So here it is, my official first post on brandeebuble.com! I never saw myself writing a blog and definitely never imagined it would be documenting the journey I’m about to take with the release of my first book, O'Shae The Octopus! I have dreamed about this, for what has felt like forever, and now...here it is! I can’t put into words what it feels like to know that the words that danced in this crazy head of mine will be read to children by their teachers at school, librarians at story time, by parents at bed time...and especially by the little ones themselves! If you were to ask anyone who’s been with me through this experience to describe it, the word “excited” seems to be the best (and my most used)!

I feel like I should introduce myself before I go on about the book stuff...

I was born and raised in Vancouver, BC by the most supportive and loving parents. I am the middle child of 3 kids- I have an older brother Michael (Yes, the Michael Bublé) and a younger sister Crystal. We are a very close family and genuinely love being together (and pretty much always are!) As cheesy as that sounds, it’s the absolute truth. My father was a commercial fisherman and was gone for months every summer so we spent a lot of time with my Grandparents. Typically, Mom, Gramma, Crystal and I would go shopping, while my brother would hang with Grampa & his old records. The days were followed by some of the best dinners ever-seriously, I’ve never met anyone that could cook like my Gramma!

During highschool I did in-home respite care for a family with 3 children, all with special needs. I always knew this was what I wanted to do, so after highschool, I enrolled in Langara College’sSpecial Education Assistant Program. After graduating, I got a job as a TOC (teacher on call) where I was lucky to work with kids of different ages and ranges of needs. A little over a year later, I had a permanent placement where I worked with a visually impaired student for the next 6 yrs. During that time I learned how to read and write braille and also worked with the other students with special needs in the school. I loved communicating with the kids through rhyme, and that’s where so many of my stories were born. Rhyming made learning fun for the kids and for me. I loved my job, I lived for it...and then I became a mom.

When my son O’Shae was born, everything changed. Instead of showing up early to work, and staying late, I would show up right on time and leave as soon as the first chime of that bell rang...and let me tell you, it wasn’t soon enough! He was all I thought about. And then, just short of two years later, I became a mom again. This time to a beautiful daughter named Jayde. I didn’t know the heart was capable of holding that much love.

I knew two things when I was little...

1. I wanted to be a teacher.

2. I wanted to be a mother.

As soon as I became the second...nothing else seemed to matter.

There is someone I haven’t mentioned yet who’s played a huge part in who I am. He’s known me more than half of my life, after all. In 1993, in my parent’s backyard, a boy from my high school asked me to be his girlfriend...Rob and I have been together ever since. For the past 21 years, he’s been my best friend, (I know, super cheesy again, can’t help it) and my biggest supporter. He believed in me and helped me believe in myself.

One last thing, I happen to be surrounded by great friends! If you don’t believe me...just ask my Grampa. He told me on my wedding day 13 years ago, “When I die, I want to come back as one of your friends. You guys are such a great group of kids” That means something coming from him.

That’s me in a nutshell. A mom and a wife with the greatest family and friends ever...who happens to also wear her heart on her sleeve. I can’t wait to start sharing the journey of where this book is gonna take me, the ups and downs, the all-arounds...I’m so EXCITED!!