Hello! My name is Nicole Rhymes and, as a Virgo girlie, I’m especially happy to be September’s mom of the month!

Growing up my parents were both in the Coast Guard, which means I’ve never really had a home state. As a child I was lucky to live in some pretty special places like New Orleans, Alaska, and Hawaii. By the time I finished high school my parents had retired, and we ended up in Virginia. I spent my entire adult life (before becoming a mom) working at animal shelters as a caregiver, adoption counselor, and adoptions supervisor. I’ve been hyper focused on all thing's animals since consciousness, so it was a great fit for me and something I was very passionate about. I met my husband about seven years ago on *Tinder*. We connected over being two of the only vegans in Virginia Beach as well as our love for nature. Within months of dating he let me know that he would soon be stationed in San Diego and would like me to move with him if we were still together at that time. San Diego was a pretty easy sell! We eloped on a holiday weekend in 2020 near Mammoth Mountain and welcomed our daughter Dominique two years later!

I decided to try FIT4MOM because I wanted to build friendships for both me and my daughter and I wanted a way to exercise that was fun and didn’t feel boring. I think this group was the perfect fit and I’ve had so much fun getting to know everyone and seeing Dominique build friendships as well.

When I’m not in class I love hiking, camping, and playing at the beach with my daughter. We are huge fans of the NAT and the Balboa Carousel as well. I also enjoy crocheting as a creative outlet! I’m currently a stay-at-home-mom and recently I’ve started school to become an elementary teacher someday.

Thank you for thinking of me for the mom of the month! I’m so grateful to have found such a fun, silly, strong, and diverse group of women to spend my time with :)