: About Me

Like fellow writers Carol Ryrie Brink and Marilynne Robinson, I was born and raised in Idaho. My father still runs the Grandview, ID farm on which my brother and sister and I worked throughout our formative years. I attended Rimrock High School in Bruneau, then moved on to Columbia Christian College and, eventually, York College of Nebraska from which I graduated magna cum laude in 1995. It was after earning my degree in elementary education that my life began to change dramatically.

My first teaching assignment was in Colorado in 1995 where I also coached volleyball, basketball, and track. I spent that next summer on a short-term missions trip to Guinea, West Africa. In 1997, I traveled back across the ocean to Guinea to teach children of missionaries stationed there. I became immersed in African culture, learning the customs and daily life of the wonderful people of Hamdallaye, Boke, and Conakry while I learned even more about myself. I found it difficult to leave, remaining at the mission school for three years before returning to the United States.

Upon my return, I took another teaching position in Colorado, where I also drove a school bus for rural students. Due to some experiences in Guinea where medical care is often difficult to find, I took this time to fulfill a promise to myself to gain some medical knowledge. I trained to be a EMT because I never wanted to find myself in the position of not knowing how to help someone again. In April of 2001, I began trading e-mails with an online pen pal from Indiana, exchanging ideas and doing some proofreading work on the book he was writing. That summer, I returned to Africa for a few weeks, guiding a group of teens in Guinea. When I returned, however, I and my pen pal decided to meet in person, strictly for literary reasons, of course.

Michael flew in to Denver, where I was then teaching, in September of 2001. We spent a fantastic few days together, seeing the sights of the city and getting to know one another. Because he was flying with a buddy pass, a variable ticket, Michael was able to extend his trip a few extra days, and we decided he would fly home on the morning of the 11th. He was sitting in a 767 on the tarmac when the second airliner hit the World Trade Center towers, and he was stranded in Denver. We made the most of misfortune, however, and were married in December.

Today, Michael and I reside in Georgia and are raising three beautiful sons. I have always loved to write, scoring publication in several newspapers and magazines through the years, and now Michael proofreads my Helium articles. Amidst the turbulent times in our nation and even within our own home (believe me, having three boys under age 5 always makes for adventure!), we have carved out a good life for ourselves and look forward to contributing to the Helium community.

Entertainment > Musical Instruments The beat of celtic music

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"Once, as my heart remembers, all the stars were fallen embers. Once, when night seemed forever, I was with you." Lyrics such as these, featured in Fallen Embers by the artist Enya, have been set to the ethereal sounds of flutes, horns, and bagpipes to form what the American market regards as Celtic music. Other artistsClannad and Sinead O'Connor among themhave used the popular style to gain fame and a following. What defines true Celtic music, however, is not so simple as a haunting melody and a distinct female singer. The true value and history of the genre goes much deeper than mood mus...

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