Photos of Lindsay's growing-up years that I couldn't resist capturing when I was staying with her parents in Niagara Falls
Today my dear friend Lindsay Rapp turns 40! I happen to know that the mood in her home isn't particularly celebratory today, so I hope this little post brightens her 40th birthday.
Lindsay was born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York. As a child, she wanted to become a lawyer or business woman when she grew up. Now at age 40, Lindsay is a Wellness Advocate for dōTERRA essential oils, which means she teaches people how to use essential oils for their therapeutic benefits. She is also a wife, homemaker, and mother of two great kids, an 11-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son.
She didn't know a soul in Greensboro, North Carolina when she moved there at age 22 to take the first job she was offered out of college as a software trainer for Reynolds & Reynolds. It was hardly her dream job, but the salary was close to $30K and came with both a company car and a fresh start in a new state. She met her husband, Mark, at work, and they married when she was 23. They relocated to Mark's hometown in the St. Louis area in late 2010.
This is the stage I remember from when Lindsay and I first met at MOPS in 2006.
Now with two kids in elementary school, Mark and Lindsay spend weekdays keeping up with their kids' schedules, including after-school activities. She also volunteers in her son's class. The kids each have one evening activity, so they do not consider themselves over-scheduled (and prefer to keep it that way).
She works on her dōTERRA business while the kids are in school, with housework and exercise squeezed in as well. Evenings are spent teaching dōTERRA classes, although they almost always eat dinner as a family. Occasionally she or Mark may work out of town for a few nights at a time. Weekends are spent mostly at home, but they do attend church on Sunday. She also plays volleyball on Sunday nights when possible.
Lindsay says, "For the most part I feel good about turning 40. We aren't wildly successful, but we have a very good life and so much to be thankful for. I feel like I have accomplished a lot so far, and the future is very promising."
She says that the worst things about turning 40 are all "all physical stuff that isn't very important at all," such as the fact that her body doesn't recover as quickly anymore, she is starting to feel more aches and pains, is losing flexibility, and is seeing more wrinkles and maybe even a gray hair or two.
Lindsay with her husband, Mark
More important about this milestone, she added, is the wisdom she has gained. "Confidence. Being comfortable in my own skin. Knowing I have something to offer the world. I am more compassionate, empathetic, patient and understand than I was in my 20s and early 30s."
In 20 years, Lindsay hopes to be retired somewhere in the Carolinas. "I refuse to live in cold climates when I am old!" In 20 years, her kids will be about the age she was when she had them, and she says with a smile that she hopes she'll have a few grandchildren by then.
Happy birthday, Lindsay, and welcome to the club! #weare1977
