Summary:

I'm a proud Minnesotan. I'm from the headwaters of the Mississippi and am making plans to canoe it next year. The color yellow makes me happy. My favorite place in the world is on the lake I grew up on. I love the country. A lot. I love dogs, ducks, pigs, playing cribbage, hiking, camping, working hard and getting dirty. I feel most like myself when I'm wearing jeans, a t-shirt, my blue flannel, and my Keens.

Extended Version:

I grew up on a small farm in northern Minnesota. I love it there. In my family I learned the importance of hard work and doing your best. I believe in equality and empowerment. I appreciate respect, but for me that does not come in the form of treating me differently from others, but in treating everyone equally well. I am a capable, independent woman who loves to create. I decorate cakes, train dogs, raise pigs, build fences, drive tractors (Massey Ferguson, please), plant vegetable gardens, and quilt. I want to build a cabin one day.

I thrive off of peace and search for it constantly. I love the countryside, clean air, and solitude. I cherish my memories and I live my life to make more memories. I almost lost my life twice and live so I won’t regret my actions or activities. I have learned that waking up for a sunrise is always worth it, family makes the best friends, and traveling (even if you’re alone, which I often am) is a great adventure.

I come from a part-member family. I was raised in The Church but was not allowed to be baptized until I was 18. The Gospel means everything to me, and my hope for an eternal family (current and future family) sustains me. My Grandad was my biggest influence. Memorial Day is my favorite holiday because it is full of traditions and brings my extended family together (along with the Fourth of July).

I have been training dogs since I was 8, and dream of having perfectly trained dogs one day. Hopefully soon. I also hope to live on a farm—preferably the one I grew up on. I don’t like superficiality. I do like to dress up and look nice when the occasion calls for it (at least every Sunday), but otherwise I love my t-shirts. I want someone who wants me for me, even when I don’t do my hair or makeup. I strongly dislike running and dancing; there are some exceptions (I love running through fields to get from one place to another, and I like some swing dancing, if my partner can lead). I know ASL and Spanish. I’m the type of person who won’t tell someone how to do something if I believe they can complete the task—really, it’s not important what route you take to get to the store, there are much more important things in life. When someone else is laughing, I can’t help but join them. I really can’t, even if it’s just on a commercial.

So there you have it, some of what defines me.