How long have you lived in the Willamette Valley?

I've been here in the valley for about 13 years! My husband and I are transplants from Southern California, with a small 5 year pit stop in Las Vegas. I've lived here long enough for some of the locals to recognize me, but also know that they didn't go to high school with me.

What does your ideal weekend look like?

My ideal weekend would go down just like this: My best friend in the entire world and I meet up in Alaska. We rent a super quirky Air BnB, with a random coffee mug collection with all the Moose on them. A magical Pinterest chef appears to cook us all of the amazing food recipes that we never cook ourselves, but drool over incessantly. We eat until we can't anymore, then watch countless hours of reality TV, eat homemade fries, and just laugh and laugh. Then, because 2 days in Alaska isn't even close to realistic we wave our wands for 8 more days so that we can kayak, sleep, eat fish, run from bears....

What shows are you watching?

I could watch episodes of New Girl and Parks and Recreation over and over again. Currently I am in the throes of Outlander, and I CAN'T STOP WATCHING, "Ya, ken?"

What song will we find you singing at Karaoke night?

According to my kids I am a terrible singer, but if I were to sing any song at Karaoke night it would be "Poison" by BelBivDevoe....now you know.

How do you like your coffee?

I'm some kind of non-coffee drinking unicorn- if you give me even a little bit I'll be up for a ridiculously long time! I do love some Kombucha and Tea, that's very cliche Oregonian of me. I could totally give you a SCOBY from my SCOBY hotel though, if you need one.

Why did you become a doula?

It's by total accident that I became a Doula. My first pregnancy was quite uneventful, but my birth was not. I experienced a severe postpartum infection that almost took my life. It was after I got well that my sister in law (A NICU, L&D, and Postpartum Nurse) told me something that would change my career path. She mentioned that my experience would be really helpful to other women going through pregnancy and birth and, "Do you know what a Doula is?" I didn't know what a Doula was, but I did know that I was terribly afraid my first year postpartum, and very alone. So I became her, I became what I was missing so that other's could feel a whole lot less alone in one of the biggest changes in life. I needed the emotional support, and the person in my corner rooting me on without judgement.

What is your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is totally ridiculous. That I will walk across a Pier, over the ocean and fall through the tiny cracks. Just magically be sucked down between 1/16th of an inch of wood. Oh, and in all seriousness- my children leaving this Earth before I do.

What are you looking forward to 10 years from now?

In the next 10 years I look forward to the day when my hubs and I can go on a long vacation together ALONE. For those moments when we hit that sweet pot of parenting when everyone can wipe their own bottoms, and when I finally write that book.

What was your favorite family vacation?

My grandparents celebrated one of their big anniversaries when I was a teenager and the whole family, aunts, uncles, cousins included rented a beach house at Cayucous Bay in California. We tie dyed shirts for family pictures, ate copious amounts of ice cream, played board games until our eyes bled....and laughed hysterically when we realized our Canadian Uncle love to wear Speedos.....Being together like that is what the good stuff is made of.

What takes up too much of your time?

Explaining to my children why they can't have popsicles at 7 am takes up a significant amount of my time.

What keeps you up at night?

Sometimes I stay awake at night because there's a toddler in my back but, I'm usually up late because I love to read. The cerebral part of me stays awake worrying about if I'm doing enough for the world that I live in and if I'm really using my privilege to help others, and how can I do more...