Occupation: I do a multitude of things! I’m a fitness and Zumba instructor, and teach at Club Newfit on Commerce Road, the Newtown Senior Center, the gym in Southbury, and at Curves in Southbury. I’m a wellness consultant and I work as an office administrator for a chiropractor in Southbury. For my “fun” job, I tend bar at The Villa in Sandy Hook.

Family: My husband, Gary, and I will be married 35 years in September. We have four children: Justin is 27 and was married last October to Ashley; Kayleigh is 23; Carli is 21; and Taylor is 19.

Pets: We have an American Eskimo dog, named Quinn the Eskimo, of course. He’s white and very cute and very intelligent. He is Taylor’s dog, really, so we are “grandparents” to this dog. We have four cats, Tucker and Keiko, that are brothers, and my son rescued two feral litters in Naugatuck and saved one from each litter. So now we have Matilda and Sylvia. Sylvia is actually Karleigh’s cat.

How long have you lived in Newtown? I grew up in Sandy Hook, but moved to Southbury, just over the river, in 1977, the year after we got married. I still shop and do a lot in Newtown, though.

What do you like to do in your free time? I don’t have a lot of free time, so I usually learn new Zumba routines, clean up e-mails on my computer and watch a little TV.  I have danced with Lathrop School of Dance for 49 years. I try to make time to spend with my husband. I like to socialize and nurture relationships with my friends.

Do you have a favorite TV show? Law and Order: SVU. And I like Grey’s Anatomy, too. Anything to do with medical, I find interesting.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? St Maarten, in the Virgin Islands, the Dutch side. Thanks to my sister and brother from Newtown, we were introduced to the island in 1993. My sister spends weeks there at a time share, and my brother has a time share there, too. We try to go every winter. I love the Caribbean Sea. A beach vacation is my favorite. And we’ve developed relationships with others there, now, so it’s like seeing friends that you only get to see once a year.

What is the best thing about Newtown? It’s really home for me. Gary’s parents are still here, and my sister and brother. It’s where I grew up and it’s beautiful here. What I like is the people and the community. I feel comfortable here, and I think I know more roads in Newtown than in Southbury.

If you could spend a day with anyone, whom would you choose? I would certainly love to spend another day with my mother, who died in January of 2001. Virginia Lathrop was like a second mother to me, so I would like to spend a day with her. My daughter and I will be in this spring’s Stardust Revue, my 50th year. Virginia was a very big inspiration to me, and always fun.

Do you have a personal philosophy? Take care of yourself and your health first. Then you can take care of others more joyfully. Live life in balance.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Ice cream. I love all the flavors. I indulge in it almost every day.