A true Carolina girl.  My family name is Gaffney, of Gaffney SC.  I only lived in that area though as a little girl.  (Michael Gaffney came from Ireland and founded Gaffney 1804 )  

I'm the girl in the 70's that would have been considered the free spirited, hippy type, hitchhiker concert going, humanitarian, 'a la natural' , that gave up eating meat at age 14.  Lost my Dad, my love, at age 15.  Dad was the one that showed me what 'zest' means.

Pretty turbulant life. 

Married my Latin lover at 19 and still to this day have produced one offspring, Josh, the good outcome of that marriage.   Juggled career and just life as a single Mom.  I worked everything and everywhere, had to wear all the hats in the family.

Studied education and worked in elementary education but found I made more money as a bartender and continued to dabble in different work.  No matter where I was I like to connect with awarenss programs and helping others. It fed me. I had my own entertainment business out of my home called Jolly Jingles.  Singing/ dancing  telegrams and characters for parties.  This gig was alway in addition to my 'regular' work.    It was a normal day if Mom picked the boy up from school in 'drag'.  Next, the fitness industry, I became certified and  ran fitness facilities and taught fitness.

When I came to Florida my fitness expertise merged with Healthcare and I became a director for a Wellness Center that was owned by twenty physicians.  I did corporate wellness/ fitness along with PR and marketing.  Went back to school for nursing, felt I needed to connect closer to different areas of specialties.  I was more of the `out in the field ' nurse in the beginning.  I covered sporting events, mobile screenings, going to poor communities or setting up in parking lots of fire stations. Did a lot of Life Style programs along with Sports Med and Rehab where I then hooked up with a top Orthopaedic surgeon and got behinds the scenes with surgery patients and research..  Coordinated for him for 6 years. Loved this. I just drove about 90 miles a day.  I never gave up teaching fitness.  Always found an aerobic, aquatic, Yoga, spin class to teach somewhere.  Loved getting in to teaching 'senior fitness' and fitness for patients after stroke or a disability.

I've rescued tons of animals along the years and have a feline family that are my loves. I give regular donations to animal rights programs and wildlife preservation.  I feel my sixth sense when I'm with animals.

Then me, and my healthy self got hit with the big 'C' - cancer.  Did my regular checks due to it being on both sides of the family.  Caught it early and I've dealt with it on my own terms as Growing Bolder is finding out as they cover my story.   

Uninhibited, and have a little crazy streak that I'm glad is still there. 

As a dancing fool, I woudl love to have Ellen host me a belated 50th B-Day  Party and send me her DJ .  : )     Oh well, it's Ok to  wish big.

Other things I enjoy: The Arts ( all aspects),  Nature (gardening, camping, trail riding, Yoga outdoors, boating) ,  Riding Horses,  World Cuisine/wine , World Music, Tennis,Sewing, Entertaining  and traveling around the world to festivals.  I love the power of connection when a community comes together to help others.  I really love the connection music makes wtih people.     

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  Boomer
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  SRA Steve
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  Robert S.

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  Everybody In

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