Originally intended to simply focus on book reviews, over time, KaliDesautelsReads has morphed into its own entity.
I write about issues that are near to my heart, be they political, feminist, motherhood, mental health, or, as the title holds, books.
A thirty-something Canadian woman in my mid-thirties, I have been “super married” to my high school sweetheart since 2006, and together we have two crazy, clever, kind, hilarious, wonderful kids.
My first book – How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post at a Time is available on Amazon (in eBook formats for you clever tech readers, and paperback for those of us who love that new book smell!)
I have tried a podcast – it’s still on Apple and Google Podcasts – but writing is where my heart is.
My life changed dramatically when my husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018, and I am now a writer for a leading Canadian Cancer Non-Profit.
I am lucky enough to have a family that loves me and pushes me to be my best, even if it is outside of my cushiony comfort zone. I have a village of friends that nourish me, mentally, and spiritually.
Welcome to my thoughts. Sit down. Stay a while. Enjoy a cup of coffee!
You know when life is hard? When it really sucks and you can’t get your head on straight? When you start to think that you must have done something really awful in a past life to deserve the trials of this one?
Those are the times that really show you who you are, and who has your back. Thank you to my family, my friends, my coworkers, my community, my everything. I am so lucky to have people who check up on us, who bring home bookmarks from Korea, who drive my kids home, who send an entire case of carrot juice, who plan birthday parties for my kids, who come and help me make my house liveable, who support my family, who offer church parking, who send prayers and prayer cards, who offer meals and babysitting, who teach my kids crafts, who let my son play with their dogs, and who love unconditionally.
My sister and her faraway babies. The bond that she has with my kids is so amazing – when my daughter was small, she called her Auntie Mama, and she truly has been an auntie, a mama, a best friend, and anything else that they might need through their lives. Whether she is here for weeks or a whirlwind of days, the kids live for those days. Between weekly FaceTime and daily text messages, and hugs and care packages, she never leaves them, no matter how far apart they are. ⠀
We have been having crazy weather in Vancouver lately. On any given day we may have sleet, snow, rain, hail, sunshine… it’s become almost impossible to dress for the weather! Over the weekend, we did outside photos for my brother and sister-in-law’s vow renewal ceremony, and there was snow blanketing the ground, but it was warm enough to be in shirt sleeves in the sunshine, yet cold enough to catch your death of cold in the shade. Dickens clearly was thinking about weather like this when he wrote Great Expectations!!⠀⠀
There is almost nothing that I like more than going to the corner coffee shop with my neighbour, who also happens to be my best friend. We sit in the corner sipping overly large coffees, while reading the funny quote signs for sale along the back wall. In keeping with my personal aesthetic, it is decorated as a warm, old sitting room (if said sitting room had a half dozen tables scattered around it). To me, it is the coziest coffee shop that I have ever encountered.⠀
Do you have a favourite spot? Somewhere that isn’t home, but feels like home?⠀
Kali J Desautels 