This week's 21 Things You Might Not Know About Me features Shannon Anderson. Shannon was appointed by Washburn County Circuit Court Judge Eugene Harrington as the Clerk of Circuit Court on February 1, 2017, after Karen Nord retired. Along with her appointment, Shannon remained the Register in Probate/Juvenile Clerk and the offices consolidated to make processes more streamlined and save money.
1) Originally from the Altoona/Eau Claire area, I moved here in June of 1999. After graduating from CVTC, I worked for CESA #10 in Chippewa Falls for a few years. My manager, Vicki (Roeser) Lyons, encouraged me to broaden my horizons and with her advice, I began searching for various jobs in Wisconsin. Since I was a single mom, I did not want to move too far away from my family and had job interviews in Webster and in Appleton. Both were equally challenging and I had a hard time deciding – so I threw a dart at a map of Wisconsin and next thing you know I was moving to Webster, WI. My plan was to stay for about two or three years.
2) While working at Nexen Group, Inc., I met my husband, Jay Anderson. And my two year plan had turned into a lifetime plan to live in Washburn County. Jay was born and raised in this area and I came to love it here. We’ve been married for 16 years. I love raising my family here – it is a great place to call home.
3) We have three daughters. Our youngest, Makenna, is a freshman at Shell Lake and active in volleyball, basketball, and track. Payton is a junior at Shell Lake and active in theater, student council, Science Olympiad and cheerleading. She has directed a youth play and is active on the Board of Directors at the Erika Quam Theater and serves as a Youth Ambassador for the Park Square Theater in St. Paul. Our oldest, Emmalee, just got married in July and moved to South Dakota after graduating in Social Work from UWSP. Our new son-in-law, Tyler Krekelberg is from Minnesota and is a DNR Conservation Warden for the State of South Dakota in Pierre, SD.
4) When my babies were little, I left Nexen Group and opened a state licensed in-home daycare for 4 years before starting as an Economic Support/Child Care Specialist in May of 2005. In January of 2011, I joined the Clerk of Courts office as a Deputy Clerk/Judicial Assistant. In January 2014, Judge Eugene Harrington appointed me as Register in Probate/Juvenile Clerk.
5) If I’m not at a sports or theater event for the girls, I enjoy volunteering at events. For several years, I have worked at admissions at the Spooner Rodeo, worked backstage at the Northwoods Music Festival in Minong, worked events during Shell Lake Town & Country Days and local benefits. I have been a volunteer at the Shell Lake Car Show since it started. I enjoy meeting the many people – including Kip Moore and the Sawyer Brown band.
6) I was a softball coach for several years following my daughter Emmalee and Makenna until they were in high school.
7) Busy as a Bee. In the summer, I love to work in my flower garden and vegetable garden. I’ve slowly been adding a butterfly garden. When my garden grows too many veggies, I set out a table at the end of driveway for others to enjoy the bounty.
8) My family loves to explore waterfalls – from Wisconsin to Michigan. A few years ago, we vacationed over New Years in Bessemer, MI and explored frozen waterfalls. During the summer, we take stay-cations and find new places in Wisconsin to explore. Our new favorite has been Willow River State Park near Hudson. Over Thanksgiving break, my daughter Makenna and I drove to South Dakota to spend time with Emmalee and Tyler in Sioux Falls at Falls Park.
9) Do I know how to relax? You bet. You’ll usually find me on Little Long Lake on a kayak with a book.
10) Loose Screws. In 2004, I had foot surgery and have two metal plates and 10 screws. In 2011, I had a cervical fusion on one level where they secured my new discs with a titanium plate and four screws. In 2015, they removed the old hardware and replaced it with a larger plate and 6 screws to secure two more levels of new discs. In August of 2016, the neurosurgeon found two of the 6 screws were loose. So there you have it – a medical diagnosis of loose screws. To fix these, they implanted two rods, 8 pins, 2 screws and a plate in the back of my neck. I’m thankful for amazing doctors!
11) My parents – Gary and Patsy still live in my childhood home in Altoona. For the last couple years, they’ve been spending summers in Shell Lake. Our family loves having them around. We love taking day trips around the area – this summer for their 45th Anniversary we took the Lake Superior Cruises around the lighthouses.
12) I love laughing – I love to hear other people laugh. I find myself watching funny videos of llamas, goats, dogs, cats, and kids. My friends and I have meme wars.
13) Card games – UNO, Phase 10, Skip-Bo and Sequence. I love gathering around the table and playing games. It was a typical day at my grandparents when a good game was going. My husband and his family are 500 players – and I have yet to learn despite their attempts to teach me. I did pick up playing Cribbage from visiting Jay’s grandpa, Gene.
14) Not a fan of cold weather, but I like snow. Yes, even shoveling – only if it’s the light fluffy kind. I like to snowshoe. Someday, I’d like to go downhill skiing again as I have not done that in over 20 years. Don’t cringe – my hardware is rock solid now!
15) Adventures. I like adventures – from taking my kids zip-lining to rock climbing to zoos. I’m usually up for an adventure and a road trip. We’ve driven to Texas, North Carolina, and Florida. This August, Jay and I went to South Dakota to visit the newlyweds and took in the sights of the Badlands, Custer State Park and Black Hills. Our love of adventure has definitely rubbed off on the kids. Emmalee has already been on mission trips to Turkey, Brazil and Haiti.
16) Paint. I love to paint things. Typically, when Jay goes away hunting or fishing, I’ll paint the walls.
17) Fall is my favorite time of year – the crisp air and changing colors.
18) I love Thunderstorms!
19) My bucket list includes parasailing, jumping out of an airplane, Niagara Falls, and going to Alaska. Jay and I are planning to take a trip to Alaska in 2019 to see his friend, Barry Stellrecht.
20) I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the Packer’s greatest players and coaches. My parents are crazy Packer fans (their animals have been named after Reggie White, LeRoy Butler, Ray Nitschke, Max McGee and Fuzzy Thurston) and we’ve taken the kids to many training camps were players have ridden their bikes. My favorites were Reggie White and Fuzzy Thurston. Fuzzy is a classic and my hometown football field is named after him.
21) I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Clerk of Courts this year. We’ve been busy transitioning into the paperless world of electronic files. The staff has been amazing – they are all team players, knowledgeable, and hardworking. I plan to seek election for this position in November of 2018. And I am looking forward to continuing to serve Washburn County!
Last Update: Dec 14, 2017 8:01 am CST
