I started writing short stories and novel-length works when I was 13. In addition, I’ve kept a consistent diary since 1990. After graduating from Purdue University that year, I moved to Chicago–a city in which I’d always wanted to live.  It’s in Chicago where I “became.” And though I lived in Los Angeles for four years, Chicago is where my heart is. (Er…the suburbs of Chicago since 2021.)

I started this blog as an instrument for coping with my husband Ken’s cancer diagnosis in December 2010. It grew to be both a necessity and a passion for me as he battled cancer before and during his terminal diagnosis. He died on June 1, 2011. Writing here has served me well as a tool for relaxation and focus as I navigate my way through life and create my future. (In fact, it’s initially, why I titled this blog “the xanax diary” because it calmed and focused me.)

During the pandemic, I sold my condo in the city and fulfilled my dream of buying a house in the quieter suburbs where I do suburban things like put my trash bins on the curb every Thursday, cut the grass weekly, and rake leaves in the autumn–all under the curious and adoring eyes of my Golden Retriever, Hudson Heartbreaker.

I continue my journey in life, writing about the things that are important to me or spark something. I’m a believer in transparency and sharing vulnerabilities to show how much we all truly have in common.

Join me, won’t you?