Hi all. My name is Becca Dennis and I’m still fairly new to this mom thing (currently have a one-year-old and #2 on the way this summer!). I am in the process of building my local support network and finally growing my roots in St. Augustine. The time has come to emerge from my day-to-day routine and become a part of the community.
Background
A little background. I was born and raised in Tampa, so I am a Florida native. I moved away for college to Tallahassee (FSU) and was turned on to the wonders of north Florida – there are seasons here! I had a long-distance relationship through most of college (not that long – he lived 100 miles away, but long enough!), and we merged our lives when we moved to St. Augustine for my first job out of grad school. I was drawn to St. Augustine for the rural nature of surrounding St. Johns County, proximity to the coast, and it just felt like the place for us.
Work-Life
I’ve spent the past five years working as a Planner (Transportation Planner, specifically lately). It’s basically a job where we take a closer look at the built environment and try to move people around better and more safely. A huge positive about my job is the work-life balance I’ve been able to enjoy. My husband is a Wildlife Biologist and will talk your ear off about critters all day.
Lifestyle
Having a healthy lifestyle is important to us. I’ve meal-prepped my lunches for years now, and we cook most of our dinners. Now that the little one is on exclusively solid food, her food is prepped too (yay French toast and reusable veggie pouches!). We live active lifestyles by running, hiking, kayaking, birding — generally doing all the outdoorsy things we can. For vacations, we like to go to places where we can hike and see some different scenery. Usually, we go off to the Blue Ridge Mountains and we took our first venture out west last year!
Family
My husband and I are very different people, but we see eye-to-eye on the big things. We have been together for almost 10 years and married for almost five. He has a big, chatty personality and I am more mellow and relaxed. We’ve taken on this parenting thing head-on, and I’ve been impressed with our teamwork. Becoming parents has made our relationship stronger and we have grown closer together. We have a one-year-old daughter and the experience with her has been better than I ever thought it could be. Being a mom is not a role I was confident I would thrive in. However, this first year has definitely provided validation in this new stage of life – and I’m loving it! Could be why we are going down the path of two under two!
We also have a hound dog – a four-year-old bloodhound Catahoula mix named Briar. She has been less than enthusiastic about having to share attention with a new human, but she’s coming around. She enjoys long walks around the neighborhood, lounging on the couch, and warning us of perceived threats from the window.
Looking Forward
It took us a few years to commit to St. Augustine. We rented for four years and bought a house this summer, so we’re here to stay for a while! Now that we’re homeowners and have made the decision to stick around, I am looking forward to becoming a more active member of the community – to share my story – and to hear yours!
