Laura here!
New England has been my home for over 6 years now, but I have lived on the east coast since 2008. I grew up in Eastern Washington, the dry part of the evergreen state. My husband is from the Portland Oregon area, and we met at college in Idaho. This year will be our 20th anniversary! We decided to be adventurous and moved to Pennsylvania for graduate school. After Pennsylvania we spent a short time in New Jersey before moving to Florida. It was not my first choice of states to live in. There are too many hurricanes! Turns out I love living in Florida, it was so different from any place I lived before. It was hard to leave when my husband was offered a job in Concord, MA. We moved in February when I was 38 weeks pregnant from sunny warm Florida to cold and snowy Massachusetts. It was a tough move, but I love it here. I love how green it is! I love the changings seasons and all the amazing wildlife. But it’s the people that I love the most about all the places I have lived. And the people I have met in Shirley and surrounding communities have made this place home.
I love a good day trip to explore somewhere I have never been. I love to take my family to visit little New England towns and local eateries. We love to find new beaches, lakes and rivers to explore. As a family we like to try out all the local ice cream places. Every time we moved there were always things that I regretted not doing, like visiting a local museum or historical site, getting out to see the natural beauty of the area. I am trying to take advantage of all there is to see here. I love historic Boston and visiting the North End. I love the White Mountains and Green Mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. I love all the local trails that can be found in every small town.
I have 4 kids. The oldest is 15 and just finished his sophomore year of high school. I can’t believe he only has 2 more years until he graduates. I have no idea how to teach him all that I think he needs to know before he heads out into the world. My only daughter is 11, she is sweet and loving. My two youngest are boys ages 6 and 8 years old. And while I don’t see it about once a month I get asked if they are twins.
My hobbies are ever changing but now include exploring new places, paddle boarding, cooking and baking gluten and dairy free. I have been gathering supplies to begin work making pop up books, I love any craft that involves paper. I hope to someday expand my knowledge of sewing, throwing ceramics on a wheel and maybe try out skiing again. I haven’t done that in almost 20 years. I don’t always feel like I have the time to sit down and read but I always have an audiobook to listen to.
The people I meet and the relationships I have built are the things that are the most important to me. I am blessed to have friends and family up and down the east coast and across the United States. I can’t wait to get to know you!