Why did you want to join the USC Newcomers’ Club?
I have actually lived in Pittsburgh since I moved here for college in 1999, and in USC since my husband and I bought a condo in 2003. But when we moved to our current USC house in 2009 a lot in my life had changed: I had twin 1 year olds and had stopped working to become a stay at home mom. Although the two events above proved to be a blessing… I felt alone and isolated and wanted to make new friends. I also liked the idea of the USC Newcomers club vs another mom’s club in the area because I wanted to make friends with the parents of kids who my boys would be going to school with in the future.
Where did you recently move from?
We moved in 2009 to our current house. We loved it because it was walking distance to the USC Community and Recreation Center and it had a big backyard. The house itself had a lot of potential but hadn’t been updated since it was built in the 50’s (original mad-men style stove and everything!) so we had a lot of freedom to update the house to our style. Before that we lived in a condo in USC across from the USC Post Office.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Weston, MA which is about 20 minutes outside of Boston. Weston had great public schools and I knew I wanted to find a community for my children that also had great public school. Upper St Clair fit the bill!
Where did you go to college and what did you study?
I went to Carnegie Mellon University and double majored in Fine Arts and Human-Computer Interaction. I loved CMU and really enjoyed taking classes in many different departments. I also met my husband Rich there (he also went to CMU and majored in Electrical and Computer Engineering)!
What do you do for your day job?
I am a Stay at Home Mom. I also am very involved in this Newcomers’ group on the board, as well as a South Hills Delta Gamma Alumni Group. I am also involved with my boy’s preschool (Westminster Nursery School) on their Fundraising Committee.
Do you have any kids? If so what are their names and ages?
I have two boys: Joshua (Josh) and Matthew (Matt). They are identical twins and are 5 years old. They are growing so fast. I can’t believe they will start Kindergarten next year!
Do you have any pets?
I have two pug dogs – Winston and Stella. They are litter mates and 10 years old. They were my first set of twins! 😉
What do you like to do for fun?
I love to read, go for walks, run, playdates with my kids, cook, and hang out with my mom. When my husband and I have a sitter, we like to go out to the movies and see whatever the latest movie is. We just saw the movie Gravity and really enjoyed it!
What books on your shelf are begging to be read?
I read all sorts of books on my Kindle, or iPhone. I tend to read everything electronically because my reading is in spurts around my kids schedules. I am currently reading the Ender’s Shadow Series as I just finished the Ender’s Game Series and loved it. And yes, I will be seeing the Ender’s Game movie that is coming out soon!
What’s the biggest goal you are working on now?
We are renovating our basement and moving my husbands office downstairs to make room for separating my boys into separate bedrooms. I guess my biggest goal currently is organizing my house and keeping my kids happy and healthy. My personal goal is to run a full marathon. I am not a natural runner, but I try and have run 3 half marathons. I am planning to run my first full when my boys start 1st grade in 2 years.
What other things do you want your fellow newcomers to know about yourself?
I feel lucky to have joined this group 4 year ago. What a fantastic group of women!