Hometown Rankin - February & March 2016

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