Unlike my cat, i only have one life to live.

One of my most precious belongings is an Army Challenge Coin that Dr. Eric L. Moore--Director of the US Army CCDC, Chemical Biological Center--gave me at the national eCybermission awards program. He told the crowd that he was impressed with my team's integrity, and he felt that we lived our daily lives best representing the values of the Army. This award meant the world to me, as my father's side of my family was very active in the military. Serving our country is an honor in our home and I grew up with the core values of our armed forces. To be recognized by the Army meant more to me than winning the national award and grant.

Because I have one life to live.

I have been a Girl Scout since kindergarten. Our troop is a very close-knit Ohana. We have been through thick and thin, milestones in a dozen of our years. We started at the same elementary school, but ended up going to different middle- and high schools. Yet, we stayed together, we triumphed together, we worked on projects together, we camped together, and we shared our grief over the tragic loss of our leader--the mom of our girl scout sister.

Most importantly:

we inspired each other to strive to live with an open mind and open heart.

Because we have one life to live.

Family is everything. It is our origin, our past, it is the bedrock of our future.

I am a first-generation American on my mom's side, a dual Hungarian-American citizen. Growing up with a very strong European influence had an enormous impact on who I am today. If I am resilient, resourceful or scrappy, I owe it all to the Hungarian in me.

I cannot imagine being remotely close to the person I am without the model of a different world, a different way of life in front of me.

Here I was, the last time I had with my great-grandma (Dédimama) before her passing. She left this Earth, but her legacy lives on.

Summer's World

Unlike my cat, i only have one life to live.

Unlike my cat, i am not going to sleep through my one life.