About Libby

From Libby:

My childhood was a really happy, carefree time. My father is a professor at the local university and my mother worked a few different part-time jobs as I was growing up. When I was little she worked at a local bakery. I remember sitting outside the bathroom door well before sunrise while she got ready to ride her bike across town to work. I would give her a kiss goodbye and tell her which kind of doughnuts she should bring home to us. After the third child was born into the family, when I was eight, she worked as a nursing assistant at the hospital. She worked just late at night so that she was home when we got home from school. I remember very clearly the meals we use to eat the nights she worked. My dad only fixed a few different meals, and one time he messed up the pizza he was making, putting the cheese on before the sauce. Not a big deal, but to us kids it was hilarious and from that point on that’s what we would ask for the nights we knew our mom would be working. Now my mom and I work together in the office where the kids go to school. When I am working, she is helping to take care of her grandkids.

My family is very, very close. My mom has always been the ideal of what a mother should be. She somehow disciplined us with out us ever being aware of it. We were always her first priority and we felt that. Meals were always made from scratch, as were birthday cakes, and the garden was full of flowers, berries and vegetables. My dad and I are very much alike. We have a great relationship and he adores babies.

I have three younger sisters. My sister Abby and I are very close. We are just 19 months apart in age and did everything together as kids: gymnastics, ballet, swimming lessons. We squabbled and depended on one another, as sisters do. She is now living in New York and works in Harlem as a social worker, helping to keep HIV-positive women in stable housing. We talk on the phone a couple times a week and having her back home to visit is a great treat. Haddie is eight years younger than I am and attends the local university. She is very talented, and we get to see some of her dance shows throughout the year. Lastly, Miriam came along when I was fourteen. She is very into athletics, and has been a competitive swimmer and trained for a long-distance bike trip.

I love spending time with our kids. We like to explore town, visiting parks and the library, visiting the Farmer’s Market and craft fairs, listening to local music and getting ice cream, swimming at the lake and pool. When they are in bed at night, I relax by reading or making baby quilts, working in the garden or going walking with friends. I also love baking (anything chocolate!), but I let Josh do the cooking!


Josh’s thought about Libby:
My wife is my perfect complement. Her strengths are my weaknesses, and vice versa. She is well organized and works to maximize time with our children. Libby is a wonderful mother and a great wife. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her while we were in college. She and I attended different schools and it was nearly a two-hour drive to see her. Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t wait until the weekend to see her. Many times, to the detriment of my grades, I would leave school in the middle of the week and drive to see her, even if just for a few hours! I knew then that my life would not be complete without her. She is kind, honest, loving and caring and I am thankful every day that she is with me.