Waving from the Wave

I sent this message to Annika's cardiology team yesterday and though I would share here: 

"So half an hour ago Annika and I were chatting on our way out of the U of U Hospital when I said, "Hey, did you see some of your heart team at Starbucks?" She replied that she didn't notice and then continued on, "Mom. why didn't you say Hi? Do you have social anxiety?" 

Well, I guess I've been called out on the carpet!  We absolutely should have come over to say hello. I think I figured that you deserved a few moments without patients. Also, I was feeling kind of sheepish that we were hanging out at the hospital. In our defense, we tried two other Starbucks on the way home from school, but they were both closed. Undeterred, Annika insisted we try the hospital before giving up. When you've got a craving, you've got a craving! 

Mostly, I wanted to take a moment to thank the entire team for giving us a world full of happy every-day moments like grabbing Starbucks as a Mommy-daughter date. We treasure all these tiny memories in ways that we once took for granted.

Naturally, we relish all the big moments too. After years of trying to get a permit, our family was finally able to hike "The Wave" near Kanab. Here's a photo of Annika sprinting across the natural wonder. She handled our nine-mile hike with ease. It seems this girl has won the lottery more than once in her life! 

Thank you all for supporting us through this heart journey. I know her transplant success is the result of years of your hard work, training, and science. Even so, to us it is also a miracle.

Until our next Starbucks sighting,

Kara"

Whether waving from the wave or a coffee shop, we really are thankful for all of life's joyful moments.