Hi there, I’m Susie! I was born and raised in Colorado and have lived here my entire life except for a random six month detour when I tried out Oklahoma City. Turns out humidity is not my thing. I’ve been married to my husband Vince for over thirteen years and we have two daughters, Lila and Winnie, plus two cats and a dog who all think they run the house.

I went to the University of Colorado at Boulder where I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature which basically means I love books and also love correcting everyone’s grammar in my head. I spent thirteen years as a Store Manager for DSW Shoes before I had my oldest daughter. The day she arrived, I basically tossed my retail manager hat into the sunset and started blogging like a woman on a mission.

I am also the room mom for my youngest daughter’s class, I tutor students in reading, and I somehow ended up as both President of the School Accountability Committee and VP of the PTO. At this point I should probably have business cards that say Professional Volunteer Who Can’t Say No.

I live for traveling the world with my family, cooking, hosting parties that probably should have been emails, collecting an alarming amount of holiday home decor, and hanging out with my friends and my cousin Mary who is also my BFF and partner in crime.

When I was five and my brother, Mikey was four, he was diagnosed with Autism. I watched him battle an internal war of trying to fit in versus trying to be himself for years. In 2008 he took his own life, which sent my family’s world onto a different trajectory. He taught all of us to be a more empathetic humans, and to not sweat the small stuff or fixate on what other people think. It’s partially what gave me the courage to put myself out there with this blog and my social media!

I have been a vegetarian since I was six years old which means I have 37 years of experience sitting in restaurants pretending I am not starving. Luckily the world finally caught on to plant-based eating so now I can actually order things beyond side salads, but I’ve perfected a ton of vegetarian recipes over the years.

Since I am tall, I am always on the quest for jeans and swimsuits that do not crawl straight up my ass, so you will also find plenty of fashion posts on my Instagram and LTK page. I have a sailor mouth but still believe in good manners, being respectful to people, the planet, and animals, sending real thank you cards, and being nice to waiters and retail workers. Always. Even when they suck.

I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I love writing it!