How do you feel about cold weather?

Having grown up in western New York and then having lived in Minnesota for 20 years, I have had my fill of cold weather. I prefer it over hot temps any time. The air is fresh, I can breathe and think. However, I have gotten to where I dislike snow.  . shoveling it, driving in it, watching others try to drive in it 😂

Have you ever broken a bone?

When I was 13 years old, I was bike riding with my friends and zipping along a street that was lined with trash cans ready for pickup day. We were having a great time and I was too busy looking backwards talking.  I hit one of the cans , flipped upside down into the can and broke my wrist. My mom was NOT pleased. She was a nurse in an ER and we had to go get X-rays and a cast on her day off. My pride hurt worse than my wrist 😂

How do you balance work and home life?

Balancing work and home life reminds me of playing on the old teeter totters as we called them when I was young.  Trying to push off the ground hard enough to fly high but not so hard you catapult off and crash 😂 I have found learning to say no, taking a couple of hours for “me time” each week have made a huge impact on balance

What sacrifices have you made in life?

One of the biggest sacrifices that still feels like it was yesterday….in 1992 my sister in law died in her sleep just six short days after giving birth to her second child. Her death was right before my husband and I were to be married. I dropped everything and moved in with my future in laws and instantly became a mother to the newborn and the three year old daughter my sister in law left behind.  I will never regret it and both children are now married with babies of their own. They love to tell people their birth mother is in heaven but I am their “other mother”.

What’s the oldest things you’re wearing today?

My intangible oldest things are my smile and positive attitude.  I strive to have those on every day no matter what.  My tangible thing is a faux pearl necklace that was my husband’s grandmother’s.  She gave it to me and told me “it’s not real but will still make you feel classy”.

Are you a leader or a follower?

I have found that to be truly effective I have to be both. In following the verses in the Bible on humility, compassion, grace and patience, I am a better leader to my kids and in my community.  In following other successful business leaders and their example of integrity, and accountability, I am a better leader to the employees I manage.

List your top 5 favorite fruits.

Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, and blueberries. Actually I love eating just about any fruit except for kiwi.  Sorry kiwi.  It’s not you, it’s me. We’ll just have to start seeing other produce.

What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?

The improvements I am trying to make can be summed up with one word:  Focus. Focus on reading 30 minutes a day, focus on saying no more often so I have time with family, focus on the positive around me and not the negative.

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

My positive impact salute goes out to the “everyday Joes” trying to do their part to make the world a little bit better. I have met customers this week making handmade curtains for veterans’ housing, a lady running a homeless shelter throwing a birthday party for a resident who has never had one.  Keep it up. Added together we can change the world

What does freedom mean to you?

Freedom.  A powerful word. Even more so depending upon which preposition after it. Freedom from stress, grief, burdens, debt, low self esteem, doubt.  Freedom to pursue one’s dreams and aspirations, to travel, to love.