Hello! As we move into 2023, I decided I would re-introduce myself with some new interview questions. I’m Liz Fagen – your host of The Faces of Big Lake. I am beyond honored to get to meet with and highlight so many phenomenal members of the Big Lake community. The Faces of Big Lake project is one of the most rewarding and positive experiences I’ve been a part of. Big Lake has embraced this project and each nomination brings us one more personal story and one more smiling face from our community. I truly hope you’re enjoying The Faces of Big Lake and I’m excited for the wonderful people who will be introduced in 2023. Please take a moment and learn a little more about me. And don’t forget to nominate someone to be interviewed as a Face of Big Lake.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My husband, Kyle, and I have been together 25 years and married for 21 years. We have been together longer than we haven’t been! I am also the VERY proud mom to Ethan -19 and Cade – almost 17. They truly are the best things I have ever done in my life. I am the oldest of 4 girls – historically just labeled “The Jarvi Girls.” My sister Mara and her family live in Stanchfield, my sister Bre and her family live in Saint Michael and my sister Jenna and her family live in Hanover. We try to see each other as often as we can. Sadly, we lost our mom in November and our father a few years ago. Having my sisters so close has been incredibly important as we’ve worked through the loss. Our family also has a few pets. Currently we have 3 dogs. Zara is a Golden Retriever, Punky is a Pitbull/Chihuahua – yes, that was a surprise – and Arnie is a Miniature Dachshund we inherited after my mom passed away.
Q: How long have you lived and/or worked in Big Lake?
Kyle and I moved to Big Lake about 18 years ago. We purchased a home in the city of Big Lake and then eventually moved to Big Lake Township where we are now. When we moved here we only knew two people and they told us about the town of Big Lake. Prior to moving here neither of us had spent any time here. Kyle has spent many years volunteering as a youth coach for football and basketball. He eventually began working as a referee/umpire for football, basketball, baseball and softball. Besides my career, I have spent time volunteering on the youth football board, the lacrosse booster club, Middle School PTO, initial PCN start up, chamber of commerce, creator of the Big Lake Moms and The Faces of Big Lake. I am now proudly serving with a wonderful group of people to start up Serve BIG – a homelessness awareness and prevention initiative in Big Lake.
Q: Tell us about your current, past, or future career.
Currently, I am a realtor with Liz Fagen Home Group – RE/MAX Results. I moved into residential real estate about 4 years ago after a very long career in various national sales roles. Must of my career was in the food manufacturing or supply chain industry. I worked for General Mills immediately after college graduation and then eventually worked with Holiday Corporate, ZEISS, and CHEP. I did a small stint in the fashion industry with the company Hollywood Fashion Secrets. During my career, I traveled a lot and was away from home many weeks a month. Being away from my family and flying into multiple time zones in a week’s period became very exhausting. I loved being in sales but really wanted to feel like I was actually helping people. Jumping into real estate was a huge move and truthfully, I was very nervous, but I did it and never looked back. It was the best decision I have made in my career and I intend to continue helping people buy and sell their homes/land until I’m ready to retire many, many years from now!
Q: Have you ever had a nickname? What is it and why were you given it?
I have had nicknames throughout my life and from various people. My legal, given name, is Elizabeth-Mary Irene. My mom was worried she would only have one daughter and wanted to make sure all the important women in our family were covered with one name. Both of my grandmothers, my great-grandmother, and great aunt are all part of my name. My grandfather immediately began calling me Lizzie even though my parents preferred Elizabeth. Now, many people close to me still call me Lizzie and I’m okay with that. My dad had a couple nicknames for me as a baby/little girl. He called me Bink most often. My mom often called me Peach even as I got older and I was commonly referred to as Lou-Lou Belle. I also managed to get the nickname E-I in college for an abbreviated version of my two first names.
Q: What is your favorite TV Show, Movie, Book? (Please list as many as you’d like!)
I LOVE to read. I will read just about all genres of books – fiction, non-fiction, biographies, poetry, and business books are my most frequent choices. For TV I tend to lean towards true crime like Dateline, 48 Hours, or the ID channel. I also love fictional crime shows, specifically, the FBI shows right now. I will binge all the popular Netflix shows that everyone watches too. I normally have TV on in the background while I work. I don’t see many movies and I am usually a late adopter to the popular movies. My favorite movie as a young girl was Troop Beverly Hills!
Q: If you could only eat one food/meal and have one beverage for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I would probably choose a pasta dinner of some sort with a pan – yes, a full pan – of brownies. My drink of choice would be Diet Coke.
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies or pastimes?
As I mentioned, I love to read. This is something my sisters, my mom, and my grandmother shared as a hobby. It was always great to pass books between each other. I am creative/artistic by nature so when I can, I love to write – poetry, fiction, journaling, draw/sketch, and photograph friends, family, and my boys when they are playing lacrosse or competing on horses, etc. Online shopping is a guilty pleasure too! I normally fill up my online shopping cart and only make a purchase about 50% of the time. Spending time with friends, enjoying our lake, and bonfires are all some of my summer favorites. Kyle and I really enjoy traveling and hopefully we’ll be able to do more of it in the future.
Q: What is one thing on your bucket list?
My immediate bucket list item is to go to Ireland. Fortunately, I am planning to go in September of this year with one sister and my Aunt and Uncle. It was a trip my mom was going to attend and due to Covid it was pushed back and she passed away before she could make the trip. I also want to get to Finland and visit the town my family is from, attend the Winter Olympics, take a vacation via a private jet, have a luxury sauna – correctly pronounced sow-na – in my backyard and move to a home on a lake.
Q: What would you buy/do if you won the lottery?
I would certainly fulfill some of my bucket list items! I would also make sure both of my boys are taken care of, as well as, my sisters and nieces and nephews. I would want to donate a portion to charities and non-profits that are important to me.
Q: What has been a challenge you have had to overcome? (Life, School, Work, etc.)
Oh boy. This question is tough and is always the most difficult for people to answer when I interview them. The biggest challenge in my life has been my battle with mental health illness. I can confidently say I have overcome this, not because it has a cure, but because I have the best treatment for all aspects of my illness. I also feel a level of success because I am open and honest about my struggles and want to help others. I have given interviews with my company and speak out publicly about the lack of mental health support and our need for a more open dialogue about mental health. I also have to say that almost losing my life in a car accident in 2001 was a challenge but ultimately I was blessed with wonderful doctors and family who all supported my recovery.
Q: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My face generally hides nothing. Especially my eyes. I have wished many times that I could hold back my feelings a little and not express them so openly in my facial expressions!
Q: Who has been a hero in your life?
I have had several heroes in my life. My grandmother was my first hero. She was always the soft place to land and was the kindest person I have ever known. She also passed along her love to shop and enjoy sparkly things and high heels! Another hero was my 5th grade teacher, Miss Flynn at Meadow Lake Elementary in New Hope. Out of all the teachers I have had over the years, she made the greatest impact in my life. She knew how to teach but keep everything fun at the same time. I will never forget “Rainy Day Research.” We had to find answers to a packet of questions and see how many we could come up with. This was long before Google, cell phones, etc. She also was a huge football fan and we each had a NFL team who we tracked throughout their season and learned math using their win/loss records. My team was the Washington Commanders though they had a different team name at the time.
Q: What is something even your family and friends may not know about you?
Many people are surprised to find out that I am an extroverted introvert. I have learned and mastered the skill of being out-going, out-spoken throughout my adult life. I can speak in front of hundreds of people in business or attend social events, etc. but my true self prefers quiet, small groups and I need my private time to unwind and recharge from time to time. When I was in elementary school I actually received a “Needs Work” in Social Time – essentially recess. So I failed recess because I sat alone and wouldn’t interact with all the other kids. Also, some people do not know that I had my face reconstructed after my car accident in 2001. I broke every bone in my face except my nose.
Q: What is your proudest accomplishment?
My two boys. They are the best things I have ever done. They are my rainbow babies after the loss of my first pregnancies and I could not be more proud of the men they are growing into.
Q: What are a few of your favorite businesses / restaurants in Big Lake?
Another tough question. We really do have some of the best businesses here. My newest favorite is Willy’s on the Water because it is something different in town. I love P.S. I love You Occasionally and Cocoa Maas. Another favorite is EvelynEve Designs. Maddi is one of my biggest supporters and her business has done some amazing things for my business. Not to mention she is a true artist. I spend a lot of time at Ember coffee and the atmosphere, coffee, and employees are just the greatest. Three Sons Hardware is fantastic and they will walk me through every silly question I have. Finally, Lupulin is a favorite. I love their beer but I also love how much they give back to other organizations in our community.
Q: What is one of your favorite things about Big Lake?
I really enjoy stopping in town and seeing familiar faces. It’s nice to get to stop and chat with friends at Coborns! I also love the lakes and parks. We are so fortunate to have so many great places to get outside and enjoy right in our city. Finally, I love the people. Over the last 18 years I met so many people through youth sports, the schools, my business, etc. and we have wonderful people here.
Q: What advice would you give to people living in Big Lake?
Like many other people have said, get involved. It isn’t easy if you’re brand new to the community and you don’t know anyone but you should step out of your comfort zone. Introduce yourself to neighbors, join an organization, volunteer in the schools – you will quickly meet people and feel the love here.
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?
There are far too many people to list here. Every previous Face of Big Lake is interesting. I can’t believe what extraordinary people we have in Big Lake.
