Contestant Data
Name: Janelle Ann Tryggestad
Hometown: Apple Valley, MN

Hi-

My name is Janelle Tryggestad, I have been working in stained glass for 2 years. I started by taking a community education class with a friend. I have a super supportive husband, John, and a 13 year old son David. We have a 75 pound black standard poodle who is always underfoot, thus earning his name of Shadow. I've lived in Minnesota all my life.

In the last 2 years I have completed 17 major items ranging from 3-D glass whirls, custom windows for antique amoires, fan lamps, stepping stones and hanging panels. I've tried a little bit of everything and take a fair number of classes to learn new things. My biggest project was a window hanging with 2 parrots and 175 pieces of glass. My most challenging was the 3-D glass whirl; wished I had an extra set of hands; it was also the most fun! The stupidest project was to cut 165 pieces of stained glass for a stepping stone.

Six months after I started working in stained glass, I was surfing E-Bay and found a woman who was selling her whole workshop. I kiddingly told my husband he could give it to me for Valentine's day. He told me to bid on it till I won. A couple of thousand dollars later and a trip to Iowa, I was the proud owner of 640+ sq feet of lamp glass, a Taurus saw, 2' of pattern books, lamp molds, 6 gallons of patina and lots of miscellaneous stuff. What a way to start a hobby! Now how do I move all this "stuff" to Maui when we retire in 5 years?

My "real" job is working for a major airline as a lead computer application support specialist. I carry a beeper 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and only get away when on vacation. If something breaks or we have a crisis, I get involved. It's challenging and fun. I've been in the computer field for 32 years, but only at the airline for 10+ years.

Other hobbies besides stained glass include traveling the world and water activities (sailing, boating, snorkeling and scuba diving).