Welcome to the family!
Around here we’re building up a positive focused community, and we’re happy to have you join us. It’s time for some introductions so you know who you’ll be seeing around the blog.
Stick around for awhile and get to know everyone. Don’t forget to introduce yourself too! Can’t wait to learn what makes you positively you.
Mary (Owner of Living a Sunshine Life)
This is me, Mary, owner of Living a Sunshine Life. I have a love for making people smile. I have a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, which I’ve wanted to use as a springboard into a Life Coaching career. Someday I hope to get my PhD in social psychology, with an emphasis on positive psychology. When I’m not blogging I’m hanging out with family, geocaching, writing, scrap booking, reading, crocheting, cross stitching, painting, or having coffee with friends. I am an academic and would be happy being in school every day for the rest of my life as I try to learn something new every day. I enjoy homeschooling my girls and it makes me smile to see their curiosity about the world blossom.
Nick, The Husband
Meet my husband, Nick. He’s an all around laid back guy who people love to talk to. He has a lot of great insight and shares my love for education. He’s in the military working full time for the Army National Guard. He’s frequently found with his nose in a non-fiction book and he has a love of Legos and anything else he can build with. He’s an amazing father, spending quality time with the girls as much as he can; even tea parties and pretend shopping trips. You’ll often find him doing his best to take over the camera for me and helping with my blog. I’m a tough boss, yet he works well with me. I appreciate his understanding on that 😉
Charlie, The Oldest Child
My oldest daughter is Charlie. No, it’s not short for anything; Charlie is on her birth certificate (I always get asked that.) Charlie loves to write, draw, hang out with her friends, earn Girl Scout badges, and study the world around her. More than anything else, though, she loves dinosaurs and all things fossil. She wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up, and already considers herself one. Charlie loves to learn and will ask a million questions about just about everything, and we do our best to answer every single one of them. She has an attitude when she wants to, but underneath it all she is the most loving, empathetic child I’ve ever met. She loves fruit, especially raspberries straight from our canes in our backyard and apples picked from the orchards at Nebraska City.
Lena, The Youngest Child
Our youngest daughter, Lena, is the most active member of our household. She wants to be a yoga teacher when she grows up and will find any excuse to practice yoga and meditation. She loves to explore the outside world and has a great sense of humor. Lena knows what she wants, when she wants it, except for the times she doesn’t. In other words, she can be stubborn and hold her ground when she knows what she wants, but there are plenty of times she struggles with being indecisive. She’s working on it. You’ll find Lena digging in the dirt or reading a book most days. Tell her a joke and you’ll have no choice but to smile at her giggle.
King Arthur, Our Grumpy Cat
Meet Arthur, our 12 year old Siamese cat. Arthur doesn’t care much for the kids, or the dog, or anyone else for that matter. He spends most of his day curled up on my bed, typically my pillow because he knows I’m allergic to him. As far as we can tell I am his favorite person in the house and he shows me by bossing me around loudly while staying as close to me as possible. Arthur loves his catnip ball and prefers to perch on high places where he can yell at the dog and assert his dominance. He acts grumpy, but I like to think he likes all the attention he gets.
Glory, Our Brand Ambassador
Next in line is our sweetheart Glory. We rescued Glory in December of 2011 and the kids fell in love with her immediately. It took me a little longer to warm up since in the first week of her living with us she ate my favorite purse. But, we worked through our differences and while her manners still have some work to do, we’ve figured out how to live mostly harmoniously. She is a brand ambassador for Beneful dog food and is more than pleased with her title. Last year they sent her a toy birthday cake that plays happy birthday for her birthday. It’s still her favorite toy. She’ll start it just to hear the song… over and over again.
Bagheera, Our Snuggly Cat
Last, but not least, Bagheera. Bagheera is a lap cat. She prefers to sit on laps, draped over arms, or snuggled into armpits (yes, gross, but that’s what she does). Bagheera has wonderful manners and the sweetest meow you’ve ever heard. She always pops her head up and taps our leg to ask if she can jump up in our lap. Her only rude moment comes when she wants a treat. She doesn’t just ask nicely, she whines, and whines and whines with a less than sweet meow until we either give in or leave the area. Bagheera loves to play with anything fuzzy and sparkly that will move quickly across the floor. Being brushed is also one of her favorite things in the world.