Allow myself to introduce....myself.

I posted on Kelly's Korner "finding friends in your area" link-up this morning and I've realized that the first post people new to my blog are going to see is my crazy ramblings about Mommy Guilt.

Talk about starting off on the wrong foot.

So instead of being Debby Downer over here, I'll give you ladies something more enjoyable to read about instead of my struggle with anxiety.  

Here we go...

Hi!  I'm Laura.

I......always tend to have trouble these kinds of introduction things.

Where to start?

I'm tall and I guess what you would call athletic.  I grew up super involved in sports and all sorts of after school activities.  I've been coaching middle school volleyball, cross country and track for the past six years.  Believe it or not - I absolutely adore my middle school kiddos and I love the opportunities that I have to mentor twelve and thirteen year old girls during a tough time in their lives.

I've been married to my best friend Craig for two years, but we worked together and were friends for several years before ever dating.  In March of 2011 he and I became parents to our daughter Natalie who looks just like him but has my long and lean body.  She is tall, strong, smart and full of energy.  We are also the proud puppy dog parents to Angie and Ajax who are a dachshund-Jack Russell mix and purebred dachshund, respectively.  My husband is a middle school girls basketball coach and between the two of us, our school year is pretty jam packed full of athletic events and as a result Natalie loves being around teenagers, has already mastered the art of heckling refs and has been known to fall asleep in the middle of buzzers, balls bouncing and whistles blowing.

I'm a little a lot organized and achievement oriented which is my blessing and my curse.  I struggled mightily after giving birth to Natalie and have been actively working through PPD since she was born.  Most days are pretty good and I'm so blessed to have a great support system of friends and family for those days that aren't so fantastic.

Now that you have the basics, here are a few random facts:

Even though I coach and play volleyball, I am a total nerd when it comes to books and I have been known to attend a few a lot of midnight previews/release parties of all things Harry Potter.

I am in the process of breaking my reality television (BRAVO) habit but each season, the promise of more hilarious hijinks from the Housewives keeps me coming back.

Knock on wood - I have never, ever been in a car wreck as either a passenger or a driver.

During the first trimester of my pregnancy, I ate Arby's for lunch.  Every.  Single.  Day.  And despite my fears, Natalie was NOT born with a curly fry for a tail or anything else that popped up during my crazy pregnancy dreams.

I've been to Europe three times: once all around Italy with my parents, the second time to Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin and London with a high school friend and finally to Paris, Torino (for a U2 concert!) and Rome with Craig.

My dream concert would consist of Kings of Leon, U2 and the Beatles.  

If I had to choose food for a "last meal" I would have my mother make a full Thanksgiving dinner.  Cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pineapple au gratin, macaroni and cheese, ham and broccoli cheese casserole.  Mmmmmm...............

But having said that........I don't like my food to touch.

I guess that's a basic synopsis of who I am and what's going on in my life.  Hopefully this is a much better introduction to new people cruising over from Kelly's Korner instead of the hot mess of a post that I did last.