Debbie Boostrom likes the simple pleasures in life. She grew up in Largo, Florida, and rarely ventured far from the beach. "If I wasn't in school," she says now, "I was at the ocean. There were a bunch of us who were always together; they called us the rat-pack. We'd spend all day swimming and fishi
...ng - I caught a shark once that almost pulled me off the boat - and water-skiing. I'll give you an idea of how much time we spent doing that: Everybody in the group could ski barefoot." Once she got out of school, Debbie decided to see America before she settled down, and she didn't mind living the vagabond life to do it. She and her boyfriend bought a van, fixed it up like home and took off. "I think we missed a few states, but not many. It was great fun, camping out in the mountains and the deserts. Every day, we'd drive and see the sights until we felt like stopping, and then we'd stop. No rules, no regulations, just a lot of fun and freedom. I'll always be glad I did that while I was young. It took a long time, traveling and bouncing from one place to another, to satisfy my wanderlust."
But now Debbie's ready to stay put. Recently, she moved from Miami, where we first found her - on the beach, naturally - to California. "My friends out here all thought I should live in L.A., because that's where the best modeling opportunities are. But the pace in L.A. is too fast for me. I want a more easygoing, home-oriented life." So Debbie spent a few more weeks living in her van while she explored the beach areas south of Los Angeles. When she reached La Jolla, a beautiful community just north of San Diego, she stopped looking. "I fell in love with it right away. It's just what I want. Fresh air, nice people, great weather and the ocean. And a very laid-back pace."
Modeling opportunities, however, still bring Debbie back to Los Angeles frequently. "I feel like a regular commuter," she says. "I've been here four times in the past three weeks, but it's perfect that way. I can visit my friends, do my work and hurry back home.
At home, Debbie lives with her new love, a young artist who shares her passion for the simple life. "Just say that my love life is content. Very content. He's a great guy and we get along beautifully. He's got a big heart and a good sense of humor, and that's what I look for in a man. I guess I'm just old-fashioned, but I don't want a big career and lots of love affairs.
"My ambition is for a happy marriage and a big family. That's what I've always wanted. My idea of a big time is staying home with my boyfriend and watching old movies on TV. I just love the romance in them. Any Shirley Temple movie is a must. Clark Gable is a must. My favorite movie is Gone With the Wind. That Scarlett really blew it. She was the dumb one. Really dumb." Not so our Debbie. She knows what she wants, and we suspect she'll get it.
