Originally from the Pacific NW, she has resided in Florida for the past 35 years. She attended the University of Washington majoring in Audio-Visual Arts and Oregon State University majoring in Horticulture. She owned and operated S & J Nursery in Homestead for 10 years and was CEO of Cascade Tropical Foliage, providing Oregon, Washington and Idaho with indoor foliage from Florida. Living in South America, she gained a love of orchids and began growing them as a personal hobby. After Hurricane Andrew destroyed her greenhouses & shade houses in Homestead, she took a job with a major developer of luxury real estate and found her second calling. She has been licensed since 1995 and currently works as a full time realtor. She received the Platinum Award in International Business from the National Assn. of Realtors in 2016.