Album Notes

Hi, I'm Sally Heuer. Many people look at the 3 vowels in a row in my last name and don't know what to do. Heuer is pronounced "Hoyer" ...rhymes with "lawyer". You can now amaze your friends and confound your enemies with this new knowledge.

I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska but grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota. (Just to help you place where that is, it's right across the river from Fargo, North Dakota.) Farmers grow sugar beets and potatoes there, among other things. The Moorhead High School teams are called the "Spuds".

My parents signed me up for piano lessons when I was in first or second grade. In the beginning, practicing was a chore, and I used to bang my fists on the keyboard when I got frustrated. Those tantrums were probably my first attempts at composing. After I learned some basic chords, I discovered that I could actually make up my own songs. That was a thrilling revelation. Now I can't thank my parents enough for insisting that I take piano lessons!

After getting my Spud diploma, I decided to see what life was like outside of Fargo-Moorhead. Naturally, this led me to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where I went from being a "Spud" to being a "Norsewoman". I spent my junior year of college studying (well, sort of) in Nantes, France. Looking back, this was one of the best decisions I ever made. First, it sparked a desire to travel. Also, for really the first time in my life, I had to do things on my own, rely on myself. This was liberating.

Then I made another good decision. I spent the following summer working in Glacier Park, Montana, at the same lodge where my parents had worked 25 years earlier. I adore Glacier, and have been back several times. If you've never been, go.

Well, this is getting pretty lengthy and I know you have other commitments, so I'll just breeze through the rest. After college I spent some time in Alaska and then in Chicago, where I met my partner and best friend, Paul. I've had the chance to do a variety of things including selling tickets for Japan Air Lines, serving coffee at 4 a.m. to wealthy folks at a fishing lodge, shuffling around people's dental records and, most recently, teaching elementary school.

When I'm not at the piano or writing biographies for web sites, I can be found birdwatching with Paul (don't laugh, we're serious birders), spending quality time with other people that matter to me, being taken on a walk by our adorable and unpredictable dog, or just trying to simplify my life.