I became interested in severe weather while working in radio. During my first live shift, a round of strong storms came through our listening area. I was hooked! Oddly enough, until that night, I was terrified of weather. I used to hide in the basement of my home even at the slightest mention of a thunderstorm...

It was actually my husband, Kory Hartman, that encouraged me to take spotter training courses and start chasing. Since we have two young boys, I don't get to chase with Kory as much as I'd like, but I love watching the streams, radar, and weather in my own backyard.

We also love teaching our boys the science behind storms and letting them experience less threatening South Dakota weather first hand. While six months pregnant with our oldest, we took a chase trip to Nebraska. Even though bumping down the dirt, backroads was not a doctor approved pregnancy activity, it was a lot of fun! Plus, it was during that same time that the Tornado Tuesday outbreak occurred in South Dakota. While Kory was out chasing, I did a seven hour radio air shift. We think that's why our Max is as addicted to storms as his mommy and daddy.