Pop Castle

Dear Familia,

Zane, the kids, and I will be spending the next week hanging out at Pop Castle. We are extremely grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Ramadan for gifting us a week at their incredible house on the Rappahanock River.

View of Pop Castle from the Backyard

We plan to do all of these things over the course of our stay here:

Crab trap

S'Mores

Bonfire

Corn hole

Eagles nest 

Bike ride

Ping pong

Picnic

Sand castles

Hammocks

Swings

Raft

Swimming

Capture the flag

Campus golf

Dance party

Pillow fight

Hide and seek

Croquet

Running

Ice cream

Neighborhood walk

Hot chocolate

Star gazing

Breakfast at Rocket Billy's

I'll do some blog posts during our downtime, but follow Abbi (our little social media director) on instagram to get real-time updates: http://instagram.com/abbipattea.

Love,
Jem

Officially a Master!

Dear Familia,

I cannot believe it's been two years since I first started at HKS. Side note: in October we will have been back from Peace Corps for three years, crazy. Time is moving at warp speed these days. Seriously.

The official graduation picture

I originally didn't want to even go to graduation. I wanted to either spend more time in AZ or head back to DC to prepare for the summer visit from the kids. Even after I decided to go, I really didn't want anyone to travel to Cambridge for the ceremony. Luckily, it worked out to bring a few of the girls back with me when I came from AZ. I am VERY happy that Zane and three of the girls were with me to celebrate. It was super emotional for me to look back and see them cheering me on as I received my diploma.

Walking through JFK Park after the ceremony

A big thank you to all of the family and friends, and especially my husband, that have loved me and helped me throughout the past two years. I know that I was perma-stressed, but I am so thankful for the experience. Now it's time to find a job! Will keep you all posted.

Love,
Jem

PHX to BOS

Dear Familia,

We have officially started our summer trip. First stop: Boston! Kiki, Abbi, Madi and I left to the airport at 3:30 am AZ time. Not fun. We had a layover in Houston before arriving at Logan Airport around 4 pm. This was Abbi and Madi's first flight (Madi flew when she was three, but obviously doesn't remember) and they were a little nervous in the air. But it all worked out and we arrived safely.

From the iPad: At Sky Harbor waiting to board

We had to make a quick pitstop at Harvard Health Services when we arrived because I had a major allergic reaction. We were in and out within 30 minutes prescription in hand and itching relieved. By the time we got to my apartment and had dinner the girls were exhausted. They ended up falling asleep by 8:30 pm and not waking up until after 9 am the next day.

These lovely hives were all over my body!

The girls especially loved riding the train. AZ is not known for their public transportation so the T was a grand adventure for everyone. It was probably good for them to have exposure to a system a little less hectic than DC's before we get there in a couple of weeks.

Alewife Station

Next stop: DC! We are all very excited.

Love,
Jem

Confirmation

horrible camera phone picture, but it works

Dear Familia,

Tonight Cassi, Kiki, and Abbi celebrated their Confirmation. Bishop Olmstead, head of the Phoenix diocese, presided over the lovely Mass in their honor. He gave a fabulous homily talking about 3 reasons what made Pope John Paul II, or any person for that matter, great. I will work my hardest to remember and incorporate these things into my daily life.

1. He was a good friend

2. He was a good family member

2. He was good at forgiving

Did you know that JPII was beatified (the first step to becoming a Saint) on the same day Osama Bin Laden was killed. That is mind blowing! How different could two people really be??

Paz,

Jem