“I’ve had a lot of loss the past few years. My dad died of COVID in January. My mom passed away two years before that. They were married for 48 years and only had to spend one Valentine’s Day apart. Both of them were teachers. My mom saw the people that others overlooked. My dad was a coach and mentor to many young men. My story is about them because they meant so much to me. I got this necklace made after they passed. These are pictures of them when they met at college at Montevallo.

This birthday is my first milestone without both of them. It’s hard, but I wanted to bring some fun and joy back to my life. I am doing a birthday photoshoot at the Fairhope pier because this place is special to me, and I have good memories with my kids here. My funds ran out before all of my birthday adventures did, but friends are coming in this weekend to help me celebrate.

I went through a lot in my 20s. I was a single mom and went to nursing school with a baby. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family. My brother and I are single parents. We live next door to each other and co-parent our grandmother and our kids together.

My daughter graduates in two years. I might try travel nursing and see the country or go back to school and become a nurse practitioner. There will be a lot of changes in the next ten years, but they have to be better than the last two.”