This weekend we drove to Augusta, GA to celebrate something long in the making.  My sister Lauren (2 yrs. my elder) is graduating from medical school today.  Since the beginning, Lauren has always liked school and excelled at it.  This is something that growing up always used to annoy me a bit, as she was always outperforming me when it came to academics, and making it look easy too.  But as I grew older, I stop being annoyed and became more impressed.  As the school work got harder and the load heavier, she didn’t blink an eye, always willing to put in the effort needed to get the grade.  She possessed a determination and work ethic that set her apart from the beginning, something that I really look up to.

            From an early age, Lauren knew what she wanted to do.  While most kids are changing their minds every week, she knew she wanted to be a doctor and stuck with it.  She has an uncanny ability to know what she wants, put in the work, and make it a reality. When most people get discouraged about the long road ahead and the many hurdles in the way, Lauren rises and steps to the plate.  Her success is not limited to the academia realm.  She is a natural born runner, competing in half marathons for fun (crazy right).  If she was not a doctor there is no doubt in my mind she would be an extremely successful artist, as some of my favorite art ever is hers.  Apart from all her success in the outside world, I think one of her biggest achievements is the person she has become today.  Someone who doesn’t care what anyone else thinks and does what she thinks is right.  One of the most compassionate people I know, willing to stick by your side no matter what.  Lauren you are a daily inspiration to me, a wonderful sister, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.

 CONGRATULATIONS  DOC!!

8 days spent in a car, roadtrippin through California with my sister taking it all in

When in Rome….  ill take a double double animal style with fries

Street Art - San Francisco

As our ice rink succumbs to the sun, so too does the golf course

The many different faces of the ten mile range

This past weekend was Presidents’ Day so the mountain was more crowded than usual making the sometimes elusive powder harder to get to.  So my buddy Chad and I set out hiking, more like hunting, as we were following a trail of winding footsteps out of bounds through the thick snow.  After about thirty minutes and several breaks we emerge from the trees, as we are now above the tree line, only to see that the tracks continue and we need to go a little further to reach the top.  Soon enough we reach the summit and the tracks we have been following disappear.  We take one more break at the top to take in the view and catch our breath, as oxygen is a little hard to come by up there. We strap our boards on, take one more look around, and prepare for one hell of a ride!

(Source: kari-shma)