I grew up in a part of Corpus Christi known as Flour Bluff, or "The Bluff". We lived in a square house with one bedroom and dark green exterior paint. There was absolutely nothing fancy about our house, but as a kid, there was something about it that was magical. Our large sandy yard opened right up to the Laguna Madre, and every morning we woke up to the smell of salt and sound of seagulls. My parents met while traveling around the country as professional windsurfers and I spent a good portion of my childhood playing in the water and watching my parents and their friends windsurf. 

My love of photography started young and was directly inspired by my Grandpa Bill (married to Grandma Jean, one of my namesakes) who loved to document even the smallest life events. Their house has always been full of framed photos and family albums and for as long as I can remember Grandpa Bill always had a film, disposable, or Polaroid camera laying around and ready to use. As a toddler and young child, I was mostly interested in posing for the camera, but as I got older I became more interested in designing the theme or scene for a photo shoot. Grandpa Bill and I would take photos all around the yard telling little stories...mostly depicting me like a fancy lady in a poofy dress and my grandpa as a pirate, haha! I still remember how excited my grandparents were when they bought their first digital camera and photo printer. We all seemed to have a fascination for taking photos of flowers in the garden, and for years Grandma Jean would print and send cards featuring photos flowers from their garden. Incorporating nature into my photos was entirely inspired by my grandparents.