About Christie

Christie was born in St. Paul.

When she was 3 years old, her sister was born, and then her parents divorced.

When Christie was 6, her mom remarried a man who was an electronics technician on an U. S. Navy nuclear submarine. Days later, the family moved to Groton Naval Base in Groton, Connecticut. Shortly thereafter, Christie's mom's new husband adopted her sister and her, which her biological father had consented to before Christie's mom and stepfather married.

During the next 10 years, the family moved to Navy and Air Force bases in Satellite Beach, Florida, then, in Hampton, Virginia, and, then, back to Connecticut. As a result, Christie learned to adapt to new situations by, amongst other things, creating new relationships quickly.

Christie went to high school in Oakdale, Connecticut, which is near Groton Naval Base. For her first 3 years, she played soccer, basketball, and softball and was a flag twirler.  Starting during the summer after her junior year, she worked as a waitress at Bee Bee Dairy, which was a family-owned restaurant in  nearby Waterford.

In 1991, Christie moved to St. Paul to attend college in order to work in law and be near her family.

In 1995, Christie earned a B.A. in Political Science Public Service with a minor in Legal Studies at Hamline University, with a 3.74 g.p.a.  She was on the Mock Trial Team. She also interned in MN Senate.

In 2009, Christie earned her Paralegal Certificate at Hamline University.  In Fall, she interned at a law firm in Apple Valley, learning about several areas of law. She completed the certificate program summa cum laude, with a 4.0 g.p.a.

Christie was in a romantic relationship with her late-husband Karl Thompson from 1993 to 2009.  They married in 1995. Karl died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 39 in 2009.

Karl and Christie had 2 kids.

Their son Alexander, 27, died at age 22 on November 30, 2020 from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Alexander had suffered from multiple severe mental health issues after his dad died. Then, he became dependent on opioids after being introduced to them by “a friend” between 11th and 12th grade. Then, he became blind from a rare hereditary disease in December 2019. Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic was really tough on his extroverted self.

Their daughter Megan, 22, works part-time. She went to college part-time to become a social worker / counselor for 2 years. She also distributes free fentanyl testing strips to places that people who are addicted to drugs are likely to be and educates people about drugs, how to start being in recovery from drugs, and how Naloxone, aka Narcan, can save a life when someone is overdosing on fentanyl or other opiates.

Christie added her kids’ first 2 dogs, Belle and Beau, to the family in 2013 and 2014. Belle was a princess, I mean, papillion. Beau is a mix of black lab and something that has a long body and short legs. However, Belle died tragically in 2018. As a result, Prancer, a 113 pounds bull arab dog, joined the family. Prancer is the head of security for ChristieLegal because bull arabs protect humans from 400+ pounds wild boars in their natural habitat in the Australian outback.

Christie has been fortunate enough to find a life partner, Lonnie. Although they lived only 1 city apart for most of their adult lives, they met each other on a dating website in January 2023.  They have been together since shortly thereafter. They became engaged to be married on December 1, 2023. They're marrying on June 20, 2026.

Christie has volunteered in the community in a variety of ways.  

First, Christie volunteered on the Cottage Grove Human Services Human Rights Commission from 2004 to 2013.  She was the Vice Chair of The Commission from December 2013 to October 2016.  She was a member from October 2004 – March 2008 and March 2011 to November 2013.  She lead the fundraising subgroup from 2012 to the end. The Commission facilitated communication between the citizens and the City Council and raises the citizens’ awareness of human services and human rights issues.  She participated in many Commission activities as a group and individually.  In Winter 2007 to Spring 2008, she helped plan the production of The Commission and South Washington Telecommunications Commission’s award-winning program to educate the public about Yeshiva High School, the Hasidic Jewish boys’ boarding school that existed in Cottage Grove at that time. In 2013 and 2014, she brought the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Kevin Lindsey, J.D., to Cottage Grove to speak about his priorities for the legislative session.  She has written and had published in the local newspaper many editorials in support of The Commission’s goals.  She lead the fundraising committee and planned and executed 4 fundraisers at Carbone’s Pizza, Culver’s Restaurant, and Cub Foods.

Second, Christie volunteered for Beyond The Yellow Ribbon Network of Cottage Grove, Minnesota Steering Committee from February 2011 to May 2014.  Beyond The Yellow Ribbon Network is a non-profit organization that helps the families of deployed Service members and veterans by doing practical work for them, such as lawn mowing, snow removal, and home and car repairs.  As a member of The Network’s Steering Committee, Christie had a variety of duties, some consistent and some project-oriented. In Spring of 2011, she was the leader of the silent auction for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser, our first fundraiser.  In Summer 2013, she brought to Cottage Grove “The Echoes of War” presentation, which is an eye opening and highly emotional presentation about the long-term emotional and physical effects of combat on Service members, i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).  She was one of the managers of the organization’s Facebook page. Lastly, she recruited people to volunteer to do work for the deployed Service members’ families and veterans.

Third, Christie was a member of Washington County Community Corrections Advisory Board from September 2004 – December 2005.  She received info. on and provided Washington County Community Corrections with public opinion regarding various corrections issues, along with several other members.

Fourth, Christie was the lead volunteer at God’s Closet on the first Saturday of the month from 2006 to May 2014. God’s Closet is a charity in St. Paul’s East Side that provides free clothes, household goods, books, and toys to low-income people who live in or near the area. Christie was the lead volunteer on the first Saturday of the month. She ensured that the environment was safe and welcoming, recruited and lead the group of volunteers who organized donated inventory and provided customer service, maintained records, and shut down the store.