I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and lived there most of my life (I'll let you guess how long that is). I am one of three kids, the only girl, and the youngest. It's no wonder I am a ham! All in all, I think I came out pretty cool chick.
I guess I was always sort of a tomboy. I would compete against all the neighborhood kids in just about any sport, no matter how old or big the other kids were. I raced bikes, played soccer (won two gold medals), played football, and took just about any dare. I loved individual sports like gymnastics, and I was a loner.
The "girlie" side of me loved spending a lot of time in my room playing with dolls. I had a magnificent collection of Barbies, but only one Ken doll (lucky dog!). I began making sexy little outfits for Barbie when I was six, and played out lots of scenarios. I guess this was my own sort of sex education/play therapy. After all, who was I going to have these kinds of talks with…my brothers? (You can see where that got me).
I was addicted to the "boob toob" and fashion magazines even then. So I would memorize an entire commercial and then sit in front of the mirrors in my dressing area to see if I was convincing enough to pull it off. I decided at about age eight that I was. My favorite magazine was VOGUE - I was a fashion slut even then. But when I was nine, I found my first PLAYBOY. I thought this was the coolest thing I had ever seen! My brothers were 10 years older than me, so they had always had sexy posters and various centerfolds all over their walls. But there was something feminine and all together innocent about PLAYBOY. I never forgot that issue.
THE TEENAGER (edited to protect the innocent)
In my teenage years, I was quite a handful. I was very independent, creative, and curious. I think I spent most of these years chained to my room. Unfortunately, I was not smart enough to out-fox my former "bad-boy" Dad. He would inevitably be waiting (shotgun in hand) when I climbed back into my second storey window, early in the morning.
I attended an all-girl boarding school in Virginia from age 13 - I actually ASKED to go away! This was an invaluable experience for me. I learned more about women, myself, and the world than ever before. My grades soared and I felt like I had found myself for the first time.
EARLY ADULTHOOD
I moved right into art school at 17, to get a degree in Interior Design. That was a short two years, and then I was off to a four year college to earn my B.A. in Psychology and Criminal Justice (as you may have read in my very old bio in Mystique Magazine). Again, I had decided to go to an all female school, Texas Woman's University.
I am always asked why I went to all female schools. I found that the smaller classes made me more comfortable, and the lack of testosterone enabled me to be a PART of the class, as opposed to being the entertainment. When guys weren't around, I could do quite well! When they were, I was constantly distracted - just couldn't help myself! Since I was raised by men, I seem to "get" them in a social sense. I've been told (many times) that I am actually "a guy in a hot chick's body". (I'll let that slide for now).
When I hit legal age (that's 18 for you perverts who are unaware), I started modeling for a VERY conservative agency named The Kim Dawson Agency. I was modeling shoes, doing catalogues, petite runway for Neimans and other high end stores, spots on the local news for the fashion segments, and industrial kinds of things…BORING! Then, I was found by International Film Works, who were making a series of videos for Playboy TV. Suddenly, I found myself doing some really interesting work, including a movie called THE RED CHAIR. I was put on the cover of the film and my picture was made into a poster for Victor Duncan Studios. I became Miss August in my first calendar and proceeded to do a series of music videos and two more Playboy videos - PLAYBOY'S HOOTERS and THE GIRLS OF THE CABARET ROYALE. I was offered the opportunity to fly to LA and shoot the cover of the Hooters video, and test for Playmate, but decided to pass and finish school instead. I was determined to get my college degree before I left for something so uncertain. (Plus, have you ever tried to explain that one to a Dad on Fathers Day?)
So back to school! I found that making this decision motivated me in my studies, once again. Through some people in my college town, I became interested in protecting animals (who had always been my true friends and family) and an avid defender of Animal Rights. This was met with significant opposition by my Texas University, as well as the scientific research based community I had been a part of. I was very opinionated and made some enemies. This caused some problems among my professors and fellow students, but I did find support and the animals loved me.
I rescued hound dogs from the pound, cleaned them up, retrained them, and found them suitable homes. I found them to be the greatest cuddlers, the best givers of unconditional love, appreciative of everything they receive, relentlessly protective, and they don't bark back when you want to watch "I Love Lucy" at 3:00 a.m.! This was all inspired by my "main dog" (shhhh…he thinks that means "GOD"), adopted from a no-kill shelter in October 1993. We've been together ever since.
POST GRADUATION
I graduated college in 1999 and then everything changed! I was approached in a Dallas nightclub by a Hawaiian Tropic Pageant director when I was out with the girls one night. He tried very hard to convince me to enter the last regional competition in the US that next weekend, but I had never even seen a bikini contest! It was taking place at Lake Texoma over Labor Day weekend, so I decided to take a girlfriend and make a mini-vacation of it. I won the preliminaries, and a day later, won the finals which sent me to Las Vegas for the Hawaiian Tropic Nationals.
I had an absolute blast in Vegas, but was unbelievably overwhelmed. Out of 163 girls, I came in 16th. GREAT, but not good enough to make it to the Internationals. After the announcement on stage, I loafed through the halls toward my room, when I heard a man call my name. As I turned, I looked up to see Mark Daughn and Kevin King.
I had a long conversation with Mark about posing for his new magazine called Mystique. I was in awe as he showed me his work. This was a softer, modern day Playboy, and I was going to be a part of it! We shot for the first time in September 1999, and this launched my pin-up career.
LA AND BEYOND
I finally moved to Los Angeles in February of 2000. I had no friends, no family, and knew only a few people - agents, managers, etc…(the seedy crowd). I managed to get into doing some extra work on TV sitcoms and landed features right off the bat in shows like "Action", "Suddenly Susan", "Son of the Beach", and "West Wing". I moved on to do bit parts within about 7 months, then guest star roles, and have now been hosting since 2001 (check resumes). Of course, I have continued modeling, and to my surprise, they still like me!!!
