One year. That’s how long it took for my life to shift in ways I never saw coming. One year filled with love and heartbreak, grief and healing, pain and purpose. One year that redefined who I am as a woman, a mother, a teacher, and a believer.
When I found out I was pregnant, I was in the middle of grieving two enormous losses—one of the man I thought I’d build a future with and the other, my oldest brother, whose absence still feels like a wound that hasn’t quite healed. I was carrying life while mourning death, navigating the unknown with a strength I wasn’t sure I had. But what I didn’t realize then was that this season of brokenness was also a season of rebuilding.
Motherhood didn’t come to me in a storybook way. My baby girl, Gwenaelle, made her grand entrance earlier than expected, weighing just 2 lbs 6 oz and spending 55 days in the NICU. I spent those first weeks in a haze of love, fear, and determination—balancing my own healing after a C-section while watching my tiny warrior fight for hers. But even in the uncertainty, I knew one thing for sure: I was meant to be her mother. She was—and still is—my greatest blessing.
At the same time, I was also stepping into a new professional role—teaching special education. I wasn’t just learning how to care for my daughter; I was learning how to advocate for students who needed someone in their corner, just like she did. Teaching is not just my job; it’s a calling. And just like motherhood, it’s filled with moments of triumph and struggle, joy and exhaustion.
So why start this blog? Because life is real, raw, and complicated. Because single motherhood, postpartum recovery, faith, special education, and even my love of fragrances, fitness, and travel, all intersect in my world. Because sometimes, we need to hear from someone who’s been there—who’s still figuring it out but is willing to share the journey along the way.
Living with Loren is about embracing every season—the beautiful, the painful, and everything in between. It’s about healing. It’s about growth. It’s about turning pain into purpose.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more about my postpartum journey, NICU life, navigating special education as both a teacher and a parent, and all the things that bring me joy—like my Teachers Pay Teachers resources, my favorite fragrance finds, traveling, shopping, and how I’m getting back into fitness.
Join the Journey! If you resonate with this message, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below. Let’s create a community where we can support each other and grow together!
Welcome to Living with Loren—where real life meets real purpose.
Navigating life’s intricate fabric, choices unfold paths to the extraordinary, demanding creativity, curiosity, and courage for a truly fulfilling journey.
Living with Loren 
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