Help! Send Coffee!

A watercolor illustration of a French press filled with brewed coffee, alongside two coffee beans. The French press has a glass body, a metallic lid with a round knob, and a black handle. The background is a warm beige color, complementing the brown tones of the coffee and beans.

Welcome to Help! Send Coffee!

In 2018, when I was 37, I went through a divorce. I became a single mom to an incredible 10 year old girl after basically being a single mom in my marriage as well. It felt like life started over at that point – and in a way it did. Not only did I go through a divorce, I moved my daughter and I to a smaller condo (that I bought all by myself!), and had to change jobs after the funding for the position I was in ran out. It was an adventure of self-discovery, for sure. But my daughter and I pulled through it all, stronger and more in tune with who we are as people.

Though the COVID-19 shutdowns were really difficult on us, we pulled through that too. I was fortunate that I was able to do my job 100% remotely and be home with my middle-schooler during that time without fear of losing my job. I took up streaming Tabletop Roleplaying Games and met a lot of amazing people building a community that way.

In 2022, as the world emerged from COVID, I met a wonderful man through the TTRPG world. We got married in 2024 in a small, lovely ceremony. He embraced me and my daughter wholly, and has been 100% supportive of all of my crazy ideas and endeavors – like presenting at very large gaming conventions!

Here we are in 2025, and my latest crazy adventure that truly is like starting life over again. My daughter is a Junior in high school, his two kids are both in college. What better time for me to go back to school to get my Masters degree, right??

Classes start on March 24, 2025 and I’m going for an MS in Human Resource Management. It may seem like a weird direction for me to go, but here’s how I settled on HRM as a career choice:
In 2012, I worked in a career center. Though my job was ultimately helping TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) recipients get back to work, it got me thinking about the possibility of HR as a career field, and how HR can be an ally to employees. In 2018, I took a job at a large non-profit in my state as a training coordinator, and eventually training manager. This position reported to the director of Human Resources. Working with this person was eye opening. I was able to see exactly what HR should be – a resource for the employees. While there are absolutely challenges that come with the area, I believe this is an area I can do the most good. Working with this organization also allowed me to discover that I am a passionate DEI accomplice, advocate, and ally. I want to work in the area of HR in order to help organizations develop inclusive policies and create welcoming workspaces for everyone. I recognize this is going to be even harder now, given the current political landscape of the United States.

On top of all of this, I enjoy TTRPG and video games, knitting, photography, audio books, going to gaming conventions, hanging out with my husband and our three daughters (when we can get them all in the same place… otherwise hanging out with mine is pretty rad too!), traveling, and just relaxing with my cats and bunny. So, all of this to say – life is busy, and that’s okay. But if anyone wants to send me some coffee, I’d appreciate the extra caffeine!