Truth

Oh, I am very weary, 
Though tears no longer flow; 
My eyes are tired of weeping, 
My heart is sick of woe.


Anne Bronte

Virginia City

I have the overwhelming feeling sometimes to just run away. I want to get away from everything and just leave with my kiddos. They truly are my life and my everything. They are my joy and my truest form of happiness.

It was such gorgeous weather. Not crowded. Just perfect. A perfect time together, like always.

Of course! OF COURSE!! Eli randomly found an indoraptor. Talk about making Virginia City magical.

And the ice cream. YUM. Ice cream really does make things better. In moderation.

The ladies at the photo shop were SO FUN!!! They made the experience that much better!! I mean really, they went the extra mile on everything and we really enjoyed dressing up and posing. It was a great memory and I'm glad we could capture it.

I have the most beautiful children in the world.

GSR Winter Swim

Ram had her sweet kiddos this weekend and we got to have some fun at the GSR, which is free in the winter to locals. Everyone was so mellow and happy, it was a great afternoon!

My kids had a doughnut at 9am and by the time we left, 4pm.... they were STARVING. We went to Whole Foods and I've never had a quieter, peaceful meal with them. They sat and ate EVERY SINGLE BITE!!! Maybe we should do that more often!! Ha!

Ram also treated the kiddos to bumper cars. They had a blast!!! So blessed to have the friends we do!!!

Elijah's MLK Essay 2019

Everyday I go to school. I do this because I want to learn. I brush my teeth and play with my legos and dinosaur toys. Why do you think I do that everyday? Because brushing your teeth is healthy and legos and dinosaurs are just really fun. Everyday I eat cinnabunny cereal with milk. This helps my body to get more energy. There are lots of things we do everyday!

            Everyday we have choices to do nice things. But we have to make those choices! One time I snuck bubble gum and I wasn’t honest. I didn’t tell my mom and that wasn’t a good choice. One time I played with a little boy who cried a lot. He missed his mom and needed a friend. I was the only one who wanted to be his friend and now we are best friends! That was the best good choice! There are always consequences to our bad or good choices. Consequences are things that happen because of our choices.

            Martin Luther King Jr. made good choices to stand up for Black people. He helped to make fair laws and treat all people with care. Everyday he chose to stand straight like an oak tree. An oak tree is special because it’s big and beautiful. It doesn’t fall down in the wind and is strong and faithful. This is what Martin Luther King Jr. was like. He was a good man.

            What can we do to be like him and to help others? Everyday we can serve people by saying kind things. We can smile, even if you are missing your two front teeth like me. We can be polite by doing what our parents and teachers ask. We can listen to each other. We can open the door for others. We can make good choices everyday because God wants us to and we are all children of God. We are all brothers and sisters!! This is what Martin Luther King Jr. taught and I know it’s true.

Maria's MLK Essay 2019

Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing man! He changed our world peacefully yet radically. He made an unchangeable impact on America calmly, yet powerfully. He risked his life numerous times to get where we are today. Yet at times today it is still very unfair. In Martin’s time, Black men couldn’t sit or eat in a café for Whites only. Today, Black men get arrested in Starbucks just because they didn’t buy coffee.

We need to help make a difference and live like Martin Luther King Jr. did. Some are progressing in this world and most of the time are treated fairly. Others have a completely opposite experience. One of Dr. King’s most famous speeches was “I have a dream.” Those simple words he spoke gave courage to all who were lost. Every day those words inspire someone new. Today his dream is going to come true with the help of us.

I want to be better and I will be better. I want to follow what I believe in, and I believe that we are all equal. We should be loved for who we are inside and out. We were reading an exceptional book in class called Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. As we read, I realized just how bad it was back then. It must have been so very hard for Martin Luther King Jr to take a stand. Anything could have happened to him or his family, but he stayed strong and marched into the unknown, head straight up and shoulders back.

 Martin Luther King Jr. once said “We are faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being to late.” This means we must take a stand now. If we don’t some things might never change.

My dad has a friend who along time ago had a bad experience. She taught at a White school in Missouri but when people found out she was part Black they wouldn’t let her teach there anymore.  Things like this, that are unfair, inspire me to speak up. To share what happened and why it’s wrong. She was an excellent teacher! She didn’t deserve to be fired.

This community needs to join and act as one. We need to act like Martin Luther King Jr. and learn how to work together to make things happen. We need to not judge people on how they look or even act at times. Where is compassion these days? We need to forgive and learn from our mistakes.  We need to help each other improve. Learning is a crucial part of helping this community. We learn from everything, our mistakes, our successes. You can’t truly live without learning and being educated. Academically, physically, emotionally or anything really. Martin Luther King Jr. loved to learn and we should too.

We should follow in his footsteps and live like he did. We take our learning and proceed forward. Dr. King was a brave man and we too can take courage. We all live an improved type of life because of him every day. He was humble and kind. He stayed firm to what he believed in. He inspires me to stand up for what I believe in and make an impact in this world. What does he inspire you to do today! Do it! And together we will live a life of learning without regret.

MLK Washoe County Essay WInners

Back in the middle of December I remember having this specific impression I needed to make sure the kiddos wrote the MLK essay this year. It took a little bit of work, but I was blown away by their thoughtfulness. Truly, they were wonderful pieces that showed the true nature and character of the kiddo's hearts. Pure, loving, and utterly kind.

Fast forward and I get this email that MARIA AND ELI BOTH won!!! It was the first time in the history of the banquet that siblings won in different categories the same year.

Needless to say, we were thrilled and oh so proud!!

We got free tickets and the kids did really well during the dinner. It was a bit long and I do feel like it could be more focused, but whatever.

It was fun getting fancy!!! Maria stole the show with her bargain savvy self- her dress and shoes.... well done child!!

Eli was so excited too. They both read part of their speech and did EXCELLENT!!! Well poised, articulate, and expressive.

Cause their mama taught them right.

Just sayin.

Eli won $25 and Maria won $75!!!

Sweet!!!

Joe knew everyone there. Lots of hugs for beautiful women!! Lucky them. 

I'm ghetto and throwing in a shameless selfie. 

Size 4 dress. Felt like a million bucks.

Getting Our Hair Did

I really have the worst luck when it comes to getting fancy or doing girly things. The salon messed up the appointment and didn't have a stylist for me. The owner was quote, "Just sick about it." and the only reason I was able to get my hair done was because another customer agreed to come in at a later time. We ended up spending double the time there and the stylist didn't give me the style I wanted.

But Maria looked gorgeous and was very happy to have super straight hair. So yeah. I don't think I'd do it again, at least here.

Funnay

The other day the kids and I had a picnic at Trader Joe's. There are cement tables and you have a great view of the parking lot. Come to find out, it's actually very entertaining to see who will get hit by a car and how close others come.

2 older woman crashed, a fender bender with no damage, but it was loud. One woman was just completely upset and totally outraged. It really was both their faults, but whatever. They exchanged info for I'm not sure what reason, but to each his own. Eli dubbed the place quote, "The killzone". SPOT ON.

We also got a kumbucha. It's my thing of late. I let the kids try it and Maria was wondering if she should chug that last little bit of it. So of course we start chanting, CHUG CHUG CHUG.... and she does, but IT IS STRONG!!! And it ended up coming out her nose as she couldn't handle the carbonation in such a large amount. She was coughing and sputtering and it was hilarious.

Another day Ella was being extra sweet. (Eli had kicked her earlier in the morning) She looked in the mirror and said, "Mommy I feel like Jesus is in me. He's in you and in Aunty Ramya. He's in Papa (she starts naming all our family members) and He's in everyone in the whole wide world." I told her, "Yes sweetpea. You are so right! Jesus is in all of us." To which she replied in a very sassy voice, "Then why did Eli kick JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!"

Carson Blizzard Blast- Eli's 1st Swim Meet

I think we all had a wonderful day. Everyone tried their very best, we probably ate too much, and it was just nice to all be together (awake). That doesn't happen often at all.

So grateful for the love, support, and kindness of our family. Eli ended up getting 6th place overall in the 50 backstroke. So proud!! Only 8 year olds beat him.

We were all exhausted after!!!