As I think back there were many times growing up where my love of organizing would be a part of my every day life. When I was a kid, I would organize my stuffed animals according to size. I would arrange my books in alphabetical order, and I can still remember the day that I got a shelving system in my closet when I was 13. It was a dream come true for this young organizer. I grew up with the "golden" rules: respect, kindness, honesty, hard work, and above all family always comes first.
Both of my parents have always had an eye for detail, but it has been my dad that has taught me the most about spatial relations. Whether it was packing the car for a weekend getaway to our lake house, or loading the grocery cart at the store, everything always had a designated space or a way to fit exactly right. It was like solving a puzzle. I carry this experience with me to this day, and it's why I love to fold my laundry, bag my own groceries and especially put items away in the pantry.
My organizing skills came out in full force at the end of my sophomore year of college. It was then that my parents sold our family home that we had lived in for 23 years. As a college kid home for the summer I had some time on my hands. So with minimal assistance, I sorted and packed a house with almost 3000 square feet in less than 2 weeks! When the process of purging and packing had been completed, it was then time for a garage sale, which I also set up and ran. I loved the pressure of a deadline and the challenge of organizing and sorting through 23 years of memories. However, at that time, I had never even considered organizing as a career.
So two years later in 2002, I graduated from Bowling Green State University (Go Falcons!) with a degree in apparel merchandising and product development. I originally had intentions to head off to New York City or L.A. to explore the fashion industry in a buying or purchasing role. However, the call of being close to family and friends was too strong to ignore. Instead, I took a great opportunity to grow with a company and have spent the last 18 years in the retail management world. This is also how I met my amazing husband and we have now been married for almost 13 years!
During this time, I found so many instances where I would help my friends and family with their organizing projects. Moving and packing, purging and organizing closets, and working in basements, garages, and pantries. But there was one time in particular that was completely eye opening for me. This is when I really started thinking about organizing as a career. About 3 years ago, I was visiting family out of state and I was in the kitchen getting ready to bake cookies. As I began to open the cupboards I discovered that some sort of oil or vinegar had splattered all over the inside of a cupboard and made a gigantic mess! Upon further inspection, the product had been expired for quite some time, and what started out as baking cookies became purging and cleaning out cupboards. As we purged and then sorted, time started to go by very quickly. We had gotten into such a rhythm that we continued on through all of the kitchen cupboards until each one was sorted and organized. We even finished off the project with going out and purchasing organizing supplies and of course those cookies. Because at this point, we needed the sugar and had no energy left to bake. Even though the afternoon had not gone as planned it was a tremendous learning experience. If an entire afternoon could fly by in the blink of an eye while being productive and doing something that I love, why was I not doing this every day, all day? This is where the idea for A Meaningful Space was born.
I've always enjoyed helping people whether it be in my career or in life. With A Meaningful Space, I am able to focus on helping people on a one on one basis. All of the skills that I have built and fine tuned in my retail career such as responsibility, focus, and discipline are key skills in the organizing world too. Being able to blend these two worlds together allows me to help clients find a more organized, simplified, and meaningful space. A Meaningful Space has brought meaning to my clients' homes but also to my home. It has brought meaning to my life and career. It has continued to inspire me to help others in a way that I didn't think would be possible.
When I am not working full time or working with A Meaningful Space clients, I get a chance to enjoy some of my favorite hobbies. Every summer, I have a love/hate relationship with the game of golf and year-round I am addicted to Megaformer Pilates. I enjoy traveling around the country and hope to one day take a cross country road trip and catch all of the National Parks. This summer on our annual family vacation we will be visiting 4! My husband and I also love traveling each year to the Caribbean for a little relaxation, but we also love being at home with our two sweet kitties.