Backpack Pals

We have really appreciated the chance to participate as a family in a local service project called "Backpack Pals" which seeks to provide weekend food for schoolchildren in our towns who qualify for free breakfast and free lunch. Once a month we gather with other families at a local food pantry and work together to pack bags of food that are then delivered to the schools for distribution. The guy who runs the project is amazingly positive and energetic with the kids, and Fer and Wendy are always happy to be there and help out.

Papi's Birthday!

We had a great day celebrating our beloved Papi, just as Chris likes it, low key. The girls and I gave him tickets to a brunch at the Cornell Club where his advisor was speaking about Cornell history, he had a chance to relax and nap, and then for the evening he and I went out for drinks with friends and then to a benefit for the Community Coalition on Race, the organization responsible for the amazing integrated community that is South Orange/Maplewood. Our group was somewhat bemused to find that we were the young people at the event, but we did our best to live up to it on the dance floor.

Chris opening his birthday chocolates from Gigi and Grandad with Wendy there for quality control:

Fer's 1D Movie Outing

A belated birthday celebration for Fer -- a trip into NYC to see the one-day-only One Direction concert movie. She had a great time reliving the joy of seeing them live in August, and, as she put it, "I cried more in the movie than I did in the concert." Which I think was meant to be high praise.