SELF PORTRAIT

Date and place of birth: Nov. 6, 1976, Dumas

Family: Husband Dennis Nelms; daughter Lucy Free, 5; stepdaughter Lily Nelms, 5, and son Levi, 2

A scent that makes me nostalgic:

raw cotton

Fantasy dinner party: Tina Fey (for zero awkward quiet moments), my Pepa (to hear his stories again), Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (so I wouldn’t be the most cynical one), Julia Child (who would also be in charge of the meal), Hillary Clinton (so we could talk about her unannounced campaign) and my daughter Lucy, who would have a blast with them and find a little inspiration.

What’s always by my bed: water, a dusty fiction novel that never gets opened and my phone and headphones to listen to audio books when I can’t sleep. Anything else would be thrown into the bathtub by our toddler. If I were marooned on a desert island I’d have to have my husband. We seem to get out of any unwanted situation together. Also, water, a pocketknife and maybe some of those little buffalo jerky bites.

Places I’d love to explore: Iceland. I’d love to study the geology and land forms, visit the hot springs, see how they use thermal energy and see the surreal colors of water and sky. A fashion trend I never fell victim to: 80 percent of them. I like to be comfortable. Anything that looks uncomfortable I’m not going to test out.

My mountain bike is a Trek Cali

SL A word or phrase to sum me up: Among business peers, I don the nickname “The Velvet Hammer” for my mix of diplomacy and insistence.