Category Archives: Family

04.29.11

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today my mother would have been 66 years old.    Ironic that the Royal Wedding falls on her birthday, as she passed away on the Anniversary of Princess Diana’s death (which coincidentally was also our Wedding Anniversary.)

I believe in the significance of numbers.  It is so strange to me that so many events fall on the same day.  For instance– August 31— the anniversary of our engagement, wedding and Mom’s death.  Yes, the first two of those events were totally within our control– but I still think that there is something symbolic here.   As Mike likes to tell me-  “You are the only one I know who has an astrologer and a clairvoyant…”  Yes, I am weird that way.

Whatever the significance–Happy Birthday Mom!  

04.13.11

A Mother’s Guilt.

to the moon and back | kiwi's list.
If you have been reading this blog for some time you know that I lost my mother to cancer 5 1/2 years ago.  What you may not know is that I inherited the very same cancer that took her life.  We found out in 1989 that Neets had Medullary Thyroid Cancer.  The disease was so aggressive that they told her that she had six months to live.  Refusing to accept this death sentence, she turned 6 months into 16 years.  Through her advocacy and persistance, our doctors at Johns Hopkins continued to test for a genetic marker that caused the disease.  In 2000, they found it.  My brother, sister and I were all tested and both my brother Darren and I tested positive for the gene. In January of 2000 we had our thyroids removed.  Darren had traces of cancer in his thyroid, but on none of the surrounding lymph nodes.  I not only had cancer on my thyroid, but on two of the four lymph nodes that they removed.
I will never forget the look of pain on my mother’s face.  How guilty she felt that she somehow was the cause of this pain for her children.  At the time I was 22, childless and completely disregarded these emotions.
I can honestly say that my mother saved our lives.  We now work closely with our doctors to ensure that the cancer is under control.  While I have minor traces of MTC, nothing to be alarmed of at this point.  Is it a curse?  In a way, but it is also a blessing.  We are so fortunate to have this information far enough in advance to prevent this disease from taking another life.
So, here comes the most difficult part for me.  A few weeks ago, we had our girls tested for this gene.  The results came back last week.  E does not have it, Anna does.  In a flash, it all came rushing to me- the guilt my mother felt.
At the very least, we hope that (because we know the facts early enough) in the grand scheme of things it would mean surgery for Anna Lou and an understanding of the disease so that she can have her children tested.  We will have to take her back for more blood work to make sure that there are no viable traces of cancer in her body (which would be quite rare at this age.)  If there are not, than she will most likely have a thyroidectomy at age six.
Does it suck?  Yes.  Is it going to kill me to put my baby through this?  Yes.  But if this testing was available when my mother was a child, she would be with us today.  I just wish the curse would have ended with me.

01.31.11

We’re Baaack….

So sad to come back to reality today.  We had such a wonderful trip to Turks and Caicos.  I was nervous that we wouldn’t be able to come close to topping last year, but an amazing time was had by all.  Lou “getting it” made it that much more fun for us as a family.  Here are some highlights:

Thanks to all of the lovely ladies who guest blogged for me last week. What a great list of items!  Check in tomorrow when I’ll let you in on What I’m loving for Spring.

12.28.10

Christmas Traditions.



One of my favorite things about Christmas is the beauty of carrying on family traditions. Every year, it brings me joy to open up the boxes of the many ornaments, each with a special meaning.

Many of these ornaments were given to me by my mother, and I now carry on that tradition by gifting ornaments to my girls each year so that one day, when I am not around they can have the same warm feeling I get each year when decorating our tree. This way a piece of me will always be with them.

Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Our dear friend Sherri came over to one of our Christmas celebrations and gave us this ceramic ball to celebrate Declan’s Journey. Now we will always remember not only Declan and his journey, but the journey of so many others who are suffering as we celebrate Christmas each year.
2. E for Elizabeth.
3. Our tree is adorned with butterflies.
4. My Baby’s First Christmas ball from 1977.
5. A shell ornament that we got this year in Venice, it makes me think of the drowning incident, and how lucky we are to have our Lou Lou bug.
6. Another gift from Mom- a life preserver that says Siesta Key, the place where Mike and I met.
7. My family used to receive White House Christmas ornaments each year from our friends in the FBI. Once we were married, Mom started passing them along to us. A reminder of just how amazing it is to live right outside of DC.
8. A pisanki ornament that we bought when we went to my brother’s wedding in Poland.
9. A for Anna.
10. Anna’s Baby’s First Christmas ornament from 2008.
11. A Christmas ball that I bought when the Ya’s and I went to St. Maarten to celebrate our 30th birthdays.
12. A ZTA ornament given to me by my mom.
13. Bailey’s Puppy’s First Christmas ornament from 2001.
14. Given to us by Mom- a replica of our china pattern.
15. E’s Baby’s First Christmas ornament from 2005.
16. An I Love My Daughter ornament, given to me by Mom. I will never forget, when she gave them to my sister and I we made fun of her for how cheesy they are…. now I am so grateful to have it.
17. A crystal angel given to me by my amazing mother-in-law in 2005. The year that Mom died, and E was born. It reminds me that we now have our very own guardian angel.
Another family tradition in my family was that my father would read The Night Before Christmas each Christmas Eve… Even when we were in college. Now we all snuggle together as Mike reads the story to our girls. What makes this so very special, is that I have this copy of the book given to me when I was 17 by my parents. Notice that it is complete with a note from Mom.
So no matter how difficult and stressful it can be to think of these little things, make sure to give your children the gift of traditions so that you too will always be with them on Christmas.

12.28.10

Snippets….

We are still recovering from the many Christmas celebrations here at the Salmon house… here are a few snippets of my favorite moments.

Approximately 2:00 am on Christmas morning.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

Mike reading The Night Before Christmas.. on the night before Christmas….

Lou and Nanny clowning around after Christmas Eve dinner.

The look on those faces…

12.22.10

Friends.

I am so fortunate to have the very best friends in the world. Supportive, generous and kind… and not afraid to regulate on any faux pas. Nearly 10 years ago, in jest Mike referred to us as “The Divine Ya-Ya Sisterhood of the Traveling Fat Pants.” Well, from that what stuck was The Ya’s. So now that is what we are called.


Though I do not see, or speak to them everyday, I know that they are always there. I am so grateful to have found a group of women who truly get me and are so unconditionally loving.


A friend is someone who gives you what you need, when you may not even know that you need it. I will never forget the day my mom died. After a long day at my parents’ house and the funeral home I came home to a kitchen filled with groceries, flowers and cards from my besties. I still tear up just thinking about it.

So at this time of year, as I reflect on what is important to me, I’d like to toast my dear friends- The Ya’s for always being there, even when I didn’t know I needed it.