MAREK

Marek, otherwise known as "my-rock," brings sanity, common sense, and a grasp of the "big picture" to our tribe of Robinsons. Marek and I have been on many adventures. We have hiked the Inca Trail, the Khumbu region, Kala Pattar and the base of Everest. We have hiked to the southern ice fields of Chile, rode elephants in Thailand and camels in Morrocco. We have run rivers of all levels, camped in amazing places and driven to Baja more times than I can count. When I met him, he had just returned from guiding on the Rio Bio Bio in Southern Chile.

Marek is an eternal optimist which comes in handy when you're in Barcelona, looking for accommodations during Easter week and didn't make reservations in advance. He is also solution-oriented with back up plans to his backup plans. Yet, he is spontaneous, creative, and at times, even funny like when he surprises me every morning with coffee or tells his daughter that the dish fairy isn't going to make it this week. He is undeniably pragmatic squeezing as much out of a penny as is humanly possible and taking full advantage of anything given for free. He is rugged, durable and brilliant. He is also a champion rattlesnake wrangler and raccoon hunter. He can fix just about anything (because he doesn't want to buy a new one) and he is the best husband and father a girl could ask for.

Marek's talents were truly tested when we faced the fight against breast cancer. He took over all household operations, kid activities and home maintenance all the while maintaining his corporate job and his perspective. He organized rides to chemo, food drop-offs and friends who insisted on helping us through this monumental experience. He is gone above and beyond any expectation of husband, father, lover and friend. His nomadic tendencies, his sense of humor and his unlimited amount of patience truly make him my soulmate. We will celebrate 20 years of marriage this year. I choose him to share this extraordinary life of love, adventure, challenge and laughter, traveling the world and raising our girls. I'm grateful for every minute.