Hello & Welcome!
I am so glad you've stopped by and want to know a little about the girl behind the reviews. I started Only By Grace Reviews in 2016, and as you can imagine, things change as life progresses, so this post will be periodically updated to reflect those changes.
♡ I am happily married to Louie, the most amazing man who is my life partner and best friend. We've been together almost fifteen years and are still as in love as we were when we were dating.
♡ I have two sons, Dash and DJ, that keep life interesting and give my life meaning
♡ I do freelance work as an accounting assistant and deal with severe chronic illnesses that I've dealt with my entire life, which makes it impossible to work a traditional job.
♡ I pretty much read anything and everything but anything unnecessarily graphic or sexual will make me stop a book immediately. I am a huge history buff so if it's historical, or based on a true story, you've got my attention.
About My Boys
Though I am now technically an empty nester, both my boys still live at home thanks to the state of our economy and living in an area where it's a higher cost of living. Though no matter where they are, my boys are still my life.
Dash is my oldest, and he's a working man. School was never his thing, so as soon as he graduated, it was off to work. While at first I struggled with him not continuing his education, as time has passed, it's clear he's where he's meant to be. He is thriving at his job, has never missed a single day of work in the almost three years he's been working, and has already started to move up in the company.
When he's not working, Dash continues to make music, writing his own songs, and even recording a few samples. He has been working with a local producer recently and hopes to drop his first album soon.
DJ is my youngest and is my special needs baby, having both ASD as well as Type 1 diabetes, but he doesn't let his hindrances stop him from giving life his all.
DJ just started college this month, and I am so excited for him. He graduated from high school in 2024, but we felt him taking a gap year would benefit him, and it has, as he's now ready to take on the world! He's majoring in cyber security, and when he's not studying, he is gaming. He streams on Twitch and occasionally on YouTube, though not as often as he used to.
I am so proud of the men that both my boys have grown into and cannot wait to see what their futures hold.
Random Tidbits
♡ Baby Groot is my spirit animal
♡ I am a diehard Dallas★Cowboys fan, which has brought my life a lot of pain over the years (thanks Jerry Jones!) but I back my boys through thick and thin
♡ Me and my husband are currently restoring a 1960 Ford Falcon that belonged to my grandfather, and was my dad's childhood car, in hopes that he can ride in it one more time before he dies
♡ I always dreamed of being a mechanic, and building/restoring a 1968 Ford Mustang fastback. This is our next project after the Falcon is finished :)
♡ Over the past two years I've lost 110lbs due to having medically-required bariatric surgery in 2023 after gaining weight due to numerous medical issues. You can read all about my sickness HERE and the beginning of my weight loss journey HERE. It's been awhile since I've written about my weight loss journey as it has truly been one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with and it's not something I like to think about.
♡ I have an obsession with all things teal
♡ I love any and all music! If you saw my playlist on Apple Music you'd die. Smooth jazz to headbanger metal, gangsta rap to Christian praise and worship...I love it all!! Music is in every fiber of my being and is the soundtrack of my life.
♡ I have played the flute since I was 11. I went to college on a music and dance scholarship and was a performing arts major. I learned how to play the piano and the saxophone my freshman year but haven't played since. I also used to sing in college and at church, but lately my performances have been relegated to the shower, the car, or to annoy my boys at any random moment.
♡ I taught myself how to read when I was four. I had a very old copy of Cinderella that I would follow along with when my mom would read to me, eventually memorizing it and reading it to myself multiple times a day. I do still own the book and it is barely hanging on by a thread.
♡ The first novel I ever read was Harriet the Spy when I was eight years old. I do have a first-edition copy that had belonged to my grandmother and it's one of my most prized possessions.
♡ I have a soft spot for debut authors and and novels and try to give as much support as I can. It takes such bravery to put yourself and your work out there and I want to show these authors that I see them.
♡ Books are truly my passion and my escape. Reading is like breathing to me and I know all my fellow bookworms can relate.
If you've made it this far thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I know this was all kind of random but it gives you a glimpse into the chaos that is me.
Edited August 27, 2025
