Organist
How long have you worked at FC? Since January 1982
Education: Registered Dental Hygienist, University of Missouri/Kansas City
Where are you from originally? Parsons, Kansas
Favorite Movie: The Three Amigos
Favorite Song: …..this is an unanswerable question!!…like trying to imagine eternity….achhhh…my brain is coming apart….!!!
Pet Peeve: Someone pretending to listen and be interested, when they’re really not….
Favorite Restaurant: The Coach House
Family Info: Married 38 years to TJ Austin, also from Parsons (high school sweetheart!), who once played a mean clarinet (and never offered to carry the baritone saxophone I marched with in the school band) (God’s greatest gift to me…) Children: Jeremy (information technology), married to Monica (bilingual teacher), sons Zach and Tony, Houston, TX; Shelley (dental hygientist) , married to Danny (hopes to be an OKC police officer), daughter Molly, OKC; Christie, junior, attending Flager College, St. Augustine, Florida, marine mammal trainer-to-be; Tadd, freshman at UCO, bio-med track.
Personal Motto: This changes regularly… except to remember what Abe Lincoln said: Most people are about as happy as they want to be… so I choose to BE happy.
Favorite Scripture: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6
Real-life Hero: My mother and dad… their lives continue to inspire me!
If you could go/visit anywhere in the world, where would it be? Back to New Zealand for an extended road trip… or France for a cooking course in a chalet… or a bike trip in Scotland… or an archeological dig in Israel… or a beach house in Barbados with my husband.
What did you dream about doing for a living when you were growing up? The usual nurse/stewardess/interior decorator thing… then music became a very big part of my life…except it’s hard to make a “living” as a musician (ask one!), so dental hygiene became my vocation, one that I really enjoy and appreciate. BUT music is a calling… one you are compelled to answer… especially if the Lord is involved!
What do you enjoy most about being part of the First Church team? The attitude is one very similar to making a marriage work…. in that the goal is to serve the church with our gifts, to serve each other in ministry, and to be positive, encouraging, and slow to criticize. (Then forgive when we make our human mistakes). And that we want to be in unity with the Holy Spirit.