About Me

I grew up in Star City, which is a small town in southeast Arkansas. I lived there until I moved to Benton, Louisiana in 2017. I am married to Daniel Thomas and we have 3 sons, Chris Peterson, Alan Peterson and Tyler Thomas. My adult sons still live in Star City. Chris is married to Hannah, and they have two children, Elly (8) and Grady (2). Alan is married to Callie, they have one son, Jack (1). Tyler is a senior at Benton High School and will be headed to Louisiana Tech in the fall. I enjoy spending time with the grandkids (and kids, lol), attending Tyler’s sporting events, baking, reading, and going junking and doing DIY projects with my husband. We attend Plain Dealing Baptist Church, where we volunteer in TeamKID ministry. I was not one of those people who knew in high school that they wanted a career in healthcare. I started out as an ER clerk at a small rural hospital similar to SMC thinking that I wanted to pursue the business side of it. During my ten years there I worked in the business office, quality management and as administrative assistant. During an ice storm we were short staffed and I was helping to pass patient meal trays and answer call lights and that’s where my interest in nursing began. I worked as an RN for 7 years, primarily in the emergency room. I loved the ER, but working there revealed that.