Our lives together began in an acting class at UW-Madison in September 1991.  Steve graduated in 1992 with a BS in philosophy and Shari graduated with a BA in journalism in 1993.  Midwesterners at heart, we moved to Minnesota in 1993, and in 1995 we bought a house in St. Paul's fabulous East Side.  We are atypical Americans, owning only one car.  We both walk to work the majority of the time.

We have many shared interests, some old and others newer.  We like gardening, biking, x-country skiing, reading, and playing with our personal watercraft. We hold extra class amateur radio licenses and are members of SARA (Stillwater Amateur Radio Association).  We're on the volunteer examiner team for the club and help administer about four tests per year.  We are currently third degree black belts in an Okinawan style of karate called Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu, and we are assistant instructors for the women's self defense course at Century College, in White Bear Lake, MN.

Lord Stephen
KBØWVN

Lady Shareen
W2FPX

I am still sometimes a goofy sort. That all started back when I was working at Camp Indian Trails for the Boy Scouts. There is a weird sub-culture for people who work at camps. The weird stayed with me when I met Shari. I currently hold the computers together at Hazel Park Middle School for monetary needs, study karate, play around on our Sea-Doo™, play Dungeons and Dragons™ and Magic: The Gathering™.  Vacuslab is my favorite word, did I create it? E-mail me if not, or e-mail me your definition.  My current pet peeve is the religious conservatism that has been trying (and succeeding) in co-opting the term 'liberal.'  Oooohh that makes me mad!  I am NOT evil (well, not unless absolutely necessary!).  My current radio station is 89.3 KCMP.

I'm a writer, but that doesn't yet pay the bills.  I work as a JOAT (Jack of all trades) at a family practice residency clinic.  I've always loved reading and have been a fan of fantasy since grade school.  I can't stop buying books, even when I don't have time to read.  I like a lot of different kinds of music, and am big into Irish folk music and a lot of the pop/rock that springs from it.  When not obsessed with writing I enjoy beading projects, casual bike rides, walkies with my pups, and looking at moss under a microscope.  For 2005, I'm attempting to experiment with food a bit more, ideally adding a few new things to my repertoire.  I'm using World Vegetarian as my guide.  I had good results last year with The Soup Bible and Celebration Breads.

Teeka Greets With Mouth Open joined the royal guard in September 1997.  A Shetland Sheepdog, she's always on the alert for something out of the ordinary.  Her favorite games include toy on the foot, leg-hug-ankle-bite, and chase. Her favorite foods include butter, carrots, grapefruit, and scone bits. Her hobbies include keeping airplanes, thunder and large rumbly trucks out of the yard and house.  She's a fan of walkies and running the fence.  In her leisure time she disassembles plastic chew toys (and anything leather).  For Halloween she was Puppy the Vampire Slayer.

In November 2002, Maha The Enlightened Savage, joined the pack.  Maha aspires to be as excellent a human herder and defender as her mentor Teeka.  Her favorite activities include savaging anything (mostly carpet, pillows, and paper), pawing at Teeka, and parading laundry (clean or otherwise) around the house. She also enjoys stomping on her alpha humans early in the morning and fetching tennis balls.  She feels snow and rain were created for her amusement.  For Halloween she was the Disreputable Dog to Shari's Lirael.

Teeka and Maha's favorite links (there is unity within this pack):
Dog Patch - loads of Sheltie pictures and links
Scotland's Littlest Warrior - A page for all pup friends
Puppy Break - Pup pics, plain and simple