I was born in San Jose, California. We spent our summers going to the beach or camping somewhere; the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam were my favorite trips. Every November we drove back to Butte, Nebraska, for deer hunting (my Dad grew up there) and spent a week and a half with all our cousins. My love for the Midwest started early on, and by the time I was in high school, I knew some day I would live back here.
My grandma's health deteriorated quickly, so we moved to Washington state when I was 11 to help out. My parents bought 80 acres, 3 horses and 6 cows. That was the first time we did any gardening, and I was fascinated with growing our own food. I have helped my Mom in the kitchen for as long as I can remember, and cooking and baking soon became a strong passion of mine. I had so many failures along the way - one I vividly remember was mistaking 1 teaspoon of salt for 1 tablespoon. That loaf of bread was awful!
I moved to Butte in December of 2010, and started working at a hog farm. I met my now husband Lonnie at cruise night that following Spring and began painting with him a month later. We were married February 2012, and now have 3 crazy boys: Xander, Graham and Beau. Our garden gets a little larger every summer, and in the Fall I can an average of 250 quart jars and freeze the rest. My boys enjoy eating the fresh peas, green beans and cherry tomatoes while they play outside.
I am so thankful for our farmers market. It's a great way to meet people from the community, and also support local families.