Getting to know you; Kim Blair

Kim Blair was born & raised in Reuver, a village in the Dutch province of Limburg in The Netherlands Getting to know you; Kim Blair and is now, after a rigorous process, a naturalized citizen of the United States.

While working at the City Archives for 3 years in Roermond, near her hometown, she met Brent Blair online. They were both in the same group, on a daily basis, playing an online game called Clash of Clans in 2016 and began talking with each other outside of the game.

It was another 2 years before she was able to come to the U.S. so they could be married. “We went through a fiancé visa. You have to apply for a visa to move here and prove that the citizen here in the U.S. has the means to take care of whoever they’re bringing in so they are not a burden to society,” she said. They had to go through all kinds of hoops to finally get the visa, and it took over a year. She enjoyed her first vacation to this area in summer of 2017 and they filed for the fiancé visa in December of 2017.

Kim said when she first visited this area it felt like home to her right away. “People are so friendly and everyone is so welcoming and eager to show me what they think is the most beautiful place in town or the best place to eat. It’s just one big family here and I love it.”

At age 16, she studied construction in Roermond. “After those 4 years, I realized that I really liked the historical aspect of construction and restoring old buildings,” she said. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s in Historical Architecture with a specialization in Restoration Techniques and worked in construction for a couple of years before her job at Roermond City Archives.

She considers herself very fortunate to have been able to find a good job right after she got her green card and is currently still working at Harpenau Insurance in Troy, Indiana. She started as a receptionist, then earned her insurance license and is now an agent for personal lines.

She’s made good friends here who are also her coworkers – LaDonna Bell, of Hawesville, and Tessa Roeling, of Tell City. “Those girls are absolutely awesome,” she said. “We ring the bell at Wal-Mart at Christmas time together and our office participates in the chili cook-off in Tell City every year.” Kim’s grandmother’s chili recipe won her the blue ribbon in 2019.

Kim & Brent moved to Hawesville in October of last year. They live in a house in the historic fern cliff area and like working on the property, cleaning up the yard and tending to the land. They have 2 border collies that she brought with her from Europe and enjoy walking them as well.

“We got a motorcycle and we love to take it out for a spin every now and then,” she said. They go for rides in the country in Hawesville. She enjoys seeing the farms, houses and the area where Brent grew up. “He has always had a motorcycle and I always wanted to learn how to ride but never got around to it. I just hitch along for now (on the back).” She plans on getting her motorcycle license and her own motorcycle as well.

They also enjoy golfing with Brent’s dad, Dean, at Panther Creek in Owensboro. “I had never played golf before I moved here. I love being outside and I like spending time with my husband and his family, but I’m really bad at golf,” she said with a chuckle.

Kim & Brent are blessed with 4 adult children and she says she’s very proud of them: Jared, Katie, Daniel and Cassie. They are excited to become grandparents next year and she is currently crocheting a baby blanket.

“I love to crochet. My mother-in-law, Brenda, taught me how and I crochet just about anything and I love listening to podcasts while I do that,” she said.

She and Brent are planning to visit her family next year. She has one younger brother and a niece and nephew and says she really misses them.

Her parents visited them here this year. She hadn’t seen them in 4 years. “Mom and Dad had never been out of Europe,” she said. “They had never flown in an airplane. They were very excited.”

Kim loves to read. “My favorite books are fantasy and historic subjects,” she said. “I love any biographies and history that I can get my hands on.”

She was involved in the Historical Society in Tell City and would like to do the same in Hancock County. She says that she was hoping to get more into restoring old buildings as well. “I’ve noticed there are more initiatives popping up everywhere to conserve and restore old buildings. I would really like to be a part of that if I can.”

The main thing she is focused on for now, she said, is the mid-term elections. “I got my citizenship and I am very happy that I got it in time to be able to vote in the election. I just really want to make sure that people know that voting is not just a right but also a commitment to your community.”

Kim also feels strongly that religion and science should unite people rather than divide them. “I really dislike how people take religion and science and use them to demonize other people. That is not what religion or science is supposed to do. Religion and science are supposed to bring people together, not separate them.”

When she first moved here, her mother sent her a special necklace. She had asked the local jeweler to custom  make it for Kim and its silver medallion reads: “Laef diene druim” which translates to “Live Your Dream.” “I really like that,” she said. “They always say that moving to America and living over here is the ‘American Dream’ and I like how that ties in with that.”