Kramer 101- The Mom

Mommy LOVES celebrating her babies!

Day Camping at Oxbow (and my hair has no grey so I don't know what's up with this pic!).

Finn, 3 weeks old with his parents.

Celebrating Gracen's 3rd birthday in Sabbath School

Mommy with the kids Spring 2011 in our yard

Looking like some sort of bird of prey

It seems appropriate to start the Kramer Family Blog out with a brief bio of each family member. Since I am the one writing this blog, I will take the liberty of going first :-). Born in Saint Helens Oregon, I was the fourth & last kid born to my folks. I have three siblings, Jim, Tom & Alice. People say Tom & I look a lot alike. That must be a good thing, because he is one nice looking dude :-). Most of my school years were spent at home being schooled by my mother. Busy, talkative & full of imagination would be a good way to describe me during those years. Some people might add in mischievous & slightly annoying but I will leave that part out :-). My family moved to Vernonia when I was 11 years old. Those were some of the best years of my childhood. Growing up I had horses, chickens, pheasants, dogs & cats. For a few years I participated in 4-H & was a very self-motivated young lady, bringing home champion trophies several years in a row (don't know what happened!). Although I was home schooled, I participated in cross country & track with the Vernonia high school & won several state titles as well as being awarded several full ride scholarships to state universities, which to many people's horror, I turned down. Graduating from home in 2000, I set out to see the world (well not exactly but it sounds so much cooler to say that)! 2001-2002 found me attending a Christian college in Boise, Idaho where I scored a 4.00 GPA while working at a care home for the elderly. Coming home from Boise, I moved out into a dumpy shack in the heart of Vernonia & went thought my share of trials & tribulations. In early 2003, I moved into a much nicer place & continued to work for my family's truck salvage. Matthew & I started dating & things moved rather quickly from there on out! Fast forward to 2012, Matthew & I are married & have three beautiful young children. We are a vegetarian family, who love the Lord & are looking forward to His soon return. My days are spent caring for the children, although somewhere inside of me, I do have other interests & hobbies :-). History, ships, WWII aircraft, backpacking, natural medicine, yoga & vegan cooking are some of my many interests. Some people probably call me a hippie behind my back but no harm done, I am NOT a hippie! Chemical-free, organic & natural are several phrases used regularly in my home but I can assure you that I don't sport dreads, crazy clothes or have a "natural" smell if you know what I mean. The body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and although I don't do a perfect job, keeping it healthy so I can further God's work is my goal. Spring of 2011, I started a small business selling soap nuts. If you haven't tried soap nuts, you are missing out on something special! I will be blogging about them at some point. I am not a natural born business women so things have been slow but I sincerely appreciate those who have supported Happy Suds:-). I also do Quick Books for two small businesses on the side. The revenue earned goes directly into supporting the family & I am proud to contribute. These days, I am a lot different than I was 8 or nine years ago. Although I still have a great sense of humor, I am more steady, gentle & at times stubborn than in the past. Relationships are very important to me. Not where I want to be, but praise be to God, I am  not where I was!