laughlin AFB sing. His
name was Robert Wade, and I was immediately impressed by his performance.
There were so many talented people at the competition, but he truly stood
out from the crowd. Often, I like
to tell the story of the first words he ever spoke to me.
I had just finished my performance, and he approached me backstage,
saying “We should make beautiful music together.”
I couldn’t help laughing, not realizing at the time that he really
meant it. Anyway, we were pretty
much inseparable that whole trip. We
both moved on to the Worldwide Contest at Minot AFB, ND, and had a great time
meeting new people and getting our chance at the vocal auditions, dance
auditions, etc. Long story short,
we were both selected for the Tops In Blue Overseas Tour.
Tops In
Blue was truly the most amazing experience of my life.
We saw the world, performed in dozens of foreign countries for thousands
of fellow military members and their families.
What a special privilege that was! After
the tour, Rob and I were both called to perform for the televised “Bob Hope
Birthday Special” and Airlift Rodeo. We
also had the pleasure of performing with Lee Greenwood on his now-classic
patriotic hit “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Shortly
thereafter, I set my mind and efforts on getting transferred to Laughlin AFB to
be with Rob on a permanent basis. Thank
God it all worked out. I got
involved with the Upstagers, the local theater group, and had a great time doing
that. A few years later, Rob and I were married, then Rob received
transfer orders to the Pentagon. By
then I was out of the Air Force, having served for 5 years. We moved to Maryland. At
first I was willing to give it a chance…until the first winter where I
couldn’t get out of the parking lot at our apartment complex. That was it! I
was tired of cold weather, and even colder people.
I had made a few friends at work, but I sure missed them warm southern
Texas folk…
After Rob’s enlistment was over, we moved to San Antonio. But gradually something kept bringing us closer and closer to Del Rio. Rob got a new job in Uvalde (70 miles from Del Rio), so we moved there, and I immediately got a job with the Texas Department of Health. We kept getting involved with the Upstagers on different productions, spending the weekends with our friends Bill and Gloria Culpepper, until we just decided that it would be for the best if we just moved back to Del Rio. Yippee!! I was so glad to be “coming home” again. I continued to feel that way, until I realized it wouldn’t be easy finding a job in the new Del Rio job market. It actually took me 6 months after moving back to find permanent employment. I continued to be involved with the Upstagers in shows like “Bye Bye Birdie”, “Pump Boys & Dinettes”, “Grease”, “Soup du Jour”, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, and more recently “Guys & Dolls”, and “Crazy for You”, as well as roles in numerous comedies. The Upstagers have been a real blessing to me. I truly enjoy performing for my Del Rio friends and neighbors.
In 2005 Rob finally convinced me to get my PADI Open Water Diver certification. Taking advantage of the fact that we were going on a Caribbean cruise in December of 2005, we send SCUBA diving at Grand Cayman. It was like diving in an aquarium! I can't say that diving at Lake Amistad is all that attractive after having seen what it's like diving in the tropics, but Rob is determined to keep me actively diving between our tropical diving opportunities.
That just about sums it up at this point.
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Last updated: 2 Jan 2006