When I was a young child, I remember admiring my Grandma Mae’s rose bush and camellias. Through her loving touch, she taught me how to arrange flowers by color, definition, and scale. When I was 10 years old, to show my gratitude and love, I made my first arrangement of roses and gladiolas for my Grandma Mae. The tradition continued with my mom, as she encouraged and inspired me to decorate the family home for each holiday. I also would give the neighbor ladies flowers on May Day. I was destined to be surrounded by blooms.To this day, Judy, Kelly’s mom, continues to be an inspiration. Her love for flowers is contagious. Kelly and his mom enjoyed decorating for each season, and to this day she is a pro at arranging flower. 

I’ve had many opportunities to cultivate my creative talents and passion, one of which was creating the magic of the holidays at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California for many years. I’ve had amazingly talented mentors that have worked in the entertainment and floral industries. Their guidance and support have led me to believe in my talent and follow my passion. I have found my passion in designing for special events and occasions, and love is truly in the details.

Creating floral also provides me with much-needed therapy. I suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes motor and vocal tics. It causes me to twitch involuntarily, resulting in chronic pain all over my body. When I am designing and working with flowers, I do not twitch—I find it relaxing. Thankfully, my vocal tics are very mild.

My home garden flourishes with a variety of flowers and plants. I have 25 different rose bushes and am partial to the fragrant variety. I also have 9 fruit trees, rare varieties of bearded iris, a large bulb garden, and a bee, butterfly, and bird garden—just to name a few. Flowers definitely feed my soul.