I am nostalgic to a fault. I have several 20-year-old t-shirts that I will one day (no, really, one day) make into a t-shirt quilt. My favorite foods are corn dogs, watermelon and funnel cakes, no doubt influenced by 4th of July family gatherings, trips to the fair and summers by the pool. When I garden, my thoughts are always on family. I ponder over my grandparents’ life lessons (grandpa was the veggie expert, grandma was flowers) as I plant seeds, deadhead petals, and lie on my stomach with my macro lens as the light hits the dewdrops just so. Hearing old TV theme music hits me deep - WKRP in Cincinnati, MASH, Welcome Back, Kotter - ugh, even writing those titles stirs a tightness of nostalgia in my gut. I just love memories and stories. Books, art, sitting around a campfire, reality shows - I’ll take all of the storytelling, all of the time.
I started my photography journey in elementary school. Even from that young age, I had the overwhelming need to not only consume stories but to produce them myself by freezing them forever in a single frame.
Throughout my life, I placed myself in jobs that kept the camera and stories close - marketing, advertising, teaching journalism & English, and finally just going all in as a full-time writer and photographer.
If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation - there are never enough hours in the day, and I would love to skip the travel time.
Favorite music?
Anything by Sarah Bareilles or Brandi Carlisle
Best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?
Raise your kids so they want to be your friends when they are adults.
Guilty pleasure entertainment?
High school theater (doesn’t matter if my kids are involved)
Guilty pleasure snack?
Junior Mints or Nachos
Life truth you live by?
Comparison is the thief of joy. Do YOUR best, celebrate others and be grateful that we are all blessed with unique gifts.
Other than photography, what could you talk endlessly about?
Birds, all day long
What’s your dream job?
National Geographic photographer or Broadway performer
What talent(s) is it clear you could never master?
Sewing, knitting, or anything that involves tape
What’s a food other people love that you don’t like?
Avocado toast - I love toast & I love avocados, but the combination is meh.
Early bird or night owl?
I am both …. or neither. I am sleep challenged, so I just take it where I can get it.
One thing you have to bring with you on a road trip?
An iPad loaded up with all the unread photography courses I purchased over the years but never read. And snacks.
What’s a song that always puts you in a good mood?
Brown Eyed Girl by Everclear
Favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon?
Any small town festival (preferably something that celebrates a town’s unique claim to fame - Czech, rattlesnake, apple & corn have been some past favorites.)
What’s your signature Starbucks order?
Flat White with Oat Milk (winter) and Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso (summer)
What was your high school senior superlative?
I was voted Most School Spirit - I loved high school, and I wanted everyone else to.
What's a lesson you’ve learned the hard way?
It’s not my job to solve all the problems.
Dogs or cats?
Dogs (sadly, I am allergic to cats). My pet of choice would be a miniature elephant if they existed.
Hill you would die on?
Extracurricular activities are as important as academics.
What seemingly useless talent do you have that has actually come in very useful?
I can recite the US states in alphabetical order (thank you elementary school choir teacher).