Aly Griffin

God gave me breath and purpose; the way that I honor the gift of life is by maximizing my ability to be present in each moment. I get to begin each day full of the energy that running gives me. I get to honor my family by giving my body the nutrition it needs to live a long life with them. I get to run around the park with my children for hours. I get to carry both children quickly and safely out of an unsafe environment. I get to enjoy my passion which helps me feel like myself in motherhood.

Running has been my passion since I was a young child. From racing the boys at recess to six years of NCAA D1 cross-country/track&field, I have loved the daily discipline of running and the thrill of competition. Even through two pregnancies and two postpartum experiences, I have been blessed to continue running as competitively as I can. It has truly helped my through the darkest days of postpartum depression and helped me to regain a sense of self.

This isn’t the most spectacular answer, but it is honest. I would place some of the money in investment accounts for my children, pay off the remainder of my husband’s college tuition, and use the rest to renovate our first home that we just bought which needs quite a bit of fixing up. My husband works full-time as a teacher and part-time for a church and I am a full-time mom, so our purchases are never for exciting things, but the things that help our family thrive.