Hi and welcome to my new blog! I am thrilled you stopped by to visit. Despite my LoneStar name, I am actually northern born and bred and an adopted Texan! I lived the majority of my life in Massachusetts, Vermont and New York, and 4 years ago we packed up cats, dogs, and horses and moved to the Lone Star State.

Much of our family still lives “back East” but we were in search of more sun and warmth and this is where we landed. We are fortunate to have two daughters now living here as well, and our other is in NYC. I love that, because I can always go back and get a “fix” of the Big Apple.

By day, I am a college admission counselor. I work for a company in New York that helps families of high school students through the admissions process. It is an interesting process that is changing each season, and I enjoy helping students navigate an often confusing and stressful time in their lives. And, I LOVE editing, and I spend a lot of time assisting with the essay process.

If you follow me on Instagram (@lonestarwords) then you already know that animals are a huge part of my life. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t yearn for creatures by my side, starting with a kitten that jumped out of a pie basket on my 7th birthday. And it never stopped. Cats become more cats, then dogs, then multiple dogs, then a farm in Vermont WITH A BARN that allowed for horses, and here we are. We have just one horse left, and Sterling is often the star of my IG stories. He is retired at age 27, but I go to the barn to spend time with him every day. I am happy as can be when I’m in a barn — the sights, sounds, and yes, smells, fill me up.

And Books. It started young - with Laura Ingalls Wilder and James Herriott. But it was my sophomore American Lit teacher who turned me into the reader I am now. I was totally smitten with the American authors - Hawthorne, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Lee . . .and I began devouring more books on my own outside of the classroom. Pat Conroy and John Irving are two I still obsess over - and if I am asked to recommend a book, The Prince of Tides and A Prayer for Owen Meany have never wavered as top picks.

In college, it didn’t take long to declare myself an English major - (it wasn’t as frowned upon as it is now, but statistics are showing it’s coming back into fashion, and I love that). I enjoyed most of my English classes and in my senior year I became over the moon about Southern writers. I was introduced to Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty, and my all time favorite - William Faulkner. So, in addition to my LoneStarWords IG account, I cohost a Southern book club called Bless Your Heart Reads.

And now Words. In addition to reading, I’ve always loved to write. And that is why I finally decided (after much angst) to begin this blog. So many of my followers care about our animals are are actively engaged with their lives. You’ve watched us rescue 4 kittens, adapt to life after losing one of our horses, and laughed along with our very odd pair of dogs. I’ve been “mum” to so many animals who have changed my life, and I wanted to give them a voice. So . . . away we go!

Thank you for reading!