On February 21, 1993 I was born at Creighton University in Omaha,

Nebraska at 8:00 am, to the parents of Jason and Christine Hughes. My

parents named me Victoria Loretta Hughes. My first name come from a street
sign, Victoria Street, My middle name, Loretta, came from my Great
Grandmother; Loretta Arsenault. On March 2, 1996, I was the flower girl
when my father was remarried to Penny Stacks. Penny Stacks Hughes, his
second wife adopted me at the age of 3. When I was 5 years old, we moved
to Wetumpka, Alabama. I lived there until I was twenty years old. I am the
oldest of nine children, although I only knew two siblings growing up. When I
was 6 or 7 my family and I went to a restaurant and I took my first steps
towards my love of music. As we were waiting for our food and I saw an
instrument in a glass case. I turned to my Mother and said I want to play that
S looking thing one day. Not knowing exactly what it was, I was confident
that I wanted to play it. My Mother smiled at me and said that it was a
saxophone. In 6th grade while at Wetumpka Intermediate it came time for me
to try out for the band and I still wanted to play the saxophone. I tried out
the saxophone, and I loved it. But the band director was sure that I should
play the Clarinet, or the Trombone. I sat straight up in my chair and said,
Saxophone or nothing. I began playing the saxophone, and I have
continued to play. I played in many honors bands winning metals in concert
band, jazz band and marching band. In my junior year at Wetumpka High
School, a band member brought in a flower arrangement that was made in
our high school floral design class, it was beautiful, and it immediately got
my attention, I must know how to do that, which began my floral design
career. I waited impatiently until the school day ended. When I got home I
immediately scrounged the acre of land where I lived. I looked, picked, and
began arranging the flowers the best that I could. My first try wasnt
successful. But I was so inspired by my friends arrangement that the next
year I took the floral design class.
Currently I still play the saxophone and this is my tenth year playing. I
have started teaching myself to play by ear. I am also teaching myself to
play the guitar. After I took my floral design class in high school my love for
flowers grew. Presently, I create silk flower arrangements and give them
away as gifts to friends and family. Other arrangements that I have created
have been made by request. Often times when I get new flowers I tend to get
so excited that I get in the moment. Ive learned in my class at metro that
when I get in the moment it is called deep gladness. After I finish, I often
stand amazed not knowing how I created this beautiful arrangement.