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Baby Makes Three! Maternity Photo Session

8/28/2013 *Sara-Marie* 0 Comments

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

We used Shutterfly to make an adorable photo book to forever treasure the amazingly beautiful maternity photos that our talented photographer, Marjorie Datuin, captured for us. 

Check out all of her incredible work on http://www.marjoriedatuin.com.
You won't regret it!

0 comments:

Italian Style Organic Ground Pork Recipe

8/21/2013 *Sara-Marie* 0 Comments


I love it when I accidentally create a new nutritious and delicious dish. Seriously, I just hoovered this meal down because I couldn't wait to share with you all how delicious it was.

During my trip to Wegmans this week, I got really excited when I found some organic ground pork for sale. I grabbed a pound and my mind started churning on what I could do with it.

Fast forward to this afternoon.

After spending some time organizing some of the wonderful gifts we received during our first baby shower, I got hungry. Like REALLY hungry. Like stuff-the-first-thing-I-see-in-my-mouth-as-soon-as-possible-hungry.

So without even thinking, I heated up a skillet and grabbed the pound of ground pork. I already had some peppers and onions sliced in the fridge so my mind quickly thought about Italian sausage and peppers. Hmmm, how do I make this pork taste like Italian sausage?

This is when I just started throwing stuff together and hoping it worked out well.

I added some extra virgin olive oil to my hot pan, added the ground pork and started seasoning with the following: salt, pepper, ground oregano, fennel seeds, freshly ground nutmeg, freshly chopped garlic cloves, and a handful of fresh Italian parsley.

After the pork was cooked through, I added my peppers and onions and covered the pan until the veggies were tender. I then dumped some of my concoction over some fresh organic spinach and started munching away. WOW. It was good. Like REALLY good.

You should try it and let me know what you think!

Again, this recipe is a little rough since I really just eyeballed everything, but here's my attempt at making it easy for someone to recreate.

Italian Style Organic Ground Pork Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
  • 1 lb of organic ground pork
  • Extra virgin olive oil, enough to coat a medium sized pan
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • handful of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
  • ground oregano, to taste
  • whole fennel seeds, to taste
  • freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • some sliced bell peppers
Recipe Directions:
  1. Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat.
  2. Once the pan is hot, add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan.
  3. Add the ground pork, breaking up with a spatula.
  4. Season with salt, pepper, ground oregano, whole fennel seeds, and ground nutmeg. 
  5. Add the chopped garlic and Italian parsley. Stir.
  6. Cover and let cook until the ground pork is no longer pink. (I checked every couple minutes, stirred, and recovered.)
  7. Once the ground pork is cooked through, add the onions and peppers and cover again for about 5-7 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
  8. Serve over spinach, or any other way you'd like to enjoy this yummy ground pork!

Enjoy!
SMP

0 comments:

There's No Denying the Baby Bump Now!

7/12/2013 *Sara-Marie* 2 Comments


I'm really enjoying finally having a decently round bump! Now, there's no denying that we are indeed growing a baby and not that I've completely fallen off the healthy eating bandwagon. (Although that is debatable!) 

Plus, our little Nub is swirling, kicking, jabbing, all day long and we love it! It's so  incredibly mind blowing to know that we have a little human being inside of me, making itself comfortable and even playing back when we poke the belly! 

God surely is awesome. 

2 comments:

Cast Iron Smashed Potatoes

7/11/2013 *Sara-Marie* 2 Comments

So I've been craving potatoes...white potatoes. It has been a while since we have made the switch to the sweet potato for a more nutritional punch, but that doesn't seem to matter to the tiny human in my belly.

So I went out and bought some russet potatoes and I've been making some delicious and easy concoctions on the cast iron skillet. There is something extra special about the way the cast iron gives these potatoes a golden brown crust. Amazing. 

Without further ado, here's the easy recipe for what we like to call "smashed potatoes."

Cast Iron Smashed Potatoes
Serves 4-6 

Recipe Ingredients:
5 russet potatoes, already baked/cooked
1 onion, diced 
Ghee, or cooking fat of your choice
Olive oil 
Garlic powder, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste 

Recipe Directions: 
1.) Bake your potatoes in the oven, or microwave in a bowl for 15-17 minutes. Roughly smash your potatoes with a fork, keeping the skin. 

2.) Heat up cast iron skillet over medium heat, just until it starts to smoke a tiny bit. 

3.) Add enough ghee, or other cooking fat, to cover the pan and add your diced onions. Sauté until soft and brown. 

4.) Add your smashed potatoes to the cast iron and season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Drizzle some olive oil to moisten your potatoes a bit. I just eye ball everything so maybe 2-3 tablespoons? 

5.) Let the potatoes sit in the pan for 2-3 minutes, untouched, allowing the bottom to brown and crisp up. 

6.) Carefully flip your potatoes so that the top gets a chance to be on the bottom and experience the crisping power of the cast iron. 

7.) Once your potatoes are browned to your liking, do a final taste test and adjust seasoning, if necessary. 

8.) Serve up and enjoy! 

These potatoes are fabulous for breakfast with a side of bacon and eggs or for dinner with some delicious steak or pork. 

Who am I kidding? 

These are delicious with anything! 

XOXO,
SMP

2 comments:

5 Foods I Don't Feel Guilty for Craving During Pregnancy

6/04/2013 *Sara-Marie* 1 Comments

 
My husband said the following to me the other day:
"When you first got pregnant, I didn't know what to expect. I sort of expected you to totally indulge in all the crazy pregnancy cravings I've ever heard of, especially since when you're typically PMS-ing you crave salty and sweet. And that would have been fine, because hey, you're growing a tiny human and that's hard work. But I am so relieved that you're actually craving really healthy stuff. Baby, I will buy you as many watermelons as you want - any time of day!"
I think I may have gotten teary eyed. Some may have taken offense that my husband was concerned I would blow up like a house during this pregnancy, but not me. I was touched by the fact that he noticed that I was trying my best to make healthy food choices - with the occasional indulgence.

To be totally honest, baby has been helping me. I really am not craving cakes, brownies, ice-cream, or cookies, like I thought I would be. I am often craving just 5 things: watermelon (with lime), mango (with lime), grapefruit, avocado, and plantains (unripe and ripe).

AND I DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT THESE CRAVINGS AT ALL!

Here's why:


Watermelon with freshly squeezed lime juice is what got me through my first trimester. When nothing else was appealing or would stay down, watermelon always did the trick. This was my very first craving and it has remained strong throughout the last 5 months. Since it was still winter when I first started craving watermelon, they were hard to come by and my husband even spent $9 dollars on a half watermelon! Oh, but it was so worth it. What a good hubby.

According to the article "Watermelon Wonders" found on www.fitpregnancy.com:
Watermelon eases heartburn and reduces swelling; its high water content (92 percent) and fruit sugars alleviate morning sickness and dehydration; and the minerals it contains can help prevent third-trimester muscle cramps. Ounce for ounce, watermelon is richer than tomatoes in lycopene, an antioxidant that protects against cancer and cardiovascular disease, boosts the body's immunity to infections and naturally raises the skin's SPF, according to Steven Pratt, M.D., author of SuperFoods Rx (HarperCollins).

Even better news for pregnant women: A study in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics found that daily lycopene supplements reduced the incidence of preeclampsia by 50 percent. Test subjects were given 4 milligrams of lycopene; a single serving of watermelon can have triple that amount. What's more, scientists have discovered that watermelon is packed with vitamins A, C and B6, as well as potassium and magnesium. These nutrients are important for the development of your baby's vision, brain, nervous and immune systems, and more. For you, potassium regulates water balance in the blood and body tissues during pregnancy. And you get all these benefits for less than 50 calories per cup.
Bring on the watermelon! Adding the freshly squeezed lime juice was just something I discovered by accident, while I was cutting watermelon and trying to make guacamole all at the same time with my next craving: avocado. A piece of watermelon touched some lime juice on my cutting board and I was in heaven. I've been adding lime juice to many things as baby really enjoys sour!


Now, when I knew I needed some type of substance in addition to my watermelon I turned to my BFF the avocado. I knew the healthy fat content would keep me full a little longer and hopefully keep the nausea at bay. Sometimes I'd just eat a whole avocado for lunch and call it a success. Now that I'm able to eat more complete meals, I still try to add 1/4-1/2 an avocado to my meals - either as guacamole or just topping it with some diced pieces. It always satisfies.

According to this article, "Avocados are good for pregnant women since the high folate content in them helps in the development of brain and other tissues of the baby.  The B6 vitamin in these fruits may help in reducing nausea that is associated with pregnancy." 

Sounds like a win-win!

My craving for grapefruit came on all of a sudden. I have enjoyed grapefruits in the past, but it was a while (maybe even years) since I've had one. Then one morning, they just came to mind and I HAD TO HAVE ONE. ASAP. I went grocery shopping that night and ate a very large grapefruit while I was driving home, and it was heavenly. Again, sour things have been very appealing! Plus, grapefruit is an excellent source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A, and a good source of fiber, potassium, Vitamin B5, and Vitamin B1 according to this article. And I find them very filling.

So mangoes are my absolute favorite fruit in the world. To me, there is nothing better than eating a ripe, juicy mango - hands all sticky and everything. Whenever I am looking for a snack and find a mango waiting for me, I rejoice. It is always the perfect snack, a perfect addition to a salad, or even a perfect side dish. I just love them. I love them so much that my grandmother actually ships me mangoes as a gift. I love that lady. The mango pictured above is actually one that my grandmother shipped to me. It was perfect. God bless her.

Like the other foods listed here, mango is also very nutritious. It is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Folate - great for baby! It's also a good source of Fiber, Vitamin B6, and Copper.

Again - no guilt here!
Lastly, the plantain. My grandmother also ships me plantains because she doesn't believe we can find good ones here in PA. Either unripe and fried up as tostones or very ripe and sauteed as amarillos/maduros, plantains have been another staple during these months of pregnancy. They are denser and also help to keep me full.

Not many people realize that plantains are actually quite nutritious, since they are typically fried in Caribbean cuisine. However, I fry them in olive oil (a good fat) so I'm not concerned! Plantains contain significant amounts of Vitamins A, C, B6 and Folate, so I feel no guilt enjoying them!


So those are the 5 foods that I don't feel guilty for craving during my pregnancy. Now, of course things haven't been perfect. Over the last week, I've developed a craving that I'm not so proud of: crackers with a thin layer of mayonnaise on top. Hey - you win some, you lose some!

Don't judge :)

XOXO,
SMP

1 comments:

Ohhhh, We're Halfway There...

6/02/2013 *Sara-Marie* 6 Comments

It is truly hard to believe that we are at the halfway point of our pregnancy! I am getting more and more excited (and more and more nervous) about the reality of becoming parents. I feel so blessed and I can't wait to experience the next 20 weeks! They sure are going by mighty fast. 

I also can't believe how much more I'm showing these days. And baby still has a lot more growing to do! It is amazing to see what our bodies have been designed to do.
6 weeks, 8 weeks, 13 weeks, and 15 weeks
16 weeks, 17 weeks, 18 weeks, 19 (almost 20) weeks
We continue to pray for a healthy second half of this pregnancy and a healthy and strong baby! We have chosen to not find out the gender of our little blessing, but I do have an inclination. We shall find out if a mother's intuition holds true. After all, I do have a 50% chance of being right! Either way, we will be thrilled.


Baby, we can't wait to meet you. 
We know you're going to be so special 
and will bring our family so much joy and love.
Love, Mommy & Daddy

6 comments:

Sara's Chicken AKA Pollo al Horno

5/29/2013 *Sara-Marie* 19 Comments

I learned how to cook by watching my Mami. For as long as I can remember, I was always with her in the kitchen, standing on a stool or sitting on the counter, watching her every move. We would often pretend to be hosting a cooking show and would talk through the steps of the meal we were creating to our imaginary audience. We were pretty awesome, my Mami and me.

When I could finally reach the stove without the help of a stool, I was in charge of making dinner for our family about once or twice a week. The first official meal I was taught how to make was pollo al horno or simply, baked chicken. Now my mother NEVER cooked from a recipe. It was always a little bit of this and a little bit of that, a taste test here and there, and of course an extra dash of something - just in case. I did know the usual ingredients in her baked chicken, so I started experimenting with my own adaptations, until 15+ years later I've landed on my own version of pollo al horno, which is now just called "Sara's Chicken."

This is my go-to chicken recipe and I make it at least twice a week. I'm sure every Puerto Rican family has a version of this chicken as well, but it has always been a big hit with my non-Puerto Rican family and friends. I've been asked for the recipe for a very long time, but it's just always been so hard to put together. I still make this chicken without measuring and it comes out a little bit different every time. There are some nights when I'm a little off and some nights when my husband licks the plate clean. But I guarantee it's always yummy.

So today is your lucky day. The last couple of times that I've made this chicken, I've been trying to take note of how much of everything I use so that I could share at least a base recipe with all of you. I would like to disclose that this is still just a guess. I leave it up to you to tweak this recipe to fit your palate and to also use your own culinary instincts. If you think it would be delicious with a little extra of something else - be my guest. Go wherever the wind leads you!

Now, onto the recipe!

Sara's Chicken AKA Pollo al Horno

Recipe Ingredients:
  • 2-3 pounds of chicken (any cut, or even a whole chicken)
  • 5-6 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • 2 capfuls of white vinegar
  • 1 TBSP of homemade adobo (or store-bought Goya)
  • 1/2 TBSP of homemade sazon (or 1 packet of store-bought Goya)
  • 1 TSP of dried oregano
  • 1/2 TSP of ground pepper
  • 1 handful of fresh Italian parsley
  • pinch of salt (if needed after taste test, see below)
Recipe Directions:
 
Step 1: Preheat the oven. (*See Step 5 below for temperature and cooking times depending on cut of chicken). Combine all ingredients, minus the chicken, into a food processor and process until a smooth marinade is created.

TIME OUT: Up until I got my efficient little Ninja processor, I used the old school pilón (mortar and pestle). The one pictured below was handmade in Puerto Rico and was given to me by my grandmother. I still use it when I have more time on my hands and I want to feel authentic :)

 

 TIME IN!

Step 2: Once combined, taste the marinade before you put it on the chicken. Does it need a little extra pinch of salt? Pepper? Sazon? Parsley? Add it! Don't be afraid.

 
Step 3: Pour marinade over chicken. Today, I used chicken tenderloins since my goal was to use these to make quick salads and wraps throughout the week.
 
Step 4: Using tongs, toss until well coated. Or if you don't mind dirty hands, rub it with your bare (clean) hands. That's the way I used to do it until I got engaged and I didn't want my ring to get dirty. Mami is convinced that it tastes better when you massage the chicken with a little bit of love.

Step 5: Cover with aluminum foil and bake until done.
*Temperature and Approximate Cooking Time:
Chicken Tenderloins - 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done
Chicken wings, drumsticks, bone in thighs - 375 degrees for 1 hour or until done
Whole chicken - 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours -2 hours or until done
 
Step 6: Uncover, flip (optional), and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Since I didn't want the chicken breast tenderloins to get dry, I only cooked uncovered for 5 minutes. Typically, I let it go uncovered for 7-10 minutes so it gets a nice little crust, especially if you're cooking chicken with skin. Yum.
 
Step 7: ENJOY! After the chicken is nice and brown, remove from the oven, let rest for a few minutes and plate your meal!

As I mentioned earlier, this is a standard seasoning base that I use all the time, with many different types of chicken parts. Here are a few examples:
 
 Adding peeled, cut potatoes right at the beginning of the baking process is ALWAYS a good idea. The potatoes soak up all of the flavors of the marinade and will be amazingly delicious. I do this often.
Chicken wings are also pretty popular around here. This particular night I paired it with some roasted spaghetti squash and drizzled some of the chicken sauce from the pan over the squash. SO. GOOD.
And of course, the whole chicken. If you're making a whole chicken, I would probably double the recipe of the marinade and bake the chicken breast side down. This allows the breast to bake in the marinade and get REALLY juicy. Oh and if you didn't notice, the picture above is a raw whole chicken. It looked a little bit more appetizing after being in the oven for almost 2 hours. :)

So there you have it. Please try this recipe and leave your thoughts in the comments below. Hope you love it as much as we do!

Oh and this seasoning blend goes well with pork too!

XOXO,
SMP

19 comments:

Pregnancy & Exercise: Why I want to be a Strong Mama!

5/21/2013 *Sara-Marie* 0 Comments

I believe I've mentioned this before, but I really, REALLY, want to be one of those pregnant ladies that still looks incredibly adorable in a workout outfit at the gym. I'm already 18 weeks along and I have not been as active as I thought I would be. In fact, I haven't been consistent at all. I could go into all of the reasons why I haven't been exercising as much, but I'm not going to do it. I'm just going to make a resolve to change today.

As I prepare for the most incredible journey of my life, I've been reading tons of books, articles, and blogs on the labor and delivery process. I am educating myself on my options and my goal is to be as strong as I can to put myself and our future child in the best situation as possible. I don't know what to expect, or how I will personally handle it, but what I do know is that millions of women have labored. Our bodies have been designed to go through this process. Our bodies know what to do, so I have to be confident in my innate ability to bring my little human safely into this world.

I wish I could remember where I read this, but someone compared labor and delivery to an athletic event and the 9 months of pregnancy to the training period. Now if I was signed up to run a marathon in October 2013 instead of welcoming our first child, I would not expect to be successful if I didn't prepare and train my body for that type of endurance event. I would have a training regimen and would definitely have to follow it! So I'm choosing to train my body so that I can give us all a good run for our money on that special day in October when "we" become a "family of three." 

Why it's important to exercise while pregnant:*

Women who exercise during pregnancy: 
      Have reduced weight gain and fat deposition during pregnancy 
      Have fewer pregnancy discomforts 
      Report a more rapid physical and emotional recovery from delivery 
      Tend to have easier, shorter and less complicated labors 
      Have less need for pain relief during labor 
      Have more stamina during labor 
      Increase their aerobic capacity 
      Decrease their susceptibility to illness 
      Increase their energy level
 
Babies of exercising moms: 
      Have significantly lower heart rates than babies of non-exercising moms 
      Are better able to cope with the stress of birth 
      Have a greater ability to adapt to life outside the uterus 
      Are more healthy at birth 
      Are leaner at birth and tend to stay lean as they grow 
      Sleep through the night sooner 
      Are better able to self-calm 
      Score higher on tests of general intelligence and oral language skills 
      Have decreased risks of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases later in life

*Excerpt from the Facts page of Crossfitmom.com

The plan:

3-4 times a week, I will do the beginner workout of the day (WOD) posted on the Crossfit Mom website. This website modifies the WOD that is posted on the main Crossfit website for pregnant women. It's an awesome resource. By doing these scaled Crossfit workouts, I know I will safely and quickly build up my strength.  Below was today's WOD. It seems simple, but I needed to take a little breather after round 2. Thrusters get your heart pumping!

In addition, 5-6 times a week, I will do a 30 minute prenatal yoga routine. I've been doing the following routine since the first trimester and I really love it. Not only is it free on YouTube, but I feel SO MUCH better after completing the session. You really don't realize how tight your muscles are until you fully stretch them out! Plus yoga is known to help with balance, circulation, and breathing techniques. All good stuff for the expectant mom!



I also plan to add in some walks at the nearby park's nature trail and some swimming now that it's getting warmer. I don't of course want to over do it, but I know I can definitely do more than what I'm doing now!

Today, I did successfully complete both the WOD and the yoga and I felt great. I had more focus during my working hours and just felt happy that I did something good for both me and baby. I do have to admit that my legs are already sore from all of the squats in the WOD and the yoga - but squats are such an important strength training exercise, so I'm going to keep doing them!

Any suggestions, comments, or thoughts from the experienced moms out there?

0 comments:

Pregnant & Paleo?

4/30/2013 *Sara-Marie* 1 Comments


Before we were blessed with the news of our pregnancy, I already had all of these visions on how I was going to eat, exercise, and be generally awesome when the time finally came to grow a tiny human. Then, I got pregnant. 

Since going paleo last summer, I knew that I wanted to continue to eat real, whole foods for the benefit of my growing child.  All of the veggies and high quality meats would provide all of the essential nutrients, and I probably wouldn't even need to take a prenatal vitamin! (I know now, this is crazy talk.)

To my surprise, I quickly experienced food aversions to almost EVERYTHING I was eating on a regular basis. Eggs used to be my go-to source of high-quality protein that I could eat any time of day. Now - I can barely get myself to make them. Sweet potatoes didn't stir up in me the passion that they used to do. Neither did veggies or salad. Just the smell of my husband cooking a steak can make me gag.

For the first few weeks of my pregnancy, I could only manage to consume the following:
Lots and lots of watermelon with lots and lots of freshly squeezed lime juice
Sparkling/Seltzer Water with lots of lime wedges and cucumber slices

Green smoothies - at least I was getting some spinach and coconut milk in my system in addition to all of the fruit!
And random combos like organic strawberries and sunbutter
 Then on those days when I felt like I could eat a real meal, I craved BAD stuff. Since I was suffering from the morning sickness, my will power was low so I caved into some glutenous foods like:

At least I was able to eat some eggs!
The only redeeming ingredient in this meal were the crushed walnuts
Yes, that is real pasta and real Parmesan cheese. Face palm.
 While all of these tasted good at the time, especially after not eating things like bagels, waffles and pasta for such a long time, they only made me feel worse.

 Now that the morning sickness is subsiding a bit, I've been trying to get myself back on the paleo bandwagon. I've had a little bit more energy and I actually have the desire to cook again. I'm still not feeling eggs, steak, or sweet potatoes, but I have managed to eat the following healthy meals over the last week or so:
I've always liked my homemade salsa, but lately, I'm like in LOVE with it. With extra lime of course. Baby likes sour.
Random concoction #1: sweet plantains, chicken thighs, 1/2 avocado, drizzle of balsamic glaze
Random concoction #2: sweet plantains, brussels sprouts, chicken sausage, olive oil/maple syrup/balsamic dressing
Organic pork chop with roasted veggies
Roasted cauliflower and organic Italian chicken sausage. Btw, I had this for breakfast. Gotta think outside the box!
Spaghetti squash and baked garlic chicken wings
 I can honestly say that I feel better now that I've cleaned up my act a bit over the last week or so. Getting back in the groove is motivating me to continue on this path. I know it is healthier for our baby for me to eat the most nutritious foods possible, so I have to commit. The hubby and I are even going to attempt a pregnancy Whole30 for the month of May. Now that I'm past some of the first trimester craziness, I'm hoping I can continue preparing delicious and nutritious foods and be the paleo mom I so desperately want to be!

Wait - did I just call myself a mom? That's weird. Sometimes it doesn't feel real, but in about 5 months we will be parents. SO excited and SO scared all at the same time!

In terms of exercise, I again thought I would be a totally cool CrossFitMom by now, but that hasn't happened. Right now I'm celebrating the fact that they opened up the local park's nature trail and I took advantage of the beautiful weather this evening.

Baby steps, right?

Pun intended.

1 comments:

Guess What? We're Expecting!

4/20/2013 *Sara-Marie* 4 Comments


 
We will welcome our first baby in October 2013!

Yes, you read that right. This is the main reason I've been pretty silent on the blog lately. On top of being super busy with work, I've been dealing with morning sickness, fatigue, afternoon sickness, fatigue, and evening sickness! Haha, but it will all be worth it and we are SOOOOO EXCITED!

So here's a photo recap of our first trimester!
I literally took a test every morning for a week, just to be sure!
Our first appointment at 6 weeks!
Our tiny little nub at 6 weeks 6 days. Can't believe how tiny it is and how fast it turned into the following picture!
Just 5 weeks later and our little nub is fully formed and so active! It was amazing to see!!!

In the middle of our ultrasound I REALLY had to use the bathroom. After emptying my bladder, our little nub had more room and decided to stretch out it's arms and legs!
"Hi Mommy & Daddy!"
Thanks babe for saying the right thing!

 We are so in love already.

4 comments:

Boston Strong

4/20/2013 *Sara-Marie* 0 Comments

In light of all of the recent events that occurred in Boston this week, I've been contemplating what to say in this post. I thought about sharing about how many Boston Marathons I cheered at while a student at Boston University, or how my mother-in-law has run the Boston Marathon for the last 10 years but thankfully didn't this year. How my family and I could have been there. But in all honesty, I felt selfish if I decided to dedicate a whole post about how we were spared. Instead, I'm dedicating this post to those that weren't so fortunate this week and our law enforcement avengers.

My prayers will continue to be with the families of the victims that were robbed of their future and the hundreds of families that will forever be changed.

Rest in Peace Krystle Campbell, Martin Richard, and Lingzi Lu
My prayers are also with the family of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier who gave his life in the line of duty:


And I'm praying for a quick recovery for MTA Officer Richard Donahue:


Lastly, I'm thanking God for every single state trooper, police officer, agent, military personnel that helped make Boston safe again. Their exceptional courage and heroism is greatly appreciated and admired. Because of them, Boston was able to rest easy last night and I was able to safely leave Boston this morning and hug my hero at home.

We are so grateful for the many brave men and women who put themselves in harm's way to protect their city. Their selfless service is best represented in the following picture where this officer went out of his way to bring some milk to a family with young children that had run out during the lock-down in Watertown, MA.

 

THANK YOU. 


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