Meet the Members Monday- Nicole W

Hello!  My name is Nicole Williams. I am married to David Williams, a first year, prior serviced, Army medical student. David and I met in Ft. Bragg, NC, 9 years ago this month. David had just begun his Army Special Forces medic training and I had just moved there for career advancement as a business manager. Ft. Bragg is typically not the first choice for military installations, but we really enjoyed our time there together. Both being new to the area and not knowing anyone, David and I met on-line and became quick friends, emailing for weeks before meeting. Upon our first meeting we knew we would be much more than friends. We were married in April of 2006, near where I grew up in Wilmington NC. We have experienced a lot in our 6 years of marriage. We have two beautiful daughters, Gabriella, 5, and Annaliese, 18 months. We have been through 3 deployments to Iraq and one to Guatemala.  We have lived in Clarksville TN, Charleston SC, Fayetteville NC (twice), and now Silver Spring. David began as active duty, and then switched to National Guard, while doing military contracting as a medical instructor. I have spent the majority of our marriage at home with our girls. With frequent moves and deployments it was hard to maintain a career. I feel very fortunate to be able to take care of my family from home and have the time to really get to know my spunky little girls. Gabriella (Ella) will be beginning kindergarten next August and I plan to return to school myself at that time. I currently have a BA in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. I plan to complete my BA in Sociology and then obtain my Masters in Community Health Education.   

We are thrilled to be here at USUHS and the Bethesda area. We love our new home, our new neighbors, and our new friends and we are looking forward to the journey and cultivating many new friendships. I hope to be able to meet more of you very soon.

Meet the Members Monday- Emily M

Hello everyone, I am Emily Maloy and am married to Wyatt, a MS1 with the Air Force(non-prior).  We met at BYU scrubbing toilets at 4:00 am!  We happened to both be majoring in Athletic Training and had many classes together, which made things more fun.  We dated for a long 5 months before we got engaged and then married 2 months later in the LDS temple in American Fork UT.  It has now been 12 1/2 years together and every year just gets better.  We have five children with #6 on the way!  
I am from the West.  I was born in Utah and grew up in San Diego CA.  When I went to BYU I was the 6th kid of my parents to be living in Utah so my parents moved from San Diego to be close to all their kids.  I am still sad I can't go home to CA and to surfing, but I loved having my parents closer during college.
After graduating from BYU we moved to Oregon for Wyatt to get a masters.  We lived in OR for 8 1/2 years and had a really hard time leaving to pursue medical school.  Getting to medical school has been a long road.  We started 6 years ago and are finally here!  It will be a challenge but being part of the military is very helpful and coming to USU is also great with all the support.  We are excited for this opportunity and also for the challenge.
If I had time for a hobby I'm not sure what it would be.  I love being a stay at home mom with my children 2 girls and 3 boys.  They take up most of my time and energy.  I like to exercise and I lead kickboxing at my church because I workout better with a group.  I like anything outdoors and most sports.  I can knit, cook, and keep a journal.
I like living at Glen Haven with all the military families.  We have liked the East coast so far but are still getting used to the differences.  I am not a fan of humidity. I look forward to meeting more of you throughout the years here at USU.

Meet the Members Monday- Heather K

Hi, my name is Heather Kearney, and my husband is Kevin Kearney, an Army MS1. I grew up in Neptune, NJ, aka the Jersey Shore. No, it is nothing like the show. My husband grew up in Breezy Point, NY. We met in 1992 in NY through a mutual friend. We dated throughout the remainder of high school, so yes, we are high school sweethearts. I always said that we set ourselves up for military life because we started our relationship out as a long distance one, spending lots of time apart. Which I believe helped prepare us for future deployments. We were married in May of 1996 (I was 20 and he was 19). My husband joined the Army in February of that same year (1996). We started our married life at Ft. Campbell, KY (1996-2000). Then Special Forces Medic training brought us to Ft. Bragg, NC (2000-2002). This is where I found my career, as a Veterinary Office Assistant/Receptionist.  After he graduated from the course, we headed right back to Ft. Campbell, KY for 5^th Special Forces Group (SFG) (2002-2008). I loved being a Special Forces wife. I was blessed to be a part of that extraordinary community. There, we endured 7 deployments. That’s why I always called the first house we purchased, my house and it was just where he kept his stuff (lol). During his last deployment, Kevin decided to volunteer to go to the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS) for a 4 year non-deployable assignment (Yay). That led us back to Ft. Bragg, NC (2008-2012). There I continued my career and became a Veterinary Manager at Manchester Animal Hospital in NC. I loved it in NC. I had my husband home for 4 straight years, met some amazing people and my best friend (guess what, she’s from NJ, too), loved my job, and my husband was finally home long enough to finish his bachelor’s degree and prerequisites for USUHS. All of these adventures have led us to our new one here at USUHS.  Moving from a house to an apartment was a challenge (where do I put everything I’ve accumulated over 16 years and my dog is still wondering where the backyard went). I am looking forward to all that this new chapter in our lives will bring. We know it won’t all be easy but with our love and faith, it will all be worth it.

Meet the Members Monday- Amanda B

Heya!  Amanda M. Baines here. My better half is 2LT Evan Baines, and he's a first-year student, prior-service Army guy. We met almost ten (10!! Holy crap!) years ago when he was at Ft. Bragg in the Special Forces Qualifications Course learning to become an 18D, Medical Sergeant.  I like to say "he ordered me up like a pizza," since we met on Match.com and he was looking for "a redhead over 5'9"." (I'm 6-feet if I just stand up straight!).  Our first date started at an art gallery and ended at a firing range and we've been having a blast ever since.
We got married in 2004 and the Army moved us to Clarksville, Tennessee. Later, after Evan had served for five years in the Army, did a tour in Iraq, and then decided to get out of the Army to pursue medicine and finish the prerequisites he needed to get into medical school, we moved to Nashville, TN.
Now, we are grateful to be here in the DC area as it's put us closer to our families and has put Evan on a track he feels extremely good about: taking care of soldiers! The Army was always very good to us the first go around and I for one am glad to be back in a very warm, welcoming community. It really is like nothing else and you miss it when you're not in it.
As for me, I am addicted to all things tech and I currently work as a strategist for a company out of Nashville, TN, where I write proposals and help plan programs and applications we want to develop for our clients. I have worked there for seven years, primarily with our client The National Guard. The company is fantastic and they have allowed me to work remotely while we're here, which gives me a flexible schedule and helps me help Evan when he's really swamped (which as all first-year SOs know is a lot, now!). I really like my work, though I am hoping to expand my abilities soon to acquire an advanced degree in Psychology: I love the digital space, but I'm eager to work more with people one on one.
When we're not crazed with work and school, we love to travel. In 2011 we went to Burgundy, France (our favorite wine region) and also Egypt (which I highly, highly recommend, though perhaps not like, this week). We love wine and food and I cook a great deal, and we also run a lot to ensure that we can drink lots of wine and eat lots of food. I've also recently taken up archery and I'm not half bad: I'm hoping to start participating in 50-meter and 70-meter tournaments in 2013. RIO 2016!  Hah!
And oh! No children yet for us, but we do have two gigantic cats, Carbon and Tungsten, who, if you combined them, would account for about 35 pounds of cumulative cat. Yeah. Big cats. Massive.
I look forward to getting to know all of you as we move through the years together. We're in a great place, all of us. I can feel it!

Meet the Members Monday- Danielle M

Hello – my name is Danielle Meyer and my husband, Mike Meyer, is a MS1. I am originally from Sacramento and went to school at UC Santa Barbara. Mike went to visit a high school friend one weekend (who also went to UCSB) and we actually met in the middle of the street that Saturday night. We dated long distance for a few years (he went to West Point) then got married after graduating. Mike entered the Army and we spent 4 years at Fort Hood, TX (one of which he was in Iraq). We moved to North Kensington this summer so he could start medical school.

I majored in accounting and sociology. I am now a CPA and work for a public accounting firm in Rockville. I wish I could tell you that I can help you out with your taxes, but I can’t (I specialize in audit, not tax). In my spare time I enjoy making dishes and art out of fused glass (a hobby I picked up while Mike was in Iraq). I also enjoy wine tasting, running/exercising, and reading. We don’t have kids yet, but we have two wonderful Spring Spaniels (Cinco and Price) that I love spending time with.

My favorite part about the army is the network of friends you make each place you go. I look forward to meeting and getting to know all the spouses and families during our time here! 

Meet the Members Monday- Courtney C

Hi!  I’m Courtney Christensen and my husband Dan is a 4^th year med student here at USUHS.  We’re prior service Navy – Dan was on submarines before making the transition to medicine.  We have two boys with another on the way!  Cayden is 4 and Colton is almost 2 and they’re excited to have another brother to wrestle around with – baby boy #3 is due in late January.  Dan and I are both from south Jersey – we were good friends all through high school and even went to our senior prom together, though we didn’t start dating until after we both graduated from college.  However, all through high school my best girlfriends used to say “you’re going to end up marrying him one day!” and I would shake my head and say “no, we’re just good friends!”  He went to the Naval Academy and I went to James Madison University and after we graduated we ended up living in the DC area at the same time and started hanging out a lot.  Sure enough, something “clicked” and we were soon engaged.  My best friend had a lot of fun saying “I told you so!” in her toast at our wedding.  Since getting married, we’ve been stationed at Norfolk, VA and Charleston SC before coming to USU.  Before having kids, I used to work as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Pfizer.  It was an awesome job, but once I had my first son, I decided to become a stay at home mom and I’m so happy with that decision.  USU has been a great experience for us!  We currently live in the Glen Haven military community and love it.  I love living mere steps away from about a dozen other USU families and my boys love that they get to have a playdate every day with the other kids in the community!  As for my hobbies, I love to read (I read about 3-4 books a week) and I have a passion for photography!  I have my own photography business, Courtney Christensen Photography, and I specialize in newborns and families.  I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of USU families and you can check out some examples of my work at www.ccfamilyphotography.com  or come follow my page on Facebook.  I’ve loved my time so far as a Navy wife and USU has been a great place for our family.  Your time here will fly by – I still remember attending Orientation at the start of Dan’s MS1 year and I can’t believe that we’re now the “seniors” and in just a few weeks we’ll be “matched” and in a few months, graduating!  I urge all of you to take advantage of your time here – get involved and make sure you have a strong support system.  The SSC and my neighborhood have been lifesavers for my family and me as we’ve navigated the highs and lows of med school.  It’s strange to be approaching the end of our time at USU and we’re so thankful for all the great friends we’ve made and memories we’ve experienced here.  It goes by so fast, so make the most of every moment!

Meet the Members Monday- Casey G

Hello! I'm Casey Godar and I am married to Army first-year student Michael Godar. USUHS is our first experience with the military, and we're learning more about the Army lifestyle every day. We live down the street from USUHS in Kensington and we grew up together in Annapolis, MD.  If you're not aware, the U.S. Naval Academy is located there. Suddenly being forced to get rid of my Navy football gear and cheer for Army instead was a bit irritating, especially because Army NEVER wins, but I’ll get over it. So is anyone in need of a Navy sweatshirt?


We’re enjoying our new lifestyle, with the full realization that deployments and a lot of travel are coming in the near future.  We’ve been married for 1½ years, with no kids, so we’re still pretty flexible. I’m impressed by the quality of base resources offered to military families, so it's encouraging to know that I'll have some help when he's away. Navigating Tricare and other processes has been tricky, but a bit of patience seems to go a long way. 


As for me, I attended college at the University of Maryland, majoring in Biology and Spanish. After graduating in 2010 I decided to jump right back into school to become a licensed paramedic. I currently manage a cardiac arrest registry and teach CPR for Howard County Fire and Rescue. With my training, I also respond to 911 calls a few nights a month as a firefighter/paramedic with the Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department. I also like to read, cook, and listen to music, especially classical and rock. 


I love the medical field and always thought that I have the best job in the world, but actually my husband does! I will be applying to medical schools this upcoming cycle and I am taking the MCAT in January. I’ve witnessed USUHS’s unique military curriculum and the incredible support system that it offers its students, so it's definitely my first choice. I'll keep you all posted! Overall, I’m so glad I joined the SSC and I look forward to meeting more of you soon!

Meet the Members Monday- Christina E

Hi! My name is Christina and I’m married to Chris Erdman, MS2 (Army). We have two sons: Gavin, who’s just been inducted to the ranks of two and thinks he’s Ironman, and Liam, who’s 6 weeks old and does the best impressions of Jabba the Hut you’ll ever see. Chris and I were high school sweethearts, though we’ve only been married 3 years. We hail from Decatur, GA, right outside of Atlanta, which I like to call home. Chris is new to the military life, but I grew up an Army brat and have lived as far away as Germany and Korea. I have a good idea of what to expect from military life, and I definitely have no problem with moving around!

I have a degree in studio art and art history and spent a few years as an art teacher for Pre-K thru 8th graders. I was just one credit away from my Masters in Education when I decided to stay at home with my kids. Best. Decision. Ever! I do think that I may like to one day run my own art program for children but in the meantime I enjoy teaching little art lessons to my neighbors’ (and fellow USUHS families’) kids. I also sell handmade hats and photo props for newborns and children. My hobbies include crocheting/knitting, Facebook stalking, and watching my favorite shows. Sometimes I actually find the time to finish a painting or two!

My favorite part of military life is the amazing community and support network, especially here at USUHS. I look forward to getting to meet more of you at future SSC events!