expectantvoyager@gmail.com
Entering the second half of my one wild and precious life as a divorced mother of three young adults hasn't been easy. Whether it be in single parenting, travel, family, work, or friendships, I am facing it head on as an expectant voyager. I believe there are so many women out there embarking on a similar journey and I welcome you to join me on this adventure!
EX·PECT·ANT
having or showing an excited feeling that something is about to happen, especially something pleasant and interesting
VOY·AG·ER
a person who makes a long journey to a distant or unknown place
Family is at the heart of everything I do and every decision I make. I was raised in small-town Iowa by parents that have been married for over 50 years. I married early and have 3 kids who are now grown-ish. My two oldest now reside in Arizona and my youngest is in high school. Going through a divorce was difficult after 16 years of marriage coming from a family with very little divorce in the past. I have a brother and sister-in-law (giving me 2 nephews!) and a sister and a brother-in-law (giving me 3 more nephews!). If nothing else, we know how to have fun! We are a group of BIG personalities and socializing is our spiritual gift!
I will go to my grave saying I might not be great at many things, but the one thing I AM amazing at is picking friends! I have friends from middle/high school, friends from college, friends from church, friends from my crossfit days and friends from nearly every job I have ever had. They have sustained me over the years. Girlfriends breathe life into me every day. I prioritize time with them. I pick the friends that share my passion for adventure. I am not a surface-level friend…we go deep. Being able to support my friends is one of my greatest joys in life. I cannot imagine how I would have survived the past decade without them. If I ended my life living a “Golden Girls” life with them, I would not be mad!
I am an enneagram 7. The enneagram institute says that a seven’s key motivations are that they “Want to maintain their freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences, to keep themselves excited and occupied, to avoid and discharge pain.” As you can see, this suits me perfectly. I love adventure! I splatter quotes like “do it scared!” and “what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” and “make things happen!” all over my personal spaces. I work hard so I can play hard. I love to travel, but not necessarily in a bougie way. I love a good road trip. I never want to do the same trip twice…there are just too many things to see in the world! I am a couple years away from being a single, empty-nester and I plan to fill my adventure cup to its fullest!
I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was in first grade. I pursued that dream and graduated from college with a degree in elementary education just a month before I delivered my first child and decided to stay home for a couple of years and focus on being a mom. 9 years and 2 kids later, I finally got back into the workforce full time. I fast-tracked my career because I felt so behind and completed my masters in educational leadership and became a principal. Last year I left education completely and I am now in the nonprofit world but still with one foot in education. It has given me the space to do the things that I wanted to do as a principal but just couldn’t manage between putting out fires. This was a scary transition but it has changed my life completely!
expectantvoyager@gmail.com