I am the mother of a beautiful and amazing preschooler and a beautiful and amazing infant toddler; the wife of an incredible man; friend to several talented and brilliant women; daughter of kind and loving parents; sister to two great men; married-into member of a large, happy Polish family; a voracious reader; teacher; counselor; lifelong learner; and more...
Until October, 2005, I lived in the Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) area of North Carolina with my husband, Paul, a computer engineer; our daughter, Owen Jane; and our (now) 11 year-old Jack Russell Terrier/Feist mix, Paco.
Paul & I went to high school together (although we were not high school sweethearts, due to his overall cluelessness about women flirting with him) in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. We both moved to the Triangle area for jobs and advanced educations in September of 1993, got together in December of that same year, and dreamed of returning to our beloved Blue Ridge since.
In 2005, we decided it was time to create a more authentic life for ourselves and our little family--to live the life we were dreaming of rather than continue to let our lives just happen to us.
We are now living (sort of) our dream. Paul teaches at a small university in WNC, I teach at the local community college. We are here, in the mountains, the home of our soul.
Is the reality as great as the dream? Maybe. Sometimes. No. Yes. Who knows?
I began blogging about our decision, our family, and our journey in May, 2005 on this site. To read about how our journey began, try these posts:
Since moving here, we have found a home, had a second child, and embarked on a doctoral program (Paul). We have also spent a great deal of time appreciating and enjoying our life here.
In the early part of 2007, I decided to divide my blog into two separate blogs. I know write about my life as a mom, my kids, parenting, work, and my family life at my other blog, Mountain Mama. In this blog, I write about making a home here in Western North Carolina, about the Blue Ridge Mountains I love. I also include quite a bit of my photography, a rediscovered interest from years ago.
My most popular posts include Wordless Wednesdays and Friday Facts. Oddly enough, my most popular post of all time was this Friday Fact, about the Plott Hound.
Some of my personal favorites:
What will they remember of home?
About our neighborhood: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
We make regular trips to Cape Lookout National Seashore. Some posts about that here, here (my favorite), here, and here.
I love to write about my garden. Check out the garden category for posts.
We try to eat locally as much as possible. Check out the local food category for posts.
I hope you will continue with us on our journey. Please feel free to email me anytime!
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