Moments in Time
Moments in Time is a weekly series featuring recollections of area residents. To suggest someone to feature in Moments in Time, please contact Mary Jane Grenzow, editor, at editor@themonroetimes.com.
Shelly Jordan could have been a teacher. Or a musician. Or a salesperson. Or one of the many other hats she wears as an involved parent who takes on life as it comes to her.
But if Jordan has learned one thing, it's that there are seasons in life for everything. And right now she's taking the time to spend her days at sporting events, children's activities and taking the lead wherever she might be needed for her family, her church and her community.
Jordan grew up on the family dairy farm just outside of Monroe with her younger brother, Shane. She attended school in Monroe and recalls spending lots of time with friends and cousins. Since the family wasn't in town much, she remembers using her imagination to find her own fun and really enjoying life in the country.
At Monroe High School, she was an involved student - mostly with music. She enjoyed the swing choir, wind ensemble and playing flute in the band. Her mother taught her a little piano, but Jordan didn't keep up with it. She remembers well the teachers who inspired her.
Sports weren't her thing, but Jordan excelled in other things, joining clubs and landing her first job through a work study program in high school as the typist for the M Book, with Mr. Brockman as her first boss.
The 1987 graduate wasn't exactly sure where her path would take her.
"I knew that I wanted to help people in some sort of fashion," she said. "But I also loved the business side of things."
She hoped to get right into working and being a productive member of society, and that's exactly what happened. Jordan landed a job after graduation at Monroe Chiropractic as the secretary but searched for full-time work and soon landed a job at the Bank of Juda.
Juda is also where Jordan built her life, her home and her family - starting as a teller at the bank and working her way through bookkeeping and then to the operations side of things. When the bank merged with the New Glarus bank in 2008, she spent two years as its operations manager.
With a growing family, her priorities changed. She needed to move on, and her little brother, Shane, approached her after he had an opening at Figi Insurance in Monroe. In 2010, Jordan switched careers and attained her property/casualty insurance license.
She's been working alongside family members ever since and said that being with her brother, her mother and a cousin has been a wonderful transition for her and a great way to spend her days.
"It was a major change," she said with a smile. "Sometimes we can get too rigid and quit learning and quit growing - my brain had to expand."
Figi Insurance started when the farm of Jordan's father, Ralph, was affected by stray voltage in the 1980s and he looked for something different. When Shane joined, he took the business to the next level.
Ralph passed away 17 years ago, but Jordan said she feels her brother has truly filled their father's shoes and then some.
Jordan works as an insurance advisor and helps clients find the best protection for their needs. She finds the job fascinating.
"It's been a great change," she said. "I love working with my family and we have such a great crew."
But her heart is still in Juda, where she lives and worked for so long, and it's where her children Sara and Libby attend school. Her oldest son, Luke, is a senior in college. She's also been married to J.R., her high school sweetheart, almost 27 years.
She is very busy with work but also with her children's activities and is a hands-on mother in every way. Jordan has been a Sunday School teacher for the past 17 years for the Juda Zion United Methodist Church.
She works mostly with the high school youth group and brings anywhere from 15 to 22 kids in each Sunday during the school year. That number just might be high because of the goodies Jordan bakes and brings for them, but she feels a big connection to the students who join her.
"I just absolutely love working with children," she said.
She also takes on the Vacation Bible School, and there are about 120 people involved in that as well.
Jordan is also the Zion UCC's choir director and has been since 2003. She puts on a Christmas and Easter program for the congregation and gets involved herself when needed. Over the past 13 years, she has put on 26 different Easter and Christmas dramas. Last year, Jordan created the Christmas show on her own. As the director, she's always putting in extra time and works hard to get as many people as involved as possible.
All three of her children are also very musical, and her husband, who is more sports-minded and would prefer not to act, even steps in if he's needed.
"He's my biggest encourager," Jordan said of her husband, noting that he's always behind the scenes, supporting her and their family at home and helping out wherever he can.
For the past three years, she has taught Bible study once a month, inviting women into her home. She's also in charge of the ladies retreat, organizing a weekend for a large group.
Jordan sold Pampered Chef for 16 years, becoming a director and had more than 100 people on her team at one time. She loved her time there, saying she met so many wonderful people and gave over 1,000 shows.
She has also been a member of the Bel Canto Singers for five years and is grateful for the joy and the people the group has brought into her life. Singing is something that is part of Jordan - she mostly does it for her own enjoyment.
Her faith is also a defining part of Jordan.
"My faith is really important to me," she said. "It's helped me through my whole life and I can't imagine not having it. I really want to share it with others."
She said it was role models from the Juda church who steered her toward church involvement. She said she admired that they would own their mistakes and brought beauty everywhere they went.
"I'd watch them and they gave everything to make people happy and they used every talent they had," she said. "I think God gives each of us talents and if we'd all use them, the world would be such a different place."
Jordan said her other simple enjoyments like cooking and gardening came from her parents and her grandmothers, who she's grateful were with her through adulthood.
"Cooking is a big part of who I am," she said. She loves summer and the boating, campfires and sporting events that come with it.
The season that Jordan is in now is one where she feels she's giving her all. She wants to be there for her children, and still always know what's important in life. She loves spending time with people who matter and loves that she has a great group of girlfriends.
"I really feel that God has given us each talents," she said. "My goal is to use everything he's given me to the fullest I can to be a help to people."
But if Jordan has learned one thing, it's that there are seasons in life for everything. And right now she's taking the time to spend her days at sporting events, children's activities and taking the lead wherever she might be needed for her family, her church and her community.
Jordan grew up on the family dairy farm just outside of Monroe with her younger brother, Shane. She attended school in Monroe and recalls spending lots of time with friends and cousins. Since the family wasn't in town much, she remembers using her imagination to find her own fun and really enjoying life in the country.
At Monroe High School, she was an involved student - mostly with music. She enjoyed the swing choir, wind ensemble and playing flute in the band. Her mother taught her a little piano, but Jordan didn't keep up with it. She remembers well the teachers who inspired her.
Sports weren't her thing, but Jordan excelled in other things, joining clubs and landing her first job through a work study program in high school as the typist for the M Book, with Mr. Brockman as her first boss.
The 1987 graduate wasn't exactly sure where her path would take her.
"I knew that I wanted to help people in some sort of fashion," she said. "But I also loved the business side of things."
She hoped to get right into working and being a productive member of society, and that's exactly what happened. Jordan landed a job after graduation at Monroe Chiropractic as the secretary but searched for full-time work and soon landed a job at the Bank of Juda.
Juda is also where Jordan built her life, her home and her family - starting as a teller at the bank and working her way through bookkeeping and then to the operations side of things. When the bank merged with the New Glarus bank in 2008, she spent two years as its operations manager.
With a growing family, her priorities changed. She needed to move on, and her little brother, Shane, approached her after he had an opening at Figi Insurance in Monroe. In 2010, Jordan switched careers and attained her property/casualty insurance license.
She's been working alongside family members ever since and said that being with her brother, her mother and a cousin has been a wonderful transition for her and a great way to spend her days.
"It was a major change," she said with a smile. "Sometimes we can get too rigid and quit learning and quit growing - my brain had to expand."
Figi Insurance started when the farm of Jordan's father, Ralph, was affected by stray voltage in the 1980s and he looked for something different. When Shane joined, he took the business to the next level.
Ralph passed away 17 years ago, but Jordan said she feels her brother has truly filled their father's shoes and then some.
Jordan works as an insurance advisor and helps clients find the best protection for their needs. She finds the job fascinating.
"It's been a great change," she said. "I love working with my family and we have such a great crew."
But her heart is still in Juda, where she lives and worked for so long, and it's where her children Sara and Libby attend school. Her oldest son, Luke, is a senior in college. She's also been married to J.R., her high school sweetheart, almost 27 years.
She is very busy with work but also with her children's activities and is a hands-on mother in every way. Jordan has been a Sunday School teacher for the past 17 years for the Juda Zion United Methodist Church.
She works mostly with the high school youth group and brings anywhere from 15 to 22 kids in each Sunday during the school year. That number just might be high because of the goodies Jordan bakes and brings for them, but she feels a big connection to the students who join her.
"I just absolutely love working with children," she said.
She also takes on the Vacation Bible School, and there are about 120 people involved in that as well.
Jordan is also the Zion UCC's choir director and has been since 2003. She puts on a Christmas and Easter program for the congregation and gets involved herself when needed. Over the past 13 years, she has put on 26 different Easter and Christmas dramas. Last year, Jordan created the Christmas show on her own. As the director, she's always putting in extra time and works hard to get as many people as involved as possible.
All three of her children are also very musical, and her husband, who is more sports-minded and would prefer not to act, even steps in if he's needed.
"He's my biggest encourager," Jordan said of her husband, noting that he's always behind the scenes, supporting her and their family at home and helping out wherever he can.
For the past three years, she has taught Bible study once a month, inviting women into her home. She's also in charge of the ladies retreat, organizing a weekend for a large group.
Jordan sold Pampered Chef for 16 years, becoming a director and had more than 100 people on her team at one time. She loved her time there, saying she met so many wonderful people and gave over 1,000 shows.
She has also been a member of the Bel Canto Singers for five years and is grateful for the joy and the people the group has brought into her life. Singing is something that is part of Jordan - she mostly does it for her own enjoyment.
Her faith is also a defining part of Jordan.
"My faith is really important to me," she said. "It's helped me through my whole life and I can't imagine not having it. I really want to share it with others."
She said it was role models from the Juda church who steered her toward church involvement. She said she admired that they would own their mistakes and brought beauty everywhere they went.
"I'd watch them and they gave everything to make people happy and they used every talent they had," she said. "I think God gives each of us talents and if we'd all use them, the world would be such a different place."
Jordan said her other simple enjoyments like cooking and gardening came from her parents and her grandmothers, who she's grateful were with her through adulthood.
"Cooking is a big part of who I am," she said. She loves summer and the boating, campfires and sporting events that come with it.
The season that Jordan is in now is one where she feels she's giving her all. She wants to be there for her children, and still always know what's important in life. She loves spending time with people who matter and loves that she has a great group of girlfriends.
"I really feel that God has given us each talents," she said. "My goal is to use everything he's given me to the fullest I can to be a help to people."
