I spent a lot of my life trying to be smaller. Quieter… and I’m done apologizing for existing!
So — hi!
I’m Monika.
You say it Moe (long O) — Knee (yes like your knee) — Ka (as in America!). I grew up in New Mexico and I truly don’t believe anyone read my name on a piece of paper without calling me Monica, or Monique, or some other variation that wasn’t my name until I moved to Texas. It was the bane of my existence (stay tuned for some hilarious stories about name clapbacks, because sometimes I can be unhinged) and in my mid-twenties I had a boss that said to me “Oh my, that’s too long, do you have a nickname?” Alas, my moniker of Moe was launched and today most people personally and professionally call me Moe. However, I do still love when someone says my name correctly, especially after reading it versus hearing it.
I was born and raised in southern New Mexico where the food and culture was rich with Native American and Mexican influences and a small town feel. I’m a self-professed Mexican food snob and a sucker for turquoise jewelry, bonfires, and communities where everyone is family. My twin brother and I were adopted at birth (because infertility sucks) and we were absolutely “Just the two of us.” We have always known we were adopted. On our first night home from the hospital my mother read us a book about the miracle of adoption and that tradition carried well into our childhood — more on the adoption journey if you stick around!
The first five years of our lives were extremely eventful. My parents were fairly new Christians eager to serve the Lord. They began their ministry work as music ministers, graduated to youth pastors and then went on to Bible school. After Bible school we traveled around the US raising money to travel to Europe as missionaries. I’ve been to loads of foreign countries and have some really great stories about my formative years. I had the pleasure of living and going to Kindergarten in Spain where my parents intended to stay for a very long time until…. God changed the plan. (Stay tuned for more on that story too!) On Easter Sunday of 1990 we held our first church service in a hotel event room and the church where I spent over 20 years of my life was born.
I went on to college at New Mexico State University where I studied English because my heart always told me that words were the only way to make the world make sense. Turns out the angsty teenage girl who painted classic poetry on her bedroom walls (much to her mother’s dismay) was right — if you use them!
“I wasn’t born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could!”
In my mid-twenties, my father retired and our whole family moved to Texas. I absolutely love Texas. My mother is a native Texan and my folks met and married here over 46 years ago. Texas for me is family (stay tuned for stories about our 5th generation owned family farm), traditional values, southern charm, a thriving economy and a sense of patriotism I didn’t experience from living in the Southwest. Texas just owns my heart.
My son, the oldest, saved my life by forcing me to grow up FAST but also giving me the best unconditional love I could ever experience. He’s my best friend in the whole world.
I was blessed with two natural children that I have loved raising and watching grow and one bonus kiddo that came via my husband later in life. They are 21, 18, and 16. My girls are absolutely wonderful joys in my life and I’m so grateful that God let me be a mom. If you like stories about motherhood, parenting, kids growing up then I’m certain you’ll enjoy posts coming in the future about my crotch-fruit!
But for all the fullness that has been my life until now I have always felt as if I was neglecting to do something… as if something was missing. I wasted a lot of time trying to not be a bother or draw in too much attention. In the wild adventure that was being a Pastor’s kid all eyes were on me and my brother, and he was enough trouble for the both of us. The habit stayed with me into adulthood and it has taken me all this time to finally choose things that bring me joy. After all, I’m a whole person, living this life for my first time just like everyone else. So, here I am embracing that life isn’t just about the stuff we have to do! (Adulting sucks, 10/10 would not recommend, it’s a trap.)
- Mom rants. Any kind of rant really. I’m in perimenopause, if you know, you know.
- Funny and serious stories from a very colorful life
- Commentary on important issues, current events, interactions with other humans
- Prose & Poetry
- Recipes and other food content
- Occasional business topics: My expertise is in SaaS sales and customer success, so I may share insights, commentary on changing landscapes, stories from my career, etc.
- And my favorite: Multi-part blog story series about my absolutely unhinged life journey to find love (I’m currently married to husband #5, who is my absolute favorite human and I have loved since I first wrote in my diary about him at age 8! But I promise the stories that led me here are probably more wild than you’re imagining!)
Also, because I truly hold the value of radical transparency I want to tell you a little about my personality and belief systems. We don’t have to agree on everything — but you should know what you’re signing up for. I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea… who am I kidding, I’m not tea… I’m more like a Vegas Bomb. You’ll see lots of this:
- Sarcasm
- Some profanity (or slang thereof)
- A quirky and unique sense of humor, often powered by REALLY BAD Dad jokes (Thanks Pops!)
- Laughter & Tears
- Extreme Ownership — I know I’m imperfect.
- Conservative leaning politics (although I really find myself somewhere in the middle most of the time)
- I love Jesus!
- Perimenopause mood swings — not much I can do, it’s biology
- Lots of exclamation points!!!!! I can’t help it.
- A willingness and desire to hear from people who read my blog and have something to add to the conversation or who want to ask me questions.
Again, I’m so glad you’re here. I hope it will bring you joy and that it will feed my soul in exactly the right way.
