Author: Jen Rios

Just Sayin’ 😂😂😂

I was gifted a handicapped accessible van a while ago and today, it died. My Mom is pretty upset about it but seeing that I am the one who insures it I’m not really upset. I don’t go any where anyway! She found out it had died when she tried to start it to go to a doctor’s appointment. She was able to call them and reschedule for a virtual appointment tomorrow.

I posted this memory on Facebook today:

I remember being really excited when I saw this post last year! I had NOT been teaching for a few years and I had not taught this lesson in over a decade since I taught seventh grade English. I was completely reminded of my “Apple Tasting” lesson.

This “Apple Tasting” lesson was born one fall when I rolled into my School leader’s Office and told him that, “I want to take my kids (students) to the apple orchard to get donuts.”He was messing with papers at his desk and when I said that to him, he didn’t even look up and just said, “Work it into your curriculum.“ I was so excited to hear that and I want to work to find a way to tie it into what I was teaching.

In sixth grade, the students at the time were taught a unit about, “Fantasy, tall tales, and legends“ (Or something like that because my friend taught sixth grade English and she told me about it) I chose to revisit that lesson in part by showing them the cartoon I remember seeing when I was a kid about Johnny Appleseed. I tied an adjective lesson into it by having my students describe different types of apples.

I would get them from Westborn fruit market and they were beautiful! I would get about eight different kinds to have them describe The different taste of each apple. I loved this lesson because so many of my kids did not know there were so many different types of apples. And they got to eat a piece of fruit and then they talked with their table and I would have volunteers call out their best adjective that their group came up with.

It was like a five day lesson that culminated with a trip to the airport sure where, YOU GUESSED IT, donuts! And I also was able to get some cider as well!

I think it is fortuitous that that memory showed up on Facebook today and the exact day that my handicapped accessible van died. Looks like I will need someone to bring me some donuts and cider from an apple orchard! I like the cinnamon/sugar donuts and the sugared almonds are my favorite! I think that would be a great drink to have while I watch Hocus Pocus!

just sayin’! 😂😂😂

#MyGirlL: A Sweet Routine

Leia has been doing some thing for the past few days. It’s actually a really sweet routine! Yesterday, my Mom and laughed about it.

I didn’t yell out as much when she transferred me in the hallway but Leia still heard us struggling and ran to the doorway to see what’s going on and to offer her help! She’s so cute!

I love that she is eager to help and I only wish that she could!

My 2 Fave Parts

Today was my third time watching this movie this October and I have decided I have two favorite parts:

Fvorite part #1

And then there’s Favorite part #2/

Sean asked me last year why I watch that movie so much. I told him that I watch it because when I see it, I am 11 years Old again! These two scenes DEFINITELY take me back to that time!

Hits Differently Now

I texted Sean this morning when I woke up to tell him, “T-30.” Because 30 days from now, he will be 20 years old! I have to say that this seriously hits differently now!

When I was 20 years old, I had a four-month-old sitting on my lap (Sean) as my Parents sang me happy birthday. I told Sean about that and our 20 year old birthdays are going to be different.

I know the thing that hits differently now is that I have had this song in my head for a while:

I’ll tell you now that, ”Alive” is NOT a word I would use to describe myself now… but I have a movie to watch now.

October 2021 Faves

I remember this song came out just before we moved into our first apartment. Early on, I remember that my maintenance guy was working on my furnace in the laundry room next to my kitchen and I think I was grading papers at my table or something. He sang this song loud because it was getting a lot of radio play like then. His voice sounded like a nice tenor and he had a somewhat southern twang to it. We became friends and during my first year living in our apartment, his dad died.

He left the company and was no longer the building manager When we were living in our second apartment but we still talked. The last time I saw him in our second apartment, my Dad had just died. I looked at them with pleading eyes and asked, “Does it ever get any better?”

I remember he returned my gaze and looked directly into my eyes it’s soberly and matter-of-factly said, “No.” I remember groaning when he said that but he’s NOT wrong!

And, this one I FINALLY caught on the first day of October!:

Bono’s Voice

I listened to my Apple Music playlist again as I brushed my teeth last night. I heard this song and was immediately taken back to my freshman year at Western! As I listened to the words last night, 20 years later, this song is different for me now. Back when the song first came out these were the lyrics I really dug!:

Of course these words made sense to a bright eyed college freshman!:

but then my diagnosis had started catching up to me as I was facing my life as a single mother:

And these words got me through it! To be called “Darling” and “Baby,” but I heard something different last night:

So this song was written for me specifically but this is what I heard yesterday that made me cry because I was not jumping either but here we are. Looking at 21 years of having this disease and it is difficult!

And I hear Bono saying this to me now:

So, I have been having a difficult time as of late but Bono’s voice has been keeping me sane





Since 2009 Part 2: The Explanation

I recorded the Buccaneers and Rams game. I saw the final score on Sunday but I didn’t watch the game until yesterday. This morning I watched the Terry Bradshaw interview with Matthew Stafford. I’m going to put it here as a reference for you all if you did not see it:

I first became a Detroit Lions fan at this time:

This was a picture from Sean‘s first year playing peewee football for the Dearborn Lions. When I saw their first game, it was just a bunch of little kids pushing each other. I was a big football fan in high school and I knew all of the positions (because I was dating the quarterback) but it had been a while since I knew what the positions were. I couldn’t figure out watching the kids play so I started watching the Detroit Lions to get a better feel of the game. This was in 2009. The year that Matthew Stafford started playing for Detroit.

I really got into it because my son was playing so I needed to understand the game and I immediately had a super big crush on Matthew Stafford! I was extremely saddened when he was traded! The trade really put things into perspective for me and I didn’t know who my team would be after that. I don’t recognize any of the Lion’s players now which bothers me. I watched the first Rams game and saw the highlights from the second game. A programmed my DVR to record the box and rams.

Frankly, I’m a bit overwhelmed that my man won! I sent this text to Sean and two friends from high school.

Sean responded with these texts:

I knew it would be a good game but I needed to wait to watch it. I watched it yesterday and before I did, I saw tweets from GMFB because —#MSsucks! So I can no longer watch it live and live tweet them during the show but instead I will see the tweets later in the day. Before I watch the game, I saw this:

I remembered when Golden Tate said that Matthew Stafford was the best quarterback that he received passes from and that was after he had played with Russell Wilson! I knew that he had it in him! One friend from high school texted me this:



I have always liked Kurt Warner! To see this comparison kind of overwhelmed me and I texted it to my other friend. Here was his response to me :

This friend has known that I have loved Matthew Stafford the whole time and had tons of faith in him! To see it come to fruition it’s a bit overwhelming as well but also a little sad that he couldn’t do that for us here in Detroit!

#MyGirlL: How Can I Help?!

So, last night when my Mom was transferring me back into my wheelchair for the last time, my left leg sometimes will get caught between my leg rests and it hurts!

Here’s the thing, transferring can be extremely tricky seeing that my Mom and me are the same height! She can’t see you over my shoulder to see where my legs are. So she just pushes me into the chair and I have my arms around her neck and sometimes a yell out when it hurts!

So, she transferred me for the last time probably about 1:30 in the morning (DON’T judge us!) she had already put Leia’s bed Sean‘s room to go to sleep. (That’s where my Mom sleeps now) But when #MyGirlL heard me yell out in pain, she got out of her bed and ran to the doorway of the room to see what was going on in the hallway where my Mom was transferring me.

She looked expectantly at us as if to say, “How can I help?! I looked at her and chuckled. I said some thing like, “Ih baby, I am okay.” My mom kind of laughed too and how sweet it was that she came out to see what was going on. I think it’s crazy that I never knew that I would love a dog so much! Because #MyGirlL is so sweet!