Gratitude

Fourteen years ago today, the world was forever changed by the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center. So many innocent men and women lost their lives, both those who went to work that day and those responded to the crisis. I will always have the utmost respect for those brave individuals.

On this September 11, I am again grateful. Yesterday my aunt and uncle were evacuated from their home on Pine Bark Drive off Jesus Maria Road in Calaveras County. Today, we heard they have likely lost their home.

It could have been much worse. They hadn’t planned on leaving.

Usually, the cooler weather at night abates the flames. And their home was on the downhill side of the fire, which usually makes for slower progression. The thought they could safely wait out the night.

An official came to the door and told them they had 30 minutes to get their things and flee. Annie was able to rescue her two cats, irreplaceable family photo albums, and an Indian rug from Arizona. She left all the lights on and the doors unlocked as they drove away. In the distance, the sound of propane tanks exploding sounded like bombs. As they passed the fire station, Annie noticed they too were packing up and pulling out.

While losses won’t be confirmed until the Damage Assessment teams can safely begin evaluations of damaged and destroyed structures, it’s not looking good. CalFire is updating maps of the affected zones and a significant area around their home appears to have been engulfed. The insurance company has already contacted her and is sending an initial compensation payment.

Mom and I performed our own reconnaissance, independently we both attempted to call their home phone which rang and rang and rang before disconnecting.

I can’t help thinking that if the fire safety personnel hadn’t gone door-to-door, Carina and I might have gotten a very different update from mom today. There are families who won’t be as lucky as ours. One of Anne and John’s good friends decided not to evacuate and his fate is unknown.

Tonight, I am overcome with gratitude for the many firefighters, police, and military service people who put their lives on the line against the many threats we face. It is because of them that so many of us can live our lives, safely going to work, the grocery store, and even to bed at night. I cannot help feeling incredibly thankful that Anne and John are safe in Modesto. They will hug their grandchildren, snuggle their kitties, and see the sunrise tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Galles

This Thanksgiving we spent the day with our dear friends, the Colbys.  Dan and Sam decided they wanted to deep fry a turkey for the first time so Sam bought a deep fryer and both a turkey and a duck.  We had decided we were going to have spaghetti and meatballs - and apparently duck - for dinner, so Sam and Dan made a traditional Thanksgiving lunch for us all.  

It was totally delicious! Especially Dan's amazing cranberry sauce.  Seriously, it put all previous cranberries to shame.

Even more amazing than the fried turkey was the duck - I think we were all pretty impressed with how that turned out.  And the cranberry deliciousness went extremely well with that, too.  

All in all, it was really nice to spend our first Thanksgiving as "the Galles" with Dan and Tina, who were with us the first time we hosted Thanksgiving at our apartment during Sam's last year of med school. It felt like coming full circle. And now, we both have our little dogs - Hunter and Lando.  It was really, really nice. 

SoulPancake: My Last Days

Many people have heard of Zach Sobiech who tragically died on May 20, 2013 just days after he turned 18.  I saw Zach's video on a Facebook post and I was really touched.  I was so touched I went to the SoulPancake YouTube Channel to watch more of the series.  Here are the incredibly inspirational young people who are featured.

Next time I am complaining about something in my life I am going to return to this post and remind myself that things could be worse.  And that there are some really wonderful people who are going through some really horrible, tough times who are incredibly positive and thankful for the time they have.  I wish these folks weren't going through these experiences, but I am so impressed by their amazing attitudes and I think SoulPancake and these wonderful individuals and families for sharing their lives with us.

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

This was one of the best weekends in a long time.  Sam had the entire holiday weekend off!  We spent all three days together as a family- Sam, Hunter and I.  And lots of friends.  It was perfect.  I am very thankful for all that I have and all those who have given their lives so that I am able to lead the life I live.

At The Olde Ship

Friday I went into work early so that I could get out and to the lab for my last blood draw.  Of course I got a nasty bruise which makes me think that I'm not doing very well following the "reduce bruising techniques" that Kaiser has provided me.  Oh well- the point is that I am back down into the normal range of WBC!

Armed with that news, we spent a quiet night at home on the couch just the three of us.  Both Sam and I were pretty exhausted from long weeks and he hadn't taken a day off in 3 full weeks. 

Saturday morning I woke up with Sam snuggled on my left side and Hunter snuggled on my right side. It was fantastic.  We had a lazy morning and met up with Nate who came down from Santa Monica to spend hang out.  We went up to The Olde Ship to watch some European Soccer and then took Hunter down to Newport Harbor to go paddle boarding for the first time.  It was a blast!  He did pretty damn well and I think we'll do it again.  The sweetest thing was when Hunter leapt off the front of Nate's board and swam to mine.  So cute.  He also jumped from Sam's to mine.  It made me feel so loved.  Eventually the boys got up but I slept until 9:30 and felt more refreshed than I had in days.  

Saturday night we hosted a BBQ for our friends.  Jenners, Aaron, Nick, Amy, Nate, Jen and Ryan came over.  We made salmon, ahi and halibut along with a bunch of grilled veggies and Amy brought appetizers and salad.  It was great.  We went to the hot tub after dinner and relaxed and vegged out.  It was so fun and laid back and one of the greatest evenings I've had in a long time.  No stress, just great people and great food and not a care in the world. 

At The Vortex in Manhattan Beach

Sunday morning we went over to Brugglers Bagels and picked up a dozen bagels for breakfast.  We ate, packed up our stuff and headed up to Santa Monica to check out Nate and Jazzy's place.  After we got settled in, we drove down to Manhattan Beach to meet up with some of Nate's buddies from dental school and participate in a big Memorial Day Block Party BBQ on 35th Street on the block called The Vortex.  

It was quite an experience.  There were tons of dogs around so Hunter was in good company.  He made lots of friends- what a freakin' adorable puppy we have!  So we had a great time eating, playing some games and hanging out.  Eventually, Carrie came and picked Sam and I up and saved our asses by taking us back to Santa Monica where we changed clothes and then picked up some food.  Just about the time we got back to Manhattan Beach, Nate was ready to go back to his place so Sam got us a ride using Uber (which is so freaking awesome).  

Sleeping in a strange place with Hunter is always tough the first night.  So needless to say, we didn't sleep so well last night.  We got up, had some more bagels for breakfast, and took a long walk through the beautiful Santa Monica neighborhoods.  

Then we dropped Nate off at his car in Manhattan Beach and headed home to shower and clean up.  Oh my God, the shower felt so freaking amazing.  We started some laundry and got things situated around the house before we headed over to Nick's place for a little more fun.  Ryan and Jen and Arya were there along with Nick's roommate and his girlfriend.  

5th Street in Santa Monica

Sam and I wanted to go down to Laguna for dinner and Nick and Amy were going to join us, but they backed out at the last minute.  Then, Sam decided he would like to hit up Bandera in Corona del Mar instead of going all the way down to Laguna Beach.  It was really nice.  We had mojitos (which I had been craving) and salad and salmon and their amazing jalapeño corn bread.  

After we got home we continued to do more laundry and decided to watch a Memorial Day movie... Black Hawk Down.  It's amazing how much respect I have for the men and women who fight wars for us.  I am so thankful for the land of the free and the home of the brave.  I am thankful for the people who have given their lives willingly so that I can live in a democratic country and support my family.  I am so lucky.  Part of that may be due to my family and where I was born but it's also due to the fact that we have people are willing protect those "rights".

Respect for Military Families

Mom and Dad arrive tomorrow for the next wedding (Wedding Season 2013 may be our busiest yet) of the year.  Their Goddaughter is getting married in San Juan Capistrano kind of at the last minute because her fiancee has been deployed to the coast of North Korea (I think) and he will be shipping out prior to their original wedding date.

This is actually the second couple I have personally known who've had to change their wedding plans based on a change in deployment plans.  It's just really tough to think that you'd plan so much for this day and spend all this money and then something so huge comes up that is completely out of your control and you just have to go with it.  No questions asked.  No temper tantrums.  You give everything up and just make it work.

Military families, especially wives and husbands, are so fascinating to me.  I mean seriously, we talk about how strong and resilient the men and women in the armed forces are but the real strength is the people who are left here.  The people who keep the homes and families running all on their own.  Man, I am so impressed.  

I complain about medical school and residency but I am so thankful Sam won't ever have to ship out at the last minute and be away for months at a time.  Yes, our long distance relationship in college was hard, but by the time we were 21 we agreed we didn't want to do anything like that again.  And Sam may go off for a month and do away rotations abroad at some point, but it will be planned and very premeditated- and I can always go visit him!

Thanks, Mom!

I am blessed to have one of the greatest mothers I have met- and I know some pretty amazing moms.  My mom has always been a great role model for me. She taught me to be kind, patient, and understanding.  She taught me the importance of empathy and being mindful of how others feel.  I learned the real meaning of compassion as I watched her take impeccable care of her aging parents as they succumbed to cancer and dementia.  She taught me the importance of thinking before speaking, making good first impressions and standing up for my beliefs.  She instilled in me good values and morals and she taught me to cherish family and appreciate home-cooked meals.

Above all things, Mom taught me to love unconditionally.  Yes, Dad gets credit too.

My mom has done a wonderful job of letting me grow up over the years.  She has watched me make mistakes and helped me learn from them.  She has accepted my tattoos, piercings and major life decisions with unwavering support.

Meeting Dwight Clark in Feb '13

I have not always made great decisions (boy does it concern me to put that in writing!)  but my mom has always been there to help me out when the house of cards came crashing down or to congratulate me when everything worked out the way I hoped it would.

She has encouraged me to think for myself, prioritize my goals and chase my dreams.

I have a wonderful mother.

I also have a great cast of supporting mothers who have helped her out along the way- some she's know and some she hasn't.

To my Aunts (Lori, Annie & Kathy): Thank you for being part of my whacky family.  I know we're not perfect, but let's face it, we embrace our dysfunction and roll with it.  I am lucky to have you in my life and I appreciate the motherly advice you've given me when I have come to you instead of Mom.

To Denise VanKuiken: Big Props to you NeeCee!  You are one of the strongest moms I know and I am incredibly lucky to consider you my surrogate mother.  I think of you often and wish we lived closer so that I could spend more time with you.

To Sue Celniker: Thank you for Sam.  You raised a wonderful, handsome young man and I am forever grateful for all of your hard work and energy.  You have also shown me what it is to successfully juggle motherhood and an thriving career.  Thank you for supporting me and encouraging me as I have stumbled along my career path.

To Janie Rutman, Debbie Grant & Monica Nageotte: Thank you so much for making me feel as though I have a mom here in Southern California.  It has been a pleasure spending holidays and afternoons with you ladies these past several years and I appreciate being made to feel as though I'm part of your family.

To my mom-friends: Thank you for paving the way for me!  I enjoy seeing you with your little rascals and seeing your struggles.  You are showing me the real world of parenting and have helped me understand my own mother better.

Thank you all for helping me be the young woman I am today- I love you all! xo

In the SuperDome in New Orleans for our first Super Bowl (Feb '13)

Unconditional Love

The amazing things about dogs is how much they teach you about love.  Hunter came into my life and everything changed.  For the first time, there was this precious (and precocious) little guy depending entirely on me for his well-being.  

Yes, it's a lot more responsibility than I've ever had before, but all the late night and early morning walks are more than worth it.  I just love, love, love having him in my life.  Oh man, I am so thankful.

But the best thing about puppies?  Is they way they love us.  

Hunter follows me around the house and watches my every move.  When Sam is overnight at the hospital, Hunter is my little protector on high-alert at any strange noise.  He is content to snuggle on the couch watching movies, or be dragged along (and eventually carried) on a hike with ocean-views.  Above all things:

This little guy loves UNCONDITIONALLY with his whole being.

And I love him too.  Unconditionally.

Ski Trip Recap

Sam, Hunter and I are back from our week long ski vacation.  Man, what did we come back for?

We drove up Sunday, spent a few hours with Sam's parents for dinner, and then headed to bed early.  I went home to my parents' house with Hunter and he was SO much better than he was when we went home in December.  He slept through the night, didn't scratch at the door every 15 minutes, and didn't keep me up.  THANK YOU, HUNTER!

Monday we all enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then we headed up to Northstar.  Man was it cold!  But there was NO snow.  

Thankfully, we took it easy on Tuesday and enjoyed several flurries of snow throughout the day and night.  Wednesday we had a pretty substantial dusting of powder for our skiing pleasure.  To our surprise, it snowed again on Wednesday night and the skiing was even better Thursday that it was the day before!

We ate at Tavern 6330 (not impressed) and Manzanita up at the Ritz Carlton (okay, Sam's dish was world's better than mine) but our best meal was probably the ravioli and salad we made on Monday upon our arrival.  

Friday we drove home and stopped in to visit my grandparents.  Papa, the daredevil, fell off a ladder on our anniversary and has been recovering from a fractured skull and some compression fractures on his spine.  How the man is up and walking around escapes me!  Sam came over for dinner that night and Mom made her signature pizzas.  Mmmmm.

Saturday I got to visit the O'Briens and hear all about their wedding planning and advice.  Then I ran some errands for our class reunion ad went shopping with Mom.  Dad hasn't been feeling so great so she and I went to dinner by ourselves that evening which was actually really nice.  Hunter spent most of the day with Dad and Max.  After dinner, we all settled in to watch the finale of Downton Abbey which Mom and Dad missed the weekend before.  Such a fun and relaxing way to cap off the week.

Sunday we drove back to SoCal and restocked the fridge, unpacked and generally got our lives in order.  Tonight Sam is on call and I am trying to prepare for my business trip on Wednesday (overnight to Vegas).  I have an early morning meeting at work, so I prepped our favorite chili and have everything set to go in the crockpot stoneware in the fridge so all I have to do tomorrow morning is pop it into the crockpot base and turn it all on.  Yippee for amazing and delicious meals made easy!

I managed to get the car washed tonight after work in addition to washing a load of laundry and running a load of dishes.  Tomorrow I need to get gas for my car, pick up more coffee beans (whole) from Peet's Coffee and buy some more kitchen trash bags.  My work is never done!

Loving my Puppy

It seems that Sam has been on call every other night since I've been back from New Orleans, which has left me with quite a bit of free time.  Once the laundry has been done, the floors vacuumed, and the surfaces tidied there isn't so much to be done.  So tonight finds Hunter and I sitting on the couch watching some of the 3rd season of Downton Abbey- OMG I can't believe Sybil died and I really hope Tom and Matthew end up running the estate together!

I have to admit, Sam was smart to have given in to getting the puppy last January.  He is quite settled into our routine now, and he's so well trained (for the most part).  Hunter took to me almost immediately, that first night he was here he was so frightened and those first 4 days he spent most of his time snuggling with me.  The relationship between he and Sam was much slower to blossom, but when I came back from Michelle's graduation last June I found they were fast friends.  :-) Every night without fail, Hunter runs to the door when Sam comes home, squealing for joy and waiting for as much love as possible.  It's even more of a show when Sam has been on call, Hunter just fawns all over him. 

It's not exactly the same as how he is beside himself when I come in, but it's so sweet all the same.  He snuggles with me every night- either under the covers, between Sam and I, or on my pillow so that his head rests upon my shoulder.  He is just absolutely the most precious puppy.  As I type this, he is nestled beside me with his head in my lap.  I am absolutely Hunter's mommy, he comes to me when he wants to be coddled and loved and snuggled.  He comes to me when he get spooked and when he's cranky and tired.  

And even though the weight of his care falls on my shoulders, I bear it gladly.  He is the perfect little companion.  And I am so thankful to Sam for making this all possible.  

Belated Christmas Update

7 Rib Prime Rib = 15 pounds
(Twice as much food as 5 people need)

The whole family, Christmas Dinner 2012

Black Friday 2012

Last year was my first experience with Black Friday.  My mom took me out to Fashion Island and we had a pretty good time- not a whole lot of clothing purchased, mostly homegoods and eletronics.

This year, Sam and I got up and too Hunter for a walk on Black Friday before heading to South Coast Plaza.  Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! 

We definitely had to stand in some long lines, but more often than not we just avoiding the places with the crazy lines and chose to shop where there were less crowds.  Here is Sam being a trooper in front of the three story Christmas Tree near Macy's.


When we got home, it was time for another new traditon: changing out the holiday decorations and switching from Fall to Christmas! 

Last year, I did this with my parnets while Sam was at work and he called us "Team Disney" when he came home to the decorated tree, wreaths, candles, etc.  This year, he and Hunter got to be part of the magic...

Or at least keep me entertained while I decorated.

First Sam thought it would be funny to put Hunter into the Santa hat.  Then I got the idea to put the tree skirt around him like a cape.  I was pretty sure Hunter was not going to be a big fan of Christmas by the end of the day.

Luckily he and Sam ended up taking a nap on the couch and he got a little break from our torture.  By Friday night we were sipping Peppermint Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Marshmallows and listening to Christmas Carols amid our decked halls.  Very festive!

Since we'll be gone the first week of December I wanted to make sure our decorating was finished this weekend.  By the time we get back, our first weekend home in December will be the 15 and that's already half-way through the month!  We will be busy with holiday parties and getting together with family and friends. 

Mommy's Little Pervert

Mommy's little pervert ate a pair of panties on Saturday afternoon when he wasn't properly secured in his crate... Mommy's fault.

Things seemed to be passing naturally until this morning when Hunter woke up at 3:30 AM and was projectile vomiting on our bedroom and bathroom floor from 4-5.  I haven't seen him so uncomfortable since he was neutered!  He was sitting beside me cowering, shaking, whimpering.  Luckily, I was working from home today, so I was able to call our amazing veterinarian and they got him into see one of the doctors at 8am.


We have an amazing staff at our vet office and today it was Dr. W. who helped us out.  She told me she wanted to keep him at the office for a set of x-rays (first set above) to determine whether he had an obstruction.  If he did in fact have a blockage, we would pump his stomach with barium to flush out the obstruction.  If that failed, Hunter would go in for emergency surgery.

Initially, I didn't hear back from Dr. W. and I found out later that the barium was sitting in Hunter's stomach without passing the blockage (x-rays above).  She had been debating whether he would have to do surgery when, miraculously, it began trickling through his GI tract! (x-rays below)

Dr. W. called me ecstatic that Hunter would not need surgery after she saw the x-ray above.  She wanted to keep him for a few more x-rays just to be sure that everything came out okay.

 

While I was in my meeting, Dr.  W. called to say that I could come and pick Hunter up after she took the last images at 3pm... nearly 12 hours after we got up to address his upset stomach.  Between the x-rays above and the one below, Hunter passed a 6-inch long thick accumulation of fabric.

Little Hunter came home and has been napping with his head in my lap ever since.  He's on a special diet while his tummy adjusts, and he is to have some R&R.

Dr. W. sweetly offered to send me home with the images for Sam to check out.  She also put in our insurance claim while I was at the office and she told me that if it gets denied (which is very doubtful) she will personally write a letter to justify her medical judgement.  I could not ask for better care providers for Hunter!  We will certainly be sending one of our holiday cards to the office this year.

Veteran's Day

Today, Sam's schedule was really light at the hospital so he asked me to come up and go to lunch with him.  We took a short drive to Downtown Orange and split the shrimp tacos at Gabbi's.  So yummy!  Then we walked around and enjoyed the brisk fall weather.  We ended up in an antique shop looking at beautifully carved china cabinets, wardrobes, and liquor cabinets.  It was all so beautiful.

Then we went back to the hospital and Sam took me up to the Ortho department where I got to meet his day-shift nurses, who were all really sweet, and see his workroom (where we often FaceTime when he's on call).  Finally, we went up to the 7th floor and looked out on the landscape.  It was actually really neat, and a little surreal that I saw where Sam works.  The nurses totally call him Dr. Galle (which is so funny to me because they are so serious about it) and they told me that he's always very nice and does whatever he can to make their jobs easier.  I told them that if he gets out of line they just need to let me know.  :-)  Hopefully they will get to share the pumpkin muffins I brought along and left in the work room. 

 Then, in honor of Veteran's Day, I watched the HBO Documentaries "Alive Day Memories" about the day that 10 soldiers got a second chance at life when they should have died, and "Section 60" about the area in Arlington National Cemetery where they bury the soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Both were incredibly touching and make me so proud of our troops.  Whether I believe in the wars the US has fought or not, I have the highest respect for the men and women who fight for our freedoms so that I can live in the 'land of the free & the home of the brave.'

Here are some quotes I found that resonated with me today:

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die." -G.K. Chesterton

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul." -Michel de Montaigne

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." -Jose Narosky

One Year

Today is my one year anniversary with my company.  Woohoo!  I was thinking about it, and I am so much happier in Marketing than I was in Sales. 

Insert big THANK YOU to Sam who pushed me to find something I am passionate about and make a career of it.  I am so thankful, in hindsight, for all his hounding while he was in medical school.

Also, I realized that I am incredibly lucky to have such a flexible boss.  Today I had to pick up some prescriptions and get my blood drawn to test whether I'm on the right dose of thyroid.  It was no big deal, I put it on the calendar that I'd be leaving at 4 and I left at 4.  There are so many companies that would never let their employees do that!

Everything really does happen for a reason, and I am so thankful that this job, this company, these amazing coworkers are a part of my life!

Diagnosis

Earlier this month I finally went in to Kaiser to meet my new doctor and she reviewed some blood work I had done in February with me. 

Long story short, the diagnosis has been confirmed.  I have a form of sublclinical hypothyroidism called Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Hashimoto's disease. 

What does this mean?

• For the rest of my life I will take a daily thyroid horomone supplimen
•  Hopefully the weight gain, hair loss, exhaustion, and lethargy I have been experiencing over the last 9 months will go away with treatment.
• My body breaks down thyroid hormone and my brain has to tell my thryoid to work overtime to create more hormone than I can breakdown to keep my levels normal

I am currently in the normal range, on the low end, but my doctor explained that my thyroid will eventually 'burn out' and stop functioning, at which point I will officially have hypothyroidism.  By prescribing medication now, the hope is that my thyroid will continue working longer.

I can't wait to hopefully feel better in the next couple of weeks and be able to get out of bed when I wake up instead of feeling the need to doze and snooze for half an hour.  That's the biggest difference I have noticed in the last 9 months- all through college and until this year, I have been someone that wakes up and is awake.  Lately, I have started having serious trouble getting up in the morning.  First, I thought it was because Hunter needed a midnight potty break, but then he started sleeping through the night and I was still having trouble getting up.

Fingers crossed that the symptoms start to reside!

Top of the World & Fresh Fish

Last weekend Sam had a Golden Weekend- Saturday & Sunday off.  Our water heater went out and while the handy man was fixing it, we decided to take Hunter on his first hike.  Obviously we all know how that turned out.

After the hike, we ran some errands and checked out this AWESOME family owned and operated fresh fish market.  We can't wait to go back!

Family Hike

Top of the World Hike in Laguna...

Hunter getting heat exhaustion

Pearson's Port: Our new favorite Fresh Fish Market

Ready for purchase!

Opo

On the grill with some corn on the cob

She threw in two shrimp for us to taste- best fish dinner I've ever cooked!

Perspective

Yesterday I got a text from my mom that a high school classmate of mine had lost both of her parents over the weekend as the result of a tragic plane crash.  Sitting at my desk, my stomach bottomed out.  They had been flying a small plane from San Francisco to their vacation home in Colorado and went missing on Saturday night.

I cannot imagine the horror of not knowing that night and the following morning.  I can only pray that I will never have to go through something like this. 

The Facebook posts ranged from several sentences to a single word.  All of them touched on the subject but most were respectful of the bereaved and did not go into detail with names until the below thread.  A girl I have known since middle school posted one word: Perspective.  Yes, Ashley, perspective.  A little too much perspective, I would argue. 

Today, I woke up thankful to be alive.  Appreciative that I still have two loving parents alive and well.  I am grateful for my friends. 

My heart goes out to Kathleen and her whole family.