INTRODUCING US

I'm a 30-something single (divorced) mother.  I have two young sons and we share a little green parakeet named 'Cookie.'  Besides some fish that didn't live long back in 2008, we haven't had any other pets.  In the future, we hope to have more pets.

A quick and sloppy summary of my life: 

I was born in Northern Wisconsin to married parents.
I am the second oldest child of 6 living children in my family.
As a kid, I had white-blonde hair for the first few years, and blue eyes (now green).
Later on I had a dash of freckles across my cheeks and nose.
I was skinny skinny skinny with small bones. 
I was shy at first and I giggled and whispered a lot. 
I was not a leader because usually the most outgoing personality among siblings/friends would lead.
I loved animals, babies, loved drawing, dancing, singing, and playing outside.
I was homeschooled by my parents until age 15 when I entered public school.
I rode bikes and played outside the majority of my life until I was about 14 or 15 years old.
My sisters and I were enrolled in 4-H.  Our club was called Woodland Wranglers.
I attended 4-H camp at Camp Bird in Crivitz, Wisconsin. 
We had cats, dogs, horses, guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils.
I entered many projects into the exhibits at the Vilas County Fair in Eagle River.
I remember the names of the first 2 boys I had crushes on:  Joshua and Greg.
We lived on several acres of land along the Wisconsin River by the Otter Rapids Damsite on Cloverland Drive in Eagle River (just outside of Eagle River, but we had an Eagle River address).
I entered public school at Northland Pines High School in 1993 when I was a sophomore.
My family hosted Exchange students from Japan and South America when I was a teenager.
I graduated high school in 1995, attended 1 semester at Nicolet Area Technical College
While living at home I worked at Trig's Food and Drug, Pamida, 46th Parallel North, The Colonial House, Elko's Holiday Corner Hamburgers, and the Phelps Pharmacy.
I was involved in singing/performing groups in my hometown and around the area.

I left home in 1997 when my younger sister registered for college in Salt Lake City.  I followed her example and enrolled as well.  We attended LDS Business College and were roommates.
I decided to serve a church mission in early 1998 and left LDSBC after 3 quarters so I could get a job and earn money for the mission.
I served my mission in Arizona from September 1998-March 2000.
I moved to Des Moines, Iowa in February 2001 while dating my pre-mission boyfriend.
I got engaged to him in December 2001 and married him in May 2002.
I attended Des Moines Area Community College in 2002.
I transferred to Grand View College (now Grand View University) in 2003.
I toured the southern United States in March 2004 with the college choir.
I had my first baby boy in November 2004.
Jobs I had in Iowa:  Kidswest, David's Bridal, Wells Fargo Merchant Card Services, Wellmark Bluecross, Hy-Vee Catering, Rain & Hail Insurance, and private piano teaching.
My marriage fell apart from the beginning.  I stuck with it because I didn't believe in divorce.
I left my husband in April 2006 with the intention of returning to him if things improved long-distance.  I was a few weeks pregnant with my second baby.
I filed for divorce in October 2006. 
I delivered my second baby boy in November 2006.
I began teaching piano lessons in Utah during the summer of 2006.  I became an assistant manager of some apartments in the fall of 2007. 
The divorce was final in September 2008.
I began to homeschool my sons in 2010.
I still teach piano lessons.  I am occasionally contacted for hired photography opportunities.