Gals' Guide

Tim Russert's Son, Luke, Says Goodbye A Video You Should All Watch Today

Tim Russert was a tradition in my house every Sunday, since I was 8. His passing was a shock to everyone on Friday and really hit me and my father hard.

This video is Tim's son, Luke, talking with Matt Laurer on this morning's Today Show.  A fitting tribute to Tim Russert from a son who's intellect and maturity shines through.

A Tribute to My Father:The Man Behind My Drive and Curiosity

A reminder everyone to give your dad a call. If your father isn't with us anymore, take a moment to honor him. As Michael and his brother go to visit their late father, Louis, at the cemetery, I wanted to share a little my detail about who this gal's father is...

My dad, Bozin (boh-zheen) was born in 1952 in a little village in Macedonia.  He won a scholarship to attend high school in Paris. He lived in France, working full time and attending school, before moving to Detroit. Little did I know that my father's experience living in France, along with my mother's time in France, would make me so in love with that country. I don't know when or how, but I know that I have to live there one day - just as my parents did years and years ago. My time in Lyon was what I call a baby step to that dream.

The picture above is a shot I took of my dad here in Chicago.  That Metra stop was dedicated to us from Chicago's sister city, Paris. The station is an exact replica of what the Metro stations look like in Paris - and there is a similar picture of my father, in this exact same pose, against a train station in France.

How to Prepare for Last-Minute FuneralsA Lesson From a Gal That Lost Her Grandma

Funerals are always last-minute. You are never prepared for one. They happen at the busiest, catastrophic times, and you begin to use trite phrases like, “when it rains it pours,” or “death come in threes,” before the funeral even starts. That’s just the way funerals are. And, life does not stop because your Grandma had a heart attack, and while you wish that your worries would go away just to get through this one week, you can bet that this one week, those thorns will sting in your side harder. Why? Perhaps there really is a lot to worry about. Perhaps you are being considered for that promotion, or your rent is up and you don’t know where to move next, to take the plunge in LA, or to end or begin a relationship. Or, perhaps it is just that the reflection of Grandma’s life, the matriarch of your family, has made you realize, ‘what the heck am I doing with my life?’

 

Happy Birthday Mom! The Main Woman Behind Gals' Guide

I am who I am because of my parents and that story begins with one half of my parental units - my mom.

Let me tell you a little story about my mom, Kosta, in honor of her 52nd birthday.

My mom's family came to the States from Macedonia in 1965, she was nine years old. They didn't speak any English and got the bulk of their wardrobe from The Salvation Army. My mom still remembers the laughing and hissing from her classmates in Detroit - her socks didn't match, but she was happy she had socks.  Life continued at school where the rest of my family got used to living in the States and thankful for things their little village in Macedonia didn't have - my mom once took gum out of some cow dung on the street to chew it. Her family was so poor that chewing gum was a treat.