Bloggers
For more than 10 years, Mt. Lebanon residents, students, expats and those connected to our community have shared stories on the LeboLife blog. Some are professional writers, some are not. But they all have a love for our community and want a place to share their perspectives. LeboLife bloggers have covered everything from the best bars and restaurants in town to personal stories of growing up, finding a career path and raising a family.
Below you’ll find a list of our current bloggers. If you’re interested in joining the ranks, let us know. Email Rachel Windsor and include 2-3 writing samples, along with ideas you’d like to write about.
Bob Batz Jr.
Bob Batz Jr. is writer and editor for the Pittsburgh Union Progress, where he likes to write about craft beer among many other topics. He’s active in the Association of Food Journalists, which he now serves as vice president. He’s a regular at both Mt. Lebanon farmers markets, but considers the Mt. Lebanon Lions market to be “his” and rarely misses a Wednesday. He and his wife and son live in Sunset Hills in a Spanish-style stucco house he bought in 1994. One of their hobbies is growing organic fruit, vegetables and flowers for the neighborhood deer.
Lizzie Diller
Lizzie is a former practicing attorney turned stay-at-home mom. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University School of Law, she would rather live in Pittsburgh than anywhere else. Lizzie met her husband, Derick, online. After dating for about a year, they got married, bought a house, moved, had a baby, and Lizzie stopped practicing law, all in the same year. They even managed to squeeze in their baby’s baptism. It was a hectic time. Her goals are to read to him and take him for a walk every day. She also spends embarrassing amounts of time shopping online for comfy mom clothes and trying to find people to hold her baby so she can swim laps and bake cookies (which cancel each other out calorie-wise).
Abigail Schade Gary
Abigail grew up in Mt. Lebanon, went away to college, and lived for decades in the New York area, where she raised three sons and three greyhounds and wrote copy for major ad agencies. She and her husband recently retired to Mt. Lebanon, where she appreciates the low housing prices, restaurant scene and lack of traffic. She’s still getting used to the Pittsburgh accent, however.
Karen Gottschall
Karen Gottschall wrote her first blog by happenstance after she was hired as the administrator for Mt. Lebanon’s Public Information Office, and she couldn’t be more pleased how things worked out. She grew up in Baldwin Township, then after college lived in Northern Virginia, working at the Washingtonian Magazine, and Philadelphia before moving back to Pittsburgh to raise her children. Settling in Dormont, she was a stay-at-home mom for 17 years, then spent 7 years at the circulation desk at the Mt. Lebanon Library, followed by several administrative positions. Karen enjoys staying active with exercise, live music, microbrews, spending time with her adult children (wherever they happen to be living at the time), and travel near and far.
Cathy Kaplan
Cathy Kaplan grew up in Upper St. Clair and eventually made her way over to Mt. Lebanon, where she now resides. She graduated from Duquesne University with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Communications. She works for the Mt. Lebanon High School’s Athletic Office and also has spent time on the Steering Committee for Foundation Fighting Blindness Vision Walk.
Cathy squeezes in as much writing as she can at night. She lives with her husband, daughter, a dog and three cats … and of course, fish. When not writing or working, Cathy and her family spend the weekends hiking, camping and being outside. They do anything they can with their dog, Nukka.
Thespine Kavoulakis
A nearly life-long resident of Mt. Lebanon, Thespine Kavoulakis moved to a new home in La Jolla, California last year when her husband became Chancellor of UC San Diego. Thespine spends the school year in California with two of her three children, but commutes back to Pittsburgh with them during school breaks and summer vacation to catch up with her friends, family and older child, whose job it is to ship regular supplies of Mineo’s pizza, chipped ham and Utz pretzels to California. Along with raising three children, Thespine has spent the last 25 years as a freelance writer, both in corporate and business communications as well as magazines. In her dreams, she would like to be organized and have a clean car, but at the moment she is distracted with a variety of endeavors that mostly focus on what each of us can do to make this world a better place for everybody.
Maura Linehan
Maura is a native of Mt. Lebanon and a graduate of Robert Morris University with a degree in Psychology. Outside her coursework, Maura has had a long interest in journalism and has been a student journalist at both Mt. Lebanon High School and RMU. Her journalism has been recognized by organizations that include the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, the Pennsylvania News Media Association, and the Society of Collegiate Journalists. Since graduating, Maura has returned to her home town and started her career with UPMC Asbury Heights and is now the Activities Director for Concordia South Hills.
Molly McNamara
Molly grew up in Upper St. Clair before attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where she majored in Marketing and English Professional Writing. After college, she moved back to Pittsburgh and now works for DICK’s Sporting Goods in the Vertical Brands Department. Molly loves living in the walkable and friendly community of Mt. Lebanon and was thrilled to start writing blogs, as reading and writing are among her greatest passions. She also loves dining locally, spending time with friends and family, traveling, and reading as many books as possible.
Nichola Moretti
Nichola Moretti is an instructor for Axios Tutoring of the South Hills and a former adjunct professor at Robert Morris University and the Community College of Allegheny County’s North and West Campuses. Among other roles, she has worked as a photographer, writer, editor and blogger. In 2005, she moved with her two boys and their dad to Mt. Lebanon, where Anthony and Nichola are now exploring the glories of an empty nest.
Rob Papke
Rob moved to Mt. Lebanon from Denver in 1995. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home parent for the past 17 years, he spent 20 years in the restaurant industry. In those two decades, he developed a love for cooking, especially with fresh seasonal ingredients and knowledge of French, Italian and Californian wines. As a stay-at-home parent, he learned how to give a piece of furniture a second life by rescuing discarded items from the trash and transforming them into works of beauty. When his children started high school, the volunteer work within the PTA began to wane, so he decided to re-enter the work force and took a job in the fashion world. His time in the world of fashion has given him a new understanding of the interplay of colors, patterns and fabric. He enjoys cooking, gardening, photography, music, art, non-fiction, history, politics, visiting museums, environmental concerns and hiking.
Al Vrabel
Al Vrabel was born in Clairton, PA, to a family of 11 children. Though he has lived in Mt. Lebanon for 39 years, he remains proud of his Clairton roots and often writes about growing up in a steel town where everyone’s dad worked in the mill. Al attended Duquesne University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in English in 1975 and also attended graduate school. He pursued various career paths throughout his life, including being an insurance agent, stockbroker, and piano salesman. An avid runner and fitness enthusiast, Al has competed in the Pittsburgh Marathon and has run in every Great Race since that event started more than 30 years ago. Besides writing poetry, essays and short stories for his own enjoyment, Al loves music, singing, composing songs and playing both the piano and guitar. Now retired, Al enjoys golfing, traveling, spending time with his wife Diane and son Mark, and taking classes at the University of Pittsburgh’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Diane Vrabel
Diane Vrabel is a Pittsburgh native who has lived in Mt. Lebanon for 36 years. A baby boomer, she grew up during the ‘60s in the nearby neighborhood of Brookline. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in journalism from Duquesne University, she started working for the Internal Revenue Service in 1977. Throughout her 36-year career, she held various positions within the agency, including tax specialist, manager, instructor, newsletter editor, and training coordinator. She also obtained a master’s degree in communications from Duquesne in 1991. Since retiring in 2013, Diane has been immersing herself in a wide range of fun activities. She does freelance writing, volunteers at the Mt. Lebanon Library’s Book Cellar, takes art and exercise classes, and is learning to play the piano. Other things she enjoys are reading, drawing, traveling, hiking and bicycling. She has been a volunteer for the Mt. Lebanon School District PTSA and is an active member of the National Treasury Employees Union. Diane lives on Arden Road with her husband, Al, and son, Mark. She is thrilled to contribute to the Mt. Lebanon Magazine since writing is her biggest passion.