Pretty much sums up the past week. Oof. And maybe shock. Or definitely shock. Because, really? We have an orange cheeto as a president elect? And not just an orange cheeto, but a racist, misogynist, homophobic, islamophobic, sexist, etc. orange cheeto?!? I can't even.
So, I have tried my best to find hope, to find inspiration, to find anything that will keep me going. I found myself feeling very protective of my kids when we traveled through Atlanta to Daytona Beach last weekend. And even more protective once we were in Daytona Beach, seeing a number of Trump/Pence signs. Nothing happened, except the glances from me, to the kids, and back to me again, trying to figure us out. Sometimes that was followed by a smile, other times not. It definitely made me realize that we are lucky to live in California. I know there are Trump supporters here too (I see the signs), but really, Orange County went blue for the first time since 1936. 80 years! It doesn't make it hurt any less, but it gives me hope for at least the safety of our family in the coming months/years.
I will say that I am so proud to work where I work. Last night our immigration unit held a know your rights and question and answer session for about 100 people. They pulled it together in about two days and made a huge difference in the community. Their focus was on DACA, which is likely going to be lost with the new administration, but they answered questions about immigration generally as well. One of our lawyers is DACA, and she is up for renewal next year. If we do away with DACA, she will no longer be able to work for us and she will have difficulty making a living. We will lose one of the most passionate, strong and caring advocates that we have in our organization. It hurts my heart to even think about it. Soooo, if you happen to know any single United States citizens who live in Orange County, or even Southern California generally, send them our way. Karina is a lovely woman, inside and out, and we need to keep her at PLC!
Enough with the politics for now - to the pictures!
Waking up. As feisty as she is, she is also incredibly sweet and cuddly. This is a sweet moment of waking up.
And then the calm turns to this. She does love her music!
We voted! Jayden helped me vote, which was very cool. We had to wait in line, so I let the kids run up and down the ramp as much as they want. They were very sweet, and Jayden went as slowly as Dakota needed up the ramp. He's such a good big brother.
Right after voting. I couldn't get Dakota to look up because she was obsessed with the "I voted" sticker. Oh well.
And then we got home and had bananas for snack (since we were so late and were going to miss snack at school) and took another picture. I do love my kids. And even though she lost, I am proud to have taken them with me to vote for the first female candidate for president, as well as the candidate who does not incite hatred and intolerance.
Who needs a double stroller when you can fit two kids into one stroller?!? Neither were particularly happy, but they made it the whole ride without much complaining.
And then Friday morning we took off for Florida for my aunt's funeral. My mom is a saint and, after spending the previous weekend with us, she flew back to Santa Ana on Thursday. She got to our house around 8 pm (relieved my babysitter - I was up in LA for work) and then got up at about 4:30 the next morning to catch the first flight out to get to Daytona Beach in time for dinner. The kids were great on the way there. The long flight, from OC to Atlanta, is always tough. But the kids were good. And we survived.
Grandma and Jayden reading a book.
In the rental car in Florida. Stupid time change! But this is Jayden in his booster seat for the first time. I won't put him in it full time, because he's got a few more pounds to gain before he's really ready for it. But with his height, he fits in it just fine. He was pretty excited about it.
After the services on Saturday. Carmen took the kids out part way into the services to play on the playground. Probably a good thing, as my ex-uncle nearly ruined the entire day. A long story, but needless to say there is no love lost between his son (my cousin) and him. And clearly we are all on the side of my cousin, since he is the one who lost his mom. Oof. The important part is that everyone got through it, and we were able to celebrate my aunt, and remember her incredible laugh, her wonderful sense of humor and her genuine interest in our lives.
Getting more energy out after the services.
Upon arrival at my aunt's house for the reception after the services, Jayden looked up to the sky and saw this amazing flock of birds flying south in a perfect V. It felt somehow symbolic, as my aunt was a lover of animals. Really a beautiful sight.
The view from my aunt's back porch. She lived in an amazing place.
Dakota cheesing and holding it together pretty well.
Jayden, Dakota and Auntie checking out the catfish at the restaurant where we ate dinner. Jayden got to feed them. And then a fishing boat came in and they got to watch the guys unload the fish. Pretty cool. Until they drained the bloody water from the boat and it then became not so cool. Poor Auntie. Thanks for taking one for the team.
The view from our hotel room. I never made it onto the beach, but it was an amazingly peaceful view. IF we were there under better circumstances, it would be a wonderful place to vacation (and if we could get connecting rooms so we didn't have to sleep in the same room as the kids!).
Sunday morning, spreading my aunt's ashes. My cousin and his wife found this cool urn that dissolves in the water. My aunt's name was Barbara, but she was known her whole life as "Bonnie."
"My Bonnie lies over the ocean, My Bonnie lies over the sea..."
What Dakota does at other peoples' houses. If we come visit you, make sure you clean your bathtub because I promise you, she'll be inspecting it.
The kids on the ride home. The first flight was fine. The first hour of the second flight was okay. The remaining 3-1/2 hours were rough. I had an amazingly patient seatmate, who had an eight month old son at home. He was so understanding, and very complimentary of the kids. The dude in front of me glanced back at us twice, when Dakota cried for less than five minutes twice. I almost said something to him, like "seriously? this could be SO much worse. count your blessings." For a 17 month old child to make it on a 4-1/2 hour flight crying only twice for about five minutes, and not sleeping at all? That's a huge win.
By the time we got home, I was DEAD. Completely exhausted. And we were back to work and school the next day. The first day was okay, even the second somewhat. I had a board meeting for the non-profit board I joined on Monday night, but I couldn't get a babysitter, and I just couldn't take the kids with me since we wouldn't be home until nine. So I had to miss the meeting, which was a huge bummer for me, since it was the first meeting since I was approved to join the board. Such is the life of a solo parent with no regular babysitter...
Monday I picked up Jasmine. I love the vet - they put a bow on her to make her more festive. So sweet. Of course, she spent most of the first day trying to get it off. But I'm equally stubborn, so I have left it on.
And then this happened. Jayden was playing with his light saber and he said "Mommy, watch my moves!" You have to admit, he's got some pretty sweet moves.
Thank goodness for the kids. Until tonight. Jayden kicked me twice because he didn't like the cup I put his juice in, and then Dakota bit me. And both of them more or less cried from 6 pm to bedtime. I got Dakota down around 6:50 and then read two books to Jayden, and had him down by 7:25 or so. I cleaned up, got ready for tomorrow (seriously, TGIF!) and am now ready to go through my box of files to try to come up with some semblance of organization in my work life. I barely know where to start, but I just have to put my head down and do what I can. So, here goes!
Hope you all are well and are dealing with last week as best you can. There are so many good articles. This one, evaluating Trump under Plato's philosophy is great. It's long, but it's interesting. There really are so many others as well. But more than anything, people have to speak up. When we see something wrong, biased, racist, etc., we have to say something and stand strong. We have to make the Trump supporters regret mobilizing us in this fashion. And we have to work together. Now more than ever, we have to work together. I just can't leave politics completely out of it right now. There's too much at stake. Apologies if it makes you uncomfortable, but my kids' future depends on it.
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