Growing up I was never really into sports. My Mom tried so hard to get me to play soccer. I loved swimming, but I don’t have a competitive bone in my body. So, I would go to the pool and swim laps and although the swim instructors tried to convince me to join the Leawood City Swim team I would just continue to decline their offers. I also loved gymnastics. I took classes up until the point where you have to decide if you are going to compete and perform at the meets. I, of course, decided I had enough of gymnastics and stopped taking classes. Finally, I found dance. I loved jazz and hip-hop. I took classes and joined the dance team in high school. I loved being a part of a team and once we started competing, I didn’t mind it because I felt we were all in it together. I danced morning, afternoon and night. I would eat fast food and junk food daily but because of always being active in dance I remained a stick (I look back and realize how lucky I was). I went off to college and although I didn’t dance, my first year I walked everywhere. I remember having a class on North campus and then one directly after on South campus. Most people gain the freshman fifteen, but I was constantly walking and moving so I actually lost the freshman fifteen! By the end of college, I had a car so I wasn’t walking as much, but I had plenty of time to hit the gym so I could remain healthy. I then went off to Florida and began my career teaching in early childhood. I was so exhausted in the evenings that I would come home eat dinner then go to bed. I didn’t have time or energy to join a gym and I noticed that I began picking up unhealthy habits. When we moved from out rental house to a condo we bought I started working out at the gym in the clubhouse. I began paying attention to my eating habits and I noticed a change right away. I instantly had a lot more energy and confidence when I eliminated the yucky stuff from my diet. Last year, I took up running. It is now a passion of mine. We have a nice group of girls that I work with that started doing it Tuesday and Thursday mornings last year. We would meet at 5:30am and run about 3-4 miles. Now, we are running in the afternoons and weekends. It has been such a great experience. Last year we participated in the first annual 10K for Gumbo Limbo.
Gumbo Limbo:
About Us
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is a coastal and marine environmental experience...
Founded in 1984, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is a unique cooperative project of the City of Boca Raton, Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, The Palm Beach County School District, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Inc. Each year, more than 100,000 local and tourist visitors receive valuable environmental education while enjoying respite from the city bustle.
As a beacon for environmental education, research, and conservation, Gumbo Limbo’s 20 acres of protected barrier island not only provides refuge to many varieties of plants and animals - some rare or endangered - but represents a commitment to protect our natural resources by our members, volunteers, and the organizations that comprise the Center.
Recently, the preservation of our natural environment and wildlife resources has been recognized as a national concern for all of our families. You can join us in our mission to increase public awareness of our coastal and marine ecosystems and support our educational, conservation, and research efforts by becoming a Member of Friends of Gumbo Limbo.
· We instruct more than 10,000 Palm Beach County school students in coastal and marine ecology every year
· Programs are constructed to meet the Sunshine State Standards Requirement in science education
· We monitor more than 500 nests a year within a five mile span of beaches
· We rescue injured turtles and release more than 6000 stranded hatchlings each nesting season
· We offer more than 50 programs for children, adults, and families facilitated by qualified naturalists and biologists
· Small class sizes and a low cost with more than 13,000 people participating annually
· The FAU lab conducts valuable scientific research which enhances our understanding of sea turtle behavior, physiology, and ecology
· The research creates practical applications in the conservation of sea turtles and other marine life
We were so excited to participate again in the run.
