Hi there! I’m Marly. Welcome to my site, Namely Marly. I grew up in a very small town in Missouri and have ended up…well, not too far geographically, but thousands of miles away metaphorically speaking.
I’m the mother of one very adorable teenager and the wife of one very wonderful man. We all share our home with two quirky, but fun dogs. This site is about life (namely Marly’s life), your life, a dog’s life, or whatever life comes to mind. (There’s so much of it around!) I like to share humorous observations of my journey (I have a lot of those to choose from) and hopefully hear some of yours as well.
Our family is vegan. We frequently hear people say – what do you eat? They must think we eat mostly nuts and twigs (those are not so tasty), so I also like to share some of my favorite vegan recipes just so you know being vegan is really a delicious way to live.
And of course, there is the topic of names. I LOVE names! My passion for names began similarly to most teenage girls — writing names in study hall (Do they even have study hall anymore?). My girlfriends and I would write down favorite names for our future kids. Or we would write down our first name with the last names of boys we might want to consider marrying. How juvenile, I know! (But we were teenagers).
Fast forward several years later when I went through a period of self discovery in my life and as a result, changed my first name. Yes, legally changed my name (the question is always asked). Some people thought I was strange. Others told me it was flat-out a huge mistake that would ruin my career (it didn’t). Others were very supportive. I learned a lot during this time. Mostly, what really matters is that it was important to me. I learned that my true friends were the ones who wanted the best for me…even if they did think it was a little odd.
It was a real Aha! moment for me. I asked myself why women change their last names when they marry and nary an eyebrow is raised. How come some external event (marriage) makes it ok to change your name, but it’s not acceptable to make that change for yourself?
I have been all around the country talking to people and I have learned that there are more people who change their names than we realize. And they do it for lots of reasons. Some because they want a new direction. Some are trying to let go of a painful past. I even know some men who’ve changed their name when they married. There’s a lot behind a name and a lot that it says about a person. It comes down to this — your name is your life’s brand!
This site is about “Your Name, Your Life” and I write posts on both – some about your name, and some about life. Names are definitely my passion…but life is too! I Hope you enjoy.
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