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Today's Featured Biography

 
Stacey Edwards Bender

So, what about me? Well, I spent the first ten years finding out who I am and the last ten years enjoying who I found. I’ve had my share of happy and sad times but ultimately realized that the grass does not always want to be greener; sometimes it’s better to have no grass at all. Think about it.

Life has been good but as we all know, even a good life has its share of difficulties. I survived cancer six years ago in March, the same year that I married and purchased a house. Our dog, Buffy (some of you who knew me the first years after high school might remember her) passed away the following year. That was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to endure. She had been such a large part of my life for close to sixteen years; I couldn’t remember a time when I didn’t have her. Neither my husband nor I thought we could have ever had another dog or put ourselves in the position to mourn so intensely again. Our now four year old Lhasa Apso, Ginger, found her way to us none the same. It turns out she was born the day after Buffy passed away. We often wonder what conversations occurred between them as they passed from one world to the next.

My grandparents still have The Lucky Wishbone and I am always on the look out for recruits to bring me boxes of fried chicken when they come this way. My brother Scott lives on Bainbridge Island, WA with his wife and two daughters (a son on the way); he is a partner in a law firm here in Seattle. My mom just retired from the Senator’s office and my brother Mark works for Governor Murkowski; both still live in Anchorage. My father and his wife run and own a B & B in Mexico; quite the change.
    
I was lucky enough to meet my husband, Tom, twelve years ago through the persistence of our mothers; they were best friends. We made it official six and a half years ago; a beautiful outdoor wedding in the San Juan Islands, so much for eloping like we planned. He is a Bartlett graduate but we never met during high school, despite the fact that those Bartlett boys were always crashing our parties. In addition to our common roots, we are both in the design profession; he is an environmental graphic designer and I am an interior designer. Although not technically licensed as an architect, I actually practice interior architecture, mostly on large scale healthcare projects. While this is not the direction I thought a career would take me, I find it to be very rewarding and actually quite meaningful. A few years back I collaborated on Southcentral Foundation PCCII (located on the Alaska Native Medical Campus). I was the lead interior designer so I visited often during design and construction; it felt very nostalgic doing work in my hometown. I know our design had a positive impact on the patients, staff and community for whom the building was built and it was inspiring to be invited into their culture during the process.

One other thing you might not have guessed – I’m obsessed with food. I could elaborate on this but think it best that I don’t. I am working on a cookbook that has been put on the back burner during the remodel of our home (my kitchen is still small but now it is sleek and functional). Maybe by the next reunion I will finally finish the book and get it published, provided the next reunion is ten years away. So it goes, my two passions in life (besides Tom & Ginger of course) are food and design. Someday I’ll have my own shop that will utilize my skills for both and make me even happier than I am today. Until then, I’ll continue to eat my way through life. Sel Gris.

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