Monica Wilbanks Buzbee

I was born in Sacramento, California on September 26, 1963, but my family (mom, dad, and brother Mark) moved to El Granada in 1966, when my dad took a job as a teacher for the Cabrillo Unified School District. I grew up climbing pine trees, running through the open fields around our house with my friends, and riding bikes. I attended El Granada Elementary School, where my daughter is now in Kindergarten, Cunha Intermediate, and Half Moon Bay High School. I was active in chorus, musicals, swimming, skin diving, and the Spanish Club and also worked part-time at Coast West Sports, my parents' store on Main Street.

A fan of non-traditional education, I did the first two years of my undergraduate work at U.C. Santa Cruz and completed the last two years at Prescott College in Arizona, graduating in 1987 with a B.A. in Counseling Psychology and Spanish. In 1992, after several years of work in the counseling field, I returned to school and completed a M.A. in Counseling Services from Webster University in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

My daughter, Elizabeth McKenzie, was born in 1992 and my world still hasn't stopped spinning. Elizabeth is now almost six, full of life, inquisitive, verbal, dramatic, and in love with puppies and horses. I love being her mom.

My husband, Bill, and I met in a kayaking class at California Canoe and Kayak in the fall of '95. He was the lone wolf in the class, going off by himself to sit quietly in the kelp beds. That was when I saw a window of opportunity. I was so attracted to this mysterious stranger that I pursued him relentlessly until he finally had no option but to marry me.

We were married on March 8, 1997 at the Methodist Church in Half Moon Bay. We still kayak whenever possible and have enjoyed local day trips as well as a week-long tour in Baja California.

In September of '96 I enrolled at Santa Clara University to work on a specialization in career counseling. In August '97, as part of this program, I began a career counseling internship at the College of San Mateo. I teach or co-teach career development courses and counsel students in the Career Development Center.

But, alas, change is always in the wind. With a baby on the way, I have decided to take a break from the paid work world and be a stay-at-home mom for a while. With Elizabeth and my other two "kids", Daisy and Lacy, I have my hands full.

Click here for a visual of my ever-expanding belly.

Never one to remain idle, I plan to continue my volunteer work as a mediator and case developer with the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and in Elizabeth's classroom.