Tag Archives: Parents

Graduation

I can’t believe I’m officially done. I know that I’ve been saying that a lot recently, but the truth be told, a lot of things are officially coming to an end.  Mom and Dad flew out to NY to visit for a few days during to the first week of December to celebrate my impending graduation with the President of NYU, John Sexton. Earlier this Spring, I took a class with him titled Baseball As A Road to God, and upon hearing of my early graduation, he invited me to a private ceremony in his office.

It was so great to see my parents again and have them be present for this special moment. The best part of the weekend, however, was not actually “graduating”, rather celebrating with my friends and family  at my favorite restaurants including Arturo’s with Dave and Erin, Serafina and Morton’s Grille with Phebe and some local spots with my parents.

Eric and Ang Take NY(AC)

Though Mom and Dad came in for Senior Day on Saturday, we also snuck in a lot of fun sites and played tourist for a bit. They stayed at the swanky New York Athletic Club (NYAC) across from Central Park thanks to our great friend Pete, (Thanks again!) which was a great central location for all of our mini adventures. We walked through Time Square, Rockefeller Plaza, by Carnegie Hall , the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park.  We also indulged in some delicious eats including Doughnut Plant, Trattoria Dell’Arte, and Union Square Cafe with Phebe’s family.

Enjoy the pics!

Thanks Mom and Dad

My soccer career would not have been possible without the love and support from my mom and dad. They are responsible for nearly two decades of driving me to and from practices and games, flying me across country for camps, recruiting visits, and tournaments and years of cheering from the sidelines. Through the roller coaster of my soccer career, and let me tell you, it’s had it’s fair share of ups and downs, they’ve been there every step of the way, and I am eternally grateful for them.

This past weekend, we played Brandeis in our final home game of the season. The school honored us (seniors) with a pregame ceremony, but I couldn’t help but think that my parents should have been the ones honored. Behind the eight of us, stood parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters who all made sacrifices to help us reach our goals of playing college soccer for NYU. Sure, we battled injuries, balanced classwork with a demanding travel schedule, but our parents and families were the ones who reassured us at the end of every phone call, every text, every email. They believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves and pushed us when we didn’t think we could go any further.

So in honor of the end of my soccer career, I would like to thank my parents because without them, I would be nowhere close to where I am today.

THANKS MOM & DAD! YOU’RE THE BEST!

 

Things That Make Me Smile

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Ever have one of those days where you feel like you’re struggling to keep your head above water? Well last week was one of those weeks, but thankfully I had something to smile about: talking to my Mom and Dad. I came to the realization that after every conversation with them, I’m usually smiling after, no matter how upset or angry I was before. They know how to pick me up when I’m down and how to the light the fire within.

I am blessed to say the least and have hundreds of things to smile about, so when I found out that Oct. 5th was National Smile Day, and got off the phone with my Mom, I immediately headed over to my computer to make a quick list of five things that makes me smile.

  1. This is super repetitive, but talking to my parents is one thing that calms me down when I am infuriated at myself for something or when I am lacking motivation. My relationship with my Mom and Dad has transformed over the years, similar to how an awkward caterpillar morphs into a beautiful butterfly. In high school I was unable to open up to them (for whatever strange reason) but when I jetted off across the country, we became incredibly close. I call them daily, on my walk back from Coles to Union Square and it really soothes my soul and makes me grin from ear to ear.

    Awesome Parents
  2. Snapchat – If you have an iPhone, you should have this app. I am constantly snap chatting friends obnoxious selflies, but hey that’s what it’s for!

    Twist Snapchatting
  3. Finally Understanding Something – I’m currently in Sports Accounting and was so frustrated last week when I was unable to figure out the homework. In class, all of the principles clicked and I was beaming with excitement. Maybe it’s the inner nerd in me, but there is just something awesome about making sense of a difficult concept.
  4. Quotes – My desk is covered in pink, purple, yellow and blue post-it’s with inspirational quotes to get me through the day and to remind me to persevere. I am a sucker (for lack of a better term) for a pieces of inspiration. Check out some of my favorites here!
  5. Last but certainly not least, looking at old photos and watching home videos are one of those things that just puts a smile on my face. I was perusing through Facebook and found photos that seemed like just yesterday but in reality they were from close to ten years ago. This whole growing up thing stinks – I don’t believe I agreed to this.

Climbing Fuji ten years ago