How It All Began

My Mom told me to do it.

I think it was after I came back from my “survivor” trip in summer of 1991 between my sophomore and junior year of college. The trip was organized by an “adventure club” out of Colorado and the itinerary was to travel from South Africa, into Botswana, then Zimbabwe. Oh, the stories I could tell, and actually will in “My Life in Shorts”. It is my mother’s reaction of “you should write a book” that added validation to my dream. 

Mom knew I loved to write. From giving me my first diary when I was in grade school to the one sitting next to me on my desk, I’ve used them to scribble quick thoughts to full pages processing my life’s events. They hold my attempts at poetry and prose, to outlines for speeches, sermons and plays. The journals are filled with colorful quirky doodles in between pages taped with photos and magazine cut-outs. These journals are me - I’m looking forward to discovering who I was back then. And who I am now. 

It is because of my mom’s relentless reminder that I should write a book and the tough times, and not so tough times, I’ve had in my life that led to Carvo Chronicles. It is much more than a book. There are stories that may have started in the past and continue to the present. Experiences when I thought I was the only one then to find I was not alone with this life experience. You could say Carvo Chronicles is a living document where life happens  

Maybe my writings would fit nicely into a book, but time will tell. In the meantime, this small biz provides me with outlets to honor my mother. 

  • When I thought of naming this small biz my ideas ranged from using my name “MaryAdele Revoy” (too long) to the grandiose title of “Writings for Human Connection and Beyond.” When I stopped trying to be clever and obnoxiously creative, I turned my thoughts to the important and foundational things that make me, me. Giving myself the same creative licensure as the guys who made up the word “google”, I created CARVO.

    The “CAR” pays homage to the last name of my birthmother. We met when I was 25 years old. I found out she would have named me Denise followed by her last name. For more unbelievable and charming stories of our relationship and the whole genetic gang, check out in “My Life in Shorts”.

    The “VO” is a recognition of my last name Revoy. I always knew I was adopted. From my earliest memories I can remember my mother sitting on the edge of her bed next to me, telling me “my story.” The day she and my dad picked me up from the foster home, which happened to be a nearby farm.  I always claimed to be an original Cabbage Patch Kid, if  you are old enough to remember those. 

    And why “Chronicles”? Well it was more unique than stories and less pretentious than writings. It started with a “c” so there was somewhat of a rhythm to it. But the word was actually staying me in the face: “Daily Chronicle”. This is the “newspaper” that my mom reads every morning in her Memory Care unit. When she could still read and speak out loud, she would take a turn reading a paragraph or two to her friends. Even though she can’t do that anymore, she still likes to sit with Chronicle in hand, pretending to understand what they are doing.  

    The logo, which I think isn’t too bad, was my handy work in Canva. I could have spent days in there trying all the tips and tricks, but I could feel myself getting pulled too far into my creative self, losing focus on a logo. Teal and purple are my favorite colors.

  • I want to make a declaration of intelligence: None of the text, stories, posts, or products have been developed with the use of AI - artificial intelligence. My belief is that I wouldn’t be much of a creative writer, storyteller or ingenious developer if a tech program edited my work. I would take it as an offense, ruining my craft. Proud to say the only AI I do use is “Adele Intelligence”.

    Now designs, layouts and color patterns are another story. From the day my mom told me my hand-traced turkey was the best she had ever seen, I’ve fancied myself an artist-in-waiting. I’m still waiting! I get myself in trouble when I think I can make templates better or this color scheme needs to speak to my soul. My push for perfection will raise its ugly head saying “try this…it will be perfect”, only resulting in more changes. I can make things way too complicated like a 7 course meal at the finest restaurant in (name your favorite city / country) when all I was aiming for was a hot dog (turkey tofu dog) with ketchup.

    To give credit where credit is due, I’ll provide acknowledgment to the original creators of any pics, information, research, etc. that I use. I hope they will do the same for me. And I’ll make note anywhere AI is used in the design so they don’t feel unappreciated and start messing with my microwave.

  • Some of you may be wondering what my qualifications are to call myself a writer. Or what training I’ve had to help people process their grief and loss. Or to think my stories are funny.

    To those people I say a couple of things: (1) I’ll be posting a link to my education, career history, completed trainings and publications in the near future, in the meantime you will have to roll the dice; (2) I completed a certification program as a “Grief Support Specialist” at the University of WI-Madison to help with my own grief and compliment the "Pastoral Care” class I took in seminary; and (3) if you question if my stories are funny, interesting and entertaining, well, you’ll have to read for yourself. 

  • Trust me when I say there is a lot of stuff in my brain waiting for a chance to be put on paper or typed on screen. Certainly dozens of stories, posts and quibs, and many ideas to build connection through workshops, grief groups, one-one communications, speaking engagements and a TV series. It will all happen in due time, so stay connected!

LET’S CONNECT!

Have a question …something you want to share…wondering if I can come over for dinner…or you think you knew me from back when I used to have short hair…then send me a note. Would love to connect!