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My sixth grade teacher in Beaverton, Oregon was Mr. Bray. He was very strict and demanded strict adherence to his class rules. Moving from Southern Alberta to Beaverton Oregon was unquestionably a culture clash. I asked Mr. Bray for an elastic and he promptly aimed and threw his chalk eraser at my head. I learned to keep my mouth shut after that. Kids in class made fun of me because of the way I talked.

I wore glasses for a year and expressed an interest in contacts. My parents said I could not get contacts. I told them I would save up all my money to buy them myself anyway! (a little rebellious streak). They weren’t happy. Three hundred dollars later I was wearing contacts and loving them. Doing janitorial work with my Dad had been worth the price!

I tried out for summer stock theater after my freshman year. The play was "Little Abner," and I was just part of the chorus. However, I gained the confidence I needed to tryout for plays my Sophomore year.

At sweet sixteen I started going steady with Mark Houglum, a Lutheran boy in my high school choir. He had a deep baritone voice that impressed me, along with his kind and giving nature. When Mark went away to college at Pacific Lutheran University, I still continued on with my senior year of high school. It became my most memorable year.

I tried out for “The Sound of Music” and was pleasantly surprised to get the lead part Julie Andrews played in the movie. Working with eight children from the community was so very fun and convinced me that I wanted to have a lot of children. Long practices were every night of the week until 10:30 P.M. Tedious hours of practice paid off in the spring when we played to packed houses for four nights in a row. I wore a nuns habit; strange for a Mormon girl!. I wore a wedding dress and walked down the aisle to get married at age sixteen. But most of all I loved the singing and the acting. It was a very thrilling experience, one I will fondly remember!