Hello!

It just occured to me that I have been bringing you blog entries for about two years now and I haven't taken the time to properly introduce myself.   I may have been intentionally vague in the past, but it feels like a good time to come out of virtual hiding and tell you a little about myself.  And since family connections brought me here, that seems like a good place to start.

I grew up in the same small town where the Aurora Shoe Company has been located for the past 20 years and am lucky to have had a pretty idyllic childhood.  My father is a farmer and my mother is a graphic designer turned stay at home mom.  She left paid work when I was born and hasn't looked back since, providing me with a very specific idea of what it means to put children and family first.  In addition to my brother, Dave, whom you have already met, I have two younger sisters (hi Katie and Lauren!) and grew up in a big old farm house just down the road from the shop. 

Growing up as the oldest of four kids in our rural hometown was not always my favorite thing, but now that we're all grown up and starting families of our own, I cherish the closeness that I have with each of them.  David, Lauren and I have all chosen to stay nearby and we actually live on the same small country road, less than a mile from eachother.  This nearness is especially fun for our kids who get to grow up knowing that their cousins are only a quick drive or a warm weather walk away.  My oldest, who is four, likes to call Dave's girls his "sisters" and I don't discourage it.  I love knowing that if I never have a daughter of my own, I'll at least have a couple of sweet little nieces to do girly things with!

My youngest son is about to turn one (not sure where that year went!) and I feel very lucky to be able to raise my boys at home while maintaining a link to the professional world.  The fact that I'm working for my brother and a small local business that I've loved since I was a teenager make it all that much better.  As the weather cools I'll be spending more time here, bringing you features on local and not-so-local businesses that are in line with our values and aesthetic.  I'm also looking forward to sharing more of the everyday stuff that makes life meaningful and interesting in rural New York. 

I invite you to visit us more frequently here and to join the conversation at Twitter.  I'm @AuroraShoeAlys and would love to hear from you!

Until next time...

Alyssa