Jan (Simmons) Johnson
Location: I've lived in West Des
Moines, Iowa for more than 5 years. Prior to that, I lived in Texas
(Dallas/Fort Worth), Arizona (Phoenix), and Illinois (Chicago and Bloomington).
Family: Husband: Mark. Sons:
Hunter, 7; Connor, 2; and Kyler, 1.
You can see my family photos at http://pages.ivillage.com/ps/jandesmoines.
Job: I am currently Legal Counsel for
the Iowa Legislature. I staff legislative committees and draft laws in the areas of
banking, insurance, utilities, and other commerce areas, and also campaign finance and
privacy. I previously spent 8 years in private practice in Arizona and Texas, and a
year as in-house corporate counsel in Illinois.
Leisuretime Activities: Our home is on
2 1/2 acres, and we inherited many perennial beds, a large vegetable garden and greenhouse
from the previous owners, so I spend a lot of time gardening! My oldest son is
in soccer and Cub Scouts, so I spend a lot of evening and weekends accompanying him to his
events. I'm also a den leader for 7 Cub Scouts!
I am an online community leader for several topic boards on iVillage/Parentsoup, so I
spend some time online almost daily, doing research and responding to member requests.
I also enjoy playing on our home computer with graphic programs, and collecting
fonts and graphics online and via newsgroups--when I can squeeze in the time! Seems
like there's always new software I want to learn to use!
We also have season tickets to Iowa Hawkeyes football games (my husband is an Iowa
alum--undergraduate & law school), and we also try to get to one or two away games
each fall. We also love to travel, primarily to where there are both great golf
courses and great shopping/sightseeing!
Favorite Memories: I most often
remember driving around Clinton (especially the square!) with various friends; stopping at
Hardee's (when you could get a hamburger, fries, and a small drink for about $1!!); and
the parties for school clubs and organizations at everyones' houses.
We took a great vacation to Ireland in the summer of 1999, and I also have great memories
of other trips to California, Hawaii, England, and France.
Future Plans: I think I'm going to be
changing a lot of diapers, and attending a lot of soccer games and cub scout meetings in
the near future! It's hard to think much beyond that time period right now!
LOL!
We are also hoping to continue our vacations, including a potential trip to Portugal or
other place in Europe in 2002. I also have a good friend who is a barrister in
England, and I'm hoping I can go back and visit her again in 2001!
Best Way to Contact Me: Home or work e-mail
is the fastest, but home or work phone or snail mail will work just fine, too!
Updated May 2001.
