About

Hey! I’m Melissa and I’m known as the scatterbrained, “graceful” runner around here. I’m 30, a recently certified NASM personal trainer, and I’ll be going for my Fitness Nutrition Specialist certification in May 2013. From there, I plan to get my Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Health Promotion. As a hobby, I’m a natural light, lifestyle photographer. My family and I live out the country in Southwest Virginia, and we love the slow, quiet life it provides.

I’ve been married to my husband for almost 7 years, and I met him here in Virginia right after I graduated from college. Life has been a heck of a ride ever since! Just recently, he’s joined me in taking on a healthy lifestyle, and he’s been an incredible motivator – he’s a natural runner, I tell ya!!

We have two daughters, and I love them more than anything in the world.

I do love to talk about my family – quite a bit actually – but you won’t see much about them here on this blog. It’s my attempt to keep their lives private and safe. You’ll hear some stories and see some photos, but please respect that I’m very vigilant of their privacy.

Life is crazy in this household, let me tell you, and with my recent ventures, it’s about to get even crazier.

I have a B.Sc. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut, and I’ll live and die a Husky fan. Don’t hate.

In March 2011, I was laid off from my job, and life right now? I spend it being a stay-at-home-mom, full-time student, and photographer. It has been absolutely fulfilling. My kids mean the world to me, and I have to admit, changes in my life since the day of my lay-off have been nothing but positive. In addition to all the extra time I’ve been able to spend with them at such young ages, I’m able to focus on working toward my dreams. (And I love my husband for being so supportive.)

This brings me to my blog. I’ve been an on and off blogger for three-ish years now. I post recipes. I post about weight loss. I post about evolving as a runner. I post about family, friends, and goofy things. Sometimes I feel like my thoughts are incomplete, but heck, that’s me. All over the place. I have so much to do in so little time that I just…go with it. I don’t always have time to post, which means I accept that this blog may never “go big”, and that’s okay with me.

What’s happened since I started this blog? I’ve lost 70 pounds in the past two and a half years. I’m always taking care of my husband and children, and I finally realized that if I don’t take care of myself and my health, then who will take care of them? You know the saying about how you can’t love others until you love yourself? It’s true. I’ve laid it all out on the line. I’ve become a runner, I’ve evolved as a runner, I’ve conquered 13.1 (something I never even dreamed I could do), and I’m proud of how far I’ve come, road blocks and all.

So that brings us here. That’s me in a nutshell.

I love comments. I love input. I love advice. And I most certainly love support. It’s what keeps this world going, right? Support. I have discovered that along with my husband, family, and friends, bloggers have been amazing to me. I’ve made some really amazing connections with some really wonderful women out there. I’m a FitFluential Ambassador and a Sweat Pink ambassador, and the amount of support found in these amazing groups of people is unbelievable. I feel privileged to call myself one of them!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me: livelovenrun@gmail.com.