This was a rare summer of me staying stateside. I know, I know…I was gone for 6 months, so it make sense to stay put for a while, but I have to say it was VERY strange to be in Boston for the summer. Fortunately, I had plenty of out-of-town visitors which made the summer so much better!
My first visitor was the fabulous Brenna Graham. Brenna and I go way back to middle school. She currently lives in Baltimore and is now teaching second grade (the best grade ever!!). Her visit brought us up to Rockport for a day – first time for both of us!
The next visitor was my friend CJ who is a Boston native but left us for brighter days in northern California. While I am extremely happy for his new adventures on the west coast, there is definitely a void in the Bean.
And then the Fiasco crew hit town!!! I love this family! Becky and I started swimming on the same club team when I was in fourth grade and we have tons of memories to draw upon from the decades of friendship. Despite swimming for colleges in different conferences, we still managed to see each other at various meets. Ralph and Becky had 3 amazing daughters: Kendall (9), Lexi (8) and Toryn (1.5). We had a great time touring some historical sites and we managed to get to a Sox game. This visit was a highlight of the summer for me!
The next visitor was a huge bonus for me. Back in summer of 2011, I attended the Ahimsa Center Summer Institute at Cal Poly, Pomona. Even more so than the Northeastern Summer Institute this past summer, it was an experience that literally changed me. Part of what made it so influential were the people I was studying with during my time there. Kristy Smith is one of those educators I had the privilege to learn with and from, and this summer she was in Boston at Tufts University, attending the Fletcher Summer Institute run by the ICNC (International Center on Nonviolent Conflict). That’s a long explanation to say that Kristy – who lives in Oakland – was in Boston!! I was happy to grab some time with her during her busy week!!
A few weeks later, Ranjan and Amanda came up from NYC. Ranjan and I went to high school together and we have reconnected over the last few years. We all hit SOWA for the first time!
And the final visitors of the summer…my family! That’s right – the whole entire Moo Tang Clan (including the Mini-Moos) came to Boston for the first time ever! The timing worked out that we were all able to be together for my mom’s birthday. I took way more photos than I think anyone but me should have to sit through, but here are some highlights.
Thanks to all of my out of town visitors who made summer 2013 a memorable one! And for those reading who are inspired to come visit, just let me know when!!
Mooventures 