I received my first diary when I was six years old. It was pink and had a fancy little lock on it. My first entry was about catching ladybugs and how many I collected, but my favorite entry was about my future husband! When I was 10 years old, I met a cute boy at a water park (we grew up ten minutes from each other). Later that night I wrote about him in my diary—how he had black curly hair and blue eyes, and how he wore red swim trunks. Flash forward nine years and a friend introduced the two of us. We started dating and later in our relationship he showed me his ‘baby’ book. One of the pictures was of him (black hair and blue eyes) wearing red swim trunks! He was that cute boy I met at the water park!
When I was in high school, I pretended I was an editor for The New York Times and I would write reviews of my own made-up books. I loved making books and writing poetry. My mom kept me busy with crafts of all kinds. It wasn’t a surprise that art and writing were some of my favorite classes in school.
I finished college with a B.S. in elementary education. I spent countless hours with kids in daycare settings and schools. My favorite time of day with the kids was story time. It was always fun for me to make up different voices for each of the characters, make faces, and be “in character.” My goal as a 13-year-old was to be an actress, so whenever I could, I would act. Even reading stories.
I received my M.S. in instructional technology. That degree brought me to Colorado to work for a .com startup in the late ‘90s. I trained professors to use a management system to create their own online courses. I also created a train-the-trainer program chock-full of technical writing mumbo jumbo. I taught an after-school writing course for children through my Young Writer’s Workshop.
My husband and I enjoy taking our three little bears camping. We love exploring and being outdoors together! Colorado offers many of these amazing opportunities.
I am a descendant of a member (my Father) of the Klamath tribe in Klamath, Oregon, and also of the Maori tribe in New Zealand.
Our dog is a Great Bernese. She is half Great Pyrenees and half Bernese Mountain Dog. She is 85 lbs.
Other things you should know about me:
I loved when my parents would read me:
*Could be Worse by James Stevenson
*The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
*Fox Eyes by Margaret Wise Brown
*Three Friends Find Spring by Judy Delton
*The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
When I could read on my own, I devoured:
*Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
*Encyclopedia Brittanica (every volume)
*National Geographic magazines
*Funny pages (comics)
*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
*Everything by Beverly Cleary
*Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? by Judy Blume
*The Chocolate Touch by Judy Blume
and so many more…
*I care about the Earth and I care about people.
*I help first-graders with reading and math.
*I only buy paper towels about three times a year.
*I eat a salad just about every day.
*I would eat dark chocolate every day if I just managed to keep enough around!
*I recycle and get a little obsessed if people don’t recycle correctly!
*Don’t get me started on loading the dishwasher!
*I compost.
*I love Pho soup and Pad Thai (our recipe).
*My favorite flower is the ranunculus.
Writing is hard, but I love it!
Lori Himmel 