null/void license

i appreciate any input you have to offer. i let my lpn lapse about 7 years ago. my husband was diagnosed with lou gerhig's and we hit a financial hardship when he was taken out of work, so when my license came due, i did not have the money to renew. i've just now recently got my head above water financially and a friend has talked me into pursuing renewing my license. a fellow nurse friend seems to think that with the shortage of nurses, it may be as simple us updating ceu's and paying a steep renewal fine. i called tallahassee and they said i wouldn't need a refresher course and may not have to retake the n-clex but that would be the worst case scenario. they are sending me an application. i fear needing to take the n-clex again. does anyone know of someone else that this happened to and of the hurdles required to renew. thank you so much for your time.