hey there,
I’m Claire
I’m really into a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc, deep conversation, and some good throwback jams (hello 2000’s R&B). I love a cozy Saturday morning where the kids all crawl in bed with us until someone demands food. Meeting up for a friend date is one of my favorite ways to spend a couple hours; well that and a good DIY project for my house. I believe that a good workout is always worth it and that spending time outdoors makes the stress roll off my shoulders.
my faves
When I have 5 minutes of free time you can probably find me reading on my kindle, wondering how the house is a mess again, or texting a bestie.
MY STORY
where it all began
I’m the oldest of 4 kids and I spent the first half of my childhood in Knoxville, Tennessee and then moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina when I was 10 years old.
Some of my core memories from early childhood include things like building forts in the living room and riding bikes outside. One year, we got 3 feet of snow and my dad and uncle built a snowman so tall that they had to get up on a ladder to put the head on.
As a family, we spent a lot of time at church and as I got older, I played basketball. If I had to sum up those years in 3 words, that would probably be it: family, church, basketball.
It was a very happy life. We went to the same place for vacation every year, we went to lunch after church with our friends, and we laughed a lot.
My parents instilled a spirit of resilience in us and this is something I find myself using every single day.
After high school, I graduated from High Point University.
MY STORY
where it went next
I started my grown-up life as a high school English teacher. You know why I chose that career? Because on my first day of 9th grade I walked to first period and my new English teacher showed us how to diagram the sentence The dog jumps. And then she proceeded to tell us we had a quiz and we needed to diagram the sentence she wrote on the board. It took up half of the chalkboard and was chock full of prepositional phrases and dangling modifiers. And she was just as impossible for the remainder of that year.
So I chose to become an English teacher; not because I thought that I’d love it but because I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I did. Some odd sort of save all the 9th graders decision-making strategy. Not one I’d recommend, by the way.
I always enjoyed reading and writing so it wasn’t totally out of left field. I spent 7 years as a high school English teacher and it had many glorious moments. I connected with fabulous colleagues, was inspired by students, I read motivating narratives, and hopefully prodded some teenagers into enjoying literature and forming a good work ethic. I know for a fact that the skills and relationships I built there were for a reason. There were some pieces of the job I loved.
Looking back, I often say that I feel like I was a decent English teacher because I worked my butt off, not because it was something I was born to do.
MY STORY
where it all changed
When Ariana was born in November 2015, I was planning to take my 12 weeks of maternity leave and then hop right back into grading papers, supervising morning hall duty, and writing lesson plans.
God had other plans. While I was home on maternity leave He told me He wanted me to stay home with Ari. To this day, it’s one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I remember lots of praying, tears, and conversations with David and then I finally said, “Ok, God. Show me a flexible, part-time job I can do from home and I’ll resign.” If God laughs, I’m sure He got a good chuckle out of that because He promptly said, “That’s not how this works. You take the leap of faith and I’ll take care of the details.”
Shew. A difficult decision just got that much more stressful.
I resigned and within 2 months He had opened doors for me to work with a small business. Over the years, I’ve been able to collaborate with so many small businesses in a variety of ways. Each one has left a mark in my mind and heart that will always be with me.
It only grew from there.
The work grew. My dreams grew. My skills grew. Our family grew.
These people. They fill my heart… and require me to spend way too much time in the car everyday. I wouldn’t be me without them so here’s a glimpse into the people who make me me and gave me this second career.
my crew
Ariana is 8 and she is the second mom in this house. She knows the routines, she can do everything for her baby sister, and she’s bossy like nobody’s business. She owns the most creative, eclectic style in everything from what she wears to the bracelets she makes. Ari loves to laugh, reads in all her free time, and is such a thoughtful friend.
And then there’s Paxton; he’s 4. He’s the king of one-liners and owns approximately 7 million trucks even though I just made him donate some. He loves to watch “football teamers” and he make us all cackle with his witty comments. He’s kind, a more intuitive big brother than I would have guessed, and a big RJ Davis fan.
Brielle rounds us out. She’s not even 1 yet so we’re still learning about her little personality. We know that her whole face lights up when she smiles. She thrives in routine but (as all good 3rd babies are), she’s pretty good on-the-go, too. Ari and Pax are her favorite people and we actually don’t know what we did before she joined us.
my teammate
David and I met in 2008 and got married in 2010. I think we both knew pretty quickly that this wasn’t like any other relationships either of us had been in. But at the same time, we’re probably not that different than any other couple who has been able to withstand a little bit of time — some of the specifics or the timing might be a little different but the truth is we just keep choosing each other over and over again.
We’ve experienced some of the highest highs and lowest lows together; I know that’s annoyingly cliché but it’s true. Most of our lives are filled with a focus on enjoying the mundane moments of buckling little people into car seats, not being able to get a word in because everyone else has something to say, and sweeping Veggie Straws off the kitchen floor.
David is a supporter of every idea that I come up with — whether it’s to rip the carpet off the stairs or start my own business. He’s not the loud and verbal cheerleader but he’s the one who offers to take all the kids so I can get some work done; he’s the one who listens when I’m stressed and wipes my tears when I can’t hold it in. He helps me think logically when I need a sounding board and pretends that he’s interested when I create a really cool reel.
“I promise to give all I’ve got to give to make all your dreams come true.”