Sneak Peak: Winter

Our Pre-Heat Uniform...we wore gloves to do homework!

Dear Familia, 

It's Winter! Ok, technically I think it's still Fall, but the Northeast got hit with a big snowstorm this weekend that definitely screams Winter more than Fall. Anyway, early this week it started getting pretty cold and seemed like time to think about turning on the heat in our house...see poor Amanda in my opening photo. I did a lot of research because we have a gas heater and I definitely don't want to be wasting energy. I did a few things to get ready and luckily our landlord is pretty amazing and he came up and did a few things around the house to get the house ready as well. 

MYSA RONN, Warmth Rate 4

Way back in August, I hit up Ikea to get a legit down comforter. Definitely the best purchase I made because it is super warm and I stay comfortable all night long. I went back and forth between the warmth rate of 4 and 6, and I ended up getting the 4. It was a good choice because I can add lighter blankets to heat it up on super cold nights or take them off if it's too warm.

Before

After

I checked out our gas company's energy saving tips to see what we could do to keep our energy usage (and costs) down. We tried to follow as many of these tips as possible. Our landlord, Tom, came up on Thursday night and tightened windows and checked doors for air leaks. He was also great enough to install a programmable thermostat that be great for those days when we forget to turn the heat down when we leave. Right now our plan is to keep it at around 65 when we are home and then really low around 50 when we are not home. Normally, it's not a good idea to let your air get too low while you are away because it takes a lot of energy to get the temperature back to a livable level. However, Tom installed an energy efficient forced air heating system a couple of years ago so it literally only took 15 minutes to get it comfortable in the house after he came up and we switched it on. Obviously, it was not a moment too soon because it actually started snowing when he came over.

My window about 30 minutes after the snow started falling

That night was actually the start of what is being called "Snowtober." Although it's not unusual for temperatures to dip, the big snowstorm  was definitely a surprise for this time of year. We only got about 2 inches here in Boston, but some spots in New York received 2 feet! Craziness. It was really weird because it was a rain storm (with thunder and lightning and everything) and a snow storm. Yesterday when I got onto the train I was using my umbrella and when I got off the train less than 10 minutes later it was seriously snowing. I am going to have to get my snow jacket and gloves very soon!

Backyard this AM

Backyard Pt. 2

Looking out the Front Window

Right now it's sunny and beautiful outside but still very cold. The snow is not melting very much at all. I thought about going out to make a snowman this morning , but then I decided to stay in my warm bed. Haha. Now it's back to homework.

Love,
Jem

Annie and Ramsey

Dear Familia, 

Yay! I finally get to tell you a big secret I've been keeping. Last weekend I flew into Philly for a big surprise proposal party. Zane's older brother, Ramsey, asked Annie to marry him. And she of course said yes. It was was super fun and Ramsey really did it up big. First, they went apple picking and he arranged to be a private orchard so they could be alone when he got down on one knee. He also arranged for a photographer to be there to capture the special moment. On the way home he let her know that the whole family (his and hers) was waiting at their apartment to congratulate them. After hanging out a bit with everyone we headed over the Moshulu a beautiful boat turned restaurant on Penn's Landing. Ramsey rented out the top level and had all their friends waiting as another fun surprise. I was only able to stay in Philly for 24 hours (dang school), but it was great to see everyone and share in their special day. I'll leave you with the few pictures I took :)

Love,

Jem

The Boat/Restaurant

The Happy Couple walking up to the surprise party

Zane and Lena...this is how they decided to pose.

Love these Ikea lanterns...I had some in Guatemala

Courtesy of Zane

He took the picture so I'm not sure why he was prepared with a smile. Haha. 

A "Pickle Back" a shot chased with pickle juice...ya, not too sure, but they liked it!

YAY! They're engaged. 

5 Randoms

Dear Familia, 

There are quite a few things that I think I would love tell everyone about, but I just never have time. So here are 5 random things that you might be interested in hearing about:

Farmer's Markets- super expensive, but I try to go as often as possible. There was a 2 week stretch when I didn't get food for the house once. It was not good. 

My 1st Haul

Hurricane Irene- by the time Irene got to us I'm pretty sure she had been downgraded to tropical storm. There was a lot of wind and rain. Since I wasn't in the ramshackle structures of Guatemala, I survived just fine. However, the tree across the street did not. 

Taken from my 2nd story window

I miss these guys A LOT. Sam didn't come to the bridal shower, otherwise he would have been in this photo as well. 

So cute!

I make a pretty mean Gold Star (think Gold Fish cracker)...Deb from Smitten Kitchen strikes again :)

GoldStars...Yes, I am a nerd. 

Busted out the cool weather comforter I bought from Ikea. Not ready for the sub-zero temps, but at least by bed is ;)

Yes, I need to decorate the walls

Love,

Jem

Boston Local Food Festival

Dear Familia, 

I think I can stop apologizing for my lack of updates. Y'all understand that grad school + wedding + long distance engagement mean that I have zero time for fun things like blog posts. 

I really haven't been up to all that much other than school except for a couple of things. One: Alysha's wedding. Post to come very soon on that one. Two: Boston Local Food Festival. Saturdays I usually try to do at least one thing that doesn't fit into the "grad school + wedding + long distance engagement" equation. A couple of Saturdays ago, I hit up a Boston food festival. It was a festival devoted to food so you know I loved it. Haha. 

This Saturday I am going to do another something VERY fun, but it's a big secret so I will wait to tell you about it until Monday. Anyway, some highlights from the food festival:

First Buy: Pita Chips to go with the gallons of hummus I eat these days

Grilled Cheese Truck. Done and Done. 

2nd Lunch...the market veggie sandwich

Happened upon the beginnings of Occupy Boston on my way home

So there you have it. A quick fun post. Hopefully I can do some posts on my classes soon. Basically they rock, so I definitely want to tell you all about them :)

Love,
Jem

Steve Jobs

Dear Steve, 

Last night I found out about your death while I was browsing the internet on my MacBook Pro. Apple has been such a huge part of my technological life and it was a true pleasure to work for your company this summer.

Cancer is a real bummer...The disease takes so many amazing people from our lives. Here's to our next great thinker being the person that finds the cure.

I hope you rest in peace Mr. Jobs. You changed to world for the better!

Paz,
Jerami

Amanda's Blog

Dear Familia,

My roomie Amanda has a blog. Check it out: http://aluxuriousafternoon.blogspot.com/

Love,
Jem

A Day in the Life

Dear Familia,

I know that I've been completely ridiculous about returning calls and emails, but it's not b/c I'm sitting around being lazy. I thought I'd take a minute to give you a glimpse into the glamorous life of a graduate school student. And, yes, but glamorous, I mean completely nerdy. 

• 12:45 am Finally get to sleep after finishing a stats quiz and sending out the wedding invites. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/yourveryownartist

• 7:00 am Wake up and check my email to see who has RSVP'd...Roberta gets the prize for first RSVP :) Wash face, brush teeth, get dressed, and pack lunch. I made a quinoa, chickpea, and broccoli salad this weekend and luckily still have some left over. Would that be considered a salad?
• 8:00 am Head to school on the T. I biked to school until Friday when I finally had enough of getting soaked in random rain showers or in my own sweat b/c it's so muggy here. I'm not a fan. Plus, soon enough it's going to start looking like this:

Obviously not bike friendly weather

• 8:30 am Meet with my Econ group to go over our problem set one last time, Read for Ethics (this is the last of 4 readings for the weekend), and start this blog post. 
• 10:10 am Economics
• 11:30 am More Ethics reading
• 12:30 pm Recruitment event for the Dean's Ambassador's Program...Helping out with recruitment is a little selfish on my part as I want as many amazing people as possible to come to Kennedy and keep it's reputation where it should be ;) 

Click to see what HKS alum are up to

• 1:30 pm Ethics study group and Lunch. We meet in the library to discuss the study questions that are on the syllabus for every day of class. Our professor cold calls, so I definitely appreciate the study group to help me collect my thoughts about the readings. 
• 2:40 pm Ethics
• 4:00 pm Institute of Politics Study Group with Linda Moore Forbes and David Axelrod. She was the Deputy Assistant to President Clinton & White House Deputy Political Director and the Senior Advisor to Senator Bayh and he is the Senior Strategist for President Obama's re-election campaign. No big deal. The event was off the record, so we'll just leave it at "interesting." 
• 5:30 pm Home on the T
• 6:00 pm Met Amanda, her friend, and Thomas at Killer Cupcakes. They actually have a different name, but I always forget and this is a family blog. They gave us 3 free mini-cupcakes that were pretty decent. Amanda and I were supposed to do this co-op dinner thing, but she had something come up at the last minute so we did the cupcake thing instead. DC cupcakes have these guys beat, but I didn't try any of their signature, regular sized cupcakes. I'll have to let you know how that goes in the future. 

From Amanda and her iPhone

• 6:30 Dinner (chipotle) and half an episode of Pushing Daisies which could be one of my most favorite shows ever. I'm so sad there are only 2 seasons. 
• 7:30 pm Finish this blog post then finish the Stats problem set that is due tomorrow and start on my study schedule for the midterm on Friday
• 8:30 pm Chat with Zane about our days and wedding stuff
• 9:00 pm Global Food Politics and Policy reading that I am about a week behind on...oops
• 12:00 pm (hopefully) SLEEP

So there you have it. I'm pretty lucky that I get to spend my days studying and hanging out with cool people, right?? However, this does not leave very much time for social interactions with my friends and family not in Boston :( Don't worry though, I'll be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Love,

Jem

My Sugar Daddy

 Dear Familia, 

Ok, don't get the wrong idea from the title. Hear me out. In honor of our anniversary, I would like to share a little story about my amazing my fiancé. 

While in DC this summer there was never ending talk about who has the best cupcakes. In Georgetown, there were 3 major contenders: Sprinkles, Baked & Wired, and Georgetown Cupcake. All Summer I wanted to do a taste comparison of the three, but for one reason or another it never really happened. Well, to be honest one of the biggest reasons was that you had to literally wait in line outside of Georgetown Cupcake to try one of those babies and it was hotter and stickier than even 2 minutes outside could justify. Haha. I still really wanted to try them all, but between school and the wedding and the move it just didn't seem like it would happen. 

THEN, one evening close to when I was heading off to Boston, Zane came home with a surprise...

The packaging 

Yep, that amazing man of mine had gone to all three bakeries, waited in line outside of Georgetown Cupcake and bought me 3 red velvet cupcakes. It's in the details ladies, and Zane has that down pat!

Baked & Wired

Georgetown Cupcake

Sprinkles

The Three Contenders 

I bet you're curious as to who came out on top, yes? Well I broke it down:

Frosting- Georgetown Cupcake
Cake- Sprinkles
Presentation- 3-way Tie...they all were great
Value- Georgetown Cupcake (the smallest, but also the cheapest)

Winner: Georgetown Cupcake...although if I were craving a cupcake, I wouldn't wait in line over it. I'd definitely pop into one of the other two shops. Or I could even try out one of the other DC cupcake shops :)

Ok, that is your story for the day. I am going to make it my goal to make a post about Boston soon. I'm actually caught up after today so I will have some time to update everyone.

Love,
Jem

Happy 3 Year Anniversary

Day 1 of 1,095

Dear Zane,

Happy Anniversary my love! It's been the most amazing 3 years and I can't wait for the 3 months (102 days!) until we get married.

Love,
Jem

I'm Alive

Option were -, ✓-, ✓, and ✓+...rocked it!

Dear Familia,

So sorry that I've been terrible about returning phone calls/emails/etc. I am OVERWHELMED with school right now. But in a good way...I think ;) Haha. Anyway, today I received my first graded assignment and even though it took me over 8 hours and is only worth 1% of my grade, I felt pretty amazing. The Nerd in my heart lives on :)

Love,

Jem

PS Click on the image if you want to see it a bit bigger