With her piercing blue eyes and her outgoing nature, Misty Barden, a Norwich native, never gives up on her dreams, her goals or her ideas.

Some may say Misty can be outspoken at times, but she says she just likes to get her point across and be honest with everyone she meets.

“Being honest is the best way. I tell people the truth, and maybe sometimes they don’t want to hear it, but I mean good when I am straight up with people,” Barden says. “If I have something to say, I’m going to say it. Maybe that’s why my parents and I used to argue so much.”

Always carrying with her a strong sense of independence, Misty did not wait long to move away and try life out for herself.

“I worked while I was in high school and loved having the independence to buy the things I wanted,” she said.

Directly after high school, Barden moved to Endicott after meeting the man who would be her future husband at the Gus Macker Tournament in Norwich. Misty says she always knows what she wants and never doubts her feelings on any matters. She says the minute she met Matt Barden, she knew she would marry him.

While living in Endicott, Misty tried the waters at college and in the work force. She worked for a large insurance company and found she had a knack for the administration world.