Sun, 21 Oct 2018 03:17:02 GMT

Intro!

Hi, I'm Liz. I'm a 43-year-old Indigenous writer living in Carmel, Indiana, by way of Toronto, Canada. I moved here 4 years ago to be with my now-wife, Becky, and am fairly settled into life in the USA!

Work: I mostly have worked as a copywriter or marketing professional in the private sector, but moved into non-profit work and then decided I was done working in a formal office setting and became a full-time nanny and freelance writer. I have self-published two books and a variety of articles for different publications around the world (one I'm most proud of: The Washington Post). I love working with children. I do post about my escapades with the kids, and some venting about the freelance clients.

My current job is as a teaching assistant in special education with an adorable boy named L and a number of special education students, and I love it!

Personal Stuff: I'm Indigenous - Anishinaabe/Chippewa (part of the Algonquian tribes of people - a Great Lakes Native). It's a big and very important part of my identity, and I occasionally write about it here. I'm also queer (mostly lesbian) and politically left-wing. I believe in science, am against racism/homophobia/transphobia/sizeism/ageism/classism/ableism, and expect that people will respect that. I respect views that don't necessarily align with mine, but I don't respect outright bigotry or hatred. I am Agnostic/Indigenous spiritual, and I don't really post about religion because I'm not religious in any way. I tend to keep my spiritual beliefs close to my chest. I don't mind if you post about your religion, though!

More about me - I have several chronic illnesses, including endometriosis, chronic gastritis, and IBS. I only mention this because I do talk about it. I am neurodiverse (autism/ADHD, though ADHD is the stronger) and have some mental illnesses, though I manage them fairly well with lots of therapy. I have had issues with my disabilities being issues with my family, friends, and at work. I've been able to successfully advocate for myself in the past, though, so I feel better identifying as disabled these days and working within that framework when it comes to jobs. Since quitting office work, my health has been leaps and bounds better, and I actually enjoy working!

Family and Friends: My parents are still married and I have one sister, who is younger than me by 2.5 years. They all live in my hometown, about six hours away. I have issues with my family sometimes that I write about here. My best friend, Nadia, recently got married and has a daughter, my goddaughter, Téa (Tay-ah), who is 7 years old. She shows up here in my writing as well.

I have been with my wife for 5 years, and we're just starting our lives together after getting engaged in October 2020 and me making a cross-border move! We just got married in September 2022 and are settling into married life together! I adore her and things are amazing on that front. We recently adopted Juniper (Junie) and Indiana (Indy). They follow a long line of wonderful cats both my wife and I have had (Athena, Fili, Parker, and Storma), all passed on now, but much loved.

We are pleased to have welcomed our newborn son, Marley, to the family in July 2025! He is adopted and I talk about that a lot on my journal at present.

Hobbies and Interests: I'm pretty fannish, but I don't really discuss it here just based on interest levels and also because I have another place for that. I like to discuss current shows and books I'm into, though!

Otherwise, I like to read, write, be with friends, sing (I'm a soprano), and do art. I like to take art classes through the year and post about them a bit when I'm actively doing art. I also usually am part of a secular choir, though I'm choir-hunting right now. Since I'm super busy, I also don't sleep a lot, so sleeping is included in my hobbies :P I also love taking pictures, and you can find my Instagram here: http://www.instagram.com/liz_hawksmith

I can't really think of anything else! Welcome everyone :)

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