Kerry was born in Colorful Colorado....Colorado Springs to be exact. Her parents were from Iowa and they moved to Ankeny when Kerry was just two years old. She grew up right here in Ankeny, went away for college and returned to her "hometown" four years ago.
Kerry and her husband, Todd, take care of the sorts of things her mother, a stroke survivor, cannot -- fix her meals, run the household, take care of her house and theirs (she lives with Todd and Kerry, but has also kept her own house) -- Kerry works several part-time jobs that allows her to be away from home for a few hours and then be able to go home and check on her Mom. Every winter/spring semester (3rd now), Kerry teaches a course at DMACC that helps students from the culinary arts program prepare for/conduct a job search. She also teaches fitness classes (primarily yoga, but some Pilates as well) for the Ankeny Family YMCA, the Waukee YMCA, and the Ankeny Community Education Program. She's begun working at the Ankeny Family YMCA's front desk as well, one or two afternoons a week. And she does a little freelance writing/editing from time to time.
Kerry worked summers at Adventureland Park as a teenager (if you remembering seeing young adults dressed in awful orange polo shirts who were running the rides, one of 'em might have been Kerry!) as a Rides Assistant and then a Rides Operator. Lots of fun with friends, little pay. Through college, she worked summers as a receptionist/secretary for Polk County's personnel department (before it was "human resources"/HR). She still occasionally has dreams in which she answers a phone or rattles off "Polk County Personnel, may I help you?" After college, during graduate school, she trained to be a college literature professor -- she taught freshman composition courses at Iowa State, and composition, literature, and honors humanities courses at the University of Missouri-Columbia. As part of that job, she served as a mentor of first-year students who declared "humanities" or "liberal arts" as their academic interest are -- helping them navigate their way through the first-year challenges at a large public university. She enjoyed teaching, which is why she continues to teach in different capacities -- to get her "teaching fix"!
Kerry and Todd have been married for nearly 18 years! (Kudos!) They both grew up in Ankeny and knew one another through school, dating a bit at the end of high school and into college, and got back together 21 years ago! It's amazing to Kerry to that they are old enough to have been together that long (half her life)! Kerry says...."The decision to be together forever was the best one we've ever made; the guy still cracks me up!" They have no children, though they have a terrific 17 year old goddaughter. They share their lives and home with two dogs and two cats, who seem to be on a mission to add hilarity and chaos to their lives.
Kerry celebrates her birthday each year on September 15th by going out to dinner and then to a show/movie with Todd, her husband.
Kerry read the newspaper article for the first meeting and decided to go. She couldn't believe it when 80 or so women packed Okoboji Grill! She found her way to a table in the meeting room and sat down with three gals who became my first BT friends: Sue, Tammy and Kim. I liked the light-hearted, slightly irreverent and fun-loving atmosphere set by Susan and Sherry--and joined right away (and we are sure glad you did Kerry!).
Kerry had trouble picking one thing as the "best" thing she's participated in for BT. She's enjoyed the Halloween Party for Candeo, bowling for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the holiday meetings and sponsoring a family for Christmas, etc. And of course there is Gail and Peggy's "Jean Paul" meeting was quite memorable (if you don't know about Jean Paul, check an older post for November, 2009).
When asked about her most embarrassing moment she said "of course there has been more than one!" Here's how she described one funny moment that happened in junior high. A group of us played basketball, and one of our coaches was a nice man; several of us had a little crush on him. Before we were to travel to an out-of-town game, my friends and I were talking -- and not really paying attention to what the coaches were doing or saying. This particular coach was creating the roster for the game and recording our names and player information on a form. When he got to us, he asked, "Walt, what's your number?" Without missing a beat, I said, "964-3827." He just blinked as my friends burst out laughing; then he replied, "Your uniform number, Kerry." I mumbled the number and sat down, mortified. My wonderful friends continue to remind me of this episode from time to time!
Kerry responds to the question...what's the most amazing moment in your life...Life's filled with amazing moments--sad, difficult ones as well, but many that are uplifting and terrific. It's amazing to share one's life with someone, to spend time with friends, to laugh till we cry, to act silly or to work together to make someone else's struggles a little easier. I use to think the "big things" were the amazing moments--and of course, achieving long term goals or getting married, celebrating major milestones...all of it is amazing. But so are the moments when I'm teaching yoga and I realize I feel great -- I can move without pain and feel strong, and that's amazing. Or I can read a fantastic book and realize I've been reading for hours, the pets are snoozing contentedly around me, and that level of contentment and peace are amazing. It's all about "the moments" -- and any number of them can be amazing!
Kerry has two favorite quotes:
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have enough; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." Franklin Delano Roosevelt
"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." Jane Goodall
Kerry's words of wisdom for those fighting frump....Take it all in--the moments pass quickly!
A thong to Kerry is a way to avoid panty lines! :)
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