My garden is my sanctuary. I found my way to the dirt after the birth of my second post-40 baby. There is no peace like gardening peace, except for maybe sewing peace, but it’s still not the same. I used both sewing and gardening to battle some horrific postpartum depression after my 2nd and 3rd child. As someone who had never done either, the journey to becoming proficient in both has been nothing sort of miraculous.

As for more about me…. I’m a Florida native, and a multi-generational one at that. I grew up in little Bradenton, FL before the subdivisions, not far from the beautiful Anna Maria Island. And no, not the one you see today, the one that wasn’t clogged with tourists and the one that didn’t have a building on every square inch.

I attended Manatee Community College and then the University of South Florida in Tampa where I obtained a BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences with specializations in Criminology and Psychology, and I have been kicking myself ever since because it’s been forever and I’m still explaining what that degree means. Free life advice: Just get the double major, or do a major/minor and be done with it.

I have worked in the fields of adolescent mental health/addictions, 911 dispatch, legal assisting and private investigation, with the latter being my favorite.

I am a mom of four, a his/mine/ours. I have had two babies in my 40’s. I have adult children and I have toddlers.

I have been an active member of the “Dead Dad Club” since 2001 and because my mom refuses to go out quietly and gracefully, I am now the proud daughter of a cancer warrior.

I am the proud wife of a retired Veteran. I am privileged to share my life with one of The Few, The Proud. He’s just as pretty now as he was in uniform, even if he DOES have the standard issue disgruntled Veteran beard.

I am perimenopausal, in my grandma era, finding my way back to Jesus, navigating my childhood trauma, correcting my poor life decisions, and I’m pretty sure I have adult ADD combined with chronic anxiety and depression.

I have zero personal boundaries and a knack for saying exactly what everyone is thinking but knows they shouldn’t say.

I use sarcasm to hide my anxiety, so if you’re here, welcome to the circus.