About Me

I was a shy kid growing up. Not so much with the kids in my neighborhood or our family friends, but in school. I think part of it was my personality, and the other part may have been that I only spoke Greek at the time I started kindergarten. Back then, with a unique name like Toula and no way to communicate with the other kids in school, I became shy and insecure, which made it hard for me to make friends early on. I eventually picked up the language, but the shyness and insecurity stuck with me through elementary school, junior high, and high school, and even trickled into college a little bit. I actually thought I was invisible to most of the kids in school, but when my high school senior class voted me “Quietest” for our class characteristics, I realized I wasn’t as invisible as I thought. What got me through those lonely school years was the fact that I had a great family, and great neighborhood friends to go home to everyday after school.

I have no problem striking up a conversation with anyone these days, including some of my classmates from school, if I happen to bump into them. I love meeting new people. I've always been a bit chatty outside my school environment; that hasn't really changed. Since I'm so chatty, my friends find it hard to believe that I was actually quiet in school. I just tell them, “I’m making up for lost time.”

My dream of having a family and becoming a mom finally came true, when our daughter, Lexie, was born.

About seven months after our daughter was born, I started looking into ways I could make some extra money from home to help with the household expenses. After researching a few different business opportunities, I made the decision to start my own online business, Lil’ Sunshine Enterprises. When my daughter was a baby, her whole face would light up when she smiled, so I started calling her “little sunshine.” Since she was my inspiration for the business venture, Lil’ Sunshine seemed a fitting name . . . and so, Lil’ Sunshine Enterprises was born in March 2005, offering invitations, announcements, event favors, personalized candy bars, unique gifts, and more. Click on www.LilSunshineGifts.com to visit my other website.

I couldn’t imagine leaving home to go to school, so after high school, I went to a local college for two years and got my degree in Office Administration. I’m too much of a homebody. I've never lived outside of Connecticut and probably never will.

Most of the time, when you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, they’ll tell you a doctor, a teacher, a firefighter, etc. Me . . . I’ve always wanted to be a mom. I always pictured myself married with kids, and I hoped to have the opportunity to stay at home with my kids, just like my mom did.

I got a job after college, in 1988, working for an advertising/promotion company as an Administrative Assistant. It was a small, family-owned business with only a handful of employees, which was great. I knew the corporate world wasn’t for me. I liked my job, and my personal life was great too. I was very happy and content. Then, in 1996, a sudden tragedy changed everything. I knew my life was never going to be the same. There were also a few serious illnesses in my family that followed. Those experiences made me a stronger person . . . and each experience made me the person I am today.

In late 1997, I met a great guy at a picnic that one of my cousins had that summer. After dating for six years, we finally decided to make it official . . . Glen and I got married in 2004.

A few extra tidbits:

• I'm the oldest of three. I have a younger sister and a brother.

• I love the music, movies, and TV shows of the 80’s, and some things from the 70’s. Whenever I hear a certain song from the 70's or 80's, I can usually think back in time and remember where I was, or what I was doing at that time the song was playing.

• My favorite books are celebrity autobiographies. Especially the ones written by the actors I grew up watching on TV and in the movies, and also musicians I grew up listening to.

• I love junk food and chocolate.

• I've always been a night owl. I love to stay up between midnight and 4:00 a.m. It's so quiet, and there are usually no interruptions. I'll put my 80's music on and usually work on returning emails, marketing, website updates, or any orders that I have to fill. Sometimes I’ll catch up on a TV show or movie that I have been wanting to see.

• Two of my all-time favorite movies are The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz. I had the pleasure of traveling to Austria back in 1995 and had the opportunity to go on a Sound of Music bus tour. I got to see all of the places where the movie was filmed. Of course, I had to reinact some of the scenes from the movie, and yes . . . it's all captured on video.

In July 2004, after working at the same company for almost 16 years, I went on maternity leave. I had planned on returning to work a few months after my daughter was born, but after I held her in my arms for the first time, I knew I was going to have a hard time leaving her to go back to work. After talking it over with Glen, and with his support, I made the decision to leave the job I’d had since graduating college, to stay at home with my daughter. I'm happy to say that I got my wish. I’m now a stay-at-home mom and loving every minute of it. I’m so grateful to Glen for all his hard work and for every sacrifice he makes so I can have the opportunity to stay home and be with our daughter.