August 2026 – I don't apologize for this mess!

We love the police, but what?

What’s a book you never finished but still think about?

One of the huge (Harry Potter) books.

I started it.

I don’t know which one it was.

I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan.

I know! I know! *Gasp!!!*.

How dare I?! Am I right? lol

However, I’m a big reader and love good books, so I decided to try one of them one day, and I started getting into it. I really did. Okay. I tried.

As much as it seemed really interesting, it was also really confusing and I just didn’t keep going.

Still, as interesting as it was and as much as I couldn’t get into it, I stopped reading it and still wonder who is who and what happens in the end. 🤣

It doesn’t make me want to finish it, but I still think about it from time to time whenever I see anything Harry Potter or anyone is talking about the movies / books.

📚

Anyway…..

Let me tell you what happened last night. 👀

My daughter and I had just come out of Walmart and we went to the car where my oldest son and my youngest were waiting for us.

We sat there for a bit – as we laughed about videos we were watching, and shared funny Tik Toks.

It was pretty late and Walmart had just closed, so I looked up to take off, and I noticed a spot-light on us. No police lights or anything – just a dark SUV with a spotlight.

I mentioned that I think the police are behind us.

My son said he heard someone yelling, so we lowered our windows and heard this officer scream from behind the car, “Driver….turn off the vehicle!”.

I did as I was told.

He yelled, “Passenger, put your hands outside of the window!”. My son did as he was told, and the cop yelled for me to do the same.

I did.

We were both thinking maybe he wanted to know why we were just sitting there in the car when Walmart had closed and the parking lot was clearing out, but what happened next – I was not at all ready for – at all.

The cop walks over to the passenger side with his gun drawn. Yep. You read that right. Gun drawn.

He was ready for whatever.

He tells us he got a report of a gun in my car and someone waving it around. 🤨 EXCUSE ME???????

I told him there’s no way, and I gave him full permission to search the car. He asked if there was anything in the car and my son was honest and told him about his little knife he carries around, but that was it. (Which he did get back once everything was cleared) and yes – the cop took it from him.

The cop asked my son to step out of the car and said he fits the description of the suspect. All he had at first was white – with dark curly hair.

We asked who called that goofy call in, and he said he’s trying to figure everything out and he’ll talk to us about what’s going on when he knows more.

Knowing he had his gun out and my son outside of the car – that didn’t sit right with me.

I’ve seen videos and heard stories of trigger happy cops and interactions with police that have gone bad, especially with men, so when the cop stood there talking to us – his dispatcher radio’ed him and the description sounded like it changed.

Black mail with curly hair.

Then ………….

White male with Black curly hair.

My son is Caucasian / Hispanic with dark blondish / brown hair, so I almost felt like asking the cop if he was sure he knew what he was doing (joking around), but I could tell by the look he made – that he was confused.

The dispatcher sounded confused.

WE were confused.

The whole thing was insane.

So, he tells the dispatcher he needs a correct description or – asked her something about the right one because he is in the parking lot with a white male that has curly hair.

She sounded like she was trying to figure it out, so he told us, “Hang tight. Stay right here while I try to figure this out”.

He was more concerned about this gun that someone called in.

When he walked back to his SUV, I jumped out of my car (slowly of course) and had my son stand right by me to make sure nothing got crazy or this didn’t go wrong.

Not to mention that my other two kids were in the car, and this was all new to me.
I’ve been stopped by the cops before for petty traffic stuff, but nothing like this.

He drove all around the Walmart building and throughout the parking lot, (possibly looking for another car just like mine?). No idea, but then he parks way across the lot and just sits there for 30 minutes.

My daughter had to pee and she wasn’t feeling well, so I called dispatch and asked her what was going on.

I didn’t want to go walk up to the cop, so I told her that her officer is just sitting across the lot and we’d like to leave. I asked her what was going on, and she told me there’s an active investigation and once her officer figures it out, he’ll come talk to us.

20 minutes later – he moved up a few inches and just sat there still, so I called dispatch back, and told her how ridiculous this is.

All he had to do was SEARCH the dang car!

I already gave him the permission. No, we didn’t have a gun, and nobody was waving one out of the window of my car.

Check the Walmart cameras, my guy.

I’m sure someone is inside right now to let you in.

So, she said she would let her office know we’re waiting and wanted to leave.

He finally came back over to us and when he did, he was on the phone screaming at two young ladies (that I won’t name, but I should!!!).

He jumped out of his police SUV and yelled into his phone with them on speaker, “This is not a game! I want you to know there are kids in the back of the car and this could have turned out bad”. He continued to question these young ladies, and we heard them blaming each other. We heard them saying they thought they saw a gun.

Then, we heard them try to say they didn’t say there was a gun. They said they didn’t know what was hanging out of the window.

The cop was very much angry and aggravated with these two young ladies and told them it takes him 5 minutes to go back and listen to the original 911 call.

He said if he hears them say it was a gun and now they’re trying to change the story, he’s coming over there and reading text messages between both of them because he has both of their addresses, and one of them is going to end up going to jail.

They started crying and saying, “Please – no!”. He let them know he doesn’t take false police reports and 911 calls lightly and they thought this was so funny and now they’re going to deal with the consequences.

When he got off the phone with them, he let us know he was going to investigate, listen to the 911 call, go to their houses and may arrest one or both.

He apologized to us so many times, and said he just has to do his job, and it seems like they’re just calling in fake calls and making up bullshit.

He told us about another woman who was making false reports and abusing 911, and he arrested her and charged her, and he had no problem doing the same with these girls.

We have no idea who they are or why they did it, unless they do this often with random people.

The cop sounded like he knew them and he truly laid into them and gave them a piece of his mind as they cried and begged him not to arrest them.

My son was handed his knife back and this cop thanked us for understanding and cooperating.

When he was off the phone with him, he handed me his card with the police report on it, his name, number and email and told me he was so sorry again.

He explained that my son matched the description of the suspect and my car matched the car that was reported, so he had to do what he had to do.

My little dude was nervous.

The cop asked if he had my permission to walk over and assure him that everything was fine. Of course, I said yes.

He told my son all was good, that we did nothing wrong and we’re not in trouble. (Duh?). 🤣

We had a good laugh about it – my older son, the cop and myself.

He asked my little dude if he wanted a sticker, but he said no.

I should have taken a sticker for this hilariously / ridiculous memory.

While he got back in his SUV, I was walking away and told him to have a good night and stay safe. He stopped me and asked if he could have my information to keep in touch if anything happens with these ladies.

He wasn’t sure if he was going to charge them with a misdemeanor or a felony, but I called today and as of right now – the report is still under investigation.

The whole thing was nonsense and I’d love to know who they are, so I can let them have a piece of my mind as well.

I just know their first names.

So, that happened.

I am so grateful it wasn’t horrible and the cop wasn’t one of the cops looking for a power trip moment.

There’s really some great cops out there.

I am so grateful that he figured it out and got us on our way (an hour later). As we were leaving, another cop pulled up, but we were told we were free to leave.

I did have to laugh when he asked if I lived around there and I told him we just moved back to the area and I said I was staying around there, so yes.

I told him we lived in Minnesota for 6 years. He smiled and said “Welcome to the area”. I replied, “Guns drawn and all, huh?”. 🤣

I think we both had a good laugh about that one.

Baby, I’m not messing up the fact that I have two criminal justice degrees – over a gun charge. No, thanks!

I was happy he took the time to investigate that hot mess 911 call correctly.

We’ll see what happens from here.

If you have nothing to hide – and a cop rolls up on you – cooperate! It’s your best bet to get out of it alive, and well.

My darlings.

Have a beautiful night. ❤️

I’m so tired. I’m going to try to relax the rest of the night and enjoy the cool breeze that Illinois is getting right now.

☕ Shel☕

Reliving the birth and growth of my last child, talking about my 3rd young adult, and a new car.

If you could relive one day from your past, which day would it be and why?

The day I had my last child.

He is almost in the double – digits now. (10).

I miss when he was a newborn and I used to watch him sleep so peacefully in his swing or crib.

I miss when he was little (2 and 3) and used to do “Stinky faces”, and “Scrunchie noses”. I miss when he used to ask to watch “Em-O” because he couldn’t say the “L” to pronounce “Elmo”. 😄 I miss when he would say “Mama” and take baby steps learning how to walk.

I miss him dancing to the “Oohhh na na na” song.

He loved that song and I used to have to play it over and over and over, so he could dance. 🩵 I don’t know the name of the song and I’ve tried to find it, but I can’t. I just know we called it the “Oohhh na na na” song. 😁

I would absolutely relive the day he was born, because at the moment – I knew he’d probably be my last child, and I cherished that moment.

My cousin was in the room with me and she was the first to hold him. She was amazing and I was so blessed to have her there. That woman stayed with me all night, and took so many pictures for me once he was born.

I remember her crying, looking at me and telling me, “He’s perfect”. I was so tired and dozing in and out from the medication they gave me.

Elijah and I both almost died, but those doctors – the nurses – my cousin – all great people with me that day to make sure we were both Okay.

Yes. He’s about to be 10 in a few months and my heart is so happy that he’s healthy, smart and funny, but my heart has a little piece that just wants to go back to the day he was born – and relive it all over again – taking in every moment and every memory as he grows, learns, laughs, makes me laugh, and plays with toys again.

He doesn’t really play with toys anymore and it’s sad.

I have bins and bins of toys from when he was younger, and he used to love them. Now that he’s older, they’ve sat and collected dust while he plays video games, and Baseball, and does everything except touch those toys. 🫤

If you have babies, little ones, toddlers, kindergarten kids who still want to play, and be cuddled and held – trust me – cherish it because they grow, get older and take interest in other things.

One day – they no longer ask to watch Em-O …(lol) or dance to their favorite songs, and touch those toys they loved – so much.

If only I could go back and take it all in one more time. 🩵

Of course, I’d absolutely choose to go back and relive the day all 3 of my other kids were born as well, but knowing Elijah was my last – it just hits and feels different.

…………..

With that being said – my youngest daughter just turned 18 yesterday. 18!!!!!! Where the hell does the time go?

See what I mean?

Cherish them while they’re young. Time flies!

She and I went out and spent the entire day together.

I told her we could do whatever she wanted to do.

She wanted to go to Hot Topic.

I’ve never been there, so we drove an hour away to a huge mall (Gurnee Mills) and good Lord. I didn’t know that mall was that big and had almost every store you could think of – in it.

What made me giggle – were the signs that said, “K-9 patrolling”, and we saw police walking around with K-9 dogs.

That was pretty awesome. 🤗

My daughter joked that the dogs were so alert and standing / walking so proper. They have to be. They’re working! They’re waiting for something to go down. They’re ready!

This mall is so fancy, that I joked that it’s a “LeLe Pons” mall.

The Lele Pons story:

My kids and I were coming home from somewhere one day, and they were talking about Lele Pons being pregnant.

The way that they said her name and the way it sounded….it sounded so fancy, so I asked, “Who is Lele Pons? That sounds fancy!”, and my kids couldn’t stop laughing – as they showed me who she was.

So, now any time something is fancy or expensive – we say, “Lele Pons”, as our inside joke. (Not really an inside joke anymore, since I just told y’all). 😉

This was definitely a Lele Pons type of mall.

Back to my daughter’s birthday:

She’s my 3rd young adult.

My oldest would have been 26. My older son is 23. So, I now have another one.

We went to this mall, and walked inside Hot Topic.

It’s one of those alternative / emo stores you have to just try to understand if you’re my age. 🤣

They have so many crazy things, including dog collars that people (mostly teenagers) wear. Those dog collars had spikes. They had these crazy cat / dog ear ear headbands, and tons of dark and weird hoodies / T-shirts, earrings.

They have hotdog earrings. 👀

As I walked around and followed my daughter as she looked through everything, everything we passed became crazier and crazier.

I almost giggled when I looked on the side of me and saw an older woman that looked like a grandma – possibly with her teenage granddaughter – giving the granddaughter a funny kind of face like she didn’t understand things in that store, either.

I wanted to tell her, “Me too, grandma! Me too!”. That was totally my face when I saw everything in this store.

I smiled even more when I looked around and noticed a mother shaking her head (no) at her daughter who wanted some wild choker chain. 😂

I mean to be fair – Spencer’s is a lot worse, but I actually don’t mind Spencer’s. They have some really cool stuff in there.

Hot Topic is not a store I’d ever shop in, but I will say for the younger generations….it’s a fun store, and they do have a lot of cute things.

I planned to buy her some things, and she was ready to pick some things, but as she was grabbing this huge cross necklace that was way too big for her neck, I asked if she may want to try looking throughout the mall to make sure she wanted something from Hot Topic – or elsewhere.

I told her we can definitely come back if she wants to, and so – we went to look around the rest of the mall.

She ended up wanting a Chicago Bulls top from an amazing store that just opened up two weeks ago, and had tons of sports items.

I paid for that and then we went to Bath N’ Body works because she had some gift cards I gave her when she graduated high school a few months ago.

She ended up getting a few body sprays.

We got a few other things and walked around a bit more, before we left and tried to figure out where to grab lunch.

Stake N’ Shake.

After that, we stopped at Dollar General, went to get gas, and I asked what else she wanted to do. It was getting pretty late, and she had never seen the Home Alone house in person, so I planned to surprise her and take her there.

However, my brother messaged me and said that he and his fiance got my daughter a cake, so we ended up going back there instead.

My brother leaves his mark by placing ducks in different places for people to find, so we know he’s been there, and yesterday – you know he had to (duck her cake). 🤣

I did plan to stop and get her a cake before we went home, but I was grateful I didn’t have to, because I was exhausted from us being out all day.

She was so excited and loved her cake. ❤️

Oh.

We also stopped at the Bass Pro shop in the mall.

My daughter loves that store.

My kids have always loved the huge fish tanks in any of the Outdoor worlds / Bass Pro shops we go to.

This store also has so many wind chimes, coffee mugs and bird feeders, which is definitely the reason I’ll be back soon.

I tried sticking my finger in to see how cold the water was, but my daughter slapped my hand away and pointed at the sign that said – “For the safety of our customers and the fish – please do not stick fingers or hands in the water”.

She laughed about it and joked that I don’t follow the rules. I told her I didn’t even see the rules.

This thing – reminds me of the song, *“Buy me a boat”,* by Chris Jansen. 😁

I was told these things were once alive, and now stuffed, but who knows? 🤔

We also stopped at Starbucks, so we could grab a few snacks and she could get her free birthday drink.

All in all, she said she had an amazing day and she was so happy, so that’s all that matters.

I even let her put the Bluetooth on in the car, and listen to her music. *Sigh*. Haha.

I can’t believe she’s 18.

If you want to laugh – my daughter isn’t allowed to swear. I don’t want to hear it, and while I don’t know if she’s ever sworn in front of her friends, I do know she has never sworn in front of me.

She always said when she turns 18, she’s letting every curse word fly out of her mouth, and we’ve joked about it, so yesterday – she asked if she could swear now.

I laughed and told her she can have one word, and then I never want to hear her swearing again.

She didn’t even want to do it.

She told me that because I’ve never allowed her to swear or wanted her to, and because I taught her to be so respectful, she feels awkward if she were to swear in front of me now. 🤣

I guess I raised her right, huh?

My older son was trying so hard to get her to say some curse words, and she just felt so weird about it.

I told him to stop encouraging her, but we had a good laugh about it.

I’m guessing I won’t be hearing her swearing often, and that’s more than okay with me. It means she’s respectful, and likes to keep it classy.

Last – but not least –

I went and got a rental while my car is still in the dang shop, and I almost don’t want to give it back.

I can keep it for however long I’d like, and it is not cheap, so I don’t know how long I’ll keep it, but it has been such a blessing and a huge help to me being able to get around IL. now.

They gave me a beautiful black Nissan Rouge, and this thing does so much – that I had to sit there and play “What does this button do?” – when I first got it. lol.

I love it though. It’s a 2025, and I almost want to see if I can just outright purchase it. I almost don’t want to go get my regular car back, but I know I have to.

So, that’s all I have going on right now.

As I sit here drinking my morning coffee, I smiled because I’m also watching the news and they just mentioned downtown Chicagos popular Christkindlmarket – and when it’s opening up for the holiday season.

It’s a bunch of pop up tents where you can buy all kinds of Christmas items, and so much more.

It usually brings out thousands and thousands of people from all over – who attend this thing. 🎄

Alright.

Let me get out of here, shower and start my day.

Have a beautiful one my loves!

Big hugs.

🫂Shel🫂

Adulting and Car crap!

What’s a moment when you realized you were officially an adult?

Oh boy!

I think for me – it was the moment I said “I do!”….. when I turned 17.

I’m not proud of this at all, but I got pregnant when I was 17. I had my oldest daughter a few months after I turned 18.

My mom absolutely refused to let me have a baby outside of marriage, so she went straight to my – (now ex-husbands) – parents house at the time, and told them she thinks we need to get married, and she’d appreciate it if they would back her up on it.

To be fair – I already had an engagement ring on my finger before finding out I was pregnant.

The guy I was dating at the time – worked his ass off and he was a good dude when I met him and started dating him.

My parents loved him. His parents were always super kind and loving with me, and we had been together for a while before I got pregnant.

We knew we wanted to get married back then, but we didn’t want to get married by city hall. He dreamed of a big church wedding with all of his friends and family, and he already knew who his best man was going to be, and I had always wanted a beautiful Christmas wedding, and he agreed to it.

That’s not how it went down though.

In January of 2000 – many months before I was due – my parents and his parents took us down to city hall – and we were married.

The moment it was finalized – and I was about to have a kid of my own – was the moment I realized I was officially an adult. (Kind of. Sort of.).

Life hasn’t slowed down since.

I’ve been adulting ever since.

He and I divorced in 2013, and – the moment I felt like I officially became an adult – has never left my mind.

That’s why I have always wanted better for my kids.

Go to school. Get your education. Finish high school. Go on to either get certified in something or get a degree in something, but do something with your life!

Become something in life and live your best life while you’re still young.

My kids know I won’t allow them to be out in the streets acting stupid, having babies young, or wasting their lives.

Get jobs after high school. Work hard. Save money.

I’ve tried my best to teach them right and I hope they follow my advice. So far, I think I’m doing a pretty damn good job.

My kids love money.

My older daughter is gone, but my older son works his ass off and buys his own things. My youngest daughter just finished high school and she’s looking for her first job and will be attending EMS classes soon, and my little dude – well, he still depends on me of course. 😁

Still, they’ve done well in school. My older son hasn’t gotten anyone pregnant, my daughter hasn’t gotten pregnant and I’m proud of that.

I’m so proud of that!

I don’t want them to be anything like I was when I was younger – because I was a little rebel. I was a little brat. I was always doing something stupid and getting into trouble or nonsense, and driving my mother crazy.

That’s why I think I’m so strict with my kids and so tough on them.

I want them to be way better than me – when I was their age(s). So far – they are. ❤️

Now that this WP writing prompt for today is answered….

I’m praying I get my car back this week.

There were so many things wrong with it when it went into the shop, and I thought I’d get it back this past week when everything was finally fixed.

I kept saying my PCP valve busted, but I just found out it’s called the PCV, and I couldn’t stop laughing at my mixup.

PCP – PCV …. It still left me without my car for weeks now. 🙄

Being a Volkswagen…nobody in Minnesota wanted to touch it because they’re “complicated” – as I was told and any shops I’ve been to …couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it.

I was grateful when I finally found a shop that has a mechanic that deals with Volkswagens and knows what he’s doing, but thousands of dollars and weeks later – it’s still sitting in the shop.

I was told the PCV needed fixing, back and front brakes (which I already knew), but I had the back brakes done by some young guy who worked at a parts store and said he knew how to change them. Turns out the mechanic said (the parts store guy) butchered them, and the mechanic had to redo all of it.

The mechanic said legally – he couldn’t let me leave the shop with the back brakes the way they were, so that was thrown into the repair bill.

My oil line (or whatever the hell it was with the oil) needed to be replaced, and I had a major oil leak.

There were just so many different problems that no other shop this car had been to – caught, so I’m grateful for the mechanic who has my car now and knows what he’s doing.

So, he called me Thursday when my car was supposed to be ready, and I was a little excited.

He asked how I was doing, and I told him I was good – thinking I’m going to go out to Minnesota and get my car – with my older son.

The mechanic then says, “I have bad news, but I also have some good news”.

He tells me that he got everything changed, parts replaced, front and back brakes done, lines put in, oil leak stopped, oil change done, and so many other things it needed, and as soon as he put everything back together and started the car – it ran for about 60 seconds …………

And the timing jumped!

He talked about the tensioner, and another $2,500 or so, but the good news?

“Once that gets fixed – you’re golden! The car will run beautifully with all these new parts and it should give you another few years”. That’s what he told me.

That’s where I’m at right now.

Life has kicked my ass the last few weeks, and I’ve thought so many times, “I can’t do this anymore”… But, as a mom – we don’t get to just give up!

No matter what life throws a moms way – we have to keep going and figure it out. 🙂‍↔️

It is what it is.

Love ya my loves.

❤️Shel❤️

Best restaurant(s) and being a decent human being.

Daily writing prompt

Which is the best restaurant in your city?

View all responses

I’m just going to go ahead and say it – even if some don’t agree.

IHOP!

My kids and I love IHOP.

Living in Minnesota for so long, we didn’t have one close to us. It feels so good to be back in Illinois, and to be within minutes of an IHOP again.

Breakfast there? Yes, please. Lunch / Dinner? Sure.

No matter what time of day you go, it’s usually always busy, and for good reasons.

I could also say Olive Garden, TBK, and Central Gyros are some of my favs in IL. / Chicago as well. Ohhhhhhhh……..and let me not forget Panda Express.

Okay. I know I was probably only supposed to say one, but I just can’t. 😊

I know these are simple and basic, but when you live in a small town for years – that has almost nothing in it or the nearest bigger city, and you move to an even bigger city or back home to it – it makes you appreciate even the littlest things. ❤️

With that being said……………..

Yesterday, my daughter and I went to the dollar store, and then we traveled over to Tony’s a few blocks down. That’s another place we’ve missed while living in Minnesota.

Tony’s has almost everything you can think of – including Hispanic foods, and candies – which is what my daughter was looking for. We don’t have that in Minnesota, so it made us and our hearts smile to walk back into a Tony’s.

I was at my brother’s place and he didn’t have dinner figured out and I decided to just go grab a few pizzas because it’s his weekend with his kids (my nephews), and what kid doesn’t like pizza, right?

I grabbed Garlic bread to go with it, milk (that my daughter asked for because she only drinks the blue cap milk), a few cases of sodas, and a few other things.

Upon walking to the cash register – I saw this:

I was so damn thrilled and I had to grab one, as my daughter grabbed her Dubai Chocolate bar.

Now, if only the weather went along with this.

I’m a little excited it’s almost Pumpkin season everywhere, and almost Autumn. I love Autumn, and everything that comes with it.

As we were loading groceries, a man came walking over to us, grabbed the cases of sodas from under the cart, and handed them to us to load. He was trying to help, and I felt awful that I didn’t have any cash on me. I told him I didn’t carry cash, and he told me he just wanted to help, and enjoys helping others.

I thanked him and he thanked me for not ignoring him like almost everyone else does, or telling him to “get the hell away”. He said most people tell him they don’t need help, and just want him to leave them alone.

I told him how sorry I was that people are so rude, and that not everyone is like that.

It broke my heart when he said, “It’s okay. Maybe I’ll be dead in the morning. I’ve been wanting to die, and God keeps waking me up”. I begged him not to talk like that and I told him there’s a reason God is waking him up every day, but he didn’t want to hear that and kept saying he’s better off gone, and that he doesn’t want to be on this earth anymore. He continued to say nobody cares, and I let him know I do.

He said he’s been homeless for years now, living on the streets. He said his dad died many years back and that’s when everything changed, and that his mom sold the house he grew up in without even telling him or talking to him first. He told me he’s 59, and I was surprised because he looked good for 59.

I told him that, and it seemed like his eyes lit up when he heard that and asked, “Really?”. It seemed like he had a little sparkle in his eyes and for the first time since he came up to us, he smiled a bit and looked up. He had his head down most of the time he was talking to us, and telling us a little about his life.

When we were done loading groceries, he grabbed the cart and went to put it back.

He said one last time that he hopes to die soon, and I asked if I could pray with him or for him. He told me he doesn’t believe in that anymore, and I told him if he didn’t want to pray, I would pray for him. He told me not to do that, and said he’s been praying for years and it never works.

He thanked me one more time for not telling him to get the hell away from me and not being rude to him – as he walked away.

I wish I had cash on me. I offered him a soda, but he didn’t want it.

I wish there was more I could do for him yesterday.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him last night, and I feel so bad that I didn’t even ask him what his name was.

The next time I go back to Tony’s, I plan to have cash on me just in case we run into him again.

I did pray for him last night and asked God to just protect him, be with him, and let him find his way back to God. I asked God to put kind people in his path who may help him want to live again.

I thought about starting a Gofundme for him, but I don’t even know who he is or where he can be found if he’s roaming the streets.

My goodness. If you see a homeless person and they talk to you, it’s not hard to smile, say hello and just be kind! It’s not hard to give them a few bucks, let them help you load groceries, or for you to just offer what you can – even if it’s a kind word.

It doesn’t take much to just be a good human being to other human beings.

I’m so disappointed in whatever people have been rude to this man, and to other people in general.

One of my favorite songs is:

I feel like if more people were a lot kinder and more helpful to the underdog (those who have nothing, those who are hopeless, depressed, need people to care) – there would be a lot less suicides and a lot more people who actually want to stay another day.

If nobody told you lately – I love you. You matter. You’re amazing!

Xoxo.

😊Shel😊

Dinner with Gabrielle.

Which author would you love to have dinner with?

Gabrielle Union!

She’s definitely an amazing actress, but did you also know she has written a few books as well?

She has been through some traumatic things in her life, including being raped at a job she had while in college, having trouble getting pregnant, and other issues she’s dealt with – and yet, she’s still such a great person and advocate for many others who can’t advocate for themselves.

I’ve read both books she’s written and absolutely loved them, and the way she got through her struggles.

I recommend these two books, and they are both great reads!

Her movies?

Love those as well.

If you’ve never seen her movies – definitely go check some out.

The Rancho Carne Toros recruits a new Cheer captain – who then recruited a new Cheerleader and quickly realizes that her entire Cheer career was built on lies and stealing cheers from the East Compton Clovers. 😆 Torrance must figure things out fast to save her team and their reputation.

Gabrielle Union plays (Isis) – the Cheer Captain of the Clovers – who is tired of the Toros stealing cheers from them.

This hilarious movie is based on Steve Harvey’s book (Act like a lady, Think like a man).

A group of women start using the book and taking Steve’s advice about relationships – to take control of their love lives and their unsuspecting male partners – who find out the women are using the book, and decide to fight back. 🩵

Gabrielle Union plays (Kristen). The one who wants her long-term boyfriend to grow up, get serious and propose to her.

She also plays in:

I can’t forget the cute movie:

In this feisty movie, she plays Eva.

An out-spoken, straight-forward, no BS – kind of woman who demands others plays by the rules she sets or feels should be set in place. She’s a no-nonsense kind of woman and doesn’t take any shit from anyone, as she looks out for her sisters in ways she thinks help

When her brother-in-laws want peace and to be able to live good lives with Eva’s sisters without Eva getting in the middle of their relationships, they hire Raymond – a local player and woman’s man – to take her out on dates, make her fall in love with him, and get her out of their relationships, so they can enjoy time with their ladies again.

Nothing goes right for Raymond, and Eva is just as tough on him as she is on her brother-in-laws.

It really is a cute movie, and one of my favorites. ❤️

So, if I had one author I’d love to have dinner with – it would be Gabrielle, because she has such a unique, strong, fierce attitude about her, and as great as she is as an actress in all of the movies I’ve seen her in, she’s also such a great writer, and person.

I just recently found out from my brother’s step-daughter as well – that Gabrielle’s husband Dwayne Wade graduated from the high school my brother’s step-daughter went to, so that was pretty cool to hear because I didn’t even realize he’s from Chicago.

I never even looked it up.

So, now that I answered this – someone let me know when Gabrielle is free, and have her agent contact mine! 🤣 (That would be great if only………………). haha.

I’m out for now.

XOXO.

❤️Shel❤️

Kindness for Kindness. (Restored faith)

What’s a moment when a stranger completely restored your faith in people?

Oh, let me tell you about today’s WP writing prompt. ☺️

I’ll call this man (Jeremiah).

It was around Christmas time, and I was finishing up some last minute Christmas shopping online.

I had also been chatting with a random stranger online because he needed someone to talk to and he felt lonely.

It started in one of those chat rooms people used to mess around in when they were bored, but I remember it was a chat room that my best friend and I were in – just making each other and others laugh.

When I noticed that this guy wrote something like, “Does anyone care to chat? Feeling lonely. No sexual stuff. Just a friendly conversation”.

I messaged Jeremiah. (PM = Private message) – as they call DMs now. 😆

I told him I’d love to chat with him, and asked him what was on his mind.

He told me about his family and how they’re in another state. He won’t get to see them for Christmas because he has a lot of work to do with his small business he’s trying to open.

He told me that he doesn’t have a spouse or anyone to share the holidays with, and no kids.

He told me about many of his troubles over the last few months – that led him to need someone to talk to.

He told me he was just feeling anxious and overwhelmed, but wanted to talk about other things besides himself and his issues once he got everything off of his mind.

So, we talked about him for a bit and what he was dealing with, and then – he asked me to change the subject.

I asked if he had animals. We talked about that.

I asked what his favorite movies and genre of music were and we talked about that.

We laughed about some of our best birthdays and childhood memories.

We talked about many different things, and eventually – he said he was going to get some sleep, but I gave him my phone number because he seemed normal and if he ever needed to talk again, I never wanted him to feel alone.

He seemed like a decent guy.

The next morning, he asked me for my Cash App.

He said he wanted to send me some money for the holidays, especially because he knew I had kids.

I told him he absolutely DID NOT have to do that.

He kept insisting and told me that I was there for him the night before – like nobody else had ever been. He said he wanted to thank me.

I told him it was just me being kind and being a good human being.

He kept asking if I was going to give him my cash app or not. I said no. He joked that he may have to look it up by my number – which would prompt him to stalk me.

He kept insisting and wouldn’t leave it alone, and begged me to let him do something kind for me for the holidays.

He wouldn’t let up, and told me he wasn’t going to, so I finally gave him my cash app – thinking he’d probably send me money for a coffee or something small because we also chatted about how much I love and need my coffee in the mornings, and the way I wanted to decorate my nails for the holidays.

He got my cash app, and this man – this random stranger – ended up sending me $1,000.

I was speechless. I had to look at my phone twice, and then I had to insist it was way too much and that I’d send it back to him.

He told me if I sent it back, he’d be upset and told me to do something nice for myself or for my kids. He told me to go on a little mini weekend getaway somewhere or to do whatever I wanted to do with it.

His reason? “You were better than any therapist I could have gone to”.

Would you believe I never heard from him again?

Sometimes – during the holidays – I think about him and pray he’s alive and doing well.

This happened a few years ago, but it made me feel like if we give others hope, love, kindness, and restore their faith in humanity – the universe gives us the same hope, love, and kindness and does things that will restore our own faith in humanity.

I tried to message him a few days after that – to see how he was doing, but he never replied and when I tried to call him, the number was disconnected.

He never even got online again.

It worries me still.

I’ll never know about that random stranger or where he is, but he gave me back a random act of kindness I truly didn’t expect and it restored my faith in people as well.

One of my favorite rappers (Lil’ Wayne) says in one of his songs, “Karma is a b****, well – just make sure that b**** is beautiful”. What goes around really does come back around, so spread kindness out into the world if that’s what you want back.

It has nothing to do with the money.

It has everything to do with the way he wanted to repay my kindness and being there for him – in a way I never saw coming – at a time where everyone should feel loved and happy.

Christmas.

I have no idea who that man is or where he is, but his kindness made me smile, and I can only hope and pray that my kindness did the same for him that night. ❤️

I’m the type of person who wants to see people happy, wants people to know that somebody out here cares, and never wants anyone to feel alone, so I just did what I always do that night and his generosity was beyond what I wanted or expected.

So, to that random man that night – I hope and pray that you’re still on this earth and you’re doing amazing!

In other news – if you’re ever having a panic attack – people watch!

……. This morning, I felt like I was having a panic / anxiety attack and I don’t get those. It’s very rare.

I have to be super stressed out to feel that way, and I’m usually a calm and relaxed person.

I woke up feeling like I couldn’t breathe, and I almost wanted to run downstairs and sit outside for a bit, but Simba was in the window looking down, so – I walked over there to see what he was looking at.

I started (people watching).

It’s amazing how many people are coming and going at 4 AM, so I just stood there and watched them all.

I watched cars parking and watching who got out or what they were doing. I watched cars leaving and the people who went to those cars to start their days. I watched people walking by – and let me tell you – it really calms the nerves and helps you relax.

If you have a panic / anxiety attack – try people watching!!!!

I laid back down and I ended up watching the lights from someone backing into a parking spot outside. The lights hit the ceiling and I smiled – remembering the times I spent the night at my grandma’s house when I was younger – and I’d watch the lights from the bakery trucks that went by – on her ceiling in the dark.

The bakery was right on the corner of her house (Grand and May) out here in Chicago, but if I remember correctly, they had a warehouse across the street as well. Maybe the warehouse was something different, but either way – trucks passed down her street a lot early in the morning and I’d watch the lights on the ceiling.

Anyway, I’m about to shower and make some coffee. 😊

Have a beautiful day my loves.

🩵 Shel 🩵

Get yourself a pet! :) It does the soul good!

Daily writing prompt

Share a photo of your pet and tell us one thing that makes them uniquely them.

View all responses

I love this writing prompt.

Let me introduce you to our pets.

This is Simba. (aka Asshole).

When my little dude was 5 and had just graduated Kindergarten, I asked what he wanted as a grad gift.

He replied, “A kitten”.

I didn’t like cats at all. I had two bad experiences with cats in the past, and I vowed to never get one – like – ever. So, I was a little bit hesitant to grant his wish. He had been asking for a kitten long before his Kindergarten graduation, and I always said no, but the fact that he did so well in school, and was such a great kid, I finally decided to surprise him and pray that getting a cat – was not a mistake.

I looked online and found a guy who had a farm, and tons of kittens because the older cats on his property would have kittens, and they’d start roaming around.

He and his daughters took care of all of the cats and kittens, and gave them away free to people who wanted them – once they were ready. They would take the kittens for their first check-ups, and whatever else they needed, and they would have people come and get them.

The same day as my little dude graduated Kindergarten years ago – we had him stay home with my older son, while my daughter and I took a ride 3 hours away to this guys farm, and sat their deciding which kitten would be best for Elijah.

We laughed when this cute little Orange one was walking by and one of the guys daughters grabbed him, tossed him into my daughters arms, and said:

“We call him Asshole!”.

We decided to bring him home with us.

We went to the pet store and grabbed all the things he would need and a few cat toys, and headed home to surprise Elijah.

When we got home, my daughter hid Simba under her shirt. (Technically, we should have let Elijah name him), but my daughter named the kitten on the way home – because he looked like a skinnier, smaller version of Simba from the Lion King movie.

I handed Elijah a bag and told him it was part of his graduation gift. He opened it and asked why I got him cat stuff, and said, “Don’t I need a cat if I have all of this?”. My daughter walked up to him and took Simba out from under her shirt.

My little dude was so excited.

My little dude is almost 10 now and I think it’s safe to say that over the years, Simba has become more of my cat – than his. Elijah doesn’t really pay much attention to him anymore, and I’m the one who feeds him, gives him water, takes care of him, plays with him, pays attention to him, etc.

Simba follows me around, cuddles up to me, goes wherever I am, and meows at my feet. Simba has become attached to me.

Elijah takes about 15 minutes out of every day to say hello to Simba, but that’s as far as it goes.

So, he’s my cat, I guess and I’m fine with that.

I will say though – that once Elijah falls asleep, Simba runs over to him and cuddles up right by his head. 🩵

When we first got Simba – he really was an Asshole.

He would run around the room at bedtime – with his claws out acting crazy. I’d have to cover myself from head to toe if I didn’t want to get a claw to the face or any part of my body. He’d jump all over the place in the middle of the night, wouldn’t sleep and thus – wouldn’t let me sleep. He’d bite, and fight, and just act stupid.

Thankfully, as he got a little older – he started getting into a routine and learning ours. He started sleeping all night, acting a lot better, and learning his environment.

These days, he’s such a cuddle bug. He’s such a sweetheart. He is a lot more relaxed than what he was as a kitten, and those claws no longer come out if they don’t need to.

When he’s tired, he’ll literally sit by my side and meow over and over, and if I say, “Bedtime” – he’ll turn around and follow me to the bedroom. He loves to chase strings, and at our old place, he’d watch out the window as he chattered and chirped at the birds or the frogs outside.

He loves to head bump us to say hello, or show affection, and he’s become such a great cat, that I don’t even think about how much I hate cats anymore. lol.

I absolutely adore Simba, and I even stopped calling him “Asshole”. ha.

We’ve had him for years now, and he’s grown on me.

My daughter has a Bunny. (Looney).

I had no idea how smart bunnies were until we got Looney.

My older son and I went to a pet store one day to get my daughter a new bird when hers died. She had her old bird (Zazu) for almost 5 years, and it broke my heart when she called me at work one night – in tears – saying he passed.

I still have no idea why I wanted to surprise her with another animal, but a year later – I know I was standing in a pet store with my older son – as we were looking at birds while she was in school, and then my older son and I saw a big cage with bunnies in them.

We asked to hold them, and this one right here – was so pretty and so soft.

I will say that if you’re ever going to get a Bunny, please do your research because we didn’t, and we fully regret it. As much as we love Looney, having a Bunny is a lot of work, and the vet bills are ridiculously expensive.

When my daughter came home from school that day, she thought we were pet-sitting for someone, but when she found out Looney was hers, she was so happy.

Now, I’ve heard that bunnies can learn some amazing tricks, and become great pals if you work with them, pay attention to them, and handle them daily. My daughter doesn’t really do that.

She’s more on her phone scrolling social medias, than working with Looney or paying attention to him, but – she loves the heck out of him, and she will talk to him daily, pet him, show him some kind of love – daily.

As long as she’s feeding him, making sure he has water, love and a clean cage, that’s all I ask for. She plays with him often, but she would definitely rather be scrolling – than teaching her bunny tricks.

It is obvious that Looney knows my daughter well, and he loves throwing his bowl to the front of the cage to get her attention when it’s time to eat.

He knows her voice. It’s too cute.

When she walks in the room and talks, his whole body flips around and he’s on his hind legs looking around and waiting for her to come pet him. He loves the moment his cage opens and he knows he’s getting fed, and she has many photos of him just laying on her chest sleeping under the blankets – when she does pay attention to him.

He’s such a loving, sweet Bunny, but he’s so messy.

Let me also tell you – (if you’re thinking of getting a Bunny) – male bunnies can make themselves smell by not cleaning themselves as they should – if they’re horny.

Yep.

I was told by the vet that the smellier the male Bunny is, the more he attracts a female Bunny, and when Looney started smelling so bad, I took him to the vet and found out it’s because he’s not grooming himself. He’s horny. He’s waiting for a female Bunny.

The surgery to have him fixed and get rid of that feeling and smell, and for him to start grooming himself again when he’s fixed? $300-700.

While I truly wish I did my research when I was deciding between another bird and a Bunny, I didn’t and we still love Looney, either way.
He also loves to eat only his treats and tip his whole pellet bowl over, burying them to act like he ate them, and since we were told by the vet he should only be getting hay, with treats every so often – he now has no choice but to only eat hay.

He loves to kick his bedding out of the cage, and bunnies are just such picky, messy cuties. Looney loves head rubs though, and is such a great animal despite all the headaches.

How cute is he? This was right before he went to get his nails cut 😁

My older son’s dog is Scrappy.

You ever see them videos that say, “Does your dog bite?”, and the reply is, “Not me!?”.

That’s our Scrappy.

Yes, he bites. No, he’s not friendly, and if you get too close to us if he doesn’t know you or you don’t give him time to get used to you before approaching him – he’s going to try to attack.

Let him get to know you and approach slowly.

Pay no attention to him, and once he sees you’re not a threat, he’ll be fine.

Scrappy is friendly with us, but we joke that he can be iffy even with us at times. He’ll cuddle up and want to be pet, but he’ll give the side eye at the same time.

He’s a great protector and barks his ass off when he hears someone by the door, and he’s always on high alert.
If he sees someone approaching us, he’ll give warning growls and barks, and he’s been a great dog for such a long time, but ………….

If I’m being honest – he’s getting older, crabbier, and we don’t know how much more time he has left.

Still, we love him dearly, and no matter what mood he’s in – he’s still part of the family.

There ya have it! Our pets and what makes them unique.

Babes.

Love you!

☺️Shel☺️

We’re home (Finally!)

Good evening darlings.

We have arrived safely in IL.

This is home again, and I wish I could say I’m excited to be back (and I am a little bit), but there’s still so much to do.

It was hard to look for a place while in Minnesota, so we will be staying at a hotel for a few days or so until that’s figured out and we can possibly meet with landlords, and start being able to get around.

While my car is still in the shop, I plan to try to rent a car and get around that way – until my own car is done next week.

Yes! I’m having it fixed, and hopefully – this will be the end of the problems. The shop was told to fully inspect it and fix everything!!!

So, my evening went like this:

The hotel has coffee set up right by the front door when you walk in, and I grabbed some before going to the pool area with my little dude.

I took that first sip because I needed it after the week and night last night that we’ve had, and it was iced coffee. 👀 I didn’t complain because the girl at the front is working alone, so – why make her night harder?

Although I do think that guests should be able to enjoy hot coffee whenever. (I promise not to be a Karen!). 🤣

He had a blast! My daughter joined a bit later and they played volleyball in the pool – with a beach ball.

We ordered something to eat and when the guy dropped our food off, the kids dried off, we went upstairs, ate and settled in for the night.

Let me tell you……it has been a long week!

We were busy packing and cleaning all week.

I rented a U-Haul and they didn’t have the size I wanted, so I had to settle for a smaller size – which also meant I had to make two trips to storage to take everything we were leaving behind for now – while we looked for a place in IL.

The storage place:

If you want to laugh – I freaked out a bit when my older son and I went to the storage unit to check it out and drop some things off there.

The first thing we noticed was huge Daddy Long Leg spiders crawling around.

We asked for an indoor unit to avoid that, and I was a bit disappointed when that’s what we ran into – walking around (not only on the inside of the facility) but inside of our unit as well.

There were only three in our unit, but they were still there and one of my biggest fears and (icks) – is spiders.

I called the number on the building to the facility manager / owner, and he sounded a bit humored by it when I told him the facility had spiders all over and there were some in our unit.

He told me, “Yeah! That’s common. You’re in the country!”.

In all fairness, we did get a storage rental in the middle of nowhere – near woods and a whole lot of nothing.

I stood there with my son as we debated on what to do.

I called another storage facility closer to the area I thought I was getting a unit in when I called this one, and I told him the issue. He laughed about it and said he was closed right now, but if I wanted to go online and rent a unit, I could.

He guaranteed me the spiders thing – doesn’t happen at his facility.

I was so tempted, but it would have cost a lot more, and we had already hauled everything to this unit, so – I made sure everything was stacked high – right in the middle and away from the edges where it seemed the spiders liked to hang out.

I decided that when I come back for everything or have movers bring everything to me in IL. – we’d just have to go through everything to make sure we don’t invite any Daddy Long Legs to live with us.

I was talking to a good friend of mine (Ashley), and she laughed at me and told me Daddy Long Legs are the best kind of spiders because they don’t bite, they don’t infest, they eat all the other bugs someone doesn’t want around, and that they’re the “good spiders”. 🫤

She told me it was common and not a big deal.

My son was talking to his friend and his friend said the same thing.

I’m sorry but – there’s just something about spiders around all of my belongings – that just doesn’t sit well with me, but I wasn’t going to move all of my things back to the truck, load it and take it across town to the fancy, expensive storage when I was already at this one.

So, we dealt with it.

We made the two trips, took the U-Haul back, and cleaned up the apartment.

We dealt with many headaches, irritating situations and new problems this week, but we got through them.

Our next problem was trying to get rid of our furniture.

I wanted to start fresh when we got into our new place, so I planned to sell everything we had. I wanted a new color theme, new items, etc. and the thought of renting another truck to drive everything back right now was not something I wanted to deal with, especially with my car needing many repairs and having to deal with the expense of picking it up and bringing it back to IL.

I put everything online for sale, but didn’t really get many responses. However – the minute I put everything for FREE – my messages were going crazy and I had so many people contacting me.

I was blessed that the woman who lived across the hall from me – took my treadmill.

I was blessed that another couple and their friend came and took my couch, some dressers and the kitchen table I loved so much and just got last year – but again – I didn’t want to drag it all with me.

I was blessed that everything was out and I was able to clean the rest of the apartment as best as I could, leave the keys on the counter yesterday, and to say one final (goodbye) to Minnesota. To that apartment. To the memories I’ll cherish forever. ❤️ It was bittersweet to leave both the apartment and Minnesota, but I’ll be back in a week or so to pick up my car once it’s done.

After all, the car breaking down – is the biggest reason we left Minnesota right now, because where we lived – it was absolutely a nightmare getting around without the car, so I decided we needed to be closer to family, friends and everything we can walk to, or to at least being back to where we have transportation right on an app.

I guess I have to be grateful the car broke down, otherwise – we would have stayed in Minnesota until next year, and let’s be honest…….

We are so happy to be home. 😊

Our week has been insane, and the drive back here with my brother last night was long, but I am also grateful to him for coming to get us, being my calm in the middle of my stress, and for him telling me that I’ve gotten through worse before, and this is just another setback to my (happily ever after).

I sure hope so!

So, we’re back in IL. and our new beginnings start now.

It’s late. It’s time to unwind and watch some T.V. and – I can say how much I LOVED watching the Chicago news – knowing I can do that every night now instead of just looking it up and reading about it. 😁

My daughter hung out with all of her friends last night for the last time, and they were all so sad she was leaving, but we promised to go back and visit …..and you know I’m mom to all of them, so I’m definitely going to keep checking on my babies.

They know no matter where life takes them or if they need anything, I’m one call….one message….one text away and I’ll always treat them like they were one of my own kids!

My loves…..

It’s time for bed.

Have a great night!

❤️Shel❤️

Lessons, blessings and new beginnings.

Good morning darlings.

I would love to be drinking coffee right now as I write this, but my coffee pot broke a few days ago, and I figured there was no point in picking up a new right now – since we’re moving.

It is 5 AM, the house is quiet, the kids are still sleeping, and I had to get up to order a few things from Walmart.

More moving boxes.

Tape.

Bubble wrap.

A few other things.

We’re really doing this. We’re really moving back to IL. and I laugh when friends keep saying I manifested this because I kept saying I want to try to be out of Minnesota by the end of summer, and – it’s happening. Well, if that’s the case – I manifest $10,000 hitting my bank account.

That’s not too much to ask, is it?! lol. I joke. I joke.

Seriously though, if I’m being honest – I’m scared. I know I wrote about how the Bible says “DO NOT BE AFRAID” over and over and over the other day, but I think now that it’s getting closer to us truly leaving Minnesota for good, fear had me frozen this morning as I laid in bed thinking about all the things that could go wrong.

I went through all the “what ifs”.

I think I gave myself a tension headache.

I wanted this for so long. The kids have wanted this for so long.

Minnesota is a great state, but when we moved to this small little town – we didn’t think about how everything is so far away. How long it takes to get in to see a doctor or dentist here because there’s not many. How there’s not many things for people to do out here unless you fish or hunt.

We didn’t think of any of that. We just saw a new life, and lots of beauty.

It’s going to be great to go back to IL. and have everything so close by. The stores. The food places. Varieties of everything. People we know and love. Going right around the corner and seeing so many stores and fun things to do – and not having to travel miles and hours for things as I said before.

Yet – there’s this fear inside of me that wonders if I’m making the right decision.

As the time gets closer to close our patio door one last time, and drive away from this small town for good – it’s bittersweet, and I have so many mixed emotions.

A few days ago – I was a little irritated because when I told my landlords I would like to break the lease early only because my car broke down and I have no way around right now, the wife told me that my lease goes until May of 2027, and if I break the lease early, I’d have to pay the remainder of the rent for that time period, or I’d have to find a new tenant myself. I was fine with finding a new tenant, and when I told her I’d love to stay but I have to move somewhere closer to the nearest city of back home to my state where I can get around and get to work, she said she’d talk to her husband and get back to me.

And then – I was so happy and a little sad at the same time – when she did talk to her husband, he understood and they sent me a document to sign through email – releasing me from the remainder of my lease with no fault of my own, and no consequences. 💕 The husband realizes life happens, and I realized that this is for real, and I’m actually moving long before I thought I would.

The plan was to move in May of next year, but this car issue has forced me to have no choice but to move now because of how far I am from everything. This goes back to a post I wrote the other day about everything happening for a reason. Maybe I’m supposed to move back home. Maybe God really does know what he’s doing up there, and maybe when I move back, good things will happen and all the fear and worry – will be for nothing.

So, I got out of my lease with no issues.

Yesterday, I dealt with this car issue, and I’m still torn between just fixing up this car that I am almost finished paying off, and letting it go, but if I let it go – that’s a hit to my credit, and I absolutely don’t need that when I’m trying to buy a house.

Listen. I know that:

Yet………….part of me wants to find a field in the middle of nowhere and scream!

Here’s what I do know.

I need to open my Bible.

I mentioned the other day that my good friend (Ashley) is on her journey to being closer to Jesus / God, and she keeps telling me to get back to reading my Bible, and I think she’s right. I need to.

If you want to smile…………………………………

Since I don’t have my car right now, my daughter’s friend Olivia came by yesterday and was sweet enough to drive us to pick up the U-HAUL.

I offered her gas money and dinner.

When she came by, I was on the phone – and I was about to tell my daughter she was here, but Olivia got out of her car, opened my patio door without knocking, and walked right in. She saw me on the phone, I waved at her, and she waved – as she walked right past me, walked down the hall and went to find my daughter.

I loved that.

I love when my kids’ friends feel comfortable enough to just walk in and do whatever – like they’re family. Like they live here. It means I made them feel comfortable enough to do so, and that made me smile. 🤗 I’ve always treated my kids’ friends like my own, and many of them call me “mom”, so I’m going to miss all of the ones here – that have become like my own kids.

So, as we were on the way to get the U-Haul, Olivia was talking so much about Jesus / God, the Bible, Bible stories, and schooling my daughter about things in the Bible. She and I were talking about our beliefs in religion and life when it comes to God, and I loved when she said that we may not love the sin, but God tells us we must love “the sinner”. That made me smile the most.

I had no idea that she was so into God, the Bible, and just being a good person, and when I saw that side of her yesterday, I joked that my daughter should have hung out with her more. I know Olivia. I love Olivia. I had no idea that Olivia truly believes in God and reads her Bible. I had no idea that Olivia had a cross tattooed on her forearm, or that she came from such a great family.

Her mother called her and actually checked on her, which is something I would do when my daughter is out, so I loved that as well. Not many of my daughters’ friends’ parents ever call and check on them, so that was refreshing.

Olivia and I had some great conversations over dinner as well – about politics, about God, about life, about education, and so many other things. My daughter chimed in about stuff she knew about, and I will say that Olivia is a lot more mature than most – for her age. If we were staying in Minnesota, I’d love for my daughter to hang out with her a lot more now that I know Olivia not only comes from a good family but is very much a believer in God and wants to do good in life.

I always try to make sure my kids believe in God, are good people, and do good things.

My daughter laughed when Olivia and I were talking about how we love the Lord, but we can still get crazy if we need to, how we listen to Cardi B. still, and love dark Romance books. I joked and said, “I guess we’re lucky that God loves us as much as we love him and can turn his head a little bit and pretend he doesn’t see all that”. 😁

All in all, I was grateful Olivia helped me out yesterday.

If you want to hear something funny – I wanted Biscuits and Gravy. I love B&G. My daughter wanted B&G – as well, so she ordered first, while Olivia and I were into a deep conversation about something.

I don’t even remember what, but I know the waitress asked my daughter if she wanted Sausage or Chicken for her B&G. My daughter said Chicken, and she was ordering some other stuff, so when the waitress asked what I wanted, I said “the exact same thing”, and went back to my conversation with Olivia.

So, when my B&G came and it had cheese on it and looked like a Biscuit sandwich covered in Gravy, I was confused. That is not how I wanted it, but my daughter reminded me that I said I wanted the same thing. I didn’t complain. I didn’t want to make the waitress remake it because I messed up, so I ate it and it wasn’t bad at all.

If we’re ever out together in a restaurant – DON’T TALK TO ME WHILE I’M ABOUT TO ORDER! 🤣

Olivia went home after we ate, and my daughter and I took the U-haul home.

My older son and myself – we’ll be taking things we need to throw away – to the dump this morning, coming back to load up the truck with things we need to take to storage for now, cleaning the apartment, and tonight – I may just get myself a bottle of wine and cry about the good memories we had here and the people and things I’ll miss. 🥺

Minnesota hasn’t been all bad, and we’ll be back to visit.

We promised my daughter’s good friend – Pey – that we’d come back for her graduation next year, and one of her good friends Mya – her dad said if we come back to visit – we’d still do the bonfires we always went to, and he has a camper we could stay in.

I still have many good people up here that I want to come back and see – including my tenants in the facility I work in, and the woman who saved me when I was at my lowest after my oldest passed.

Still, it is bittersweet leaving this apartment behind.

This is the last place I saw my oldest when we celebrated as she turned 21 in 2021.

We have such good memories of holidays here, and lots of love and laughter.

I also know that:

So, join me on this adventure as we go back to our home state, and start life all over again. As we make new memories back home, continue to share love and laughter, and see what IL. has in store for us this time. 💕

Life never stops changing.

I think we all know that.

Life never stops throwing curve balls our way.

I think we all know that, too!

What’s important – is that you roll with the punches, catch those curveballs, and turn them into something that makes you happy in the end. What’s important – is that you don’t give up, and that you use humor to deal with whatever you’re going through. What’s important – is that you see the beauty in whatever happens and take it as either lessons or blessings.

……………….I have to go jump in the shower, eat something and get ready to head to the dump in a bit, so I love all of you, and hope you have a beautiful day! 🤗

Before I get out of here – if you want to giggle – out in Chicago, we can throw almost anything in the alley, and the garbage men are going to pick it right up and take it. Whatever they don’t take – we have junk guys who go around picking up huge items from the alley, and either take them to get scraped for money, or throw them elsewhere.

Here in Minnesota, I was surprised when we first moved here and I had to ask what the hell “the Dump” was. We can’t just throw things in alleys or anywhere here.

Bigger items that can’t be thrown into the garbage bin – go to the dump, and I’ve only been there once, but it was so cool.

You go in, pay $20 depending on what you have, and it’s this huge facility where a bunch of guys separate everything, or tell you where to put things you want to throw away.

The things that go in the grinder – they’ll say, “Toss it in there!”.

We threw so many things into the grinder, and I stood there in awe – looking over the side and watching the grinder tear apart and shred the items we threw in there.

My older son laughed and told me if I didn’t back up, I was going to accidentally go over and see the grinder up close, but it was the coolest thing. I’ve never seen anything like that before, so when we go back today – I’m going to enjoy seeing it again.

It’s not hard to keep me entertained, okay?! ha.

XOXO

💕Shel💕

Do Not Be Afraid.

What is your favorite quote?

“DO NOT BE AFRAID”.

I don’t know if this would just be a sentence and saying or an actual quote, but I try to always remember this in everything I do that makes me worried, nervous, scared, etc.

DO NOT BE AFRAID – is written in the Bible many times. I’ve heard it’s written over 365 times, but some say the regular version of the Bible has it written between 70-110 times.

It doesn’t matter how many times it’s written, the Bible repeats it over and over in many chapters and verses.

I’ve actually thought about getting it tattooed on me. 🩵

I think when we’re dealing with difficult situations, choices, problems, and people – that have us feeling anxious and all of the above, it’s hard not to be afraid or wonder what’s going to happen. It’s hard not to fear that everything won’t work out, and we forget that God is in control up there.

It’s hard not to fear the unknown when we have tough things or people to face, but I’ve learned to follow DO NOT BE AFRAID, and add that to my mindset no matter what I’m going through or dealing with.

This is just one of many times it appears in the Good book.

This has become my favorite saying / sentence / quote, and I live by it!

I think we all should.

🥰

I have nothing for you today.

I just wanted to come here and answer this WP prompt.

Today, we’ll just be packing and getting everything ready for our move in a few days.

I can say that this is the perfect example of being worried, nervous, anxious, and afraid, and having to put that (DO NOT BE AFRAID) into play.

I think any big move makes people feel this way, and I just have to know that the Good Lord is in control and will guide us. ❤️

I LOVE YOU and hope you all have the best day!

😴Shel😴