Moving to Georgia

I just want to go on the record that I HATE MOVING. It really is no fun. I should know, I have done a lot of it in my life. Georgia is now the eighth state I have lived in in my nearly 28 years. I won't even go into how many cities and houses that includes.

The really sad thing is that Suzy and I have been married for 2 years and 9 months, in which time we have lived in 4 states, and moved 5 times, and in the next year will probably move one or two more times!!!

One nice thing about this move to Georgia though is that I did not have to drive a huge moving truck 1,100 miles south. We chose to use uPack relocubes. They drop off these shipping containers at your place for 3 days, you pack it up, they come pick them up, move them, and drop them off at your new location. It is wonderful. Here are some pictures of the packing process and the full relocubes.

The first cube that we packed was really well done. Unfortunately, it was so well done because we didn't use any of the difficult and odd shaped stuff. So the second one was much harder to pack nicely. Luckily we had our two missionaries to help me move the heavy stuff and Suzy's mom and dad to help the next day. We hope that once we get settled here in Georgia that we will stay put for a long time, because moving is just not very fun.

Trivia and our Last Trip to Boston

Knowing that we would be leaving Massachusetts for a long time, we thought that we should go explore Boston one last time. The weather looked like it would hold for us, so off we went. Our first stop was at the Boston Temple. We thought it would be fun to take a picture with Claire there to add to our pictures with her and a few other temples. As you can see from the sky, it was a gorgeous morning. The sky was bright blue with little white puffy clouds. Claire was not the most cooperative she has ever been while taking these pictures.

This is in the car of the temple parking lot. I love the look on Claire's face in this picture.

Next we took the T into the city and decided to walk the Freedom Trail again. Here is Suzy (and Claire) at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (click on the name to learn what role the building played in gaining Independence). 

The Paul Revere statue and the Old North Church. This statue was sculpted by Cyrus Dallin, 100 bonus points for the person who can name another one of his most famous sculptures there are several to choose from (hint: several are in Utah and Massachusetts). No cheating and looking it up!!!

On the trail we stopped at Mike's Pastries, a famous pastry shop in the North End, the Italian area of Boston. We bought this huge German Chocolate brownie to eat for lunch. It was very good.

Here is Claire perfectly content chilling in the stroller.

Suzy and Claire looking back at the Old North Church.

Casey and Claire on top of Bunker Hill, the end of the Freedom Trail. You can see from this photo that the skies are starting to look a little less friendly. We jumped on the T from here and headed south to Castle Island and when we got off the T, things were pretty cold, windy and misting.

Luckily Suzy had packed some warmer clothes for Claire in the diaper bag, what a great mom! We bundled Claire up nice and warm, with her extra pair of socks as gloves. It was cold and foggy. We could hardly see more than 50 feet in front of us. We wanted to go to Castle Island, which has Fort Independence on it. It is also no longer an island, but has a causeway out to it. We got off of the T, and jumped on a bus to get there, except we were not quite sure what bus stop we needed to get off at... and we guessed wrong, way wrong. We would up having to walk about 2 miles to the fort instead of maybe a quarter mile if we had gotten off at the right stop. Opps!

A Late Memorial Day Video

I realize that yesterday was Memorial Day, and that this will be late, but I found this video today while looking for something to do this weekend. I thought that it was inspiring and relevant.

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Graduation!!!

I made it, I finally made it to the end. This past Friday I officially graduated from UMass with my MBA. Since I now have my Masters Degree, I would now like to be addressed as Master Sullivan!

Friday was a long, hot day. The commencement ceremony seemed to be quite unorganized, especially considering the only instructions that we graduates received was to show up between 12:30 and 1:00, west of the Mullins Center (the basketball arena where commencement was held). Below is a time line of the day...

12:15 - we showed up... yes we are overachievers and arrived early. We took a few pictures (see below), and promptly at 12:30 I headed over to the check-in area.

12:30 - checked in and received an instruction sheet which informed me where to line up because we would enter the arena "promptly" at 1:15 (which I though was curious because the processional was scheduled to start at 1:45, and commencement at 2:00. Meanwhile I hang out with classmates in the blistering heat glad that we are not the undergrads whose ceremony is outdoors and wondering whose brilliant idea it was to wear black robes...

1:15 - we promptly line up in the designated area as instructed on the sheet...

1:35 - wondering when this is really going to happen. We continue taking pictures with each other and stuff.

1:45 - suddenly the usher peoples are frantically trying to get us to line up. We are the last of the masters students to enter the arena. The commencement band has stopped playing, guess they ran out of sheet music and didn't/couldn't start over, we "march" into the room to no music...

2:00 - We are in and seated, and the thing actually starts relatively on time... hurray!

2:25 - I have read through the program like 15 times, I know all the doctoral theses titles by heart. When is this going to be done with. They are just barely starting to call up the masters students and I am at the end, and then after that they have to "hood" the doctoral students...

2:50 - We are getting closer to us. I, like the rest of my classmates, start cruising the Internet on our phones. One friend is answering emails for his job (he is one of five that has one, and already started).

~3:10 - my turn to walk, yeah! I don't remember anything about it, just concentrating on not tripping and falling.

3:11 - Whew! I made it all the way across the stage upright!

3:12 - Sudden realization that I still have to sit through all the doctoral students too!

3:20 - The first 6 doctoral student took forever, I am getting really hungry. The hooding ceremony seems to be a difficult thing to master, some of those students are having a hard time handing the hood to the "hooder" and then ducking to let the "hooder" put the hood on them. Fortunately, the hooder gets more proficient (i.e. sloppy) with each passing student.

3:45 - Finally we are done. The professors and doctoral students leave first in the recessional. The band plays a nice song for them.

3:50 - Now it is our turn to "march" out, then suddenly the band stops and the usher lady says just take off, nothing orderly or anything, we are all free to leave however we want. Curious. Then I realize, they never played Pomp and Circumstance, I feel somewhat cheated. Bummer.

3:55 - I am out and done, now to find the fam...

Okay, now since you were patient here are a selection of pictures from the day...

Hurry up and wait. Waiting behind the scenes with classmates, Emre, Andrew, and Greg.

This building was my second home for the past two years.

With the Minute Man!

Memorial Day...

In honor of Memorial Day and in remembering the great sacrifice that thousands have made in our behalf, I would like to share this poem that has inspired me for many years.

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918), Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Please take some time today to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for your freedom.