About Harriet

That's me! Well not really, my real name, sadly, isn't Harriet. With the exception of Sogn, all of The Locals written about here on the blog are referred to by pseudonyms, usually having some tie to their hometown or a personality trait or hobby. I use pseudonyms mostly for the benefit of the people I write about, I've found that sharing my life here is frequently about sharing my experiences with other people and naming everyone is a great lesson in Minnesota geography.

Ok - so back to me. Not Harriet. I'm not actually going to tell you my name but with a few quick Internet searches you could certainly figure it out so I'm not that worried about it.

I was born and raised in a wonderfully mediocre suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was in girlscouts as a kid but mostly earned badges in crafts and community service and hated selling cookies. I played in the high school marching band and I'm certain dancing is an atheletic activity although I'm still on the fence about whether it's a sport.

I went to college at an incredible lutheran liberal arts college in Minnesota where I sang in the choir and traveled abroad. I was introduced to things like couscous and Chacos. I earned a B.A. in Social Studies Education and after college was able to work with urban kids who were working really hard to get to college.

In addition to getting an education, learning stuff and making friends I also met my husband, Calhoun, at college. We got married a few years ago and lived in an adorable bungalow in Minneapolis, got a dog who we named Sogn and drove our hatchback around the cities while we both attended graduate school.

Married! Minneapolis, 2009

I graduated from law school in May, 2011, and was admitted to the Minnesota State Bar in October. Shortly thereafter we moved southwest Minnesota for my first dream job, working as a judicial clerk in district court. More recently, we've relocated to northwest Minnesota for my second dream job, where I represent the State of Minnesota in criminal matters.

We've also added a second dog to the family, an English Pointer named Vasa.

I started this blog a few years ago when I was in major procrastination mode trying to avoid studying for finals. It's been a fun outlet and a good way to share with people how much I love Minnesota! I'm also trying to really learn how to do more outdoor Minnesota things- like fish and ski and camp - this is my journey!