About

Hi! I'm Steph. I'm married to Ben, and mama to two fur babies named Todd and Toby.

Ben and I got married on 08-08-08 and bought our first house that same year, where we lived in Indianapolis for almost two years. In May 2010, we sold that house and moved to Southern Indiana so we could be closer to his work and family. We love our current home! It's very "us"!

It's a project, but I'm working on turning this former model home into one that fits us. Since it was built in 2007, it's still relatively fresh out of the oven as a cookie-cutter home. I've made a lot of decorating mistakes and bad decisions along the way (and no guarantee that I won't again)... but I'm learning! This quote says it best:

"Focus on the journey, not the destination.
Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

- Author Greg Anderson

By day, I work at an insurance company. Titles aside, I help big companies make their workplaces safe for their employees. My degree is a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, and to be honest, I never dreamed I'd have a job I enjoy so much! Every day is like an episode of the show "How It's Made," and I never get tired of learning how stuff works. Work varies by the day and I travel around the Midwest, which fits my short attention span constantly-on-the-go personality. I see  construction sites, hospitals, office buildings, farms, truckers, factories... and it's fun.

HouseStuffWorks is my way exercising the other side of me that wants to create! make! and do pretty in my life that's otherwise pretty structured, technical, and number-y.

Beginning the uphill climb on the Mesa Trail in Boulder, CO. 

If I'm not working on something in the house, you'll probably find me out running. I've completed a half iron triathlon (swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1!), a number of marathons (three Boston Marathon finishes), and even finished my first ultra-marathon 50k (or 31 miles) in May 2012. I really like being outside! However, I'm really not coordinated enough to do any other sports, so I run... and even then, I often have trouble staying vertical.

Heading to Brooklyn in the NYC Marathon!  

What else? I'm a huge Ohio State fan, since I grew up just outside of Cleveland and went to OSU. I've never lived outside of the Midwest, but would live in Colorado in a heartbeat! I live/run for food. I'm a busy-body, and I am not good at resisting impulse purchases. And then there's lists. I love lists.

Besides that, I'm just a huge dork. Since I like to learn as I go and I'm impatient, sometimes this comes back to bite me. I tend to way over-think my design choices (so if you have suggestions, they are welcome!). I have a weakness for lamps, chairs, and rugs. I love reading your comments on my blog. And now, I have a DSLR camera to show you everything I'm up to!

So, I hope you are both entertained and inspired each time you visit HouseStuffWorks.
Enjoy, and come back soon!

Questions? Want to contact me? Email me: steph [at] bartleysrun [dot] com