I lived in St. Paul's East Side when I was born.
When I was 3, my sister was born. Our biological parents divorced right after that. I enjoyed spending time with my family, especially my Grandpa Henry, who was SO loving that he was the caregiver for my Grandma Mavis and was very active with my sister and me, and my Grandpa Lewis, who was very loving to everyone.
When I was 6, my mom remarried a man who was a submariner in the Navy. Days later, our family moved to Groton Naval Base in Groton, Connecticut, taking me away from everything that I knew and loved and ending my relationships with my biofather's family.
Shortly thereafter, my mom's new husband adopted my sister and me.
Shortly after that, my brother Nick was born.
During the next 10 years, our family moved to Navy and Air Force bases in Satellite Beach, Florida, then, in Hampton, Virginia, and, then, back to Connecticut. As a result, I learned to adapt to new situations by, amongst other things, creating new relationships quickly.
I went to high school in Montville, Connecticut, which is near Groton Naval Base in Groton. For my first 3 years, I played soccer, basketball, and softball and was a flag twirler. Starting during the summer after my junior year, I stopped participating in extra-curricular activities and worked 30 hours per week as a waitress at Bee Bee Dairy, a family-owned restaurant in nearby Waterford. It was physically and sometimes emotionally difficult work. However, I earned enough to pay for my minimal social activities and buy an affordable, but newer car with cash when I started college.
In 1991, I moved to St. Paul to study law and be near my family, especially my Grandpa Henry.
2 months later, my car was stolen in Roseville at a movie theater. I had wanted to be a prosecutor, so I used the experience to learn about crime in Minnesota. ;)
A few weeks later, the Halloween Snow Storm of 1991 happened. I thought, "Are my relatives worth living in this frozen tundra?!"
In February 1993, my Grandpa Henry died. He had been struggling with multiple health issues while being the caretaker for Grandma Mavis, so he was at peace.
In 1995, I earned a B.A. in Political Science Public Service with a minor in Legal Studies, with a 3.74 g.p.a. I was on the Mock Trial Team. I also interned in the Minnesota Senate.
In December 2009, I earned a Paralegal Certificate at Hamline University, summa cum laude, with a 4.0 g.p.a. During that Fall, I interned at a law firm in Apple Valley, learning about 5 areas of law. I finished earning the Paralegal Certificate a few months after my late-husband Karl died.
I was in a romantic relationship with my late-husband Karl Thompson from 1993 to 2009. We married in 1995. Karl died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 39 in 2009.
Our Pets
We added our first 2 dogs, Belle and Beau, to the family in 2013 and 2014.
Belle was a princess, I mean, papillion. She was very loving and protective, too.
Beau is a mix of black lab and something that has a long body and short legs. He's loving and a bit too protective.
Belle died tragically in 2018.
As a result, Prancer, a bull arab dog, joined the family as a puppy. He's now taller than the kitchen table when standing on all 4 legs and weighs in at 120 pounds! While he was growing as a puppy, I thought that we had adopted Prancer the Big Black Dog (like Clifford the Big Red Dog). Prancer is the head of ChristieLegal security because bull arabs protect humans from 400+ pounds wild boars in their natural habitat in the Australian outback!
