This is me, Shelby Bower.

I live in Oak Park, IL, where Frank Lloyd Wright and Percy Julian lived and worked, Ernest Hemingway grew up, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote some Tarzan books, Dan Castellaneta and Ray Kroc of McDonalds’ fame went to high school, Betty White was born, and Ludacris went to middle school.

I have two amazing dogs and two awesome kids.

My daughter is a pastry chef in the Chicago area and my son is working his way up in the production space in the film industry in New York.

My dogs don’t have jobs, they have lifestyles.

I do a lot of yoga, bike riding, furniture refinishing, baking and cooking. I was on a competitive BBQ team for 5 years and still make decently awesome ribs, pulled pork, chicken and brisket. We won some things, including aprons, medals and pie plates.

I did a lot of my growing up in Washington DC and overseas.

I have an ear for languages. I started taking French when I was 13 and found out on a trip to Paris that I can still have complete conversations.

I have a weird human trick that I attribute to 5 years of singing in high school: I can memorize song lyrics and keep them in my brain for decades. I still remember songs I memorized when I was five, most notably, I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.

I also read anywhere from 3 to 6 books at a time. Which apparently sounds pretty weird to some people.