Finally got away from an abusive parent. Years of stuff to work through and it's going to take time to feel comfortable again but I'll be ok. To those in similar worlds, it can get better.

Back in March, I casually answered a post on the internet asking what you would buy if you had $500 but couldn't spend it on anything you needed.

I had seen these covers earlier in the year, but there was no way I could afford them. I made an offhand comment about how I would get these "because they're pretty and I want to be pretty too".

Out of many people offering various suggestions, a very kind and generous gentleman from America sent me the money (with his wife's approval) to cover the purchase of these Izzy Wheels covers, which are made to order in Europe. It took a while, but they finally made their way to me in New Zealand!

I love them so much! Not only are they super fun, but I no longer get my fingertips caught in the spokes every now and then.

The driver was a former club-level soccer player in Haiti and couldn’t have been any nicer to my kid. Still had some great moves and took the time to show my 8-year-old some new skill moves. What a great moment he will remember forever.

I'm hoping he'll be able to fly tomorrow.

Lately I’ve been struggling with my difference in weight and appearance, wanting to go back to being underweight. But I try to look and remind myself that I felt terrible in the before pic and could barely function. Can’t say I’m a whole lot happier right now but it’s also hard to see the light within the dark. I did the thing and I did it on my own!

I’ve been an amputee for four years. Traditional prosthetic sockets would not work well for me, I was able use them for maximum 30 mins. That led me to use wheelchair most of the time. However, I have the same disease in my hands that I have in my feet and my hands have been getting worse the last year. By the time I was up for surgery I was practically stuck in bed with sore stumps and painful hands. This surgery will most likely lead to me being able to walk ALL the time. It’s like a dream, a painful and wonderful dream. It’s called osseointegration and is basically hammering a titanium implant into the bone which I will be able to attach prosthetics to. I’ll be trying my feet on in only two weeks!

Meet Captain Ruben and his son, First Officer Ruben. Captain Ruben flew with Southwest for nearly 31 years and inspired his family to pursue their dreams of flying too. Not only did his son spend his whole life working to become a Pilot, but his brother and cousin are now Southwest Pilots too! Captain Ruben shared many flights with his family before retirement, including his last flight from Omaha, Neb., to Chicago (Midway) with his son serving in the right-hand seat as his First Officer. Congrats, Captain Ruben, on your well-earned retirement.

Today, I celebrate 4 years of sobriety from alcohol. It’s been a long journey, and I still occasionally crave alcohol, but life is beautiful, I have two cats and a wonderful partner - things I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t given up drinking. I'm not saying alcohol is bad, I'm saying I can't partake in it because it negatively affects my health.

If you’re one of those people who would say, "I'd drink to that," please pour yourself some bourbon whiskey because that was my drink of choice. Sometimes, I miss the burning sensation and the numbness, but life doesn’t have to be like that. If you’re currently struggling, hang in there - it gets better.

In my first year of sobriety, I had the opportunity to return to one of my jobs from before my downfall, and this time, I left on good terms. In my second year, I bought a boat and am currently fixing it up. In my third year, my partner and I adopted a bonded pair of cats. In my fourth year, I adopted a Husky mix from my stepsister after she said the dog was too much for her lifestyle. I love Maya the Husky, and she’s the dog I used to dream of when I was locked up during the pandemic.

Life is so beautiful. I’ve learned that I can’t drink alcohol - it’s not worth the cost of losing everything. There’s help available if you’re really seeking it, but ultimately, you have to make the choice not to give in to temptation.

I was 15, living in Norway, and was really into computer games. I met a guy from Amsterdam through Steam (a computer game platform). We became really good friends and played games or watched movies over voice calls together almost every day for a few years. Time passed, and we slowly grew out of our regular routine of playing video games. We continued to stay in contact through Facebook. I ended up moving to the East Coast USA 11 years ago, and then moved to California in 2022. My friend's partner grew up in California, and I received news last Thursday that they had just arrived in California to visit her family. It turns out that they were only an hour away! After convincing my wife that I had to meet this guy, we planned a day trip to Joshua Tree.

My grandparents started dating as freshmen in high school and we got to surprise them the other day with a huge party with their lifelong friends and family after 50 years together. My grandma is my best friend and it’s such an honor to be a part of her love story.

I admit a mini cat living room is a bit much for 2 cats, but every eye-roll and "you've lost your mind" comment from my husband and sons is 100% worth it when I see one of the 2 lounging in here. It just cracks me up. Every. Damn. Time. This is BB, she's 4 months old.