Kristen Dexter was born and raised in Hallock, Minnesota, in the far northwestern corner of the state, on the farm where her dad was born and where her parents still live. She thrived on the work and play that farm life offered, and especially liked haying, fishing, riding horse, and playing in the woods and river. Her favorite chore was driving the 3 miles on back roads to a neighboring dairy farm to buy the weekly milk.

One of the most important people in Kristen’s life during these years was her grandma, Eleanor. Eleanor suffered from crippling rheumatoid arthritis and Kristen’s family was committed to helping her live an independent, dignified life. Eleanor had to retire early from teaching because of her disability but loved teaching so much that she continued tutoring special needs students at her house in town until she became too disabled for even that. Kristen and her grandma spent hours looking through National Geographic magazine, and this helped inspire Kristen’s love of travel.

When Kristen turned 14 she got her first off-the-farm job at the local "Dairy Whirl", and continued to work throughout high school and college. Her savings, plus help from her parents and student loans, enabled her to become a first generation college student. Two years at Moorhead State (MN) were followed by a year as an exchange student at the University of Oregon in Eugene. After returning from Eugene, Kristen worked and saved money for a semester abroad and spent the next 6 months in Lund, Sweden, and backpacked throughout Scandinavia and behind the "Iron Curtain" into East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary before returning to Minnesota.

Kristen enrolled at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis upon her return. However, her major study area was cancelled and she transferred to UW-River Falls where she completed her studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts. After graduation, she started her own small business as a metalsmith in Minneapolis.

Donn (David) grew up near the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. He was the oldest of three brothers raised by a single mom, Solveig, and her parents, Jens and Didi, who had emigrated from Norway. David graduated high school, but there was no money for college. So David followed family tradition among Dexter men and joined the service. He served 4 years as a medical corpsman on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger during the Vietnam War. After his discharge David began college with the help of the GI Bill, attending classes full-time by day and working nights at the city impound lot where he would get his studying done. After graduating Cum Laude, he was accepted into both the police academy and medical school. He chose medicine and is now the chair of a hospital neurology department in Eau Claire.

Kristen and Donn met at her brother’s wedding in 1991, married in 1992 and had three children by 1997. They chose to make Eau Claire home because the Chippewa Valley seemed like a good place to raise a family - and they were right. Together they enjoy canoeing, kayaking, camping, and music. Kristen was lucky that her job as stay at home mom allowed her to become involved in church and community activities, and eventually, politics. She now works full-time as a candidate for the 68th Assembly District.