Grammie's 3 Year Angel Day

I can't believe it's been three years since Grammie passed away.  She was the only grandparent I ever knew, as my three other grandparents passed away long before I was born.  I was also named after my Grammie (Margaret), which made our bond even tighter.  She was an incredible woman.  She went to Johns Hopkins University for Nursing School, then later met her husband (my grandfather) at The University of Chicago.  She was a nurse, a teacher, a mother, a sister, a grandmother, a friend, a volunteer, and so much more.  Grammie was always very warm and giving.  Growing up, she would pick my younger brother and I up from school every day all through elementary and middle school.  She lived a long and happy life of 92 years.  I know she is having fun now with Mom, my uncle, and my great aunts and uncles (her brothers and sisters).

I love you always Grammie :)

2013 in Review!

This year was quite a busy year!  So many things happened in 2013, some good and some bad, but they all were memorable.  I think it’s important to remember not only the wonderful things, but also the not-so-wonderful things.  Those are what make the good moments much more precious and reminds us that life is to be celebrated and lived to the fullest.  Without further ado, here is my 2013 in review by category (because it’s just more organized that way :) ):

Family

• Celebrated my 2 year wedding anniversary
• Rugby and Juno (our pups) both turned 1
• Tantalum (our kitty) turned 2
• Birth of my handsome nephew, Aiden
• My younger brother graduated law school, passed the CA Bar, and got a job
• Underwent a bone marrow biopsy and learned I have Familial Platelet Disorder with a Predisposition to Myeloid Malignancies (predisposed to MDS or Leukemia)
• Had surgery for the first time and "went under" for the first time (completely unrelated to my diagnosis above, and I’m OK!)
• Cousin graduated from high school and started college
• Cousin turned 21 and the family went to Vegas to celebrate
• Big brother got a new job in consulting that he loves
• 1 year anniversary of my beautiful Mom’s passing
• 2 year anniversary of my incredible Grammie’s passing

Friends

• One of my oldest and dearest friends got married, and I was honored to be a bridesmaid
• 2 friends got engaged
• Lots of incredible dinners with friends

Hobbies

• Attended to Lakers games
• Attended Angels games
• Attended Galaxy games, including the International Champions Cup tournament
• Attended Ducks games including playoffs
• Trained for a marathon
• Ran my first marathon in memory of Mom while raising awareness and funds for MDS
• Raised nearly $10,000 for the AA&MDS International Foundation
• Had my first radio interview with 100.3 FM talking about the AA&MDS International Foundation
• Rode our bikes during the summer to our local park for concerts and movies in the park
• Learned to snowboard
• Saw Justin Timberlake in concert for his 2020 Experience Tour

Travel

• Traveled to Montana, Las Vegas (a couple times), Catalina Island
• Drove cross country (south to north) on a 22 hour road trip, non-stop (and drove back)
• Bought a new car (SUV)

Career

• Successfully completed some challenging projects at work and saw our company CAHPS scores improve significantly year over year because of those projects
• Moved up the ranks on the FORTUNE 500 list

The Little Things

• Organized our home office and guest bedroom (they were filled with boxes and donation items)
• Started watching some awesome new TV shows like Breaking Bad, Masters of Sex, How I Met Your Mother; and kept watching amazing old shows like Dexter, Game of Thrones, True Blood, Walking Dead
• Hubby and I got tattoos of a quote from one of our favorite books with our wedding date, “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite. 12-3-11”.  I got mine on my rib cage; he got his on his bicep.

What's Next For 2014

• Hubby’s 30^th birthday
• More snowboarding
• Iceland
• Friend’s wedding in NYC
• + more!!

Cheers to a memorable 2013!