Raised on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies, Mandi spent her youth adventuring and fundraising with her local Boy Scout Troop 223. As a young adult, she moved around the state until finally she made a great leap of faith and for the price of a one-way ticket bought a new life. She now resides in Seward with her dog ‘the goodest boy’ Woodrow and her fat cat Buster Beans Keaton.