ABOUT the 36TH

In the beginning…

The 36th Avenue started on a regular morning in a regular house in a regular neighborhood in Clackamas, Oregon. At the time, almost 36, I had four young children: my 10- and 9-year-old daughters, my 8-year-old son, and my little girl, who had just turned 3. Like being a busy stay-at-home wife and mom wasn’t enough, I took it upon myself to believe my house and family had to be built to Miss Martha Stewart’s standards.

In the rare seconds of silence between diapers, parent-teacher conferences, cleaning, church-community service, and all the weight that a woman carries, I would escape to a place that didn’t really exist but that I craved. It was a place of my own, an abstract dream.

One day, searching online for Teachers’ Appreciation Gifts, I came across a DIY fabric tote tutorial that changed the course of my life. The original idea for this craft was from a wonderful friend, Jen Hadfield, founder and owner of Tatertots & Jello. I made a version of my own, she saw it, shared it with her followers, and somewhere between luck, timing, and a lot of hard work, I started a mommy blog of my own. The 36th Avenue was born and quickly grew into a popular website where over a quarter of a million users could be here at any given time!

Miso The Cat

George The Dog

Hi, I am Desi.

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PERSONAL

My name is Desirée, my mother’s daughter, and a child of 1975. I was born on a tiny island called Lanzarote. I am Spanish, not just by birth but by choice. The idiosyncrasy of my Spain has gifted me with a love for mouthwatering ingredients, meaningful relationships, outstanding architecture, the joy of dance, the breathtaking beauty of the ocean, and pretty much any form of art, including love.

I often listen to my intuition more than reason. I believe a warm heart and a candid friend are a miracle we all should experience and deserve. I share my everyday with my husband Tom, George the Dog, and Miso the Cat, under the shelter of our 1869 home in Kentucky.

Traveling is the antidote to ignorance, the gift of seeing life in different forms and tasting culture in various flavors. If I had a way, I would see the world! I listen to music in my native language, Spanish, and yes, I dance while cleaning. I only sing beautifully in the shower or in my car, so I do it there often.

I don’t like fake in general. I also don’t like ice cream, cruises, the color purple, or Disneyland (sorry if I caused you a mini heart attack.)

On the other hand, I love truth in general. I also like paper in any form: maps, letters, notebooks, wallpaper, wrapping paper, envelopes, toilet paper, you get the idea. Marco Antonio Muñiz can sing to me anytime. Cooking and hosting dinner for others is my purest expression of love. I am no longer a fan of religion, but I enjoy reading the classics, among them the Bible. I am a woman with a story, like most of us.

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PROFESSIONAL

After years of working in interior design, I launched the36thavenue.com in 2010, a corner dedicated to anything inspirational and beautiful. My curious and creative personality has given me many opportunities to do what I love while sharing and reinventing the world around me with millions of readers and audiences in a prominent place as a public speaker.

My life experiences, and especially the strength I have gained in the last five years from overcoming life-changing challenges, have given me a new awareness and appreciation of what beauty and inspiration look like. In this new chapter of my life, I am passionate about promoting and nurturing wholeness, and more importantly, embracing the woman you are in this very moment.

I am currently writing my first book, which shares the journey of healing after experiencing unimaginable loss, grief, and disillusionment. It is a work of hope and new beginnings.

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Favorite Things

BOOK: Amor en Los Tiempos del Cólera.

FOOD: Lapas con Mojo

SONG: At Long Last Love – Frank Sinatra.

SEASON: Summer

PEOPLE: My children and husband.

COLOR: Yellow