I grew up on a farm in beautiful southeastern Idaho. My parents patiently taught me to pull weeds, play the piano, herd cattle, grow and sell fruits and vegetables, nurture bedding plants, sing harmony, do laundry, clean house, wrangle four younger brothers and many, MANY other incredibly valuable things. (Check out that list! Yep, they were, and still are, amazingly patient.) Simply put, they taught me how to work hard every day. The gospel of Jesus Christ was central in our home. They made sure that good music was an important part of our family life. They believed in my talents long before I ever dreamed of believing in them myself.
I attended Ricks College (of course I know that it’s now BYU-Idaho… but to me it will always be “Ricks”), decided to take voice lessons there, and was thus led into the wonderful world of music education. I spent hours singing in practice rooms and with choirs. I moved on to Brigham Young University, spent more time in practice rooms and singing in choirs, and earned my degree in Music Education with a Choral emphasis. (Did I mention that I spent A LOT of time singing in practice rooms and with choirs? Hours upon hours. I think I may feel a future blog post coming on….)
After serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Italy, I taught choir at Orem Junior High School. While there, I gained a firm belief that 12, 13 and 14 year-olds are AWESOME (and YES, I’m being serious– I LOVE that age group!) and that ANYONE can rise to high expectations and accomplish great things with heaven’s help.
Today I am happily married and living in the upper Midwest with my fantastic husband and or four fabulous kiddos. I wear many hats and hold many “titles” including, but not limited to, wife, mommy, sister, aunt, granddaughter, dancer, musician, chauffeur, referee, listener, snuggler, friend, neighbor, teacher, and of course, daughter.
My passion for helping women understand their true identities as daughters of God has propelled me into songwriting. I am loving this new-found (and sometimes super scary) pursuit and hope that the journey is long and beautiful. I’m happy to have you along for the ride!