~About Me~

My name is Marianne. I was born in Washington, DC, grew up in Northern Utah, spent 5 years in Alaska right after college and then settled in Phoenix, Az, where I've been since October 1987.


I have an absolutely incredible (no exaggeration!) hubby, Doug and an amazing son, Spencer. I enjoy cooking for them (guinea pigs for my recipes), writing, organizing, creating, hiking, biking, fly fishing, and making music with Doug (hey, get your mind out of the gutter-we both play instruments and sing!) Our favorite vacations include exploring new cities and finding the best local restaurants. As Christians we are actively involved in our church and spend time together providing service to others.


I love being able to get out and hike and bike, fish and garden all year long. I love that quail run around my yard and lay eggs in my planters and the cactus flowers that are unlike any you've ever seen before. I love that there are outdoor festivals, events and Farmers Markets in Arizona every month of the year and I love spring training. And Arizona sunsets are, you got it, "to die for".

I have been (aptly) accused of loving life. I have been blessed with a passion for learning and never have enough time to read everything I am interested in. I love creating; ideas for books, blogs, things to make (gifts, crafts, etc) are always flying around my mind. I am an entrepreneur at heart; It's great fun to take an idea and turn it into a business, organization or project. I own an Insurance Agency; you can read my insurance blog here. I believe the happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have!


Just four months after marrying Doug, I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer.  

Check out my "Fight Like A Girl" page for more on that story. Doug and I together are involved in fundraising organizations as well as recovery & healing organizations.


As you look through my pages you will see blogs about Motivation, Juicing (& Smoothies), Weight Loss, Healthy Habits (oh, so much here), Recipes, and Breast Cancer. I hope you find something of value on my blog and also take the time to share your thoughts so that I might learn from you.


A Little History On Me
Introducing A New Blog Jan 2011