Who is Lauren?

Lauren is the second oldest child and oldest of the girls in the family. She was born in Logan, Utah, on the 23rd of November. This means that every seven years her birthday falls on Thanksgiving.

Lauren is a talented and capable lady - what I call a hands-on-hips kind of lady. From an early age she set her mind to excelling in school and music. Competitive by nature, Lauren also played youth soccer for a few years and participated in track at one point. She did quite well at both, however, her true love and devotion was given to music.

Lauren excels at playing the piano. She has become a skilled sight reader and accompanist. These skills enabled her to accompany her school choirs and perform at public concerts, occasionally with little notice. During her last year of high school she joined the marching band and played percussion in the pit. Recently, while at college, she learned to play the organ and regularly plays for church and choir performances. She really pulls out all the stops when she plays. Lauren has also developed a very pleasant singing voice. It was nice to have Lauren in our home with this level of talent. We enjoyed concerts from the living room nearly every day.

Lauren is now married to a terrific guy, Erik Merkley, from Layton, Utah. They met and married while attending school at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. Lauren is finishing her degree in history and education. She would like to teach history in the public schools with the goal of teaching AP history at the high school level.

Her husband Erik is working on a masters degree in public health administration at the University of Utah while awaiting an opportunity to attend medical school.