Where would you like to live?
In Petaluma! My husband, Rick, son James (6 months), and cat Smitty, and I moved to Petaluma from Chicago this past June. It was a very fast move for us, as Rick was offered a job at the Sonoma Valley Hospital in Administration and we had to say “yes” within 3 days! We packed up and headed out a few weeks later, having rented a home on Craigslist sight-unseen and not knowing anyone in (or anything much in general about) the area! It turned out to be paradise in our opinion. I keep saying to Rick, “there must be something we are missing, because nowhere can be this great”! The people in Petaluma are amazing and (thanks greatly to PMC!) we have already met some great friends and are feeling right at home.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Ten months ago, I am sitting at work on a conference call. The call is going well – I am leading a team and our project is successful. I am feeling good about what we are accomplishing. I think to myself “I have worked hard for this and I am happy – this is what I am meant to be doing”. Fast forward to any single day following January 28th, 2018, the day our son Sterling James was born. I find myself sitting on many occasions, a smile on my face, a cup of tea beside me, along with a book (of fiction and not work-related!), and the most beautiful creature I could imagine, (my son!) asleep in my lap. It strikes me, as it always does, that I am so grateful to finally know what perfect happiness feels like (this could also be part of the reason that at 6 months, we have not yet managed to transition to the crib for naptime…)
What has been your greatest journey?
This is a good question to follow the last, as it is has been an amazing journey to finally feel like I am doing what I was always meant to – nurturing my family including my husband, son, and of course our rescue cat, Smitty. Starting in Calgary, Canada as a Registered Nurse, I graduated in 2003 and took the opportunity to travel through Australia and work in Edinburgh, Scotland. Loving the UK, I returned in 2008 did my MBA at Oxford University, living and working in London afterwards. For the past 7 years, I have been a traveling healthcare consultant, ending up in Chicago where I met my husband, Rick. Life up until that point had been fast-paced, transitional, challenging, and never quite settled (though definitely exciting). The move to Petaluma brings great changes to our family and the opportunity for us to slow down, enjoy each other, and be grateful for what Rick calls the “salad days”.
What is your greatest fear?
Fortunate to have traveled a lot and lived in multiple places in three countries, my greatest fear is and has always been missing out on time with family members who are far away. This is the reason that James, at 6 months, has already flown internationally three times, as well as across the US twice! We are fortunate to be very close to our family both in Canada, as well as the US, and to have many close friends (like family!) in many different places. It is our priority to spend time together and that means that we are good at using our Southwest and United points and that James is already wondering how it is possible that his grandparents live in mama’s smart phone. Lucky for us, Petaluma is a travel destination of the world, so we are assured many visitors and our guest room is always at the ready.
