Lara Solomon

Hamilton in the mighty Waikato has been my home since 2001 when I made the move down from South Auckland. I live with my partner and our lovely golden haired daughter, a big boned cat (not fat thank you) named Vino and two very spoilt dogs - Lad the cheeky Terrier X and Twinkle the fluffy Chihuahua (don't let that cutesy look fool you, you'll regret it!).

Although my heart lies in Northland where I spent my early childhood and where our family returns many times a year, right now I absolutely love living in this city with gorgeous beaches, ski fields and other cities only a short road trip away.

My work day is spent running the office of a small but busy construction company. It's not my passion but it's what I know and what I'm good at. I like the hours as I'm able to be there for my daughter both before and after her school day and to me that's really important. I've worked in one office or another for the last 20+ years but now at the age of 40 I'm wondering if this is what I really want to do for the next 20.

What I enjoy doing to relax are

• spending time with my family, crafty projects which start with a hiss and roar but have to admit I'm not the best at finishing
• pottering around in the kitchen baking, cooking and making a bit of a mess
• reading novels - I'll give any genre a shot, the Sunday paper, kids books, magazines, comics, anything that takes my fancy. It's impossible for me to go to sleep without reading at least a page of something. The recent purchase of a Kindle has turned things up a notch or two - awesome
• retail therapy is always a good way to bring the blood pressure down after a stressful day
• catching up with mates watching movies, sharing a wine or two or chatting over coffee

So, that's snapshot of me and my life.