I started journaling in hand-written diaries when I was around ten years young. I loved to draw little symbols or flowers, suns and moons, horse heads; any little different mark on the page. I’d turn the page upside down, write backwards, sideways, really small, then really large. I mainly talked about boys at that time, and through early puberty. But the art was important, as much as the words. I lost those early diaries, but have all of them since I was fifteen in a large suitcase in my closet. I occasionally pull them out and read from a random book and find my progress as a girl growing into a woman a bit startling. I recognize myself, remember most of the events, and am pleased they are still with me. Since 2010 my thoughts flow through computer screens, much faster and more organized than the spiral notebooks or fancy hard-cover journals.

My love for writing, art and music has permeated my life, culminating in this memoir. Playing with paint, color, form and design continues to occupy a good deal of my time. The guitar I purchased in 1973 is still with me, its sound full and beautiful as it ages. The CD I made of my original songs in 2005, Falling in Love Again, is still relevant in my life although I no longer sing in public.

Many years were spent in the restaurant business as a server, manager and owner. One learns a lot about humility, organization and public relations in the hospitality business. I earned a BA in English Literature and Certificates in Graphic Design along the way, working in restaurants, painting murals and custom designs on the side, and expanding my graphic art and photography skills. I met my present partner, Michael, at one of these restaurants, eventually co-owning a very successful Italian restaurant in our New Mexico home town. We sold it just before the COVID-19 onslaught, saving us the frustration of that year as a business. I must thank Michael for his continued patience while I spent countless hours in my office writing this memoir.