My name is Annette and I live in Powhatan, Virginia.  I have a wonderful son who is in Boy Scouts, and two dogs.  I also have a wonderful boyfriend, Jose.  Currently, I work at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond, Virginia and have just begun my eighteenth year of service, currently as a purchasing agent.  The reason I am currently studying at the University of Richmond is to continue my education in liberal arts and paralegal studies to gain a B.A. in the first with a minor in paralegal studies.  I have gained much personal satisfaction and professional growth through my experiences at the University of Richmond. 

My hobbies include martial arts, swimming, reading and all of the many activities I am learning in scouts with my son.  I also enjoy collecting music of all types, and studying historical literature as well as visiting historical points of interest.  I have been practicing and exercising in kickboxing mostly, but enjoy observing the many forms of martial arts at American Karate where I work out when time permits.  I hope to achieve more in the martial arts following my graduation from the University of Richmond.

As far as historical interests, I am very happy to be living in Virginia.  Leaders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln are my favorite historical figures, and they have had so many connections to Virginia and have inspired so many great leaders throughout the world, that I feel extremely proud to be in a state where these indivuals have either resided or visited during great moments in our history.  While George Washington and Thomas Jefferson resided in Virginia, great leaders such as Abraham Lincoln visited the White House of the Confederacy at the closing era of the Civil War.  I visited the White House of the Confederacy just a few weeks ago and viewed the porch area where Jefferson Davis lost one of his sons when he fell from the porch.  Jefferson Davis reportedly paced the floor inside the White House of the Confederacy for hours on end as he agonized and dealt with the initial shock at this difficult loss.  Another interesting note, and this type of trivia about the social life of the times seems so interesting to me, is that the children of Jefferson Davis also used a realistic miniature cannon to fire real ammunition in the area that has now become VCU Hospitals.  Neighbors were reportedly glad when the noisy Jefferson children who loved to play with this miniature “toy” moved on from the White House of the Confederacy.

To touch on scouting and how that has unfolded in my life, I hope to be a merit badge counselor with scouts in the near future.  The scouting organization has helped not only my son, now fourteen, to grow successfully into his teen years, but also has helped me to grow as well.  I have found that learning directions through a compass, a bit of camping and wilderness survival, and a bit of crime prevention and charitable contributions has added valuable opportunities for my son and me to share with each other, as well as give back to society.  We recently collected enough canned goods and money from a small food drive that we organized in Powhatan to provide for approximately 1,550 meals according to staff members at the Central Virginia Foodbank.  The SPCA is on the same street, so we also collected a small donation in food and money for that agency, as their animals are not in the eye of public attention during the busy summer months when most people are planning home or vacation projects, and money is scarce.  The need is so tremendous for these types of agencies that my son and I have decided that we will make this our annual tradition, to help both the Foodbank and the SPCA.