Amber

Idaho State University

Mom

rugby, soccer, jewelry making

don't read

SCARY!

Hip-Hop/R&B, Alternative Rock, Christian Pop

CSI: Las Vegas, That 70s Show, any reality TV

I grew up in a small town in southeast Idaho with a large Mormon population. I, too, was raised Mormon, but as an adult have chosen different beliefs. I still have tremendous respect for the people in the Mormon church, but it does not embody my own personal beliefs. My husband and I were married in 2001 in the Bountiful, UT mormon temple, but over the next five years I would find my own path to follow outside of the church. My husband is still very faithful to the religion, and we continue to work through our very different beliefs.

My daughter, Phoenix Rose, was born July 16, 2005 and my life has never felt so full. She was truly a gift from God and I couldn't imagine my life without her. It was practically a miracle that I even got pregnant at the time, and I know that she was meant to be. She came to us 4 weeks too early and it was a pretty close call for both of us, but after a week in the hospital we were both released on the same day. Again, the nurses called us the "miracle mother/daughter". We weren't expected to make such a quick recovery, let alone return home after just a week.

Now I am a stay at home mom. I never thought that I would see the day that I call myself that. I was determined to have my kids and carreer, too. But, life takes unpredictable turns and what once seemed important no longer seems all that significant. Rather than climbing my way up Pottery Barn's corporate ladder, I am going to be climbing playground ladders while chasing my daughter.

My passion is working with children and adolescents. I would love to someday work with kids in underpriviliged areas, such as inner cities or reservations. I enjoy the challenge of reaching these kids and helping them find their passions and a way to work toward living those passions. There is nothing more beautiful than a kid that comes from a long line of poverty or abuse who finds a way out and learns that anything is possible.