Main Street Moms on the Move ~ May 2015
By Katie Moosbrugger
We’re thrilled to highlight one of our own in today’s Main Street Moms on the Move, as well as two more inspirational women of the Triad! It never ceases to amaze me how many wonderful, hard-working, and family-oriented moms we have as neighbors. If you know of a mom who you think would make a great Mom on the Move, please email Katie@TriadMomsOnMain. We are always looking to put amazing moms in the spotlight.
Please meet Ashleigh, Kimberly and Emily…
Ashleigh Welder
Nearly five years ago, we (TMoM) interviewed Ashleigh for a sales position and we’ve been lucky to call her a team member ever since! Mom to Bryce (8) and Savannah (5), and wife to Eric, Ashleigh and her family live in High Point, but they’re constantly on the go. Not only do they enjoy trips around the Triad and to the Carolina beaches, but also around the globe (Tanzania and Egypt, Dubai, Paris, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, and Tokyo!) They squeeze so many trips and activities into their busy weeks, that friends refer to their lifestyle as the “Welder Way!”
On top of her busy home life (which includes a 15+ work week for TMoM), Ashleigh holds many part-time paid and volunteer positions. A teacher at heart (she taught first grade for six years before having children), Ashleigh babysits for several friends’ children after preschool on an as-needed basis. She substitutes semi-regularly at Child Enrichment preschool in High Point. Since the fall, Ashleigh has also been actively renewing her teaching license through online classes – 120 hours and counting! She volunteers regularly at her children’s’ schools as well as with the March of Dimes and the Ronald McDonald House (where she once lived for six weeks to care for her premature son). Additionally, Ashleigh works part-time as a summer camp instructor at Greensboro Day School where she will be leading The Great Outdoors, Magic Tree House, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and Get a Jump On Reading camps.
When asked what she loves most about working for TMoM (of course we’d ask this), Ashleigh said, “I love that TMoM took me far outside my comfort zone. With no prior sales experience, I was concerned it would be too difficult. But it quickly became second nature!” That’s certainly evident as we think Ashleigh is a superstar – not just with TMoM – but with everything she does! (Photo Credit: Vada Dicey Photography)
Kimberly Saulpaugh
When Kimberly, and her soon-to-be husband Jeff, started raising meats (chicken, beef, pork, etc) and vegetables from their farm, Hannah Family Farming, they quickly started receiving requests to sell their products. Soon a business took off, and Kimberly is now the proud owner of Home Grown Country Store in Pfafftown.
“I was a hair stylist before meeting Jeff. That’s when he introduced me to animals,” Kimberly said. “First it was a baby lamb that I was smitten with, then onto bigger babies like goats, calves, etc. It sort of became an obsession. I couldn’t stop. So I went to school to become a Registered Vet Tech to learn more on how to take care and tend to my animals. From there, the farm became our life. We work it every day and maintain our animals and pastures year round in order to raise the freshest grass fed beef around.”
Today, Home Grown Country Store is a mecca of everything fresh, handmade and homemade. The store sells a variety of items like meats (including rare meats like goose, duck, pheasant and quail during holiday months), local produce (including goats milk), local honey, soaps, salves, chap sticks, and crafts from nearly 35 local artists.
“Grass fed beef is something most people search for, but cannot find. We encourage people to tour our farm so they can see what they are eating. We know it’s not for everyone, but we also know it’s important to show how well the animals are cared for,” she added.
A mother to Bailey, her six-year-old son, Kimberly loves for customers to stop in, enjoy one of the rocking chairs, sip coffee, and just chat. To her, there is nothing better than seeing the faces of the customers who enjoy her store. So make plans to stop by this summer!
Reverend Emily Hull McGee
It’s no surprise that First Baptist Church in Winston-Salem would hire Emily as their first female pastor. You can say it’s been her calling for years. Emily grew up as a third generation of Baptist ministers on the paternal side of her family. Her father, grandfather, aunt, and mother are, or have been, Baptist ministers. In Emily’s own words, she is a “quadruple whammy of a preacher’s kid!”
Although not yet settled in the Triad, Emily and her husband, Josh, will move their family here from Louisville, KY, this summer so she can begin her new full time position. Emily is excited to return to the Triad after spending several years in Winston-Salem pursuing her Masters of Divinity degree at Wake Forest School of Divinity.
She is the mother to Liam (2 ½) and daughter Annabelle who was just born a little over a month ago. For the past six years, Emily has served as the Minister to Young adults at Highland Baptist Church in Louisville. Her position at Highland Baptist ended the day before her daughter was born, so taking on this new role at First Baptist – plus a move to a new city – will be a new adventure for Emily, making her a true “Mom on the Move,” she says.
A typical day for Emily…is there such a thing? As a mom/minister/spouse, Emily says she shares all the usual stressors of these roles. “Yet my calling as a person of faith and a minister is to place a measure of trust beyond these anxious places of my mind and walk alongside others who are shouldering heavy burdens. But man is that ever a challenge when my toddler is throwing an epic tantrum in the middle of Trader Joe’s or when the transmission dies in our 20 year-old car that we had hoped to squeeze just a bit more usage out of!”
Congrats on your new position, Emily, and welcome to the Triad!
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That’s my cousin!!