Introducing...Me!

Hello Monday!  How was your weekend?  We had some more gorgeous weather here in Texas.  Grace and I went to see the musical Pretty Woman on Saturday.  It was good, but really can't compare with the movie.  Both kids worked on getting packed up for their drive back to college.  They drove back to Atlanta on Sunday (made it there safely - thank you for the prayers.)  Jack will backtrack to Auburn on Monday, and they will start class this week.  Our house is back to being very quiet, and I need to get on the ball with making some plans for activities and travel for us this spring.  

The topic for the Not Just a Mom link up today is Introductions!  So let me introduce myself...

My name is Tanya, and I am a 50-something stay-at-home wife and mom living in the Houston area.  I am married to Michael, and have two college-age children - Grace and Jack.

Here are a few pictures from over the years.

I was born in California and then lived in Pittsburgh.  

From the age of 6, I lived in Texas.  I got here as fast as I could!

I lived in Waco and Arlington.  After high school, I went to the University of Texas at Austin for a Biology degree.  Then I spent 10 years teaching high school science - everything from Biology I and II to Marine Science. 

Honeymoon in Ireland 2001

 After being single in my 20's, I met Michael in 2000.  We were on a fast track - engaged in 2000, married in 2001, Grace in 2002, and Jack in 2003.  

2004

Having only 18 months between the kids really kept me on my toes.

We lived in the London area (Windsor/Ascot) from 2011-2014.  This experience allowed us to travel so much and formed many memories in our family.

Today our family is almost finished with the teen years and entering young adulthood and empty nesting.  I enjoy books, gardening, walking, Diet Dr. Pepper, Bible Study, volunteering at the library, our dog Albie, podcasts, and blogs.  I am a Christian, an Anglophile, a national park fan, and a travel planner.  Most of all, I treasure time with my family and am grateful everyday for all the facets of my life.

And now let's introduce my blog...

I just did a blog stats recap post here where I mentioned that I have been blogging since 2004.  Here's a look at what my header might have looked like back then.  

Around 2011 when we moved to the UK, I renamed the blog "The Other Side of the Road."  Over the years, the blog has been our family scrapbook.  I also write here about...

I have always enjoyed travel, and I have a tab at the top where you can see all of the trips I have blogged about.  You can also click here to see this list.  Our travel has slowed down a little as the kids have moved on to college, but I hope we can go on more "empty nester" trips in the coming years.

Every month I write about the books I've read - usually the last Wednesday of the month.  You can see a complete list of books I've read in recent years by clicking the Books tab at the top of the page.  You can also click here to see this list.

A lot of readers have found my blog through the Prime Purchases link up that I host on the first Monday of the month.  Here we talk about all our recent Amazon (or other online) finds.  I love getting so many new shopping ideas from y'all!  There is a tab for the Prime Purchases posts at the top of the blog, and you can come back on February 6th to join in!

The recipe section of my blog is actually another site I started a long time ago - Tanya's Table.  It is a little bit neglected right now, and I need to get remotivated to post some things from the kitchen.  I have a recipe index over there (also on a tab at the top of this page) that makes it easy to find the recipe you're looking for.

Thank you so much for stopping by!  

Welcome to any new readers who found my blog today!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Linking to:

Hello Monday with Sarah and Holly

Not Just a Mom with Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne, Lauren and Sarah