Onto the video. 😆

This is a short one ( less than 4 min ) - about a specific "problem" I solved for a client.

When I was a math teacher, I always made sure to differentiate my lessons so I could reach different learning styles. Similarly, when folks visit a website, some don't mind live communication, while others prefer to fill out a form.

In this video, I walk through how I used a new-to-me tool to respect my client's preferred method of communication while also (possibly) opening the door to a wider range of potential customers. 😅

Video:

Bloopers:

In order to receive feedback from Tube Feed Tracker users, I’ve shared my contact information in the about section - but I had no way to reach them with updates. Solution: I put together a message board within the web app with the assistance of Breeze, one of Laravel’s start kits.

It uses Laravel and PHP on the backend, with Eloquent ORM for database management, and Blade templates and Tailwind CSS on the front end.

For local development on Herd I’m using SQLite for simplicity’s sake, but once deployed to Laravel Cloud it uses PostgresSQL.

At the moment I am the only administrator (because I disabled public registration). There’s full CRUD message management, I am able to schedule a message, and it all looks nice and simple thanks to Tailwind.

The messages are also color coded by category, depending on whether it’s an updated feature, a tip, general update, or something about maintenance.

Side note! I am not familiar with Alpine.js but got to know it a little better thanks to Laravel Breeze. It’s an easy enough JavaScript framework that handles the small interactions like the dropdown and mobile hamburger menus. I didn’t need to bust out any React at all!

Anyone dedicated to using the Tube Feed Tracker daily would benefit from these announcements - maybe I need to explain a new feature, provide video guidance, etc…so what if I was able to text subscribers whenever an update was posted? Enter Twilio.

I’m getting ahead of myself a bit because technically I am still waiting for my Twilio phone number to be approved for registration, but I set up debug logging that allowed me to see that the messages may in fact be working.

Make a Twilio account and get your SID, Auth Token, and phone number. Those go into a .env file as well as your custom environmental variable if you are hosting elsewhere, like Laravel Cloud.

I then installed Twilio’s PHP SDK and added Twilio’s Rest\Client import statement to my Message Controller. I added the sendSMS() function, which is private because it’s only used internally and no other parts of the app need to call it directly. And in order to create the message content, I also added
$this->sendSMS($message->title, $message->message);
to the store function.

The Subscriber Controller and Subscriber table were made with Laravel’s Artisan commands. It is where user’s numbers would be stored once they input their data and opt into subscribing to the alerts. It’s also how I input my own information (after a failed seeder attempt) so I could test run the system. The subscriber form was just a simple Blade template.

Importing the Log Facade allowed me to debug log, which is how I was able to see that the messages were sending properly, even though I wasn’t receiving anything. Let’s troubleshoot that.

I hit up the Twilio dashboard to see that it failed because my brand new number is not registered yet - whoops! I have to wait about a week or so for A2P campaign to be approved for registration. But! Based on the logs, supposedly it will all work out nicely. I’ll check back to let you know!

You know when your kid gets a Christmas gift, and before they can even touch it you have to snip a million wires, cut plastic ties, peel back mystery tape, twist those impossible little fasteners, and somehow there is still one more piece holding it in the box?!

Laravel Cloud is not that.

Spin up a project with a starter kit like Breeze, push it to GitHub, log into Laravel Cloud, click “new application,” connect your repo, and BOOM. Merry Lara-mas! You are basically launched.

Sure, you’ll click through a database setup or two (and please hit Save or Save & Deploy…trust me). But compared to assembling holiday toys with a 5 year old breathing down your neck? This is a breath of fresh, fully-charged, batteries-already-included, no-wires-twist-ties-or-tape air.

Whether you’re starting a brand-new app or bringing an existing Laravel project over, Laravel Cloud makes deployment feel wonderfully simple.

But don’t forget your actual batteries for Christmas day. Le sigh. :)

Within the Laravel ecosystem you have three options:

Forge:

A very hands-on approach. With Forge, you manage the server, configuration, scaling, and customization. GoldiLaravel thought this chair felt a little too soft and squishy. Too much control for her liking. But for a developer with server management experience, predictable traffic, and a desire to tune infrastructure directly, Forge may be the perfect fit.

Vapor:

Vapor is a serverless deployment platform built on AWS. You package and deploy your app and AWS handles compute, scaling, and runtime for you. This chair was far too firm for GoldiLaravel. Powerful, but rigid and less customizable.

However, if you are building something that could scale dramatically, prefer pay-as-you-go cost models, and are comfortable in AWS-land, Vapor might be your favorite seat at the table.

Laravel Cloud:

Push your code, Cloud handles the rest. Web servers, load balancing, databases, scaling, billing only for what you use…it’s practically a heated recliner. With easy GitHub integration, auto-scaling, and infrastructure done for you? GoldiLaravel sank right into this cozy spot. She deserves that nice little chair nap.

Laravel Cloud vs Forge vs Vapor

So if you are deciding between Forge, Cloud, and Vapor, you might feel exactly how GoldiLaravel felt - weighing control, convenience, and scalability on her journey to launch her Perfect Porridge Pursuit web app. She just wants to get it live, gather feedback from porridge lovers everywhere, and iterate accordingly.

Hi, friends! I've been actively interviewing, attending conferences, and even gave my very first talk last week. Routines are back in place: 4am Club is happening, 5am gym, work, and family time. We'll make the new job magic happen soon. 🤞

Huge shout out and thank you to MagnoliaJS for allowing me to dip my toes into conference speaker life. The food was amazing, as promised, and everyone was so kind and supportive. Let's talk about the venue - an art museum??? Very unique and a lovely escape - adored the vibe. I am endlessly grateful for such a wonderful first experience. Even if I had to stand on a box (again). ha! :)

My talk meandered around the topic of shipping your MVP early and iterating along the way. I love having takeaways when I attend a talk, so I weaved 6 steps that might help someone "ship it first and fix it later." Step one was identifying a problem, and I went real deep into that portion of the talk. It included videos of my medically complex son, his struggles, and what led me to discovering the "problem." I tried to incorporate some humor along with the serious bits, and then got into the technical aspect of the web app and how I created a solution with VanillaJS...and eventually upgraded the web app with React, NextJS, Typescript, Tailwind, and OpenAI.

I'd like to watch the recording and reorganize things a bit, as well as expanding on the technical piece. While I loved the range of emotions (and it seemed like the audience responded accordingly) I want to tighten it up for sure.

Please feel free to offer constructive criticism if you happened to catch the talk or the recording. ❤️

#medicalmom #momswhocode #magnoliaconf #womenintech

[[shout out to the event photographer, ramsey, chappell. i borrowed a couple of her image previews from IG - chris and i and the 4-speaker shots against the white wall]]

I went to CYC last year and had the best time, made new friends, great connections, and networked my butt off. 😅
This year was HUGE. Things felt so different. It was a reunion with friends, supporting their wonderful talks, after hours events, and an interview in the mix (!!). I don't think I will ever forget #CYC25.

Some of my favorite moments:
❤️ Squeezing my friends. The. Best.
❤️ Hanging out with a very specific discord group. 💜 Meeting some members IRL for the first time, spending longer periods of time with others I'd only met briefly. Giant hugs, handstands, repeat outfits, so much laughter. 🤣
❤️ The Torc pre-conf dinner was perfection. The people, atmosphere, food, drinks. This group has definitely made an impact on my journey, and it was so great to joke with them IN PERSON.
❤️ Seeing my #100devs family everywhere! Specifically my wonderful coach and mentor, Leon. I will always cherish those karaoke nights!
❤️ Footbowling?? Football bowling?? With crazy competitive friends. 🤣
❤️ Late nights filled with great conversations/jokes/laughter.
❤️ Harassing a hard-working friend in a soundproof booth...
❤️ Burgers and fries with a certain "internet dad" like we didn't just meet for the first time at CYC '24 almost a year ago.
❤️ Sharing bracelets!
❤️ And so many more! 🥹

I am so grateful for the communities that overlap, learn, support each other, and hangout at CYC. Thanks for the wonderful memories, Danny!
Best summer camp - I mean tech conference - ever!

It’s a dream of mine to give a conference talk entitled “From Trolling to Tech.”
👹 😜

While that’s not the title of this particular talk, I am so incredibly honored to have been selected. This one is more meaningful. ❤️

Soon I will be able to say I went from trolling to tech. Mark my words! 😂

#womenintech #magnoliaconf 🎃

She thanked me for my web app. HOW COOL IS THAT?! 🥹 🥹 🥹

I've shared the Tube Feed Tracker with tubie communities in the past and their words of encouragement and excitement really motivated me to keep on this journey into tech.

Usually there's too much going on to let the "bad thoughts" in, but it happens to the best and busiest of us.

Then comes someone who found the Tube Feed Tracker organically and found me on socials to send me a thank you message. 🥹 😁

I sent her the updated version for her thoughts and input.
((The demo for v2 is pinned on my profile and in the comments below. ❤️))

How did this timing workout so perfectly after yesterday’s post? A sign!
And not a tardy one this time. iykyk 😆🤣🤣

#momswhocode #problemsolver

The entire month of August has been nonstop and it finally made me sick. Literally - my immune system said "you better chill out or I will chill you out," and then it dropped its walls and I got a dang cold. 🤣

Anyway, I am a huge fan of absorbing information via multiple sources, like tutorials, podcasts, books, and builds. (sorry, no beets, bears or battlestar galactica 😆 ) While catching up on some key Laravel Podcast episodes from season 4, I heard a quote that really felt like a punch in the gut.

((Here's the edited version so that it relates to a broader audience.))

“Some people…manage to be friends with the upper tier of…developers but they don’t have the code, the packages, the work that happens the rest of the year to…back it up. Now it’s fine to be friends with anybody and there shouldn’t be this developer elite status and the rest of the- it’s not like that. I want to be someone that’s putting in the work too all year…so that…I’ve earned my place at the table instead of just being there because I make good jokes.” - Caleb Porzio via the Laravel Podcast with Matt Stauffer

I know I am a goofball. You probably do, too. 😜 It kinda throws some folks off my newbie scent. There comes a point when being entertaining is not enough. While I am not trying to reach the "upper-tier," I do want to contribute more than a fun callback or play on words.

In October of last year I told myself - and all of Twitter - that 2025 would be about building. 2025 seriously brought some amazing opportunities, but I've stuck to my building goal and even shared some of my progress. Most recently, thanks to the Laravel community, I made a lovely new friend that is also a wonderful mentor, and we've got a really cool web app in the works! Brought to you by a frustrating situation my family experienced recently. You know me, always the problem solver!

For anyone concerned that I'm going to become ultra serious and boring, I will continue to make you laugh (chuckle? smile? at least type "lol"??), but hopefully from the grown-up table next time. 🤓

P.S. I am so lucky to have the support of friends, family members, and tech communities. Like incredibly lucky. Thank you all. ❤️

((Pictured below: the first day I started feeling crappy, during a 4am study sesh.))

Who wants another back to school post?! Ew, I know. But I am back to work, and the kids are back to school, and we are chugging along, adjusting to our ridiculous routines. 😅

As a former math teacher I love problem solving, and providing for low-socio-economic status kiddos has always been top priority. My most recent creation was a quick and dirty Laravel web app that helps teachers combine all their wish lists and donation links on a customized landing page. This makes it easier for community members to easily contribute to a classroom and its students.

Oh and the whole "batteries included" Laravel expression is no joke. You can really bust out a sleek and fully functional web app in no time. 😍

Something new that I am doing is volunteering with the Houston Area Suicide Prevention Coalition. We're working on resdesigning some of their webpages and it's been an eye opening experience in many ways. 💜

I hope y'all are doing well. Special shout out to my friends, family, and community members who have been so supportive and kind during the different parts of this journey. ❤️

#buildinpublic #womenintech #opentowork #momswhocode

My friend Leah Thompson is a wonderful role model - well except the whole Ranch thing. (JK LOVE YOU) 🤣

Even before she got her job at Laravel, Leah’s been influencing people to build with Laravel. So between Leah and Jason (more of a questionable influence than role model - KIDDING) going on and on about Laravel, I’ll admit I’ve been working my way through Laracasts.

About a month ago Leah sent me a scholarship application for a ticket to Laracon and I was...intrigued. It took me a couple days to gather the confidence to shoot my shot in this brand new Larena (see what I did there? lol), but I did it, and was selected to receive one of the four scholarship tickets from Tighten! I also got to chat with the nicest humans, CEO of Tighten, Matt Stauffer, who gave me all the tips on navigating Laracon successfully. (Thank you!!)

I was lucky enough to arrive in Denver bright and early so I could hang out with James Q Quick and gang before everything got rolling. Then some RiNo wandering and the Mostly Technical pre-party, where I got to meet and chat with so many new faces! It was wonderful and overwhelming and I loved all of it.

Over the next couple days I learned so much. Thank goodness I had reviewed beforehand (shout out to Laracasts and the Laravel Podcast) because I was able to grasp a lot more than I expected. The talks were informative and hilarious, Aaron Francis was such a great emcee, and the sponsor hall was full of the sweetest folks. I kept returning to a handful of tables because they felt like a safe space - especially the Tighten booth of course! The community was just as amazing and welcoming as promised.

One of the most surreal moments was going backstage during a break to deliver a thank you gift and being invited on stage to take photos - the Laracon stage was enormous!

On the final night of the conf, I met the Larabelles crew! It was such a fun event with the coolest belles of the Lara-ball. Grateful for all of the female friendships in a predominantly male space.

Afterward a few of us ended the night at a Speakeasy that was hidden inside an ice cream shop. How cool is that?! While I appreciated all of the newness I experienced at Laracon, it was nice to end the trip with the cozy and familiar faces of old friends. ❤️

#Laracon2025 #Laracon #Larabelles #Laravel #womenintech