About me

I am a Michigan native and proud to live in this gorgeous state. Yet, everyone I meet always asks, "Where are you from?" Incredulous eyes stare back at me when I say "Michigan" in my Italian accent. And so I explain that I lived in Sicily a total of nine and a half year, the first six years as a child. I went to elementary school in Palermo, vacationed on the  scenic beaches of Sicily, and traveled up north every September, to Abbano, Padova, Venezia, Monte Grappa and the Dolomiti. (the school year used to start in October).

Here I am feeding the pigeons in Venice:

When my family returned to Michigan, we settled in the metro Detroit area. After graduating from high school and from Wayne State University I went back to Italy for three and a half years. A word of advice: don't revisit the places you used to love as a child. My favorite spots were so much smaller than I remembered. The huge garden filled with exotic flowers, with lots of paths to follow and fit for a princess or a fairy, was now a cute but small garden with gereniumns and dhalia's. So I visited some new spots: Bari, Napoli, Assisi, Monte Cassini.  

When I returned to the States I tried to settle in Florida: too hot. Then Virginia: gorgeous, but it didn't feel like home. So I returned to Michigan. Good thing because that's where I met my husband, Tony. We have three daughters, one son, a dog and a cat. Our two oldest already flew the coup. The oldest lives in Florida (I have somewhere to go during the coldest months of winter). Our son goes to college.  At home, we are:

(from left to right: Teresa, Tony, me, Alisia)


I work for Quicken Loans, the best company to work for. Writing has become my passion, something I do when I am not working.