I am so glad you are here!
I am a Mom, Art Teacher and Fitness Instructor living in upstate NY. This year I turned 40 and truly feel better than ever! I created this blog as a way to share the things I am most passionate about and how these passions have shaped my life.
MAKE
I have always considered myself to be a creative person. As a child, one of my favorite things to do was write a story and then illustrate it. I loved making things, but never really considered myself to be an artist. When I was sophomore in High School, I signed up for a Ceramics class and this became a defining moment in my life. I loved my teacher, I loved the work and found out that I was pretty good at it.
When I got to college I had no intention of studying art and decided after a year that I was going to go into Nursing. For two summers during college, I worked at a local hospital, and although I enjoyed it – it just didn’t fit. As I struggled to figure out what was next, my mother suggested I take some more Art Classes. I never looked back.
When I tell people that I started out in Nursing – they can’t believe it! I take it as a compliment because it means I found where I belong. I have worked at a local elementary school for 15 years and it has brought me immeasurable joy. I am amazed with the things my students create, but it is their courage that really inspires me. I really believe that art is more about the process than the outcome on the paper. I see everyday, how the act of making art can change perspectives, provide some relief and foster an inner happiness.
MOVE
While my love for teaching grew, my practice in Pilates and Yoga also deepened. I was taking class 3-4 times a week and had become quite close with my instructor, Kay Fuller. My interest in the practice went much further than the physical results. I was interested in the history, the physiology and the idea of mindfulness in movement. I decided to get certified to teach mat Pilates and had started helping Kay with her classes. It is interesting to think about it now, because Pilates was like many of my life experiences coming together.
In 2012, about 5 years into my teaching career, my principal informed me that my position was being eliminated. The district had decided to make cuts in Art and Music and I was the low man on the totem pole. Conveniently this was 2 weeks before I was getting married. My world was completely turned upside down.
One day after school I was driving home and noticed I had a voicemail from Kay. She told me she had been thinking about it and in light of my situation at school she thought I should also get certified in Pilates Equipment. She told me I could teach with her. I immediately had a sense of calm. I knew that everything was going to be okay.
As it turned out, I was not cut from my Art position! However, this experience had carved a new path, and I knew I need to follow it. I was instantly amazed at how equally inspiring it was to teach adults. As I’d found when I began teaching children, I felt like I was making a difference in people’s lives, but in a different way. This decision really changed the course of my life and gave me a sense of purpose. Teaching is my calling, and it has been such a blessing.
MOM
Teaching Art full-time and also growing a Pilates/Yoga business was busy! But I loved it. Things seemed to be falling into place and my husband and I started talking about starting a family. We planned our pregnancy around our teaching schedules and were hoping to have a baby in Spring.
The number one thing I have learned as a mother is that very little can be planned. After over a year of trying we decided to talk to our doctor. This part of my story needs an ENTIRE post. This journey was totally unexpected but as it turns out, a godsend. More about that later…
We were overjoyed to learn in February 2014 that we would be expecting a baby! The only problem, was that the worry and anxiety that I had experienced over the past year continued. It had taken so long to get pregnant, that I was terrified something would happen. I was especially nervous when it came to exercise.
One day I decided to head to a local studio for a pre-natal Yoga class, and I was surprised to find the instructor was VERY pregnant. I decided to approach her after class and we chatted for a while. She told me that she had similar anxieties in the beginning, but had ultimately realized that movement was natural and healing. She was right. From that point on I decided to listen to my body. When something felt good, I did it. When something didn’t, I modified.
I had two amazing pregnancies and continued practicing and teaching right up until 9 months pregnant.
Devin and Leo are 6 and 4 now! It’s funny, because as I am writing this Allyson Felix is winning her 11th medal at the Olympics. There is a lot of talk about her age and how crazy it is that she is faster post birth! Anyone that has given birth can laugh with me about that! But one thing that I can say whole-heatedly is that my children never buried my dreams. They actually lit them on fire!!! My children have taught me more than any other experience in my entire life. They have made me strong. They have made me more sure of myself. They motivated me. They challenge me. They inspire me.
BLOG
I hope you will follow along with my adventures and that this blog will ignite a sense of adventure in you. I hope it will motivate you to be present in your life. Try new things, find your edge and never stop moving forward!
