Princeton Graduation and Superbowl Commercials!

This blog is mostly about Josie, but every once and a while, it's about her parents.

Since this is an easy way to start, I wanted to share Jonathan's awesome Superbowl commercial! One of his acting friends joked it was a documentary, minus the carb consumption. He's great in it and I'm super proud.

My latest accomplishment isn't video-worthy, but it is pretty remarkable. I was accepted to Princeton University's AlumniCorps Emerging Leaders program, which is a nine month professional development program targeting 16 promising young leaders annually in the non-profit industry. I began the program eight months pregnant, trekking to New York City with swollen feet and extreme fatigue. This physical discomfort wouldn't keep me home, though! I loved the opportunity to learn again, and it was such a treat to be involved. Nine months later, I gave a speech at our graduation.

Hello and thank you all for being here. I am honored to represent the Emerged Leaders tonight. Before I continue, I want to briefly thank Yael, Andrew, David, and the other ELs for such an incredible experience. I would also like to thank my amazing team: my supervisor Pauly and my co-worker Mera, for their patience as I tested out different management techniques on them and for supporting me even beyond when it is reasonable to do so. Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Jonathan, and daughter, Josie, for inspiring me, keeping me up at night, and completing my world.

In the program we talked a lot about the importance of gratitude and the overwhelming research suggesting all of the positive benefits associated with expressing how much people mean to us. I typically dedicate posts to Josie, but this one is to Jonathan.

Jonathan is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me. Josie, of course, is an extension of him. Still, Jonathan is an incredible partner and friend. He has generously put his career on hold to raise our daughter, which allowed me to apply for Emerging Leaders and reach so many other professional milestones. I was singing his praises to my co-workers at our NYC office a few days ago and one of them quipped something to the effect of: "He should be celebrated; usually it's the women who sacrifice their careers." That thought had crossed my mind before, but I filed it in the dusty cognitive closet labeled: To Be Reviewed Later. Well, I'm unpacking it now as he and Josie fly 3,000 miles away from me for two weeks.

What's that they say about absence and the heart growing fonder?

I'm the luckiest to have him...and her...and I know it every day of my life.

Love you, family.