I was born and raised in a small town in Northern Wisconsin. The winters were characterized by feet and feet of snow and negative degree temperatures. The summers were humid and buggy. Me and my two sisters, one younger and one older, would bike down to the nearby lake and go swimming everyday and hit up the local grocery story for candy. When I was in middle school my mom (divorced from my dad when I was young) and sisters moved to Tillamook, Oregon on the coast. We had no family from my mom’s side in Wisconsin. Her side of the family was from Springfield, Oregon. I remember making the trip from the Midwest to Pacific Northwest well. Going over the pass on interstate 90 and looking up at the huge green trees is a moment I won’t forget. I also won’t forget the rain, it was wet all the time it seemed. We moved in October so right before it rained for 6 months straight.
We moved in with my grandparents (mom’s parents) upon arrival in Tillamook and I got to know my 10 other cousins from my mom’s three siblings. We lived in Tillamook for three years then moved to Klickitat, Washington. I lived in Klickitat for two years, graduated high school, then went to college at the University of Washington in Seattle. Seattle was the biggest city I had ever lived in. I remember the constant hum of the city. I was used to quite small towns so the noise of the city was something I remember well.
I decided to study geology and got my Bachelors of Science. I always knew I wanted to study science and I love learning about how the earth was formed and how it works. I get excited every time I hear the word geology!
I graduated from UW and worked for a year in Seattle as a geotechnical consultant while I applied to graduate schools. Let’s just stop and take a moment to ponder…graduate schools! I never thought I would go to anything more than a two year community college but everything fell into place at UW and it just seemed like the right path to take. After getting my bachelors degree I just knew I had to continue to learn. Getting my Masters of Science degree was the next step.
I applied to a few different colleges and got into the Master’s program at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. I jumped at the chance to go back to the Midwest for a couple years and reunite with the cold winters I grew up in and also learn about the geology in a different part of the U.S.
Two weeks before leaving for graduate school, I met my now husband. We dated for two weeks and were so smitten with each other we decided, why not try a long distance relationship. We had nothing to lose! We made a pact to try and see each other for a few days each month. Two years later when I had finished my master’s degree we had made it through and I moved back to the Seattle area and moved in with him. Three years later we were married. He is my rock (no pun intended!).
I got a job about nine months after moving back to the Seattle area in the environmental consulting industry. With my work I am able to utilize my knowledge of geology with the interesting world of environmental contamination. While the environmental aspect was a steep learning curve, I find my work to be fascinating and rewarding. I get to help cleanup the world!
My husband and I currently have two cute kitties and we both play indoor soccer.
This brief summary about me brings you up to the present. In my blog you will learn more about me.