My life has been a long and winding road, leading me through early failed marriages and abusive relationships, through single-motherhood, building a career, educating myself and doing the hard work to create any semblance of a secure life, whether that be spiritually, financially or relationship-wise.  I was born and raised in Southern California and never planned to leave there, until I found myself in dire need of relocation at the end of a long, difficult 10-year marriage.  I found a safe place in Colorado and re-started my life step by step. 

I got a job and an apartment and after a few years, I returned to school.  Not seriously at first, but during this time in the mid-1990’s, I took every photography class offered at the local community college.  I was still shooting with an old Nikon 35mm film camera I inherited in my first divorce.  I used that camera for about a quarter century, documenting my children’s lives and growth. By the time I finally learned that cameras only have so many clicks in them, and mine had “clicked out” we were firmly in the digital photography age, so I eventually bought a new Nikon DSLR and that’s when I started to get serious about landscape and nature photography. 

In the meantime, my kids grew up and left home and I began to pursue my formal education at the university level.  I was working at Regis University in the Human Resources Department at that time.  I spent seven years getting my bachelors and master’s degrees.  By this time, I was definitely ready to be a student!  Since I had waited so long to pursue my degrees, I decided to get as much out of it as I possibly could, so it took a little longer to get my bachelor’s degree.  I did a double major in HR Management & Applied Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies. Whew! I loved every minute of it.  I seriously considered getting my masters degree in clinical psychology, but in the end, I decided to stick with the management/HR course of study I was already on.  I got my master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and continued my HR career.  

I had four jobs over 25 years, about half in private industry and half working for private institutions of higher education.  I did some work teaching Organizational Psychology as an Adjunct Professor. 

After completing my degrees, I had time to focus my attention on my spiritual growth and development in a more serious manner.  I had been attending Mile Hi Church in Lakewood, Colorado for many years and taking classes there in spiritual development.  I then enrolled in Practitioner training, which is an intensive two-year course in developing a higher spiritual consciousness through the practice of prayer, meditation, life-long learning and spiritual study, and a commitment to be of service to others. After completion of the course, and a couple of other steps, I am now a licensed Religious Science Practitioner (RscP) and planning my next step towards ministerial service by attending The Holmes Institute.  In a few years time, I'll have a second master's degree, this one in Consciousness Studies.    

After 25 years as a professional Human Resources Administrator and Director, I sold my house, skipped town and moved to Colorado’s Western Slope so I could get out of “the big city” and closer to the national parks in The Colorado Rockies and The Colorado Plateau, which includes Colorado, Utah and Arizona.  Most of these magnificent parks are within a day’s drive or less from my home in Grand Junction. The Colorado National Monument is practically in my backyard; but other outrageously gorgeous places such as The Black Canyon of The Gunnison, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Great Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde National Parks are less than a day away.  Spending time in nature is an important part of my spiritual practice, and my camera is the tool I use to focus my attention; using stillness, mindfulness, and intuition to move from time to timelessness.

While photography is currently my primary form of artistic expression, I also enjoy writing and music and I’ll be adding more information about these activities as I expand my page. 

Life continues to be interesting and challenging at times.  You can chart out a plan for yourself and then still be surprised at the little twists and turns that come up that cause things to turn out differently than you might have planned.  This is definitely true in my life.  Soon after moving to Grand Junction, my mom moved in with us.  She’s 88 years old now and has been diagnosed with dementia, which is a progressive disease from which she will not recover.  This has created a whole new learning curve for me and my husband as we move through this time together with her. A long and winding road indeed. 

Thanks for visiting my page.  I hope you will feel comfortable here and visit again and again as we get to know each other better.