ALL About Me

I'm not even sure where to start!

My name is Shelby and this is my small corner of the internet. From my blog you can expect to see posts related to baking, fitness, wellness, Christianity, household chores, and everything in between!

Below is my background history to give you an idea of the person I am today (June 23, 2014). I hope you enjoy what you find here and I'm excited to begin this blogging journey :D

**Warning: This is a very long post giving you my full backstory! Feel free to read through it if you'd like, otherwise I'll catch you in my next post :)


Let's start with why I'm here!
Rewind two years ago. I had just graduated college from Quinnipiac University with my degree and certification in Athletic Training.

I still did not have a job despite sending in countless applications and even flying out to the University of Oregon and Stanford University, but nothing was working out. Then I randomly applied to a clinic outreach job in East Texas and got a phone call the next morning. Eight days later in my friend's kitchen I accepted the position and would be moving to Texas the end of July. (Funny thing: I had never even set foot in Texas prior to any of this!)

At the time I was completing my MBA through Quinnipiac but entirely despised it. Business is not for me. I got a random email on my phone when I was traveling to the NATA (National Athletic Trainer's Association) convention in St. Louis about a master's degree in Wellness and Lifestyle Management. They should have just had my picture on their advertisement because that is right up my alley! I worked as an aerobics instructor for four years in college and was on my own personal journey of nutrition and fitness. I applied and was accepted, so I dropped the MBA, and had a new online degree to pursue while in Texas.

I LOVED Texas. I never really enjoyed Connecticut (I was born and raised there) and was ready to leave. I didn't think I'd enjoy Texas quite so much though! The people are nicer, the Mexican food is amazing, and sports and church are a way of life down there. Friday Night Lights? Yes, it's real.

After many unsuccessful attempts at dating in college, I put that on the back burner, and focused on work and school. Then one night in December of 2012, I went out with my coworkers to a dance hall. "Two-step" is the type of dancing they do in Texas and I had done it a few times before that night, but my roommate pulls over this poor guy saying "he's gonna show you how to two-step!!" umm... okay. Well we danced, and he wasn't all that great at it, but there was something about him... (we all know how that goes!) He offered to get me a drink and we spent the entire night talking and dancing. I found out he had only been in Texas a few months, like me, and worked on the pipeline. We had such a great time we decided to meet up for coffee that following Monday.

I'll spare you all the details, but sure enough that guy is now my husband, as of June 14, 2014!

It's been a long road for us because after dating only three months, his job ended in Texas and he was headed back home to Wisconsin. For those of you not familiar with it, pipeline is a 60-hour week, move all across the country, type of job. In the two years he had been working in the field when we met, Judah had been to five different locations! A pipeline job can be as short as three weeks and as long as eight months. But despite the demands of his job, we made the decision to stay together and I spent the summer of 2013 traveling to see him at his next job in the PA/OH/WV region.

My contract in Texas was only two years and that influenced the timing for Judah and I getting married. We made the decision early in our relationship that if we remained together, we would follow his job. So on a visit to meet my family, Judah asked my dad if he could marry me. We were engaged in January 2014 and as I've said, just got married! I'm sure I'll occasionally post about married life and offer my own tidbits of advice (or more likely the amazing things I learn from Judah)

Another important date in my life was April 26, 2013. After Judah left in March, I began attending church. I didn't grow up in church and have always been turned off from religion. But this non-denominational church took me in and I professed my faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Hindsight is always 20/20 and I see exactly how God was leading my life - taking me to Texas, meeting Judah. Finding God has been like seeing for the very first time. You were finding your way around alright beforehand, stumbling and falling down, but now that you can see the world around you, it's a whole new, better, experience. I will never force my beliefs on you, but it is an integral part of who I am today and I will provide testimony to my faith, in the hope that God can change your life too!

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that I did finish my master's from Rowan in May of 2014! There are no current job prospects for me, since Judah and I will most likely be moving again in August or September, but I hope to find something to keep my hands fresh in Athletic Training since our long term plan is to settle down in about four years and I can find a permanent job. We'll see where God leads us :)

And finally, I have spent the past decade improving my own health and learning about nutrition, fitness, and wellness. My family has a history of heart disease and diabetes and I wanted to prevent these health issues. It has been a very long journey, but I feel I have finally crested the highest peak. I have found a great balance between eating and exercise and constantly make changes to my lifestyle. Anything I promote on here is to make healthy, long term changes for your health. You'll find that I eat dessert everyday and the only foods I avoid are the highly processed ones. No low-fat, sugar-free, artificial crap for me and my husband! I LOVE to work out - I've been out of touch with running lately, but I make sure to weight train 3-4x/week, and I'm trying to practice yoga more for flexibility. It's all about balance! Hopefully I can encourage you on your own journey and offer solid advice along the way :)

So that's my story! I hope I was halfway intriguing :D