Lisa's Story

I have to be honest; it took me a few days to figure out exactly who I am beyond “Mom”. It’s been almost two years now since I’ve been a mother. And while it’s been the most challenging and rewarding experience, it has also led me to forget about who else I really am. The first year of motherhood was the toughest for me. I felt like that’s when most of “me” slipped away. I started to feel like more than a Mom after the first year, then a few months later found out I was pregnant again. Now, while I am so thrilled to be welcoming #2 in just a few short weeks, I am also thrilled to have my body back to being “my body”. I am also excited for the challenge of discovering exactly how people juggle more than one child, especially a newborn and a toddler. Once I figure that out, I anxiously await re-introducing the life passions I had pre-motherhood.


So, what are those exactly? What do I love to do? What has been on the back burner for quite some time now?  What has taken me a few days to rediscover and unearth from the not-so- distant past? 

On a winter white hike with her dog

If I had all the time in the world, with no strings attached, my days would be spent in a variety of ways. I love to hike. I love to hike with my dog, in the woods, her running off leash…free…wild…just as nature intended. This was a daily pastime when we lived back in Central NY. She and I miss that a great deal.


I would also fill my days applying my creative mind to making things for my family, my friends, myself. I love to create. I love to apply digital technology to mold pieces of art. I love arts and crafts in the literal sense. I love to draw. I love to write. And, I love reusing materials in my house in unexpected ways. 

A baby mobile she created just this month

Lisa's homemade artwork for her daughter's room

In a non-literal sense, I love to harness my creative energy with event planning. I love parties. I love attending them, planning them, and hosting them. My body and soul thrive on human interaction, connection and relationships. My friends and family are my world. The day I married my husband was the only time we’ve all been under the same roof at one given time. My dream is to defeat the distances that separate us all and bring us all under one roof again. 

My final passion is travel. Some of my most exciting days of my life occurred while my husband and I lived in Germany. We had the world at our fingertips. We traveled through Europe any chance we had. Some trips were well planned out; while others were completely spontaneous. Some involved hitting all the major tourist attractions. But those which have the fondest memories involved wandering narrow cobblestone streets only to stumble upon that hidden, off- the- beaten -path pub, cheese shop, restaurant or art gallery.  I dream about these days often and plan to return to them once our children fly the coop.

Lisa in Spain, one of over 15 countries
she's visited with her husband

Hiking, creating, event planning, building relationships and traveling the world:  Those are my passions aside from motherhood. Motherhood is amazing but I feel liberated to say, “I AM MORE THAN MOM”. 

Now in her ninth month pregnant with baby 2, Lisa has successfully unpacked their life into their first home, decorated spectacularly, and is hosting an open house party...today. The modern day Martha Stewart lives with her husband Kevin and their beautiful daughter in Illinois and is expecting baby boy J by Thanksgiving.