BE Love

Like so many, last year I spent Christmas and most of my winter break quarantined in my room alone with Omicron, so THIS YEAR, I soaked in all the family time with so much joyful appreciation. Now and always, I cherish the greatest gift of all with us time with those I love most. Blake’s first Christmas and also our first Christmas with baby girl @kenobithejedidoodle - heart is so full 🥹✨ Wishing everyone a restful and joy-filled week ahead 🫶🏾✨✨💙 #HappyHolidays #FamilyTime #Grateful #Blessed https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmo2zL5poNi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Feeling & celebrating 30 Years of @KabaModern this weekend was unforgettable 🫶🏾✨ Thinking about all we have been through with the pandemic and thoughts from still processing & grieving the devastating loss of our beloved brother @sir_twitch_alot last week really made me want to hug everyone just a bit tighter, embrace a bit longer, and really not hold back on letting people know they are loved & appreciated. So many moments and intimate conversations shared….. I’m still processing all the amazingness of this past weekend and will share more later, but for now, I just wanted to share this snapshot of joy and pride from our 30 Year Old @KabaModern fam. THANK YOU to ALL alumni, current KM30 fam, loved ones, and supporters who have been a part of getting us here. My heart is forever grateful 🫶🏾🙏🏾❤️‍🔥✨✨✨✨✨ #ForTheLoveOfDance #ForTheLoveOfEachOther #KabaModern #30thAnniversary (at Irvine Marriott) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmWt97ipOYSmH8d4lbxeLmzCxuNiswwCWKDpEE0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Uplifting your feed with a pic that brings my clinic office & our home so much joy & gratitude ✨ Thankful, honored, and blessed everyday to be their uncle. #ThankfulThursday 📸: @ericchronicles https://www.instagram.com/p/Cih8Z6RLMqi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Snapshots of an amazing weekend spent with our loving family. So incredibly grateful for cherished shared moments and memories like these✨ My heart and soul is full 💙 #FamilyTime #SummerVacation #Grateful #Blessed (at Palm Desert, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgdWlKFLLFz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

365 days and I’ll proudly call you my husband 🥹✨ Ich liebe dich so sehr Mahal na mahal kita #LoveOfMyLife #Fiance #Grateful #BlessedWithTheBest #LoveWins 💙 📸: @tiffanylevisuals (at Love Wins) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdhQVWWJn6Y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

My 💙 is full With your support, this birthday month, I was able to raise money to support the amazing work of 3 non-profit orgs: @autisticselfadvocacy @ladiesofhiphop @projectQ Thank you my love @dustinripkens for donating your class and thank you again @offstagebygrv for hosting my workshop 💙🙏🏾 From my birthday meals to engagement celebrating and even a puppy shower…..I cherish quality time like these with loved ones who mean so much. Being in careers devoted to serving and supporting others, it feels rejuvenating to be celebrated. Thanks again to all who took the time to fill my cup with your thoughtful, loving care. I see you. I love you. I appreciate you. 🥹🥰✨ #LifeBlessings #GIVElove #RECEIVElove #BElove (at Friends Are Family) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdHLOgdPxEu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Walking into this next year of my life journey with a full, grateful heart and some meaningful milestones…. 💙 My first Birthday as @dustinripkens ‘ fiancé 👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 💙 My first Birthday as Kenobi’s Daddy 🐶🐾 💙 20 Years as a Doctor of Occupational Therapy ⚕️ 💙25 Years as part of the Culture Shock fam 💜👊🏾 💙 30 Years since Founding @KabaModern 🖤🔥 This past year has been filled with lots of necessary learning and unlearning to do and be better for myself and others, a return to weekly therapy to address past trauma and build deeper pathways to inner healing & growth, learning more about my Filipino heritage to dismantle colonialist mentality & appreciate the beauty of my ancestors & pamilya, the further expansion of one of my most meaningful and rewarding Purpose Projects - my program “Leadership Tools for the Dance Leader,” navigating this pandemic to continue work I LOVE as a pediatric Occupational Therapist for LBUSD, saying good-bye for now and releasing to the heavens some beloved friends & relatives, teaching Roots B4 Branches to more communities than ever before, relishing in the growth of our Calvario/Roque family, and cherishing the greatest gifts of all - time with family and friends who truly are family to me. There are many injustices and atrocities in the world that overwhelm, disappoint, and hurt my heart, but many personal inspirations and support systems in my life uplift and inspire me to not only keep believing in the goodness and kindness of the world, but to be an active agent of positive transformative change alongside the Love Warriors God has blessed my life journey with. Thank you to all who love, support, and inspire me to do and be better. I truly feel abundantly blessed. Rooted in love & purpose, the journey inward, outward, present and forward goes on✨✨💙✊🏾🙏🏾✨✨ #HappyBirthdayToMe #Grateful #Blessed #AriesGang #AttitudeOfGratitude #ResolveToEvolve #BElove 📸: my amazing friend @tiffanylevisuals ✨✨ (at Be Love) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTJTwaJC-0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

We embarked on this journey to find our puppy and ultimately, she chose us and captured our hearts with her sweet, loving, gentle, and cuddly spirit. She snuggled up to Dustin instantly and I felt an immediate special connection the minute I held her. Everyone meet our puppy daughter KENOBI born on 2-2-22 🐶🧡✨ Our hearts are overjoyed with gratitude 👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻💙🐶 Big thanks to our fam @missdjmae for being part of this special day. #KenobiRipkensCalvario #DogDaddies #Blessed #Grateful https://www.instagram.com/p/CbILAUWL23u/?utm_medium=tumblr

Beautiful day to honor one of the most beautiful, bright lights to touch our world - my dear Auntie Tessie 🤍🕊✨ Just as many shared in conversation today, I grew up with so many cherished memories with my loving, supportive, generous, funny, affectionate Auntie Tessie. I grew up knowing her and my late Uncle George’s house on the corner in Long Beach as a place of family love, comfort, joy and hospitality. I have vivid memories of my mom and dad joining their closest loved ones in boisterous laughter with my dear Auntie Tessie at the center of it with her funny storytelling. I remember clearly the many times throughout my life when she would grab my forearm, pull me close and tell me how proud she was of me and how much she loved our family. I cherish all the many, many Facebook comments she would leave on my posts - always full of love, warmth, and encouragement - I admittedly screenshot every single one to never forget them. Like my relative mentioned at the service today, she really was our Angel on earth and on Valentines Day this year she just had to soar to the heavens to be with the love of her life - our dear Uncle George. I’ll miss hearing your laugh, receiving your loving words and feeling your hugs in person Auntie Tessie, but at the same time, I feel utterly grateful that I have a lifetime of memories to hold on to and because you have so greatly impacted your children, grandchildren, and loved ones, so many will keep your legacy of compassion, joy and kindness alive. Cousins Jojo & @gerapeak and the entire Pador/Peak pamilya, we love you so much. Today was beautiful and I think your parents are definitely smiling down from Heaven seeing us all reunited in love today. We love you Auntie Tessie! Farewell for now ✨🤍🕊 (at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Long Beach)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CadeGP6Pyx8/?utm_medium=tumblr

Grateful everyday for this love that is supportive, that inspires me to continue to grow into a better human, and that brings fun and joy to any occasion. Ich liebe dich Mahal Ko 💙 #ThankfulThursday #Mahal_AnD_Freude #ShakespeareThemedWedding (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CV29TqgpFCY/?utm_medium=tumblr

I will no longer allow the narrow-minded, judgmental, homophobic, and/or racist thinking of others shame me into living a smaller, more muted version of myself. We all deserve safety, love and liberation. May we all shine our extraordinary light far and wide and may we all build individually and collectively with love, integrity, discernment, purpose, courage and compassion as our compass. “There’s nothing more powerful than stepping into your truth.” - @alokvmenon #IAmWorthy #SelfLove #SelfWorth #Courage #Compassion #GiveLove #ReceiveLove #BElove Thank you beloved fam @dliciousphoto for taking these pics 💙🙏🏼✨ (at Desert Hot Springs, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUAntBPplhn/?utm_medium=tumblr

My heart and soul is filled with so much joy, inspiration and hope sharing space tonight with these GUEST PANELISTS @shaunevaristo , @seektash , @tiffany_jimini_bong , @jamizzi , @theeladybyrd & @sorahyang and all the LTDL Leaders across the globe who reunited tonight to share, exchange, connect and uplift. BIG THANKS to these incredibly inspiring, encouraging, community-minded, purpose-driven, kind and loving panelists for sharing your light, good energy and wisdom tonight. BIG THANKS also to LTDL Alpha fam @dnics_fob for opening our sacred shared space with your music and to my fam @mx.irabriones for beautifully closing our time together with your virtual SOUND BATH. Seeing these faces and feeling the energy shared in our whole group shared space, the breakout rooms and chat…..all of it was food for the soul. HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY global LTDL Fam! It’s been such a beautiful journey so far…..💫💙✨✨✨ #LeadershopToolsfortheDanceLeader #LTDL #Global #Fam #Dance #Leaders #1YearAnniversary #Inspired #Uplifted #Grateful 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇲🇽🇹🇹🇧🇷🇳🇱🇵🇭🇸🇬🇨🇳🇯🇵🇹🇼🇮🇩🇹🇭🇳🇿🇦🇺🇮🇳🇩🇪🇳🇬 SPECIAL SHOUT out to fam @mattinsayed from Germany and @kaffydance from Nigeria who were tuning in at 3:30/4:30 am ! 🥰🙏🏼✨ (at Global Family) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR5jMughqr7/?utm_medium=tumblr

Happy Birthday to my love, my amazing partner in life, my quarantine buddy, my favorite dance partner, my inspiration, my Mahal…..@RippedWithRipkens✨ I love bearing witness to how your beautiful, good soul touches the world with positive energy, encouragement, compassion, mindfulness, love, joy, honesty, and relentless dedication. Any task you do is not only done with the strongest work ethic, but with THOUGHTFUL CARE for the people you interact with. I’m always in awe not only of your many talents, but also how lovingly present and connected you are with me and with others in all you do. While we will be celebrating a little bit extra today, I’m grateful everyday to grow through life with a partner that encourages, challenges, and inspires me to be a more kind, mindful, brave and free good human. HAPPY BIRTHDAY my loving, supportive, sexy, fun, inspiring, blanket-loving Captain Planet cookie monster. Ich Liebe Diche💙 #HappyBirthday #DustinRipkens #Grateful #BlessedWithTheBest #MyLove #LoveWins #GayCouple #Mahal_AnD_Freude ✨💛🧡❤️💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍💙💖 (at My Love) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ1Wmv5Bw59/?utm_medium=tumblr

It continues to be incredibly disheartening learning about atrocities & injustices happening due to apathetic, racist people, inept leaders, and archaic, harmful systems of oppression, racism, & supremacy. As we navigate continued troubling times, I continue to be grateful for artists, leaders, organizers, educators, love warriors and compassion builders who are creating pathways for hope, healing, & change. I find comfort in seeing the GoFundMe’s of families surviving traumatic tragedy being fulfilled (although I wish there wasn’t a need for them in the 1st place). Giving space here for inspiring art work & words from some incredible good humans shared this week & information for supporting some ongoing efforts. When processing things, I usually end up turning to prayer, journaling and writing. Although NOT a complete list, THE LAST TWO SLIDES are things I prayed for this morning. Sending love to you all reading this. You are loved 💙 #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #JusticeForDaunteWright #JusticeForAdamToledo #EndSupremacy #AntiRacism #PoliceReform #EducationReform #DismantleThePatriarchy #BIPOC #LGBTQIA #Liberation #Equity #Safety #Justice #Love #Learn #Unlearn #ForAllPeople #GiveLove #ReceiveLove #BELOVE (at Be the Change) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNvD8peBHEm/?igshid=1tmg9wso4qn7n

This is 48 💙 Year 47 started like many birthdays did for many last year.....in a pandemic and amidst many atrocities & injustices - same as today unfortunately. Thus this past year has opened my eyes & heart wider to what I needed to learn & unlearn, to the deepest love I’ve ever known, to whom mattered most to me, to what I appreciate most in life, to my blessings (some which I honor well and some which I must work at honoring better), and to the greater needs of the world in my immediate circles and beyond my lived experience. Where there has been pain, there is also healing. Where there has been sorrow and loss, there has also been joy & rebirth. Where there has been shocking apathy & senseless division, there have also been love warriors emerged and united. Some personal doors closed this past year of life, but many new brilliant ones opened. Through both the constant and the ever changing & evolving, one mantra has remained with me..... GIVE love RECEIVE love BE LOVE For my Birthday this year, it only felt right to pay it forward to positive change, so in the spirit of #AutismACCEPTANCEmonth and also #OccupationalTherapyMonth, I have partnered with the wonderful people of @smashlifesf to launch this #WeCAAAN campaign to raise money for AUTISM SELF ADVOCACY NETWORK and @CultureShockLA ‘s AWESOME SHOCK DANCE THERAPY program serving Neurodivergent children. LINK for more info in my BIO. Whether by buying a shirt, sharing this post or sending good energy/love/prayers, your support is appreciated. May we ACCEPT, AMPLIFY the voices of, and APPRECIATE our Autism family around the world. Here’s to building a more loving, inclusive, equitable, liberating, united and safe world FOR ALL together 💙♾ #WeCAAAN #Autism #AutismAcceptanceMonth #ArnelAutismAcceptance #AndrewAutismAcceptance #ACCEPT #AMPLIFY #APPRECIATE #GiveLove #ReceiveLove #BELOVE (at Love) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNn4ki5BuY-/?igshid=1cr9qwkul895z

Happy 8th Birthday to my loving, energetic, animal-loving, creative, fun, beautiful and smart niece GIANNA! You bring our family so much joy with your fun energy & thoughtful good heart. We love you so much and are wishing you an 8th trip around the sun blessed with good health and abundant joy & love. Your light makes this world better sweet Caticorn! HBD GG! 😸✨💛 #WeLoveYou #HBD #GiannaPaulineCalvario #Grateful #Blessed 1.25.21 (at Family Is Love) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKhXGV9Bpxx/?igshid=1qcaewtxdyvno

My dear family friend @genebear1018 was called to heaven yesterday after battling Covid-19 for 2 months 🤍🕊✨ Anyone who knew her loved her. She was kind, thoughtful, warm & full of good energy. Gennie not only welcomed me to @UCIKababayab, she took me, @ofam & many others under her wing, looked out for us & supported us through our college years at UCI. She believed in me many times when I didn’t yet have the self-worth or strength to believe in myself. Her patient listening ear, sage advice and caring presence was a blessed gift to us all. The day after her 48th birthday this past October, GENNIE was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia & admitted to Mission Hospital. On October 21,2020 she was transferred to UCI MEDICAL CENTER and while beginning her aggressive chemotherapy, she contracted COVID-19 at the hospital. It has been an up and down roller coaster of bits of progress and then medical complications, but GENNIE fought hard and held on. On Christmas Day, she opened her eyes and responded to videos from her beautiful kids and her devoted, loving husband, Magnus. All the way up until New Years Day, we all held on to hope that maybe she was turning a corner. Then more medical complications emerged and sadly, GENNIE suffered a stroke and made her way to the heavens yesterday morning. It is so painful to accept you are gone Gennie, to know you went through most of this alone in your patient room, but the many who love you will do our best to be extensions of your legacy of kindness, compassion & love. GENNIE is survived by her wonderful husband Magnus, beautiful children Danika,Lily & Sammy, her loving parents & brother & so many of us loved ones who miss her dearly. We are asking anyone in the position to donate to please help us raise money to cover the daunting medical bills, funeral service costs, & living expenses for her beautiful family. Prayers & loving energy for the LINDGRENs also appreciated. Hold tight and cherish your loved ones while they are here & PLEASE do all you can to protect yourself & the lives of others by taking this virus seriously. We have already lost too many 🖤 *LINK to GENNIE’s GoFundMe in BIO (at Family Is Love) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJoLaWxBeSt/?igshid=hlt3gimyc89a