Hi there! I’m Susan,

and I am the voice behind The Nickel Jar.

I’m the 4th of 5 kids, all with “S” names. Why?! I guess my parents thought it would be cute… or confusing?! (And since I know you’re dying to know — in birth order → Stevan, Sandra, Scott, Susan, Stuart.)

These days, I’m a wife and mom, a special needs advocate, and an expert juggler of all the things — from managing Big Brother’s competitive travel soccer team while also managing a team of 10 international employees (Shanghai → Boulder!) for one of the largest med tech companies in the world… to all the life stuff in between! Yes, it’s as exhausting as it sounds, but I wouldn’t trade it.

When I’m not working or carpooling stinky teenage soccer boys around the Mid-South, you’ll find me with my nose in a book (or a book in my ears — yes, audio books count as reading, and I will die on that hill!), journaling during the brrrr! months, and gardening in the spring and summer. However, being born and raised in the South and on SEC football (RTR, y’all!), soaking in the crisp beauty and smells of fall during football season is my absolute favorite.

I’ll gladly take in any stray dog I find, but I will not — under any circumstances — provide the same act of kindness for a cat. I said what I said.

I have no chill – I move fast, I eat fast, I talk fast. I’m loud — full stop. That trait is born out of necessity when you’re the 4th of 5 kids (prove me wrong). I’ve never been accused of not being heard. I love words and grammar and will forever champion the use of the Oxford comma, and cringe a little inside every time I hear someone say “irregardless.” And much to my mother’s chagrin, I have a mouth that could make a trucker blush. They are called sentence enhancers in our house and the only rule is, as long as they are used responsibly, i.e., they aren’t being slung at someone, do as you will.

This blog is my coin jar — a place to share the nickels of wisdom, frustration, joy, and humor I’ve picked up while raising two wildly different boys: Aiden, my self-starting, high-achieving, soccer-loving firstborn, and Eli, my joyful warrior navigating autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more acronyms than anyone should ever have to manage.

Stick around for a bit and take a peek inside our messy, loud, busy, and often hilarious life. My hope is that you’ll find pieces of your own story here — and maybe even drop a few ‘nickels’ of your own into the jar.

Susan