I cannot wait for you all to meet N!
When I moved to Connecticut almost a decade ago, she was the first person to ask me to lunch. We happened to work at the same company, so we could sneak away for an hour and get to know each other. To this day, I remember her perfectly balanced (and cute) lunch next to my thrown together ham & cheese with a zip lock of potato chips. I instantly admired her. Not to mention that she had a great reputation as a professional!
Fast forward to today and I still admire her, but now for her strength and grace. N can be fighting her own battles and she will still make sure to ask you how you are doing. She has never let me get away with a simple passive answer either.. "but how are you really doing?" She regularly challenges me to be a better friend and person by her example.
I also cannot get enough of her adorable daughter! How cute is that picture? Come on!
1. Name: N
2. Hometown: South Windsor, CT
3. Current town: Glastonbury, CT
4. Favorite song? Currently I love Celeste by Wild Child
5. Favorite book? From the past year, Giver of Stars
6. Favorite recipe? Generally- I have a go to favorite recipe for rack of lamb out of a Martha Stewart cookbook from the 80s. Recently, I have loved eating this: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/one-skillet-creamy-sun-dried-tomato-chicken-and-orzo/
7. What does resilience mean to you? Being true to your authentic self despite tough circumstances
8. Describe a time when you were so happy you felt like singing out loud: On a family beach vacation in the late summer- watching my husband play in the water with our daughter and dog.
9. Share a story about something you regret or the hardest thing you've ever had to go through: Hardest thing would definitely be postpartum depression after having my first child. I had been used to being successful in all other areas of my life and from that experience I assumed that if I worked hard and followed the rules I would thrive in those newborn days. After a traumatic birth and a horrible time breastfeeding I really landed hard and it took me a few months to get out from it.
10. What do you do to get through the hard times? Maintaining my workout routine as it helps me clear my head, talking to those closest to me and try to accept whatever it is that is going on rather than try to fight against it.
11. What is one thing you can't live without? Chapstick
12. Describe what you are going through now in one word, and then explain: Pace- I am usually someone who goes, goes and goes. I am always doing something and usually pride myself on how much I can accomplish in a day. With the pandemic, and being pregnant again I am allowing myself to slow down and enjoy being in the moment over preparing for what may come next.
13. What is the one thing that you are most proud of? Learning to balance working and motherhood while still holding time for myself.
14. If you were to offer one piece of advice to other women, what would it be? Living a life trying to please everyone will cause you more hurt than being yourself ever will.
15. If you got to be Oprah for a day and give everyone one product, what would you choose? Cast iron skillet
Isn't she great?! So honest, kind, and self aware.
I second the love for cast iron.. and I'm going to die trying to get her to make me that rack of lamb!
Be sure to leave her some love in the comments!
Write a comment
Kara (Thursday, 11 February 2021 11:38)
Ok first of all CHAPSTICK! Yes!! Brilliant. Second of all, the more I read other stories, the more in awe I am of what all of us moms go through - sounds like N is so strong and awesome <3
Denise (Thursday, 11 February 2021 12:54)
I'll call third on the cast iron skillet. N, I love your honesty around the newborn days. I could say the same about that and many other situations since. As a rule follower and hard worker it's a big lesson to learn and embrace. Which you seem to have done beautifully. :) So nice to meet you!