Here is my list of 100 things. Enjoy learning lots about me!
1. My name is Rachel Megan Pustilnik.
2. I am 34 years old, and my birthday is March 24, 1975.
3. I do not like birthdays very much. I just like to pretend they are just another day.
4. I am married to my best friend. I have known Jack since I was 5-years-old. He is my older brother’s best friend.
5. The first time we dated, we broke up after 2 months because it felt like I was dating my brother – EEWW.
6. Four years later, we tried again. This time it worked.
7. Our first date was a 7-mile run together. We were training for the Atlanta half-marathon. It was on July 15, 2000. I will never forget.
8. We went shopping for wedding rings after we had been dating for 6 weeks. We just knew.
9. Nine months later we were engaged. Thirteen months after that, we were married.
10. Thirteen months is too long to be engaged. I wish it was much shorter.
11. I went to Virginia Tech and graduated with a BS in Biological Systems Engineering. Yes, I am an engineer.
12. I worked very hard in college to get good grades, but I partied even harder.
13. I have two beautiful daughters, Morgan and Olivia.
14. I have a very different, yet special, relationship with each of them.
15. Morgan is my inspiration. She is the reason I started Stroller Strides Richmond.
16. I wanted to prove to her that mothers can have a career, be successful, and be present. Her spirit pushes me to accomplish everything. I want her to take over the world.
17. Olivia is my calming force. She taught me how to slow down.
18. She reminds me to breathe, enjoy the beauty, and appreciate everything.
19. I wasn’t sure I was ready for a second child, but now I realize I needed her. She completed the circle.
20. Because my children have grown up at Stroller Strides, they think exercise is cool. I am very proud of that.
21. They will randomly drop to the ground and start doing push-ups.
22. I am also proud that my 5-year-old LOVES to sit in the stroller. She thinks it is a privilege to come to class.
23. Morgan is beyond smart. She started reading when she was under 3.5. She is in Kindergarten and reading on a 2nd grade level. She constantly needs to be challenged.
24. My in-laws say they think Olivia is just as smart if not smarter.
25. My life goal is to make sure my daughters remain the best of friends. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.
26. I have 3 tattoos – a gecko, an infinity sign, and my girls initials woven into a cool design.
27. The infinity sign was in honor of one my best friends, Brandon Wilburn, who lost his life way too early.
28. His death changed the course of my life. I left a high-paying, secure, yet unfulfilling job to pursue my dream to become a marine biologist. I moved from Atlanta to Charleston, SC.
29. I realized half-way through grad school that marine biology wasn’t my thing. By that time I was married and ready to settle down. So we moved back to Richmond.
30. I believe in fate. I also believe Brandon’s passing brought me to Jack. Jack was the only other person I knew who had experienced a close death like that. I went to him to talk and weeks later, we were dating.
31. I now live 2 miles from where I grew up. I love that I am back home.
32. Both my mom and my in-laws still live in Richmond. We have rarely paid for a babysitter in five years.
33. None of my grandparents lived in Richmond so I am very proud of the close relationship my girls have with their grandparents.
34. I love to watch my children dance. In fact, I had to stop writing this list just now so I could turn on music and dance with Olivia.
35. When I was pregnant with Morgan, I had planned to go back to work full-time.
36. The second she was born, my mind was changed. The problem was…how would I be able to stay home?
37. My mom had given me an article from the paper about a stroller fitness company. It mentioned Stroller Strides.
38. I went to their website and read more. I was hooked. I emailed Lisa Druxman immediately.
39. I bought my Stroller Strides franchise before Morgan was 3 months old. I just celebrated my 5-year anniversary.
40. I didn’t know it at the time, but I have been destined to own my own business.
41. Although I haven’t taken more than 2 days off in 5 years, I love it.
42. Owning a business is a lot like motherhood. It’s the hardest, yet most rewarding thing I have ever done.
43. I work constantly and can’t stay away from my phone for fear I will miss a phone call or email.
44. I love meeting new moms and seeing them get in shape, have more energy, and make new friends. That is worth more to me than money.
45. I am proud of the reputation I have built.
46. I wake up every day and hope that Stroller Strides will change one more mom’s life.
47. I started running in 1998. My first race was the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. It’s a 10k on July 4th. It’s hot.
48. Since then I have run more races than I can even remember. Lots of 5ks, plenty of 10ks, 4-5 half-marathons and one marathon.
49. I think I am done at one marathon.
50. I love triathlons. I have done a million sprint tris, a couple of Olympic distances, and a half-ironman. My life goal is to complete an Ironman. I plan to start train when Olivia starts kindergarten.
51. My husband has run 4 marathons and has no intention of stopping. I don’t blame him.
52. In October 2008, he had a heart attack. He was 37 and was training for a marathon.
53. He worked very hard to fully recover. Thirteen months later he ran a marathon. He is truly amazing. No wonder he doesn’t want to stop.
54. I struggle with my relationship with food. I tend to stress eat and feel I ‘deserve’ junk food when times are tough. I know this is wrong. I am working hard on changing these negative tapes.
55. Olivia finds comfort in food. That scares me.
56. Morgan could care less about food. I admire her for that.
57. My goal is to join a CSA this spring.
58. I would love to grow my own fruits and veggies but I have no gardening skills.
59. I am overly protective of what my kids eat. They eat extremely healthy at home. They have never eaten a slice of white bread under my supervision.
60. Cancer runs in my husband’s family. His sister passed away of cancer at 29. His mom is a breast cancer survivor. His aunt died of cancer. Too many women with too much cancer.
61. If I can do one small thing to help my daughters stay healthy forever, I would be so happy. So I feel justified in being so anal.
62. I have two dogs, a weimereiner and a mutt.
63. An ex-boyfriend bought me my weimie for my birthday. I have had her longer than my husband. She was supposed to be my running partner. Now, she’s just annoying
64. I know that sounds mean, but she did not take all the additions to the family very well. She just kept getting more and more jealous. Now she acts out to get any kind of attention, good or bad.
65. I hope my kids don’t turn out like that.
66. The 3 cities I have lived in are the 3 capitals of the confederacy – Richmond, Atlanta, and Charleston. You would think I was a southern belle. I am not.
67. Although, if I have enough drinks my accent appears.
68. I have always had a hard time making new friends. I have lots of acquaintances but few friends. I wish that were different.
69. I used to have more guy friends than girl friends. Now that I’m a mom, that has changed. I am grateful for all my girlfriends. I like them better.
70. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. For the past 10 years, we have hosted every year except one. That was my least favorite year.
71. We have hosted as few as 7 people and as many as 40. I prefer 40.
72. I do not cook very much except on Thanksgiving. If I follow the directions, I am a good cook.
73. I don’t like to follow directions. It takes too much time.
74. That fault has caused many problems over the years.
75. It is the reason our swing set in the backyard is backwards. You wouldn’t know if you played on it. But it is totally wrong because I didn’t read the details of the directions.
76. I pride myself on providing top-notch customer service.
77. I get anywhere from 100-200 emails every day. Its very hard to get back to people promptly but I try.
78. I don’t get much sleep.
79. I seem to do my best thinking when lying in bed trying to fall asleep. Many nights I find myself getting up and working instead of sleeping. I just can’t turn my brain off.
80. I sometimes wonder how much larger my business would be if I could dedicate 40 hours a week to it.
81. But then I realize my girls wouldn’t be home with me all day. I understand that there are some business ideas I won’t be able to implement. It’s hard to swallow, but my family is first.
82. I get very competitive trying to make sure Stroller Strides remains the best and most popular fitness program for pregnant and new moms. I am confident we offer the best possible classes around.
83. I have employed over 20 instructors since I opened. I am proud to have opened up new career opportunities for moms. These women are all very talented and knowledgeable. I am proud to have them on my team.
84. I expect a lot of my instructors. They are the face of my business. I put a lot of trust in them. It’s not easy work what these ladies do!
85. My ideal trip would be to California. First in Napa Valley. Then to LA, and finally end in San Diego. I love it over there. I’m afraid I would never leave.
86. I wish I had more time to cook elaborate meals every night.
87. Instead my family eats the fastest things I can throw together. They are healthy, but not fancy.
88. I am proud that our family sits down at the table for dinner every night. Not everyone always eats, but at least we are sitting as a family.
89. I love the beach but I hate the sand. If I had all the money in the world, I would buy a house on the beach, and build a boardwalk from my house down to the beach so I didn’t have to sit in the sand.
90. I have had 8 body piercings including 5 in my ears, one in my tongue, one in my belly button, and one in my nose. I just got the one in my nose 9 months ago. I call it my quasi-mid-life crisis. Some days I love it, others not so much.
91. I don’t like being late. As a child, we were always early. My mom arrived at doctor’s appointments before the office even opened.
92. I am always late.
93. I have no style or fashion sense. If I could wear sweats and t-shirts forever, I would be happy.
94. I enjoy dressing up but it makes me too self-conscious.
95. I can’t sit still for very long. I often wonder how I made it through school without getting into more trouble.
96. I graduated high school 9th in my class. Honestly, school was easy. I was a rebel. My poor mom.
97. Karma is a bitch.
98. I have broken one bone – my right arm. I was 24. I was rollerblading for the second time ever and I was letting my dog pull me. Bad idea.
99. I like to take risks. I have taken lots of risks in my life, some smart, others not so much.
100. I love the adrenaline rush.
2. I am 34 years old, and my birthday is March 24, 1975.
3. I do not like birthdays very much. I just like to pretend they are just another day.
4. I am married to my best friend. I have known Jack since I was 5-years-old. He is my older brother’s best friend.
5. The first time we dated, we broke up after 2 months because it felt like I was dating my brother – EEWW.
6. Four years later, we tried again. This time it worked.
7. Our first date was a 7-mile run together. We were training for the Atlanta half-marathon. It was on July 15, 2000. I will never forget.
8. We went shopping for wedding rings after we had been dating for 6 weeks. We just knew.
9. Nine months later we were engaged. Thirteen months after that, we were married.
10. Thirteen months is too long to be engaged. I wish it was much shorter.
11. I went to Virginia Tech and graduated with a BS in Biological Systems Engineering. Yes, I am an engineer.
12. I worked very hard in college to get good grades, but I partied even harder.
13. I have two beautiful daughters, Morgan and Olivia.
14. I have a very different, yet special, relationship with each of them.
15. Morgan is my inspiration. She is the reason I started Stroller Strides Richmond.
16. I wanted to prove to her that mothers can have a career, be successful, and be present. Her spirit pushes me to accomplish everything. I want her to take over the world.
17. Olivia is my calming force. She taught me how to slow down.
18. She reminds me to breathe, enjoy the beauty, and appreciate everything.
19. I wasn’t sure I was ready for a second child, but now I realize I needed her. She completed the circle.
20. Because my children have grown up at Stroller Strides, they think exercise is cool. I am very proud of that.
21. They will randomly drop to the ground and start doing push-ups.
22. I am also proud that my 5-year-old LOVES to sit in the stroller. She thinks it is a privilege to come to class.
23. Morgan is beyond smart. She started reading when she was under 3.5. She is in Kindergarten and reading on a 2nd grade level. She constantly needs to be challenged.
24. My in-laws say they think Olivia is just as smart if not smarter.
25. My life goal is to make sure my daughters remain the best of friends. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.
26. I have 3 tattoos – a gecko, an infinity sign, and my girls initials woven into a cool design.
27. The infinity sign was in honor of one my best friends, Brandon Wilburn, who lost his life way too early.
28. His death changed the course of my life. I left a high-paying, secure, yet unfulfilling job to pursue my dream to become a marine biologist. I moved from Atlanta to Charleston, SC.
29. I realized half-way through grad school that marine biology wasn’t my thing. By that time I was married and ready to settle down. So we moved back to Richmond.
30. I believe in fate. I also believe Brandon’s passing brought me to Jack. Jack was the only other person I knew who had experienced a close death like that. I went to him to talk and weeks later, we were dating.
31. I now live 2 miles from where I grew up. I love that I am back home.
32. Both my mom and my in-laws still live in Richmond. We have rarely paid for a babysitter in five years.
33. None of my grandparents lived in Richmond so I am very proud of the close relationship my girls have with their grandparents.
34. I love to watch my children dance. In fact, I had to stop writing this list just now so I could turn on music and dance with Olivia.
35. When I was pregnant with Morgan, I had planned to go back to work full-time.
36. The second she was born, my mind was changed. The problem was…how would I be able to stay home?
37. My mom had given me an article from the paper about a stroller fitness company. It mentioned Stroller Strides.
38. I went to their website and read more. I was hooked. I emailed Lisa Druxman immediately.
39. I bought my Stroller Strides franchise before Morgan was 3 months old. I just celebrated my 5-year anniversary.
40. I didn’t know it at the time, but I have been destined to own my own business.
41. Although I haven’t taken more than 2 days off in 5 years, I love it.
42. Owning a business is a lot like motherhood. It’s the hardest, yet most rewarding thing I have ever done.
43. I work constantly and can’t stay away from my phone for fear I will miss a phone call or email.
44. I love meeting new moms and seeing them get in shape, have more energy, and make new friends. That is worth more to me than money.
45. I am proud of the reputation I have built.
46. I wake up every day and hope that Stroller Strides will change one more mom’s life.
47. I started running in 1998. My first race was the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. It’s a 10k on July 4th. It’s hot.
48. Since then I have run more races than I can even remember. Lots of 5ks, plenty of 10ks, 4-5 half-marathons and one marathon.
49. I think I am done at one marathon.
50. I love triathlons. I have done a million sprint tris, a couple of Olympic distances, and a half-ironman. My life goal is to complete an Ironman. I plan to start train when Olivia starts kindergarten.
51. My husband has run 4 marathons and has no intention of stopping. I don’t blame him.
52. In October 2008, he had a heart attack. He was 37 and was training for a marathon.
53. He worked very hard to fully recover. Thirteen months later he ran a marathon. He is truly amazing. No wonder he doesn’t want to stop.
54. I struggle with my relationship with food. I tend to stress eat and feel I ‘deserve’ junk food when times are tough. I know this is wrong. I am working hard on changing these negative tapes.
55. Olivia finds comfort in food. That scares me.
56. Morgan could care less about food. I admire her for that.
57. My goal is to join a CSA this spring.
58. I would love to grow my own fruits and veggies but I have no gardening skills.
59. I am overly protective of what my kids eat. They eat extremely healthy at home. They have never eaten a slice of white bread under my supervision.
60. Cancer runs in my husband’s family. His sister passed away of cancer at 29. His mom is a breast cancer survivor. His aunt died of cancer. Too many women with too much cancer.
61. If I can do one small thing to help my daughters stay healthy forever, I would be so happy. So I feel justified in being so anal.
62. I have two dogs, a weimereiner and a mutt.
63. An ex-boyfriend bought me my weimie for my birthday. I have had her longer than my husband. She was supposed to be my running partner. Now, she’s just annoying
64. I know that sounds mean, but she did not take all the additions to the family very well. She just kept getting more and more jealous. Now she acts out to get any kind of attention, good or bad.
65. I hope my kids don’t turn out like that.
66. The 3 cities I have lived in are the 3 capitals of the confederacy – Richmond, Atlanta, and Charleston. You would think I was a southern belle. I am not.
67. Although, if I have enough drinks my accent appears.
68. I have always had a hard time making new friends. I have lots of acquaintances but few friends. I wish that were different.
69. I used to have more guy friends than girl friends. Now that I’m a mom, that has changed. I am grateful for all my girlfriends. I like them better.
70. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. For the past 10 years, we have hosted every year except one. That was my least favorite year.
71. We have hosted as few as 7 people and as many as 40. I prefer 40.
72. I do not cook very much except on Thanksgiving. If I follow the directions, I am a good cook.
73. I don’t like to follow directions. It takes too much time.
74. That fault has caused many problems over the years.
75. It is the reason our swing set in the backyard is backwards. You wouldn’t know if you played on it. But it is totally wrong because I didn’t read the details of the directions.
76. I pride myself on providing top-notch customer service.
77. I get anywhere from 100-200 emails every day. Its very hard to get back to people promptly but I try.
78. I don’t get much sleep.
79. I seem to do my best thinking when lying in bed trying to fall asleep. Many nights I find myself getting up and working instead of sleeping. I just can’t turn my brain off.
80. I sometimes wonder how much larger my business would be if I could dedicate 40 hours a week to it.
81. But then I realize my girls wouldn’t be home with me all day. I understand that there are some business ideas I won’t be able to implement. It’s hard to swallow, but my family is first.
82. I get very competitive trying to make sure Stroller Strides remains the best and most popular fitness program for pregnant and new moms. I am confident we offer the best possible classes around.
83. I have employed over 20 instructors since I opened. I am proud to have opened up new career opportunities for moms. These women are all very talented and knowledgeable. I am proud to have them on my team.
84. I expect a lot of my instructors. They are the face of my business. I put a lot of trust in them. It’s not easy work what these ladies do!
85. My ideal trip would be to California. First in Napa Valley. Then to LA, and finally end in San Diego. I love it over there. I’m afraid I would never leave.
86. I wish I had more time to cook elaborate meals every night.
87. Instead my family eats the fastest things I can throw together. They are healthy, but not fancy.
88. I am proud that our family sits down at the table for dinner every night. Not everyone always eats, but at least we are sitting as a family.
89. I love the beach but I hate the sand. If I had all the money in the world, I would buy a house on the beach, and build a boardwalk from my house down to the beach so I didn’t have to sit in the sand.
90. I have had 8 body piercings including 5 in my ears, one in my tongue, one in my belly button, and one in my nose. I just got the one in my nose 9 months ago. I call it my quasi-mid-life crisis. Some days I love it, others not so much.
91. I don’t like being late. As a child, we were always early. My mom arrived at doctor’s appointments before the office even opened.
92. I am always late.
93. I have no style or fashion sense. If I could wear sweats and t-shirts forever, I would be happy.
94. I enjoy dressing up but it makes me too self-conscious.
95. I can’t sit still for very long. I often wonder how I made it through school without getting into more trouble.
96. I graduated high school 9th in my class. Honestly, school was easy. I was a rebel. My poor mom.
97. Karma is a bitch.
98. I have broken one bone – my right arm. I was 24. I was rollerblading for the second time ever and I was letting my dog pull me. Bad idea.
99. I like to take risks. I have taken lots of risks in my life, some smart, others not so much.
100. I love the adrenaline rush.
2 comments:
totally enjoyed reading this, glad to see you are well and still the same dear and sweet girl I remember so distinctly! you know the reason you have so many acquaintances is because you are so hard to catch :) Keep it up turbo mom, but if you ever have a free minute...maybe lunch.
Miss you,
Eliot
It was fun to read all these facts about you! We have SO much in common! You are an inspiration to so many women, keep up the great work! :)
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