I live in the Kamas Valley, a rural community twenty minutes east of Park City, Utah. My husband, Dave, is an outdoor sales rep and we love to ski, hike, and fish together. We fell in love on the slopes of Snowbird and over meals at our favorite restaurant Communal.

 

I have two sons, Ben and Jimmy, who are the most beautiful things I’ve ever laid eyes on. I never knew how in love, how exhausted, how joyful, and how moody I could be until I became a mother. Ben currently likes to stick both index fingers up his nose and jump around the room while Jimmy lies on the floor blowing spit bubbles. It’s actually quite entertaining.

 

I grew up in Utah in the winters and Quebec, Canada in the summers. Every spring my parents, with their five daughters, drove to the Kipawa River Lodge, a vacation spot that my parents own for fishermen, kayakers, and families. I spent my childhood summers swimming in Lake Temiskaming, reading books, building forts in the forest, and playing cards with my sisters. It was the dreamiest childhood imaginable. My dad wrote a book about the lodge. It’s a fun read.

I studied English Language and editing at BYU for my undergraduate degree. I’m not working full time at the moment, but I edit for my friend who writes young adult fiction. Read his stuff. It’s good. Family trips to San Blas, Mexico over Christmas vacations during my childhood spurred my interest in international non-profit and I also received my MPA from BYU. I’m looking forward to traveling with my family and putting that graduate degree to use in the future.

I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I’m a mormon. For my church calling, I’m currently an Activity Days leader for 11 year old girls in my neighborhood. We learn to establish good habits, serve others, and just have fun together. I also served a mission in South Korea for 18 months and that was a life-changing experience. I’ll forever be in love with the Korean people and their food. Kimchi.

If I had gobs of money I’d live in this house, get a new Madewell wardrobe, live in Spain, donate millions to Operation Underground Railroad and the North Korea Freedom Coalition and the Malala Fund, take an annual ski trip to Japan with my husband, and buy at least three Kershisnik originals. Oh, and I’d do all my grocery shopping at Real Foods when I wasn’t eating at Communal. And this is why I’ll never have gobs of money.

For now I spend my days cleaning, changing diapers, cooking, learning about healthy food, doing yoga, reading to Ben, kissing Jimmy’s chubby cheeks, editing, playing Thomas the Train, getting out for the occasional ski, feeding children, discussing the day with Dave, scheming about how to obliterate my post baby muffin top, dreaming about Mexico, and then starting it all over again.