This qualitative study investigates how nursing home residents express their end-of-life care preferences. Sixteen residents from four southeastern Pennsylvania nursing homes took part in the project. Three key domains emerged from resident interviews: Preferences for Today, Anticipating the End of My Life, and Preferences for Final Days. The study found that residents tended to sequence conversations by first describing their current everyday preferences and then their preferences in their final days. The study suggests that asking residents about their preferences for living today also can provide an entry point topics of readiness, anticipation and preferences for end-of-life care.