After leaving Kellogg, I attended Mankato State College, graduating with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education.  I met my husband Doug while at MSC.  We were married in 1970.  After he graduated in 1971, we moved to Gaylord, MN where Doug taught 4th grade.  I graduated in 1972 and taught Head Start in Gaylord for 3 years before we started our family.

Our daughter Erin was born in 1976.  In 1977 Doug decided that teaching was not for him so he went back to school to learn cabinetmaking with the goal of returning to Windom to work the home farm and building cabinets in the off season.  Our second daughter, Shannon, was born in 1978.

In 1979 we returned to Doug's hometown of Windom.  I never would have predicted that I would work on a farm!  While I didn't drive tractors or big trucks, I did pick rock, walk beans (weed fields) and load bins.  The greatest part about the farm is our prairie.  We have 38 acres of certified prairie that is home to an endangered species called Prairie Bush Clover.   I actually did contract work for the DNR for 20+  years gathering data for a study on Bush Clover. 

While I was a stay at home mother, I was rather active in the community and in our church.  With a small church, I serve in many capacities.  I was also a Girl Scout leader and trainer and I served on several committees and boards over the years.

I returned to teaching as a substitute teacher after being out of the classroom for 16 years; kids sure changed in that time!  After 14 years of being a sub, I finally got my own classroom; I taught Special Ed. in Jeffers, MN for 6 years before retiring.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, trivia, collecting stamps, working puzzles, coloring and doing various arts and crafts.  I also enjoy spending time with my only grandchild, Liam, who is 8.  I relish the time we have together while he still thinks it is cool to hang out with grandma!