My family’s journey began in the summer of 1990 when I married my wonderful husband, Jon. We met in the fresh pines of Flagstaff, an Arizona college mountain town where we both graduated from Northern Arizona University. Three years after we were married, we welcomed our first child, our daughter Hillary Paige. Not two years after that, we brought our son Grant home. For the first 10 years of their lives, I was blessed to be a stay-at-home mom, reading books, playing with finger paint, baking cookies, and taking trips to the zoo with our friends.

When Hillary and Grant were in elementary school, I decided to go back to teaching 1st grade (at the school my kids attended) for 7 more years before retiring when my husband’s career moved us from my native Arizona to the lakes of Minnesota. At this point, my nest was empty. Hillary and Grant were both in college, so Jon and I had to learn to adjust to a quieter home and less hectic lifestyle. I won’t say it wasn’t difficult, but we’re lucky to have a happy, supportive, and loving marriage.

In May of 2021, Jon and I left Minnesota for our next adventure in San Antonio, Texas. I’ve always wanted to live in Texas, as this is where my mother grew up and where my sister and I spent many memorable summers visiting our grandparents. (And to be honest, I could not be happier to have left the freezing tundra for the warm, sunny hills of South Texas.)

Jon and I are strong Christians and have always instilled our faith-driven values into our family and marriage. When I’m not writing about marriage and parenting, I enjoy traveling to Colorado to visit my now-adult children (plus the addition of a wonderful son-in-law), improving my golf swing on the golf course, shopping at the outdoor San Antonio mall, and exercising to stay healthy. I also enjoy a delicious glass of Cabernet while watching or reading my favorite Scottish love story: Outlander.