How many children do you have and what are their age(s)?
I am Mom to Max (13 years old + 7th grader at Valleyview Middle School) and Sam (10 years old + 4th grader at Lakeview Elementary School). Seems like yesterday they were little boys, and we were hopping around Morris County meeting friends at all of the playgrounds, going to story time at Denville Library and scoping out all the best ice cream spots (Hello, Denville Dairy!) Honestly, its still all about finding the fun and always…always… about the snacks. Some things never change. Raising kids in Denville is a blast. There is a plethora of activities in town all year long, clubs and events when kids are school-aged and sports opportunities as early as 3.5 with Hub Soccer’s Munchkin program.
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Morris County?
Well, I’m a Southern girl born in Florida, but my family moved to Indiana right before I started highschool. I attended Indiana University (go IU!) and most of my family still lives in the Hoosier State. I moved to NJ in 2006 (Hoboken) and after squeezing into a condo with two babies, it was time to say goodbye my amazing NYC skyline view and city life for more space in the burbs. I’ve lived in beautiful Denville for 11 years and feel so grateful to have stumbled upon this little gem.
Favorite things to do with your kids?
When my kids were younger, we were regulars at the playgrounds (our favs in Denville are Gardner Field and Muriel Hepner) and we participated in all the wonderful activities Denville offers like the after school art program + story time at the library, t-ball, baseball, soccer, Cooks Pond summer fun and so much more. As they are older now, we enjoy walking around downtown Denville. Some of our must stop spots are: Sweet Expressions (nutella macroons + chocolate bark + jelly beans!!!), Bubble in Paradise (mango bubble tea, shaved ice and all the hot food…so good!), Smoke Shop (looking at the gag gifts is hysterical every.single.time.). We like taking a break by the iconic clock tower and people watching and then enjoying some shade and a picnic at McCarter Park. We also love walking and hiking and being in nature so we frequent the Tourne in Denville, walking around Indian lake and nature watching at Muriel Hepner. Denville also has created wonderful events like the holiday parades, visits to Santa Land, fireman’s festival and the Rotary Street Festival and all of these have become our family traditions.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Humm…I bet many people don’t know that one of my favorite childhood activities was riding my ATV—and most days, I’d come back home with scrapes and cuts and mud all over myself. I loved flying through huge mud puddles, doing jumps over rugged terrain and quite a few times I flipped that bike but happy to report I never broke a bone. Ahh, just thinking about those years brings a huge smile to my face. It was FUN.
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
I connected with amazing groups of Moms when I moved to Denville with my little 2-year-old and 6-month-old. The Moms Club of Denville helped me (and my boys!) forge many friendships. Those friendships were often lifelines in the early years of parenthood. I also started a group for Morris County Moms, and I am very close to many of the moms/kids from that group to this day. Having “mom friends” allowed us to plan park meet ups, swim dates, playdates at all the indoor spots during those long Winter days. I will always be so grateful for those mom groups, and we have so many beautiful memories.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
I am the proud owner of Brandie Brojan Real Estate brokered by Compass. Real estate is a wild career and I love that I get to help people throughout Morris County simplify the sometimes-overwhelming aspects of buying or selling a home. I strive to run my boutique real estate business as a dedicated realtor providing a level of customer-centric service that is unmatched. Connection and community are at the heart of everything I do. Prior to falling in love with real estate, I was a promotion and marketing director for radio stations and then a project manager for a boutique ad agency in NYC. I feel incredibly lucky to have had 15 years of high-level experience in project management and marketing to incorporate into my real estate career. It truly helps me do things differently, be creative and innovative and ultimately make the process as simple and streamlined as possible for my customers and clients. I would love for you to check out my website at www.brandiebrojan.com and connect with me on social too. (FB: @brandiebrojanrealtor and IG:@brandiebrojanrealestate LinkedIn: Brandie Brojan )
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
I am blessed with a strong supportive network of Morris County Moms. They rally when I have a wild idea like “lets’ run the Lakeview talent show” (and we did that for 3 years and it was amazing!) or “let’s collect a ton of school supplies for Denville social services” and there they are dropping things off at my front door! I am blessed and thankful for their encouragement and trust to guide them, their friends, family and neighbors when buying and selling real estate. So grateful. I absolutely love being a real estate agent in Morris County and honored to have the opportunity to meet so many incredible people. Whether it’s helping out a fellow single mom buy or rent a home after divorce, working with a family hoping for a bigger home for their growing family or selling a home for a family needing to downsize, every single opportunity is important to me and receives a full-service experience.
