Family Is Where The Heart Is

I cannot believe it is JULY! I am starting to get a little itch to start looking at school things. I have been on Teachers Pay Teachers and becoming a hoarder on my Pinterest board for 3rd grade. I am excited to start thinking about planning for starting another school year but I am also having so much fun having plans for outside and no plans at all on some days.

This first week of July did not disappoint at all. Holland and I both had family come into town. The Lawrence clan came in and spent a week in town. Holland and I spent a few evenings visiting with them in New Braunfels and we had a big swimming and fish fry bash.  I am happy to report that I can name EVERY person and how they are related to the the family. I could probably draw a family tree that is 95 percent correct :). Hollands dad comes from a large family and their children span about 25 years apart. Holland is one of the youngest cousins and most of his cousins have children so we had plenty of people to catch up with. We saw some of the family when we were in the North East area for Christmas but it was definitely not a long enough visit. This mini reunion the family came from Massachusetts, Conneticut, and North Carolina.

Waiting for the fireworks!

Gonyea Family. 

Aunt Sharon, Uncle Carl and Gribbles Neighbor DiJan. 

Ashley and Mr.Whit

Kevin and Allison Bailey

Uncle Mike and Ashley

Bryce, Ellie, Raya and Jana. 

Whittenberg family,  Aunt Diane, Cousin Beth, Aunt Janet, Whitney and cousin Jen. 

Two out of three of the Whitneys!

Bleu spending quality time with his uncle. 

So from all those pictures I still didn't get everyone that was there! I love how big Hollands family is and I cannot wait to see them again! We are thinking that a possible Cape trip in September might be the next mini reunion.

The next batch of family visit was from my cousin and her husband, Billy who now LIVE in Chicago. I emphasize the "lives" because she does not consider herself FROM Chicago. She still tells people she is from Texas ;). We did some fun activities like going to the shooting range(EEK) and painting with a twist.

PP, Tio Greg and Billy

It looks like I was crying.... I was on the inside! AHH 

On my moms birthday, we drove to our favorite place! The lake house is our safe haven.  I was telling PP that when she first moved away it was strange to be at the lake without her.  We spent every weekend there in the summer during college days and I cried on my first ride on the jet ski without her.  We agreed that the distance has definitely made our hearts grow fonder and as long as we have an estimated plan on the next time we are going to see each other it makes all the difference.

This is my favorite time of day on the lake. Around 6 p.m. Everyone is either eating dinner or taking a break from the water and it is so peaceful. The light hits perfectly on the other side of the cove. 

 PP and I  came to the conclusion that we are far too old for wake boarding anymore. We each did three rounds and although we got up we were beat up. How did we used to wakeboard all day? We went for a Kayak ride and exercised our arms and we exercised our legs going up and down the stairs throughout our stay.  

My sisters friends, Bibby and Kristi brought a piñata that we named Manclovio for my moms birthday.  We all thought we were going to get a few whacks at Manclovio but my mom took him out in three hits. All that was left was his head but we all got to enjoy the treats inside. 

My mom had her very own special fire work turned into a fire show on her birthday. That has to be a completely separate post because it CRAZY! Momma, I hope you had an awesome birthday and lake celebration. I love that place. It holds a special place in my heart. 

Liberty and Equality for All!!

I woke up this morning and  I am still so happy/proud/ecstatic for all the positive energy I felt from yesterdays Supreme Court Rulings. I could not stop reading all the updates on my Facebook newsfeed of all my friends celebrating.  I know the change is going to keep on coming and I just hope it doesn't slow down after this huge success.

I am sure that most of you reading this blog know my passion of being an Ally for the GLBT community. It all started when I was in 5th grade and my sister told me she was different, she was gay. I remember crying all the way to my tumbling practice in the car. It was something I always thought but to have her validate it made it real.  She was shopping in the boys section for shorts and I remember feeling frustrated because she was a girl! Like me! Why weren't we shopping in the same section? Through the years it was a kind of a hushed conversation because my family did not know how others would or wouldn't accept my sister.  I am proud to say that not one of my friends every loved Vanessa any different. I became prouder than proud of who she was and how she carried herself.  Although I was emotional and possibly even sad when she told me she was gay  I am happy to say that her coming out has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life.  I will never be able to express how happy I am that she is my sister and YES she is in fact Gay.  I don't even want to think of what may have become of me if she wasn't. I would hope I would still be on this side the right side of history but honestly there is no telling.

 

While at A&M I was involved in an organization called Aggie Allies.  It started with a training that made you a safe haven for GLBT Aggies. Your name was put on an email server so anyone if they needed to could get in contact with you. I was involved with this for two years and then in my first semester of Graduate School, I met Lowell Kane in one of my classes.  Lowell is just the most AMAZING person ever.  He founded the GLBT Resource Center at Texas A&M and has recently moved to Purdue University and he started another Resource Center. He works tirelessly and with his whole heart to help anyone and everyone.  He asked if I would be interested in a Graduate Assistantship with the center for the following year and I happily agreed! My last year in grad school was fabulous and it was because I met so many passionate human beings and was involved with so many projects.  I was so sad to leave but I left with that fire still in me.  I will be forever grateful to Lowell and all that he has taught me.

 I remember when he first hired me he told me it might be a good idea to watch some of the documentary dvd's we had at the center. As the year went on and I learned more and more I accompanied Lowell to A&M classrooms to present facts and also issues that the GLBT community faces.  I remember being SO nervous talking and he told me " Amanda, you're going to be a teacher. You can do this and talk in front of people". I still do. Some friends still ask me questions and I get so excited to answer them the best that I can.  I got a text from a friend a few weeks ago that asked what the entire GBT acronym stood for.  In case you are interested it it GLBTQQIAP. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and Pansexual. :) One of my favorite things we did was the Guess Who's Gay Panel. There would be 6-8 people on the panel and there was a mixture of identities. The group could ask anyone or the whole group a question like " What is your favorite movie? How many pairs of shoes do you own? What were you for Halloween? Any question other than are you gay, straight or bisexual? We would leave the room after 10-15 minutes of questioning and the audience would vote and give reasons why they voted the way they did. In all the times I did this probably 10-12 times I was only voted straight once.  It is a way to show you cannot judge a book by its cover.

My time at The Resource Center was golden.

Also, if you have never heard of the NOH8 Campaign check them out! NOH8 Campaign
The founders Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley started the campaign in reponse to Prop 8 which is now gone!! WHOO. I was lucky to get to help out two times with the campaign. Once when they came to College Station and once in Austin.

Volunteers in College Station: October 2010

Volunteers in Austin: May 2011

There is still so much more to fight for but we do need to celebrate the victories from yesterday. Here are some pictures that touch my heart.  Love all of you, thanks for reading! Love is Love.

Our friends that are family. Elise and Amy Briones. Married in Austin on June 8, 2013.  It was the most beautiful ceremony I have ever witnessed.  Amy said in her vows "Growing up, I never fit in. I never had the homecoming or the prom. Today it's my turn.  Its our happy ending".  There was not a dry eye in that audience! 

Fellow Aggie, David Elizondo. David now works for the Human Rights Campaign in D.C. I love to see all the amazing pictures he gets in the press! Keep up the great work, David!

San Francisco City Hall

Karla and Haley recently moved to California. They were out celebrating last night!

US Airforce over California...... 
Just amazing that the united states government would prepare for a historic day and tell their pilots, tomorrow we will load your planes with color smoke and form a rainbow in the sky showing support to lgbt community. Taken from Lowell Kane fb page. 

Hands Across Aggieland march in my last weeks at A&M. 

Quinoa Stuffed Avocados and Roasted Cauliflower

Made this for dinner last night and it was  delicious and pretty nutritious if you ask me!

Quinoa Stuffed Avacados

Need
-4 large Haas avacados.
-can corn
-can black beans
-1 package taco seasoning mix
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar.
-1/4 cup chopped cilantro.
-red pepper chopped(optional)
-1/2 red onion chopped.
-1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa

Cook quinoa according to package. I use veggie stock instead of water to give the quinoa more flavor.

Mix corn, black beans, taco seasoning, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, red onion and red pepper.
Add cooked quinoa little by little and mix thoroughly with taco seasoning mixture. Depending on the quinoa you use, you might have some left over which you can eat by itself or use for another recipe later.

Cut avocados in half and peel off skin. I took out some of the filling to give more room for quinoa mixture.  Place avocados on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking oil.  Spoon mixture into avocados- again you may have extra mixture!

Cook for about 15 minutes at 350. If you wish you can top with cheese after 15 minutes and bake again  until cheese is melted.



Roasted Cauliflower

I have become addicted to this. SO easy and SOOOOOO good.

Need:
-1 large head of cauliflower
-1/2 cup olive oil
-juice from 1 lemon
-1 tablespoon of minced garlic(I use almost double of this because Holland and I are garlic freaks!)
-salt and pepper to taste
-parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Chop up cauliflower into florets. I like to make them bite size.  Line baking pan with foil, put cauliflower in and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper. Toss cauliflower with hands to make sure everything is evenly coated. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes. Take out and top with parmesan cheese and bake for 2-3 more minutes.

Hope y'all enjoy these! Let me know what you think!

-Amanda

Our First Automobile Accident Together...

I am very saddened that the first blog posting from my first week of summer vacation is about a car wreck. I woke up today and will still thinking "wow".  That really happened!

Holland and I went to pick up his go pro camera from Ranger Creek. We were driving back home on Austin Highway and right before the intersection at Perrin Beitel is where it all happened. A F150 started to slowly pull out in front of us and Holland immediately held down on the horn and slammed on the brakes.  Since it had just rained, Bonnet(my Jeep) just skidded and we had no where else to turn to and no other way to stop our vehicle.  The truck never sped up or go off to the side. I really don't think she had a clue of what was going on.  My side of the car hit the leftt side of her truck, so yes in the end we were the ones that hit the truck but she did not yield to us before she turned.

We pulled into a  shady lovely gas station and Holland told me to call for the police. I did not even need to get out to look at my car because I felt the impact and I knew there was going to be something wrong with my poor 'Ol Bonnet. I heard Holland talking to the lady that we collided with and I heard her say "But you hit me!". Then Holland with frustration in his voice saying" BECAUSE you pulled out in front of us when we had a green light!" I told the dispatcher our location and right as I hung up the phone with them Holland looked at me and mouthed the words "Get her license plate number". I frantically went into my car to get some paper and a pen and when I look up and start walking to her vehicle, she is already moving. Holland is fumbling with his phone trying to get a picture of her drivers license plate and then I see him grab on to the back of her tail gate and hop in the back of her truck.

I started yelling "HOLLAND, I GOT THE NUMBER!!!!!!!!!!! But it was too late. She fishtailed and screeched her tires and fled out of the gas station almost hitting another car as she did.

For the next 7-10 minutes I have no idea where Holland is and if he is okay. As I stood there in complete shock I did what any girl would do... call my dad! My phone wasn't letting me make any phone calls because it was still in Emergency mode from dialing the police.  So I went to some strangers and they let me borrow a phone. I called my dad and told him everything and he said "Sheeeeesh" when I told him the part of Holland getting in the truck and leaving.  My parents are out of town so I wanted to get someone with me or to go look for Holland. I restarted my phone and dialed Holland mom and for some reason I immediately started crying when I heard her voice. I couldn't get words out because then Holland was calling me so I told Jayne we were okay, but we were in a wreck and that I would call her back.

I continued to cry as I answered Hollands call and I heard in his voice that he was okay. As soon as I said hello he just apologized over and over for doing what he did. He told me that he got the woman to pull over and they were up the road not too far away. I waited about 5 more minutes for the police officer to get to the gas station.

During this time the people I borrowed the phone from (there were 2 girls and 2 guys) were still there watching me.  I told them thank you for letting me use their phone and they were very kind and said no problem and asked what had happened. Then one of them asked "How old are you?".  I looked at one of the guys who was just looking me up and down and I thought Oh. my.goodness... I really hope they aren't trying to make a move with me and this guy. DID THEY NOT JUST SEE MY BOYFRIEND TAKE OFF IN THE BACK OF THAT TRUCK!?  I told them "26" then I felt very old.  One of the girls said " Can you buy them some beer?" I looked at them very strangely and said " I was just in an accident and the police are on their way, I am not buying you beer." They started laughing and said "okay" and left.

The police officer arrived and I told him everything that happened. He asked what Holland and her were saying to each other before she drove off and I said I had no clue. We drove up to the location where Holland was with the woman we wrecked with. As soon I got out of the car Holland just hugged me and kept apologizing. I told him next time he is thinking about making a move like that he needs to picture my face. Probably an angry one. I told him I was just worried but glad he was okay.

Then I got to hear Holland side of the story.

 When I was on the phone with the dispatcher and Holland was talking with her, she said "Let me get my information from the truck". Holland saw that she had her keys ready in her hand and that was when he mouthed to me to get her license plate number. That crazy lady never intended to give us ANY information. Holland said she had no clue about him being in the back of her truck as she drove on the access road of 410 and all the way back around the Walzem.  He said he was hitting her truck and was yelling "Pull the F*** over". (That stands for pull the Ford over ;)

Once they stopped she told him to get out of her truck and he said no.  Not until the police get there. She started begging "Please don't  do this, I don't have insurance, I am a single mom." Holland said you just did a Hit and Run! You just made this whole situation much worse for yourself. Then she said " I didn't do a Hit and Run, you are still here!" Yes, Holland was still there because he jumped in the back of your truck!!!!!She also told Holland and the police that she left the scene because her father in law owns that shady  lovely gas station and she did not want to make a scene..... REALLY?!

The funny thing about the ending to this story was the woman had insurance all along. The officer gave us her information and told us her version of the story was that she turned and was hit. She ended up leaving when we did and ironically ended up again at that lovely gas station to get gas. I am unsure if she was charged with a Hit and Run or if she was ticketed at all.

In the end of all of this I am trying to do my maybe scenarios. Maybe she is really going through a  hard time. Maybe she needs a drivers ed refresher course. I am doing my best to look at the positive of this whole situation which is that Holland and I are okay. We have no damage to ourselves and with both of those situations we very well could have been in terrible shape.  My poor Bonnet got the worst of it all and in the end she can be fixed.   I was surprised that no one stopped to be our witnesses because that is what really could have changed the end result.  When I made the first phone call to my dad the first thing out of his mouth was " Are y'all okay?" In the end thats all that really matters.

Here are some photos of our girl, Bonnet. She held up and is in pretty good shape.

Hips Don't Lie.

I just want to take the time to announce that there is only one more Monday of school left until summer!  This year has crawled and flown by both at the same time. I feel like yesterday was October but it also feels like it was a year ago. I know it is strange but it has been a learning year for both Holland and I.  We both took on challenges we did not foresee especially with going into the second year of our careers.  I am thinking year three may be the lucky one and if not there is always a silver lining. 

So, I am a firm believer that things come in threes. One of the threes that happened recently was Bleu's hips. Well since he has two hips I suppose this was number 1 and 2. Bleu has it in his genes to have problems with his hips as he gets older. He has been on glucosamine for about a year now and I have just felt like it has gotten worse. He over exerts himself and is slow with moving around for the following three days after a long walk or a lake trip. He just looks like an old man sometimes and thats okay because he is. I wanted to know more of his condition so my primary vet did some x rays a few weeks ago to see what was going on. Just to give some background on our vet- he is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. He is an Aggie which makes him fabulous in my book and he is always so positive. I knew it was about to get serious when we walked into the vet to go over Bleu's x rays and the receptionist even said "Poor old Bleu! His hips are looking rough!" Dr. Nichols told us he classified Bleu's hips as severe hip dysplasia.  Basically, Bleu has no socket in his hips so his bones are rubbing together. This is what causes him to sashay his hips and hop like a bunny when he runs or goes up stairs.  Dr. Nichols recommended for us to see a surgeon to see if Bleu would be a good candidate for hip replacement or FHO surgery. We had our appointment today and we got some good news!

Waiting for the Doctor with dad. 

The Surgeon advised us that although Bleu would be a great candidate for a complete hip replacement in his left hip, he did not feel it was needed at this time. Possibly in a year or two if we feel his condition gets worse, we can comeback in to re-evaluate if the surgery should be done or not.He gave us some ideas on how to possibly prevent Bleu from being in pain. One thing is getting some weight off. So I guess that means no more loaves of bread for a snack? :)  We are going to cut 1/3 of his food out and supplement canned green beans since they have low caloric intake.  Another thing is just giving Bleu some pain meds when we know he has been extremely active.

I am still worried about his hips, but at least we know other options we can do to make him more comfortable. He is such a happy go lucky pup. I mean look at that picture. He is just too adorable.

Keep Calm and Call Mom.

My mom and I after I won a pageant show. I was excited about the crown!

Whenever I am having one of those days when I know I want for someone to just listen, be on my side and/or yell with me and cry with me... I call my mom.  No matter what the situation, she stands by me.  If I feel sad, she feels sad.  If I am angry she gets angry too. I usually call her first because she will listen to me vent, then she vents with me. I also call her when the good things happen and usually when I am driving to and from work. It is rare if the day is coming to an end and we have not spoken on the phone.   I love that about us. 

I am lucky to have the relationship I do with my mom. I can quickly refer to her as a best friend and I can ask her any question and she gives me the best advice she can.  She will also drop anything and everything to help me in any way possible.   I am a grown 26 year old woman and the person I still ran to when I felt strep coming on a few weeks ago was my mom. She took me to the doctor, went and got my meds and ran to get me soup. It just feels good to be in your moms presence.

Mom and I at my 2011 M.Ed Graduation!

One of my favorite stories is when my mom encouraged me to do the scariest thing ever in my life- Move away from home.   I was in the middle of my first semester of college at SAC and Holland was in College Station. We were walking laps around a track at Incarnate Word and I was just telling her how much I missed Holland and how much I wanted to be in College Station, even though I probably wouldn't be a student at A&M yet.  A&M was always my top goal, and I just felt so far away from it and even though I was only 18, half my heart was in another city as well.  I remember she said " Amanda, you need to go there". I was worried what my dad would say, thinking I was just going there for Holland. She told me to write a letter to my dad explaining how I felt and why I wanted to make the transfer. Surprisingly,  my dad walked right into my room and said he was fine if I was ready to move.  Within a few months we were packing up and moving my stuff to a one bedroom apartment in College Station and I was enrolled at Blinn. I distinctly remember the feelings I felt when the moment came to tell my parents bye. When I hugged them my heart felt heavy and there was tightness in my throat.  I am still not great at holding back tears, so that day they just came and I welcomed them. They were scared, nervous and happy tears. This was where I was supposed to be and it was just so strange that my parents weren't in this new place of my life.  All throughout my six years in College both my parents were always there, just a phone call or drive away. I can never repay my mom for pushing me out of her nest that day on the track. I know I would have eventually made it to A&M even if I would have stayed in San Antonio longer. However, that move changed my life for the good and I was fully admitted to A&M one year after living in the city.

 My mom still brings out the "kid" in my sister and I. When we go to the lake house, she is always sure to have stuff for s'mores so we can chat and grill treats by the fire. She still chases us with bugs and scares us and laughs at our screaming. Whenever we go shopping, she will purchase clothes for us.  I always tell her " Mom, I HAVE A JOB! I HAVE MONEY!". She always tells me my money is no good.

Ness and I with mom on Mothers Day 2010. Yes Vanessa your hair still looks better dark and that balloon changed our life forever with its catchy tune when you hit it. 

Mom, I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me for the past 26 years.    I am so lucky to always have someone on my side to tell me that I have a right to feel how I feel and you always have pushed me to the be the best I can be. Thank you for always being a cheerleader on the sidelines for me.  I love you SO much and I do not know if I can ever express how appreciative I am of you. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Happy Mother's Day!

Relay For Life

Last night was amazing.  I was on my first Relay for Life Team with some co-workers from school. One of our colleagues, Mia Altamirano was diagnosed with Breast Cancer this past Fall. She is SO strong and has been missed every day at school.   Every week,  someone from Clear Spring makes a visit to her to keep her spirits up and of course to get our Mia fix.

Our Team name was in honor of Mia. We were called "Mia's Maniacs". Our coach, Michelle was our captain of the team and did an amazing job of organizing and getting every one pumped up for the big day. Purple sashes were made that said "Cinco de Mia" and we had plenty of fiesta wear to show our team spirit! I got to the stadium around 8:15 and walked until 9:30. During that time, there was an illuminaria lighting that was very moving. There were hundreds of white paper bags decorated in honor of people who are currently fighting or who have battled cancer before.  They put candles(battery operated) in each bag and turned off all the lights in the stadium. All the teams then did about two laps in complete silence while music played in the background. Although I am unsure of how many of those illuminarias    were for people who had lost their battle vs. how many were just in honor of people still fighting, it is astounding to see how many peoples lives have been affected by cancer. Then to think that  those bags are just a fraction of people whose lives have been changed forever.

It was a fun evening, we played ultimate frisbee, did the cha cha slide, sat around and talked, laughed and played volleyball. I went home at 12:30 but the event lasted all throughout the night! I was honored to be there in honor of our dear friend Mia and for all the other survivors and fighters.

If you want to see more on our friend Mia and our awesome Coach for putting this team together read this ARTICLE!!!