MY HUSBAND, ADAM, AND I welcomed our first child, Quinn Nicole Fauber, into the world on March 30, 2018, and naturally I began thinking about all the normal things parents worry about. Will I be a good mom? Will my infant hit all of her benchmarks? How can I improve my work / life balance? Will Quinn be happy?
I feel so blessed to have been able to grow up in West Virginia, and I look forward to raising my family here. I hear so many stories about people who moved away for school, jobs or marriage only to move home so they could raise their children in Almost Heaven. These are stories I find encouraging for the future of our state. Despite West Virginia’ s most pressing challenges, bright, educated and passionate people want to move home and be part of the solution while raising their children to love this state too.
This stage in my life has made me more reflective, and I have been thinking back on some of the memories my family and I have made in our beautiful Mountain State. One of my first memories of growing up here was learning to ski at Snowshoe. We spent winters skiing and summers exploring and mountain biking all over Snowshoe Mountain. My 30-year love of horses stems from a trip to Snowshoe in 1987 when we went on our first trail ride. As soon as we left the barn and got back in the car, my sister and I immediately asked if we could go back the next day. The rest, as they say, is history.
We spent time exploring all the beauty our state has to offer, from sightseeing at Cranberry Glades to attending church camp each year at Bluestone Camp and Retreat in Summers County, where we hiked, swam, canoed and slept in covered wagons full of spiders.
My first trip whitewater rafting down the New River was with friends from school. It was my first experience in the New River Gorge area that I now love so much. It is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth and is full of so much outdoor adventure— not to mention good food.
Having the opportunity to experience this side of West Virginia as a child is part of the reason I love my job so much. I look forward to introducing my daughter to what I love about the Mountain State and raising her the West Virginia way. •
Kensie Hamilton Fauber Editor in Chief
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE