Years ago, if you had told this California girl that she would end up in the New England suburbs, she would have told you how “hella crazy” that sounded. I never would have guessed that this is where I would plant my roots, and yet, here I am, happy as a New England clam.
Growing up, I had two dreams. One was to move to New York City and become a professional actor and the other was to be a mother. They both came true – just not in the way that I expected! 
I met my husband doing a show in San Francisco. We were what’s lovingly referred to as a “showmance.” We were both coming out of very long term relationships and neither of us were looking for anything serious or long term. But when he offered to help me move to NYC by driving my stuff across the country in an epic 10-day road trip, I knew I had found my husband.
He was already living in the city and I floated between his place and a variety of sublets until we bit the bullet and got an apartment together with another roommate (and a cat named Spiderman). I worked part-time as a nanny in between acting jobs, and dealing with strollers on the subway quickly became the bane of my existence. That led me to explore cities in commutable distances that would allow me to still get to the city, but have space for a family.
We found Bridgeport, CT on the MetroNorth line and bought a small condo in walking distance of the train station. We discovered three theaters in our neighborhood and started our own theatre company renting out space in one of them before officially merging with the 40-year-old company.
Life swung a nasty curve-ball my way when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. From diagnosis to losing her battle with the disease, we only had one year together. I stopped performing to go home and take care of her until the end.
My mother wanted to be a grandmother more than anything in the world, so two weeks after she died, I became pregnant with my son, Carlson John. Carlson is my mother’s maiden name. We call him CJ and he is a freaking ray of sunshine.
Once pregnant, we quickly realized that we had outgrown our condo, and found the perfect home for us in Fairfield. We could not love our neighborhood more, and are so excited for CJ to start Kindergarten in the fall!
We also decided to start a theatre company right here in Fairfield called Fairfield Center Stage and we’re entering into our second season!
So, I am a mother, I am creating art with a wonderful community, and I consider myself pretty lucky to have found this place. I look forward to writing about my experience as a mom, all of the amazing art in our community, how to find humor in humorless situations (hello Target meltdowns!) and finding the perfect Bravo show to help you turn your brain off at the end of a long day. Thank you for allowing me to contribute, and I look forward to more!
