47 Things
It’s my birthday today! I’m 47! Yay! While the cultural narrative is UGH, AGING, the reality is, every year adds to our story and experience. I struggled so much with my self-esteem and identity as a young person so I am here for life right now! (Except the pandemic part.)
As an opportunity for reflection, I thought it would be fun to share 47 rapid fire things about me, in roughly chronological order. It’s been a life full of hardship but also a lot of gifts. I am grateful.
1. I’m the 6th of 7 siblings and am often asked if I'm the firstborn. LOL
2. My 1st grade teacher made fun of my Korean middle name during circle time. It took *decades* for me to say my middle name aloud with confidence after that.
3. My parents owned a convenience store in Jamaica Plain and we all worked really long hours.
4. My growing up was very stressful and I have always been amazed by the love and generosity that prevailed despite the odds.
5. I was a terrible student in middle and high school. Solid Cs (or worse) except for music class.
6. I was sexually harassed by two teachers as a middle and high schooler. I first spoke publicly about it in the wake of #MeToo.
7. I earned a letter jacket in marching band in high school. LOL
8. My first real job with a pay stub was at @rancatores ice cream.
9. My first real boyfriend turned out to be associated with the mafia. (He was a really bad boyfriend.)
10. That bad boyfriend led me down the path of an eating disorder.
11. I stayed with the bad boyfriend for 3 years because I lacked the confidence to get out + he used manipulation tactics (like threatening suicide) to lock me in.
12. I did a double major in music + psychology at Wheaton College. Getting away from home coupled with this incredibly nurturing environment was HUGE for me. I thrived and graduated magna cum laude + Phi Beta Kappa.
13. Playing solo recitals was my favorite; I’m someone who never gets stage fright.
14. I was a White House intern.
15. I was the editor of the school paper in college.
16. In college I unintentionally got someone fired when I wrote an editorial about a racist incident involving me, a food services employee, and a wok station.
17. During college winter + summer breaks I worked as a temp and learned how to type 90 words/minute.
18. I was rejected from every PhD program I applied to following undergrad.
19. My first job after college was as a lab manager/research assistant at Brandeis University. Starting salary = $18,500.
20. I ended up doing a Master’s degree part-time at Brandeis while working full-time. Major tuition bonus as an employee!
21. I learned how to build websites via HTML (that was all there was!) while working at Brandeis and ended up being really good at it.
22. I was burnt out and ready to leave academia when I finished my Master’s; I thought there might be something to the Internet but then I got accepted to a bunch of fancy PhD programs so I said yes. (It was 1998 LOL my timing sucks.)
23. Major leap of faith = Jon and I moved to Canada together for my PhD program; we had not been dating a super long time.
24. During our time in Canada, many people were surprised, telling us we were “nice Americans.”
25. I used to be a semi-pro violinist (meaning, I was in a union + paid) + private violin teacher.
26. I earned a NIH predoctoral grant to fund my PhD and was really proud of that given the copious red tape.
27. After 3 years in Canada, Jon and I moved to Maryland so he could start a Master’s program. I “commuted” back and forth to Canada as I had one year left to write my dissertation and defend it.
28. I was in Canada for one of these commuting visits when 9/11 happened. It was terrifying to be apart from Jon + freaked out about my loved ones in the US.
29. Our time in Maryland also coincided with a sniper crisis, anthrax, and a tornado that ripped through my husband’s campus parking lot (just missing our car).
30. Cell phones first became a thing while we were in Maryland. Jon and I had one that we shared. LOL
31. After Maryland we moved back to Boston without jobs, assuming we’d figure it out.
32. I applied for a NIH postdoctoral grant (to fund a triple appointment at MGH, MIT, and Harvard Medical School). While I was waiting on the grant, I got a job at Paper Source, which was the best thing ever.
33. I earned the NIH grant. The postdoctoral fellowship was fancy sounding + completely miserable.
34. I started blogging in 2006 (@bostonmamas) and left academia after I finished my miserable fellowship. I had no game plan, I just knew I had to get out.
35. My first daughter, Laurel, arrived on Labor Day, following food poisoning (haven’t been able to eat macaroni salad since), a mystery fever, and an emergency C-section.
36. The weekend before my maternity leave was up, my Dad got very sick. I adjusted my return to work plan and spent a lot of time with him in what turned out to be the last 6 months of his life; it was the best decision I ever made.
37. I started a paper design company (Posh Peacock) in 2007 and it was really successful. I ended up shuttering it a few years later and now fulfill my design itch via @bravenewworlddesigns which my husband and I started after the 2016 election.
38. Two of my great joys of adulthood have been falling in love with books + playing tennis.
39. I have run 3 half marathons; the first was challenging, the second was amazing, the third utterly horrendous. I no longer run.
40. My second daughter, Violet, arrived after 58 hours of natural labor. Enduring that labor is one of my proudest life achievements.
41. I love making pretty cakes for loved ones.
42. I am really close to my Mom; I hope to be so spry and grounded and loving when I’m 84.
43. I love podcasting. I co-host two: @edityourlifeshow @hellorelationships
44. I’m creative director at Women Online and work with the very best people.
45. I had pretty significant dog trauma as a kid so I cannot believe I am a crazy dog person now. Pandemic broke me!
46. My husband Jon is my very favorite person in the world.
47. I struggled a lot with friendships and feel incredibly blessed to have so many wonderful deep relationships now.
