Marie grew up with five sisters and two brothers in a mid-western university town. Often heckled for defying the zero population pressures of the day, she grew up loving the “warmth and confusion” of life in a large family. The experience would come in handy.

Marie married in 1987 and moved to Singapore and then Spain, returning four years later with three small children. As Marie’s family continued to grow, she began writing songs about life as a housewife and mother in a world that “no longer values these roles.” In 1997 she recorded a collection of these songs entitled “What I Wanted To Say.” In 2000 she released her second collection entitled, "Ordinary Time" which focuses on the temptations of a culture which encourages women to "have it all." With her eight children and husband Bill, a “psychologist with sense” who challenges families and couples to rise above themselves and serve each other, Marie offers a different vision of what it means to be a “fulfilled” woman.