I attended Grand View College.  I graduated in 1999, majoring in Elementary Education.  I received endorsements in the area of Reading, Language Arts, and Early Childhood.  I am starting my 12^th year of teaching.  My first year of teaching was in Newton, Iowa.  I taught 1^st and 2^nd grade reading.   Then, I taught four years at Wallace Elementary in Des Moines.  There, I taught 4^th and 5^th grade and was also the 3^rd-5^th Literacy Leader.  This is my seventh year at Pleasant Hill teaching 5^th grade.  My husband, Mike, is the elementary principal at Van Allen Elementary School in Chariton, Iowa.  We have been married 11 years.  On June 1, 2005 we had our first child, Brett Charles.  He is five years old already.  Boy, how time flies!  We also have a daughter, Kendall Catherine.  She will be three years old on October 17^th.  I graduated with my Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Viterbo University in Wisconsin during the summer of 2005.  We also have a Miniature Dachshund named Snickers.  I enjoy spending time with my two children and the rest of my family, friends, and of course, Snickers!  I also enjoy shopping and quilting.