Cindy & Kristen
We met in 1991 when Kristen and a couple of our lifelong friends Lora and Alissa (affectionately known as Weeze) asked Cindy, Lisa, and Rochelle to move into their apartment because they seemed like lots of fun. The six of us all still love each other and you will most likely see the rest of the roomies pop up in our story frequently. Wow, we have been friends for more than 30 years!!! We started our families at the same time and now the kids are out of the house. We keep talking about all the things we want to do with our new freedom.
Cindy
I am wife, a mother, a nurse and soon to be grandma!! Yup I get to call my self grandma soon (maybe I’ll pick a cute “grandma name” like nana and call my self that – I’m open to suggestions!) My husband Jamie and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage this year. We have 3 children, 2 boys and a girl sandwiched in the middle. Our oldest Anthony is married to Alicia and they are going to be parents soon! My daughter Kaitlyn is married to Dallin and our youngest is Trey. In 2020 Trey graduated from high school and left the nest shortly after that to serve a 2 year mission for our church, leaving us empty nesters. It has been an adjustment for us and I still feel like I have a lot to figure out in this stage of life, but I am ready for all of it. Kristen and Mike and their family have been our families best friends since the beginning. So who else would I spend my time trying to navigate this new normal with. Kristen and I are blessed to have lots of other friends and family to experience this fun time of our lives with. We hope to learn and grow and share some of this with you here in our blog. We’ve spend the last 30+ years building our nests but the journey continues and we are so excited to see what else it brings.
Kristen
I’m the mother of five children. Just six years between the oldest and the youngest. I thought all the craziness was reserved for the early years. Three in diapers. Trying to tote twins in carriers or a double stroller while hanging on to a toddler, a preschooler, and a 1st grader. To be honest, we never went anywhere if we could help it. Fast forward and I am now the mother of five college students. I love the look you just got on your face. Yep – all five are living on their own and attending college. We’re not completely funding this new chapter, but we’re helping. I’m so proud of each one of them for working hard and pursuing an education. And I actually love that my big family is close. They’ve stopped fighting and finally like each other. I like them a lot, too.
So now what? I’ve been a stay-at-home-mom for 24 years. There may be a few women out there who, like me, are ready to re-invent themselves or pursue some new interests. Happy with the freedom of the empty nest while still thrilled to welcome home her chicks for a little nurture when they need it. Luckily my best friend of more than 30 years is ready to take on this adventure with me. We thought we’d document our attempts to create homes that work for us as couples and that the kids want to visit occasionally. I want to read more and I’ve always had an itch to write…anything. A blog seemed like a good place to start. I want to learn to be a better cook so my family enjoys gathering in our home (and eating a few vegetables now and then). I am an HGTV addict and want to make my new home mine – even if it looks exactly like 10 other homes on the street. I love to travel with Mike, with our besties Cindy & Jamie, and even occasionally with our adult children when they aren’t busy with college.