About

.about me.

I’m Mona.

I live in Seattle with my son Nathan and husband Mike. I tell people that I moved to Seattle from Saipan because I wanted to go to college, which is only partially true. The real reason is that ever since I watched Sleepless in Seattle, I wanted to move to a magical city that could bring the forces of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together.

“Kirida” is word in my native language, Chamorro, meaning “favorite girl.” It is often applied to the youngest girl of the family and (spoiler alert!) that’s me. Unfortunately, it’s very confusing to most mainlanders, especially those who say, “kirinda” or “kerida” or “kilililili.”

My husband is 27 years older than I am. I don’t really notice the age difference until I make a Saved by the Bell reference and I realize he has no idea what I’m talking about. So I had Nathan in 2006 to have someone my age to play with.

I take my photos with my shiny iPhone or my trusty Canon 30D (accessories: 430ex flash, lenses: 24-105L, 50 1.8mm, 17-85mm). You can see more of my photos on flickr.

I love: 90s television shows, 60s-era cook books and housekeeping manuals, dark beer, mandarin oranges, Jeopardy questions I can answer correctly and Super Mario Bros (pre-Yoshi).

I also love: people who make me laugh, anything pro-Saipan, comedy, high-fives and you, my internet friend.

.about kirida.com.

I started this website in 1999, when I was a junior in high school and thought it very clever to write hormone-charged, cryptic entries. I dropped the site for a while and started back up in late 2004. Since then, this website has chronicled my life as a non-profiteer, college student turned college grad, fiancee turned wife turned pregnant wife and now, full-time working mother, writer, and amateur photographer.

Email me at mona {at} at kirida {dot com}