About Me

So you want to know more about me, eh?

Let's start with the basics: I was born on August 9, 1983, in Los Angeles County, a few hours after my mom ate a meatball sub from Giuliano's Deli. Obviously, that's my all-time favorite sandwich.

It was a small miracle that my mom would eat something as outrageous as a seasoned meatball sub—she's from Northern Ireland, where most people consider black pepper an adventure. Speaking of Northern Ireland, we emigrated there when I was two and stayed until I was five, then moved back to Southern California, where my dad grew up.

Dad worked for an oil company with a very specific smell. In fact, I now have two large filing cabinets from that company in my home office. Although I've repainted them white (they were an interesting shade of blue-green, but scratched up), you can still get a whiff of industrial lubricants if you stick your head in one of the drawers. Or so I hear.

When I was 13—on my 13th birthday, actually—Dad's company moved us to the Chicagoland area. And by "us" I mean my parents, me, my younger brother Kyle, and Nanny (mom's mom, who lives with them, although they've mostly keep her locked in her bedroom since the late 90s, when she became a fairly ornery septuagenarian). (I'm just kidding about that, by the way. Let me pause here for a PSA: Elder abuse is not funny.)

In Chicago I made a number of excellent friends, who I'm still friends with today. These friends—particularly the guys—were responsible for a number of outlandish pranks in the Chicagoland area. I won't list them here, because there may still be some outstanding warrants. The Glory Days ended when I moved to Nashville in 2001 to attend Lipscomb University. I met Noah there on the very first day. Fourteen months later he worked up the nerve to ask me out, and we were married in a little chapel in Franklin, Tennessee, in August 2004.

I received a diploma in English and a disproportionate amount of school debt upon graduation. Luckily, I landed a job as an editor at the newspaper in Noah's hometown, Winston-Salem, almost immediately. Unluckily, I was paid in North Carolina Peanuts, a currency not accepted by most major retailers. However, the job was fun and it opened doors. After a couple years I became an editor for a national trade newspaper, where I stayed for another couple years. And then I decided to quit.

Now I stay home with our son, Ethan, and our animals: Cody the dog, Bonnie the puppy, and Sophie and Zoe, the twin cats. I'm also pursuing a master's degree from the University of North Carolina—at least until that book I haven't written yet hits the best-seller list. Noah works as a police officer, which was a huge surprise to everybody since he spent most of his college years playing dorky video games and studying Greek. He's good at his job. It has certainly been a challenge for both of us, intellectually and emotionally, but we're settling in.

My parents now live about 10 minutes away (they moved here after my dad lost his job in Chicago last year). I'm trying to use their proximity to my advantage, monetarily as well as for blog material. Noah's parents live about a half hour away, so Ethan has a privilege neither of his parents ever enjoyed: All four of his grandparents are living and doing so nearby. But it makes sense: That kid is pretty much the center of the universe.

If you're interested, you also can find me blogging at GoSimpliFi.com.