Welcome to the blog of Crystal Groves, a web developer from the Maryland/Pennsylvania area. I was born and raised in Maryland, but am now living in Gettysburg, PA while working in Frederick at an eccentric development firm. I mainly focus on HTML and CSS, as well as cross-browser compatibility. I occasionally dabble in php, jquery, javascript, and classic ASP, none of which are my strong points just yet.

I do not have a college degree, in fact I’ve never been to college. Everything I know in my field was self-taught since my initial interest grew at the age of 14. I plan to go to school eventually, but am very proud of what knowledge I have gained so far on my own.

Before my current job, I’d done a variety of different jobs, from working as a Veterinary Technician at a 24-hour Veterinary Hospital, to a Customer Service Representative for Terminix.

My true passion, however, is the outdoors and the environment, with a bit of fiscal development on the side. I was raised a farmer’s daughter, and intend to eventually own a ranch where I can continue the tradition of living with the land with my future children. I enjoy camping, wilderness survival, and even hunting (for food, not for sport).

I enjoy living frugally and spending the minimal amount of money that I can. I bought my first new car at 26 and my first house at 28, despite the economic woes of 2008.

I can’t put myself into any particular political label, I am a mixed breed of political views. I am pro-choice but I am also pro-life. I strongly support the separation of church and state and religious freedom. But probably my biggest support goes towards Native American Rights.

The most important thing to me is the ability to support myself and my disabled father. Everything else comes secondary. My father lives with me in my house as he is on Social Security, and we sort of take care of each other.

I am also a semi-talented folk musician who plays acoustic guitar and the djembe. You can hear some old computer recordings on my music myspace.

I am currently dating a computer geek.