Gretchen Otness

Fur-baby Gus the Dachshund, sister Sheila and brother-in-law Andy of O'Fallon, MO, proud Auntie to their six kids: Connor, Emma, Nathan, Kai, Nova and Maya, mom and dad Ottie and Rita Otness of Buffalo, MN.

Own and operate professional organizing company MODE Organizing and love to organize, declutter and style anything in a home

Singing and Musical Theatre in community theatre (Barn Theatre, Willmar) and church productions (Willmar Assembly of God)

Enjoy traveling outside of work whenever possible, especially visiting friends all over the country and family in Missouri

Love to coordinate weddings and events, will find any reason to throw a party! And one day hope to turn the Barn on my homestead into a wedding and event venue

Also love to read, run long distance races, learn to cook more and spend as much time as possible with Gus, friends and family

Holiday: Christmas

Tradition or Memory: Ever since I started playing French Horn in the 5^th grade I would wake everyone up on Christmas morning by playing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” on my French Horn, as obnoxiously as possible of course. After I graduated high school and didn’t own a horn anymore I would bang it out on the piano, and now that the piano is gone I still proudly sing it at the top of my longs…always at 7am…and now my nieces and nephews love to join me J

I would love to spend a day with either of my music icons, Julie Andrews and Celine Dion. Celine has been my musical icon ever since I was very young when I began singing seriously and Julie Andrews has been the biggest inspiration for my love of musical theatre. An ideal day with Celine Dion would be traveling to France with her to meet her large French family and then fly back to the states to see her perform at The Colosseum in Las Vegas before her residency ends in June 2019. An ideal day with Julie Andrews would be simply spending time talking about what it was like for her to play the iconic roles of Maria Von Trapp and Mary Poppins, and chatting about our mutual love of England and anything British!

Anything with Sandra Bullock! Especially The Blind Side and The Proposal

I hope to visit all 50 states, 13 Canadian provinces and 7 continents before I die…only 9 States, 10 Provinces and 3 Continents yet to go!