Mozart began composing minuets at age 5 and by the age of 8 had written his first three symphonies.  I, on the other hand, by age 9 had written an 8 measure ditty entitled “Scampering Mouse”.  As you can see, I’m no Mozart, but I am grateful to my piano teacher who encouraged and helped me to write down the little pieces I had created as a child.  I don’t know why, but I enjoyed song writing.  In middle school I wrote an actual song with lyrics and submitted it to the New Era music contest.  It was then that I learned a lesson about writing for a particular audience as I got a letter kindly thanking me for my submission but indicating that a hand crossover piece with 6 flats was probably not the best route to go!  So I kept writing.  Janice Kapp Perry was my hero at the time and I learned a lot by looking at her songs.  When I got to college, I took a song writing class for fun.  That’s when I wrote “Daddy’s Little Girl” for my class project.  This class opened a new world of song writing and so I again attempted a submission for the New Era called “The Savior’s Touch”.  This time it was accepted and later published.  Since then I have gone through periods of writing and periods of drought.  I’m never sure why that happens, but purpose seems to be a big driving force.  Several were written around the time of my mission to Paraguay, but then as I got married, had children and life happened I did not find myself writing.  In the past few years, I’ve experienced a renewal of the song writing spirit. I think this is because I have been serving with the young women in my church and have been able to share my music with them.  I want to thank them for tolerating my goofy songs and for beautifully singing the others.  They are wonderful girls and I’m grateful I get to associate with them every week. So now you know about how I began writing music.  Lest you think that is all I do, let me say that I also enjoy basketball (even at my age).  I take pleasure in watching my children play soccer, basketball, and perform in concerts.  I am very competitive and can really get in to a game night. When I do get time to slow down, you will most likely find me reading a book or playing around with family photos.  Thank you for visiting my site.  I hope you enjoy the music, and if you feel so inclined you can even send me an e-mail.