Welcome Friends!
This little corner of the internet is where healing meets hoofbeats, where wildflowers grow between pages, and where stories are planted with intention.
I’m in the SPED field by day, a flower grower by heart, and a barn manager — and someone who’s learned, through a wild ride of health challenges, that the quiet, grounded things in life often carry the most meaning.
Here, you’ll find honest reflections on healing, life with horses, the joy of growing cut flowers, and the beautifully imperfect process of blooming through what you go through.
You’ll probably also meet my two loyal dogs, my endlessly supportive fiancé, and a spoiled horse who thinks he runs the show.
Whether you’re here for the garden, the barn, the words, or just to wander — welcome. You’ve come to the right place.
“Still, she blooms — not despite the storms, but because of them.”
01
I turned flower farming into therapy. What started as a recovery hobby after major surgery quickly grew into a full-on love affair with seed trays, bloom cycles, and the peaceful chaos of growing beauty from the dirt.
02
I believe barn time is better than screen time.
03
My dogs are my unofficial farm supervisors. They inspect every delivery, patrol the barn, and firmly believe they should be paid in treats.
how I got Here
Why I Love What I Do
Some days, it’s the smell of fresh soil.
Other days, it’s the soft nicker of a horse waiting for breakfast.
And sometimes, it’s simply the quiet — the kind that only shows up in a garden before sunrise.
There’s no glamorous title for what I do. I teach others about accommodations and curriculum. I could tell you the ins and outs of state testing. I grow flowers. I muck stalls. I show up — for the horses, for the seedlings, for my students, for my dogs, and for myself. And somewhere in the middle of all that, I’ve found something extraordinary: purpose.
Outside of the classroom, I’ve been walking through a different kind of education: one of healing and rebuilding. Two years ago, my health took a serious turn — from bilateral pulmonary embolisms and a clot on my heart to a rare condition called CTEPH, and eventually, major surgery to treat it. Recovery was long and hard. Just recently, I underwent another surgery — a VP shunt replacement — and I’m still in the healing process as I write this.
And so Petals & Hoofprints was born — a place where all of this lives:
The petals, gentle reminders to notice the beauty even when life feels fragile
The hoofprints, steady tracks forward even when the road is hard
The teaching, both in and out of the classroom
And the love — the kind that roots you deeply, even when life pulls you in every direction
I love what I do because it reflects the full picture of who I am: an educator, a grower, a partner, a dog mom, and someone who still believes in showing up with purpose — even when the path is messy and hard.
So why do I love what I do?
Because it’s built on resilience.
Because it brings together everything I cherish.
Because it makes room for both softness and strength.
And because this life — as imperfect, unpredictable, and wild as it is — feels exactly where I’m meant to be.
Favorite TV Show
Bridgerton
Favorite Drink
Sweet Tea
Favorite Food
Seafood!
Favorite Animal
Horses & Dogs
Favorite Book
Too Many!
Favorite Hobby
Flowers & Horses
You, My Friend
have come to the right place
They say healing isn’t linear — and neither is inspiration.
Some people find their way forward in a straight line. Me? I’ve zigzagged through colleges, special education classrooms, psychology textbooks, hospital rooms, surgical recoveries, barn aisles, and flower beds. And somehow, all of it has brought me back here — to writing.
It’s funny how life circles back, often when we least expect it.
This blog began as a whisper in the middle of the night, a passing thought when sleep wouldn’t come and recovery felt long. Writing has always been a quiet constant in my life, but somewhere between lesson plans and surgeries, I let it sit on the shelf. Until now.
Petals & Hoofprints is a space where my worlds meet — the softness of petals and the steady rhythm of hooves, the grit of recovery and the grace of growth. It’s not polished or perfect. It’s personal. And it’s honest.
Here, I’ll write about the real stuff:
- What it’s like to rebuild your body and spirit after major surgery
- How mucking stalls can clear your head better than therapy
- The surprising peace of watching a garden grow
- And why resilience sometimes looks like planting tulips in October and believing they’ll bloom
So if you’ve landed here, welcome. Whether you’re here for the flowers, the horses, the healing, or just curious what this is all about — you’ve come to the right place.
Thanks for being here. Let’s grow something beautiful.