Hello! I’m Angela, wife to Pete and mama to Ella (age 13) and Sam (age 10). In the summer of 2020, we moved from our homeland of northern Minnesota to the never-ending warmth of northeast Florida. Pete continues to work in a rural hospital in Minnesota and I teach grades 6-8 grade English, history, and Bible.
We are a family on a journey, taking each step as we feel God guide us. When I met Pete, it was our dream to work as long-term missionaries in Africa, something we chased after for many years. I trained as a teacher, Pete trained as a doctor, and Ella and Sam were born. We finally moved to Kenya in June 2017. One year later, however, we found ourselves returning to the United States in order to get the speech and schooling we struggled to give Sam in rural Africa. We know God has plans for us, no matter where we are.
We have never felt God has called us to this life to keep it to ourselves, which is why I began The Mango Memoirs in 2015. We want to share the incredible things God is doing in our lives. So pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of chai (an everyday drink in Kenya) and experience life with us here at The Mango Memoirs.
A few random facts…
- I grew up in Pequot Lakes, a small town in the middle of Minnesota. (as in one stoplight) I was the Pequot Lakes Princess in ’99-’00.
- I played the flute from 6th grade until 10th grade. Then I switched to the tuba for the rest of high school and even played it for a semester in college.
- I went to the same summer camp for 12 summers in a row. Lake Beauty Bible Camp in Minnesota.
- I took a year off from college to teach at a high school in rural Honduras.
- I adore theatre. I picked my college based on its theatre program. I still have dreams about being on stage a few times a month.
- Pete & I met while directing a drama I wrote for our church in Duluth.
- We both worked at summer adventure camps in Montana before we knew each other.
- I have a degree to teach grades 7-12 communication arts & literature. (basically, middle & high school English)
- I also have a Masters degree in education. I focused on teaching struggling readers in the high school classroom.
- Pete bought me a motorcycle just before our wedding in July 2007. We took a three-week motorcycle trip in 2008, riding from Duluth to Vancouver, down to San Francisco and back.
- I ran 3 full-length marathons between Ella’s birth and Sam’s. My last was while I was 6 weeks pregnant with our little man. I’m not fast.
- We have lived in 11 homes in 12 years of marriage. We’re really good at packing and moving.
- I opened on online bake shop while Pete was in residency and I was home with Ella and working on my Masters. I closed the shop just before our first trip to Kenya in 2013.
- I hate gum. (the smell, the texture, the general grossness of it)
- I was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) in 2017. It means that if I have gluten, my esophagus swells and I can’t swallow. Hence, I’m gluten free.
- I’m a huge fan of Disney World. I thoroughly enjoy helping people plan their trips to the Happiest Place on Earth.
- At some point in my life, I want to live out of an Airstream or Escape home and travel the US and Canada.
Why the title The Mango Memoirs?
We wanted a title that would encompass our home in Kenya while also inspiring creativity. After a lot of prayer and tossing out lots of ideas, we realized our name. Mango trees are thick and sturdy with sprawling branches. People gather under their leaves to find shelter from the hot sun or pouring rain. These trees become a place of community. We hope that this becomes a place of community as we collect our memories here, the very definition of a memoir.
More questions?
Don’t hesitate to send us a message! We love hearing from readers and are happy to answer questions. There is a simple form to contact us here.
