Meet Me | Jacq's Journey Blog

Let's get to know each other a little better...

The Big City

I moved to Albuquerque, NM in the fall of 1992 to attend College at the University of New Mexico. GO LOBOS!! I was completely out of my element living in a city that was anything but the small-town environment that I had only known, and without the watchful eyes of my parents. I was initiated into the sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and began developing, what would turn out to be, lifelong and meaningful friendships. I quickly learned that "city" living was nothing like that of my small-town past. Wild parties, late nights filled with drinking, dancing and debauchery were common and lead to the downfall of my first year in college. My second year, I buckled up and took things more seriously. I tried out and made the University dance team, the 'Chaparrals' (which is a shrub plant - never understood that name) and began cheering on the Lobos in almost every sport. I was making better grades and had a better balance of education and social life. Within the next 3 years, I had successfully navigated the college experience and even became Miss Albuquerque USA, and eventually Miss New Mexico USA in 1994. I competed for the title of Miss USA in 1995. My childhood dreams of becoming Miss USA did not come to fruition and I was left with an ache that haunted me for quite some time.

Hi, I'm

My story begins in a small town in New Mexico called Socorro. I was a kid with big dreams of becoming Miss USA and becoming famous! I lived on the edge of town with my parents and three siblings on Newberry Road; a dirt road with only a few other houses, and a wooden sign on the corner that read, "J & J Farms, Home of Winabux." My parents raised racehorses and had a small farm. 'Winabux' was their most prestigious horse as he was a sought-after stud. My youth was spent playing outside in the dirt, barn, haystacks and grain silo. My friends were our dogs and the many geese, ducks, chickens, horses and peacocks that roamed around our land. My grandparents lived right next door to us. The highlight of my youth was receiving a packet in the mail from Nancy Reagan, to start my very own Just Say No Club!! I guess you could say I lived a somewhat sheltered life. I went to Catholic school for 8 years before attending public school, which was a whole new world for me.

...and then there was Fame "ish"

While at Miss USA, I met an NFL cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles, Miss Delaware USA. She talked to me about her experiences as an NFL cheerleader and told me that her dream was to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader because they were the epitome of NFL cheerleading. Before talking with her, I had no idea that NFL cheerleaders were largely dancers and not the typical cheerleader that would normally come to mind. I grew up watching football and had a huge love for the game so, combine that with my love of dancing and it made perfect sense for me to audition to become one of America's Sweethearts!! In the spring of 1996, I walked up to the infamous and awe-inspiring Texas Stadium. I was alone, filled with anticipation, and terrified by the enormous line of gorgeous women that wrapped a quarter of the way around the stadium. I had a big dream, high hopes, and a stuffed teddy bear that my best friend had given me for good luck. I had no idea what was in store for me that day or the next two years. I was very fortunate in that I made the team my first year auditioning. I was one of 14 other young women that ultimately made the team, as rookies, along with 20 veterans. The next two years were some of the most exciting and unforgettable years of my life. I will never forget my first performance on the field of Texas Stadium dancing to "I will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor and having 65,675 Cowboys fans cheering us on! To this day, there has not been another moment in my life so incredibly exhilarating! Go Cowboys!

First comes love.......

....ya'll all know what comes next and I bet you're singing the rest right now!! (I will keep this part short so that I can get to the really good stuff; my babies!!) Next comes marriage, 2 children, and then....(drum roll)...divorce. Two of my most precious gifts were created from this marriage and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Meet my son, Christopher and daughter, Landry!!

Chris is 21 years old and is a junior at Texas State University majoring in Communications. Landry is 19 years old and is a Sophomore at the University of Oklahoma (BOOMER) majoring in Health Care Administration. To say that I am a proud mama is an understatement. These two have shown more courage, grace, and resilience than most people have ever witnessed. Their testimonies are truly inspiring. More to come on this later.

Beautiful Bellamy

At the age of 39, I became a mother for the last time with the birth of my daughter, Bellamy Shea. It took a lot of patience and heartbreak before her long awaited arrival. She was is a rainbow baby as I had lost a baby boy at 16 weeks a little over a year prior to Bellamy being born. It was a very challenging pregnancy and birth but, well worth it! She is full of life and has a very sweet, sensitive soul. There are 8 years difference between my first born and Bellamy. Becoming a new mother again later in life was a much different experience for me than when Chris and Landry were born. I will write about my experiences in a blog to share with you. My Bellamy Banana is in the 6th grade and loves singing, dancing, acting, writing and K-POP!! She is quite the character and brings so much joy and laughter to our lives!

Finally, My Lobster

After 2 failed marriages, and a few horrible relationships, I had basically given up on finding MY person. My family was faced with a horrible tragedy in early 2021 and I was focused on helping my children heal. Ironically, this tragedy is what made me realize that it was important for me to not give up on finding love and that regardless of what I had been through in the past, it was incredibly important to me to find my lobster, my team mate, best friend, and person to share the rest of my life with. I was finally in a place where I truly loved myself and knew my worth. There would be no more settling, no more minimizing myself for the sake of someone else, and no more blurry boundaries. My life and the lives of my children required a steadfast man that would be devoted to loving me and my family. A hard working man that believed in unwavering commitment and loyalty with a gracious heart and sense of humor. Fast forward to May of 2022, and this handsome man, Frank, slid into my DM's! Sure, he wasn't the only man sliding in to those DM's but, he was different from the start. He was very respectful of my boundaries and not agreeing to meet him in person right away. He answered every question I threw his way and was patient with me. I have no doubt that he felt like he was being interviewed for the FBI but, he was a great sport about it. When we did finally meet, I can honestly say that my heart felt safe and at peace. A few months later we were married. As the saying goes, "when you know, you KNOW!" Of course no marriage is without challenges but, it is incredibly different to face those challenges with someone that is truly your devout teammate and does not view you as the enemy. I feel very lucky and blessed to have found this man of mine especially later in life.

Our Muttley Crew

Meet our wonderful and crazy 'Muttley Crew'! From left to right:

Zuri "Zuzu", Ozzy, and Gizmo "Gizzy". These sweet babies are all rescue pups.

We adopted Zuzu in October of 2023 from the Tulsa Animal shelter. She was born in the shelter and was so ready to bust out! Gizzy came to us as a foster pup with severe mange, infection, and was skin and bones. We loved him back to life and decided we could not let him go! Ozzy is currently another a foster pup that came to us in a similar condition as Gizzy. He is making great strides and yes, you guessed it, he will be another foster fail!! It's too hard to let these sweet babies go when you have loved and nurtured them back to good health. We love our crazy crew! Our house may have unending amounts of dog hair and remnants of stuffies that they have destroyed but, we would not have it any other way!!

Fun Facts

I love the outdoors and feel most at home in the Pacific Northwest!

Spending time outside running, hiking, boating, swimming, anything outdoors is my happy place!! I completed my very first half-marathon in 2024 at the age of 50 and was crazy enough to do another one a couple of months later.

I have always loved reading books and writing. I prefer an actual book in my hands but, do also listen to audio books. Nothing quite like the feel of pages in my fingers and the smell of an old book!

I collect vinyl albums and have a record player! It's nostalgic to me to play some old vinyl and reminisce on my childhood listening to my dad's old rock and country albums.

A few more of my favorite things:

I'm a sports fanatic!! Dallas Cowboys (obviously), New Mexico Lobos, coffee, wine, dancing in the kitchen, laughing, spending quality time with my children, concerts, musical theater - my all-time favorite song is Seasons of Love from Rent.