My name is Laura. I am 37 years old. I am your typical type A personality!! I have just achieved one of my top 5 most significant accomplishments, and that was to obtain my Master's degree in Anesthesia. I have been a Registered Nurse for 12+ years and have been working and going to school for most of my adult life! I am married to Chad, a chiropractor (who loves any sport and who was responsible for getting me hooked on Survivor!).
We have 3 children: Jestin - 17 years old, a senior in HS who works as a lifeguard after school; Travis - 15 years old, a sophomore in HS and currently learning to play guitar; and Hanna - 10 years old, a fifth grader who is running cross country, playing the clarinet and loves to socialize! My children are definitely my three best accomplishments....

I am one of those people who drive others crazy because I am smiling and happy most of the time. I don't know if people appreciate that, especially first thing in the morning and/or late at night. I have the philosophy that life is what you make it, so make it great!!! I believe that people have too many excuses for why they cannot accomplish their goals/dreams and spend their lives reinforcing these excuses instead of working toward their dreams. I grew up the youngest of four children, and the only girl. We moved around quite a bit and we were definitely on the lower end of the socioeconomic graph. Because of this, I realized early on that if I wanted to have the things that my friends had, I was going to have to be the one to go out and get it! I started working when I was 15 years old as a carhop at a local root beer stand and I can honestly say that I have worked ever since. I went on to be a waitress, a bartender, and then a nurse. I worked in several level 1 trauma center emergency departments (ED) for over 8 years. I was involved in another aspect of the ED called SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner), I collected forensic evidence and collaborated with the police department and the district attorney as well as the survivors of the assault. I also worked in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit for over 2 years before entering Nurse Anesthesia school at Wayne State University. While in school I was part of a medical/surgical team that traveled to the Philippines to provide free anesthesia and free surgical procedures to adults and children in need of treatment but who could not afford it. It was a life altering experience and I hope to go on many more during my lifetime. Here in the United States we take a lot for granted. I only wish that every American could experience what I have seen.
As far as my hobbies I love music, dancing, reading books, watching movies (and some television shows such as Survivor), shopping and travel.
I have wanted to apply to Survivor for many seasons now, and now that I am out of school, I believe it is time! I would LOVE to be a contestant on Survivor, because it would be a great way to lose some unwanted pounds (I have tried every other diet), try exotic (organic?) foods like bugs, worms, etc..
Seriously though, I believe I would be a great asset to the game. I am very ambitious, a hard worker, fairly intelligent, open minded, and know when to be a follower and when to be a leader in the game to survive.