Greetings Big Lakers! I am super excited to have been nominated as I have truly enjoyed getting to know all the other Faces of Big Lake and hope you enjoy getting to know more about me and the Big Lake Bucks!
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My husband Dan and I started dating my freshmen year of high school in Rockford, MN, where we sat next to each other in math class. We have been together for 23 years and will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this month. Dan works as a Project Manager for Progressive Building Systems in Albertville and enjoys four-wheeling with the kids, hunting, fishing, traveling and anything music related. We have 4 beautiful kids, Kaylee 18 and Karlee 12 are our girls and Rider 8 and Brady 3 are our boys. Kaylee just finished her first year at the U of M, making the Dean’s List both semesters while double majoring in Sociology of Law and Political Science with a Spanish Minor. After the U, she plans to attend Law School and wants to be a prosecuting attorney upon graduation. Kaylee was also awarded a very coveted paid internship with the St. Paul City Council, beating out many upperclassman to be the Communications Intern for Rebecca Noecker, councilwoman for Ward 2. She has helped launch multiple social media sites for the Ward and has loved the experience of being a part of the government operations for the Capital. She is also coming up on 3 years of employment at the Monticello Target as a Beauty Consultant. Karlee will be a 7th Grader this fall at Big Lake Middle School where she wants to try cheerleading and hockey this year. Karlee enjoys outdoor activities like rollerblading, four-wheeling with her dad and is learning how to ride a dirt bike. Our first son Rider will be turning 9 this month and has kept us on our toes since before he was born. When I was 20 weeks along, it was discovered that Rider had a utero development condition known as SUA or Single Umbilical Artery. A single umbilical artery, SUA, is a malformation of the umbilical cord where only one artery instead of two is present. It may be associated with other birth defects. As a toddler, Rider was medically diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Global Developmental Delays and has spent his preschool and elementary years in an amazing special education program for kids with Autism through the Anoka Hennepin school district. Rider loves swimming, swinging on the sunset and attending school. He is also in the Young Athlete’s program through Special Olympics Minnesota and loves any kind of physical activity that he can get. Brady Jordan, named for the G.O.A.T.s, is our youngest and actually turned 4 today on August 4th. He loves playing with Mario, building trains, putting together Hot Wheels cities and watching Monster Trucks.
Q: How long have you lived and/or worked in Big Lake?
We got very lucky landing here in Big Lake about 5.5 years ago in March 2018. We had decided it was time to leave our first home in Elk River so we put our house on the market and it sold the first day and then we really struggled for the next few weeks trying to find a home that we liked and were really starting to panic when our current home popped up on the market. We both immediately left work to come and look at it and by the end of the first day I think it had 7 offers on it and we were very fortunate that ours was chosen, Sorry Jill. Big Lake wasn’t really on our radar at the time but we know there is a reason that we ended up here!
Q: Tell us about your current, past, or future career.
I currently work for Airgas LLC, an Air Liquide company, as a Manufacturing/Metal Fabrication Account Manager based out of our Ramsey, MN plant. My territory covers the MPLS North Metro and my role is focused on helping companies better compete in all aspects of their operations including bulk gases, specialty gases, safety, supply chain and more with a focus on welding efficiencies and unlocking the hidden costs of welding. Prior to Airgas, I spent 6 years working in the critical power industry and was a quick-service restaurant manager in my early years.
Q: What is your favorite TV Show, Movie, Book? (Please list as many as you’d like!)
Favorite TV shows are anything true crime, currently Still Missing on MAX is where I’m at. My favorite movies are Juno and The Illusionist. Replacing book with bands, my favorite bands are Rage Against the Machine, Atmosphere and Trampled by Turtles.
Q: If you could only eat one food/meal and have one beverage for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Papa Burger combo with cheese curds and an ice cold A&W root beer!
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies or pastimes?
My absolute favorite pastime is going to concerts with my family and friends, so far this year we have seen: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Disturbed, Prof, Taylor Swift, Rebultion/Iration, Fall Out Boy/Bring Me the Horizon, Incubus, Atmosphere and Slightly Stoopid and have tickets coming up for P!nk, Arctic Monkeys, Gojira, Pearl Jam, Greta Van Fleet, Trampled by TurtlesWu Tang/Nas and Metallica! Aside from music, I enjoy rollerblading, spending time with friends and interior decorating. Also, one of my absolute favorite pastimes is volunteering. I have been a Big Lake Girl Scout Troop Leader for the past 5 years and am also the Treasury Security for the Big Lake/Becker Service Unit, Special Olympics Minnesota is another one of my favorites where I take every opportunity I can to give back. I have also done Sunday School and Small Group Confirmation leadership at Family of Christ.
Q: What is one thing on your bucket list?
I want to get my CDL license and someday drive around one of our tanker trucks!
Q: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would change my attitude and desire towards cooking. I passionately dislike cooking, I think it is a huge waste of time, I don’t enjoy any aspect of it and usually spend my time prepping and preparing food thinking about all the better things that I could be doing with that time.
Q: Who has been a hero in your life?
Pastor Craig Quiring and his wife Marcie have been amazing role models and true heroes for Dan and I. Pastor Craig works at our home church, Family of Christ Lutheran in Ham Lake. His oldest daughter who is now in her 40’s was born with Cerebral Palsy. Almost a decade ago, our church launched a LifeGroup initiative where they encouraged those in similar walks of life to form a group outside of the church that would be service-based but also a support/study group to grow relationships in the church. Craig and Marcie decided to start a LifeGroup for parents of children with special needs. We have been meeting for over 6 years and the amount of wisdom, care and support that they not only show other families but bestow on their own daughter as well makes them our heroes.
Q: What is something even your family and friends may not know about you?
In 2001, I took 2nd place nationally in the NFL Gatorade Punt, Pass and Kick Competition for 14/15 year old girls.
Q: What is your proudest accomplishment?
My absolute proudest accomplishment was graduating college with honors back in 2015. I started college at 24 years old while working as a quick service restaurant manager. I was required to work 50 hours a week at a minimum in that position, had a 6-yr old and a brand new baby and Dan was working 2nd shift during then as well. I could only handle taking two classes a semester so it took me almost six years to obtain, I ran out of of federal funding the last two years and didn’t know how I was going to make it but I never gave up, pushed myself as hard as I could and received my Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Management in June 2015. My most recent proudest accomplishment was being named 2022’s North Area Rookie of the Year at Airgas.
Q: What are a few of your favorite businesses / restaurants in Big Lake?
Based on frequency, my favorites would be Kwik Trip, McPete’s/Third Rail and MN Wholesalers, however my absolute favorite Big Lake establishment would be Cambo Flare! We graduated high school with the owner Mike and like to say he got his start serving meat sticks out of our garage during Buckapalooza, a quiet little house party we had back in Elk River in 2009.
Q: What is one of your favorite things about Big Lake?
My favorite things about Big Lake would be the many parks and playgrounds available for the kids, the fact that it really only takes about 5 minutes to get anywhere in town, the amazing women I’ve met over the years through the Big Lake Girl Scouts and the city council’s decision to allow Willy’s to serve all-day 2-for-1’s!
Q: What advice would you give to people living in Big Lake?
“Be disciplined in what you respond and react to. Not everyone deserves your time, energy and attention. Stay in your light.”… and buy the damn concert tickets!
Q: Who is an interesting person in our community that you’ve met and deserves to be included in The Faces of Big Lake project?
My absolute favorite person in Big Lake, Jill Erlandson!
