I was born on August 5, 1976 in Hutchinson, MN. My mom’s name is Dee and my dad’s name is John. I have an older brother named Mike and a younger sister named Katie. I lived in Hutchinson, MN for a year before my family moved to Litchfield, MN to run an auto parts store. While growing up, I helped my parents at their “store”, which grew from an auto parts store into a gigantic automotive exhaust factory. I had a happy childhood. As a girl, I enjoyed going on routes with my dad to deliver mufflers, exhaust pipes and other miscellaneous items to muffler shops in Minnesota. I felt special because I knew my dad wanted my company and it was fun to help out unloading stuff from the truck. I was a tomboy for years and my brother was nice enough to let me tag along with him and his friends. We rode bike in the “dirt hills” behind our house, had water balloon fights, and played with GI Joe guys, He-Man, tinker toys, lincoln logs, and match box cars. We also traded baseball cards, which is something I knew nothing about, so I’m sure my brother was good at taking advantage of that.
I also had good times with my sister. My sister and I dressed up Barbie dolls (and usually got too bored to play with them by the time we finished dressing them), traded stickers with a neighbor girl, practiced dive rolls and other gymnastics stunts, jumped down the stairs into a pile of pillows, and tickled each other until it hurt. My mom was always there for me. I enjoyed talking to her on her bed (sometimes she would fall asleep, snore and insist she hadn’t), baking with her and getting her help with my school work. I attended St. Philip’s Catholic school from 1st through 6th grades. I always liked school and was a pretty motivated student. In 4th grade, I won the award for “Giving the Longest Answers to Questions Asked During Class.” (I still have a mouth on me, and am high energy and hyper (some may say freaky) in a comfortable situation. I’m shy and quiet when I first get to know people.) Sixth grade was the most miserable year of my life because I was constantly tormented by three boys in my class because I was a little chunky. The experience made me more caring and sensitive towards others and I try not to make fun of other people. Around the time I graduated from 6th grade, my 5th grade teacher told me, “Ms. Forbes, you’ll be in for a rude awakening when you get to Junior High.” She knew that I only cared about being the best, which was easier to do in a small class. I filed her warning away in my brain and worked so hard when I got to Junior High (a public school). I never missed the A honor roll and rarely ever got a grade as bad as an A-. I played the flute, volleyball, basketball and softball and got involved in speech club and studied German. I found a group of girls to be friends with. They were all super smart and we always stayed out of trouble. I decided when I was probably less than 3 feet tall that I would never try alcohol and I still have not tried it. I graduated from high school in 1995. I went to college at the University of Minnesota Morris. I played flute and piccolo in concert band and the tenor sax in jazz band. I studied a lot and was planning on becoming an obstetrician. I ended up majoring in Economics and Business Management because I did not enjoy chemistry labs. Just prior to graduation from college in 1999, I use the date April 29, 1999, I made the most important decision of my life – to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life. I didn’t change all my sinful behaviors immediately (and still haven’t), but I began the transformation process. After graduation from college, I went straight to law school at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. During my first year of law school, I discovered Christian radio and I quickly loved Christian music and enjoyed learning from pastor and evangelist Chuck Swindoll. I graduated from law school in 2002. I spent that summer barefoot waterskiing with my brother and studying for the bar exam. I began working as an employee benefits attorney at Dorsey & Whitney in fall of 2002 and I’ve been there ever since. I bought a house on October 30, 2003 and immediately started tearing down wallpaper. (I’m still not done!) On November 1, 2003, just 2 days after I bought my house, Andy (who I had not yet met) wrote an entry on his blog (Just a Vapor) saying, “Who knows, maybe I’ll meet, fall in love, and marry someone who has a house.” Well, Andy met me, he fell in love with me, and it appears that he is going to marry me!!!