While later matriculating at Middle Tennessee State University (Go Big Blue!), the Southern Sociology Symposium invited me to present an original paper at their annual convention. I also served two years as a Student Government Association senator, enjoying the active role in campus politics. I am proud of the fact that I received the most votes for office (although that could be attributed to the fact that I was the only candidate to make flyers).
During my college years, I was awarded an internship with the Castner Knott Company. My role was to identify employees embezzling from the company and catch shoplifters, which let's be honest, is more fun than a job. But they gave me nine hours college credit and paid $8 an hour, which was big money to a college student in the nineties. I had many adventures at the dept. store. Somewhere out there is a VHS tape of me being tossed into a sunglass stand by a gentleman who liked to look up women's dresses.
I enjoyed participating in several campus organizations and honor societies at MTSU. I graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's degree, double majoring in Criminal Justice Administration and Sociology.
Ready to take the world by storm, I instead spent the next two months on my mom's couch, eating Doritos and watching the movie Independence Day on a continuous loop. Luckily, two months into my exile, a private corrections company extended a job offer and I proceeded to spend my early twenties in various Tennessee courts, recommending jail sentences for a large majority of my clientele. During this time, I met my husband and settled down into domesticity with him and our infinitely lovable but highly destructive basset hound, Jake. Mr. Skelley makes his living as an aerospace engineer, and possesses both a high intelligence and charming smile. I was -- and remain -- smitten.
Although putting bad guys in jail and helping the good ones succeed was a satisfying way to spend my time, I opted to leave the full-time workforce with the arrival of our son. I had practiced yoga for several years when my gym offered a chance to turn my personal yoga interest into a part time instructor position. After acquiring the proper certifications, I embarked on a new career path -- teaching Hatha Yoga with a southern drawl. During this time, the boy became a big brother with the arrival of a little sister, and a new, thankfully calmer basset, Baxter, joined the family.
In 2009, after spending our entire lives in Tennessee, the Skelleys embarked on a new adventure. It was a move that would uproot our family and transplant us to Alabama. A new job position was offered to Marc, and the family moved to a suburb of Huntsville, aka the Rocket City. During this time, to combat homesickness, I started a blog and rediscovered my love of writing. During this period, an 88-lb. tank of a basset hound named Fletcher joined Team Skelley.
In 2013, after blogging and ultimately freelancing for various online websites and print newspapers, I reentered the workforce and accepted a position as a staff writer for the Redstone Rocket newspaper and website. The Rocket is an official U.S. Army publication that serves the 43,000+ workforce of Redstone Arsenal, a Federal Center of Excellence. Redstone is the home to the Missile Defense Agency, NASA, the Army Materiel Command, ATF, FBI and several more very serious-sounding acronyms. It has been immensely rewarding chapter of my career.
I currently reside with my family outside Huntsville. In my spare time, I enjoy cheering for my now-teenage kids at their various activities, reading, fitness, gardening, traveling and listening to all types of music.
Except country.
