I have always  been an artist. My earliest memories in childhood include sitting at the round wooden table in our kitchen, sketching and coloring while my mom fluttered around the house. As a teenager, I knew my life would probably not take a conventional path, as I was much more interested in drawing than math. But I stayed the course, determined to get an education. After graduating from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ, I went on to teach art to children in the Denver public schools. But after one year, I knew I needed to live a more active life; one that would connect me to the earth and to people who needed to be outside every day, regardless of the weather.

And so,  I moved to Durango, CO, and joined a fire crew through the San Juan National Forest. After about a year, I had an opportunity to help run river rafting guides in the Grand Canyon. I leapt! Adventures every day, campfires at night, sleeping under the stars...it was a dream come true. My last adventure as a young adult would be backpacking through Europe for three months, visiting places like Rome, Brugges, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris...my perspective on life changed yet again.

I finally settled down for a while in Bend, Oregon, and had two amazingly beautiful children.