Capitalizing on the tradition that I spontaneously created from the sadness of last year’s anniversary, my sister and I resolved to face this day without dread but with happiness. It didn’t hurt that while the East Coast was buried under two feet of snow, we enjoyed sunny low 70s temperatures in Newport Beach.

I picked up Adri at work and we headed to the Koi pond at Fashion Island, one of our mom’s favorite places to people watch. Mom’s favorite table was taken, so we took the logistical curveball as an opportunity to try the sunny North end of the pond, on the back side of the spitting fish fountains.

It seems right that last year we had cloudy and light drizzle weather to pair with a more melancholy mood, whereas today we were greeted by such an unexpectedly warm and beautiful day that we could not help but smile. It was so bright that in one photo, my sister couldn’t even keep her eyes open. Just before we left, we couldn’t help but stop for some Italian gelato and then call our aunt (mom’s sister) in Argentina on FaceTime to share in the moment.

The koi pond will always be special to us, but I’m happy that three years later it isn’t as teardrop-inducing as in previous year.