If you’ve found your way to my page then maybe you’re looking for something you can relate to, find a little peace of mind through your motherhood journey, or a few words of encouragement. Maybe you just want to peek into my messy-wonderful everyday life, and I’m happy to oblige! Not only am I looking forward to clearing up a little brain space by sharing my thoughts, but I know how much I rely on others lived experiences and reviews in my own life, and I’d love to be able to return the favor for even one person who finds anything I have to say helpful.

So, before I go any further, let me tell you a little bit about how we got to where we are today:

After growing up and attending college in North Carolina, I asked my boyfriend of a few months to take a leap of faith with me and move down to Georgia as I started my career with International Paper. During my years at the mill, I found my sweet spot with the Power and Recovery Boilers and spent my time as a Process Engineer then a shift Foreman for arguably the best crew I’ve ever met. Working in heavy manufacturing was a labor of love – with a lot of sweat and luckily only a few tears – and was a completely irreplaceable experience. Having always been in sports and athletics growing up, in my later college years and time in Georgia we switched focus as I built my strength and discipline as a nationally qualified bikini bodybuilder through the NPC.

A few years later, Jon had a wonderful opportunity to join his family’s business full time. Shortly after our wedding, we packed up our two chocolate labs and high-tailed it out of the Georgia heat to put down roots in Virginia! We moved into a little farm house in a town with more horses than people; I found an engineering role at a composite manufacturing plant for military contracts while Jon worked tirelessly to get this latest family venture running. I continued bodybuilding in Virginia but put a pin in competitions to focus on family. After welcoming our first daughter in 2021, knowing I didn’t want to go back to a traditional manufacturing role, I hung up my steel toe boots for running shoes and am now the Program Director for Girls on the Run Piedmont. I flourished in this new, softer era – one move to a neighboring town and the birth of our second daughter in 2023 has brought us up to speed!

Now I am deeply, madly, truly in my “Mom Era” and couldn’t be happier! I’m not afraid to say that I’m solidly rooted in my mom-identity and wear it proudly everywhere we go. I’ve worn a lot of hats over the last 10 years: from competitor, project manager, careerwoman and athlete to (most importantly) mother, daughter, sister and friend. I can’t wait to share it with you!