Comments:
Wow, it has been a long time. A lot happens in 20 years.
After having a little too much fun at Eastern Washington University for two years, I moved back to Seattle, lived on Capital Hill and worked at IBM.
In 1993, my father had a job transfer so I moved to Boston with my parents and younger brother, Michael. My brother, Mark (Bothell '91), continued living in Seattle and going to U of W. Now, unbelievably, I have been here 15 years.
I went to Northeastern University in Boston, received a BS in Finance, and went to work at a venture capital firm where I met my wonderful husband, Dave. We now have four children: David (8), Margaret (6) Emma (5) and Harry (2). We live in Acton, MA which is a suburb of Boston, about 25 minutes away.
My husband went to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and we have always enjoyed spending time in northern New England, so we now own a second home, a farmstead, in that area where we spend our summers swimming and our winters skiing.
With all the good, there has also been the bad.
After more than twenty years of marriage, my parents divorced in 1994, a year after we arrived in Boston. What a disaster. It makes celebrating with grandparents and grandchildren difficult to say the least. My Mother continues to live here in Boston and my Father now lives in the Portland, OR area, again.
In 2002, we welcomed our third child, Emma (5), who was sadly diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disorder of the pancreas and lungs. Although her illness is always at the forefront of our thoughts, she remains an extremely healthy and active little girl.
My brother Mark (Bothell '91) lives in Dallas with his wife and they have two girls and are expecting a boy in August 2008. Unfortunately, however, their daughter (4) died a year ago from a terrible metabolic genetic disorder. It was very sad time for our family.
I have been in Boston for almost 15 years, but I will always call Seattle home. I am there several times a year, visiting good friends and sometimes running into lost ones.
When all said and done, it has been a fantastic ride. I always knew that I would be here one day; I have wonderful health and a wonderful family and I feel that I have truly arrived.
I am excited to catch up with old friends, and hope all of you are well. The plans for the reunion look like they are coming along and I am sure it will be a terrific time for us all.
Monique
