I was born and raised in Canada. Originally from the West Coast, my family moved east and back again as my father rose through the ranks of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
I studied journalism and public relations in college and went on to work for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, and Rogers Communications, Inc.
How did I end up on Alaska? My story starts with a camel named Hubbly Bubbly and a couple of traveling Kiwis.
Years ago I decided to head off on a solo backpacking trip to Morocco. While in Marrakesh I signed up for a camel trek in the Sahara. On that trek, while balanced on a surly camel named Hubbly Bubbly, I met two fantastic New Zealanders who, as coincidence would have it, were moving to my neighbourhood in suburban Vancouver.
After they arrived and settled, the three of us (along with a cousin and some of our friends) decided to test out all of the online dating services our there. We each picked a service with the intent to compare notes and find the best one out there.
As luck would have it, this is how I met my husband. Bill was living in Dillingham at the time, a small community off the road system about 90 minutes flight time from Anchorage.
We married in 2007 and spent a year and a half living in bush Alaska. I loved it. I volunteered to help teach elementary school classes and helped a university researcher study the biology of Bristol Bay while I waited for my official work permit. In our off time, Bill (a private pilot) and I would fly our Citabria all over Western Alaska exploring remote communities. We fished for salmon in the legendary Nushagak River whenever we got the chance and I learned to fly fish in the rivers of the Wood-Tikchik State Park.
Bill and I moved to Homer in 2008 with our adopted dog, Milton. Bill started a new job, we bought a great little house in a wonderful neighborhood, we started a family, and have spent years exploring all that Homer has to offer.
In 2014, we packed up our house and the kids and took a year’s working holiday to New Zealand.
We came back to Homer in January, 2016 because there really is no place like Homer.