Michelle Stocks McKinstry

Well, I tired college after high school but I was working at the same time and the money won (I actually thought it was a lot of money - ha).

Made LOTS of mistakes, stayed out almost every night, was able to make it to work on time every day, moved out, moved home, and moved out again,and was able to find the career I loved (Human Resources).

I went back to school, bought my first condo, was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 1998, I got married in 1999, started my dream job (HR Analyst for the Sheriff's Office), bought a townhouse, struggled to have a baby and finally had Jonathan in 2002 - so much for my dream job - I decided to stay home with my precious baby boy,

We then moved to Winchester, VA in 2004, got very, very sick with my Crohn's - and then Matthew (another miracle baby)was born in 2007.

I love my life - I got to stay home with my boys and watch them grow for 10 yrs, I am active in Jonathan's Tennis, Both boys school and sports the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and I am very active with the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America participating in a Support Group. I have been interviewed by local papers and done TV interviews to educate people about this disease, and I have spent many hours on the phone to newly diagnosed patients and/or their families.

In 2014 I connected with another former LCHS'er, Bill McKinstry, and on May 16, 2015 we were married in Ocean City, MD. The boys and I moved to Virginia Beach since I am a proud military wife, navigating all that has to offer and Bill, who is a Commander in the US Coast Guard, is stationed in Norfolk.
Learning to live with him deployed for just over 1/3rd of the the year has been hard.......I joke that I was too old to learn that life when we got married.....LOL!

Jonathan may look like his father but he is all me in his personality. He is a rising sophomore at a performing arts academy high school here in VA Beach (he is in the vocal program). He is active in DeMolay (the youth arm of the Masons), plays tennis (made his HS team this past spring), and, of course, sings!

Matthew looks more like me and his personality is ALL me!!! He is a rising 6th grader and my baseball star, playing on the Virginia Chaos, a Hampton Roads travel team. His main is a pitcher and he plays outfield, 1st & 3rd base. We are super excited right now because we just got home from the Top Gun Summer World Series where he hit an over-the-fence home-run, pitched a 1-hit complete game and then a 3-hit complete game on the way to his team winning the silver bracket championship!!!

There are so many.....McDonalds, Big Woods, the reservoir (and the police showing up that one night....I still get mad every time I think about that night - remember they charged those two guys who were fishing with contributing to the delinquency of minors.), field parties and many more I just can't remember right now.......