Hi!!!!
Thank you so much for visiting my site!
I love to eat, cook, garden, read, and run! I love doggies, especially terriers. I am passionate about native gardening and love digging in the dirt, bugs, and learning how all aspects of the environment work together!
I am currently navigating a new chapter in my life, in which we are lucky enough to have a toddler who keeps us busy and active!
A common theme in my life during the past few years has been about the importance of balance in terms of nourishing your brain, body, heart, spirit, and social connections. I was talking with a friend one day about what I've learned and said, 'All of it is important, its all the stuff you need to live a well rounded open hearted life.'
The more I started paying attention to things in my life with equal importance, the happier I became.
This site is an exploration of activities we need to maintain a balanced life, including cooking and growing real, whole foods, staying active, taking risks, reaching goals, reading books, cultivating social connections, and keeping my brain busy! All of it!
I have a degree in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, which is the scientific study of purposeful human movement, including the physiological, biomechanics, and psychological components. I focused on Psychology and Sociology of Sport, Proper Nutrition to Enhance Athletic Performance, Fueling During Prolonged Activity, Parent Influence and Contribution to Childhood Overweight and Obesity, and Implications for the Development of Healthy Lifestyle Habits among Children.
I am the Head Coach for Girls on the Run at Julia Green Elementary School here in Nashville. I am also a member of Girls on the Run of Middle Tennessee's Board of Directors.
I ran my first MARATHON in April 2015, and was ready to complete my next marathon this past April but was sidelined by a silly frustrating IT band injury.
I'm hoping to come back stronger and am signed up to run the Chicago Marathon in October 2016. <-- I DID come back stronger and finished the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 9th.
My next mission is a long distance trail race and eventually an ultramarathon!
I also love half marathons, and have completed eight so far!
Eating healthy has always been a priority for me, I noticed the effect certain types of food had on me at a young age. I distinctly remember going to a Timberwolves game when I was in Elementary School and ordering veggies and dip as my 'treat'. I knew it was important for health reasons to eat well, but I also had an instinct that certain foods made me feel awful.
THINGS ABOUT ME - IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
I grew up in Minnesota. I miss the lakes, watermelon and corn in the summertime, and the snow during the holiday season!
I am named after Corrie Ten Boom.
I love to dance!!
I wanted to put ‘Dinner and dropping it like its hot to follow…’ on our wedding invitations.
I could eat watermelon all day long. I go through one regularly sized watermelon every 3 - 4 days when they are in season.
I am a VERY curious person. I ask lots of questions. (sometimes about things that don't really need to be explained, such as, 'Did Carrie Mathison still get paid when she went overseas even after she got fired? Is that how she paid rent?' and 'What do they teach as a way to memorize the order and names of the planets now that Pluto is not considered part of the gang? My very excellent mother just sent us nuts/nachos/nettles/nectarines?')
I DO NOT STRETCH. There is no scientific evidence revealing the benefits of stretching, it is just something people do because it has always been done. Stretching and warming up are different things. I do believe warm-ups are beneficial.
Oldies. I'm into them. Build Me Up Buttercup, My Girl, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, The Forest Gump Soundtrack, etc. etc.
I L O V E PODCASTS!!!!! I have been stocking my iPod with them for about a decade.
I know what time it is by what is playing on NPR/Public Radio. I have NPR to thank for introducing me to podcasts and for getting me through traffic when I used to live in Minnesota.
Reading is one of my favorite things in the world! Before I could drive, I spent my summers hauling large amounts of books to and from my house. I like big books because I am a fast reader and I love a challenge!
I feel REALLY sad for anyone who hasn't read Harry Potter.
I have a skin condition called Disseminated Superficial Actinic Porokeratosis. Basically, they are patches of precancerous skin cells. Obviously there is a genetic component, because I am one of the youngest patients to present DSAP according to the four or five dermatologists I’ve seen. There is no consensus for treatment or outcome, so I am trying to stay out of the sun as much as possible. It is very embarrassing, and I wish the spots would go away. (Also, I cannot believe tanning salons are still a thing!!)
Buying presents for people is a talent of mine.
I have run 8 half-marathons and 2 full marathons!
I hate swimming. (Which is probably a good thing since I cannot spend much time in the sun anymore!)
My plants are my friends, and I love them so.