Thank you for all of your efforts with Mary's Place. How did you get started with helping Mary's Place?
Kate
was the Outreach coordinator the year before me (my first year at
MOPS). She introduced us to Marty, the director of Mary's Place. When
Marty spoke about Mary's Place, I knew I wanted to become the next
Outreach coordinator. Marty is very inspiring and I was super excited to
work with her.
What is your favorite part about helping the women and children of Mary's Place?
I
emailed Marty to tell her we had 1200 Easter eggs and 65 buckets ready
for the kids. This is her response email and it is my FAVORITE part of
what we do!:
"Amazing!
The Easter Bunny will be sure to find every boy and girl at our
shelter! We love our MOPS moms! You insure that all moms regardless of
their income, address, past or present circumstances look like a hero in
their child's eyes. Thank you for lifting them up so nobody has to feel
let down. You are the angels we prayed for. Thank you for being the
answer to our prayers, the encouragement we needed and the love we
hoped for. Thank you Melanie for bringing hope, renewing dreams and
reminding us we are not alone! MARY'S PLACE LOVES YOU!!!" ...talk about
tears of joy coming down my cheeks!
Are there any words that encourage you as a mother?
"It's
bedtime!!" Oh wait, that's probably not what you meant! I like this
simple quote about life and I try to live by it, "Smile more than you
cry, give more than you take, and love more than you hate." We also have
a mantra at our house, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it
happened."
Who is your mentor? Who do you admire?
I
would have to say I admire my dad, John. He isn't my biological father
but he adopted my sister, Genesis, and I when we were young. He and my
mom divorced when I graduated from high school. John has always been
there for my sister and I, no matter what. He has also helped raise my
(awesome) step-mom's two girls. I mean, any man who is willing to raise
four teenage girls deserves a medal! John is an amazing dad and grandfather!
If you could be any movie star, who would it be and why?
Christina
Applegate!! I would love nothing more than to be Ron Burgandy's
co-anchor, Veronica Corningstone, in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron
Burgandy". Although, a close second would be Robin Wright-Penn. I would
equally love to play Buttercup in, "The Princess Bride". In any given
week, I can usually find one or two conversations where a quote from
either movie is relative! It's a gift!
What do you do to give yourself a mommy break? What relieves your stress?
I relieve stress by working out at the gym. I don't particularly like
working out at the gym, but I do enjoy the results! I also volunteer at
'Homeward Pet Animal Rescue'. I LOVE my volunteer work at the shelter.
You will either find me in the dog room cleaning kennels or you may spot
me out and about in Woodinville walking all sizes and breeds of
adoptable dogs! Helping these homeless dogs has become my passion.
What was your occupation prior to being a mother?
I
was a waitress and bartender for over ten years. I was happy with my
profession. Serving isn't for the faint of heart! I had a great job and I
was making great money. During that time, I realized I had a good eye
for photography. I have taken black and white film photography classes
and I'm now working on going all digital. I bought myself a
beautiful digital camera! I'll be honest, I'm terrified to use it! So
far, I have taken it out of the box and put it into my camera bag. I've
had it for about two months! I am good at what I do, but I think I'm
afraid at failing, so I haven't even tried. I so desperately want to
pick up this camera and start shooting. I will. I will.
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