Thank you for visiting my digital house. Here’s a little tour of who I am and what I’m about.

I wear a lot of hats, and they’re changing. For the last 4 years, I would have described myself as an author, editor, and perfect-night-sleep chaser. Today, that description is evolving to include Usui Reiki practitioner, intuitive and evidential mediumship student, and intuitive life coach. Let’s hang out!

For fun, I research my genealogy and imagine new beginnings and alternate endings for my grandmothers because they were kickass women.

My Family’s Matriarchs

The one thing that I love most about this photo is the diverse, wonderful women who made me who I am. Had any one of them been a minute more late for a first date with my grandfathers or decided to turn left instead of right, I may not be here. So to my grandmothers, thank you.

Top Row:

Jane Richmond, my 4th great-grandmother. Born in Canada, married Nathan Staker. I love the picture. No idea if it’s her, but I’d like to think it is.

Tillie Young Stolworthy Staker is my 2nd great-grandmother and great-grandniece of Brigham Young. Ironically, I’m not a Latter-Day Saint, but that’s because

Lenna Pearl Staker Sobieski, my great-grandmother, decided to marry a Catholic named Frank in 1921. We’ll get back to her line in a minute because I had to interrupt the Staker/Sobieski line to include the fantastic hat of my 3rd great-grandmother, Adelia Smith Bannister.

Next, Lydia Knight Young, my 4th great-grandmother, and Tillie Stolworthy’s grandmother. Lydia married John Ray Young, forever connecting us to uncle Brigham. She and John Ray moved with a sister wife to a Mormon colony in Mexico after polygamy was outlawed. When John Ray decided he preferred the United States and moved back to New Mexico without her, she stayed behind in devotion to her vows to be faithful to the Church. (Ask me how I feel about John Ray when I’m over being pissed at him for abandoning grandma Lydia.)

Ruth Pauline Sobieski Hudson, my maternal grandma. Grandma Ruth taught me how to bowl, how to treat everyone with respect, and how to properly phone the mayor when a perceived injustice is occurring.

Pauline Hallie Andrew Wilcox, my paternal grandma and another kind woman who put up with way more than she should have had to.

Bottom row:

Mathilda Mioskowski Sobieski, my 2nd great-grandmother and Pearl’s mother-in-law. I only know of three pictures of her, and those are wrapped in the heartbreaking story that her husband Adolph accused her of having an affair with a local priest and threw her out of the house when her youngest kids were still in school. She had sixteen children, and my grandpa Frank was her 2nd eldest child. Fun fact, Frank survived getting kicked in the face by a mule. Because of his unique features, he was accused of bringing typhoid to the community well, which led to his moving out to Idaho.

Edith Mabel Dillinger Wilcox, my great-grandmother and the notorious reason that a few people in my family (with loose amounts of “research”) said we were related to John Dillinger.

Four grandmothers in one picture! Baby Iva Smith Andrew is my great-grandmother, and was the daughter of my 2nd great-grandmother Nellie Hastings Smith (center back — Adelia was her mother-in-law). Nellie’s mother and my 3rd great-gran Mariette Person Hastings is on the left, and my 4th great-grandmother Elizabeth Person Smith (she didn’t marry a cousin… right?) is on the right.

Clarice Rose Hudson is my maternal great-grandmother on the Hudson side. According to records, she owned both a restaurant and a grocery store, and according to folklore, she was married to the meanest man to walk the earth.

Last, me at around 2 years old. Can you just feel the itchiness of the sweater? I still can. 😉