Tacos...but no toast

  I'm tired this morning. I'm a little annoyed with myself for missing last week's entry. I have to work tonight and I'm going to try to take a little nap. But, before I do, here is a long-ish list of random facts about me. Now, while I nap, you all can get to know me better! About me: Today is my birthday. I am newly 48 years old. My husband and I have been on our journey together for 23 years. We have four children. They are 26, 22, 20, and 17. We have a 7-year-old husky/lab mix named Jasper. He is my fifth child. We also have and 8-year-old cat named Ruby. I went to school and became an LPN when I was 36. My journey to RN came to a halt when my youngest son was diagnosed with Leukemia three years ago.  My plan is to return to school next fall--we'll see what happens. I currently work in a nursing home on the rehab unit. I work night shift. I am a certified make-up artist. Other than a few clients in the past, I really only do my own make-up. I was diagnosed with ...

We didn't really know each other.  We weren't even Facebook friends...not really...more like vague Facebook acquaintances. I'd started following his Facebook after seeing an article about him online--a local "celebrity" of sorts who had a reputation for interesting and inspiring posts. Someone who not only talked about being involved in community, but also actively gave his time and energy to local causes.  We'd never really interacted with each other. A like here...a share there. The way life online often goes. In 2021, Mathias, Jeffrey, and I were living in Ronald McDonald House. When Mathias lost the ability to walk, we couldn't go home. We lived in a small apartment on the second floor with about twenty-five stairs. We couldn't carry our teenager into the apartment, and he was far too weak at that time to "bump" up the stairs on his own. We needed a new place to live and fast. That journey was not easy. A three-bedroom that was wheelchair...

 I wasn't going to participate this week. I'm really tired y'all.  I just finished fifty-seven hours, of night shifts, as a nurse on a short-term rehab unit. I have spent the majority of the day napping.  I haven't been motivated to EXIST, let alone talk about my motivations for joining this newest version of the GBE. So, I made myself a sugar-free copycat of Starbucks brown sugar shaken espresso. Then, I started reading other member's blogs. How they got started blogging, the friends they made  along the way, why they decided to come back... You know what? I don't even remember how I came to join the GBE in the first place! It's been a long time since those Myspace days. I remember starting my blog. I remember not even caring if anyone read what I wrote. I just enjoyed having a place to collect my thoughts--a place that was all mine. I wrote about my kids, my job, and my spouse. I wrote about being poor. Sometimes, I wrote poetry and occasionally a short st...