Meet Laura Lalani

Hi moms! My name is Laura, and I’m originally from Houston, TX. My parents bleed green and gold, so naturally I attended Baylor University. In fact, I have never missed a Baylor Homecoming since I was born! Crazy right? One disclaimer would be that living in Waco has helped keep my streak alive.

After graduating from Baylor, I started dating my husband who literally swept me off my feet by marrying me one year later. We made our home in the the DFW area, and I started teaching middle school. However, a short two years later, I learned we were moving back to Waco and felt hesitant about “small town” life. In college, I rarely ventured beyond Valley Mills. Downtown didn’t have much to offer, Texas Central Marketplace was a field, and I couldn’t tell you where Woodway, Hewitt, China Spring and Castle Heights were located. I thought my four year stint in Waco was merely short term.

Although I moved kicking and screaming, my heart quickly changed as we fell in love with this community. I love that my kids get to grow up in a small town where everything is “15 minutes” away and in a community where friendships are deep and meaningful. Sometimes God blesses you in ways you did not even know you wanted and for that I am very thankful. Loving Waco has been one of the best surprises in my life thus far. 

Eventually, I decided not to return to public school teaching and instead pursue my Master’s Degree in Education with an infant and a toddler (insert wide eyed emoji face). Eighteen months later, I graduated and began teaching in the developmental education department at MCC for a couple of years. This past Fall, I recently transitioned to a full time job at Baylor.

Now we have three children at three different schools. So three drop offs, pick-ups and school calendars definitely make for some hilarious moments, successes and #momfails. We try to embrace the craziness of each week because this this life stage is a constant work in progress. My “type A” self is still learning how to thrive.

My favorite things in life are spending time with family and friends, drinking coffee before the sun rises, reading most anything, planning ahead in my planner, having a dinner/movie date with my husband, singing in our church choir, and getting an uninterrupted night’s sleep.