Moms Appreciation Month Continues

Meet Kristy Balbuena, Annandale Counselor…Kid Counselor

Kristy Balbuena has worked in the Annandale Student Services office for 14 years, first as a student advisor and now as a counselor. She loves helping people, which is fortunate, since Kristy is also a mom to two girls, 11-year-old Anna and eight-year-old Allison. Both girls are involved in Girl Scouts and a variety of sports.

This past year has been a challenge as we all know, but uniquely so for working parents of elementary-aged kids. Kristy says there have been a lot of rainy days. She says, when it rains, particularly on a Monday (FCPS’ asynchronous school day where kids work at their own pace), her kids are bouncing off the walls—asking for snacks, painting their nails, interrupting her student appointments and listening to Amazon music that resonates through the house.

But Kristy loves being a mom, and she loves Mother’s Day because it makes her feel connected to other women, especially to her mom and grandmothers. “There is something about being a mom that really unites us all,” she says.

One of her favorite Mother’s Day memories, she says, is a trip to England that she and her husband, Ken, took in 2009.

“I was two-and-a-half months pregnant with Anna, and my husband and I “babymooned” in England. It was amazing to go back and visit the country where I had studied years earlier. We still joke with my oldest that she has been to London, and, while she experienced everything, she saw nothing.“

The oldest of two kids herself, Kristy was involved in many activities growing up. “My three-hour dance recitals were always on Mother’s Day. Between needing to get in costume early, the actual recital and the aftermath, I don’t remember doing anything but church and a family dinner at home for my mom, which was preceded by my mom needing to clean the house for guests. When I went away to college, Mother’s Day became about my mom helping to move me out of the residence halls because, as an RA (resident advisor), we were the last to leave. And then, eventually, we celebrated “Mother’s Day” at my undergrad and grad school commencements. A few years later I was a mom and now I totally get how she sacrificed her special day for me.”

When asked if there are any NOVA moms she would like to do a shout out to, she says, “I really want to honor two groups of moms: single moms, you amaze me every day. You are a wealth of love hope and strength. And, to all the moms who have nurtured elementary age and younger kids this past year, no one will ever understand what we have all been through. We have come out stronger because of the pandemic, and we have been able to spend time with our kids in a way that we never would have imagined. There has been no off switch this year with the amount of snacks, mess and emotions in our homes. We’ve cried, laughed and hidden in our cars and closets. We are better for it. Our kids are better for it; maybe when they are parents they will ask how we did it and we will tell them that we don’t have a clue.”

Annandale Math Prof. Brian Johnson Has Always Been Able to Count on the Moms in His Life

My name is Dr. Brian Johnson, professor of mathematics on the Annandale Campus. As I matured and achieved more in life, I became more and more grateful for the patience my mother and father showed. Earning a Ph.D. wasn’t quick or easy, but they enjoyed being parents of two people (my younger sister and me) who pursued considerable higher education. My parents also view my wife Carla as a special daughter-in-law. In recent years, I typically send a card to my mother, whose birthday is also on May 8. This year, I also sent her a recording of one of her favorite songs, which I play on my guitar.  

Mothers’ Day joy increased four years ago, when Carla and I adopted a teenage girl from China. That now makes two mothers for whom I have endless admiration.

I was also close to my grandmothers, when they were alive; and my parents truly adore our daughter. I also know several female coworkers at NOVA who are fabulous mothers, while working very hard at work, too.

Mothers’ Day is a very special day of the year.