I grew up in a small town called Virden which is located 20 miles south of Springfield. I graduated from Illinois State University in 2000. My degree is in Elementary Education with middle school endorsements in Language Arts and Social Science. I have begun my Master's Degree in Reading at Illinois State University. My husband, Justin, is a plant service engineer at Advanced Drainage Systems in Mendota. In early 2005, we added an addition to our family, Isabella Marie.