Born in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1986 to a lawyer and restaurant owner, I come into the world with my mind and mouth open. My first memory is in the summer of 1989. Snuggled up with my mother, she tells me I’ll soon have a younger brother. Oddly enough, I vividly recall the upholstery of the chair upon which we were sitting black and white plaid. Coincidence? Get my first library card in 1991. Infatuated by the library’s Narnia-esque reading nooks, I quickly learn that a book is made better or worse by the space in which you read it. I become obsessed with recreating these hideaways at home in the form of forts, sheet tents and blanketed cubbyholes, permitting others to enter only if they come bearing the perfect book-reading snack.
In a period known as The Dark Age, I refuse to take off a tutu for several weeks in 1992, worrying teachers and parents alike. Also, won’t respond to any name other than “Sheila.” Moving on…During annual summer vacations to my grandparents’ home in Nantucket, I’m swept up in the island’s beauty. Gleaming and unblemished at a glance, but rich with character and signs of struggle. It soon becomes my happiest place – where I ride my first wave, get my first job, and eat my first ham and cheese sandwich on the beach (portuguese bread, mustard, and onions thinly shaved — now that’s real beauty.) Travel to Tuscany for a month-long family trip in the summer of 2003.
Six years later I remember three things: the gorgeous vineyard-draped vistas, the dusty intertwining alleyways, and the gelato. Get accepted to Rollins College in Winter Park in the fall of 2003. Prepare to leave behind everything familiar and explore a new corner of the world. I pack all the wrong clothes, and I’m off…Get swept away by college; life instantly revolves around all things superficial. Quickly declare a politics major so as to keep my life in relative perspective. It kind of works. I spend as much time admiring the campus’ Mediterranean architecture and planning weekend jaunts to Miami as I do following world events. I tried…Travel to Spain during the summer of 2006 to study Spanish. Am hypnotized by the culture, the ancient architecture, the incredible museums, the colors, the passion, and the cheese… ohh the cheese. Graduate in 2008 and spend one last idyllic summer on Nantucket before moving to New York to cover political news for TIME Magazine.
Spending my days blogging about economic policy and Michelle Obama’s arms, I quietly wonder to myself how the first couple is decorating the East Wing…Spending my weekends with my friend Erin, an interior designer, I listen with envy as she details her days transforming the outdated and rundown into the beautiful and cutting edge. We talk about her firm’s blog, which I read daily, and how it brings ideas, transformations and inspirations to thousands daily. Realizing how much I miss delighting in all things beautiful and aesthetic, she chimes in with historic timing: ”You know, we need a writer…”