I was born in Athens, Greece on November 16, 1968. I am a Scorpio and very proud of it! (We tend to be very passionate and loyal.) My father is a naval officer from Wisconsin and my mother is a New Yorker who traveled the world and bears a striking resemblance to Jackie O. I grew up primarily in Virginia and California, but we also lived in New York, Maine, Rhode Island, Washington and Florida. Living the life of a military kid didn't seem strange to me -- I looked at every new move as a new adventure. Maybe that's what made me the outgoing person I am today.

Growing up, I competed in pageants, modeled and appeared in TV commercials. Since I came from a big pageant family -- my aunt was a former Miss Wisconsin contestant and runner-up to Miss America in 1965 -- my dad wanted to maintain the family tradition by entering me in them as well. It's a funny thing, because my mom's side of the family would watch pageants and laugh at the contestants. I guess it was ironic that her daughter would grow up to participate in them also.