My Story
I have always been athletic (played soccer my entire life) and enjoyed working out. What other 14 year old girl asks for a bench and pull-up bar for her birthday and sets up obstacle courses in her backyard?!
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| Me and Hailey |
However, once I left college, got married and endured the stress of infertility, my husband losing his job, and plagued by injuries; fitness was put on the back burner. After a year of daily headaches and multiple medications, I decided enough was enough. I needed to get my life back. The old days of pushing myself to the limits physically was just what the doctor ordered. After two months in the gym, I was off all the medications and headache free. Over the next year I slowly changed my eating habits, which weren't bad to begin with, but definitely were not as clean as they could be. It wasn't until after I really cleaned up my diet that I started to feel fantastic inside and out; headache free, rarely sick, and loving life. Now, I can't imagine treating my body and mind any different!
**Disclaimer - I am not a dietitian, nutritionist, or personal trainer. Maybe one day I will be?! However, I am passionate about fitness and nutrition and love to experiment in the kitchen and in the gym. I do what works for me and make changes when they are needed.
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| Walking Maddie in the wee hours of the morning. |
I am a wife, aunt, foster mother to two teenagers, and mom to four furry pups. Because of confidentiality issues, I will not share specific information about my foster son and daughter, but they are very much part of my life!
Work is a huge part of my life. I teach 6th science, run a sports conditioning program three days a week before school, lead the after-school program, and coach our track team. I also tutor math several times a week. Thus, I rise before the chickens, 4:15 am, every morning to walk our dogs, hit the gym, and get to work early. Now that I am used to this schedule, I wouldn't have it any other way!
Rich and I met 10 years ago and were married in July of 2006. Two of the best weeks of our lives were spent in Kauai and Maui on our honeymoon. He shares my love of fitness and has competed in several bodybuilding competitions. He is my #1 workout partner and best friend:)
After losing his job in 2008, I convinced him to substitute teach at my school. He was bit with the teaching bug and has spent the last 3 1/2 years in school and will graduate from James Madison University in May at the age of 30! I couldn't be prouder of this huge accomplishment.
After getting married, we immediately started trying to have a baby, but unfortunately were unsuccessful. It has been a long difficult road filled with many fertility treatments and heartbreak. Our family may not look like the traditional family, but this is what God has provided for us. We hope to have more foster children in the future, possibly adopt an infant, and still have hopes of trying a few more fertilty treatments.
In October of 2007 our family was blessed with a very special young lady, our niece. She has been a huge part of our life since she was born because my brother lived with us on and off for the first two years of her life. We still spend a lot of time with Hay Hay and can't imagine not having her around. She stays with us Friday-Sunday at least twice a month, has her own bedroom at our house filled with every toy under the sun, and has filled a void that we didn't think could be filled. She amazes us everyday with her love, excitement for life and learning, and compassion. Watching her grow up has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives.
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| 4th Birthday Dino Bash |
The Pups
Before Rich and I met I acquired Maddie (now 12 years old) and Dixie (now 10 years old) as puppies (both Miniature Schnauzers). Rich quickly became attached to both of them and wanted to add a boy into the mix, so along came Tank (now 5 years old). After my brother lived with us on and off for a couple of years, we acquired Jack (now 4 years old) a Siberian Husky. Keeping up with four dogs is a lot, but we love them like our babies. We get up at 4:15 am to walk them each morning and try to get a walk in each evening as well. They are definitely spoiled!
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| Jackal McSchmackal |
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| Look at that face! |
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| Our three, plus Tank's sisters. |
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| Tank AKA Tankaroonie (Roonie) |
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| Dixie AKA Dixie Poo |
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| Maddie AKA Maddie Moosie |
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| January 2007 |
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| My boys |
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| Right after the old ladies got introduced to the puppies! |
Family
Lucky for me my parents live right up in the street in the same neighborhood! Some of my friends cringe at this thought, but it has never been an issue. We grab dinner with them a few times a week and often catch a movie with them on the weekend. It's great for Hailey to have Grandparents that are so close as well! My brother, Mike, lives on the other side of the "hill", but he is not too far away. My grandmother, Mimi, also lives within 30 minutes. Rich's dad passed away in 2010 from bladder cancer, which was extremely difficult for him, but we are lucky to have his stepmother, Carol, in our lives.
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| Mom and Dad |
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| Mom and Holly, Dad and Gracie |
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| Mike and Hailey at 6 months |
