Growing up I didn’t know too many other Kaylas. In fact, until late junior high I was always the only Kayla in my entire school. So I realize that it wasn’t an incredibly popular name but I never thought that it was a very unique name or anything.
Aimee is my middle name, one that was bestowed upon me under dubious circumstances. It’s actually a really funny story, how I ended up with that name and its spelling, but it’s one you’ll have to read in my book.
(Yes, I do plan to continue to mention said book on my blog because what good is having a blog if you can’t talk about basically one of your biggest accomplishments ever all the time on it? I mean, I feel like probably as a blogger it’s basically required of me and stuff.)
The reason that I use Kayla Aimee as my pen name is threefold.
- One, it is what my very closest friends and family call me which makes me feel very endeared to it.
- Two, it helps keep Scarlette a bit safer online.
- And three, when I started this website I was unmarried. And my last name was Fox. And apparently in 2005, the other Kayla Fox of the world was a well known actress. In movies of the, ahem, adult variety.
So that domain name was taken and it was also the year that I got a lot of sketchy friend requests on Facebook.
For my entire life, upon meeting me people have called me Aimee.
I do not understand this.
Like, in school on the first day of a new class one of two things would happen. The teacher would either call out “Kayla” and then proceed to make commentary on the soap opera I was named for or they would go all Ferris Bueller and be like “Aimee? Aimee? Aimee? Aimee Fox?”
To which I would shyly raise my hand because I was quite terrified to talk in public as a child (obviously, I got over that. Go big or go home, I always like to say. Just kidding. I never say that.)
Then I would correct the teacher and say “Actually, it’s Kayla.”
“Oh, you go by Kayla?” a professor in college asked me. And I was like “No, I don’t go by Kayla. Kayla is my name. It comes before Aimee in the actual order of my name. I don’t understand why you would see ‘Kayla Aimee’ on the roll call and not call out ‘Kayla'”
Except that I only said all those things in my head because I am very polite to people who have PHDs and also who I am counting on to give me a passing grade in Statistics II just out of the goodness of their hearts.
This still happens to me all the time. I constantly get emails addressed to Aimee.
“Aimee, we’ll do your website SEO for the low low price of seven bajillion dollars!”
“Aimee, have you ever tried Plexus?”
“Aimee, we would love for you to promote our new product for female incontinence!”
(Why do people keep offering to pay me to write about diapers for women? Why? I have so many questions. Do people visit this website and think “She definitely would be the perfect person to write about lady diapers. Plus, she totally looks like an Aimee.”)
It baffles me that people look at Kayla Aimee and just assume that I must go by Aimee. I would understand if they were addressing me as “Mrs. Aimee” as though it were my last name but they are not. They are just straight up calling me Aimee.
And I won’t even get into how often I am asked about the pronunciation of Aimee.
Except I will.
Because it’s all the time.
I blame this on my parents.
And that is the story of why I just go by KA on the internets.
Enjoy more funny anecdotes in my new book, Anchored: Finding Hope in the Unexpected which I am talking about again on my blog in the same blog post even because it is on sale for basically half off right now. And I really love both my book and good sales.
You can read the first chapter for free here and receive the free GraceLaced Art print pictured as a thank you for investing in our story here.
“I laughed, I cried, I turned pages (fast). Hers is an engaging read that is applicable to any heart.” – Sara Hagerty, author of Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet
