My favorite thing about being a woman over the age of 40 is that I have gained so many things in the years leading up to now. Many experiences have brought unique learning lessons which in turn, build wisdom, character, confidence, and empathy. My favorite thing is the confidence of knowing what matters most to me and being authentic in that space. When I was younger, I often felt the need to do what was expected and to be at every event possible. Now, I evaluate and weigh how much the event could be helpful or enjoyable before committing to that over-treasured time with family.
I am living my most extraordinary life by exploring and going on “bucket list” trips with my husband. We used to say that we would travel and do these adventures “someday when we retire;” however, we have decided to start taking these trips now as you never know what tomorrow will bring.
In the next decade, one dream I have is to be able to see my children find careers that they love and to watch them expand their families. Another dream is to fulfill the mission of the Diaper Bank of Central Arizona, which I founded in 2013, by providing 1,000,000 diapers to families. We currently help 11,000 families annually. There is no government assistance, yet families must bring ~6 diapers per child to daycare. No diapers, no daycare, no work, no money, which further perpetuates the cycle of poverty. We recently merged with the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona, creating the Arizona Diaper Bank. I am excited to expand our services on a Statewide level.
The first thing I thought when I saw my portraits was, ‘wow, Karianne is so amazing and talented!!!” I felt joy at the memory of the day as it was so fun, and she made me laugh all day, literally! As can be common, I am often my own worst critic. She said that wasn’t allowed, so I could remove that tendency and enjoy looking at the pictures. I looked at some of my pictures and thought, wow, that is me!