As you can see, Katie was a precocious child, learning how to read when just a year or so old.  Of course, if you ask her, she will tell you that this was the high point of her academic career.

Katie’s charm and fantastic smile were also apparent at a young age, although it’s tough to tell that she’s half-Irish, right?

Katie spent much of her early years avoiding dolls and tea parties. She was more likely to be found playing soccer, kick ball, or tag outside. Her love of soccer developed early and was unaffected by the fact that she was the only girl on the soccer team for several years.

At the age of five, Katie was lucky enough to become a big sister to Kirra Leland O’Toole.

Although Katie and Kirra had a great time growing up together, Katie made it clear who was the boss through the use of techniques like the headlock in the picture.

Katie and her family spent many school vacations traveling around the world. They visited such exciting places as Australia, Greece, Vietnam, Italy, Scandanavia and, of course, Ireland.

In elementary school, Katie made some wonderful friends to whom she remains close, including one of her bridesmaids, Mariana Elias.

Katie continued to play soccer through high school and college. Her parents were always, as with everything she did, her biggest fans.

During high school and college, Katie realized how much she loved working with children. She coached numerous soccer teams, worked as a counselor in a summer recreation program for children with special needs and tutored an inner city high school student.