FORT BEND RAINBOW ROOM AND FEDERAL MAINTENANCE SERVICES, INC.

Fort Bend Rainbow Room and Federal Maintenance Services, Inc. Announce Partnership for the 11th Annual Pot of Gold Classic

Fort Bend Rainbow Room is pleased to announce Federal Maintenance Services, Inc. as the Title Sponsor for the 11th Annual Pot of Gold Classic. “We have been involved with the Fort Bend Rainbow Room since 2010 because we felt it was in our best interest to associate with a program in our local community. Knowing that our financial contributions are an investment that help provide emergency and transitional supplies to Fort Bend County children and adults, our decision was not a difficult one. We will continue to contribute to this fine organization for as long as we are able,” said Tim Garcia, Federal Maintenance Services, Inc.

The Pot of Gold Classic will be held at Sweetwater Country Club in Sugar Land on Monday, May 2nd. Lunch and registration begin at 11:30 am. The tournament will kick off with a shotgun start at 1 pm with dinner and awards to follow at 6 pm. Player and team registration is open on the Rainbow Room’s website at www.fbrr.org/golf. Players have the option to register individually for $150, or as a foursome for $600.

The Fort Bend Rainbow Room is grateful to the community for their support of the tournament through sponTitle Sponsor Federal Maintenance Services’ Tim and Clay Garcia.

sorships and donations. In addition to Federal Maintenance Services Inc., the Rainbow Room is pleased to recognize other notable sponsors including: PJs of Houston, Planned Community Developers, NRG – WA Parish Plant, Always In Season, Dr. Suleman Lalani, Professional Janitorial Services and Rob and Emily Calbert.

All tournament proceeds support the mission of Fort Bend Rainbow Room to provide emergency and transitional supplies to Fort Bend County children and adults involved with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Visit www.fbrr.org/golf or contact potofgoldclassic@gmail.com for more information.

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By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher

Momma Trauma

As I pen this in late April, we are T minus 22 days away from baby boy graduating from – gulp – college, and it’s getting real. I’m feeling a certain kind of way on the daily, and it is not necessarily a good thing. Just ask Mr. Kaminski.

Sure, there are days that I’m super excited. Graduating from The University of Texas McCombs School of Business is a huge accomplishment, and W. has done it all on his own. He’s made the grades, he’s made the commitment, he’s done it on time, he’s stayed the course. He’s worked part-time for the past 18 months, and he has a big boy job all buttoned up. And, of course, this being off of momma and daddy’s payroll thing absolutely is something to celebrate.

Of course, there will be the appropriate pomp and circumstance to celebrate the precious prince – all deserved, all beyond emotional for the momma. Because on the flip side of the coin are the other days – the not so shiny ones – that keep turning up like a bad penny. These are the days that I think about my 275-month-old baby, my virtual newborn, who I brought home from the hospital a week ago. I still have the baby weight to prove it. I thumb through his baby pictures, and I can literally still Momma and Kolton last week.

smell his baby smell. You know how each baby has their own scent, and as a momma, you know your baby by simply a brief whiff? It’s true gentlemen. Ask any momma; it’s a thing.

To make matters worse, seven days after baby boy graduates, he will turn 23 years-old. Now how he can be 23 when I’m only 29 is completely perplexing to me. But honestly, just how much momma trauma am I supposed to endure in a brief 30-day period? This just doesn’t seem right. Kolton W. a.k.a. Momma’s Baby Boy and always will be.

My matriarchs have always imparted that we raise the babies to leave the nest – to provide them with the resources to soar on their own – having completed our task as caregivers, as providers, as nurturers, as parents. I admit – I like the whole soaring thing. Even the Bible talks about us soaring like eagles. I can get behind that. It’s the leaving the nest thing that bothers me. You see, this is not my first rodeo. I know how it works out. Kassidi graduated – with two degrees, my babies are smart – got a big girl job, moved and is living large, as she should. But we’re lucky to get a baby girl drive by at the Kaminski homestead, so I see the writing on the wall.

Maybe I should get another baby. I have experience and references. I know how to do it. I ran this idea up the proverbial flagpole, otherwise known as Mr. Kaminski. Oddly enough, it didn’t sail. Caught a lot of wind – gale force type – but it was more destructive than doting. Imagine that.

All I can say is it’s going to be a month full of juxtapositions. I’ll cry because I’m happy; I’ll cry because I’m sad. I’ll be angry because I don’t have a baby; I’ll be angry because I have two babies, they are bigger than me and can drive. I’ll be mad for no apparent reason and happy for the same. Y’all pray for Mr. Kaminski. This month-long momma trauma is going to be a wild ride.

See y’all next week – on the porch!

By Steve Kursar

2022 MERCEDESBENZ E-CLASS

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz E-Class was recently refreshed with a more dynamic and sportier exterior, redesigned headlamps and taillamps, radiator grille and bumper and even more comfort. It also packs in so much more technology that you may need to study the owner’s manual thoroughly in order to fully appreciate the car.

The E-Class and its predecessor models are the best-selling model series in the history of Mercedes-Benz. Although the very first E-Class mid-sized models were technically produced starting in 1953 and are highly prized today by collectors, the first true E-Class sedans began life in 1993 as “executive cars.” Those E 320 sedans were both luxurious but could also drive comfortably and travel safely on Germany’s famous Autobahn where an enforced speed limit really doesn’t exist.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz E-Class base E-350 sedan comes with an MSRP price tag of $54,950. Under the hood, you’ll find a 255 hp, 2.0 liter four-cylinder inline turbocharged engine mated to a nine-speed transmission. EPA fuel economy estimates are 23 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

The next step up is the E-450 with a 362 hp, 3.0 liter sixcylinder inline turbocharged engine that’s also mated to the nine-speed transmission. What makes this model special is that the powertrain is enhanced with the addition of the electric EQ Boost mild hybrid feature which results in improved performance and efficiency. Fuel economy numbers for the E-450 are 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.

The E-Class interior is beautifully appointed as can be expected from Mercedes-Benz. The cockpit boasts some very advanced technology engineered to allow you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road at all times. The MBUX infotainment system is powered by a powerful system that incorporates brilliant screens and graphics, a customizable display, learning-capable software and Voice Control with natural language recognition. It takes a bit of learning to master it, but in time the MBUX system becomes second nature.

The top-of-the-line E-Class sedan is the AMG E 63 S which really takes this car into a very different strata. Powered by the iconic handcrafted 603 hp, AMG 4.0 liter, V8 biturbo engine, this AMG sedan gets fast really fast. With a base MSRP of $107,500, the AMG E 63 S is a supercar masquerading as a family sedan.

If you’re shopping for a new luxury sedan that’s a pleasure to drive and is designed to impress, any level of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan will fit the bill.

Living the Sweet Life: It’s the Little Things

Ihope that somewhere tucked in a bookcase or perhaps hanging on your wall there’s a piece of art that has been created either by you, a dear friend or by someone in your family. As all of you know, both my parents left this world way too soon, and it’s very different living without parents. This month is always so special to me because of their birthdays, Mother’s Day, and of course, sweet Brian’s birthday, too. May is full of people that I care deeply for and think of often.

In my home there’s a handful of little pieces of art that mother somehow got done prior to her passing, and they are sprinkled in all my books on the shelves in my library. There’s a bunch of strawberries that at first glance appear to be some test to see if she could learn how to do crewel. There’s a tree with little apples that she covered carefully with thread that hang off her work. There’s a tiny board where she etched little mushrooms. In my kitchen there’s a painting of a field of flowers with a little girl with brown hair that my Daddy painted of me. There’s a vase full of roses that he also painted hanging in my bedroom and a clock, a chair and a pull done by my dear Nana.

These little things were created with love and are reminders that I am always surrounded by my loved ones. Recently my daughter dropped by and fell in love with something I had been working on. “I said you can take it!” And she replied, “No, I want to remember it here with you, and when you are gone, I’ll take it then to remember you by.” That’s what got me to thinking about my little things. It also got me to thinking about more little things that I want to create in my time right now. Recently, my boys and I redid what for twenty years what has been our “presentation room.” This was a big deal for me because a lot of my hours have been spent showing my portraits to our clients in that space. Unlike many of my real estate clients that just love open concept houses, I do not like them at all. I want each room to serve a specific purpose, and when I was not selling photography, it was just perfect to close the door and “be done” working for the day. I realize y’all are just starting to understand that with the changes in work from home we have come to see dur-

By Alisa Murray www.AlisaMurray.com Nationally recognized portrait artist and award-winning columnist.

ing the last few crazy years. But, I have always worked from home and having that separation has been my way of being balanced and “turning work off.” Anyway, the space needed to be reconfigured for our lives now, where clients come to see us and then select their images over zoom instead of being in that space. I decided to use it for my painting and for my coaching students. You should have seen the faces on both of our children when I announced that. They helped me sort and bring down the canvases and paints and helped me create the space where a new beginning of creativity will blossom for me and for my entrepreneurs seeking their calls for the Kingdom.

I found a stack of tiny canvases amongst my supplies and have some big ideas for these little things. I’m thinking about painting them out like my parents would have and then stitching into them beautiful herbs and flowers with butterflies and bees and lady bugs like my Nana. They will be portable, and of course, made with love, and one day they will sit on a shelf or be tucked into a library and give my loved ones a little reminder that although I am gone, I am always with them, too.

Take care of you, and of course, “Stay sweet!”