Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight
 Sharon Bridges
              Let’s get to know her…
  • Sharon has lived in Hot Springs, Little Rock and Harrison AR.She has also lived in Shreveport, LA, Fort Worth TX and Granbury, TX.
  • She graduated from Hot Springs High school and was the Class of 1975 Valedictorian.
  • She went to Louisiana Tech University and received a degree in Industrial Engineering.
  • She has been married for 35 Wonderful Years to Mike Bridges.
  • She currently works as a volunteer doing many things.
    • She coordinates the care for her mom.
    • She is a children’s leader for bible study fellowship.
    • She and Mike are the financial Peace University coordinators for FBC.
  • As a child, she wanted to have 6 children-3 boys and 3 girls-all that had names that started with the letters St:Steven, Stuart, Stan, Stephanie, Stacy and Starr.But Mike did not have the same dream!
  • She has two children named Cori, her daughter who just turned 30 and Michael, her son that is 26.
  • Sharon asked Mike out on their 1st date.It was a Sadie Hawkins week when the girls ask the guys.He said yes—then soon he realized that he was “grounded.” He went home, got down on his knees and begged his mom to let him go.She relented and the rest is history.
  • She admires her dad, Arthur Ray, who passed as recently as last week.He lived in a home of all females—his wife, 4 daughters and the dog.He encouraged me to major in engineering when female engineers were very uncommon.
  • Sharon is proud that she is debt free and can slalom ski.
  • Sharon likes to buy groceries that are on sale and use coupons.She also likes to prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them.“The Freezer is your friend”—She rarely has to wonder what’s for dinner.
  • Her favorite quote is: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
  • She chooses FBC Fitness over other gyms because of cost, environment, it gives her another outlet to know the people of First Baptist and of course, the great instructors!
       Mike Bridges
                 Let’s get to know him:
  • Mike was born and grew up in Hot Springs went to college at Louisiana Tech University (Ruston, La,), worked in Ft. Worth, TX, retired at 55 and moved back to Hot Springs (Nov. 2012-present).
  • Mike graduated from Hot Springs High School.
  • Mike has traveled to the Bahamas on his honeymoon and for work to England, Belgium, Norway, Israel and California.
  • He attended Louisiana Tech University with a BS in Computer Science.
  • Mike is a retired software engineer from Lockheed-Martin (32 years).He is currently a part-time sound engineer at Garvan Woodland Gardens.He is starting a small automotive repair business.
  • When he was a child, he wanted to be a Pilot and astronaut.
  • Random facts about Mike
    • He built a 2-seat airplane in his garage and flew it all around the U.S.: California, Idaho, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., and to the Bahamas.
    • He’s the only person in his family to go to college.
  • His favorite song to work out to is: “This is gonna hurt” by IM Nobode
  • His favorite exercise is Corpse pose.Seriously, anything upper body because I need it so much.
  • He admires people that try, and fail.And try again, and fail a little less.And again, and again, until they succeed.Their drive is what makes this country work.
  • His pet peeve is whiners.He hates the phrase “I just can’t catch a break.” “I’m so unlucky.”“The cards are stacked against me.”
  • He is proud of his marriage of 35 years.
  • In his spare time he likes to read, water ski and car racing.Unfortunately the only racing done in Arkansas is on Sunday, which I’m not willing to give up, so that one is in the past.
  • The hardest thing he ever done was to go to College.It was the most intense 4 year period of his life.It took everything he had to succeed (graduated with a 3.27 GPA)