Happy Birthday, Mia!

Dear Hearts,

May 21 is the birthday of Mia Rose Sullivan: daughter of Mike and Shelly; sister of Jake, Seamus, Augustine, Sofia, Penelope and Max; granddaughter of Bob and Darlene and Don and Judy; niece, cousin and friends to scores more lucky folks.

This month, Mia completed her first year at the University of Dallas and looks to be having a rip roaring time there! She certainly has made lots of friends and is participating in plenty of social gatherings. At the end of the year, however, she was glad to make it back to Phoenix into the family fold again. 

Happy Birthday, sweet Mia, and may you have 106 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

Dear Hearts,

May 21st is the birthday of Margaret Frances Sullivan: daughter of John and Nancy; sister of Michael and Matthew; mama of Brandon; auntie of Evangeline and Violet; niece, cousin and friends of dozens more.

Maggie has become an amazing mother since Brandon graced our world. She has navigated through the loss of her dad and moving to a new state, all while keeping Brandon as her top priority. The two have begun to travel together--recently visiting family in California and Ohio--building wonderful memories and enjoying terrific adventures. One of those memories was visiting Disneyland!

In their home in Baltimore, Maggie is leading Brandon through life always looking for what is good and important. And along the way she provides every opportunity for him to exercise his creativity and show his humor. 

Happy birthday, Maggie, and may you have 85 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Candace!

Dear Hearts,

May 18th is the birthday of Candace Gattuso Lore: wife of Joseph Lore; mother of two beautiful girls; and dear friend of Sarah Cassaro Sullivan.

She was born in New Orleans, the sixth of 10 children and met Sarah while working together at the Chicago eatery Smokedaddy in 2007--and Miles through Sarah. Today, Candace works as an operations coordinator at Ochsner Health System.

Candace brings a down-home vibe to all her personal interactions--as do so many who come from big families. She absolutely creates a sense of comfort and makes anyone with her glad to be in her company.

Happy Birthday, Candace, and may you have 82 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love,
Patty

Happy Birthday, Claire!

Dear Hearts,

May 16th is the birthday of Claire Elizabeth Clevenger: daughter of Hal and Mercy Clevenger; sister of Molly; granddaughter of Helen and John Whalen; auntie to little Josey; great-granddaughter of Boom Boom and Boompa; niece, cousin and friend to scores of lucky folks.

Claire lives in Big Sky, Montana and is a living, breathing legacy of so many who came before her. Her creativity, adventurous pursuits, wonderful humor and strong independence remind us all of her sister, mom, aunts and grandmothers. Claire loves travel and adventure and has racked up quite a list of adventures. She is a talented bartender and veteran of the service industry who creates amazing dishes at home too.

Happy Birthday, Claire, and may you have 88 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Mary Ella!

Dear Hearts,

May 14th is the birthday of Mary Ella Lewis: daughter of Paul and Margaret; sister of PJ, Robert, William and Timothy; niece, cousin and friend to many more. She is one of four of our women with Ella in her name. This group includes her Auntie Ella (who is Darlene Ella); her first cousin Ella Marie (Bobby’s daughter); her second cousin Frances Ella (Jim's daughter); and herself.

This Ella is the proverbial Irish beauty--as lovely as her mama, and as good as her daddy. She has grown up to be a strong yet quiet young woman who shows great humor and grace in everyday life.

Ella is studying at the University of Dallas and is a regular on the Dean's List there. Impressive she can excel academically given the fact that she has the ever-present joy/distraction of several cousins at the same school!

Happy Birthday, Mary Ella, and may you have 104 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless June

Dear Hearts,

May 10th is the 100th anniversary of June Doe Cusick's birth. She was born in Illinois on May 10, 1924, and died at age 41 in 1965. She was the wife of Edgar Allen "Bud" Cusick, and mother of Kathy, Linda, Debbie and Brian, and most importantly to us, Elizabeth Ann "Bitsy" Cusick Sullivan, who looks just like her.

June was famously witty and vivacious, she was crazy about Bud, and was drop-dead gorgeous. Bitsy misses her all the time. I wish I had known her.

June succumbed to cancer when Bitsy was 19. So Bitsy went a long time without a mother, and then had Mom for 17 years, and she and Mom were good friends. I can't help but think that Mom and June would have also been good friends.

June lives in the memory and the faces of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Thank you, June, for Bitsy, and please watch over us all.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Kat!

Dear Hearts,

May 9th is the birthday of Kathleen Lawrence: wife of Jim's West Point classmate and brother, Kerry Lawrence, Esq.

Kat is more than just a classmate's wife. She has served the Academy and the Nation for over a decade as a mentor at the class-sponsored National Conference on Ethics in America at West Point every year. She is a clinical psychotherapist who provides business consulting, coaching, mediation services, couple, child and family therapy and parent coaching through her private practice in Washington.

So Happy Birthday, Kathleen, dear and long-time friend, and may you have 54 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty & Jim