Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's wife, Karen Pence, has remained largely out of the spotlight, but she is considered a major influence on her husband.

Mike has described her as both the best thing that ever happened to him and the girl of his dreams. The press has watched her hand out water to waiting reporters and deliver birthday cupcakes. Beyond that, here are seven facts you should know about the woman beside Mike Pence:

1. She has spent most of her life in Indiana.

Karen was raised in the historic Indianapolis neighborhood of Broad Ripple and went to Butler University, according to the Indianapolis Star. After receiving a bachelor's and master's degrees from Butler in elementary education, she became a teacher at various schools in the area.

Her only time outside of Indiana was when Mike was elected to Congress in 2000. The entire Pence family spent 12 years in Washington, D.C., and they were happy to move back to their home state when Pence was elected governor in 2012. "Indiana is just a very special place. There are no other people like Hoosiers," Karen said to the IndyStar.

2. She and Mike met at church.

In 1983, Mike — who describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order" — approached Karen after seeing her play guitar at mass at St. Thomas Aquinas church in Indianapolis, according to the IndyStar. Mike realized Karen's sister was also enrolled at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law and he got in touch with Karen through her. (Karen was previously married at age 21 to Steve Whitaker, whom she met in high school.)

"When I first met Mike Pence, it was love at first sight," Karen said in an ad from Mike's governor campaign. "On our first date, we went skating at the Pepsi Coliseum at the state fairgrounds. We skated around for a little while, then he reached over and took my hand."

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Once they started dating, Karen bought a gold cross with the word "Yes" engraved on it, and kept it with her until he proposed, according to the New York Times. They married in June 1985 and have three adult children: Michael, Charlotte, and Audrey. Michael is a Marine Corps officer, Charlotte is a recent college grad and a filmmaker, and Audrey is still in college and, interestingly enough, considers herself socially liberal, according to ABC News.

Karen and Mike are still very religious, and they often attend services at Indianapolis' College Park Church, an evangelical megachurch, the Times reports. Friends and aides characterized her as the family "prayer warrior" in a Washington Post piece.

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Celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary today with my wonderful wife, @FirstLadyIN pic.twitter.com/1xdb5x8SJA — Governor Mike Pence (@GovPenceIN) June 8, 2016

3. She started a small business selling towel charms.

In 2015, Karen founded "That's My Towel!" Charm, a company Fortune magazine said makes metal charms you attach to a beach towel so you know which one is yours. Since Mike became the Republican vice presidential nominee, the towel charm business has been put on hold, according to the Huffington Post. The website is currently inactive, but some stealthy Twitter users posted images of the $6.25 charms before they disappeared.

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I love this. Karen Pence founded "That's My Towel!" a company that sells...towel charms. https://t.co/7MW3vd6Cka pic.twitter.com/GZM5swPxka — Shannon Proudfoot (@sproudfoot) July 18, 2016

4. She founded a charitable foundation that combines her interest in children and art.

As first lady of Indiana, Karen continued to find inspiration in her passion for children, education, and the arts. She worked to develop an art career, taking a watercolor class shortly after having her first child. Her mother-in-law and sister each commissioned her for watercolor paintings of their houses, according to the IndyStar. At her peak, Karen did 35 paintings in a year, selling many of them at local art fairs.

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My art will be a part of the @Indiana2016 display-come check it out at the @IndyStateFair Aug. 5-21, 2016! pic.twitter.com/9MVVX1JC7e — Karen Pence (@FirstLadyIN) April 26, 2016

She formed the Indiana First Lady's Charitable Foundation in 2013 to promote individuals and organizations that encourage children, families, and the arts, the IndyStar reports. The foundation offers grants and scholarships to these individuals and organizations, and the foundation first benefited Riley's Art Therapy Initiative, an art therapy program for hospitalized children.

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W/ @GovPenceIN & Emma, of Emma's Art Cart-an inspiring lady helping @RileyHospital patients through art therapy! pic.twitter.com/FojEmmiabD — Karen Pence (@FirstLadyIN) February 23, 2016

She told reporters before the inauguration that she didn't yet know which issues she will work on in her new role as second lady of the United States and might closely work with Melania Trump. She also said art therapy remains "near and dear to me."



5. She's a trained pilot.

Karen comes from a family of pilots. "I was born on an Air Force base," Karen said on Afternoons With Amos, a radio show. "My dad worked for United Airlines. I kind of grew up around planes. My godfather had his own plane, and when I was a teenager, I got to fly with him and it just kind of got in my blood."

Although her license is not current, her son Michael has the flying gene. "My son, though, has taken me out because he's a pilot now, he's actually an instructor," she said in the interview.

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Proud to join our son and his fellow Marines at graduation from Officers Basic School USMC Base Quantico pic.twitter.com/cvMRBbbcP5 — Governor Mike Pence (@GovPenceIN) September 30, 2015

6. She is very influential and is one of Mike's most trusted advisers.

As Indiana's first lady, Karen has focused on children and the arts, but she is also a key adviser to Mike. "She's the best part of my life," Mike told the IndyStar. "Everything we do in public life, we do together. I can't imagine it any other way."

According to CNN, Karen's influence is clear in the Pence administration's work in Indiana, most notably in the expansion of Medicaid and conservative education reforms. She is described by an unnamed Pence insider as an "integral role in shaping policy." Even Mike referred to her as "the highest ranking official in the state of Indiana" while introducing her at a recent speech. She introduced him at the 2017 March for Life, saying, " “I have never met anyone who has more passion for women, for children, and for the American people."

“They are in a strong, supportive marriage bound by common faith,” Peter Rusthoven, a lawyer active in Indiana Republican politics, told the Washington Post. “I don’t think they make decisions separately.”

When Trump asked her husband to be his VP, he asked to talk to Karen too, according to the Post. Then when the Access Hollywood tape leaked, Trump personally apologized to Karen as well.

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7. She wrote a letter to a newspaper expressing concerns about homosexuality.

In 1991, Karen wrote a letter to the editor in the Indianapolis Star, expressing her dismay about an article that ran in the paper's “Children’s Express" section. She claimed it “encourages children to think they’re gay or lesbian if they have a close relationship with a child of the same sex” or admire a teacher of the same gender, according to the Washington Post. “I only pray that most parents were able to intercept your article before their children were encouraged to call the Gay/Lesbian Youth Hotline, which encourages them to ‘accept their homosexuality’ instead of reassuring them that they are not,” she wrote.

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Maggie Maloney Associate Digital Editor Maggie Maloney is the associate editor at Town & Country and ELLE Decor, where she covers style, beauty, jewelry, and the many members of the royal family.

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