Photo by Mathieu Turle via Unsplash I mentioned in my last post that financial challenges have been far more difficult for me to deal with than anything Scott ever put me through. It’s a ripple affect…Scott’s illness affects his ability to work. Which leaves me to be the primary breadwinner. Except, I have a child and a chronically ill husband to care for. I’m not going to get too much into my financial business, but I’ll just say it’s complicated. On paper, we are living in the red zone of the poverty line. Living in poverty is not easy, and once you’re there, it’s nearly impossible to get o ..read more

https://www.pexels.com/@jplenio/ Sabbatical:   sab·bat·i·cal | \ sə-ˈba-ti-kəl  \ variants: or less commonly sabbatic \ sə-ˈba-tik  \ (lowercase) any extended period of leave from one’s customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.   Matthew 11:28 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.   With COVID, the whole world got to experience something akin to what I’ve been living for 16-17 years. I don’t want to minimize profound losses, illness ..read more

Powered by Unsplash I don’t know about you, but 2022 has been quite a year for our family thus far!   In early 2022, I started a podcast. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I was quite proud of myself for following through with it! The idea was to “chronicle” our story and give a more detailed account of our lives and marriage with mental illness. I had it all planned out. I had a schedule, I had seasons and episodes (including bonus episodes) laid out, and a guest list for when I was ready to start interviews. I even launched it with a video. I got through a handful of e ..read more

That title pretty much sums up everything that has been going on around here!!! Let me explain: Podcasting I finally got a new episode out, after 2 months since the last one. If you’ve read my last couple of entries, you know that life has been full of challenges lately. I think things have settled down a bit to where I can finally get back to producing episodes, and continue unfolding our epic journey. I don’t know if there are any podcasting “rules” out there, or formulas or whatnot. I know that I personally enjoy listening to podcasts. I like the ones that unfold a true story over the cour ..read more

https://unsplash.com/@helloimnik Well, like the proverbial roller coaster analogy, this past March was full of ups and downs in my household. On the mental health front, Scott was hospitalized for about a week, due to escalating symptoms. As far as mental health crises and hospitalizations go, this one actually went quite smoothly. Went to the ER, got an evaluation, Scott went willingly and voluntarily to an inpatient facility, stayed 5 days, got treated, and then released. We’ve followed up with the therapist, the psychiatrist, and he has already had one medication adjustment post-hospitaliz ..read more

Photo by Chris de Tempe on Unsplash My tagline for this site and my podcast is “adventures of a family navigating mental illness and more”. There seems to never be a dull moment in our family, for sure! We might be small with only the 3 of us, but life is most definitely an adventure.   I have had every intention to be consistent with releasing episodes of my podcast. My goal was to release one episode a week. And for a while, I was able to do that. I haven’t figured out how to record ahead of time or pre-record episodes and schedule them. I’ve been releasing them in real time.   Bu ..read more

Photo courtesy Somruthai Keawjan via Unsplash I believe living life in the shadow of a serious mental illness, whether one’s own or a loved one’s, requires a special skill set. It’s not for the faint of heart. My household may be small. It’s just me, Scott, and Jasmyne in a tiny, messy 2 bedroom apartment. I call it our “Happy Hovel”, since the word “hovel” means a small, disorganized dwelling. Yup, that about sums it up. Materially and financially, we live pretty simply. But, we have our needs met. We have a TV, internet, we have our musical instruments, we have clothes, food…we each have o ..read more

Whew!!! February has been a blur! I can’t believe it is already almost over. Life has been hectic, but good in my household. How about yours?? Black History So, in case you have not noticed, I am a black woman. I am a very proud black woman, and I love my culture and heritage, and opportunities that are presented to me to take part in and/or celebrate. The early part of this month, I was able to do just that, by performing with the Colour of Music Festival in Charleston, SC. As I said in an earlier post, my life as a musician is an integral part of who I am and what I do. It’s also an import ..read more

It’s here! Just released…the Simpkins Family Chronicles Podcast! https://unsplash.com/@othentikisra I’ve been wanting to do a podcast for awhile. I thought it would be the best medium to be more personable and connect more with audiences. Plus, who doesn’t love a good podcast??! I’ve listened to my fair share, and they are great for when you’re doing dishes, going for walks, or long drives. So I figured, maybe someone out there would like to hear MY family’s crazy story on their 6 hour drive to Somewhere. Why not?? Vision I have a vision for this podcast. For Season 1, I will be laying out ..read more

I have had it in my heart now for almost a year to start a podcast, and get more in depth with our story. For many reasons, 2021 just wasn’t the year. But, it seems that 2022 is!! Definitely part of my “new for ‘22” theme! Now that I’ve posted about it, I guess that means I’m really doing it!!! I am stepping WAAYYY out of my comfort zone for this…I have NO idea what I’m doing, but I hope you will join me on the journey!! Stay tuned for more information!!! Embed Block Add an embed URL or code. Learn more Video Block Double-click here to add a video by URL or embed code. Learn more ..read more