Oh boy, if that's not a loaded question! Anyway, to keep the matter simple, I will try to provide only the information I have been asked for. (Pics at the bottom of page.) Here goes....

My name is Kelly Hartley. I am from mid-Missouri, born in '65, growing up in very small town in Missouri (only had 32 people in it at that time!). I attended the University of Missouri-Rolla, majoring in Engineering Management with a mechanical preference.

As for my family heritage background, we thought we were definitely Cherokee and possibly Choctaw. That is through family lore, not through the rolls. I've not actually found proof of this, but I, and MANY other members of my family are working on it. There seems to be hope though as every single one of our new found cousins (the "uncles/aunts" lost over 100 years ago, each going their separate ways throughout the US and losing all contact until the past year) have said that they were told their were Cherokee through the same grandparents. So with people who did not know of each other all saying exactly the same thing gives a little more credibility to the story.

I was not raised in the Cherokee way, but I have learned this and try to live accordingly. It simply makes more sense to me. I've been doing genealogy for several years now and have learned that I'm quite a bit English, some Scottish, a little more Irish, with a touch of French. However, I can say that it seems all my direct ancestors that I've traced thus far, were in the Americas before 1776. There are like only two lines left to trace back to that time.

Right now, I am a homemaker. Well, okay, for those who know me, you all know that for the past year or two, I've been definitely sick due to Advanced Lyme Disease. I have really improved and well on my way to recovery. I was self employed, operating a family-owned agency for large nationwide cellular provider. I had worked for Ameritech directly for many years and decided I liked my small businesses better, so my family invested into the business.

I recently was married to a wonderful man, Randy Hartley. We were married on 3/3/03. And though no one has said anything, I bet people get a kick out of us when they see us. Randy is 6'7" and I'm 5'3", quite the drop in heighth! But this is why I'm now a homemaker. I still work quite a bit on my genealogy projects, but now that I'm feeling better, I'm able to go outside more often. I have my hubby working in his spare time with rock pathways and circles in the yard. But he's quite a work-aholic, so his spare time is sparse! I have two children, Natalie and Aaron.  Natalie is now 20, married and has a little girl, Chloe. So, I'm a grandma!! Before her marriage, she was looking for a career in acting/modeling which many good advisors have told her she can succeed in. Aaron is now 18 and has decided to join the world. They are both good kids, intelligent and eager to please, for the most part that is-typical teenagers!

I enjoy the outdoors very much. I like to do most anything that involves being outside. To simply sit by a river, or lay back and watch the stars at night and maybe talking with a friend is enough to appreciate the wonder of the Creator's touch. I follow the Cherokee way of life, trying to live as they taught in the old days. Respect totally everyone and everything you come in contact with (and this covers a lot I won't say here! You can now find it at my The Right Way of Living page. Thank God every day for his gifts. Practice modesty and humility every day. Never say anything unless you mean it completely and always follow through with what you have promised, no excuses. Give what you don't need to others who are in need. Never talk in a negative or harmful way, (and remember this tends to come back to you later). Practice silence and patience, listen to others, keeping your mind open but wary.

Anyway, it goes deeper than that, and I feel this is the right way. I'm definitely not perfect at it, but I still try everyday to honor God by remembering why we are here in the first place. And love to continually learn and discuss new ideas and facts.

I enjoy reading a lot. I used to do a lot more than I do now, but with everything else I have going on, I don't have as much time any more. Recently I have found myself not even reading fiction any more. My favorite author is still JRR Tolkien and his series, "The Lord of the Rings." I must admit I have completely read those books 14 times in the past 22 years. (And that's not as bad as the guy who plays Saruman on the movies--he said he's read them over 40 times himself!) But I find now I only want to read things that teach me something. I love to fill my mind with new ideas, new thoughts, especially those things that are off the accepted path, such as who is the Creator really? I have found in my research that He doesn't quite have the same characteristics that Christians portray Him as.

I also write poetry from time to time and maybe some day I will put a couple on my site. I have a couple of favorites. (And yes for those who have asked, I did write the poem on my main page.) I like Shakespeare a lot, especially Hamlet. His monologue is so deep I at one time had it committed to memory! I don't watch too much TV but when I do it's usually things like the Discovery Channel, History Channel, Learning Channel. But I do quite enjoy "Friends" and "Frazier." From childhood my hero has always been Zorro. I took 3 1/2 years of Spanish in high school but seem to have forgotten most of it. I've been learning the Cherokee language lately and enjoy it.

I do many things in the arts/crafts world. I paint, do beadwork (peyote, loom, square, etc.), work with leather (even tan it myself), and a few other tidbits. The majority of my work is along the Indian theme, especially Cherokee.

Anyway, I have a wide variety of interests. A few of them are like horseback riding, motorcycles (own a Honda Rebel now), hiking, road hunting, fishing, hunting, spelunking, and anything that has to do with outdoors. As far as sports go, I really only like football. I have been a Bronco's fan since '88, but don't even watch it anymore. I played volleyball and ran track in high school. I actually made it to state in the 100 yd dash (doesn't that date me?!) when I was a freshman. But I received leg injuries that year and they wouldn't allow me to run any more!

Well, I don't know what else to say so I guess I'll let you give me any ideas you may have as to what you would like me to add. I have put a couple of pictures of me below. I hope to soon have a picture of my husband on here as he really doesn't want me to put up any of the pictures I have at this time.

This is my aunt on the left and her daughter behind her. That's my son beside me. And by the way, I'm back to being blonde now as the above pic.