PLP 08 Profile: Missy Bell

Name:  Missy Bell
Age: 28
Born: Springfield, VA
Current Digs: Live in Alexandria, work in Springfield
Occupation: Girl Friday to Delegate Dave Albo
Favorite part about the job: The many different facets of political life I get to experience.  Being such a small office, I get to deal with everything from the mundane tasks to the most interesting.  And I get to feel that even in my small way, I have a place in influencing Virginia policy.
Your first job ever?  Swim coach for the team where I competed from age 4 to age 18.
Favorite book?  Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez or The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
Favorite movie?  The Princess Bride, followed only slightly by Top Gun
Comfort food?  My mom's Tex-Mex food
What's in your car CD player right now? Five for Fighting  It's the perfect length for the drive down to Richmond.
Next journey?  Egypt (my 29th country for my 29th birthday) in July!!
Favorite Virginia vacation spot?  I can't stay away from the water, so either Va Beach or Smith Mountain Lake
First political memory?  My parents were always very political, but the first time I remember something specific was sitting in the car with my mom, listening to Rush Limbaugh on Clinton's inauguration day in 1993.
Whom do you admire and why?  As cheesy as it sounds, I admire the many people (of both parties) who are willing to give up their free time, weekends, and holidays; hold themselves and their families, by default, up to public scrutiny; and put up with every Monday-morning quarterback in order serve the public as elected officials because they truly believe they can make the world a better place.  The pay is never enough, the "perks" really aren't that great, and the stress is enough to make any sane person question running for office.  However, there continue to be good, passionate people willing to make those sacrifices for the public good. 
Best advice you ever got?  "All you've got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!"  Tony Wheeler
If you could have dinner with any one currently living, whom would it be and why?  Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet.  I have traveled around the world using the Lonely Planet travel guides and would love to meet the guy who inspired so many of my adventures.  As I've learned, the best stories seem to start with "well, I was in [insert exotic locale] and I met [insert name of random stranger], and then..."  I'm sure he would have a few stories to share.
Describe a perfect day.  Start off by sleeping late with no alarm clock in sight, followed by coffee and brunch with a Sunday Washington Post or a great book to peruse overlooking the beach.  Then sailing and/or snorkeling.  Dinner with great wine watching the sun set over the water and a bonfire to snuggle up by as the cool night air rolls in.  Family and friends in abundance all around!
One thing most people might be surprised to learn about you?  I was a 4-year scholarship/letter winner and team captain of an NCAA Div I swim team at the University of Tennessee and was ranked 15th in the country among my age-mates in high school.
Ambition, political or otherwise? To live life to the fullest, raise a family in Virginia, and in my own way, make a meaningful contribution to my community.