I have called Savannah home for a little over two years now, although in my heart I am still a New Yorker.  My husband Karl and I have been married for almost 12 years coming up in July, all of which have included the “joys” of being married to the Army. During that time, I managed to complete a B.S. in Geology and a M.S. in Environmental Science before we were stationed in Germany for four years.

Those of you who know me may realize by doing the above math, I was very young when I married Karl. During our first deployment together, I brought home a little pup as a joke for my hubby and some much needed company for myself (he had high hopes of getting a motorcycle during his R&R visit) and as you can guess I named the dog Buell after the motorcycle that he wanted. He wasn’t too pleased with my joke, but the dog grew on him and is still with us 11 years later. And that is where my first love for running came into play, as Buell required lots of attention!

Along the way, we also picked up another pup and running became an even more permanent fixture in my life as they kept me motivated.  Otherwise, I would just go crazy with them in the house! In Germany I started lifting weights, cycling and running. The countryside was beautiful and it was just a joy to be outside (plus we didn’t have any TV, so being outside was a must!) I joined a running club and completed two half-marathons and a 10K race while I was there.

After more deployments, training, and schools than I even care to count, we finally decided to start a family after returning from Germany and just last year Jameson was born. This little man stole my heart right from the very first ultrasound and every day I love him more and more. However, I was thrown for a loop when he was born. I floundered for quite some time about my new role as a mom. It was hard to make the adjustment from working full-time and having time for the things that I wanted to do, to being a mom. He certainly didn’t make it easy on me either! I was struggling with my image and just who I was overall and that’s when someone told me about Stroller Strong Moms. SSM seemed like the perfect outlet that I needed to get a piece of my old life back and still be with Jameson.

I still remember that first class! I thought I was in pretty good shape before I had Jameson and I was really disappointed in myself that I didn’t bounce back as fast as some moms do especially since I had worked out right up until the day of birth. So, still in pursuit of my “old self” I was determined to give it my all… and then Cassie threw me to the wolves with three rounds of walking lunges with weights around the stage at RH park. I. WAS. DONE. I never hurt so much in my life!! After many tears and rubbing muscles, I was back for the next class ready to do it all again.

A weight was lifted off of me that day and the many months afterwards as I formed new friendships and listened to the stories of other moms. I realized that I was being too hard on myself and that I will never see my “old self” again and that’s ok. She will be tucked away in fond memories and thought of from time to time, but never endlessly sought after again. Being a part of Stroller Strong Moms has made me a stronger person mentally and physically. Yes, I have finally managed to get into pre-baby clothes, but my true focus is now on how I can move faster, harder, and with more weight than worrying about a silly number on a scale.