I grew up in Clinton Missouri with both my  parents and two brothers.  My parents divorced when I was 6 and shared custody throughout my childhood.  Although they had different parenting styles, I knew both my parents loved me very much and supported me.  My brothers were a source of consistency and support throughout my childhood and I remain very close to them to this day.  My Dad remarried when I was 13, bringing a very loving and caring Step-Mother into my life.  My Dad encouraged and nurtured my love for the outdoors through hiking, canoeing, camping, and many more outdoor adventures.  

I moved to Boulder in 2011 for grad school to study art therapy and I have lived here ever since.  Throughout my career, I have worked with elementary school students as a paraeducator for a second grade student with autism.  I have provided therapy groups for elementary school students, middle school students by leading an afterschool and summer program through AmeriCorps. I have worked as with high school students as a school counselor. In my current position I teach college students skills to improve their physical and mental health.  

In 2018 I lost my Dad and Step-Mom in a hiking accident while they were celebrating their retirement in Alaska.  Their memory and the values they taught me like loyalty, perseverance, adventurousness, and compassion are still very close to me every day. It  Their loss also highlighted how important family is in our life and the desire to continue to grow our family  with Anna.

Creativity and playfulness are extremely important to me.  I have seen many children lose interest in art and creative outlets early on due to lack of support or critical feedback about their efforts.  I believe in encouraging and fully supporting whatever interests a child has and helping kindle their early passions.  

I grew up in Boulder, Colorado with my dad, mom and a sister. I lived in Saint Augustine, Florida for a few years while finishing my Bachelors degree. After I graduated I missed my family and the mountains of Colorado, so I came home to Boulder. My younger sister and I were four years apart, and loved playing games outside, making up stories and having stories read to us by our parents growing up. Of course, sometimes, we fought too. We are very close today.  I am very close with both of my parents, and enjoy celebrating birthdays, holidays and going on hikes outside with my family. Even though my mom lives blocks away I talk to her every day on the phone!

I love children, and have worked as a preschool teacher, a soccer and cycling coach. Can you believe I used to change 60 diapers a day!? I am definitely not afraid of  baby poop and I feel like a diaper changing pro after all those diapers! I always enjoy creating hands-on activities for kids, allowing them to ask questions to learn and grow. I went to graduate school and received a Masters degree in Counseling. Currently, I work as a "in-house" therapist for an international tech company. I have been a therapist for over 10 years in many different settings, and worked with so many different people from all backgrounds.  I really enjoy this work and hope to be in my current position for a long time. My work is flexible which will allow me to be a parent who is very active in our child's life!

I love taking photos of nature, animals and children in my life, creating photo albums for all of them! Every day when I walk the dogs I stop and take (maybe too many) photos. I love how creative James is, and it's fun to be creative together, too! I love listening to music, writing, and trying new foods.

Since I grew up in Boulder, I have had many of the same friends since preschool and middle school. My friendships are very important to me, and this has allowed me to grow up with a community full of trust, love and support. My family and my friends families are close too. Many of my friends still live in Boulder so our child will have a lot of other children to grow up with and be loved by.