So, me. You can call me Jessie … because that is my name. I am 30 and have been married since July 2004 to my darling Mr. Vanderbilt. We have a daughter, Libbie, who was born in October 2008; a son, David, who was born in December 2010; and a second son, Joshua, born in March 2013.

Mr. V and I lived in Nashville for five and a half years while he worked on his doctorate at Vanderbilt University. (Hence, the name of the blog.) After some trying and traumatic times, including living apart for 5 months, we finally all settled in Chattanooga, where he works at a prestigious private high school. We live at the school currently, and Mr. V is a dorm parent to a hall full of high-school boys. It’s crazy, but we love it. I worked outside the home until we moved to Chattanooga when my daughter was about 14 months old. Now I stay-at-home full time and work as a freelance writer.

I started Vanderbilt Wife in 2006 as a way to make myself write more regularly. That is still my primary goal. I also want to support other women who feel more than a little imperfect, like myself. I am an awful housekeeper. I am lazy. I feel like a bad mother. And I talk about both trying to improve and my failures, as well as sharing memories, stories about my kids, and lots of recipes.

Do you need encouragement and a laugh? Sign up for e-mail updates to Vanderbilt Wife!

Professionally, I was a copy editor for three and a half years. I am a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, and social media manager. I have had articles published in HomeLife, ParentLife, and Living with Teenagers magazines and The Religous Herald newspaper; and have written leader guides for the Bible studies No Other Gods, When Wallflowers Dance, Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted, and David: Seeking a Heart Like His. I write twice a week for ParentLife Online and am a recipe editor for HomeLife and ParentLife magazines.

You can always e-mail me here to chat or ask questions, or inquire about writing/editing jobs.

Here’s some memes I’ve done if you’re really bored and want to know REALLY random things about me.