Saturday Spotlight: Robin from Happy At Home

Hi, everyone! Every Saturday Kris (Junk Chic Cottage) and I each spotlight a blogger where they tell us a little bit more about themselves so we can get to know the person behind the blog.

Today my guest is Robin from Happy At Home. On Robin's blog you might find her showing her newest vintage finds, giving a step by step guide for her fun  craft projects, or decorating her lovely home.  I love Robin's bright and cheerful style (you have to see her living room!) and always enjoy seeing what creative thing she's up to next.
Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Robin.



Good Morning Everyone!

I am beyond thrilled to have been asked to share a little about myself today.

Thank you Susan for inviting me over.  

Hopefully I do you proud!

Let's just jump right in . . .

I was born in the great state of Washington in a Army hospital within Fort Lewis.  As luck would have it, the identical army hospital both my mother and grandmother were also born in.  This little tidbit of information was always very fascinating to me when I was a kid.

By the time I was almost two, my dad was transferred to the army base in Fairbanks, Alaska where we lived until I was almost four.  Since I was so little at the time I really don't have very many memories of Alaska, much to my aggravation.  However, three events stand out as my first memories and I have been told by my parents they all happened in Alaska.

# 1.  I remember looking at a buffalo through a split rail and wire fence.  I'm told there was a large field on the other side of our back yard fence that sometimes Moose not buffalo would roam around in. Whether there were moose or buffalo is always up for debate.  I remember buffalo, my parents insist on moose.  Regardless, I was apparently fascinated by them and would get very excited when they would appear.

# 2.  I remember a group of people, including my parents playing a game of badminton at like twilight.  I'm told, my parents and their friends would sometimes take advantage of the very long daylight hours in Alaska on the weekends and play badminton until the wee hours of the morning.  

# 3.  I remember a large white polar bear standing on it's hind legs.  Apparently, the airport in Fairbanks has a very large stuffed polar bear in the waiting area which I was completely infatuated with.  I remember being terrified, yet amazed at the same time.  That polar bear to this day is still my most vivid memory.  I can remember standing in front of it looking up at it's paws outstretched with it's huge claws and then looking up even further and seeing shiny teeth.  Scary - - and cool too!  I wish my parents would have taken a photo of me by it, but how on earth would they have known it would be my most vivid memory!  I often wonder if the bear is still hanging out at the airport.  It would be so fun to go back and get a photo with it now don't you think.

By the time I was four my father was out of the Army and we had moved back to the mainland and settled in Wisconsin not far from the family farm my dad spent the early years of his life living on. Not long after we made the move to Hudson, Wisconsin where we lived until I went off to collage.

Life in Hudson had a wonderful small town atmosphere that was beyond amazing to grow up in.  I have so many fond memories of my time there which I won't get into now.

When I was twelve years old during a routine school scoliosis check it was determined that I had scoliosis.  My parents took me to a specialist where we were told because of the severity of the spinal curve and the predicted growth I would experience over the next couple of years that I would need to wear a back brace to help fix the problem and prevent it from getting worse.

For the following two years I wore a hard plastic brace that covered me from my hips to just under my arms.  It was highly uncomfortable and not exactly a confidence booster for any middle school student to say the least.

Unfortunately, the brace did not give us the projected results and by the time I was fifteen the doctor decided that surgery was our next step.  Basically, they used a metal corrective rod that was attached to my spinal cord to keep it straight, I'm sure their is a technical name for it but I can't remember it.  After one week in the hospital, and two weeks bed rest at home I was good to go.

In 1992 I graduated from High School and went on to get a degree as a Administrative Assistant.  In 1997, I was married my best friend Jonah and soon after we moved to the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.

In 2000, we were delighted to have our first child.  We soon decided it would be best for me to become a stay at home mom.  This was a big adjustment, since I never had considered it before.  As it turned out, it's perfect for me and something that I enjoy very much.

In 2002, we delighted in baby girl number two and then again in 2005 baby girl number three joined our family.  Here is a photo from last Christmas of my girls.

Most of my life now revolves around growing my family.  

I currently have a 13, 11 and 8 year old.  As they are getting older more and more activities are added to our daily lives.  In the fall, two of my girls play volleyball.  The past two years I have been a coach for one of their teams which I really enjoy and will most likely continue to stay involved with.

During the spring and summer I'm a Lacrosse Mom.  This year my two youngest will both be playing which starts in March and runs through July.  My youngest wants to try track and tennis this year also so we will try to work that in.  Here's a shot from last year of me being a good Lacrosse Mom on the sidelines.

My oldest will start High School next year which is so scary for me I won't even begin to get into.  Let's just say with registration/class picks being due this week for her first year of high school as me freaking out a wee bit!!!  I'm trying to play it cool!

During the school year, juggling kid activities and homework keeps me very busy along with projects and blogging about them.

In the summer I love to spend time in my garden along with bike rides and hiking with my girls.  

We also love to go camping and ATVing.  

I grew up camping and I am so pleased to share this adventure with my kids now.  We try to plan two different week long camping/atving trips each summer with a handful of quick weekend get-away's also.  Normally both my parents and my sister and her family come along which make things even more enjoyable.  In the past few years we have added kayaking into the mix too.  Our days are filled with all sorts of outdoor activities.  Here's a shot of our little caravan heading out on an adventure, not a very good photo, but I'm in the caboose car behind three campers each loaded down with trailers filled with either ATV's or bikes and kayaks.  It's quite a sight, that never fails to make me giggle in anticipation.

We typically ride our ATV's in the morning while the dew is still on the trails to keep the dust down.  We'll got out for an hour or two then head back to the campsite to send a group out kayaking.  Then lunch is packed and we all head out to the beach for the afternoon.  Dinner and campfire time follows.

It's the most amazing family fun.

When we're not camping we love to go to my parents cabin as often as possible.   The  cabin itself is off the grid completely, no electricity, no runny water . . . No road access.  We load up ATV's with all stuff we need and drive into the woods a mile or so to the cabin.   It is so pretty and peaceful at the the cabin.  We fill our days up with running around on the ATV's, cooking over the open campfire and of course there is always a dead tree somewhere for Grandpa to cut down much to the delight of the kids.  We then haul it all back to the cabin for firewood.  When we get a little too overheated we head down to the river and splash around for a while.  No matter what we decide to do it's always an adventure in the big woods and I enjoy every second of it.  If I had a choice I would be at the cabin every weekend without fail.

This past January I hit a milestone of sorts by turning forty.  

It took me by surprise (swear I've been 32 for years) and I wasn't sure how to feel about it.  So many of my blogging friends encouraged me not to sweat it.  So I'm taking their advice to heart.  Now I'm excited to see where the next ten years will lead both myself and my family.

I'm sure it will be an adventure!

Bye now,

Robin

Robin, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today!  I learned so much about you!  Please visit Robin at Happy At Home then hop over to Kris's blog to read about Susan at Evelyn and Rose.
Have a wonderful weekend!