In a modern world overrun with fashion, lifestyle and food blogs, I have to ask myself what I bring to the table.  My cooking skills are on par with many of the aspiring chefs I respect and love.  Okay, maybe theirs are far better than mine but I try which is what counts​.  My fashion sense is slightly more adept than my five year old niece, but I certainly am not known for being a fashionista​.  Sure I like my house, but it is cluttered and sometimes (okay, often) dirty.  It is also a rental so I cannot make any of the changes I want, which is such a disappointment because it certainly has potential.  While I am not completely sedentary, I am also not an exercise enthusiast at all.  I do have a propensity for skincare and makeup, but I also like having clear skin and defined check bones (even if ​they are just​ an illusion).  Truth be told, I am not an expert at any of the things I find remotely interesting.

Since ​my skill set is clearly mediocre at best, I will have to rely on other things to keep your interest.  I am undeniably funny.  It’s my forte (or crutch – depends on the situation).  Humor is everything, people, and if you cannot laugh at yourself or uncomfortable situations then you have nothing.  If jokes are not enough, perhaps my sparkling personality will do it for you.  I am not gloating, but I am a real peach.  No, really.  People like me.  I have ​plenty of ​friends, and a number of them have endured me for years.

If none of these attributes are of any particular interest to you, I am honest and direct.  I say what I mean and tend not to sugarcoat things.  I am also very stubborn and opinionated, which in combination make for excellent conversations and debates (especially when fueled by copious amounts of coffee or wine).  I am not on Trump’s level by any means, but I can certainly hold my own​ in a debate sans name calling​.  I am also insanely detail oriented.  When the time comes for ​said​ conversations and debates, I will have my facts in order and I will never offer an opinion without having done the research.  I hate being unprepared.  I just hate it.

Am I selling you yet?  If the answer is yes, then skip the paragraph because I have done what I set out to do and I have your approval.  If the answer is no, I encourage you to keep reading because I think you are really going to like this next part.

My family and friends are everything to me (including my pets, which are just extensions of my being).  I have two loving parents and three siblings.  I also have more nephews and nieces than I count and I​ can​ almost remember all of their birthdays.  My mother was raised by Italian immigrants and can cook a meal that will undoubtedly blow your mind.  Believe me when I say that she taught me everything she knows.  On second thought, don’t.  That woman has secrets.  My dad is an Arizona-native (hey, me too) and has lived here his whole life.  We are a desert people, this family.  As for the siblings, they are all boring and married with adorable children.  I have nice things to say about​ almost all of​them.  Acquaintances are easy to come by but friends are in it for the long haul.  I am very selective about who I call “friend”.  You can’t pick your families but you can pick your friends, ​this I know to be​ true.  The people I am lucky enough to call friends have more than earned their titles (see paragraphs one and two for clarification if needed).  I will do anything for the above people.  Anything.

If I haven’t kept your attention thus far, I am afraid I am ​not the girl for you and that is okay.​  I know I can’t be everyone’s caffeinated beverage of choice.​ If you think you might actually like me then stay tuned for more desperate attempts for your approval (and some pretty awesome other posts about life, love, Italian food and other things).