Mountain Mama :: Jennifer Meyer-Vaughan
I admire this first woman featured for my project. Jennifer Meyer-Vaughan is someone I see everyday after school picking up her oldest child from school. You could say we are connected by bicycle and stroller. Even on the coldest days we roll up together and park nearby and pickup our children for the journey home. The impressive thing about Jennifer is that she fits 4 children into her cargo bike - as you can see from the image. Her children are aged 6 1/2, 5, 3, 1, and one stepdaughter (age 17, not pictured). I don't know how they all fit with the bulky winter clothing... Nothing short of a miracle! I asked her a few questions that I was curious to know about her.
EMP :: Tell me a little bit about your life before your children came along.
JMV :: My life was full of self-centered activities and not really FULL at all before having children:) I went to the University of Montana, Missoula for 7 years, graduating with degrees in Dance, Literature and Creative Writing and minoring in Wilderness Studies through a one-year intense program called Wilderness and Civilization. During that time I raced for and trained with the University's road cycling team all over the Northwest, winning some races, "bonking" in others; I trained for and raced in triathlons, though I was a terrible swimmer!; I danced in numerous University productions and taught dance at a variety of local dance schools. I also got married early to a fellow cyclist and we often went on "training" vacations to Utah, Arizona, Las Vegas, etc... the early Spring and to Kalispell, Big Fork, Glacier National Park, etc... during the summer months. For our Honeymoon we biked from Glacier National Park, up the Going to the Sun road, through the Canadian side of Glacier, up to Banff then after taking a train with our bikes to Vancouver, British Columbia, we biked back to Arlee on Highway 200--needless to say, our marriage didn't last much longer and we divorced two years later without children. During the winter months all throughout my college career before children I backpacked and went cross-country skiing in the Bob Marshall and the Mission Mountain Range, as well as Sun Valley, Idaho and the Rattlesnake. I also was a small-level environmental activist--that's where a lot of my motivation for leaving the car behind as much as possible comes from and my low-energy consumption and low-waste lifestyle comes from, too. I also did my best to travel by alternative transportation, even cross-country skiing through Missoula city streets from my apartment at the time to my job waitressing at Howard's Pizza! You should have seen people's faces as I skied through their front yards! I do not waitress at Howard's much anymore, just whenever my father needs an extra hand, but I have tried to continue the lifestyle I had to the best of my abilities since having children and re-marrying, and have for the most part, just on a smaller scale, until our children are older. There are many cross-country bike trips, backpacking trips and Nordic ski trips in the works, let me tell you! The main difference I feel between how I lived then and now is my life felt empty and very self-centered before having children, though I was very active, but since having children I have had to go outside of "me" and give much more to others. This started with my children and has reverberated to society--I have always tried to give to the Earth.
EMP :: I see that you bring your children along with you when you ride or walk to school for pickup, how else are you incorporating your children into your (daily) active lifestyle?
JMV :: My children go everywhere with me. I truly try to embrace the role of "motherhood" and feel that if I am going to go to a dance show, or teach a dance class, or ride my bike, run, ski or summit a mountain--we summited what used to be called "Squaw Peak" and now is Ch'Paaq'qn this summer, our first summit together!--I bring my children along. I feel since I had these children, I shouldn't leave them behind and besides, they make life so much more exciting! And they add some amazing weight to my runs and bike rides! I also try to teach, and lead-by-example, good environmental practices such as low-energy and water consumption and little to no waste. I also try to teach them by investing our time and energy into bringing my husband and all of our children along on excursions into the wild. My children and my husband have taught me about selflessness and the beauty that comes from that. I have also learned to have so much more patience since having children and remarrying: patience with myself, with others, with the world. I never knew what "Patience is a virtue" meant until I learned to value it in myself towards others.
EMP :: As a mother of four children, what do you have to do in order to get some alone time (if applicable) to do your passion (dance? / other?).
JMV :: Having said that, I also realize the beauty and importance for my well-being and that of my family, to get some alone time involved in the passions that give joy to my soul! My gracious and wonderful husband, Jason, is the pivotal factor in this and he gives me a few hours a week to go out and take Oula, or go to the gym, or work at Howard's, or teach dance to adults at the Downtown Dance Collective, and, most recently, he has been helping me put the kids to bed so I can read and write. When the snow sticks he also gives me a few hours on the weekend or at night if needed, to go cross country skiing in and around the neighborhood. Last winter I didn't get much skiing in, but I did hook the kids' big sled to my waist with a rope and ran them through the DNRC trails over to the equestrian park for sledding--that was a great workout! Next summer I've asked him to give me some time to cycle on my little road bike, too:) So, I give myself a few hours here and there to ride, run, dance, write, etc., on my own. It is actually difficult to do this and I always rush back home to the embrace and sweet excitement of our four little children and my husband--it doesn't take much to miss everyone! But, yes, it is important and good to have alone time. I also wake very early some mornings, between 4-6am before everyone else, and do an hour to an hour and a half of yoga and drink green tea; those are lovely moments because all of the household is asleep and I can recharge and do something just for me without missing out on anything the children or my husband are doing:)
EMP :: Tell me a little bit about your life before your children came along.
JMV :: My life was full of self-centered activities and not really FULL at all before having children:) I went to the University of Montana, Missoula for 7 years, graduating with degrees in Dance, Literature and Creative Writing and minoring in Wilderness Studies through a one-year intense program called Wilderness and Civilization. During that time I raced for and trained with the University's road cycling team all over the Northwest, winning some races, "bonking" in others; I trained for and raced in triathlons, though I was a terrible swimmer!; I danced in numerous University productions and taught dance at a variety of local dance schools. I also got married early to a fellow cyclist and we often went on "training" vacations to Utah, Arizona, Las Vegas, etc... the early Spring and to Kalispell, Big Fork, Glacier National Park, etc... during the summer months. For our Honeymoon we biked from Glacier National Park, up the Going to the Sun road, through the Canadian side of Glacier, up to Banff then after taking a train with our bikes to Vancouver, British Columbia, we biked back to Arlee on Highway 200--needless to say, our marriage didn't last much longer and we divorced two years later without children. During the winter months all throughout my college career before children I backpacked and went cross-country skiing in the Bob Marshall and the Mission Mountain Range, as well as Sun Valley, Idaho and the Rattlesnake. I also was a small-level environmental activist--that's where a lot of my motivation for leaving the car behind as much as possible comes from and my low-energy consumption and low-waste lifestyle comes from, too. I also did my best to travel by alternative transportation, even cross-country skiing through Missoula city streets from my apartment at the time to my job waitressing at Howard's Pizza! You should have seen people's faces as I skied through their front yards! I do not waitress at Howard's much anymore, just whenever my father needs an extra hand, but I have tried to continue the lifestyle I had to the best of my abilities since having children and re-marrying, and have for the most part, just on a smaller scale, until our children are older. There are many cross-country bike trips, backpacking trips and Nordic ski trips in the works, let me tell you! The main difference I feel between how I lived then and now is my life felt empty and very self-centered before having children, though I was very active, but since having children I have had to go outside of "me" and give much more to others. This started with my children and has reverberated to society--I have always tried to give to the Earth.
EMP :: I see that you bring your children along with you when you ride or walk to school for pickup, how else are you incorporating your children into your (daily) active lifestyle?
JMV :: My children go everywhere with me. I truly try to embrace the role of "motherhood" and feel that if I am going to go to a dance show, or teach a dance class, or ride my bike, run, ski or summit a mountain--we summited what used to be called "Squaw Peak" and now is Ch'Paaq'qn this summer, our first summit together!--I bring my children along. I feel since I had these children, I shouldn't leave them behind and besides, they make life so much more exciting! And they add some amazing weight to my runs and bike rides! I also try to teach, and lead-by-example, good environmental practices such as low-energy and water consumption and little to no waste. I also try to teach them by investing our time and energy into bringing my husband and all of our children along on excursions into the wild. My children and my husband have taught me about selflessness and the beauty that comes from that. I have also learned to have so much more patience since having children and remarrying: patience with myself, with others, with the world. I never knew what "Patience is a virtue" meant until I learned to value it in myself towards others.
EMP :: As a mother of four children, what do you have to do in order to get some alone time (if applicable) to do your passion (dance? / other?).
JMV :: Having said that, I also realize the beauty and importance for my well-being and that of my family, to get some alone time involved in the passions that give joy to my soul! My gracious and wonderful husband, Jason, is the pivotal factor in this and he gives me a few hours a week to go out and take Oula, or go to the gym, or work at Howard's, or teach dance to adults at the Downtown Dance Collective, and, most recently, he has been helping me put the kids to bed so I can read and write. When the snow sticks he also gives me a few hours on the weekend or at night if needed, to go cross country skiing in and around the neighborhood. Last winter I didn't get much skiing in, but I did hook the kids' big sled to my waist with a rope and ran them through the DNRC trails over to the equestrian park for sledding--that was a great workout! Next summer I've asked him to give me some time to cycle on my little road bike, too:) So, I give myself a few hours here and there to ride, run, dance, write, etc., on my own. It is actually difficult to do this and I always rush back home to the embrace and sweet excitement of our four little children and my husband--it doesn't take much to miss everyone! But, yes, it is important and good to have alone time. I also wake very early some mornings, between 4-6am before everyone else, and do an hour to an hour and a half of yoga and drink green tea; those are lovely moments because all of the household is asleep and I can recharge and do something just for me without missing out on anything the children or my husband are doing:)
