Our time on the West Coast was magical.  Our unending thanks to our friends for allowing us such a wonderful getaway.  The beach in San Diego was beautiful, I caught up with some of my best friends out there, I got to give a long-overdue hug to my friend Kristine who also lost her daughter to a brain tumor, and I got lots of special time with our birthday boy.  On our last day, just minutes before leaving for the airport, we were also blessed with a show from dozens of dolphins playing in the waves.  It was as if Ty was giving us one last smile before our departure.  While we were away, I watched Gavin run back and forth in the ocean.  Memories of Ty at the beach came rushing in.  Times like this, exactly ( click here for video of baby Ty at the beach ).  I watched long and hard and imagined Ty, right there next to Gavin, a big boy jumping in the waves and laughing wildly :)  It even looks like those could be Ty's footprints next ...

Gavin is four years old.  I can't believe it.  Where did my baby go?  He had a great day today.  We took him to LEGOLAND and he couldn't have been more excited about the entire experience.  Especially the new Lego Super Hero sets that he took home with him.  All-in-all, I think it was a great day.  The weather was perfect.  The place we are staying is perfect.  We are just missing one huge and most important thing in our lives that makes every minute of every day imperfect.  It can never be perfect again, but we were happy today and that is so important for Gavin.  He had a very happy birthday today.  We shared the best hugs and kisses at bedtime tonight.  I feel really good about this very beautiful trip we made out West with him to show him just how special he is and how much we love him.  When we took him to the zoo the other day, it was the first time we took a family...

I tried to update the blog for days!  I have had so much on my mind, so many people to thank since Ty's memorial, so much pain in my heart that I wanted to "release" through this whole blogging process - but life has been so chaotic this week!  Good things, but so incredibly time consuming and stressful.  Immediately following Ty's ceremony, Lou and I jumped face first into a downward spiral.  All week we have been crying ourselves to sleep, on edge with one another, impatient with Gavin.  We feel like Ty's memorial provided closure for friends and family... as if it's okay to move on now... but for Lou and I it only made our wounds more raw.  Don't get me wrong, it was perfect in every way.  But we will never move on or put our loss behind us, so closure just isn't in the cards.  Healing is, though - we realize that and that is good.  We are getting better, slowly, we are.  But losing Ty and all he went through just isn...

In the wake of the horror in Boston, I couldn't go to bed tonight without letting you all know that Crystal is okay. Crystal is a beautiful person who was running the marathon for Ty.  Lou and I were so incredibly touched by her benevolence.  Running a marathon is such a tremendous accomplishment, and the fact that she chose to share the glory of her achievement with Ty, to fundraise for his foundation, was such an incredible honor.  She is one of several people who have chosen to dedicate their athletic achievements to the cause, and it has been so humbling. It should have been a joyous event for the thousands of men and women who trained so hard for this day.  It should have been a beautiful day of triumph and perseverance.  I am horrified over the pure evil that erupted on the streets of Boston today.  Just two years ago, I carried Ty in my arms for hours and stood at the sidelines during the NY marathon to cheer on Lou and Debi.  It was ...

Earlier this week, I started writing an update on the foundation efforts, the announcement of the Pediatric "Dream Team" during our trip to DC, the rally for medical research, the launch of the Muddy Puddles Project and more, but I never had a chance to post it before life started getting hectic.  Gavin got sick.  I secured some exciting media interviews that required some scrambling on my part.  And, most importantly, Lou and I got wrapped up in planning the final details for Ty's long overdue memorial service in Long Beach.  So tonight, I feel like I have a book to write because I want to share so much :)  I will share the beautiful details of Ty's celebration of life, and save the updates on foundation activities for later this week.    As some of you may know, when Ty passed away we scheduled a memorial service to be held at the church he was baptized in.  We wanted to celebrate his life in the place he called "home," by the beach...

Lou and I have always been huge supporters of the St. Baldrick's Foundation.  They are a wonderful organization with a terrific story, and they do an incredible job with raising money for the cause, and making strategic funding decisions.  Upon creating our own foundation, we have been talking with them a lot to make sure we can work together toward our tremedous goals of uncovering better treatment options for children. When we first heard that they were teaming up with Stand Up 2 Cancer to help fund the launch of their first ever "Dream Team" specific to pediatrics, I was overjoyed.  I posted about it here .  Ever since then I have been anxiously waiting to find out who was on the team, and what their reasearch was geared toward.  Tonight, Lou and I were honored to be there for this most exciting announcement.  When I received the press kit on my way in, I immediately began devouring the information before I even sat down.  I wanted to kn...

I am not Italian, but my cousins are.  Growing up, I remember that they always had grated pecorino romano in their refrigerator and to be honest, I didn't get it.  Why put that stuff  on your delicious pizza or casserole or whatever?  This, coming from a girl who ate noodles with butter instead of tomato sauce (which I now know to call "gravy"). Even though "Campbell" isn't technically an Italian name, my in-laws are truly Italian.  My Father-in-Law inherited the last name from a biological father he never met, but was raised by his 100% Italian mother, his 100% Italian step-father, and their family business was running a 100% Italian bakery in lower Manhattan.  Lou's mother?  As Italian as "La Cosa Nostra."  So when we first got married and she gave me her recipe for the family meatballs and gravy, I thought, "how hard can it be?  Just follow the instructions."  Tons of meat, tomatoes, plenty of time to cook....

I was watching some videos late night last night and I just had to share this with you all.  That face!! That voice!!  Love love love.  CLICK HERE to watch SuperTy scoot :) I actually had a good day today overall.  My sister-in-law, Debi, joined me in NYC for a seminar about event-planning and risk management for non-profit executives today.  There were a couple of presentations on the agenda that didn't apply to the TLC foundation, so we also snuck out to do some shopping for new charitable products we will be selling.  More on that soon! However, on my way to pick her up it was crisp and cold but really sunny and beautiful outside.  I couldn't help but groan to myself and roll my eyes about the annoying, shiny, happy day ahead of us.  I was thinking sad thoughts and feeling grateful that at least it was winter after Ty passed away - because the weather matches my misery - while thinking how much I ha...