This is my usual work set-up, in front of a laptop, coffee in hand.
Hello internet, my name is Carly. You may not have heard my name before or known that I was here, but if you’ve been keeping up with Nesting Story on social media you’ve probably seen something I’ve worked on. You see, I’m the one who’s been helping Joanna get her content out on Facebook and Pinterest, among other things. It’s been my job to help share what she’s been working on, and we thought it was about time you get to know me too.
So where do I start? I’m not very well versed in this blogging thing. You see, I’m a bit of a private person and I’m not really sure that I’m interesting enough to read about. l grew up in a small town and I live a pretty simple suburban life, doing pretty much the same things every day to the point that some days just sort of blend together. Honestly, I think I’m kind of boring.
But I’ve had a bit of a topsy-turvy career path to the point that I can’t really even explain my experiences in one breath. And I have more than one story to tell of personal changes I’ve been through, both inside and out. So maybe my unique story is a bit like yours? Let’s get to know each other a bit. I’ll go first. Here are a few things I’d like to share about me:
I’m a 30-something year old wife and mother. I have a young daughter who is both my greatest joy and greatest stress at any given moment. I’m currently “in the trenches” dealing with potty training, temper tantrums, picky eating and the like. Despite the little difficulties, she’s pretty amazing. She’s developing into this really smart, funny and beautiful little person and I’m loving every minute of it.
I’ve had a variety of different work experiences. From working in a steel mill in my late teens and early twenties to pay for college (also where I met my husband), to a career as a video editor and graphic designer in Toronto, to becoming a retail manager in a small town. I’ve been all over the map. In retrospect I feel that all my work experiences have helped me develop a greater maturity and level of confidence in my abilities.
I spent much of my life overweight. I was never the type of person to play team sports, so I never learned what type of exercise worked for me. It wasn’t until after I graduated from college and started working full time that I joined a gym, hired a personal trainer and nutrition coach, and took ownership of my health. Although since having my daughter I’m not as fit as I once was, I’m proud to say I’ve managed to maintain a healthy weight for over a decade. My current personal goal is to make fitness a priority again. So far walking my daughter to preschool is a great way I can work a little bit of exercise into my daily routine.
I love fashion, and art, and music. Pretty much anything creative feeds my soul. My daughter has inherited this from me, and we spend a lot of time together dancing, playing music and painting pictures. Her art gallery is coming along very nicely.
Confession time: I’m a bit of a hoarder when it comes to my clothes. I spent 5 years working in retail and took advantage of the employee discount often (maybe a little too often). My closet is overflowing. I have work clothes, going out clothes, casual clothes and mom clothes. I probably have more than one white t-shirt for each purpose. I’ve been slowly trying to purge it down and develop a really great capsule wardrobe and it’s coming along nicely. But like me, it’s still a work in progress.
That’s me in a nutshell, if I’ve touched on any topics you’d like to hear more about, let me know.
So, what do we have in common? Did you have to change careers a few times to find your calling? Do you have something you’re very passionate about? What’s something you’ve accomplished that you feel really proud of? Tell me your story. I’d love to learn more about you too.