I bid you adieu

A few days ago I said goodbye to one of my greatest friends and one of my favorite people.

In memory of this beautiful soul, I was honored to be able to share a few words with our loved ones and close family friends. In case you missed it–or wanted to laugh, or cry, or just reread it, here it is:

“On behalf of my entire family, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for being here today. I know Gaga would have been pleased beyond words to see all of the wonderful people who came to celebrate the life of our own Lady Gaga.

 If you’ve ever spent a little time with Gaga, I’m sure she mentioned me somewhere in your conversation because after all, I was her favorite. With that being said, I’m honored to be able to brag a little bit about her.

Gaga was my best friend, my mentor, and she had a large part in raising me.

When we first learned that our own Lady Gaga had fallen ill, our hearts grew sad, but Gaga looked us all in the eye and told us that “tough times don’t last, tough people do.” I thought of that quote often and I’ll always remember my aunt as being the most resilient woman in the world. Gaga taught me to be strong and make the most of everything.

Gaga was my storyteller, who often told me wonderful love stories—mostly about her and Honey (and how she turned him down a thousand times before finally making him the happiest man in the world) or how she set my own parents up on a blind date, she was my personal shopper, she was like a big sister, a mom with no rules, she was caring and supportive and always my biggest fan.

Gaga taught me to appreciate the little things in life, like diamonds, and rubies, and anything that sparkles just the right way in the perfect light.

One of the things I’ll remember most fondly of Gaga is her laughter, her charm, and the smile always on her life. She is arguably one of the funniest ladies I’ve ever met and always had a knack for pulling pranks.

We’ve spent time, more than enough time, on her porch scheming up our next prank to pull on her next door neighbor, Jim, but I think Gaga pulled the latest prank just last Sunday during the NFC championship game. Gaga knows that my dad will buy me a puppy if Seattle wins the Super Bowl. And because she loves messing with my dad, she’ll work what angel magic she has to make sure this is the year for the Seahawks.

There are so many memories that I wish I could share with you. There are stories that came before me—that I’m never supposed to repeat—to the cold, blistery, winter days we spent in the hockey rink together to the days I’d just sit on her deck and wonder why she was washing the road to the advice she has given me when I made a mistake to the sweet tooth she left me with, she was always there.

Lastly, I remember Gaga telling me that, “if there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.” We all love her and we will miss her. But in our hearts we know that she is now safe and happy.

Gaga, I promise to never stop smiling. I promise to keep being my quirky self. I promise to keep being creative. I promise to make mistakes and learn from them. I promise to never stop loving my family. Most importantly, I promise to never give up the fight because someone I love needs a cure.”

Love you, Gaga.

Dear Diary

Why can’t we eat ice cream for every single meal? Why don’t puppies grow on trees? Why does Lou Gehrig’s Disease exist–and why can’t we find a cure for it? Heck, why can’t we find a cure for all terminal illnesses?

As a child, I was relentlessly asking my parents all sorts of questions. Lucky for me, they were always willing to field my questions and help my little mind wander. I’m thankful they never got sick of answering my silly, and sometimes serious, inquires because I still have that wonderful ability to let my mind wonder.

For instance, today I tried to imagine my life without ALS. I felt selfish in my wishing that I had never heard of Lou Gehrig’s disease, but unfortunately amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a huge part of who I am. When I first learned of my aunt’s prognosis, I immediately jumped online and begun researching the ins and outs of this terrible disease. There is information everywhere, which was extremely overwhelming (especially if you’re sensitive, like me). I decided not to look anymore and I made a pact to myself that I would ride the wave throughout this storm, taking in every crest and every trough as they came.

Our ride is not over, but it sure has been hard. I think that the worst part has been the feeling of losing someone, little by little. And each time I feel myself getting sad or teary eyed about what is going on, I try to think of all those good memories we share together. I once wrote that Gaga is like “a mom with no rules” because in her eyes she is my second mother, the only motherly thing she doesn’t do? Discipline us (and trust me, she loves the freedom to spoil us, then send us home all sugared up). But more than that, Gaga has taught me how to love by simply loving me and making me feel like her #1 baby girl/sweet pea/shining star/Bona babe, all the time, no matter how many miles were between us. Gaga has taught me that is okay to make mistakes…as long as I always call her first and listen to her advice on how to tell my own parents (sorry Mom & Dad, I called Gaga about that speeding ticket before you guys). And on that note, Gaga taught me how to drive…and that sometimes it is okay to drive fast (only if you’re going to miss the start of a Giants game or one of John’s hockey games). Gaga has been the most beautiful story teller when she reminisces with me about how lovely my grandmother was, how stubborn my dad was as a little boy, and how she was the reason for my parent’s love story. She has made me believe that there should be no guilt in watching episode after episode of Law & Order SVU or eating a whole bag of peppermint patties. She is also to blame for my creative side as she gave me a whole box of goodies when I was younger and let me create whatever the heck I wanted–then she always told me it was beautiful (it is to bad that Gaga wasn’t able to grade my paintings this semester, I would have received an A++++ in that class!). I believe that Gaga was the only one not complaining about my lack of fashion sense up until senior year in high school and while she gritted her teeth every time I picked mismatched clothes as gifts, she always went along with it (that’s love). Last, but certainly not least, Gaga has always made feel like I could do anything I set my mind to because she would always be there supporting me.

Well, friends, it is our turn to stand by our favorite lady and return all of her kind words, a shoulder that she always had to lean on, and the hand she was always holding.

Gaga, I promise to never stop smiling. I promise to keep being my quirky self. I promise to keep being creative. I promise to make mistakes and learn from them. I promise to never stop loving my family. Most importantly, I promise to never give up the fight because someone I love needs a cure.

20 Resolutions for 2014

This year I resolve to…

1. Spend less time making decisions and just follow my heart.

2. Travel. A lot.

2a. Don’t forget to pack my friends and boyfriend.

3. Write more.

4. Read the newspaper everyday.

5. Be more comfortable with myself. Be confident. Stand up for what I believe in.

6. Learn how to budget my money.

6a. Save money.

7. Read more.

8. Gain a greater appreciation for morning routines.

8a. Set my alarm clock earlier.

8b. Forget what snooze is.

9. Cook/bake more.

9a. Try new recipes.

10. Try to paint my thumb green.

11. Keep smiling.

12. Spend more time with friends.

13. Keep loving passionately.

14. Stop worrying.

15. Be inspired by others.

15a. Inspire someone.

16. Keep playing the piano.

17. Listen more. The stories I’m going to hear will be happy, sad, exciting, startling, and blissful, pay attention.

18. More yoga.

19. More crafts.

20. Keep in contact better. My family loves to hear from you, so I should probably text them more regularly.

Above all, I declare that I will keep in mind how blessed I am. No matter what happens this year, no matter what obstacles and challenges I’m faced with, life is good and I’m extremely lucky.

13 Lessons of 2013

It’s almost a new year. 2014 is quickly approaching and it represents a time for us to start anew. While 2014 is bound to be exhilarating with my college graduation, the crossing of some finish lines, and the beginning of new adventures (future puppy endeavors), there is a lot to be thankful for as 2013 comes to a close. This year went faster than Tom Hanks can say ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,’ but I learned quite a bit about the world around me and myself. Here are thirteen of the most important lessons I learned in 2013:

13. I’ve learned that ice cream will always be on my food pyramid. I strongly believe that dessert is one of the key ingredients to happiness (at least my own happiness).

12. I’ve learned that if you can laugh at your own jokes, then you’re already ahead of the game. If you know my humor, then this lesson explains itself.

11. I’ve learned that even on a gloomy day, slipping on your favorite dress can make a ray of sunshine appear. There is just something about a great pair of shoes or your favorite blouse that can make you feel like you are the best-dressed star on your own red carpet. One of my new year’s resolutions will be to only pack these items when I travel to avoid an impending diagnosis of scoliosis.

10. I’ve learned that it is possible to fall in love with 15 people in just three weeks. After taking the greatest Bona Voyage this summer, I walked away from this rewarding experience with 15 best friends and an even deeper appreciation for being a Bonnie.

9. I’ve learned that taking pictures are beautiful reminders of memories that have passed, but don’t forget to look out from behind that lens (or camera phone) and really enjoy the memories you’re making.

8. I’ve learned that communication is key. (This means real interaction, not simply texting or facebook chatting). Unplug from your tech toys and just talk. It doesn’t matter if it is light talk, heavy talk, easy talk, awkward talk, phone talk, funny talk, straight talk, clean talk, dirty talk—the point isn’t what kind of conversation is being held, the point is laughing and talking with each other. Being able to share in comfortable conversation is a key feature of a healthy relationship, as well as laughing, singing, dancing, playing, and simply having fun together!

7. I’ve learned that baseball ain’t that bad after all. It’s easy to see why baseball is America’s pastime after watching a few games at MLB’s most beautiful park in Pittsburgh with your favorite baseball player. (Thank you for this, Michael. You showed a great level of patience with me while I learned to love the game). 

6. I’ve learned that my parents are always right. My parents have always given me the best advice, but it wasn’t until this year that I actually learned they do in fact know what they are talking about. Thanks to Jack and Jude for always believing in me, sharing in my successes, and teaching me that compassion goes a long way. 

5. I’ve learned that the future is not something to stress over. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the whirlwind of college application, job searching, and apartment finding, but if you focus on the college acceptances, job interviews, and new adventures that are on the horizon, things don’t look so bad. If you have a dream, don’t give up on it because there are always people rooting for you and the little setbacks that stand in your way will make achieving your goal taste even sweeter (just think Panda Paws on a summer day). Another of my new year’s resolution will be to not worry as much because everything will indeed be okay.

4. I’ve learned that we need to take care of one another. I believe in the notion that people are good hearted and generosity fosters a comforting environment. I’ve learned that it doesn’t hurt to offer forgiveness and feel compassionate.

3. I’ve learned that you should never let a day pass by without telling your loved ones that you care for them. 

2. I’ve learned that love is real, and fun, and extraordinary. I was lucky enough to experience the “can’t eat, can’t eat, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of stuff” and the best part of those special feelings? My wonderful boyfriend makes me feel like a princess every single day. 

1. I’ve learned that happiness does exist. Being happy isn’t about having the latest gadgets or the newest designer handbag, but being content with where you are in your life, who you are making memories with, and being appreciative for what you do have. I’ve learned that the most ordinary things can be made extraordinary by doing them with the right people (thank you, family and friends) and what matters most is appreciating the little things. 

The best is yet to come, but don’t forget to be thankful for what you have learned in the past year.

Adios 2013! Cheers 2014!

First Golf Lesson

So, golf has become one of my favorite pastimes and I am extremely enthusiastic in learning more about the sport and improving my game. I met with the golf pro at a local country club tonight to look at a few different clubs in order to get fit for a new set. The pro is extremely helpful and I have been a part of a few of his clinics in the past, so I knew that he was quite a jokester. As we were chatting, we talked about school and golf and the unfortunate weather that hasn’t been ideal for the start of a golf season.

Then, Will mentioned that I seem to be a genuinely happy individual. I quickly smirked and asked him what there was to be sad about when I’m swinging my clubs? We talked s’more and hit s’more balls. It is not uncommon to hear that golf teaches as many lessons off the course as it does on the course. I definitely experienced that phenomenon first hand tonight. During my round I kept thinking back to the question I asked Will: what is there to be unhappy about? 

I got to thinking, maybe I’m just an optimistic person? I believe in the notion that I am  extremely blessed and no matter what happens, no matter what obstacles or challenges I’m faced with, life is good and I’m extremely lucky. 

I reflected upon all of the things I’ve learned, and am attempting to master, thus far with my new hobby: patience, discipline, pride, tolerance, humility, and self confidence. This is in no way a push to get every person to swing a set of clubs, but rather it should act as a sense of motivation. If golf is teaching me all of these wonderful lessons, imagine what you could learn by doing something you love!

The best part of talking with Will was his positive attitude about my senior year of college. I explained, with much laughter, that I am going to be taking a few easy classes to put myself outside my comfort zone (specifically, a painting class & piano lessons). The golf pro agreed that taking these classes might help as I move forward with the field of psychology. He mentioned that he took piano lessons while he was learning how to teach golf, simply because he wanted to experience life as student, so he would better understand his students when he finally got to teaching. What a great way of thinking about his career, right? Will’s outlook on his career made me feel very lucky that I was under his wing because I now know how much he truly cares about each one of us, more than just golfers. The golf pro may have applied this lesson to teaching golf, but everyone would benefit from stepping outside their own shoes and thinking from another person’s perspective. 

With all of this knowledge after my first day back at the golf course, I cannot wait to see how much I’ve learned at the end of the summer. (Maybe I’ll even learn how to read a green and beat a few select people on the course!)

Kudos, Cherrios!

My hat is off to Cheerios for standing strong behind a thoughtful commercial that is currently at the brunt of much controversy. The commercial, now aired on TV and online, features a mix-raced youngster, who is simply worried about her black father’s heart health and wants advice from her white mother. The commercial ends with the little girl’s father waking up to find a handful of cereal on his chest with the word “Love.” A pretty sweet idea by advertisers at Cheerios, don’t you think? 

According to reports, the backlash for choosing to include an interracial family in their commercial on Youtube was so dramatic that Cheerios had to disable the comment section underneath the video. This is unbelievable, and extremely upsetting, to me!

Not only do we currently live in a country that has a second-term African-American president, but we live in a country that is facing much more pressing issues than this commercial. It seems that some are more worried about this mixed-race ad than the poor families suffering in Oklahoma. When asked why they chose to cast this spot in this certain fashion, Cheerios proudly stated that, “there are many kinds of families, and Cheerios celebrates them all.” 

The support for this commercial, and General Mill’s resistance to take it down because of a few hateful comments, makes me happy because I support their decision 150%. 

L-O-V-E

Well, hello there!

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted on this wonderful blog, but I’m back, baby! 180 days since my last post, so I guess I have a lot to catch up on. For starters, I wanted to rethink on my goal: to use my writing as a way to express my thankfulness for everything beautiful, loving, and wonderful around me. During my reflection, a smile slowly emerged on my face because I am so incredibly blessed and the past couple months have been a few of the best in my life. The one word that keeps popping into my head is LOVE. (I will probably be extremely sappy and sentimental for the remainder of this post. You’ve been warned!)

This past weekend I was extremely honored, and lucky, to attend a beautiful wedding that let old and new friends join together to celebrate the Love of two amazing people. From the moment I met the radiant groom until we said our goodbyes the afternoon after, I don’t think I ever stopped smiling. I strongly believe something about Love is responsible for a certain amount of one’s happiness. The psychologist in me wants to try a quick experiment: think about something/someone extremely important to you (something/someone you Love)…got it?…are you smiling? Exactly. You’re happy when you remember the last time you spent time with your aunt or the last bite of that delicious ice cream sandwich.

One of my favorite passages from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, was used during the wedding ceremony and the powerful words have been dancing around in my head since Saturday afternoon. The passage concludes with, “For there are three things that endure: Faith, Hope, Love. The greatest of these is Love.” In the risk of sounding extremely romantic, I am a firm believer in the notion that Love is not taken as seriously as it should be. In my dream world, every person would love one another and disagreements would be settled over a bowl of ice cream. But seriously, if people were willing to accept others and respect differences, imagine how different the world would be. I’m just saying if there were more Love in the world, I believe happiness would be more widespread. Who wouldn’t love to live in a world where happiness is out of control?!

If Love is the greatest of all, then I think I’m doing just fine and I couldn’t be happier. The icing on the cake? Spending the weekend with a best friend I love so very much!!!

Right on Point

Brady Quinn’s poignant comments on relationships

^Just take a moment to read this article, it has an effect on all of us. I promise it’ll be worth your time. 🙂

Dinner for Deux

Buddhist leaders agree that people have become too focused on their daily engagements and too connected to every aspect of their lives. They refer to this condition as “time poor” because people are constantly overbooked and overworked, yet still agree to add even more commitments to their already packed schedules. Among the long list of downsides of a fast-paced lifestyle, one finding is more concerning than the rest: people are terrible at making time to unwind and chill out. One of the alarming results of always being on the go is that when people don’t have any activities planned, they are lost and don’t know what to do with their free time. One of the most important parts of human well-being is being able to take the time to pamper yourself on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, Americans, as an entire group, scored the worst on diagnostic tests that looked at time management skills. I think it’s important for us to understand that our well-being is largely affected by things other than our jobs, our schoolwork, and our material goods. One of the things that absolutely has an impact on our happiness is being able to make time for simple pleasures. As a college student, finding the time between studying for exams and writing research papers is difficult, but definitely rewarding.

On Monday, I decided to make a special dinner. It was a nice change of pace because it wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it was a home-cooked meal, made from the heart, shared with a special guy (and it didn’t taste that bad either). It was nice to take a few hours to prepare a few dishes because it allowed me to unwind after a hectic first day back. Cooking is a great hobby because first of all, it’s rewarding and secondly, it takes time to make the perfect dish. After baking a few pieces of chicken, throwing together a Caesar salad, and cooking spicy macaroni&cheese, dinner was served. After cooking, the best part comes: eating! We spent the meal talking: light talk, heavy talk, easy talk, awkward talk, funny talk, straight talk, clean talk, and dirty talk. The point wasn’t what kind of conversation was being held, but we were discussing and laughing and just talking about each other. Being able to share in comfortable conversation is a key feature of a healthy relationship, as well as laughing, singing, dancing, playing, and just having fun together! 

Taking the time to make this meal was rewarding in way more ways than just the wonderful food that we shared! I know it’s extremely important for everyone’s happiness to make the time on a regular basis to do things that make you happy. Challenge yourself to take a few minutes each day to do something for your own happiness!

Blessing in Disguise

You have to get knocked down to realize how people really feel about you…I might have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for. -Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig is remembered for his seventeen seasons in the MLB as a New York Yankee. But more importantly he is remembered for the attention that he brought to his illness, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Commonly referred to as “Lou Gherig’s Disease,” the disease is a “progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed” (ALS Association). This disease is significantly overlooked, especially when it’s one of the scariest considering there is currently no cure, no true causes, and there is very little known about this illness.

Learning that a family member has received a diagnosis of ALS is challenging and overwhelming because there are many uncertainties with this illness. While all of the literature, doctors, and websites are available to answer questions, there is nothing quite like having your own support system. My aunt’s support system was in full attendance today at a benefit on her behalf. It was truly inspiring to see family and friends come out and show their love and gratitude for my Aunt Sharon, better known as GaGa. My aunt is one of the most selfless, loving people I’ve ever met. (Plus, she likes to think she’s my second mother because she set my parents up on a blind date). I’ve always wondered why bad things have to happen to good people, but I think I’ve decided that people aren’t dealt cards that they can’t deal with. Lately, my family’s motto has been “tough times don’t last, but tough people do” because this is the best quote to characterize my family’s strength. Seeing the tremendous turnout today is just another reason for us to believe and have hope.

OH! This day was not only a celebration of everyone’s love for GaGa, but two special guests shared a special moment on behalf of my aunt. We all know what an impact GaGa has on everyone’s hearts, so when she mentioned to a friend that his girlfriend needed a rock on her finger because they’ve been dating for so long, it truly made him think. The couple left the benefit with smiles, but shortly returned with even larger grins! Unassuming they returned to find GaGa and share in their great news: they went to spend some time together by the lake and they got engaged! Liz, a tremendous woman and one of GaGa’s favorites, promised that it was GaGa’s sweet talking that helped her fiance make the decision to propose. This blessing in disguise is just another example of how truly special my aunt is. It’s surely easy to express my gratitude for one of my biggest supporters. She’s an inspiration for all of us and she’s always been a strong person and an amazing support system for friends and family. It is now our turn to stand by her and return the kind words, the shoulder to lean on, and the hand to hold. We love you, GaGa.