Melinda

My friend Melinda, from  high school, was diagnosed with breast cancer last January.  It is not unusual for a woman to get breast cancer these days and the survival rates are getting higher and higher.  I teach my students that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will get diagnosed with Cancer.  But I also teach them that science has come a long way and it isn't the death sentence that it used to be.

Melinda did get diagnosed with a particularly "bad" form of breast cancer- triple negative.  I knew it wasn't a good thing, but I figured she would fight the good fight and come out of this with a big smile and a stronger sense of the world.  Unfortunately, her cancer didn't respond to any of the chemo treatments and spread to her liver and her spine.  A year after she was diagnosed, she died.

Melinda has two little kids.  Ellie just turned 5 years old and Cole is 7 and a half.  I think of my childhood and what I remember when I was five and seven.  I remember moving to a new town at five and making new friends.  I remember vacations and birthdays.  But I don't remember the everyday.  I don't remember the pets I had before that point.  I don't remember the things my parents said to me. But I do remember being happy and loved.

 Melinda was diagnosed with cancer when her kids were the same age as Cally and Hazen.  She had an extra year with her kids.  But she was being treated for cancer and I can't imagine that she felt all that great.  But Melinda was the kind of person who made the most of EVERY moment.  She thought deeply, laughed hard, and kept her chin up to the end.

I went down to CT for her memorial service.  I'm so glad that I did.  It was so great to see her family and support them.  He husband, Jesse,  was amazingly strong and the kids were adorable.  I can't even imagine what Jessse was going through, but he has tons of support and love because Melinda was such a force and spirit.

Our time here on the planet is short.  Even if we live 100 years, it's short.  We are all going to die, but Melinda died too early.  She reminds me everyday to appreciate life and the little things that I had taken for granted.  She reminds me to take a deep breath when I'm exasperated, to seize the moment while I can, and love my family as much as humanly possible.  She also reminds me that our life is temporary and it's not about what we do, but the mark we leave.  She reminds me to love Cally and Hazen and make sure they feel adored. Mel certainly left an amazing mark on the world.  I'm a better person for having known her.

January Freezer

I think the saying goes something like "out of the frying pan and into the freezer'.  It's been like that for us since our return from the D.R.  Things got cold around here, really cold.  And since we had lost so much snow after the X-mas thaw and the temps were so low, we had few options for good winter recreation, except to skate.

The Ganz Pond up in Happy Hollow is the perfect pond.  And a great place to get inspired by little hockey players.

Cal & Hazen used the double decker crate to get started, but they insisted they didn't need it after a few minutes:

And a when the temperatures got a little more reasonable, a very important moment happened in the Abbott Family Annuals of Skiing.  Hazen & Cally are riding the lift without an adult!  It's crazy, I know.  But it is liberating in so many ways.  This means that John or I can ski on our own with the kids at Smuggs (b/c there are only double chairs there).

But they do still like us enough to ride the lifts with us.  They aren't too cool for us, yet:

But it also means that john and I get tor ride lifts together:

The D.R.

What a week!  And what a reason to celebrate!  Mary Lou and Phil, aka Mom and Dad or Bumpa and Grandma made it through 50 years of marriage!  They announced last year that they didn't want a big party, they just wanted to take all of us on a vacation.

My mom spent A LOT of time researching the best vacation for a family of 13, with kids ranging from 3-12 years old and people who like to do everything from veg out on the beach to exercise.  

Well, let's just say, my mom "nailed it".  We went to an all inclusive resort in Punta Cana, on the Northeast side of the Dominican Republic.  The kids were thrilled to be with their cousins.

The accommodations were devine.

We danced.

We ate really well.

We swam a lot.

The beach was beautiful.

 

And the pool was enormous.

There was even a swim up "Manitee Bar"

Some people did Zumba

We spent a day snorkling and dancing and swimming with 50 of our best friend.

We rang in the New Year with much pomp and ceremony.

And mostly, we relaxed and had fun.  The kids LOVED the Explorers Club and opted to spend a few hours each day and three dinners there because it was way more fun than sitting through long dinner with the family. I read a book.  John and I sea kayaked, went on long walks, and ate some more. We all agreed that it was the most relaxing vacation we had been on as a family.

We all felt refreshed and ready to tackle the new year...... or so we thought!?!?!?

I'm so proud to be the daughter of these two people.  They are gracious and fun and humble.  I'm so happy that I could share this week in the D.R. with both of my families.  It really was a treat.