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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong><br />
Reader<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
Amy<br />
Gibbons<br />
Why did you decide to make <strong>Rankin</strong><br />
County your home?<br />
We decided to make Brandon our home to be<br />
closer to family. It’s centrally located for work, it’s<br />
very safe, and is growing with lots of opportunities.<br />
The school system was important, too. At the time<br />
we moved to Brandon, our son was entering the<br />
6th grade at Brandon Middle School. He is now a<br />
senior at Brandon High School.<br />
How long have you lived in <strong>Rankin</strong> County?<br />
We moved to Brandon in August of 2009.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
I am married to David Gibbons and we have one<br />
son, Hayden, who is 18-years old and is a senior at<br />
Brandon High School. In December of 2014, one<br />
of Hayden’s best friends asked to come live with us<br />
and came to our home the week before Christmas.<br />
We became licensed foster parents to a 19-year old<br />
who is also a senior at Brandon High School. It’s<br />
been very different adding another person to our<br />
home, especially with Hayden having always been<br />
an only child. Hayden and this young man have<br />
been best friends since the 8th grade and we were<br />
honored he wanted to come live with us. He loved<br />
Brandon so much that he too wanted to come back<br />
here and graduate from Brandon High School.<br />
David and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary<br />
in <strong>February</strong>. We were both reared in Jackson and<br />
have lived in Memphis, Tupelo, and most recently,<br />
Magee for 14 years prior to moving to Brandon.<br />
We both are graduates of the University of<br />
Southern Mississippi–David with an electrical<br />
engineering degree and I with a Master of Social<br />
Work. I’m a licensed clinical social worker.<br />
Hayden plans to attend Ole Miss starting the<br />
in fall of <strong>2016</strong>. We have been members of First<br />
Baptist Church of Brandon since 2009. We are<br />
all very active in our church and community and<br />
feel it is important to give back and support the<br />
community in which we live.<br />
What is your favorite memory of living in<br />
<strong>Rankin</strong> County?<br />
My favorite memory of living in <strong>Rankin</strong> County<br />
was our very first Brandon Christmas parade in<br />
December, 2009. It was very cold and about<br />
halfway through the parade it began snowing!<br />
We were at the parade with some friends and I<br />
remember standing in the cold and the snow and<br />
thinking, “I am home”. I just fell more in love<br />
with the town. After the parade, we went to our<br />
then-pastors Dr. Scott & Dacia Thomas’s home<br />
and had cookies and hot cocoa and all the kids<br />
played outside in the snow. It was just such a<br />
special memory and we were made to feel so<br />
welcomed like we were such a part of the<br />
community. I will never forget it!<br />
Where are your 3 favorite places to eat in<br />
<strong>Rankin</strong> County?<br />
Heart & Soul in Brandon, Table 100 in Flowood,<br />
and Jerry’s Fish House in Florence.<br />
What are some fun things to do in <strong>Rankin</strong><br />
County on the weekends?<br />
Shopping! <strong>Rankin</strong> County has some great places<br />
to shop…O! How Cute Gift Market, Heart of the<br />
South, Apple Annie’s, the Outlet Mall, and<br />
Dogwood Market Place. We also love to go to the<br />
Brave’s games, especially on Friday nights for the<br />
fireworks. Hayden loves High Heaven Trampoline<br />
Park and he and friends love to go to Shiloh Park<br />
and play ultimate Frisbee. We go to movies at<br />
Tinseltown, Brandon High School football on<br />
Friday nights, and anything water related at the<br />
Reservoir.<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing in your<br />
spare time.<br />
I have a great girls group that tries to go to the<br />
movies every Tuesday night. I love to go out to eat,<br />
spending time with family and friends, and having<br />
friends and family over to cook out. I also<br />
volunteer a lot with the PTO at Brandon High<br />
School and with the <strong>Rankin</strong> County Republican<br />
Women.<br />
What are three things on your bucket list?<br />
I want to go to Australia, take an Alaskan cruise<br />
and take a year and tour England, Italy, France and<br />
Greece. I love to travel!<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
I admire our First Lady Deborah Bryant. Deborah<br />
is so genuine, friendly, outgoing and personable.<br />
She always has a smile on her face, makes everyone<br />
feel welcomed and important, and she is a great<br />
ambassador for our state and <strong>Rankin</strong> County.<br />
She’s a great role model for young girls.<br />
Where do you see yourself ten years from<br />
now?<br />
I see myself still living in <strong>Rankin</strong> County, working,<br />
and still enjoying being with family and friends.<br />
I’m looking forward to seeing what the future<br />
holds for my son. I feel <strong>Rankin</strong> County has given<br />
him such a strong sense of community that should<br />
serve him well in the future.<br />
What is your favorite childhood memory?<br />
I have a lot of favorite childhood memories. What<br />
I mostly think about is how safe I felt growing up<br />
and how much I loved being with my family. We<br />
were always with family and cousins. We would all<br />
pile into the family car and drive to the beach for<br />
weekends. It was wild, loud and hectic! We<br />
continue this tradition, even now, with Hayden<br />
and still bring along cousins!<br />
If you could give us one encouraging<br />
quote, what would it be?<br />
My favorite quote that I use all the time is,<br />
“Live what you love, love what you do!”<br />
What is your favorite thing about<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> Magazines?<br />
My favorite thing about <strong>Hometown</strong> is that all the<br />
community-based stories are even more interesting<br />
because you get to learn about people you share the<br />
community with. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 59