Once upon a time I was a TRAVELER. I met amazing people and ate delicious food. All was well with my world.
And then, I started my real life.
I became a STUDENT earning a BS in Human Development and an MA in Education. I became a classroom and reading TEACHER. I met a man on the internet (when this was still gasp-worthy and new to do) and became his WIFE. Shortly after that, I traded in my trademark California flip flop tan for a zip code where UGGS are a necessary fashion staple for approximately half of the year. I became a MINNESOTAN.
I’m smitten with my adopted state. It’s where all of my babies were born and where I found my writing voice. I love the way the guys in our neighborhood criss-cross yards to help each other move lawn furniture, unload new snow blowers, get rid of the last leaves in preparation for the first snow fall. I love the State Fair and the tap rooms and all of our lakes and the collective sigh and high-5 we all give each other during spring’s first thaw. I think that hot dishes and crock pots and lawn chairs on driveways on long summer nights are the things that a good life are made of. But still, every winter, I look at Jason (the guy from the Internet who I ended up following here and then, later, marrying) through frozen eyelashes and remind him that he still owes me one.
The biggest earthquake shake to my soul, however, even more than learning the difference between a casserole and a hot dish, was becoming a MOM. The interrupted sleep. The crying. The diapers. Did I mention the lack of sleep?
But there was also the attachment, the touch, the bungee cords to my heart.
And after many, many (truly, many) one-foot-in-front-of-the-other days that threaded together until they inexplicably became years, I find myself the mother of three wonderful school-aged children and one ridiculously sweet and spoiled mini golden doodle. I sleep through the night. I don’t worry about anyone else’s nap and snack schedules besides my own. This is a beautiful place to be, and I’m grateful for it daily.
Today, my labels are woven together tightly: WIFE. MOTHER. WRITER.
I’m a MEMOIRIST, a LONG-FORM ESSAYIST, a RESEARCH-BASED TREND PIECE WRITER, a CONTENT CURATOR, a (co)DIRECTOR, and an AUTHOR.
I’m madly in love with the power of words and am hard-pressed to find a topic I don’t enjoy writing about.
My first book, KINDNESS WINS, a simple, no-nonsense guide to teaching our kids how to be kind online, was released on APRIL 7, 2015 by Booktrope Publishing.
These Little Waves is my HOME, it’s where I found my voice, my community—you—and my career and it will always be where I tell my story.
I’m so glad that you’re here and I’m always looking for ways to connect with readers and find out what makes you tick, what makes you think, what makes you love. So SPEAK YOUR MIND, I want to know what’s going on in there.
Join the conversations in POST COMMENTS, in our FACEBOOK COMMUNITY—where the dialogue is ridiculously smart and thoughtful, you’ll see—our INSTAGRAM PARTY—where the thoughtful, the kind, and the golden doodle lovers all gather—and on THESELITTLEWAVES.NET where I write about all things teaching, social media, kindness, and kids (and how these are blend together!). I’m also always available via email galitbreen@gmail.com
In case you want to know a bit more about me, here’s a glimpse of my family today and a video I made of us when I first started blogging; both warm my heart over—twice.
Photo credit, gratefully, to Nicole Spangler Photography
