Behind RBEL

Hi friends,

Welcome!

My name is Anamaria Spiteri and I’m a single mom of two teenage young men that will shortly be “flying the coop”.

They are in the endearing age of, “I got it, Mom” and “Yea, I know, you don’t have to tell me”. I long for the days when I could hug them unrestrained, snuggle with them until we dozed and the nights with them plopping into my bed because they were scared. I am still looking for my son’s videotaped promise allowing me to kiss his face a million times, forever.

I am nostalgic for those days.

They are growing up, becoming independent and getting ready to be on their own. Surprisingly, I’ve done my job of nurturing fully realized human beings that make good choices, have great hearts, and know right from wrong.

It’s a bit unnerving seeing them function independent of me and yet it’s good preparation for my looming new role as an “empty nester”.

It’s daunting to wonder what the next 20 years will bring, since the past 20 have been dedicated to them. All my energy, my focus and my love has been given without constraints and unconditionally to my sons.

A pillar of our family experience has been travel and adventure.

We gradually learned to ski and snowboard in Wisconsin then graduated to Colorado and Tahoe; caught a Tarpin fishing in the gulf of Florida, watched it leap out of the water seconds before it cut the fishing line; attempted to catch tuna in the Mediterranean until we were so seasick we had to turn back; precariously climbed Coba’s Mayan temple in the Riviera Maya (dos tiempos); camped on the shores of Lake Michigan, feeling super cool with our new Jeep; ate cooked-in-the-country paella with dear friends in Seville; and have had many waverunner adventures in Lake Geneva, WI.

I am so proud of these past years, our home life, family wanderlust and the growth of the beautiful men I see before me.

Yet, fear and worry for the future engulfs me,I wonder just how involved we’ll be in each other’s lives, once their own lives begin. A “baseball mom” once told me that by the time your child is 18, 90% of the total time spent with them will be gone. . I have not fact checked this, but it sure broke my heart at the time.

I’m afraid and weary of this empty nester role.

I was and am one of those moms that didn’t have too many outside hobbies outside of work; my kids were my hobby. I did always enjoy the outdoors and created experiences around an active, healthy, and creative lifestyle. When they were very young, I became certified as a personal trainer and had clients for a few years before going back to work fulltime.

Alas, it’s time to reinvent, to begin something new, separate from parenting, that will help me get through these next few years of natural separation.

I thought, it needs to be something low impact (joints no bueno) that will force me to get out and exercise. Covid-19 added the “must have“ element of being regionally based and morally founded in the spirit of strengthening the community. I feel that healthy habits are often confronted by inertia and lack of optimism.

Who else could use a little inspiration from a wipe-the-dust-off, rejuvenate and move forward attitude?

My goals for this blog are to:

1. Highlight local trails and provide useful information for first timers about the best time to travel to these locations, how to avoid crowds and logistical inside information.
2. Showcase and support local healthy food focused establishments by sharing their stories.

There are a so many beautiful trails in our area. I’m excited to learn about them and look forward to sharing them all with you.

Hopefully, I’ll inspire someone to pursue their own “happy me” moments and enjoy the inevitable time when it is, just you.

~Anamaria

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