Life Happened.

If you were lucky enough to grow up in one of the greatest generations of all time, welcome. If you did not, well you are still very welcome. I grew up during a time when hope, imagination, and fun filled the air. I was able to rent videos at a video store, pick up a toy at the nearest Toys "R" Us or KB Toys, I had the privilege of seeing the internet take off, transition from beepers to pagers to cell phones, and also get to experience the rise of social media. It was certainly a time to be alive! I was born and raised in one of the greatest neighborhoods and Brooklyn, New York; and am still in that wonderful place to date. Love was new and exciting, I witnessed all my childhood friends grow before my very eyes, and life seemed like it was going to just click in my favor. Or so I thought ...

Let me know if this sounds familiar to you. You met the love of your life as a teenager, and married them. You were so excited to start a family of your own and got that family, and then it started to hit the fan, and you lost yourself along the way.

I was married at the early age of 30, (which made me a geriatric bride amongst a few of my circles), and I remember waiting so long for this moment. We have fought so hard and made it through many major events together, whether it was from 9/11 early in our relationship, deaths of loved ones, blackouts, hurricanes, family drama, you name it we've been through it. We became engaged, planned our wedding after 13 years together, and planned a big soiree surrounded by close friends and family of 250 guests. The wedding day arrived, and it was just one disaster after another, best men who dropped the ball, and a lack of a bridal experience, but it didn't matter I was marrying "my guy." We get ready to go on our honeymoon, opening envelopes in our hotel room excited to see what we can save on our return back and what we should take with us. Long story short, we had to cancel our honeymoon and were left negative after our wedding. That was the first setback.

We always wanted children. And we were blessed with the two most wonderful children about a year after the wedding. A little girl, and a boy 15 months later. My husband and I were both active in our church and community, and were told we were "no longer wanted". I wish I was mincing those words, but sadly it was verbatim. I will go down this road a little bit later along my journey, but safe to say Setback 2.

Let's keep Setback 3 short and sweet since we have been through enough with this one. Covid-19. You know the story, employment, inflation, etc. That is all.

While there have been minor setbacks along the way the three I listed above, caused a huge loss of myself. I was in mourning for so long since the ripe age of 30 when my wedding went to hell in a basket, to losing friends, work, and eventually me. I didn't know who I was anymore, and asked myself the question, "Who am I?' It has been such a lifetime of serving others, helping others, and stepping backward so others can shine, that I had no idea what I liked anymore, what was my style, to the simplest things such as what I like to eat, what is self-care, what music do I like, when was the last time I worked out? If this sounds like you too, please join me on this adventure. I am not a therapist or a self-help guru. I am just someone who has been through it too and trying to rebuild one step at a time and would like you to join me, comment, and share to build a community of people who just want to find themselves again.

As we dive in every day, I want to offer you a little glimpse of what to expect. It will be a mix of self-care, food, DIY, and life posts. A place to chime in judgment-free and laugh about our attempts our fails and our victories.

Let the adventure begin.