My Life, in a nutshell...
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"When I grow up I want to be a cartoonist," I always said. My role models were Charles Schulz ("Peanuts"), Chuck Jones ("Looney Tunes"), and Bil Keane ("Family Circus"). I drew every chance I got. My first drawing memory was when I was two years old. I was holding a pen while sitting on a white (!) corduroy couch. Did I mention I was only two and HOLDING A PEN?!? I really made my mark, so to speak.
I drew all the time, on everything: I drew veins on my dolls' heads. I drew cartoon kids for my friends. I drew on paper place-mats in restaurants. I made my own Christmas cards. I would draw while lying on the floor in front of the TV.
I was 10 when I published my first piece of art
in our local paper
And then life got in the way for many, many years and I stopped making time for it. I met my future husband at UC Santa Cruz. After graduation, the two of us flew to Europe. We schlepped heavy backpacks around for months, slept in train stations, got a little homesick, but developed a passion for travel. Then, yada, yada, yada, years went by and we got married and had kids.
Two young, poor kids having a great time on the French Riviera!
And BOOM! Here come our three kidlets...
Waikiki Beach
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This is me, at about age two. Don't give this little angel a pen!
This is me, age 11 or so with a few of my dolls. I'd stopped drawing on their heads by now.
This is me at age 17. UC Santa Cruz, California.
A few years later--Our Wedding Day!
Washington, D.C.
When the kids were little, just going to Disneyland was a major undertaking. As they got older and more experienced, we braved longer flights to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Washington D.C., New York, and eventually made trips to Ireland, France, Italy, Malta, and even Tunisia. It's been more than 20 years since we started our little family. The kids are all nearly grown and we're looking forward to our next adventures as empty-nesters...
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