About Me

Maybe the first thing you should know about me is that I hate writing my own bio. Since I have a blog, you can assume that it's not writing about myself in general that I dislike........be...cause...my...blog...is...about me and my family. No, it's just summarizing the whole of myself in a paragraph or a page or whatever. It's so weighty, so intimidating. And I usually don't like how it turns out.

Yet I do see the benefit of knowing a little bit about who is behind the blog -- I know I appreciate it on other blogs I read -- so I am going to try to make this as to the point as possible. 

I love Jesus. Through the ups and downs of my journey, I have found him to be a beautiful mystery -- both challenging and satisfying, making a difference in the big things in life and the small. We are blessed to attend a gathering of believers that appreciates the mystery, celebrates God's love, meets people where they are and places a high priority on serving others.

Josh and I got married a few years after college, and we are coming up on lucky 13. We adopted a one year old puppy named Millie the year we got married, so she's been with us since the beginning of the ride.

We waited more than 10 years to have our son, Gavin. He is the focus of this blog, so you have plenty of opportunities to read about him.

I taught (and loved) fourth grade for three years before the endless work of an elementary school teacher prompted me to make a move. I started working for a local domestic violence shelter as a grant proposal writer. I had zero experience writing grants, but they thought my writing was good enough that they could teach me the rest. And they did. And I am so grateful. After five years, I transitioned to a senior development manager position where I was able to work on many aspects of fundraising along with my co-manager and our team. To me, fundraising equals helping people invest in what they are passionate about, and I love it. From there, I was recruited to work with a start-up organization whose mission is to help nonprofits become more effective, whether it be in their boards, fundraising, programs or various other departments. I left that rewarding work when my son was seven months old...but I didn't really leave all of it. I am now writing grants for several nonprofits as a consultant. The flexible hours and ability for me to keep it part time work perfect with my desire to spend more time with Gavin.

Okay, so faith, love, work...how am I doing so far? I'll wrap this up with what I'm into right now.

  • Music - all kinds, but I'm especially fond of:
    • a thought-provoking lyric
    • a soulful sound
    • a rocking (or thrashing) beat
    • a singer/songwriter vibe
    • or almost anything in 6/8 time
  • Really nerdy talk radio
  • Taking photos and editing them so it looks like I'm a better photographer than I am. I especially love taking pictures of Gavin, but you won't see many on the blog. How do I know you're not creepy?! No offense.
  • Products that don't enslave people or hurt the earth (but in that order - please don't talk to me about your organic clothing that was made in a sweatshop)
  • Houston - I love my town
  • Eating great food, outdoors when at all possible
  • Working out (more the results of working out than the activity itself - just being honest)
  • Trying not to kill a couple herbs and one tomato plant
  • Learning about raising kids from people and books
Thanks so much for visiting! Feel free to let me get to know you a little bit by leaving your comments.You can also find me on twitter: @valerie_photo.

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