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January 31, 2024‘You’re My Person’: Above everything else, Christine Graban is her family’s rock and pillar
January 31, 2024
Todd Garland and his children, Rylie (12) and Cooper (10), really do have a top-notch matriarch at the helm. Their wife and mother, Katie, is someone who makes constant sacrifices for the good of the family, and she is always there for them.
Katie helps keep her family grounded, as she is a pillar of support and a voice of reason. She is a role model in many senses, as she has her morals and values in check and will do anything for anyone.
“She’s a great partner,” Todd said. “She’s a great wife. She wants to listen to me; spend time with me. She wants to have fun. She is a great mother to our two kids. She is always coming up with fun things for them to do. Katie is incredibly fun and outgoing with friends too.”
When it comes to being a wife, Katie is all about give and take. She loves hanging out with her husband and having a good time with him, and she is his best friend.
When it comes to being a friend, Katie is someone with a golden heart who cares so much about everyone. She loves to be there for her friends, and she loves to be around them.
Even more incredibly, when it comes to motherhood, there is no one the Garland clan would rather have than Katie. She is a mom who is just always there, and she loves making sure Rylie and Cooper have everything they need at all times.
“Number one, she puts them first no matter what she has going on,” Todd said. “She’s fair and firm, and also fun. She teaches the lessons you have to teach kids. At the same time, she is coming up with fun things for them to do. She is helping them grow as children.”
One thing Katie really emphasizes is experiences. She will take the kids on trips and adventures to help them learn things hands-on. She takes every opportunity to create a learning experience for Rylie and Cooper, and that does not go unnoticed.
Katie plays to her children’s strengths as well. Rylie loves to cook, and Katie is always there, helping her expand her horizons in the food game. As for Cooper, he is a math whiz, and Katie is always doing things to help further his knowledge in that regard.
In all that, Katie really places an emphasis on family, as that is the most important thing to her.
“She has certainly taught me the importance of family,” Todd said. “We live in DC, and it can be easy to get caught up in her career. She has given up things like prestige and money for the sake of family. I can see how happy it makes her. She is always saying happiness is a choice. No matter what is happening in life, it’s your choice.”
Life is what you make of it, and Katie certainly makes the most of her life. She does this by always being joyful and never putting her family second.
“Her motto is family first,” Todd emphasized. “She really does follow that motto through her actions. When someone in her family or my family is going through something, she is the first one they will call, and she will drop what she is doing. No matter what it is, even if she has to go home to help her parents.”
Katie is just always there. She is a present force who cares so much about the people all around her.
When it comes to putting family first, Katie views a lot of her friends as family too. She loves them like brothers and sisters, and she treats them as such. If they need anything at all, they know they can count on Katie.
“Not just words for her, but by action,” Todd added. “She is always there for friends too. If they are going through something. She will always drop anything for other people.”
When it comes to friendships, Katie has formulated many of those through work as well. On top of her strong work ethic, she builds personal relationships with a lot of her clients. She is a loan officer, but the way she treats every single person she gives a loan to is something special.
Being a great friend and putting family first are just a few of the many things that stuck out to Todd from the moment he got together with Katie. He loves so many of her personality traits, and he really admires the character she possesses.
“She’s just very warm,” Todd said. “She’s very patient. Her attitude of what happens is a choice. She’s very outgoing and likes to do things.”
Todd saw these things in her right away, and he knew Katie was a keeper. He knew she was someone worth sticking by, and she has not changed, but instead she has only continued to grow.
Speaking of growing, Todd is really glad he has gotten to grow in his relationship with Katie the way he has. Things continue to get better with each passing day, and there is a reason he continues to fall madly in love with her as time goes on.
He cherishes all the memories they have and all the trips they have gone on, and he is looking forward to many more in the future.
“We love just spending time together and going out to eat,” Todd said. “She loves traveling. She speaks foreign languages. She’s the person who plans our travel; she plans our trips. She always wants to know what the next trip is. She wants to experience things. She wants to visit cities she’s never been to before.”
Katie is all about exploration and learning new things about cultures and so much more.
Of course, we know that bodes well for instilling what she instills into her children, and it bodes well for just creating so many fun family adventures.
The Garland clan is just super grateful for Katie and everything about her, and they love her so much. They want her to be reminded of this every day, and they hope she is.
“I really do appreciate everything she does for our family. Even if I don’t tell her, I do appreciate it. The kids appreciate it. We really do see how much she does, even if we don’t say it.” – Todd
