Karen, Jessica and Kayla Horne

By Marilou Coggins of Business Services

As OIT Business Services director, Karen Horne has a tough job balancing all the finances of the organization’s various units. Her most enjoyable challenge, however, is raising her two daughters, Kayla, 4, and the newest family member, nearly four-month old Jessica. 

“My time with my family is very important,” said Karen, who enjoys spending time at the local parks and at the beach with her family.

Also in her spare time, Karen enjoys scrapbooking and recording the important milestones of her family’s life. “I want to make sure there is a history in pictures and words for my girls to have in their future.”

“Their early years are so fascinating, and they grow up so fast, so I try to capture as much as I can,” she added. “I want them to be able to look back on family traditions and what life was like as they were growing up.”

Karen also enjoys cooking, and she gets help now from her oldest daughter Kayla. “She (Kayla) loves to frost the special birthday cakes we do for the family,” said Karen. “Since she started helping me ice the cakes, I’ve had to learn to accept that cakes don’t have to be perfect, as long as she has a smile on her face when we are finished.”

“Being with my family is what I love most about life,” she says.