Life & Craft

The same curiosity that drives my work drives everything else I do

~20 National Parks

From Glacier to Zion

Painting

Oil & watercolor

Handmade Soap & Lip Balms

Natural ingredients

Herbal Chinese Medicine

Growing & collecting herbs for tea

Hiking

Trails across national parks & beyond

Kayaking

On Minnesota lakes & rivers

Handy at Home

If I can learn it, I'll do it myself

Bilingual

Mandarin & English

🏔️ National Parks Gallery (~20 and counting)

Rocky Mountain · Bryce Canyon · Devils Tower · Grand Teton · Glacier · Arches · Mount Rushmore · Death Valley · and more

🥾 Outdoor Adventures

Hiking river canyons, kayaking Minnesota lakes with my daughter, and foraging wild mushrooms. If there's a trail or waterway nearby, I've explored it.

🌅 A Life Chasing Light

I will drive hours into the dark for the Aurora Borealis. I will wake before sunrise for golden hour at a sunflower field. Chasing these scenes at "weird hours" is who I am.

🎨 Art & Painting

Oil and watercolor — dandelions, red poppies, cherry blossoms. Painting slows me down in the best way.

🧴 Indoor Craft & Handmade

Homemade soaps, lip balms, bath bombs and candles — all natural ingredients. I gift these to friends and family.

🔧 DIY Home Transformations

Deck — painting in progress (before & after)

Deck — Red (1st color)

Deck — Red with stairs

Deck — Grey (3rd color, final)

Deck — Grey, another angle

Driveway — Before (materials ready)

Driveway — Gravel base in progress

Walkway — Paver path

Paved my own driveway, refinished the deck 3 times, installed garage opener, dishwasher, and built a full Alexa smart-home system. Never hire before I've tried it myself.

💻 Tech Refurbishing at MTFS

Volunteer at MN Tech for Success — hands-on hardware repair that keeps refurbished technology in community hands and out of landfills.