About Letty

Letty's Stats
Age: 37
Height: 5'6"
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Dark Brown
Background: Cherokee, Welch, Swedish
 Education: BA in Secondary Education
Occupation: Internet Content Writer, Book Editor 
Favorites: Movie: 'She's the Man' /Food: Steak and Potatoes / Dessert: Chocolate Eclairs 
Hobbies: Videography, Photography, Blogging, Reading, Movies

Letty’s Feelings on Motherhood

As a young girl, I always wanted to be a mother above all else. When asked in Elementary school about what I would like to be when I grew up, I always responded ‘A Mommy.’ I planned to volunteer as a missionary after my sophomore year of college, and get married after my return at age 23, just like my mom. Growing up I had seen the incredibly powerful effect my Grandmother and my own mother had had on the lives of their children and descendants, who had worked to help change the world as missionaries and raised their own wonderful children. I could not then (and still cannot) think of a better way to do my part to make the world a better place than to be a mother, and I couldn’t wait to start. 

I didn’t know then that God had other plans for me – another vision of the soul he was refining. And that it would be another seven years of painful waiting until I found my wonderful husband. After our marriage in 2009, we began to try for and hope for children - this was it - I was going to finally become a mommy. I was going to sing lullabies, read storybooks, wipe snotty noses, and raise the next U.S. President. (And decorate a fabulous nursery.) I didn’t know then that God still had other plans, and it would be another five years of, yes, painful waiting, without yet becoming a Mommy. Being a mother to my miraculous three is creating some of the most joy-filled chapters in my life story. 

 Richard Describes Letty

I often think of Letty as a cross between Funshine Care Bear and a Mama Grizzly. She is hilarious and funny, unbelievably loyal and caring, and fiercely determined and protective. Letty is THE most entertaining storyteller I have ever met and can make a trip to the grocery store sound like a Hollywood comedy blockbuster. 

She has a voracious appetite for books and goes to the library like some people go to the 7 Eleven (I’d guess she reads about 5 books a week). I love road trips with her because of what I call Books-on-Letty, because she reads aloud with a full complement of voices (thank you very much BYU theatre minor). As fun as Letty is, she is also a great caretaker. She is always willing to sacrifice for my comfort or my career, and she gives really unbelievable neck massages. She loves to cook, and seeing people enjoy her food gives her intense happiness. And I am always willing to give happiness, especially Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie happiness.

I call Letty a Mama Grizzly because when something needs to get done, you better get out of the way because it’s like you are standing between a grizzly and her cub! She is one of the most fiercely focused and determined individuals I have ever met. I have never seen her encounter a project she could not make a resounding success, whether it's starting a Cub Scouting program from scratch or organizing a wonderful vacation. Letty is also very intuitive and seems to know instinctively how people are feeling. I often ask her for advice on how best to handle difficult situations at work or in my own church responsibilities. I strongly believe Letty would be extremely successful in any career she put her mind to – and what she wants to do most is be a homemaker and a mother. I have no doubt she will be the best one on the block! Shortly after we met again in St. Louis I knew I had to marry this woman - I owed it to my future children to give them such a magnificent mother.

Letty Thru 37

I have one of those versatile every person faces – people are always asking me if they know me from somewhere, or what my ethnicity is. Wherever we travel, I get asked if I am from there – I have been mistaken for Inuit, Blackfoot, Chinese, Russian, Latina (most frequently) and probably more I don’t remember. I am actually a mix of Cherokee, Black Welsh, and Swedish and lots more little bits. For some reason my Cherokee blood came through super strong (one of the reasons I look so ‘ethnic’ to people) and I love accentuating my American Indian heritage.

My brothers and sisters and I spent our childhood living halfway up a mountain in Alaska, picking willow branches in the spring, sledding through the winter snows, and fishing, always fishing. I caught my first fish at age 5, and have kept that love of fishing ever since. I most frequently go with my Dad, and a dream vacation for me would be to go salmon fishing with him in Alaska, preferably including a glacier tour as well. I have a fairly large family, six siblings including three brothers and two sisters. I say ‘fairly’ large, because we look small next to Richard’s family of 13 children. My family is always loud and fun – and board game obsessed. Every holiday get together includes at least one epic Settlers of Cataan game. You can read more about both of our families by following this link or clicking on the families tabs above.

Perhaps my Alaskan early childhood gave me an addiction to adventure, but I packed a lot of them into my undergraduate years. I took a two year break from BYU to serve a mission in Hong Kong, and have managed to keep fairly fluent in Cantonese. After my mission I participated in service trips to orphanages in Mexico, attended Xiamen University in mainland China and worked as an English teacher on a shrimp farm in rural China. I also went back to Alaska to drive a 55 passenger tour bus for a cruise line, and worked as an intern for the National Defense University in Washington D.C. Each of these adventures helped me become a stronger, kinder, and more rounded person.  

I love to have friends and family over to our house, and because I love almost every board and card game ever invented, games are almost always on the itinerary. I also love cooking (desserts most of all), and hosting large dinner parties, including an annual Christmas black and white formal dinner. And there is usually a BBQ to be found on the weekends on our back patio throughout spring and fall. (Outside in the Missouri summer heat – no thanks!)

In my free time I love to make WWII survivor documentaries, and family history documentaries for my own family and special requests. I also enjoy taking amateur pictures for the four blogs I write. I am a total foodie and love to find new and interesting restaurants to try – and am willing to try almost anything (as my time in China proved). I also like to do brave things to impress my husband. Like hold snakes. I love country music because it makes me happy, as does kissing my husband.

Tim McGraw Concert

Adventurous Eating in China: Snake (yes, that snake) and small tentacled items I could not translate the name of.

My favorite form of exercise is bike riding (and tennis - if something you are very bad at and never get to play can be a favorite.) If I want a mental break I can most often be found chilling out with a good book or watching television. My recent fiction favorites are the Twilight and Hunger Games series. In non-fiction my favorites tend to be books on home organization and personal improvement. I also enjoy crashing for a night in - watching Castle, The Voice or The Amazing Race (Richard and I are constantly devising ways to get on The Amazing Race). I can also be found floating down the lazy river at the city water park with my friends and their toddlers.