My Long Journey to Becoming Tricia EXTRA

Like many of you, I went to college, worked for a while, got married and had four kids. I decided that I would become the best stay at home Mom that I could be. I threw myself into that role and made raising my own Kennedyesque dynasty my career. I was good at it, and did everything that I was supposed to do to raise successful and loving children. Soon enough, I realized that I had a BIG problem. A problem, that was going to throw a major hitch into my life plan. I realized I married the wrong guy. At this point in my story, I will jump past years of my financial and ego holocaust during my eight year divorce of pure agony and torture. I will save that for a later post!

I found myself a struggling, single Mom to four, innocent kids looking to me for strength, stability, love and guidance. Unfortunately for them, being a crappy husband went hand in hand with being a deadbeat Dad. When I say single Mom, I mean 24/7, 365 days a year for 12 years. I didn’t get every Thursday night off and every other weekend. There was no freedom, privacy or days off to recharge. I went from being a privileged Fairfield County housewife one minute to a broken, petrified woman reading her Foreclosure papers the next. Yes, I was the only woman in the food stamp line with a Prada wallet. Lucky for me that my divorce proceedings also went along with my soon to be ex getting fired from his trader’s job on Wall Street. Again, we will revisit this on a later date! So much material here it’s cray. I soon found myself selling all of my jewelry to feed my kids, pay our utilities, and have the rest of their needs met. I was 40, unemployable with a two year old, a six year old, an eight year old, and a ten year old. Sadly, the talents of a stay at home Mom i.e. excellence in getting out laundry stains, being a prison warden to toddlers and mastering cooking dinner from a car aren’t skills a resume makes.

So what did I do next? How did I recover from this paralysis?

I had to get out there and make money anyway I could. I worked for my father’s law firm as a foreclosure paralegal. I organized closets. I mastered the design of customized menswear. I even sold sponsor ships in the alt data world!?! Trust me, when I tell you that would be like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson getting into the manicure business. I was like a robot zombie telling myself daily, “Feed the kids, Feed the kids.” Obvi no room for creativity or following your dreams. Ugh, double Ugh. But I was a girl who knew how to be happy, even when I wasn’t. And that’s important.

Getting Back to My Authentic Self – The Goddess of Light Emerges!!!

For as long as I can remember, I woke up to the world knowing a few things. I was never more then a mediocre athlete or student. I was not the traditional obedient daughter. I am the oldest of six, I have four sisters and one brother. More on that in a future post! Despite all of that, I knew I had a strange skill set. I had a way with people. I had this uncanny ability to connect with others very quickly and on a very intimate level. This Super Power of mine has made it very easy for me to make friends. Call it charisma, personal magnetism, charm, joie de vivre or positive energy. These qualities make me an excellent motivator or cheerleader. I love to pay attention to people, they make me curious. I never run out of things to discuss. My happiness and satisfaction stem from the time I spend with people that I enjoy being with. I live life in the moment and squeeze every little bit of excitement from everything. I am a bubbly, unpredictable thing to be enjoyed for as long as there’s enjoyment to be had. My family and my closest friends have told me to publish, write a screenplay, to podcast, to put my irrepressibly social and excited attitude into the world. They advised me to share my wit, optimism, style, and enthusiasm with my unapologetic opinions and thoughts on all of the pleasures of life. I take particular pleasure in sharing these experiences with others. For me, there’s no point in living if you don’t feel alive. Now no more pity party, I am determined to make a very beautiful life for myself and that begins right now. I am trusting the timing of my life.

Stay With Me – Adventure Awaits!!!

One day, my daughter Isabelle, was watching me decorate my bar with pink boa’s and pink twinkle lights and she said, “Mom, you’re just so EXTRA“. And a Lifestyle Blog was born💡

I’ve been passionate about writing for as long as I can remember and I believe I have a raw and modern way of speaking. I promise to deliver you a combination of blunt truths, disarming openness, and humor to keep us moving through this thing called life. I am willing to step outside my comfort zone to be “REAL“. Purpose fuels passion! My goal is to be an inspiring go-to friend with all ideas to make your life feel “EXTRA“. I have a lot of relatable things to say to women of all ages. Looking forward to dishing with you!

Stay EXTRA,

Are You Still Here??? #FerrisBueller’sDayOff

Throwback to Ally McBeal, here is my personal theme song in the iconic words of Steve Winwood:

It used to seem to me that my life ran on too fast
And I had to take it slowly just to make the good parts last
But when you’re born to run it’s so hard to just slow down
So don’t be surprised to see me back in that bright part of town

I hope that has enticed you to hear the rest: