My name is Brenda. I live in the city of Memphis with my husband Taylor, our preschool son known here as C, and our aging orange tabby Rufus. I started blogging publicly around 2010, but since becoming a mom in 2021, I’ve really struggled to find the time and brain cells to write. Recently I decided a change of scenery might help, and Sun & Soul was born. The name represents what I call my “dual citizenship” – my love for and roots in Memphis, and my love for the ocean and deep family ties in South Florida. This blog is purely for my own enrichment and entertainment (and my 10 loyal readers who encouraged me to try again).

I’m a corporate paralegal, a collector of art and craft supplies, an OG Swiftie, a diehard thrifter, and a voracious reader. I am the oldest of three siblings and have a whole slew of nieces. As a cliché xennial, I constantly romanticize the 90s (especially its hip-hop). I marinated in evangelical Christianity until my mid-30s and then spent several years deconstructing. I have emerged on the other side with a freer, more joyful faith and am an elder in my Disciples of Christ church. I love to dance. I once ran four half-marathons but am now content to jog around the neighborhood once or twice a month. I ride the Peloton twice a week and have done Reformer Pilates since before it was cool. I wear a lot of Athleta, stalk Boden dresses and skirts on the secondhand sites, and love a good eyeshadow palette.

As a family, we travel a lot, and I’m thankful we’re able to expose C to lots of different places. He loves the airport and has been to 13 states (I was in college when I hit this milestone). At home, our main family activity is Memphis Grizzlies basketball – my MIL has had season tickets for 10 years.

In 2024, C was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of two and a half. He’s a brave kid and is doing great, but being a T1D family is A Lot, and community is crucial. I’m always on the lookout for other T1D parents, and groups where I can continue to learn. Please reach out if that’s you!