Meet Abby
June 2nd, 2009
I live a normal life with my husband and my dog in Pittsburgh. This blog is all about my journey to make healthy, happy, and contentment normal. To be truly healthy I believe that you need to focus not only on your body, but also on your mind and soul as well. So you’ll find recipes, insight, thoughts, feelings, and random pieces of my normal life—well, what I consider normal!
I run but I’m not a very good or accomplished runner, I just love it. I know that God gives us passions so that we can use them to glorify Him and bless others—not to explore those passions is a mistake. I’m enjoying all of the lessons God has been teaching me through running.
I eat the foods that fuel my runs and make me feel the best. I’ve found that healthy food can be really tasty if you’re willing to experiment.
I blog because I love to write and I have found that the struggles and successes that we all face mean nothing if we are not willing to share them with others in some way. I started this blog in the Fall of ‘09 as I was training for a half marathon. I ended up being sidelined during that race with a stress fracture. I’ve learned a lot about listening to my body since then and I hope that I can help others see the importance of respecting yourself.
I think a lot, mainly on my runs, so I’m using this blog to share those thoughts! I believe that there’s always more to life that what meets the eye, and I’m constantly trying to answer the perpetual question “why”.
I laugh because life is too short to do anything else. Humor is what makes the normal that I live in Abby’s Normal.
Fun Facts:
I am a Christian.
I married my high school sweetheart!
I have degrees in Classics and Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh
Yea, that means I know Latin and Greek. Nerd!
I teach Latin on the side.
I thought I wanted to be a nurse. It took 1.5 years of nursing school to show me otherwise.
I own every book that C.S. Lewis has ever written. And I’ve read them.
I’m a Vegetarian who is deathly afraid of tofu.
I have really bad hitchhiker thumbs.
I think social media is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I love sliced bread!
I can’t dance, AT ALL.
I think feet are so disgusting.
I am the only girl and I’m sandwiched between two boys.
Baseball is my favorite sport and I played Varsity softball.
Since 2005, I have lost 40 pounds and I have kept it off!
Macaroni and cheese is my favorite meal.
I’m an enrollment counselor for adults who want to finish their degree.
I’m also a managing editor of my program’s newsletter.
The Beatles are my favorite band.
I was born on Tax Day…to an accountant.
Feel free to email me at abby.normally.blog(at)gmail.com!
Follow me on Twitter!
Omg, I love philosophy, running, and literature (although it sounds like you might not…?). SO happy to have found your blog (:
Thanks! I do love literature, people just think that’s what I studied in college, but I didn’t. The term “Classics” can be so confusing! Glad we’ve found blogging friends!
just for the record – both of those photos are absolutely ADORABLE. xoxo
I tend to think/pray a lot of my runs too. Especially those long runs! Glad I found your adorable blog.
Cheers,
LC
Hey Girl!
As I was reading through some blogger’s friend lists, I ran across yours! I noticed that you are a runner. Me too! My husband and I actually just completed our first marathon! It was so fabulous! Would love to talk you about it!
Thanks! I think I need all the advice I can get–like how to get my husband to run, too!
I LOVE your blog! I often thank God for two things I couldn’t live without – my hubby and running!
Thanks! I’m so glad you found me here! My husband and running are most assuredly my “rocks” in life. God has blessed me!
I just found your blog from a comment on Tyler’s blog! I love your blog! You are so cute and your posts are so fun. I’m excited I found you!
Hey Abby!!
So glad you found my blog and commented because now I’ve found yours. You are ABnormally gorgeous
Seriously! Nice to meet you.
Aww thanks Allie!!!! It’s nice to “meet” you too!
Hi Abby, I just found your blog and absolutely love it!! I love your writing style and philosophy on life
I’ll definitely be reading more!
Abby- I just recently found your blog and am loving reading it! I’m just training for my first 1/2 marathon, but have been a runner for a while
Now if I could only get my husband to train with me! Love your post about body image especially… hits so close to home!
Hi!
Just found your site through finnyfinds.com Always fun to read other runner’s blogs. Im more into the triathlon scene, but running is my fav for sure. Best of luck!
Hi! I am so happy I found your blog. I am a fellow Pittsburgh girl, and I have been searching for some local bloggers. I don’t have a blog but I have been following the “healthy” blogs for a while and have been trying to find some around my area.
I love your statement about why God gives us passions. I 110% agree!
I’m so glad I came across your blog! I’ll be checking back daily
[...] Meet Abby [...]
Hi, Abby, just moved to Pittsburgh and just found your blog! I like your healthy balance with life, food, and exercise. You have a new loyal follower!
Hi Holly!!! Glad you found me and that we have another healthy living advocate in our city!!! Please keep in touch!
Hi, Abby! I just found your website, and I was wondering. I see that you eat very healthy, which I am trying to do as well. You mentioned that you lost 40 pounds since 2005, and I was wondering if there was a particular plan you followed to do it. Did you count anything or just change your eating habits? Or is that when you started running? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
It’s nice to know others are out there that share the same Christian beliefs, too. That was a nice bonus when I found your site.
Hey Abby! I heard that you were from Altoona from a fellow blogger (Katie at Healthy Heddleston). I grew up in Altoona as well and graduated in 2005! And I played softball!! Crazy world right?
We probably played each other in softball! Actually, you probably know my cousin… Casey Weidemann! I know I played against her, so you guys must have been on the same team!
Thanks for the comment! Added you to my reader. Do you know newlywednewlyveg.com? She’s in Altoona, too!
Hey! What made you decide against being a nurse?
Oh, it was a couple of things. I really liked all of the science courses, but wasn’t very interested in the nursing-specific classes. Also, I was extremely sensitive to my patients–which is a good thing, but I had trouble seperating myself from them. That’s probably something I would have learned to do over time, but I didn’t want to change that about myself. I think that vulnerability is a really good and necessary thing in love and relationships and as a nurse, I just couldn’t handle that. I take things really hard and tend to worry whether or not I’m doing something the right way–and in nursing I was in charge of things way too important and it would be too easy for me to stress. I didn’t want my career to run my life!
So with all of that said, I figured that I should leave nursing to the better, more qualified people. Haven’t looked back once yet! I LOVED studying classics!
Um, I’m pretty sure that you are my bloggie sister
I LOVE the Beatles!!!! Greatest rock/pop band ever. And I too am terrified of tofu..the consistency of it scares me. And good for you for keeping off the 40 pounds! Not a lot of people can do that, congrats Abby 