Each Wednesday we will be featuring a member of our writing team. We hope to further grow our community by sharing a bit more about the women that make up Rochester MN Moms Blog!
This week…meet Kahla!
Kahla and her husband have two children: one daughter and one son. They enjoy spending time outside, especially on Rochester’s hiking and bike trails. She loves finding inexpensive ways to pass time, and also enjoys her favorite form of recycling: shopping at thrift stores and yard sales.
Photo credit: Marit Williams Photography
1) If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow-where would you choose?
Alaska. It is near the top of our travel to-do list, and I am quite fearful about how global warming will impact it so I would like to see it sooner rather than later.
2) What adjective describes you best?
Positive. I probably wouldn’t have selected this adjective for myself a few weeks ago, but during our back-to-school activities we had a chance to write short notes to our teacher colleagues about their qualities we appreciated/admired, and many people mentioned my positive attitude. I don’t consciously think to myself, “I need to be positive;” it’s more of my inherent mindset…and most days I appreciate it. However, some days I just want to wallow but I can’t always let myself do that.
3) What song do you know all the words to?
Happy Birthday! But seriously, I stink at knowing the words to songs…the only exception is lyrics I memorized for singing as a part of choral ensembles. Actually, I could probably conjur up a bunch of the lyrics from our southeast states tour my senior year with the St. Olaf Choir.
4) What is your favorite word?
I love so many words! There is a running joke at work about my vocabulary because evidently I often use words that others don’t know. I grew up in a home where I was surrounded by fairly sophisticated vocabulary, and now I’m married to a high school English teacher…so there are a lot of fancy words in regular use at our house. It’s been pretty funny to hear those sorts of words pop out of our kids’ mouths, too. A few weeks ago our 9-year-old mentioned that she hopes that if she chooses to attend a rival college someday, that we wouldn’t “completely loathe her for it.”
5) Favorite way to relax after a long day?
In my dream world, I would head to a yoga class to calm my brain and then head home for a relaxing, light dinner. Then I would take a nice soak in the tub while enjoying a glass of wine. But realistically, any day I get my body moving (running, biking, yoga) I consider it a win in the relaxation column.
6) What is your guilty tv pleasure?
HGTV. Did you see that meme where the Mom questions her kids about why they even enjoy watching youtube videos of someone else playing video games…and then turns on HGTV to watch someone else buy a house? Yep, that’s me. My kids especially enjoy watching Love It or List It and Brother vs. Brother with me. I’ve loved House Hunters for years; I even remember back when they used to have a hostess who introduced the show.
7) How do you take your coffee?
I make my coffee at home with 3 scoops of decaf Dunkin’ Donuts original blend, and 2 scoops regular Dunkin’ Donuts original blend. I cut back on caffeine when I was pregnant and nursing and never went totally back to full-caf. We also lived near Boston for 8 years, so we were fully indoctrinated in Dunkin’ Donuts love and enjoy it at home. My favorite splurge coffee drink is a zebra mocha at Caribou made with the dark and milk chocolate chips that they melt into the milk. I also really enjoy the Blanco Americano at Moka.
8) Favorite way to start the day?
Exercise! I love getting up early and going for a run, or really any sort of exercise that helps me wake up and face the day. I’ve found that when I am exercising consistently it really helps my mood/anxiety. I really enjoy meeting up with people to exercise in the morning. It’s such a lovely way to start the day…a chat with a friend, fresh air, and miles at our feet.
