The first time Andy and I officially met was in high school welding class. Andy’s favorite joke is that (sparks flew). We became fast friends, and likely drove our shop teacher and fellow classmates nuts with our shenanigans.

After we started dating he invited me out to the farm to help make maple syrup. I had no idea how that worked, but thought it was code to spend time together. Boy was I wrong! I hauled buckets up and down the muddy hills after dark, covered in bruises from falling and sore from all that heavy lifting. My parents were not happy I’d get home so late thinking we were up to mischief, and didn’t believe me when I told them Andy tricked me into hard labor. (haha) But I was hooked, we got the fever for maple and got excited for the future.

We work so well together, after getting married in 2014, we’ve nearly doubled our maple operation every year since. What had started with 50 taps is now over 10,000. What had started with a shack in the woods is now a commercial sugarhouse, equipment store, warehouse, and custom installation business that astounds me to even imagine.

We have made a career with maple, a lifetime of goals, expanding our operation, encouraging other hobbyists, and helping the next generation get excited as we are about making sugar. We will never meet all our goals, but that’s ok, we are happy feeding the addiction.