About Me

So I gather that you’ve reached this page out of a burning desire to know more about the origins of this blog. Who would name their blog Tickled Pink Life and why? Well, my name is Lynn, and in addition to being a follower of Jesus (which is my most important attribute), I am a Southern California native, a part-time wedding florist, a full-time forensic scientist, a passionate collector of European china, an Etsy shop owner, a twin and the co-author of Held by God: Finding Hope by Recognizing His Provision in the Midst of Suffering.

My twin sister Lori and I are patients who have been diagnosed with and treated for catamenial pneumothorax (CPT), a rare form of endometriosis which causes the lung to collapse during menses. In an effort to share all that we had learned about our condition, we developed Catamenial-Pneumothorax.com, an on-line resource for information about CPT. Following our CPT journey and our mom’s struggle with cancer we published Held by God to help others find hope during times of suffering.

The rest of my “published work” has been connected to my “day job” as a Senior Criminalist, where various research projects have been published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, the Journal of the Clandestine Laboratory Investigating Chemists and other law enforcement publications.

In my spare time, I enjoy creating Victorian beaded lamp shades and other vintage-style crafts. I also, absolutely adore shopping for antique porcelain, some of which I resell in my on-line store The Drawing Room at Pemberley (unless of course, I find a piece so lovely that I simply cannot part with it, and I add it to my own collection).

But enough about me, what about the blog you ask. Why Tickled Pink Life? Perhaps you are thinking that I believe my life to be all flowers and butterflies. Well you would be wrong on that count. On the contrary, my life seems to have had more downs than ups in the last several years. One thing I’ve learned from the numerous hospitalizations of myself, my sister and my mom, is that life on this planet is hard! There are days when we just can’t remember how life used to be before it got so hard. Well, no one said that life would be fair…or easy. Jesus himself promised that we would have troubles in the here and now.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Life has a tendency of not working out quite how we had imagined, expected, or wanted. At some point, circumstances will bring disappointment, disillusionment, and devastation—that we cannot change. What we do have control over however, is how we react to those situations. The choice is entirely ours to make. We can choose to “live there in the pain” or we can choose to remember that this world is not all there is, as Jesus points out in the verse above. He certainly did not want us to lose heart about our troubles, but to remember who we are in him, and gain strength from it.

I chose Tickled Pink Life, because I want to see my world through the lens of Christ. Since everyday events can be so distracting and so discouraging at times, I want to choose to dwell on what is real and eternal and not get bogged down with things that don’t matter. Is that easy? No, it’s never easy and I need to pray for attitude adjustment on a regular basis! But the good news is that God never gets tired of me asking for his help and is always glad to give it. He reminds me that I am forgiven (i.e.: I can lose the stress of wondering about my final destination), that I am saved by grace (my salvation doesn’t depend on what I do or don’t do, as Jesus has already taken care of that), that I am loved unconditionally by my Heavenly Father (again through Jesus, done deal), and that one day, I am going Home! (Whoo-hoo!)

Despite the harsh conditions on this planet, God has provided tremendous blessings. Those things in life that give us joy are God’s gifts to us, and he wanted us to remember where all those things we love come from.

…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

In order to reflect that admonishment, I promise to write about topics that will uplift and encourage YOU, the loyal reader (yes, both of you). Some posts will be about tangible things like china, vintage-style crafts, or Victorian lampshades. Other posts will focus on the adventures of discovering God’s magnificent creation, like garden tours or wonderful travel destinations. But mostly, posts will be dedicated to encouraging and comforting you with the comfort that I myself have received from God (2Cor 1:3-4). My hope is that he will allow me to be his keyboard for passing along what he would have you hear from him. If he so directs, it will be my awesome privilege.

When life gets gray, I will choose to live Tickled Pink. Won’t you join me on the journey toward Home?

Lynn