Michael Varnes-Epstein:
CLASS OF 1979
Niles East High SchoolClass of 1979
Skokie, IL
Michael's Story
Life
Hey Everybody. Would love to be in touch with you. Wonder what you are all doing.
I have alot of stories to tell about my adventures, but will keep this brief.
I graduated from SIU with a BS in Criminal Justice. Spent the next 3 1/2 years
working with a SIU program called Touch of Nature. I led 30 day wilderness
trips for adjudicated youth. During that time I "found myself", whatever that
means. Grew a beard and long hair, and ate crunchy granola food. During
that time I also made two, cross-country bicycle trips and learned alot about
our country. I met some guy in Missoula, Montana who turned me on to the
Peace Corps. Six months later I found myself on a very small island in the
Chuuk Islands of the Federated States of Micronesia. For two wonderful years
I taught English, Health Education, and did alot of fishing. Upon return to
the States I taught Sex Ed for the Lake County Health Department in Illinois.
In 1991 I started graduate school and got a Master's in Public Health degree
in 1993. I married Lisa in 1994. For our honeymoon we traveled to Argentina
and climbed Mt. Aconcongua, the highest peak in the western hemisphere at
23,000 ft. We then lived in Terlingua, Texas, on the border of Big Bend
National Park,...Expand for more
and Mexico. My wife opened a medical clinic there, and I was
also employed by the sponsoring hospital writing grants and such. In 1995
our son Kai was born and we moved to Madison, Wisconsin. In 1997 my daughter
Haven was born. During this time I was working for the State of Wisconsin
in their AIDS/HIV program. I primarlily created monitoring and evaluation programs.
In 1998 my mother died very unexpectantly, and my wife and I truely learned
how short life is. I quit my job and became a stay-at-home dad. We began
looking for farm area in southwest Wisconsin to help fulfill our dream of
living off the land. In 1999, our second daughter, Ahmae was born. A few
weeks later we moved to our farm located just outside Gays Mills, Wisconsein.
Two hundred acres of beautiful woods and fields. Alot has happened in the
last six years. We've learned to grow and raise most of our own food.
We raise organic chicken, beef, pork, and turkey. We homeschool our children.
In many ways it is a very enchanted life. Quite a few more adventures have happened
and there are many more instore. I would love to share details of my adventures,
and would love to hear about yours. Hope to hear from you soon.
Be Well,
Michael
varnesep at gmail do com
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