About me

You'll wish you hadn't asked! When the baby wakes-up, though, I'll post this and put you out of your misery! (This rather irregular method of posting will mark most of this blog, as blogging is secondary to my occupation -- see below!)

I'm Kristen, a Catholic wife and stay-at-home mom to three little ones (that is: three under the age of three -- yes, we've been blessed!). We live in a little farming town in the Central Valley of California, though our parish and most of our non-home life is in Clovis/Fresno. My husband is a high school social studies/math teacher and, when I was paid in currency other than children's kisses, I worked as a journalist and a paralegal. This job is much better! I grew-up near San Diego and spent more than a decade in Arizona before returning to CA. I still miss San Diego sometimes, and I even miss Tucson a little, mostly at sunset and on weekends. I don't miss Phoenix -- it's hotter than you imagine and is mostly paved; there's not much within a couple of hours drive to "get away" to, etc. But, this farming town has lots of grapevines and three national parks are in our "backyard." I like to travel, too, though when I was able to do so freely, I wanted to be more of a homebody.

I attended eight years of Catholic school in SoCal and loved it (mostly). I also attended five years of public school, plus another five at Arizona's premier state college, the University of Arizona. (Yes, I took five years to get my degree and I've been running late ever since!) I was a Girl Scout for nine years and earned the Silver Award (the second-highest award) before we moved. I played the classical guitar, swam on a team, and tried most of the other sports open to girls. I'm not an athlete, but I do like to hike. I am an avid reader and writer. I was the Comment Editor of my high school paper and a columnist and news writer for the UA paper. My first real job was as the assistant editor of a Catholic newspaper; after some community college retooling, I took an entry-level paralegal job at a large civil law firm. I'm currently in on-the-job training as a mother and I do better with some parts of it than others. Does anyone have a magic wand for folding laundry?

I'm also a pro-life activist, though my activism is mostly confined to the home while the kids are small. My husband and I did make the Walk for Life West Coast in 2007, though. If it's legal and helpful to the vulnerable and those who care for them, chances are good that I've done it. Before I met my husband, my late father and I led a large and productive parish pro-life group, I volunteered at a hospital, a nursing home and a crisis pregnancy center, I wrote articles and gave speeches, and I prayed at abortion centers, among other things. I always love to talk about pro-life advocacy, so feel free to chat with me about it.

I'm an only child and was blessed with parents who loved me enough to give me the best they could, most especially the Faith. My Dad died of cancer in 2005 and my Mom is in moderate but stable health. We are blessed with good friends, especially through Opus Dei and The Light Weigh.

As for the trivia. I have a lot of "favorites": On TV, I regularly watch NCIS and Law & Order (I prefer SVU, like most fans). When I flip it on for reruns, I'll watch JAG, Magnum P.I., In the Heat of the Night, Crossing Jordan, and others. I enjoy "light" movies, mostly. My favorites include Top Gun, Pretty Woman, Airplane, most of the "Brat Pack" movies of the '80s and The Sound of Music. I read a lot of blogs, mostly Catholic ones, and follow the news pretty closely, especially politics. I once considered joining the Navy, but they wouldn't take me because of a rather common thyroid condition.

That's it in a nutshell.

One more thing, though. Please know that I keep all of you whom I chat with in my prayers and I always appreciate your prayers, too. Let's talk!