Meet The Neumanns
So, pictured above, starting on the left, you will see my amazing hubby, Troy. We have been married almost 18 years and he has been the love of my life for almost 21 years. Yep, it began as a teenage romance. He is NOT a fan of kale, spinach, or seafood. He will eat it if I make it though. He works at the Mayo Clinic. He is a great father. He is very involved in their sports. He has at one time or another coached almost every sport they have played. He currently plays in an adult basketball league once a week. He is a board member of the Rochester Youth Football Association.
Next to Troy in the back is Ryan, our oldest son. He's 16 and will be 17 in June. He is pretty active. He plays football, runs in track, lifts weights. He also likes to snowboard. He LOVES smoothies, and makes his own all the time. Although, his eating habits aren't terrible, he does have an aversion to all things GREEN, and also is not a seafood fan. He did eat a salad this week though! He plays the guitar and is currently taking lessons at Pure Rock Studios. He has two part-time jobs. One at a local grocery store where he works supplemental and picks up shifts for others on occasion. The other is at a local restaurant where is works as a host and a food runner. He is currently checking out colleges and trying to decide where to apply this coming fall.
Next to Ryan is me, Jennifer. I, as you know am a Family Nurse Practitioner. I will soon be returning to school to obtain my Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. I currently, work for the Mayo Clinic in the Otorhinolaryngology, or Ears, Nose, & Throat (ENT) department. I love it. I take care of patients throughout the lifespan, sick and well. I specialize in otology, or ears, but take care of all kinds of ENT problems. I perform office procedures when necessary, such as placing tympanostomy tubes (ear tubes) in patients who meet medical criteria. I also perform intratympanic (ear drum) injections, biopsies, and other various procedures. I love my job. I stay very current on my education as far as primary care concerns. I attend a lot of conferences and do a lot of reading. I plan to begin volunteering at the free clinic in town later this spring. I believe it's very important to NEVER become stagnant in your education. My goal throughout this blog is to sprinkle in little bits of education, links to articles, and other interesting tid bits. So, if you have a question on something, please ask in the comments. My fitness hobbies include running and yoga.
On my left is Riley, our middle child. He is 14. He will try almost anything as far as foods. He's pretty adventurous. He does not like pickles! We tease him that he must not be our kid, because we LOVE them! Riley is our comic relief. He is also very compassionate. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He has overcome some obstacles in the past few years. He is truly a stronger person as a result. He is for the most part a healthy eater. He is probably the most motivated of all of the boys to eat healthier. He carves out time to exercise on our treadmill or elliptical. He goes for walks. We belong to the Rochester Athletic Club (RAC) and he will do various activities there. He plays football and baseball. He is a percussionist both at school, and at Pure Rock Studios. He also knows a bit of piano.
Finally, in the front, Reed. Our baby. He just turned 12. He probably has the worst eating and exercise habits of everyone. He is getting better. He was the reason that I had my eye opening moment. I had an overwhelming sense of guilt watching him eat junk food for a snack one day. He is a bright, friendly boy! He plays football. He is learning to ski and snowboard. He played basketball prior to this year, and probably will again next year, but this year we wanted to take on a new sport! He used to play baseball, but decided it wasn't for him. I'm going to sign him up for track this year. He says he doesn't like bananas, strawberries, and seafood. However, he likes crab, and he has eaten things with banana and strawberries, so I am not really sure how true his food aversions really are. He plays the trumpet in school. He took guitar lessons from Pure Rock Studios, but I put my foot down and told him that I would no longer pay for the lessons if he was not going to practice. I imagine we will be signing him up again soon.
Pictured above, on the left is DaVinci, our 8 1/2 year old male Golden Retriever. On the right is Lily, our 7 year old female Golden Retriever. DaVinci has a lot of allergies, skin and otherwise and is also sensitive to wheat products. We tease him and tell him he's on the "Atkin's Diet"! He eats special limited ingredient dog food... because he does, so does Lily. It's just easier. So, the furry Neumanns will likely also take part in this lifestyle change as well. There are many homemade dog treats that I can make for far less money than what they sell for in the store and I can rest assured that I know exactly what is in them.
So, this is the family! It's nice to meet you :)
