Just a Cowgirl Hippie

I was born and raised in Northern Arizona. At an early age, I spent most of my free time working on a ranch in the most northern part of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona that was owned by a New York Socialite, who had a diverse outlook on life, and whom I was lucky enough to call a mentor in my life. My love of open spaces and interest in the outside world grew out of the time I spent listening to stories of my mentor’s adventures that took her all over the world, exploring the desert, gazing at the stars on a warm spring night, writing and reading as many books as I could. There were times though, I exhibited a wild streak outside the margins of what the Ranch hands thought was appropriate for a small-town girl, which earned me the name in my teen years of Little Hippie by my ranch hand friends. Outside of spending time on the ranch, being the youngest of 4 kids, my everyday life at home was spent helping my parents at the bar they owned on Infamous Whiskey Row in Prescott Arizona, and watching my dad as he sidelined as a photojournalist for the Arizona Republic. Growing up, I left my love of writing behind. Becoming a “responsible adult”, I married ( a cowboy), raised a son, and did all of the things that are expected in a conventional world, but through all of what some would call a successful career of working in a government job, there was always a shadow following me and telling me that this is not where I belonged and to follow my heart and break free. In 2015 I found I could no longer be a part of the government lie and left. Unsure of where I wanted to go, I took up a camera and started writing again. Since that time I have found my footing and come to appreciate the saying “a desk is a dangerous place to explore the world”.