My Birthday Month

I kicked off my favorite, love month, with a girls' brunch at Plated Dreams with my SIL and niece. The food wasn't great tasting or priced, but it was cute and nice to get out. 

Every day leading up to my birthday, my mom dropped off a gift and a note. 

I had Galentines with Jessi, Tiffy, and Emily. Tiffany hosted and came up with the theme of PJs and breakfast for dinner. We had pancake tacos with vanilla Greek yogurt and berries. I took smoked chicken sausage that I shaped like hearts, roasted beet hummus, and heart-shaped radishes. Emily brought her slushie machine. Jessica brought cauliflower hash browns. This group of friends is wholesome and so funny. 

We had my mom over for the Super Bowl. The kids were trying to figure out how we were going to watch and follow the rule of no eating downstairs. We surprised them by setting up a table and eating while we watched. Dinner was steak, cheesy potato logs, spaghetti, and meatballs. The Bad Bunny halftime show was powerful. An IG friend of mine created Bad Bunny coloring pages. I had a table set up where three generations were coloring. My favorite part was seeing the kids grab blank paper and make their own illustrations. 

My friend Julie Amazoned a gift to my front door.

My SIL Susie sent me an Amazon gift card so I could buy my next read.

On Valentine's Day, Jose and I made breakfast with love for our little loves. He bought steak in the shape of a heart. The plan was to make heart-shaped pancakes and eggs, but the heart-shaped skillet was a bust. The table was decorated, and the kids' favorite were the candlesticks. Adding fire is always fun. 

My mom made dinner for my birthday. My request was goulash, cornbread, and cherry coffee cake. My dad bought ribs, and Jose smoked them. We took our signature dish, Brussels sprouts. My mom made many other desserts as well. 

My SIL Estela came over to make dinner, gifted me cute clips, and gave me quality time. 

My longtime girlfriends and I got together for brunch. While only 5 of 7 made it, we had such a lovely time. To go through a life with people who know all of each other's major events is special. Loving and cheering each other on, seeing the growth, is empowering. 

To finish off the month, we'll be heading to Las Vegas to celebrate my mom's birthday. We're taking her to The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere. That will be it's own post. 

Long travel in a Model Y

It can be hard for people to have an open mind to doing things in a different way. I think this is common in the gas to EV world. I'm going on a trip with several people and some mental blocks are coming up. Maybe I'm just naive and assume the best though. I must vent and talk this through so I don't spiral and over react. 

People feel a resistance to the idea of charging and how many miles you can go on a charge. I've been driving an EV for 2 and a half years and love it. The furthest I've gone is 142 each way. It was a new experience, I had a little anxiety, but all-in-all it worked out. 

I'm ready to try a longer drive, 460 each way. My top two motivators are self-driving and I want to see the cost savings. I'm not worried about charging time, but a few people involved(not necessarily going, but involved) in the trip are pressed. Either way we'd have to stop to fuel, stretch, and change the baby. Charging stations aren't in the middle of know where. There are usually amenities. 

The next challenge people are worried about is space and comfort. I'm being selfish here because comfort on a drive never crosses my mind. I have a 7 seater and we're 3 adults, 1 rear-facing toddler, and 2 kids. It's only a 4 day trip, two being travel days, so we don't need to pack very heavy. That leaves an open seat and many compartments. We've considered taking a toe hitch rack, but are now reconsidering to make parking easier. 

I've had strong suggestions of borrowing an SUV or renting a van and I don't want to. Ultimately I'd love to fly, but got resistance for that. That leaves me with wanting to try this way of travel. If we hate it then we don't ever have to do it again. 

Again, it feels like a mental block to try a different way. I think it'll be okay. 

Social Media & Morals

I've been struggle hardcore with the first world problem of navigating social media and psuedo-relationships. The week leading up to the superbowl and after Bad Bunny's half-time show I felt clear that it was time to be done with racists and those that don't add value to my life. I went through and block handfuls of people; a lot family. I was feeling a bit apprehensive that they'd notice, especially since my bday was coming up and they wouldn't be able to wish me a HBD on FB. I partially pussed out and deactivated it to lessen the attention but also to see who was real. I don't want an obligatory FB hbd. 

The even trickier thing was people I deleted because they're MAGA still sent me birthday wishes and love. How can you love me but not my people? Oh, maybe because they think I'm one of the good ones.🖕🏾

I've always feared not being seen or understood but I'm ready to fall off the face of the planet and get abducted by an alien. 👽 🌌

Might deactivate my IG next. I'm wasting my kids' childhoods keeping up on bullshit For what? It's all so performative, myself included. I doubt anyone cares about me. I'm not saying this in a sad, depressed way. I know who cares because we check-in periodically. The rest is just static. I can always write and post here. 

I haven't had goals in awhile, but getting off the internet sounds good. I want to plant flowers, give my kids my attention, cook, build a strong body, and read.