HOW TO LIFE

Twenty years before Doc Marten successfully marketed combat boots for everyday wear, I had a pair of my own personally spit-shined combat boots. As an ROTC cadet in college, instead of wearing the regular Army greens, my uniform was battle dress, combat boots and a black beret. Even with combat boots, we had inspection and I learned to spit-shine them to a mirror (yes, using black shoe polish, water, torn nylons, a lighter, AND spit). But I had only one pair. So when we had

I had cancer. Now I don’t. Back in September, 2001, my primary care doctor ran some tests and she didn’t like what she saw. She referred me to an oncologist, “just in case.” I saw the oncologist who ran more tests. When the test results were in, my husband and I went to his office. We sat down. Dr. Lim looked me straight in the eye and said, “The test results were positive. You have cancer. Endometrial (uterus) cancer. Stage 2.” Dr. Lim, my gyn-oncologist who literally saved

In 2005. In 2005, when I went to Japan to meet my father for the first time (June 19, 2016 Blog Post), I reconnected with my mother’s family. After locating my family, I had begun emailing with my cousin who I had not seen since she was an infant. I hadn’t seen my family since I was adopted and left my obaachan at age 5. My family lived in Hachioji, about an hour’s train ride outside Tokyo. My uncle Hidenori-san and cousin Yukari-san met me at the hotel at which I was stayin

That’s what I told my surf coach my last trip to Hawaii. Yes – that’s him in the photo-Fritz. Fritz doesn’t talk much. He paused, thought about it, and nodded. He not once said, “that’s never going to happen,” or “are you crazy” or anything like that. I appreciated that. He didn’t even smile. I think he understood exactly what I meant. I’m all about targeting dreams, right? … then creating a plan to get it: set intermediary goals, create a game plan and execute with grit. Bu