The Garza Family…

So one of my closest friends, Anna, has eight children — you heard me correctly, she has eight biological children and definitely has the stretch marks to show it *I love you baby*. I just spent an entire weekend in their home. Gabe and Anna are amazing people. They make me feel so loved. Their kids; Gavin (20), Jacob (18), Clayton (16), Brittany (14), Victoria (12), Isabella (9), Jack (7) and Sophie (5…and born blind…amazing child).

Anna and Gabe have raised these kids incredibly. When you walk into a home and find the three youngest unloading the dishwasher, the older boys cooking, and the teenage girls cleaning… it really hits home. When I walked in on Friday night I must have jumped a million feet and also screamed at the top of my lungs. That kind of compassion and love is rare, and utterly amazing. Anna was talking on the phone and smoking, and Gabe was crashed out on the couch with a beer. Now don’t get me wrong, these kids do not do these chores and take care of one another because it is required… not at all. They do it because they want to. Anna is a full-time Mommy and Gabe works as a lung specialist (and Anna smokes? Whuuut?).

Gavin got into a car wreck a when he was coming home for the holidays from CU Boulder. It was hell for him not to be around the family and he was in a rush…ugh. He missed everyone so much, and Sophie definitely missed his cruel blind jokes and the funny words he taught her *you crapface*. Anna said “sorry, Gav, looks like you’re not going back because you don’t have any transportation”. Luckily enough, he will be going back in the fall to finish school. Jacob and Clayton attend Singing Hills High School, and Brittany and Victoria are homeschooled through Olympus. Isabella and Jack are excelling in school, and Sophie is doing fabulous with her teachers Ms. Donna and Ms. Amy. She loves them to pieces and everyone loves them some sassy Sophie!!!

I really love spending my time with these incredible kids. They have taught me that there is more to life than what meets the eye. There has been plenty of hardship but with the help of God and the strength of one another, they have made it through everything together. I am so thankful to be a part of their lives… it is an ultimate blessing to me.

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Being the main support system for Anna, it has definitely taken a toll on me too. As a mom, I understand where she is coming from and with the motherly instincts we carry, we want nothing more than happiness, success, and safety for our children. Anna has had a very difficult time with the public schools out here in Colorado. A lot of them were unwilling to provide a superior learning environment for 5 year old Sophie who is blind. I refused to let Anna put her in a deaf/blind school. She is a NORMAL little girl but she cannot see. That is it. Her other senses are so keen, it is unbelievable. She can smell alcohol on my breath 2 days after the fact…LMAO…anyways, it is best Sophie is in a public school with the kids that live in the neighborhood. She has to learn how to deal with people because this is how it will be for the rest of her life.

Gabe and Anna raise their kids to be independent. Anna and I went up to the elementary school for a meeting with Sophie’s teachers. As we were leaving, Jack’s teacher approached Anna and said “Hi Mrs. Garza, Jack has a bear report to do for homework. He told me that his sisters are always on the computer so you need to figure out a way to allow him to do this and work with him on it.”

I have never seen Anna so infuriated. She turned to the teacher and said “you know what, I don’t DO homework. If my child isn’t capable of doing this type of thing at his frickin’ age, then he sure as hell won’t be doing it because it shouldn’t require my time.”

The teacher fired back saying “it is part of his grade… you must not get what I am saying.”

By that time… Anna was bright red and screaming “lady, he’s 7 years old so just fucking fail him then. You are pathetic.”

The woman went on to say that Jack lost his folder, blah, blah, blah… Anna was so upset. I guarantee you she has bought over 100 folders that are laying in that classroom. Find a damn fucking folder and put his fucking name on it, you whackjob. My god.

We walked out of there astonished. He is 7 and needs to do a two page research paper on BEARS? I don’t give a fuck about bears, and neither does Anna. I doubt he even does. If the old bitch can’t teach it to them thben it honestly isn’t something they need to learn. This is public schooling for god sake. Read a fucking library book.

***I am scared to death for when Blake is in school. Anna and I are so much alike and completely agree. Gawd. Ridiculous curriculums these days. I used to teach 1st, 4th and 11th grade… there is a clear line for me. Just needed to vent!!