Me on the October 1997 cover of Playboy.

I always knew I wanted to move to Southern California. I saved up some money and drove my own car to L.A. when I was 18. My parents were a little nervous and worried, but they knew I had a good head on my shoulders. I started doing some modeling through a local agency, and one of the jobs I landed was as a swimsuit model for Ocean Pacific. The people I worked with were wonderful, but I also had an urge to test for Playboy that I just had to satisfy.

The Polaroid test went very well, and two days later I was called back to do a Playmate test. I was very surprised but amazingly relaxed. In the middle of the shoot they told me that they wanted to try to find a pose for the Centerfold. Afterward they asked me if I could go back and work the following day to fill in for a lighting test for a cover that they were doing. So the next day I went back again, and during the shoot they had a meeting and came back and told me that they were going to put me on the October 1997 cover. I couldn't believe it! Wow! Me on the cover!