7QT: Rarified Air

--1--

c/o historyinphotos.blogspot.com

I should start this post by noting that my people are two generations off the farm.  We aren't fancy people, we don't move in high circles, we don't know famous or important people.  My husband, on the other hand, has been breathing The Air Up There for a number of years now.  He went to an Ivy League school, got a degree at Oxford, went to Ivy League law school, clerked for the Supreme Court under Justice Kennedy, and generally knows a lot of Important People.  Particularly government types. It is slightly surreal to me that Justice Kennedy and his wife got an invitation to our wedding (they declined to attend, but sent a lovely card), and get our Christmas letter every year (and usually send one in return).  

--2--

About every five years, the former and current clerks put on a big reunion weekend and the Kennedys are in attendance.  There is a black tie dinner at the Court, and various other family-friendly activities the rest of the weekend.  

Clerk Reunion in 2008

We attended when Piglet was a baby, and meeting the Justice was quite an experience.  He and his wife are both lovely, down-to-earth people. 

There was another reunion this summer that my husband attended but I did not because it was less than a month after Ponchik's arrival and I just wasn't up for the trip to DC at that point with a preemie newborn (plus we were having childcare issues then).  

--3--

Later in the summer, the law school invited the Justice to come visit the school and meet with his former clerks (there are three currently teaching there), give a lecture and generally grace the place with his presence.  Mrs. Kennedy also agreed to attend, and an intimate dinner was arranged on October 2 for the former clerks and their spouses plus the dean of the law school.  My husband told me a long time ago that he really wanted me to attend the dinner with him, and that I needed to do whatever it took to sort out childcare for the evening for our three older kids. (Since we let our long-time sitter go this summer, we've not broken anyone else in sufficiently for a nighttime stay).  That left my mother-in-law.

--4--

She graciously agreed to take some time off work and come down for two days to stay with the kids Wednesday night and help me on Thursday so I could give a presentation at my MOPS group and also attend a wives' luncheon with Mrs. Kennedy (talk about two different spheres of life!)  MIL arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and my husband and I took off for the dinner a little after 6:00.  I wore my new eshakti 1940s-inspired black dress with improvised dress clips (1940s rhinestone clip earrings from Austria!) and as an added bonus, it was completely nursing friendly with a sweetheart-style surplice neckline.  My hair cooperated and I felt fairly snazzy.

--5--

The view from my dinner plate on Wednesday.

We arrived ahead of the motorcade, and the U.S. Marshals, which made me glad, as you never want to have to discuss anything with a man holding a big gun whilst holding a baby.  The dinner was lovely (although Ponchik was a little bit of a stinker and refused to sleep and wanted to be bounced and held the.entire.evening).  I was seated next to the Justice, and it felt a bit surreal.

--6--

The next day I gave a talk on meal planning to my MOPS group, and then scrambled off to make it to lunch in time.  It was small and nice, with good food and cloth napkins (at a fancy sit-down restaurant in a local museum), but the other wives were all about 10 years older than me, and Mrs. Kennedy is obviously quite a bit older than me, so I sort of felt like the little kid at the grown-ups table.  But I was flattered to be included.  

--7--

Other than that excitement, I got nothin'!  I finished the other front piece of the vintage cardigan, and cast on for the sleeves, and I also cast on for a red pullover sweater that I'm sort of making up as I go, combining a couple of patterns to get what I want.  (Hopefully it all works out!)  Oh, and I've caught up on Call the Midwife (can't wait for Season 3!!), Bomb Girls, and am mid-season on Scandal (season 2--hoping to finish up and start watching season three as it goes along this year!)

Edited: I forgot to say that I fixed our washer this week!  A quarter got stuck in the pump, and after a mad bout of googling our washer model and DIY fixes, I'm proud to say I fixed it myself!  Just call me Rosie.

Go see Jen and other Quick Takers for more Takes!