This past week, our daughter Marisa moved to NYC. With Jaimie soon to be married and Aaron in college, Kathy and I are officially empty nesters. Change is good but not always easy; Kathy and I have always been good at being present in the evolving stations of our lives. We had a lot of fun as newlyweds, but raising our kids has been our biggest joy. I have always said if you get the marriage part right, the rest of your life tends to fall into place. On Monday, Kathy and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I was blessed to get the marriage thing right so I am actually looking forward to the next adventure for the two of us. Kathy was the force in our kids lives growing up, but I have gotten closer to all of them as they have matured. I think the next few years are my time with the kids. As empty nesters, staying healthy, going to the theater, and traveling more frequently together is the plan for now. I also intend to focus more on the things I enjoy the most with my work, like writing, but I’m not delusional and definitely don’t think we have it all figured out yet; my sense is that I will have much more to say on the subject in the coming months.
I was in D.C. on Friday for the celebration of life for my friend, Dave Stevens. Dave was a former FHA Commissioner under Barack Obama and an icon in the mortgage banking industry. I was lucky to know Dave as a good friend.
In July, L’ATTITUDE hosted its first event during the NBA Summer League, honoring Latino leaders in the NBA….L’ATTITUDE intends to amplify its focus on sports because of its enormous influence on our culture and the youth in America. Beyond recognizing leaders, L’ATTITUDE will produce studies and data that illustrate the role of Latinos in terms of audience and revenue growth for professional sports.
The woman who gave me life and shaped me to be the person that I am passed away on March 5th. My mother Irma was a strong woman – a really strong woman. She was the matriarch of our family. I joke that the rest of us were just part of her supporting cast...