Meet Jenny

I grew up in Arlington, TX. I lived there from the time I was 1 until I graduated from high school. I am the oldest of 4 children. I am very blessed to have two amazing parents. They worked very hard to make sure that we could all reach our full potential. Often times this meant postponing things that they wanted for themselves.

Growing up I played high school softball, sang in the choir (though i'm not the best singer), participated in a church youth group, and worked as both a sonic car hop and a YMCA camp counselor. I met my husband, Jordan, when I was 16. We were a part of the same church youth group. Jordan and I immediately took to each other. I never really felt as if I was with someone that I just met. I was able to be myself without thinking about it. I knew he liked me when he hit me in the mouth while doing the YMCA dance (causing me to bleed everywhere). He still swears it was an accident- right Jordan. Once we graduated, we went our separate ways, Jordan on a church mission to the Dominican Republic and me to pursue a bachelors degree in physical education. We kept in touch through letters. When he completed his 2 year church mission in 2000, we continued to keep in touch. We soon decided that we wanted to be married, but also knew that I wanted to complete my degree. So, we waited. Finally, in June 2002 after what seemed like forever we were married.

We immediately moved to Greensboro, NC so that he could attend UNC Greensboro. I got a job teaching elementary physical education at two local schools. In June 2003 we moved to Raleigh, so that Jordan could attend to NC State University to complete his bachelors degree in statistics. I was lucky to find a job teaching PE and coaching softball at a local high school. In January 2008 our daughter Gracie was born. I stopped teaching so that I could take care of her. I am grateful that I was able to be a teacher. It taught me a lot about myself. In fact, I still miss it sometimes, but I am very grateful to be able to stay home with Gracie. It might sound crazy but I have just as much fun doing puzzles or using play dough as I did teaching kids how to shoot a basketball.

In 2009, Jordan accepted a job in Asheville, NC. Moving here has been a wonderful blessing for me. I am really lucky to have made many great friends here. We have enjoyed the mountains, the small towns nearby, the fall weather, and most of all the people. We will be moving back to Raleigh in the near future so the Jordan can pursue another job. I may have only spent a short time here but Asheville will always feel like a home to me.

Meet Amelia

I am a mother of two boys with another on the way. I grew up in a small town in the west. I am the second youngest in a family of four children. My parents divorced when I was three years old and consequently I learned at a very young age to fend for myself as I was the only girl. My mom worked very hard to support us and I know it is because of her dedication and prayers that I am who I am today. We did however spend time with my father because my mom felt it was important that we have a relationship with him and I believe he tried the best he knew how to be a good dad. I learned a lot from him, among which was a love of hard work and the outdoors.

As long as I can remember I have had jobs to do, whether it was taking care of a wide variety of pets and helping with the house and yard work, to a paper route, telecommunications, fast food, production, house cleaning and mail carrier to name a few. I love nature and would often drive up in the mountains in my spare time and take pictures and hike.

In May of 2001, when I was 19, I met my wonderful husband Andy and we were married six months later. Soon after our marriage he started his long educational journey in the medical field while working full-time. In 2004 we decided to have our first child who we named Drew. We were so excited and he brought so much joy to our lives. I quit my job as a mail carrier to stay home with him because I was determined to give my kids what I wasn't able to have growing up. Two years later we had Nicholas and life was good. We felt so blessed to have two wonderful boys.

In December of 2006 Andy finished his Associates in Nursing and two years later his Bachelor's in Nursing. The day after Christmas in 2008 we loaded up the kids and what was left of our belongings, said goodbye to our families and headed East to Asheville, North Carolina where Andy would start his Master's in Nurse Anesthesia. We arrived at our new place on New Year's Eve. Little did we know how hard this program would be, but with only six months left we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Out of all the jobs I have had I would have to say that I love being a mother most of all. It is by far the hardest but most rewarding thing I have ever done and I am excited to be able to have another little boy in December. I am grateful for my amazing husband. I wouldn't be able to do what I do without his love and support.

Meet Heather

I will be 28 in a week in a half. I have four sisters and one brother (poor kid) I am the second oldest. I always wanted to be a pastry chef growing up. When I graduated in 2001 from high school I had the opportunity to join the army. They were going to pay for all my school and I would be a cook. I left for basic training on September 14, 2001. This did not make my mom very happy.

I met my husband the summer of 2002 and we were married the end of December. Two weeks after we were married I found out that my unit was deploying to Iraq. Needless to say we got pregnant immediately. Tyler was born in October and we had just moved to Clemson were Thomas stared his to earn his degree (notice I still had not gone to school). I supported the family with babysitting and Thomas would work during the summer to help our savings. After a bad miscarriage we were able to get pregnant with Ainslee. Four months after she was born my unit was getting ready to deploy. I tried to find a way out without having to get pregnant (that is too close together for me). I could not find a way out and Thomas was left to care for the kids. We learned alot that year. I learned how to teach him how to take care of the kids over the phone and he learned how to not stress over everything. I think Thomas turned into a better father that year and I grew alot being able to strengthen spiritually and physically.

When I returned home we moved to a small town named Springfield, GA. We loved it there and thought we were done moving. Little did we know he would lose his job while I was really pregnant with our third baby Connor. We found a temporary job in North Augusta, SC for 6 months doing landscaping for the church. We knew it was not going to be permanent. When he found the job in Asheville we were so excited. We love the mountains and always wanted to live here.

Now I am done with the military and looking to FINALLY start school with a degree in nursing. I am grateful to be a mom to my three sweet kids. They are my life and I cannot imagine life without them in it.

Meet Tonya

I was born and raised in a small farming community about thirty minutes outside Lansing, Michigan - though I should mention that we were not farmers. I knew at the age of 9 that I was going to be an attorney and all of my thoughts and focus put me on that path. While in high school I began working for two attorneys as a receptionist and secretary. I had plans to go out west for college but instead ended up at Michigan State University in James Madison College, a residential college specializing in public affairs. During the course of my education I began to change my career outlook to social work rather than becoming an attorney.

I had always feared that I would never get married. I had never had a boyfriend (other than a boy I held hands with in first grade and a different boy in fifth grade) and didn't have any experience dating. Ever heard the saying, "sweet sixteen and never been kissed"? Well, when sweet 20 came rolling around I was distraught. I married at the ripe old age of 21 to my best friend, Ryan, and yes, I am married to the only guy I have ever kissed.

After Ryan and I both graduated from James Madison College in 2004 we had our first child, Nathan. In December 2004 we moved to Florida where Ryan began law school. During this time I opened a licensed home daycare. At the conclusion of law school Ryan decided he wanted to further his education and we moved to Miami, FL where he received a masters of law in taxation and we welcomed our second child, Audrey. Despite a weak economy we were lucky enough to be offered one position which happened to be in Asheville, North Carolina and we gratefully accepted.

After Audrey's second birthday I discovered a mass growing on her back under her left shoulder blade. Consequently (or not) the same day I discovered I was pregnant with our third child. Within a short time, it was determined the mass was a malignant Rhabdoid tumor. After the tumor removal we began a very difficult schedule of chemotherapy and radiation. Audrey completed her chemotherapy the same day her baby sister, Elysse, was born - May 28, 2010. Audrey is now in remission.

I love being a mother, it defines me. I am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man that loves and supports me in my efforts to be home with our children. I know with today's economy there are many mothers that are financially unable to stay at home with their children. There are many aspects of the workforce that I miss and think that one day I may again be apart of; but, for this season I cherish the time I can spend with my children.

Christi's Life

My name is Christi Tucker. I am 25 and grew up in Oak Ridge, TN. I am the oldest. I have a sister that is about two years younger than me that died when she was 6 months old. I have another sister who is almost 20 and a brother who is 16. My parents got divorced when I was in high school. Like most mothers, mine is simply amazing. My father would have been amazing but he has struggled with a drug and alcohol addiction almost all his life. He is a great person, but the things that he has been involved with have not allowed him to become greater.

I am married to a crazy guy named Alex. I married him because he is crazy. We first met in Rexburg, Idaho when I was a senior in high school (April 2003) and we started dating around March 2006. We got married in Atlanta August 23, 2006. The week before we got married we moved to Flagstaff, AZ so that he could start his masters in Sociology. I finished my bachelors in Chemistry Education with a minor in French Education that fall and in January started student teaching . The week before I was to begin student teaching I found out that I was pregnant. I ended up having Nathan August 23, 2007- our one year anniversary. That morning Alex went to play basketball and he stopped at the store and picked me up some flowers, biscuit and gravy(a very special thing because in the West it is hard for a southern girl to find biscuit and gravy that is actually good), and 10 boxes of tuna helper (they were on sale 10 for $10-I don’t think he realized that he didn’t have to buy 10 to get the deal). I had Nathan au natural at the hospital.

Alex finished all his course work at NAU and we left at the end of August 2008 even though he hadn’t quite finished his thesis, because we were very poor. We moved in with his parents in Clemmons, NC what I thought would be for a week. He finally found a job in Asheville, NC and we moved there February 2009. He got a job at the Oaks at Sweeten Creek as the social service director. Not his dream job, but it worked.

Shortly after we moved to Asheville I got pregnant again and this time I was determined to have this one at home. My due date was January 17, 2010. I ended up having Blake January 30, 2010 in the middle of a HUGE snow storm at home. In fact, the snow storm was so bad that the midwife didn’t make it in time and my mom and Alex delivered Blake.

I love being a mom. I really lucked out because most of my interesting involving being a wife and mother. I love to cook. I am not creative enough to come up with recipes on my own but I can change up recipes I find to my liking. I love learning new things. I enjoy finding ways to save my family money, decorating, building things, sewing, cleaning (yes I really do), organizing, genealogy work, and gardening (even though I don’t have a yard). I hope to learn to quilt (my mother in law bought me a quilting book last month that I am going to start reading soon). I also would love to take some photography and ballet classes one day. Above all of these things though I enjoy being a mom most of all. It is more fulfilling than all of these things combined. None of these things would be worth doing without my boys.

Who We Are

We are a group of ordinary women tied together by age, geography, faith and our desire to be good mom’s, we help to build our families and strive to make a difference in our children’s lives. As mothers we play several roles, sometimes simultaneously. We are care providers, chefs, accountants, bookkeepers, maids, house cleaners, menders, defenders, builders, educators, protectors - above all else, we are Mom. We are simply normal moms; there are difficult days, challenges, upsets and disappointments the rest of the general population experiences. When we hear the stories of one another’s lives we feel sorrow and burden when unforeseen challenges creep upon us and joy in others’ success and accomplishments.