I have a beautiful son named Ryan who is almost 8 years old, and a lovely daughter named Kathryn (Katie) who is 7. They are in 3rd and 2nd grade, respectively, and they love it. I have recently returned to work part-time after nearly 9 years of being a stay-at-home mom. It's challenging, but exciting. 

My career up until I had children had been as a medical research technician and a project coordinator for an environmental engineering firm. I had also been involved with various community theatre organizations for years, as both a performer and a costumer. As my kids began to take up my time and make my schedule less flexible, I found myself doing more and more costuming. People rarely called to ask me, "Hey, will you come and audition for my show?" but I got calls on a regular basis asking, "Hey, will you come and costume my show?" So when I began to think about going back to work, I wasn't sure where my career would go - after nine years, my scientific resume was pretty rusty. But out of the blue, a friend contacted me to let me know about a half-time position at the local high school as the seamstress for the drama department. If I were writing up a job description for my dream job, this job would have been it. The school has an unusual relationship with a local semi-pro theatre that I've worked with for years, so I understand how to share resources with them. My sewing skills are in costuming rather than fashion, which is a surprisingly distinct skill set. I know how to work quickly and cheaply (both are always necessary in community theatre shows). I'm basically doing for pay what I've been doing for free. And the benefit for me is that the hours are flexible, so I can put my kids on the bus before I leave for work and I'm home in time to meet the bus in the afternoon. I'm working for the same school system that my kids are in, so if they have the day off, so do I, and if they have a snow day, so do I. It's a truly mutually beneficial system. 

I update my blog when I can, and although I am not as involved in theater as I would like to be, I've been taking on costuming gigs on a semi-regular basis. I spent a 3-year stint as a monthly columnist for The Nashua Telegraph, writing a column called "View from the Zoo." Recent theatrical endeavors include performing with Reagle Music Theater in their annual production, "ChristmasTime," costuming Burlington Players' production of "Nuts," Quannapowitt Players' production of "Laura," Hovey Players' production of "Becky Shaw," and Voices of Hope's production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the North Shore Music Theater. I served on the board of the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters (EMACT) as one of the coordinators of their Distinguished Awards and Special Honors (DASH) program for 5 years, and I spent two years as an adjudicator for the DASH program. 

I've also tried my hand at writing a few books and even a play. One book I'm especially proud of is "A Century of Dancing for Joy: The History of the Hazel Boone Dance Studio", a history of my husband's family's dance studio, the Hazel Boone Studio in Canton MA, which I compiled and published as part of the studio's Centennial Gala in 2010. The studio was founded by my husband's grandmother, Hazel Boone (Simpson), who headed it for over 40 years, then my mother-in-law, Sandra Simpson Philpott, ran the studio for another 40+ years, and now my sister-in-law, Holly Costa, heads the studio. Her daughter, Kayla Costa, graduated from Dean College in Franklin with degrees in both Dance and Business, and perhaps before long there will be a fourth generation heading up the studio!