Shanti
Shanti is the product of recovering hippie parents. She’s a lifelong Texan, born in El Paso, with stops in Lubbock and Austin for college, before settling in San Antonio. She met her husband when she was 18. They both married and divorced other people before they realized it was meant to be. She now works as an attorney practicing primarily family law, and he designs HVAC for commercial buildings. They are raising twin tornadoes affectionately known as the Aliens, along with a rotating menagerie of dogs and cats. In her free time, she is involved in local nonprofits, runs, and grows a (sometime) thriving vegetable garden.
What is Ramadan?
In my very first class as a law student, I arrived early so I could grab my favorite seat. Halfway back in the lecture hall, halfway down the row. Right in the middle. I...
Outdoor Family Fun In and Around San Antonio
We live in a great part of Texas for outdoor fun. Although it does get quite hot in the summer, we have lots of opportunities to beat the heat with splash pads all over...
Getting Your Cultural Fix in San Antonio
San Antonio has a diverse and engaged population, but we all come together for a good celebration. Fiesta is our biggest party, but there are events throughout the year that provide an opportunity to...
Dreidel Treats for Hanukkah
Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is the Festival of Lights, taking place over eight days somewhere between late November and late December in our modern calendar. The lighting of the menorah each night is meant to...
Adventures in Potty-Training…Again
My kids potty-trained fairly easily. We don't have horror stories of poop-smeared walls or puddles on the floor. Of course, we had our share of emergency outfit changes (or three) and "MOM! I have...
Books That Have Touched My Life
I'm what you might call an "avid reader." I have been for as long as I can remember. I've probably spent more nights reading than partying into the wee hours. I remember, as a...
Welcome to South Texas!: A Few Things That Might Kill You, and More That...
Texas isn't quite the Wild West it sometimes looks like in the movies. I mean, I never rode a horse to school, and I didn't own cowboy boots until I was an adult. But...
I Don’t Need a “Best Friend” Locket
I didn't grow up with a best friend. I grew up with the kids of my parents' friends. We did everything together, but we were far enough apart in age and life experiences that...
Be Kind: Daily Affirmations for Kids
A video circulated a while ago with a dad and his daughter doing their daily affirmations. It was heartwarming and empowering and all those things that make viral videos happen. Never one to pass...
Fiesta® Is Over…So What Do I Do with All These Medals?
I moved to San Antonio in 2003. After 16 years, I still only sort of get the Fiesta frenzy that overtakes the city every year. But even with my rather apathetic approach to this...
Our Not-So-Typical Passover
My father came from a family of Mexican Catholics; my mother, from a family of New York Jews. I grew up Unitarian Universalist with a knowledge that my religious legacy was as muddied as...
Move Along, Tooth Fairy
Dear Tooth Fairy,
I apologize for not writing sooner. Don't worry, teeth are dropping left and right around here. We are all brushing and flossing, too. All is well. But here's the thing: We don't...
You’re Never Too Old for a Birthday Party
The piñata is strung up. Balloons are inflated, and streamers are everywhere. The hot dogs and hamburgers are ready, toppings spread out in ice to keep cool. A giant orange cooler of Kool-aid is...
Here Piggy, Piggy: Finding the Perfect Marranitos
Marranitos. Cochinitos. Puerquitos. They all mean "little piggy," and here in Texas, they generally refer to the gingerbread pig-shaped pan dulce found in nearly every panaderia in town. When I was a kid, my...