HER STORY:

When I was asked to describe myself for this story, I didn’t know what to say.  So I texted my best friends, and this is what they said: Steady, driven, consistent, confident, goal-oriented, faithful, loyal, creative and an exceptional leader. 

native of: Conway

Children: Shad (12), identical twin girls, Elin & Etta (11) and Rex (7).

Education: I earned a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas.

Place of employment:  I have built a career around what gives me the most joy: people, energy and movement–lots of movement! In 2009, I became a certified group fitness instructor and started hosting workout classes at a local community center in Saline County. As a recent college graduate, I worked full-time for the State of Arkansas and also did a part-time fitness gig before and after work. In 2013, I opened McClure Fitness in Benton with only ten instructors and three studios. Today, I have a staff of 40 with five studios under one roof. I am most proud of the relationships created inside McClure Fitness and the long-term effects this fitness community has on my members’ physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. 

Community activities: I am a member of First Baptist Church of Benton. I coach my twins’ local volleyball team and enjoy watching my boys play sports.

special interests: I really do love to exercise in my spare time. You’ll find me taking classes from other instructors and hanging out at McClure Fitness even when I’m not “working.” My mom told me when I was in college, “If you want to love your job, figure out how to make money doing something you love.” I have a little decorating side gig right now and two Airbnbs that I own and manage. 

How do you encourage fitness with your children? First off, I set the example and always say, “I’m glad I worked out, I FEEL so much better!” I never ever mention burning calories or the shape of my body (or theirs), so there is no connection between exercise and a punishment. I want them to WANT to exercise and have a good mindset about it later in life. Currently, I let them tag along anytime they want, and they do! My oldest goes to bootcamp several times a week, and my twins love yoga. However, I do plan on creating some sort of regular schedule once they turn 13 for mood swings, hormone awareness and just healthy habits. I have several life events that I would have been in a very sad place mentally if I had not exercised. I hope that I can make that connection for my children: feelings come and go, exercise helps those sad feelings go and the good ones show up. I actually just wrote an article about exercise and teenagers; it’s on my blog on my website if anyone would like to read more on the topic. 

HIS STORY:

I’m thorough, witty, reliable and loyal.  I worry about ALL the things so Marietta doesn’t have to.

native of: Malvern

Education: I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas and attended the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado.

Place of employment: I am the Market President of Farmers Bank & Trust.

Honors: As a market president in Central Arkansas, one aspect of my job is to help my clients secure large commercial loans to start small businesses, hotels, restaurants, etc; I like knowing that I am contributing to the local economic growth. I enjoy working closely with business owners, tailoring financing solutions to meet their unique needs. Building long-term relationships with these clients is a key part of my job, as I continue to support them as their businesses expand. 

Community activities: I am a member of First Baptist Church of Benton. 

What do you love about living in Central Arkansas? I spend a lot of my free time hunting and fishing, and I love that Central Arkansas offers both. On the weekends I can take my boys and meet my dad in a duck blind or at the boat ramp within an hour or so.

Their STORY:

We met in 2003 at a summer discipleship training in Boulder, Colo. We actually didn’t hit it off right away but reconnected a couple of years later at Fayetteville. Kent finished college and moved to Tulsa, and we continued to date long distance. He would write me letters and mail them (does anyone do that anymore?) while we lived apart. Each letter was on a red card in a red envelope. Kent listed a character quality he admired about me and would reference a Bible verse to that attribute. This letter writing continued for almost a year. Then, in April of 2007, we went to Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs, sat by the lake and he said he had one more letter. In it, he had listed each quality he had written a letter for, 15 letters to be exact, the first letter of each quality spelling out something… “WILL YOU MARRY ME?”  Kent said he had been asking me to marry him for the last 10 months, one love letter at a time. I SAID YES! We got married on December 29, 2007.