Barb is the kind of person who appreciates people for who they are. She does not care about how pretty, how fortunate, or how stylish someone is; just whether they are kind.  She loves spending time with Tommy; reading to him, taking him to the local pool and farmers’ market, and hosting playgroups at our home. Barb likes to stay active and skis, skates and goes to the gym, but she also likes to relax knitting, gardening, or doing yoga. She is adventurous and has seized every opportunity to travel and explore the world. She is generous and is always willing to help others - through her volunteer work with victims of domestic violence, she has helped many women who are scared, facing a language barrier, or confused by all the complexities of the legal system. She has been the reassuring presence that many needed, at a time when they needed it most.  

  Barb grew up in Ottawa, Canada with her two brothers and parents. Her dad worked for the government, so they were fortunate in that it meant he was home to have dinner with them every night, read bed-time stories and give them 'horse-rides' on his knee. Her mom was a stay-at-home mom, so it meant they always had yummy snacks and help with homework waiting when she and her brothers got home from school.

  As a child, Barb took tap-dancing, baton-twirling, gymnastics, swimming, and skiing lessons, played softball, joined the Brownies and Girl Guides (Canada's version of the Girl Scouts), ice-skated, and learned to sew, knit, and crochet. In high school, she played all sorts of sports and played on her school's very first girls' touch football team.

  Barb's family spent summers at their cottage where days were filled with swimming, boat trips, fishing, catching frogs and turtles, picking wild strawberries and blueberries, hot-dog and marshmallow roasts, and card games, Monopoly tournaments, and jig-saw puzzles. Her parents still spend summers at their cottage and we enjoy visiting them there, reliving all the activities of her childhood (except for a few less frogs and turtles these days!) We are both very close to her immediate family as well as to her extended family of cousins, aunts and uncles. We feel fortunate that they're a very important and wonderful part of our lives and always eager to help out or lend an ear. Everyone in Barb's family has a great sense of humor, so family gatherings are always fun, filled with laughter, funny stories, and lots of games.

  Barb earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and an MBA, and worked for many years in the medical software field. She achieved everything she wanted to in her career, so when we moved to Canada for a few years in 2006, she decided to put her energy into giving back to the community through volunteering. Barb currently does freelance marketing work from home on a casual basis and doesn’t miss the corporate world. Barb doesn’t miss the corporate world and loves being a stay-at-home mom to Tommy…the most important job ever!