I’d like to welcome Amy to the Self-Rescue Princess and thank her from taking time out of her day to answer a few questions about her job and her recent cases.
1. Please tell us a little bit about what is currently going on in your life?
I was labeled, pretty correctly by a friend and colleague, as having an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder; OCPD. This meant I could not leave my home without making sure all small appliances were unplugged, and all light switches had to be touched; not just turned off, but touched. It took a good ten minutes to go through and make sure I was in control of every situation that could arise, real or imagined. As time went on, behavior modification therapy was working on the surface, but failure was not an option. If I felt out of control, I counted it as a failure, and therefore, I had to go through a routine to solve it. It was pretty amazing that I had made it through the Air Force Academy, and I was a Special Agent in the FBI, but the things that hindered me were the same things that drove me to excellence. That was my mantra, excellence. Then I met Sam Montoya. And then, I met Jesus Christ. I found true love and happiness, forgiveness for my sin, and peace in my heart. I realized that while there is something to be said for hard work and achievement, there are times when we are out of control, and no amount of routine or repetition is going to fix it – like the time I was kidnapped by that agent-gone-bad! Thank God I got out of that alive! I’m not in the FBI full time now, but looking back over my life, I would say that being in the FBI was the best time of my life – until now.
2.What made you want your story to be told?
I don’t think I started out wanting my story to be told. I wanted to keep things the way they were. I was safe in my routine, and although I was striving for more and more achievements to put under my belt, I just wanted to be left alone to do it. It didn’t even start out as my story. My Psych prof in grad school assigned this thesis on Religious Fanaticism, and I got teamed up with Ranson Hilliard. He is the one who started labeling me, and trying to analyze me. True, I stepped into the middle of his life when he didn’t ask me to, but it was only because I couldn’t see someone wallow in self pity.
3. What lead you to make the changes you did in your life?
Well, I guess Ranson did to a certain extent. Until he gave a name to my ‘excellence chasing’, as I called it before it was known as OCPD, I just wanted to do something more. He was the one who said I should do something different. Then, when Sam joined our team in Phoenix, I fell in love. No man had ever caught my attention like Sam, not even Ranson, though I know at one point, he wanted to give it a shot. I never let on like I knew that though, because I had too much to do, and I just wanted a friend. But Sam, he was different. He was happy. He was joyful. He had something I didn’t have, and I wanted it. It was salvation through Jesus Christ! And that is where my life changed once and for all.
4. In your life, what has empowered you?
You know, sometimes we can thank our parents for who we become as adults, and sometimes we can blame them. It turns out that the thing that made me OCPD, also made me productive. I can’t say that I didn’t have a little of the tendency to start with, as my step-father so sweetly pointed out to that guy he wanted me to date. Just a word of advice…never tell your daughter’s date about embarrassing things she did as a child! But, the point is, that if Jeff had never pushed me to excellence, I would not have gotten to where I was when I met the Lord. I would say that since then, Sam is my greatest encourager, and the Bible is my strength.
5. What are strengths and weaknesses?
I guess one of my greatest strengths is the ability to think about things, analyze them, and find out what others are missing. I spent a lot of time in the FBI as a data analyst, and I was good at it. I still do some consultations, and I love it. My weakness is the OCPD. When I get shaken in my emotions, I tend to revert back to my old ways. Well…maybe two weaknesses; OCPD and chocolate.
6. Describe what being a self-rescue princess (a strong, confident woman) means to you.
I would never classify myself as a self-rescue princess. There were times I thought I was strong, but then I learned that strength all by yourself is not really strength. Learning to depend on other people and trust them; that is what makes you a much stronger person. That is why I would not say self-rescue would be the words to describe me. It’s give and take. Ranson showed me that one day. He challenged me to open up to friendships and relationships. Confidence is built by experience. When you are inexperienced, you cannot be confident. Over-confidence when you are inexperienced is dangerous.
7. What one advice/wisdom would you like to pass onto young women?
Always do your best, but never be afraid to fail. Through mistakes and failures, you learn how to do it better next time. Life is not about who finishes first, so finish well even though it might take a little longer.
8. Favorite quote or Bible verse.
That is easy. It’s the verse that kept going over in my mind when I was running from the Lord. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
9. If your story had a theme song, what would it be?
Amazing Grace
10. Will you be continuing your journey in written form?
As for now, I don’t have another story to tell. I’m too busy! Those twins keep me hopping from sun-up to sun-down! I know enough to say though, that if there is a story with me in it, I’m not afraid to strive for another happy ending!
11. Is there anyone in your life (friend, family member) who will be sharing their life?
Who knows? Most of the people sharing my life during my transformation had their own transformations at the same time. I think about some of the things I went through, and honestly, it’s scary to think that my children will have to take their own journeys one day. If their stories were ever to be told, it would mean they would have to have an adventure worth telling. It is hard to believe that our twins are almost fourteen now, but their main objective is tormenting their brothers and sister. Oh, you haven’t heard about them have you? Hmm, well maybe there is a story in there…somewhere.
The Self-Rescue Princess 