Fun Facts about Mrs. Keenan 

I am a proud graduate of Saint Mary's College, located close by in lovely Moraga, CA.   I majored in English Literature and minored in Religious Studies. Go Gaels!

I received my Masters in Education from Loyola University Chicago, located just a block off the Mag Mile and steps from majestic Lake Michigan.

I lived in Chicago for 10 years and I love everything about the windy city.  Mr. K and I lived just three blocks away from Wrigley field and spent most of our free time meandering through Lincoln Park or exploring the diverse neighborhoods and world class food scene!  I sure miss those warm humid summer nights with the fireflies aglow, but living back home on the west coast with its magnificent mountains makes my heart sing.

I am a sports fan!  I love to play and watch almost any sport, seriously, from Zorb racing to ping pong- I'm in!  As a bay area local, I am devoted to the Dubs, the Niners, the Earthquakes and the A's,  but these days you will likely find me cheering on the sidelines of my kids soccer games!

I studied abroad in New Zealand at the University of Auckland, had the time of my life, and to this day I love everything about Aotearoa!  I enjoyed road tripping up and down the coastlines of the north and south islands, skiing in Queenstown, surfing in Piha, ATVing on 90 mile beach, bungy jumping at Lake Taupo, black water rafting in the Waitamo caves, zorbing in Rotorua, and meeting people from all over the world.  

I love to be outside!  I hike, bike, surf, swim, kayak, ski, run, play volleyball, and go exploring every chance I get.  We have had many adventures as a family in our pop-up camper and my husband and I are avid backpackers.  A goal I one day hope to achieve is to learn to sail.  When I'm not doing this whole teaching thing, you'll likely find me in Tahoe.

I am a tough mudder!  I competed in the Full Tahoe Tough Mudder and I love getting dirty and taking on physical challenges.  My favorite event was the funky monkey.   I would like to compete in a wayfinding or endurance race sometime soon.  

I am obsessed with the National Parks and have visited the following: Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, The Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Arches, Zion, Bryce Canyon, The Grand Canyon, The Grand Escalante Staircase, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Haleakala, and Volcanoes National Park, as well as a few in Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Peru.  

I love to travel the world and embrace different cultures,  religions, food, and art.  I have been to Ireland, England, Scotland, Italy, France, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Peru, Spain, and El Salvador.  I have been to almost every US State.  

I love to write! I have written a really terrible one act play, several short personal narratives, travel blogs, hiking blogs, and mom blogs.  I hope to one day write a book!  

I love to read!  Some of my favorite books are: Bird By Bird, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Brothers Karamozov, Anna Karenina, Love in the Time of Cholera, Like Water for Chocolate, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Democracy and Education, Loving Frank, The Paris Wife, The Underground Railroad, Into the Wild , just to name a few.  Lately, I read a lot of YA in preparation for my classes, which is not my fave-but what I do enjoy right now are stories of women overcoming oppression and marginalization.

I have a weird dog!  We had the best dog in the world for 11 years, Seamus The Dog RIP,  and then we got a crazy mutt for our kids during covid.  We think he is a terrier pit of sorts.  This is Kip!

Kip aka Kipper the Dog, (The Craziest Mutt in the World)

Seamus (The Best Dog in the World~ RIP)

Saint Mary's Graduation Day!  Go Gaels!  (BA- English)

Loyola University Chicago Graduation Day!  Go Ramblers! (M.Ed. - Secondary Education)