I'm Katie. My husband is Joey. And we bought our first home in Kenosha, WI on May 27, 2010. Prior to that, we had been renting various apartments in Kenosha. And while that fit our lifestyle very well for a while, I must say that we were ready to be done with apartment living!
Here's some background info for ya...
We were married July 10, 2004 at the ripe old age of 21! But we had known each other for quite some time. You see, we went to the same church in Zion, IL (about 15 minutes from Kenosha) during part of our childhood and our families became close friends. I believe we were in the 4th grade when we first met! I actually had a crush on Joey during this time (and have a diary of love notes to prove it). In 7th grade, we parted ways as my family moved to the small, country town of Grabill, IN (where, yes, we resided among the Amish living there). Our families kept in touch over the years to a certain extent, but Joey and I didn't really reconnect until the summer after we graduated high school. I spent most of that summer in the Zion area working. We then dated LONG DISTANCE for 3 years while I attended Huntington College (now University) in Huntington, IN. I graduated in May 2004 with a degree in Sociology and Psychology, and we got hitched 2 months later and moved to Kenosha.
After several years in the workforce, we decided
it was “time” to start having children. What I thought would be an exciting
and blissful next step in our marriage, turned out to be a challenge. After 2
years of trying to get pregnant without success, I began seeing a fertility
specialist and receiving some simple treatments. Following one miscarriage, a
healthy pregnancy resulted in the birth of our son, Jeremiah! At that time, I quit my job to stay home full time. A year later, I had
another miscarriage, but that was quickly followed by a healthy pregnancy (no
fertility help needed!) with a baby girl, Emma, who was just born in November
2014.
What drew us to Kenosha (K-town, Keno-where) you ask? Well, a few
things. First, we were offered free rent to help manage the apartment
building where we first lived. Second (at that time), we both had jobs around the area
("around" is used loosely as we both commuted about an hour to work for many years -
typical of the Chicago area). Third, we were near our families (15
minutes from Joey's parents, now 2.5 hours from my parents, and we both
have some extended family in the area).
And now, having lived here for quite a few years, we love the town of
Kenosha and see God's goodness in planting us here. Being less than 2
miles from Lake Michigan is a big plus for us. Kenosha has great parks
and recreation along the lakefront. We love our church
and church family. And we love living in a "small" town, but in between
2 big cities (Milwaukee and Chicago) so we have a plethora of options
for fun and entertainment.
By buying our first home in Kenosha in May 2010, we took a big step in planting more permanent roots as home owners. Over these past few years, we have been working on renovating this 1928 bungalow-style house. Joey’s
carpentry background has come in very handy to say the least. So, this has been
mostly a DIY project! I thoroughly enjoy
interior design, decorating, and organizing the home as some of my hobbies.
Fun Facts about
Katie:
- I sang in choir and had leads in musicals in high school and college. Singing is one of my greatest joys.
- I'm the oldest of 3 siblings. My husband is the oldest of 7(!) siblings. Hence, when we had our first baby, we were a family of 3 firstborns.
- I'm an extrovert who loves to be with people.
- I'm not a big fan of reading books (exception: anything by author Francine Rivers – read her stuff!), but LOVES movies!
- I grew up as a Pastor’s Kid (PK)
- Favorite movie is Anne of Green Gables.
- I love playing card games and board games and am fiercely competitive. I'm known affectionately as the “game nazi” in the family as I make sure everyone follows the rules.
- I was born in North Carolina and have lived in Indiana, Maine, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
