In the professional world I’m called a consultant. But if I could choose any title for myself, it would be “Fixer Extraordinaire.” I love to fix things. And even more than that, I love to encourage and empower other people to fix things too. It’s just who I am. I come into a situation, hear the story behind it, find what’s broken, lay out a vision and strategy for how to fix it, and get to work doing just that. My life is one (or more) project(s) after another.

We’ve all been involved in projects where the best end result was only a few really great, really hard, “lessons learned”. But recently I had the privilege of being instrumental in a really great success story for one of my clients. I was brought into the project to play the part of superhero. They were three-fourths of the way through their timeline and months behind on the project, with a completely immovable deadline. The results of the project were to be launched at a global symposium attended by thousands of their customers from around the world. The date had been set long ago, attendees had made arrangements to attend, and our project had been featured in all the marketing. This project was highly-visible, and, although failure seemed imminent, it wasn’t an option. It’s flattering, and at the same time, very humbling, to play the role of superhero. When I heard about the project the first time, I thought, “You want me to do what?!?” But for those of us with “fixing things” as our favorite pastime, it’s just…exhilarating.

The project, with a few strategically orchestrated adjustments, did complete on time, and was successfully launched at the symposium. The project was so successful in fact, that it earned an award from the CEO; and not because we were able to scrape by and pull it out in the end. Most of that turmoil was well behind the scenes. The award was for excellence. Among tens of thousands of employees, our project won the award given to only one team throughout the corporation each year. It was a superhero moment we all dream about. Working on a successful project is just fun!

Another fun thing for me is my involvement in Gateway Church. When we walk in the door the greeters say, “Welcome Home”. And it does feel like home to me. I just like being there. So I am there, as often as I can be, serving in a variety of ministries. It’s busy, but it’s that energizing kind of busy. I always leave feeling better than when I arrived, no matter how great I already felt.

I serve as a women’s mentor, and on the food hospitality team. Jon and I serve together as family group leaders, and on the altar ministry team. We are also involved in global missions. This past March we took all of our kids on a life-changing short mission trip to Guatemala. If you ever find yourself needing fresh perspective, this is where to find it.

Jon and I have five children together. Katelyn (17), Michael (15), Jake (9), Lexi (7), and Emily (5). The kids are all very active in fine arts, performing arts, and sports. The only thing that’s boring about having a family of seven is the laundry.