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Many of us know it all too well… the daily challenge of finding balance between our family and our careers. We spend years educating ourselves and climbing the ladder of success to get to a place we feel ready to take on the responsibility of having a family… and then… everything changes. Priorities shift so greatly that family truly becomes number one, maybe for the first time in our lives we genuinely see the importance of quality time with our loved ones. There seems to never be enough time in the day. Weeknights feel sparse. Weekends are precious. As our kids grow, so does the awareness of time speeding up. Our conversations about finding more time with each other become more frequent. Dreams of how we can have more time begin to seep into our daily thoughts. Our greatest passions become more obvious and we begin to take steps towards finding the time to work on them. Our kids and careers take center stage and our time with our partners and ourselves become less ~ we long for balance and look for it under every rock. Then one day we wake up and say to ourselves, out loud, “It’s time”. In whatever capacity that means for you, you know the evolution that occurs when a change is finally made to bring you closer to obtaining that ever elusive balance. As parents we are all on this journey in some form or another, at any number of stages. Fawn and Joey are no exception. I’m honored to have captured their story while on this beautiful, yet challenging, road.
Mom to Jordice (6) and Aston (4), Wife to Joey, 15+ years as a successful professional ~ Fawn believes you can be a mother, wife, committed to your career and still be successful in all endeavors. Originally from Wisconsin, she grew up on a dairy farm and her connection to family runs deep. The simpler ways of life echo, reminding her of that even through the hustle and bustle of daily life, the little things are what bring her the most joy: her home, the beach, watching the waves wash ashore, sunrise, sunset, fresh food, watching the wind blow through the trees, cuddling with family, tickling, dancing… Her ability to call on these moments, to actively seek them out and be present within them is what brings Fawn the most peace. It is so obvious just by observing this her, that Fawn’s passion is with her family. You can see the strong, independent, committed driving professional in her, but that is so beautifully balanced with the humbled, grateful, compassionate, loving being she is as a Mother and Wife.
When asked about her hopes, dreams and goals, Fawn shares, “I am evolving every day, every year, and every moment. Professionally my goals are changing. I want to continue my career but manage my life as a parent within the realms of this pursuit. My children have changed me. They have opened my eyes to things that I have forgotten about. They make me want to live in the moment, to see life anew. I want to be able to support my family yet have the time to experience my life with my children, to teach them, to grow with them, to raise them to respect others, to respect this place in which so many easily take for granted. I want to find ways to help others and to make this world better somehow before my time here has ended.”
Watching this family interact with one another, at their home and on the beach, it was clear to me what an amazing job Fawn and Joey are doing at raising their kids and finding that beautiful balance. Jordice and Aston were overflowing with love and adoration, not just for each other and their parents, but for the world itself. The dynamic of the family was as real as it gets ~ ever changing from moment to moment – tears, quiet reassurance, reading, tickling, and an all out giggle fest – the love was palpable. The beach is their zen place, so it was only fitting we go! A sense of awe, wonder, exploration and serenity showed up, just as Fawn said it would. Sounds cliche’, but the stress of the world truly did melt away. You could see peace and relaxation fill their souls. You could see the importance of seeking out moments like these ~ for the kids, for the family as a whole, and for Fawn and Joey as partners. We’re all pieces of a balance puzzle, and if there ever was an example of a family that can solve that puzzle, it’s this one. Thank you, Towne Family, for reminding me, and inspiring me, to actively participate in the piecing together of my own family’s balance puzzle.
Music: One Republic