First Lady Maureen McDonnell – April 29, 2011
Fun-loving and smiling through her always-on-the-go schedule, Virginia’s popular First Lady Maureen McDonnell is celebrating her special day as she continues her adventurous life journey.
And an adventure it has certainly been. As wife of Governor Bob McDonnell for the past 33 years, she had been by his side throughout the years as a military wife, mom of five children, and political partner. A bundle of energy, she’s always on the go with children and appointments and public events. Making her way through interviews and appearances, she and the Governor received rave reviews when they invited Fox News Channel’s Greta Van Sustern into the Executive Mansion last October for a tour and interview.
Willing to try new adventures, last week saw Mrs. McDonnell and daughter Cailin skydiving from an airplane with the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team, a public show of support for military families everywhere. I don’t know if she had every jumped from a plane before — the photo taken in mid-air is of her with a big smile on her face — but that took guts. A photo of her landing sparked a light-hearted “name the caption” contest at the Bearing Drift blog.
Her love of all things patriotic and family along with a strong faith could be expected from someone who grew up in a military family and then married a military man. Included in her close circle is First Dog Ginger who, when not chasing Capital Square squirrels, can often be found at the First Lady’s side.
All the adventure of the past years has been tempered with the recent loss of her parents, first her mom, Gerry Gardner, in June 2009 followed by her dad, Frank Gardner, in June 2010. Still, her buoyant spirit could not be kept down.
Today Mrs. McDonnell’s Facebook page is full of birthday greetings from those in all walks of life from the Commonwealth and beyond. There you can find one of her favorite quotes: ” ‘Tell her I want to marry her tomorrow.’ –Bob McDonnell, 7/21/1976, the night we met.” She adds, “I love God; I love my husband; I love my children; I love Virginia; and I love the Washington Redskins!”
For those who don’t know, she was a Washington Redskins cheerleader for three years in the 1970s so it’s no wonder Bob was ready to marry her as soon as he met her! She may not have realized at the time that she would one day end up in Virginia’s Executive Mansion, and there’s a feeling the adventure isn’t over as talk increases of her husband taking a place in national politics, perhaps as vice president or even president.
As Dr. Seuss would say, “Oh, the places you’ll go!” Happy birthday!
