I am a stay at home mom with 5 kids 3 boys and 2 girls aged 22, 20, 19, 17 and 8. I did in home daycare in Big Lake for 12 years. I have 3 Big Lake graduates and a senior this year as well as a third grader. All of my kids have been very active in Big Lake sports through the years and we have been very supportive of Athletics and Businesses in our community.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My husband Keith is a financial Advisor for Ameriprise.
Q: How long have you lived and/or worked in Big Lake?
23 years
Q: Tell us about your current, past, or future career.
I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BS in Child Psychology. I started doing home daycare as soon as we had our first child and continued until I was pregnant with our fifth. I took time off to deal with cancer and was fortunate enough to stay home with our last daughter until she went to kindergarten. I currently watch one family and am a homemaker.
Q: Have you ever had a nickname? What is it and why were you given it?
Mom is the only one that has stuck and I wouldn’t know who I was without it
Q: What is your favorite TV Show, Movie, Book? (Please list as many as you’d like!)
Movie: pride and Prejudice. Tv show: anything that is comedy mixed with fictional crime. Book: romance series, too many to list
Q: If you could only eat one food/meal and have one beverage for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Cheeseburger, fries and a beer.
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies or pastimes?
Crafting is something I love to do and I’m not specific to any one craft. Puzzles. And gardening
Q: What is one thing on your bucket list?
Travel to places I’ve not currently been to.
Q: What would you buy/do if you won the lottery?
Travel more
Q: What has been a challenge you have had to overcome? (Life, School, Work, etc.)
The biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome is Breast Cancer. Im an 8 year Survivor
Q: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would be more assertive. I would like to feel like I can say what I’m thinking.
Q: Who has been a hero in your life?
My dad is my hero. He was drafted into the Vietnam War and saw and did things he never really spoke of but he survived and served our country and was the only member of his platoon to survive so I always knew he was special and meant to be around to shape us.
Q: What is your proudest accomplishment?
My kids are my greatest accomplishment, to see them grow and succeed in life makes me feel like we did our job as parents even though it’s so hard to watch them go.
Q: What are a few of your favorite businesses / restaurants in Big Lake?
Willys, Trails, Mcpetes, kwik Trip, Holiday
Q: What is one of your favorite things about Big Lake?
The way the community rallies around their own.
Q: What advice would you give to people living in Big Lake?
Take pride in your schools, invest in the kids as they are our future
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?
The owner of Big Lake Storage.
