Last Updated: 10/30/2024

Hey there! My name is Jen and fair warning: I've lived a bit of a unique life. Long story short(ish):

Born on December 25, 1974 in Baltimore, Maryland - where I continue to live to this day - I had a fairly conventional childhood. When I graduated high school in 1992, though, I have to admit to feeling a bit lost.

While college was not in the cards for me, I did attend the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University for three semesters of piano lessons. I also spent those early years working a variety of jobs in food service, retail, and offices.

Then in 1995, shortly after moving in with my now-husband Dave, he suggested posting some nude photos of me online.

It was just for kicks - it's not like anybody made money on the internet back then - and I said, "Sure, why not?"

That first posting on Usenet was incredibly popular and events snowballed in a way we never could have imagined. Within a few months, Dave and I were running our own online business at jen-dave.com full-time.

It was a crazy, wild time around the turn of the century, but as they always do, eventually, things changed... especially once I gave birth to twins in 2005.

In addition, when the twins were around 18 months old, my stepkids (who were 13 and 15 years old at the time) came to live with us full-time.

It should come as no surprise that I was pretty lost in the fog of motherhood for several years. That said, I did try to keep the old business going, too, as best I could.

I also tried my hand at some new projects, such as designing websites and "mommy-blogging." Despite all my efforts, though, my income dwindled more and more with every passing year.

Dave had already returned the workforce some time ago and, when the twins were old enough, I decided to try and do the same. However, my own job hunt proved to be somewhere between difficult and impossible.

Finally, though, a spot opened up in the rental office of the apartment complex we've lived in since 1996. I had become very friendly with the staff over the years and finally had an in.

I worked there for almost six years and learned a lot, but I never gave up on the idea of being able to work for myself once again. I left the job (even though we still live here) back in March of 2024 for a variety of reasons.

I also find myself in a very different phase of my life now. All my kids are grown: The twins are in college and one of my stepkids even has two little ones of her own. (Note: They are the only ones allowed to call me "Granny.")

Currently, I'm taking some time to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. Writing is something that will probably figure prominently, but I am still working to establish a new foundation to build upon.

While I am in the later or "P.M." portion of my life, I truly feel like the best is yet to come. If you'd like to follow me for whatever comes next, here's where you can find me these days: