About me

The origins: Florentissima

This little blog, originally called Florentissima (which I retain as my social media handle for the sake of being interesting) started as I was preparing to begin my master’s degree in medieval studies. (2020-2021 was the worst year ever to be in grad school, especially in Toronto, so having this outlet was a great relief.) This online endeavor combined two of my passions: rigorous pursuit of Truth (at the time through scholarship about the Visigothic liturgy) and opening medieval history to a broader non-academic audience through relatable and sometimes entertaining commentary. You can read more about my lofty goals and why I chose the name Florentissima here.

As my life (with marriage) and my world (with a move to England) expanded after I turned in my master’s thesis, I recognized that my personal niche at the intersection of homemaking, medieval liturgiology, and Catholicism was one which gave me a unique lens into living in so special a place as Cambridge. That formative year treading the same streets that St. Simon Stock himself tread along gave me a great many new insights into the intersections of Faith, heritage, liturgy, and more.

Now I live in a land more characterized by white columns and red bricks than by Christopher Wren buildings, but my passions and my interests remain the same. I spend more time holding a wriggly child than reading Latin, but I still fit in the odd JStor rabbit hole and try to fill my house and daily life with vestiges of centuries-old beauty. In early medieval Spain, liturgy pervaded the ordinary as well as extraordinary; why should it not do the same today?

Walsingham slipper chapel pilgrimage — Me, very pregnant, taking a break on the traditionally barefoot pilgrimage from the Slipper Chapel to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. I did complete the pilgrimage, but I also put my shoes back on.

A rather large (2’x2′ or so) mosaic I made as a teen, based off of a Pompeian model.

Musings on the mundane, medieval, marriage, and motherhood, brought to you by me

Though I was a classicist at heart since age 10, a love for Gregorian Chant and a quarter abroad at Oxford led me to make my Classics honors thesis as medieval as possible by exploring the histories of Isidore of Seville. After graduating from Stanford University in 2019, I worked a couple different jobs in the education field, while preparing to re-enter the academy for a Masters in Medieval Studies at University of Toronto. The disaster of 2020 and the consequent border restrictions resulted in a year of mostly-zoom partially-lockdown studies. Nevertheless, I completed my M.A. Thesis and got some great practice with my favorite party trick of introducing others to the exciting world of centuries long libeled as “dark ages” when really, they were ages full of light.

With summer 2021 came the joy of marriage and a move to England, where I found new ways to appreciate life as an ex-academic work-from-home wife. After our year abroad, we returned to make a a home in the US of A, missing the cobbled streets but enjoying the Air Conditioning and a precious bundle of joy. I still work part-time from home as a marketer/writer/editor, but my most important job is that of Mommy. In my free time I enjoy trying new recipes, making classically inspired mosaics, and exploring national parks.