About Us – Welcoming Jennifer To The Stuff of Success

 

Well Hello there!  We are the Nagels… All six of us.

 

I, Athena, am the primary writer and creator for The Stuff of Success but I could never do what I do without the assistance and influence from my family. I drag them everywhere, to do all sorts of fun and crazy things – all in the name of The Stuff of Success. They have been doing it for so long it is now pretty much a way of life.

 

During the day I am a mild mannered School Business Administrator in a local urban public school district. That is a huge job. By early evening I return to being the mom of two special needs children who need lots of love and attention. Boy those two have come such a long way! As you see there are also two older children who also participate in all this “stuff” when the opportunity comes up. And my husband – he is also a public school administrator in a different school district from me.

 

We went years – decades – without a single vacation and now we vacation alot in Maine. Much of our time all year long is spent in CT, RI, MA, NH and ME. We are always running somewhere to participate in something, creating as many memories for our family as we can. You all know life is just too short to do otherwise.

 

And now I would like to introduce you to Jennifer. The Stuff of Success has grown so much in the last year and she has seen me struggle with trying to keep it just what it is. She has offered many many times to help me and I always politely declined. However, I always knew at some point I just couldn’t do it all and I finally said yes. And here is Jennifer a new co-writer for The Stuff of Success…

 

Hi! I’m Jennifer, co-writer for The Stuff of Success. Athena has been crazy enough to take me under her wing in the blogging world and let me assist her with The Stuff of Success.

 

My life is centered around my husband and three girls. I have 8 yr old twins and a 5 yr old. They keep me “young”! And if the kids aren’t enough to keep me busy, I work in the claims department at an insurance company. For the last 10 years my life has revolved around nationwide weather in a way I never thought possible.

 

Our favorite activities are swimming, biking and sitting around the campfire at our favorite spot in Maine. (It just happens to be in the same spot as Athena’s family). When we’re not at camp we look for family friendly outings that also involve some education for the kids. We look for the best out of the way (and inexpensive or free) places to go and have fun.

 

I also love to cook. I spend a lot of my free time cooking recipes I find or make up my own versions of classic dishes. The kids like to join in whenever I’m in the kitchen. And my husband feels the need to test and mix when he wanders in so it has become a family affair. Not only do we cook in the kitchen, but we have several smokers that have been used to make everything from homemade bacon to smoked cheese, ribs, chicken, salmon and anything else you can smoke. That’s where we really spend time perfecting our recipes and our cooking techniques. I hope you enjoy the tips and recipes I can share.

 

I look forward to sharing this blog with Athena and hope you will get as much out of reading it as I am getting writing it!

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So hop on The Stuff of Success train – enjoy the ride. Feel free to participate in as many giveaways as you can – stop in and say hello, stay awhile and ask any questions you wish. The only requirement is that we are a family friendly blog.

 

Thank you and welcome!