Facts about me:
Hi there! I’m Jen — mom of two (my very own Glinda and Fiyero), wife to a truly Wonderful man, and cat mom to four little beasts that think they rule Oz. I’m most at home in my cozy corner of the world, surrounded by books, bubbling pots on the stove, and a sewing machine that’s seen its fair share of magic.
Here on the blog, I’m defying gravity daily — juggling motherhood, creativity, and a little bit of Elphaba-style grit. Life may not always go by the script, but around here, we dance through the drama, belt through the chaos, and always believe something good is happening.
Some fun facts about me:
- Born and raised in Michigan. Midwest girl all the way. I believe when you are sick that the first thing you reach for is Vernors. Vernors is usually the first line of defense when you are sick when you grow up in Michigan.
- I love cats. We currently have 4 cats right now and they are a joy. My husband laughs at me as I have full conversations between myself and I do their voices in response.
- I am working on my first book. The goal is to have a book deal in 2030.
- My son is named after my friend who I used to work with and he won the Badwater Ultramarathon. I just loved his name. It’s just one of those cool guy names.
- Before having children, I used to run all the crazy races like The Chicago Urbanatholon, Warrior 5k, Foam 5k, Madison to Chicago Relay, Hood to Coast Relay, four marathons (Chicago, Nashville, Fox Valley, and my favorite, The Detroit Marathon), 150 mile bike rides for MS charities, etc.
- My all time favorite movie is Back to the Future.
- In jr high and high school, I was a cheerleader and a runner. I ran cross country and track.
- My two best friends I have known since childhood. My best friend, Missy, I have been friends with since we were 4 years old. I treasure her. My other best friend, Linda, we have been friends since 7th grade in Junior High. So we were about 12 years old when we met. Both of these girls are like the sisters I never had.
- I am an only child.
- I had a shih tzu named Miss America and she was my best friend. She lived until almost 16 years old. My heart broke in a million pieces when I lost her.
- My mom’s side of the family is from Tennessee. I grew up with a mama who sounded she moved up to Michigan yesterday when in fact she lived here since the 1970’s. She was a strong woman. My family line is mostly women on my mom’s side and we are feisty, strong, fight for what is right, love with all of our being, feel empathy towards others, we will always bring food when there is a death of a friend because that’s what you do, etc. I say funny lines that my husband has no idea what they mean and these phrases are common phrases I heard growing up.
- I have a degree in fashion design and merchandising but I ended up working in logistics for over 13 years. No idea how that happened, but I loved logistics. My advice is if you want a career you will always have a job, go into supply chain/logistics. There is always freight to be moved.