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Sae Jong Camp 2023

August 19, 2023

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jason

Despite all the amazing adventures we had this summer, SJC is still a highlight for Olivia and Lucas. This year, some new cousins (Emily and Xavier) and friends (Audrey, Caden and Colin) attended as second-generation campers and staff.

Things are really getting back to normal, which meant we were also able to drop in for drop off. We parents (and our parents) also reunited with lifelong friends during visitors day. It’s extremely gratifying to see our kids view their kids as some of their favorite friends in the world.

We’re all so grateful for everyone who is committed to keeping camp going strong after nearly 50 years. Special thanks to Doug, who was has been a presence and steward for the majority of those years. He’s earned his retirement after so many decades of service. Great job, Hannah, and thank you, Dr. Park and staff!

Every year is the best year ever and may they continue to be.

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Golfapalooza in Northern Michigan

August 13, 2023

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jason

Bobby brought his kids to camp for the first time, which meant he was able to join our annual golf trip after dropping the kids off. He happened to catch us as Grace is particularly obsessed with golf. We played Sunday through Tuesday at Arcadia Bluffs.

Wednesday, we were supposed to take the day off, but Grace and I played at Grand Traverse anyway. We played 36 there on Thursday and only played 18 on Friday (mostly due to rain). All in all, we played 6 and 2/3 rounds during the week. We also had some great meals at the resort and in Traverse City.

While we only have a few years left, if Courtney also attends camp, Bobby could be doing this trip through 2040! I’ll probably be playing shuffleboard by then.

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Summer Travel: Chicago College Tours

August 7, 2023

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jason

We’re technically on our annual summer trip to Michigan. However, while we were nearby, we took a quick day-and-a-half trip to Chicago to see a couple schools. It was a fairly easy drive (for the passengers).

Despite my dad’s history at University of Chicago, this was really the first time both Grace and I visited the campus, not counting the time I took my MCAT there (guess how that turned out). All of us were really impressed with the beauty of the campus as well as the undergraduate program. The first photo is of some dormitories, designed by architect Jeanne Gang, who also coincidentally designed the beautiful hotel at which we stayed.

Jen suggested Siena Tavern for dinner and it was (mostly) great. It was a nice night out, so we walked back to the hotel along the Riverwalk. We had to navigate the bowels of lower Wacker, which felt very Gotham-like.

Also despite the fact that I went to Northwestern for grad school, it just didn’t register with the kids that the Northwestern is in Chicago and Kellogg is at Northwestern. That was quickly straightened out when we toured campus, which was all new information to me because my whole experience there was pretty much in one (old) building. It seems like most of the campus is new since I attended, including the very beautiful new Kellogg building. Olivia was really starting to see the advantages of having beaches on campus as well as close proximity to Chicago, which is undeniably a great city. Lucas enjoyed it, too, though conceded it could just be recency bias.

My first college roommate made a career change over a decade ago and founded one of the foremost craft distillers. I spotted his brand (FEW Spirits) on our menu at breakfast, which was a sign to reach out. Within a few hours, he joined us for lunch in Evanston. Seeing Paul was a great end to a successful return to Chicago.

This trip was exactly two years since our last trip to Chicago, which was the last time we traveled with my dad. Like last time, the weather was great, and also like last time, we had to navigate Lollapalooza. Hopefully, we’ll be back again soon.

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Olivia Dressed for Barbie Movie

July 23, 2023

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jason

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Summer Travel: Boston, Newport and Providence

July 17, 2023

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jason

Olivia’s summer schedule is packed and includes a couple weeks at Brown summer school. We made a family trip out of her drop-off, which was the first time the kids have visited Boston and New England in general. We visited a few schools and ate our way through the city as we are known to do.

There were a few other friends from her school also attending, so we have family dinners along the way. This also included our first trip to Fenway Park. It was a great experience and I’m trying my best to forget how steamy it was.

Over the weekend, we made our way to Providence with a stop in Newport. I haven’t been there since 1998 when I fell in love with it. Olivia loved it, too, and said she would live there. Lucas felt it was a bit touristy, which is fair. We didn’t get a chance to drive around (i.e., see TS’s house).

In Providence, all four families met up for dinner and we walked around town and campus. We got the official tour during drop-off. Coincidentally, Olivia’s closest cousin is also attending, which was only figured out by the their aunts who connected the dots.

We’ve spent almost every hour together as a family this summer. Between that and the heat, Olivia seemed anxious to be rid of us. After getting her settled in, we bid her farewell. It’s going by fast and she’s having a great time, though it’s a lot of work, too. We hope it will be a great experience for her and her friends.

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4th of July with Lees

July 5, 2023

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jason

We haven’t had much time to spend with the Lees over the summer. Glad we could all be together on July 4th.

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Summer Travel: Paso Robles

July 3, 2023

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jason

Olivia has always had a love of animals. Through her school, she learned about Conservation Amassadors, which is a wild and exotic animal rescue. She spent last week interning there for six days and had an amazing experience.

One challenge of gaining this experience is that they’re located down in Paso Robles, about three hours from home. As they don’t provide housing, we rented a house for the week and made a family trip out of it. This was our first time exploring this part of California and it was beautiful with many great food experiences. While Olivia was working hard, the rest of us were providing moral support from the golf course, which was also grueling. Grace, Lucas and I also took a side trip down to Pismo Beach, which was also a first.

The highlight of the trip, aside from a sea otter sighting (my second favorite animal), was a private tour of the campus. It was so cool to be up close to so many wild animals, including a black bear, bald eagles, peacocks, porcupine, lemurs, lynx, mountain lion. The cutest were the baby kangaroo, baby monkey, and baby bobcat.

One night, Olivia declared that she understood now why people come home from work and crack open a cold beer. This was definitely her first introduction to “work,” which included cleaning, feeding, and being pooped on by these beautiful creatures. It was also 109 degrees on her last day. We’re all thankful for a fulfilling week together.

Note: The first animal photos are by Olivia.

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Summer Travel: NYC

June 27, 2023

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jason

We finished up this trip with a few days in Manhattan. We stayed at the Essex House on Central Park South, which is where we stayed all the time when the kids were little.

We brought Dave down to his place near Greenwich Village and coincidentally the only parking spot we could find was in front of Taylor Swift’s old house. There were plenty of Swifties paying homage. I still don’t have tickets to that show and I feel like I’m running out of time. We had a great meal at Via Carota while we were in the neighborhood.

That evening, Jen was very kind to invite the family over for a home-cooked meal. Everything was especially tasty after being on the road for a while. Olivia and Lucas’s cousins will be joining them at camp for the first time, so they got the download and are hopefully excited for it.

We used some of our time in the city to officially kick off our college tours for Olivia (and Lucas, who is not too far behind). I had never stepped foot on Columbia’s campus, but it was beautiful and felt like many other universities, aside from it’s urban location.

Our last meal together with Jen and Dave was at Cote, which I’ve been wanting to try for a while. We did the tasting menu with some add-ons and it was unbelievably good. Olivia declared it the best meal of her life, which is high praise given the food we experienced just on this trip. Lucas is still talking about it. This will definitely be on our NYC rotation in the future.

We made our first trip to Hudson Yards and the Vessel, but it was too late to get a good look at The High Line. We’ll have to come back for that another time. It was a short but productive time in the city. Everyone is ready to get back home to Luna before we head out again.

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Cameron’s High School Graduation

June 22, 2023

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jason

The actual destination for our travels was Rye, NY, for Cameron’s high school graduation. Our European vacation was just a detour to get here. Addy rented a house from a friend that fit all the grand parents, uncle Dave, and our family (plus possibly some ghosts from 1875). It was beautiful and we didn’t even take advantage of most of the amenities.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for the ceremony. What a great accomplishment for Cameron and his family. We look forward to having him on the west coast for collage.

Congratulations, Cameron!

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Summer Travel: Paris, France – Part 2

June 20, 2023

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jason

Our last full day in Paris started at Ladurée for breakfast. This wasn’t Olivia’s first stop of the trip though, as she got some macarons in London already. We spent most of the day on an excursion to see the Palace of Versailles.

There was a big gap between our tickets to see the garden and our entry time to the palace, which was fine because it took hours to walk around the grounds. This is a good place to get your steps in. We had lunch along the Grand Canal and went on a kid and Grace-powered boat ride afterwards. It’s an impressive and beautiful place to be sure.

Our final meal of the trip was at Restaurant Georges, located at the top of The Centre Pompidou. It was a beautiful night with great views of the city. The food and service were excellent. Grace was determined to see the Notre Dame after dinner, even though most of it is still covered in scaffolding for repairs.

I wasn’t intent on trying to squeeze in too much over just a few days and expect the kids can return on their own one day to discover more of the city. There are still a lot of other parts of France I’d like to see as well as many other countries. Hopefully there will be more trips for the four of us in the future, but for now, this was a great introduction to Europe for the kids.

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