Who am I?

Simply put, I am a wife, mom, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, aunt, cousin, friend.  I am a physical therapist, running coach, business owner (x2!), baker, pianist, runner.  I am a teacher and a student.  I wear a lot of hats and fill a lot of roles, and I love them all for different reasons. 

I like consistency, structure, routine … and variety (figure that one out!).  I was not built for spending 40 years working at the same 9-5 desk job.  I also was not built to be a stay-at-home mom and having to multi-task around the clock without a break.  I was built to move, to think, to do things, to sit, to sleep, to cook and eat delicious food, to sit inside or go outside, to walk, to run.  I like to be focused, efficient and productive … but I also am often one to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off doing a million things in the 10 minutes before we leave the house to go somewhere.  Do you see my conundrum here?  Life is hard, go figure!

So, with all that confusion aside, and because TOMORROW is my birthday, I’m going to share with you what my ideal day might look like, in hopes that that will give you a better picture of ME than the craziness I described above!

-Wake up at sunrise, no alarm needed. Hooray for springtime sunrise times!

-Enjoy a breakfast of scrambled eggs (fresh from our little ladies!), homemade toast with peanut butter and honey, and a glass of cold milk from a local creamery – shared, of course, with my husband and daughter, and the dog by our feet waiting to scoop up the crumbs!

-Family time #1 –neaten up the house, go outside to see the chickens, feed the animals … nothing too exciting for us, but there is always a little sparkle in Emma’s eye when she gets to help with chores!

-Go for a run!!  I’m going to go for 45 minutes or so today – nice and easy, enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine, and the quiet country roads in the morning.

-Family time #2 – post-run snack, stretching, go see the chickens again, bake some cookies :)

-Lunch time!  Since it’s my birthday, I’m going to go for take-out from one of my favorite restaurants – CoreLife Eatery, with a robust green-grain salad. (I know – salad as a birthday request sounds weird, but trust me, these are delicious!!)

-Nap time for Emma = work time for Mommy and Daddy.  Under normal circumstances, during the school year, you’ll find me at practice with the high school track team, coaching the next generation of runners (and sometimes jumping in for a second workout).  Right now, this is looking more like – we do some work for our businesses, take some phone calls and virtual PT visits, design coaching plans, and other things we can’t multi-task with since Emma is home with us all day.

-More outside time, family time #3 – back to the garden to collect “eggies”, take a walk around the neighborhood, taste test those cookies we baked earlier – yum!!

-Dinner time!  Still my birthday, so I get to choose dinner too – and since my birthday is also cinco de mayo, we usually have Mexican food – I love Alex’s enchiladas – with a glass of red wine!!  Usually we have some sort of family gathering – I guess this year it’s going to take place on Zoom (we are really missing our family, and can’t wait to have our family dinners back!)

-Family time #4 – clean up Emma’s toys (takes a while but she does usually do it!), followed by stories, “milkies” and snuggles before she goes to sleep … followed pretty closely by us heading to bed after a wonderfully busy day!

It has never been our goal, as a family, for us to work full-time forever and ever.  We have careers that we love, and we’ve worked hard to get to where we are now.  But we also have passions for other things.

My passion is for working with runners, and promoting wellness and health in our community.  I am a physical therapist and running coach, which has been the foundation for creating my own business in which I do just that.  I am a baker, and I use whole foods and local ingredients to keep our goodies tasty, healthy (ish), and friendly to the local economy.  I am a runner, and I hope that I lead by example in terms of commitment, dedication, work ethic, and valuing my physical and mental well-being. 

My husband’s passion is for the environment.  His career as a wind-energy engineer has given him the tools and knowledge to support environmental programs and fuel his desire to create a self-sufficient farm for our family.  If it were completely up to him, he would be as happy as a clam to not leave our property on most days of the week.

Our daughter’s passion is … life!  She is not quite two years old, and really doesn’t have a care in the world, except that she doesn’t get enough time on the swing (even when her hands are ice cold and it’s dinner time).  She keeps us busy and (almost) always laughing, and I wouldn’t trade this life as a mama for anything.

So there you have it – my life, my ideal day, my passions – everything that makes me who I am, and who I strive to be every day.  I love what I do, and the opportunities that are ahead of me.  I am fortunate to have family and friends who support me … and give me a reality check when I need it. 

Now … who are YOU?