March for Our Lives :: Washington DC

March 24th, 2018

The March for Our Lives took place in Washington DC. Josh and I, along with our children, went to add our voices to those demanding change. 

The kids made their own signs and we bundled up and headed to the capitol building to rally for sensible gun reform and for the safety of our children.

At one point during the rally Wes looked over me and asked, "Are they really going to change the laws because of us?" I said that we really hoped so and he said, "So I might be part of the reason they change a law?!"

And that right there is what it's all about. 

Showing our kids that they can be a force for change. Showing them that this whole march was FOR and BY the children of our country. I hope it's a lesson that they carry with them into the future and I hope it sparks a fire inside of them to always take a stand for that which you believe in. 

It is our responsibility to foster their rebellion.

We also took the opportunity to spend some time in DC that weekend showing the kids some of the monuments and museums since they had never been before. We rented the prettiest little row house on capitol hill and the kids asked to move in permanently. We will definitely need to return to DC when we have a little more time on our hands. There is so much to see and we barely scratched the surface.

Wes asked if we could see the constitution during our visit, and when your kid ASKS to see the constitution you pretty much have to go do it, right? No photography was allowed inside the archives but I was super excited to get to check something off Weston's bucket list while we were there. He got to see Alexander Hamilton's REAL signature. The kid's day was made.

We also managed to snag tickets to the African American Museum and it was AMAZING. It's relatively new and so it was the first time there for all of us. We could have easily spent an entire day there, there is just so much to see and take in. 

And of course we made sure to hit up 2Amys and then basically tried one of everything at Baked & Wired. 

We were about a week too early for the cherry blossoms but the magnolias were out in all their pink glory. Such a hopeful sign of spring. 

All in all, it was an incredible weekend and one that I think our little family will treasure the memory of for many years to come.

The Women's March on Washington

On Saturday January 21st 2017, the day after the new administration took office, nearly half a million women, men and children descended on the capitol to participate in the Women's March on Washington. In every state in America and on every continent world wide sister marches were held in solidarity, adding millions more to that number. 

We marched to send a clear and powerful message to the new administration that we will not tolerate lies and hate. We respect, support and are ready to defend the most marginalized along us. We are watching and listening to everything our new president says and does and when he fails our brothers and sisters we will make our voices heard. 

We do not consent to a ban on an entire religious group of people from entering our country. A country that was founded on the principle of religious freedom. We do not believe a person who mocks someone with a disability in a public forum has any business being the voice of our country. We marched for the sexual assault survivor who, betrayed, watched as her country knowingly elected a man who has bragged about violating women. We marched so she knows she is not in this alone. We marched because in this country white women make only 79 cents for every dollar a white man earns. Only 60 cents on the dollar for black women, and only 55 cents on the dollar for hispanic women. We marched because black lives matter, because love is love, because climate change is real. Because facts matter. We marched because we don't want walls that keeps us from one another. 

It was moving, and empowering and healing. I cried many, many happy tears. But it also left me more energized than ever to keep fighting, keep resisting and to call others to action. When my sisters rise, I rise. I implore you to use your voices to speak out. Call your senator and let them know that the cabinet members asking to be appointed are wildly unqualified and inappropriate nominees. Use your dollars to donate to causes you believe in. A few of my recommendations would be Planned Parenthood, The Southern Poverty Law Center, the ACLU and Earthjustice.org. Use your vote in not just major elections but also in mid term and local elections in your own community. Educate yourself about the systemic racism inherent in this country. Read books by minorities and those whose lives and experiences are vastly different from your own. Hone your empathy. Acknowledge your privilege. Keep seeking the truth even when it is unpleasant and uncomfortable. Open your eyes. Use your time, use your talents and use your rage to make a difference. Do not sit idly by. If you have been sleeping, this is your wake up call. Silence is compliance.