October 2024

Ready for Take Off

Chilling with D'Angelo before bed.

I didn't think this song could be any better, then I listened to it on vinyl. But, since we are meeting her in my digital home instead of my physical, I invite you to listen to it....and indulge in this masterpiece of a music video. 

D'Angelo from the 90s is  not only a greek god, but he's got the cutest gap tooth smile. I'm not sure which one of those grips me more. 

My after school upper body workout.

Yes, I'm the girl who picks up cool rocks on her daily walks.

Proud of my big ass pumpkin and my Denver Broncos.

Caught a play at my local Chicano Theater down on the Sante Fe Art's District.

Only the silky-est of sheets for my little loves.

"When you walked into the room
There was voodoo in the vibes
I was captured by your style"

Happy Halloween!

Bike rides to "Little Machine" on Game Day are a major perk to living in the heart of Denver.

Catching my last rooftop before the snow rolls in.

I like big....pumpkins and I cannot lieeeeeeee.

Ladies & Gentlemen....Austin Powers.

She's getting married...and we celebrated the only way we know how...with a themed party!

Moranda cross-dressed yet again and took on the role of the "shagadelic" Austin Powers while us ladies costumed as her adoring lovers. But, the latter didn't take much effort because we adore this restless wildchild!

We are so excited to "make her an honest women" later this year. And guess what, her wedding is also themed. Yeah, she's that cool.

A pure pop song with some strong divine feminine energy.

One of my favorite spontaneous adventures during the work week is to go to amateur stand up comedy shows.

The baby comedians chase their dream of garnering a laugh by signing up for their 3 min sets. To be honest, it's never very good, but I like to smile and cheer them on with my innate teacher energy because I love to see people putting themselves out there and chasing a passion. And yes, sometimes they make me laugh.

And, I've pitched the idea for my family to come with me and we each try to put a solid minute together and brace the stage....because why not?

A cinematic little photo to capture the precious little strawberries on my nails. I love them.

Something I also love about this photo is how it captured my three little beauty marks above the right side of my lip. If you were to ask me my favorite feature of myself, I might just say these little dots.

Why? Well, for 30ish years of my life, I never saw them/noticed them because of my severe eczema. My eczema was on all parts of my body, but my face was one of the most concentrated areas. I dealt with redness, swelling, and flaking daily and eventually learned to embrace it even if it did cause me anxiety and cause my self-confidence to waver. It was a daily battle.

That was until about a year ago when I was finally helped via a god-send of a dermatologist. And, for the first time in my life I am able to see all of the freckles and beauty marks that I have all over my body. Still to this day I marvel at my skin each time I shower and then lather my skin with lotion in a ceremony of gratitude for my skin's health and its natural beauty.

Furthermore, in some Native American traditions, beauty marks on your lips symbolizes having been kissed by the gods and that is something I am more than willing to accept.

Barefoot and in my garden.

He said, "you're so hot", but Dostoyevsky said, "...she tortures me, tortures me with her love...In the past it was only the infernal body of hers that tortured me, but now I've taken all of her soul into my soul and through her I have become a man".

The cashier at home depot said, "These are the coolest colors I've mixed today...we tend to just pour a variety of greys."

I am making slow progress on my bedroom mural. She is my take on a minimalist/indigenious style crane.

The crane is an honored animal across many cultures:
Japan: Cranes symbolize good fortune, longevity, honor, and loyalty.
China: Cranes symbolize longevity, wisdom, nobility, immortality, and determination.
Africa: Cranes represent love, loyalty, and happiness.
Native American: The mating dances of cranes symbolize hope, joy, and new beginnings.
Greek and Roman myths: The dance of cranes symbolizes joy and celebration of life.

My view from my bed. She is not yet done, but I love her in her unfinished glory.

I dream vividly every night, but I can't remember the last time a song appeared in a dream. And this one did. 

"I am not your perfect mexican daughter" was raw and heart-gripping. And, I got to see it with two of my favorite women, my momma and my Auntie Gina.

Our high school' mascot is the pirate. So all us teachers dressed up as Pirates for the school day.

I put this together last minute with all items from my closet...and I am proud to say I was best dressed.

October brings in "Inktober". It' a daily challenge to draw based off the prompt. Here's one of my 31 doodles.

Living? Who is living? All I see are people seeking the most comfortable place to lay down and die. The big house, the "might as well marriage", the fat paycehck and promise of pension...they're an end when they should be a means...they're nails to the coffin.

My garden the day before Denver's first freeze. I loved her, and now I mourn her. But I can not wait for her return next spring!

"Excuse me, has anyone told you that you look like Raquel Welch"

I smiled and said, "yes...a man has told me that before."

A poor photo that is attempting to catch my view from my kitchen sink: my wildflower garden, my homemade birdbath, and a woodpecker bathing in its waters.

Please, for the Glory of God....please listen to this.

I hear Prince's guitar from "Purple Rain". I hear the echos of Phil Collins and The Police. The self-harmonizing like we are in a gospel choir. The "chic-chuck" of Michael Jackson. The seemingly random eagle screech.

You have to listen with headphones, with eyes closed to get all the layers. Do it. Welcome to my church.

My brother-in-law, Josh, with paper in hand is questioning Arianna's new boyfriend with all of life's important questions before he is to be admitted into the inner-circle that is our family. I already loved my brother-in-law, but this made me love him more.

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Dodging game day traffic with Josh.

That bike trailer has been in our family for thirty years now. All of us Montoya girls rode in that and now it carries our next generation of babies.

Clear Creek Canyon in October.

On this day I learned how to fly fish and that it's never to late in October to be in your swimsuit...even if the water is freezing.

I've done several dance numbers to this in the privacy of my home. 

It's got an undeniable groove and a not so subliminal sexy message. Plus, the video has incredible 70s' costuming and set design. So much so that she's inspired me to figure out how to sew my very own boa dress.

The look for Track's rollerskate night that was Beetlejuice themed.

A nun walks into a gay bar...

Tracks is a giant LBGTQ nightclub in Denver and each month they host a roller skate night.

This month's event was Halloween themed and everyone showed up dressed up and ready to have a good time.

After an hour on the rink, I took my skates off and danced more than I have in a couple years (3 hours straight). The club played all the best throw backs and gay icon anthems. I loved how everyone was there to have a good time. No one was 'too cool" to dance or “too old/mature” to dress up in a costume.

It was a glorious night and I felt surrounded by other free spirited people. Oh, and there may be pictures of me dancing in the go-go boxes.

This song reminds me of that night at Tracks. It was during this song that I was on the go-go box with my co-worker's gay male best friend. We were killing it when he yelled through the loud music, "Are you bisexual?". I began to incorporate a head shake into a dance move and yelled back, "No, unfortunately I'm only acttracted to men". Hitting his next move, he then yelled, "That sucks. Men Suck". 

My baby-making sister dressed as Lilo and her Sonny Boy as Stich.

At 8 months pregnant, my sister is a god damn goddess and I am so thankful that she keeps popping out these little cuties. I can't wait to hold the next one!

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This little lady is one of the toughest subs out there. She's a war veteran of the teaching world with 30+ years of experience under her belt. Even these high schoolers refuse to try her. I aspire to be just like her.

Flynn the Frog got to spend halloween week with our family. My mom even bought him a halloween costume lol. We were all pumped to add him to the festivities.

Scored me a very nice bike off facebook marketplace for 200 dollars. A major steal and major upgrade from my 30 year old bike. She's well accustomed to the South Platte trail and to the route to rec center. I love her and wish I would have had her for my triathlon. I swear she would have shaved off at least 15 mins of my bike time lol.

As the stewardess of this plane, I always promise white glove service.

Still loving math and my Marvin the Martian mug. Once again, thank your thrift store gods.

The Dia de los Muertos altar at my school.

A groove and a confident lyrical message: "Go search the world / You couldn't find a better love."

Englewood loves Halloween. He is one of my favorite houses. These owners dressed their giant skeleton with hair rollers and a night gown. She tends to her clothes line that overlooks her local graveyard. I aspire to be like them one day.

The cutest Strawberry Cupcake there ever was.

Referee Meeting and Training

See that boy holding the ball. At the start of the meeting I was talking to a fellow ref and I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find this 16 year old standing in front of me saying, "Hi, Ms. Montoya".

I not only taught this young man when he was in 6th and 7th grade, but I got to ref him when he was in 3rd grade. And now, he's going to be reffing right along side us.

You often don't get to expereince the fruits of being a teacher, but this was one of mine.

Halloween as an educator is so so fun. I really do think it is my favorite day of the school year.