Ali Bell v. 2013

I've been doing a lot of self-reflection lately about who I am right now at this point in time. If you had asked me last year who I was I can almost guarantee that one of the first words I would have used would have been "divorced." I didn't know how to define myself outside of my divorce. Not anymore. Since then I've learned so much about myself and who I am and being divorced is only a tiny piece of that.

So, who am I? I'm Ali Bell. I'm the mother of the most amazing 8-year-old boy. Riley is super smart! He's in third grade and reads at a 6th grade level. He's very advanced in math. He can make a powerpoint presentation like a pro and has a pretty amazing vocabulary. He's also adorable. He loves sushi and is thisclose to being able to use regular chopsticks (not the kid ones with the rubber band on top). As exhausting as being a single parent is, being a mom is so rewarding and I wouldn't trade it for anything.









I'm a Kentucky girl and lived there for 19 years (minus a couple of attempts at living in other states). I love Kentucky, but I just moved to Pittsburgh, PA about a month ago. Pittsburgh is pretty cool so far. If you read back a few blogs you can read about my decision to move, but here's the cliff notes version. I want to give my son and I a good life. I feel like to do that I need to accomplish 2 major things: Get out of debt and finish school. In order to do that as quickly as possible Riley and I moved here to live with my parents while I accomplish these 2 things. It's going well so far. I work for Bonefish Grill as a server. It's fun and pays the bills. I don't know very many people so far, mainly just co-workers, but it's only been a month and I know friendships will come in time. My relationship with God is one of the most important things in my life. I'm still looking for a church home, but I know that I'll find the right one in time.



I'm generally a very positive, happy, nice person. I genuinely love people and usually when given the opportunity to be jaded, cynical or mean I choose not to be. I love games of all sorts-card games, board games, word games. I'm not super competitive and while I love to win, I love playing more.



I love NFL football! I'm a huge Green Bay Packers fan and have passed that trait on to Riley. I play fantasy football and generally hold my own. It's a fun way to follow the games that don't particularly matter. I'm excited to now live in a city with an NFL team so that I can go to NFL games!!


I love to bake and I'm pretty good at it. I don't have a specialty, but I really like to try out new recipes or whip something up with what I have on hand.

I have a big family and love them all very much. We are spread out all over the country so we don't see each other nearly as often as we would like, but when we do get together it's always a good time. I have 2 brothers, 2 sisters, 2 brothers-in-law, 1 sister-in-law, 4 nieces, 3 nephews, and don't get me started on all of my cousins. I have the most amazing parents ever and can only aspire to accomplish as much as they have one day. I am the youngest child and I may or may not be a little spoiled. Okay, I'm kind of totally a princess.



Well, that's me at the start of 2013. I'm excited to see where this year takes me!