I am starting with a personal bio - so if you just want our massage credentials - skip down to the bottom!
I was born in Chicago, Illinois, shortly after my father returned from World War II. My parents had a deli there, and I loved hearing stories about their time in Chicago. We lived above the deli, and my mother would work far into the night making cupcakes, potato salad, etc. When I was a year old they returned to Watertown, South Dakota, where I spent many happy years. My favorite activity was to be outside in nature, playing with my friends.
When I was 9 we moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where my father had accepted a major career challenge. From that point on, we shared his dream with him as he worked towards having the top insurance agency for his company, Lutheran Brotherhood. After completing the 8th grade we moved to Austin, Texas, where I completed high school. During those years I met my husband Tom and we began dating.
After high school graduation, I attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, for two years, majoring in Music Education, and thoroughly enjoying having an accompanist who had been assigned to me. Tom was drafted in the summer of 1966, which created a lot of emotional turmoil in my life. By September of 1967 I was headed to Germany to study at Schiller International University, which was located in Kleiningersheim, a little village just north of Stuttgart.
Schiller didn't really have much to contribute towards my music degree, but it was an amazing year. I studied German, French and Italian. I took piano lessons from a local instructor and music history. I had the amazing opportunity to study with Herr Helmut Lips at the Music University iin Stuttgart. The only other course I took that year was Philosophy. I also had the opportunity to star in a production of "Bastien und Bastienne," an operetta by Mozart. In addition to my monthly visits to see Tom, I had the opportunity to travel through East Germany to Berlin, and to visit Vienna, Austria. I felt quite special to live in the tower room of our small castle on the Neckar River.
The summer of 1968 Tom and I married in the states, and then returned to Grafenwohr, Germany - near Nuremburg. We lived there as Tom completed his three years in the US Army. He was stationed on a missile site, but we lived on the German economy. As I was fluent in German by that time, it was an adventure I relished. Though we had intended not to have children for five years, I was soon pregnant, and shortly after we returned to Austin, Texas, our first son was born.
When Walt was a year old, I worked as a secretary in my father's insurance office, and managed it for him when he was out of town. We moved to Grand Prairie, Texas, in the summer of 1972 as Tom's employer, 3M, had moved their offices to this area. In May of 1973 we welcomed our daughter Jennifer into the family. In May of 1979 we welcomed our son Dean. Being a wife and mother was my priority for the first 20 years of our marriage.
During those years I was involved in volunteer work through our church and La Leche League, where I was a counselor. I taught piano lessons, did occasional babysitting, and worked as a temporary employee when the budget was really tight. I enjoyed singing when the opportunity arose, and working on crafts: macrame, crochet and a bit of painting. We also had the wonderful privilege of sponsoring three Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon. I especially enjoyed helping some of the refugees learn Englsih.
At the age of 38 I returned to college and earned my degree iin Spanish. After several years of working in various jobs, I earned my teaching certificate through Alternative Education and taught bilingual kindergarten and 1st grade. Several years after I quit teaching, I earned my massage certificate and became a licensed therapist in May of 2007. My husband Tom went through massage school at the same time, and it reminded us of when we were in high school together. It was a lot of fun.
I have MANY hobbies - and basically jump back and forth from one to another. Among them are: quilting, crochet, knitting, spinning (yarn), gardening (especially roses), hiking; playing piano, guitar and recorder; singing and songwriting, painting, zentangle, textile design, studying foreign languages: German, Spanish, Italian, French, Norwegian sofar.
We attended the North Texas School of Massage in Arlington, Texas. Following is a list of the Continuing Education Courses we have taken since becoming licensed:
11-12-06 Hot Stone Therapy - 6 hours
1-21-07 Reflexology - 6 hours
1-21-07 Manipulations of the Soft Tissues of the Foot - 6 hours
2-21-07 The Healthy Breast - 2 hours
2-21-07 Lymphatic Drainage of the Upper Body - 6 hours
8-28-08 Medical Massage - 6 hours
9-28-08 Mobilizing the Scapula and Neck - 6 hours
7-19-10 An Evidence Based Guide to Treatment of Fibromyalgia for Massage Therapists - 2 hours
08-08-10 Incorporating Stretching into Your Massage - 6 hours
9-19-10 Painless Deep Tissue - 6 hours
2-27-11 Hot Thai Stem Massage - 6 hours
4-29-11 Medical Massage: Abdominal Massage with Ralph Stephens - 6 hours
4-30-11 Medical Massage: Knee, Ankle and Foot with Ralph Stephens - 6 hours
5-01-11 Medical Massage: Upper Extremity/Carpal Tunnel with Ralph Stephens - 6 hours
6-12-11 Introduction to the Critz Technique - 3 hours
7-17-11 Get Your Client Out of Pain in 30 Minutes - 6 hours
8-08-11 Skinny Massage - 6 hours
7-17-12 Skinny Massage - 6 hours
7-17-12 Certified Lypossage Practitioner for Zones 1, 2 & 3 - 32 hours
8-02-14 Critz Method: Neck and Shoulder - 6 hours
10-12-14 Save Your Hands Workshop - 6 hours
11-12-14 Critz Technique: Upper and Lower - 12 hours
3-27-15 Introduction to Cranio Sacral Therapy - 6 hours
3-28-15 Introduction to Visceral Manipulation - 4 hours
3-28-15 Introduction to Trigger Point Therapy - 6 hours
9-13-15 Day of the Back - 8 hours
3-03-16 Sacrology Self Care - 4 hours
3-03-16 Somatics - 3 hours
3-04-16 Nemerov Method of Neuromuscular Therapy - 12 hours