Not my legal name, Ames is the preferred diminutive used by my family and friends alike for as long as I can remember. I’m a Michigander through and through: raised in the beautiful lake-edged southwestern corner, resided for much of my 20s in the best college town in the world (Ann Arbor), and currently living in the capital area of the Great Lakes state.

With a Cuban mother, a mixed-American father, and a third culture husband, I enjoy traversing between cultures and languages abroad, in my community, and within my own family.

I balance my time between the courtroom (where I work), the church (where my husband pastors), our community, and our home. Outside of school and work, I dedicated the majority of my 20s to serving at GYC, which is how I happened to meet my husband, Mo. He now serves as the president of that grassroots organization, just another thing that keeps us a little busy.

 

If you sneak up on me when I have some downtime, you’ll likely find me reading, writing, doodling, cooking, listening to NPR or a podcast, or scouring news pages online. These amusements are what keep me thinking, and in turn keep me writing here (or at least intending to write).