Mrs. Abernathy is a native of Franklin, Indiana. She graduated from Ball State University with a major in Music Education and Organ. She received her Master's in Religious Education from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, her Orff Levels I, II, and III from the University of Memphis, and has done additional graduate study at Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee. She has taught all levels of music from preschool through high school, and was a part-time instructor at Northern Kentucky University prior to coming to Virginia in August, 2001. In addition to teaching, she has also served various churches as Minister of Music, organist, and pianist. She lives in Burke with her husband, Jim, and son, Clayton, a student at Lake Braddock Secondary School. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, daily walks, and cooking.