Germany for his PhD (he's a fancy schmancy chemist man) and explore the world. A few months before the move, we learned that I was pregnant. At twenty weeks pregnant and with two suitcases a piece and nowhere to live, we moved to Germany in January 2007.
It was really tough and really amazing moving to another country. We learned everything the hard way, made tons of mistakes, were dirt poor, still managed to travel a bit on the cheap, and made some truly amazing friends. Both children were born there, and I became somewhat of a "crunchy" mama--babywearing, co-sleeping, cloth-diapering, and breastfeeding. I wasn't into fitness at the time, but I had a working knowledge (I was a women's gym manager before the move), and we were major outdoor enthusiasts. We spent lots of time walking the fields of our little neighborhood, eating fruits off the trees, and loving nature there.
He graduated and was offered a job in July 2010, which took us to Central New Jersey. His job was rotational training for two nine-month periods, so we've moved a lot since then. NJ was nice and it was a huge culture shock after being German-ish for so long! We moved next to Westchester Co, NY just above NYC. It was our favorite place ever. We loved the town, our neighbors were truly amazing, it was 30 minutes to everything from NYC to mountains to coast. We lived on the Hudson River, and life was so nice....but expensive. For his permanent position, we chose to move to the South and have a cheaper cost of living and be back by family. In January 2012, we moved to a suburb of Charlotte, NC. We really like it here! It's the South, but not. We've been here for a few years and I suspect we'll be here for at least a few more, but who knows what will happen. We kinda hope it involves another country, though.
Details on the family: My daughter is little miss drama. In a good way, mostly. She's hilarious, passionate, very kind-hearted, empathetic, highly emotional, and girly tomboy, if that makes any sense. She's an amazing student in the gifted program, but she really doesn't like it when she can't figure out a problem (she's my mini-me). This past August, she completed her black belt in TaeKwonDo, which was a huge accomplishment! Now her biggest fitness endeavor is Girls on the Run, which I coach. She is strong and fast, and if she worked a bit harder than she wants to work, I think she could be an amazing runner. We say every day, if she applies herself to what she wants, she can rule the world.
As for me, I am a fitness instructor and personal trainer who works in the early morning and evening and parents during the rest of the day. When I'm not teaching or mommy-ing, I'm working on my Etsy shop or coaching Girls on the Run. I tend to stay as busy as possible and then make sure to breathe (and drink a glass of wine) a little every evening. I'm trying at present to build my shop inventory and start working towards making a larger brand for myself via greater online presence and also local craft fairs.
For a while, I was a distance runner after taking up running upon our move back to the States. I did it to get in shape, but then it became my release. I've ran marathons, trail races, obstacle races, but as I've begun teaching more my running has taken a back seat. Hopefully it will come back into the picture as I gain more endurance. One of my favorite things is helping instill healthy habits into my children. I adore seeing them pick healthier options and respect nature. I'm also an avid crafter, Pinterest addict, and repurposing queen. I love knowing that I've made something beautiful out of something that would otherwise go to waste!
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