Occupation: I am a real estate agent with Prudential Connecticut here in Newtown. Prior to this, I owned my own faux painting/interior decorating company, LMH Design.

Family: My husband, Bill, who does commercial sales for Gymsource out of New York City; our son, Brendan, who is 18; our daughters Megan, 15, and Madeline, who is 9 years old.

Pets: I have a golden retriever named Hunter. He is 5 years old. I have a cat named Toasted Almond, or if that gets too long, we call him “Toast.”

How long have you lived in Newtown? We have been in Newtown for 15 years.

What do you like to do in your free time? I just started gardening. That’s my newest hobby. Now I have the utmost regard for people who garden It’s been a real learning curve. And I love to cook, especially experimental things. I’m addicted to epicurious.com. I think cooking is cathartic. When I have time to read, I love to read Janet Evanovich. She is so funny. Just silly stuff lately, nothing serious. I also like to go to tag sales. I wish I had more time to do that.

Do you have a favorite flower? Peonies. I love them. My family gave me a tree peony for Mother’s Day, and I go out barefoot in the morning and just stand there to smell the peonies. They gave me a white, scented verbena and purple and white lilacs, too. We planted them right under the window and the scent just permeates the room.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The people here in Newtown. When we first moved here, Brendan broke his leg and ended up in a full body cast. There were people coming out of the woodwork I didn’t even know offering to help. They brought us food, video games, gave our kids rides to the pool, all kinds of things. And it has always been like that. Good or bad, the people of Newtown always come together.

Do you have a hero? I think my mother is my heroine. She’s so strong. She’s been through so much in her life. She took care of her mother and she took care of my father when they were ill. She’s just a very strong individual.

Do you have a personal philosophy? I always come back to the words from a Dan Fogelberg song: “Love where you can, Cry when you have to, Be who you must, It’s part of the plan…” Just be who you are.

Do you carry anything unusual in your purse? If I didn’t have it, I would die — it’s a metal tape measure. I don’t go anywhere without it. That’s why my purse is so heavy!