About me

I was born and raised in Etna, Maine as the youngest of 4 children. My summers were filled with climbing trees, riding my bike, collecting and selling eggs from our chicken coop, babysitting, attending Christian summer camps, swimming in the nearby lake, and hiking the northernmost end of the Appalachian Trail. At summer camp, I enjoyed horseback riding, singing, creative arts and crafts, and talent nights. As a senior in high school, I trained and became a wilderness survival instructor at Living Waters WAT Center in Weston, ME. I was a certified rock climbing belayer and took 13-15-year-olds on week-long canoeing trips on the Allagash River and St. John River on Maine/Canadian border. I taught the teens about survival, teamwork, confidence building, canoeing skills, water rapids safety, and more. During the winters, my family would go sledding, ice skating, and cross country skiing every Sunday. (Cross country skiing is a big part of my Norwegian heritage) To this day, I still thoroughly enjoy the outdoors!

Growing up in Maine was beautiful, but hard. My parents financially struggled to make ends meet, often relying on charity for new school supplies or meals. This experience instilled in me from an early age a special gratitude for what I did have as well as learning the value of the dollar. My parents instilled both independence and a strong work ethic by giving me opportunities to earn money by mowing the lawn or hauling brush. At 13, I had my first job cleaning for an elderly neighbor. My mom had us volunteering everywhere possible, at the soup kitchen, nursing home, church, and fair. I grew up with a generous and caring spirit.

I moved to New Jersey for college in 2014 to study at Berkeley College for interior design. I landed my first job in Murray Hill taking care of a newborn. I thoroughly enjoyed the work, so I continued to learn through experience and decided to further my childcare education by renewing my CPR/First Aid certification and taking a Newborn Care Specialist course in 2017 by Gentle Ventures. I read "Happiest Baby on the Block" as well as Montessori methods, "Oh Crap" potty training, babywearing, cloth diapering, and baby-led weaning.