What did you do right after we graduated?

I went to Carleton College in Minnesota, graduating in 1967 with a B.A.

in Russian and East Asian Studies. The summer before my senior year

I went to Japan with a group from Carleton, then in the fall I traveled

alone for two months from east to west across what was then the

Soviet Union--truly a memorable trip! I visited not only Siberia, but also

Central Asia and Georgia before I finally got to Moscow, Leningrad (St.

Petersburg now) and Kiev. Home through Czechoslovakia, France,

England and New York. Took a fourth year of Russian language at the

University of Michigan in 1969. Married Norm Hiestand in 1973,

became a Christian in 1975, and received a second baccalaureate

degree in 1977--a B.S. in Forestry Management from Humboldt State

University in California. Sons William born in 1978, and David in 1980.

Sadly was divorced in 1985; Norm never became a Christian and we

were therefore never united spiritually at the deepest level.

What has been your occupation(s) over the past 50 years? Tell us

about any highlights or cool things that you’ve been a part of.

I have worked in the fields of Russian (Stanford Department of Slavic

Languages and Literatures) and forestry (U.S. Forest Service in

Humboldt National Forest in Nevada). When my children were little I

was a stay-at-home mom while my former husband was a national park

ranger. Learned many computer applications in work as administrative

assistant, then built my own small business as a desktop publisher.

Started seriously taking yoga classes in 1986 to alleviate back pain; this

has evolved into my small business "Scoliosis Yoga", web site is

www.scoliosisyoga.org. In May 2013, I completed a 2-year, 800-hour

certification as a yoga therapist--a cutting-edge emerging field!

Where have you lived, and where do you live now?

After graduation from AAHS I stayed in Michigan a few years, then

moved Out West and got married. I have lived in California, Nevada,

and now the state of Washington. The Great Northwest is truly my

home; there are enough evergreen trees, oceans, and mountains out

here!

Are you retired? If so, what are you doing in retirement?

I am semi-retired; at this point teaching 7 yoga classes a week in senior

centers, teaching for an Arthritis Study for the U. of Washington, and

teaching a few private scoliosis and back pain clients in my home

studio. In the future, I will be studying chiropractic and physical therapy

techniques for scoliosis.

Please tell us about your family, spouse/s, children,

grandchildren, etc.

I am a proud new grandma! My first grandson, Alexander, was born in

March 2013. Watch out; I'll be showing his picture around!

What interests/activities do you find most satisfying?

I have had a peripetetic spiritual journey; raised as a "silent meeting"

Quaker, then became a Baptist (when I became a Christian and

realized that Jesus is indeed alive today), then New Ager (when

Christians were not able to answer my questions), then Baptist again

(when I realized that the Holy Spirit was not as present to me as

before), then Mormon (when evangelicals were tearing down other

religions). No religion is perfect, because we're not perfect, but my job

now is to pray, listen, and follow the Lord as best I can, wherever I am.

Other interests: being with family and friends, yoga, hiking, folk

dancing, Native American Indian dancing, and celebrating Christmas

Swedish-style.

Did you have experiences in High School that influenced later

choices in your life?

French and Russian classes fed a love for languages and different

cultures.

Do you have any memories from High School that you would like

to share?

Many years in Girl Scouts and with the Wushtenong Indian Dancers.