The Looooong Bio, But It’s Also My Story and Blog Intro

Ready for the prequel? I grew up in a low-income household, and spent every other holiday break on my grandparents’ ranch in Prineville, Oregon. I spent most of my life moving… a lot. And spent my first two years of high school in a yurt with no running water or electricity the first year, and no water the next. In 2011, my stepfather received an opportunity to move to Pocatello, Idaho my junior year of high school. Honestly, the whole year was a blur, but making friends in 11th and 12th grade is almost impossible. I used the time most students are causing trouble with to duel-enroll college level courses in high school and completed my degree at Idaho State University in four years. I remember learning about the 20 Under 40 Award, and hoped some day my name may end listed there.

Shortly … ishhh… after graduation, I start working as a cashier at a quick lube shop, Grease Monkey Idaho, where I was fortunate enough to get into a marketing director role my first year with the company. The owner was kind enough to move me into the role with the little experience I had. I oversaw the Marketing Department of five Grease Monkey Locations, and grew my presence in Pocatello through the Chamber of Commerce. One of my proudest achievements was helping Grease Monkey receive the Reader’s Choice “Best Of” Award in Pocatello for the first time. Having lived in Idaho my entire life, my Uncle offered to let me try living in Fallon, Nevada with him. I couldn’t turn the experience down. I lasted a whole three months, before I realized my love for trees was quite strong and the desert dweller life was not for me. I worked as a Director of First Impressions for a Boys & Girls Club during this time.

When I came back to Idaho the Grease Monkey Owner joked, had he known I was driving to Nevada, and turning around, he would have left my role open. Members of the Chamber helped me get into a decent sales role selling facility supplies with Aramark Uniform Services. Around the same time, two chamber members were starting a new chapter of the Chamber, Gate City Young Professionals (GCYP). Wouldn’t you know it, the goal of the group was to keep young professionals in the area. >.<

I joined the Board of Directors for GCYP as a Membership Coordinator. We partnered with School District 25 to complete a Christmas Fundraiser, and upon completion a representative expressed her concern of Pocatello youth having no where to go during school breaks and what a crisis this was for the area. I asked why they hadn’t partnered with Boys & Girls Club. No one, and I mean no one had any idea what I was talking about and as chance would have it, one of my fellow board members asked what it was. I gave a brief explanation as a grin grew across his face. He told me I needed to contact his collegue as she was working closely with a few members of the community to bring Boys & Girls Club to Southeast Idaho. Their first hire was to be, Director of Strategic Development, to do what I just did, explain what a Boys & Girls Club is, and raise funds (my sales skills) for the opening of the new club. I called her right after the meeting. She said, the application had closed, but if I could email her my resume and cover letter she would squeeze me into interviews. I sent both from my phone, hoping they didn’t look too messy. As fate would have it, I got the job.

I started Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Idaho.

Unfortunately, I started one chapter and had to close another… I had got so caught up in the Boys & Girls Club, some may say, I neglected my home duty of wife, and got an unexpected divorce in October of 2022. I had went to lunch with someone I thought was a friend, and told her about my upcoming divorce. This individual was a little too empathetic of my situation and went into the Chamber office crying on my behalf… We happened to have a business after hours that same evening… There is to put on a smile, and there is to pull off whatever I managed to pull off that evening. I honestly think I would have rathered showed up to the after hours naked then get questioned by every community member of my home life.

So side story, I had just happened to coordinate my 10 year high school reunion this same year. One of my high school friends was working as a gold miner in Nome, Alaska on the Bering Sea Gold TV. Due to work he was unable to attend the reunion, but offered my husband and I a pretty much all expenses paid trip to Nome to make up for not being there. After this after hours, I called him and said I would be taking him up on that offer, but needed accommodations and a safe space for one.

I think this is where my life actually began and it was only four years ago.

What was a suppose to be a two week trip, turned into a 6 month side quest. I had no cell phone service in Nome, nor did I want it. I was quite literally losing my mind and a pretty depressed trainwreck, I spent the first week locked in a camp trailer, trying to remember my own name. My only motivation to get out of bed was a husky named Ocean and a Malamute named Kona, yes, Shawn Pomrenke’s dog, got me out of bed. I was halfway through my planned trip and knew I needed to at least see the town of Nome and do something touristy. My friend gave me a tour of gold dredges some would kill to see, I hadn’t even watched a trailer for the show, but was happy to listen and learn about Bering Sea Gold. I met the Executive Producer of Bering Sea Gold who wanted to hire me immediately as a subcontractor. I couldn’t believe my ears, working for Discovery Channel would be a dream. I volunteered some time to help to keep my mind busy and let him know of my skills. I was told I would have a better chance at the role if I relocated to Nome so they did not have to pay me per diem. I plunged head first into the deep end, quit my job and kind of quit my life… without a single consideration, I went back to Idaho for one night, packed 6 pieces of luggage, and a Siberian Husky, and moved to Nome.

I am going to eleaborate on this because I am actually pretty proud of me. I went back to Idaho to finalize divorce stuff and split house belongings. I had two huskies waiting at home that missed their mom. One of them passed away unexpectedly … I was very worried about the other one. I knew I never wanted to come back to Pocatello again, I had built a whole life here, and I really couldn’t fathom what was happening. I couldn’t unsee the life I saw with my ex and the plans I had with Boys & Girls Club. I decided to move my belongings to Oregon. If Alaska didn’t work out, I wanted to go back to Oregon. My lifelong dream was living on the Oregon Coast and my mom had moved to Coos Bay at the same time I moved to Alaska. I packed a 15ft uhaul and I drove it 14 hours from Pocatello, Idaho to Eugene, Oregon with my husky Corvo. I then packed my six pieces of luggage and XL Dog kennel, visited my mom in Coos Bay, and then flew from Portland to Nome. and I did it, all by myself, there was definitely, blood, sweat, and a whole lot of tears.

Unfortunately, Discovery was beginning the process of selling to Paramount and they were unable to bring me on as planned. My start date kept getting delayed and it was 30 days of night. I was determined to make this work, somehow… I had never failed much of anything, never quit, never said no, going back to the lower 48 felt like failing. My youngest brother called me and said, you live in Alaska and have lived there for 6 months. You didn’t fail. Its still an accomplishment. I lived in Alaska during the time even Alaskans leave because its cold and miserable. I moved in with my mom the year I turned 30 and it really felt like life wasn’t going to get any better.

I am still not really sure why it was so hard to find work in Oregon, but it was. I couldn’t sit still so I spent most of 2023 traveling as far South as Fort Bragg, California, and as far North as the Hall of Mosses in Washington. I had always wanted to attend a rave and went to EDC for the first time ever, the same year Insomniac also turned 30. Everyone thought I was crazy for choosing EDC as my first one, but it was something I had always wanted to do. I went on my first solo foreign country trip Ireland. I lived in an awful single wide, which gave me the motivation to rent my first house. Workwise… I got into sales again and worked for Ziply Fiber for almost three years. I was promoted and then fired… which brings me here….

I was fortunate again to be approved for the Oregon Self Employment Assistance Program. I used the 6 months of unemployment I had to start Aurora Inspirations and if you’ve read this far, I am sure you can guess why I named this company what I did. This blog will be a collection of my adventures, old and new. <3

My hope is to be able to help others find their spark and either pursue their dream or keep it going. To quote one of my favorite EDM Artists, Illenium, We can only help ourselves, all together.