Oh hey guys! So, I cannot believe how long I have had this shirt! Time has truly gone by too fast. Can you believe that it has been over 4 years since we graduated?? I am so deeply sorry for having held on to it so long. I've been very selfish, but it is time for it to fly on (like an Eagle). So, here are a few things that I've been up to:

 Chris and I bought a house! I still can't believe I'm grown up enough to say that. It's in a great neighborhood, very central in Atlanta (or ITP, "in the perimeter" as the say it). Atlanta is no Boston, but it has been a ton of fun.

No more LAG of BC, but I've been singing at this beautiful Cathedral at the youth mass. It's called Christ the King, which we call CTK (not to be mistaken for Courage to Know). The teenagers that are playing with us are super cool and it's fun to watch them grow in this ministry.

Our dog, Ivy, ate a few too many toys and almost died…but she didn't! She is awesome and so much fun to have around. Here she is cheering on BC football.

 

Chris and I are godparents! Our good friends from Charlottesville, Jodi and Michael, have a cutie pie daughter named Ella Mae. Here we are on her baptism day:

 

No sweet trips to Europe yet (though we have a trip to Italy planned in November!), but we have had some awesome adventures in the US! Here are a few trips we took since I got the shirt:

 Hilton Head for a wedding

Michigan with Chris's family

    

Napa Valley and San Francisco for some wine tasting. I reconnected with a BC friend, Matt Hearns!

Charleston, South Carolina

Oktoberfest in Helen, Georgia

And last but not least, here is a picture of me getting soaked for the ALS ice bucket challenge in the shirt in Ocracoke, North Carolina.

Miss you all terribly!! I hope that we can reunite soon! The shirt is off to (not for long) Bachelor Brian.



 LOVE, Clare

Nemo Found Us

Hey everybody!

I was going to write all you clowns an email, but then I remembered our sweet blog!

How are you all?  I am doing great.  Currently snowbound with Kasey.  We got dumped on by the Winter Storm called Nemo (and therefore there has been lots of fun Nemo jokes lately).  Over two feet, probably closer to 3.  It started Friday morning and went through until about Saturday morning.  I didn’t want to stay on Cook HILL Road (where my apartment is) so i came down to Kasey's who lives right on the beach.  Normally in CT, the shoreline avoids most of the storm.  But we should have known that a storm named after a fish would be different.  Milford ended up getting the most snow in the whole state!  As of yesterday afternoon, there were still snowmobilers zooming down the streets.  My office's parking lot has only been partially cleared so far (as of 10am on Monday!)

Saturday and Sunday were beautiful sunny days, but today we are getting freezing rain to make shoveling and plowing that much more difficult.

And to think just a few weeks ago I was in Jamaica!

Oh yeah – I went to Jamaica guys!  It was a blast.  Kasey and I found a groupon (I use groupons for everything, I’m addicted) and went to this super fancy place that we would definitely not have been able to afford otherwise.  And as such we were hanging out with ballers and treated like ballers.  Steaks, lamb chops, lobsters for dinner.  Kayaking, snorkeling, and running up and down water falls during the day. Every day was 82 degrees and sunny, with a nice breeze blowing most of the day along the beach. 

View from our balcony

My next goal is to find a place via groupon or some other discount site (because once you go on a vacation at 60% off, it’s hard to go any other way) and get a group of friends to go down all at once.  It won’t be until next year, but I will definitely keep you guys in the loop in case you can get time off from living it up in NY, VA, and MI.

Speaking of living it up, did you guys hear about joe’s new job?  I just saw it on Linked In.  Joe is now a Project Manager at Foley’s Document Management.  From what I can tell, you can hire Joe to come to your home or business and he will staple or paperclip any of those pesky loose pieces of paper you have lying around (paper clips extra). At least that is what I think his job entails ;) 
But seriously- congrats Joe!  I obviously am not exactly sure what you do, but I’m glad you found some gainful employment.

I spoke with Emily the other day.  She is working on completing her thesis paper on the mosquito diseases she studied in Mexico last summer.  Not surprisingly she is well ahead of the game and is in good shape to finish it on time.  And Spoiler alert! Her hypothesis that she proved was 92% correct with her mosquito thesis paper is as follows- “Mosquitos are bad and make me itchy.” 

I unfortunately don’t have any updates (real or otherwise) for Clare.  But I think she has the shirt right?  So hopefully she is doing something grand and picture worthy. 

You guys are all great!  I hope to see you all soon… Assuming that Kasey doesn’t kill me after what is going on our fourth day in a row being snowbound together like in the Shining http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/

Love you all,

Brian

A summer of travel ... and traveling shirts!

As I said in my last post, I felt honored to finally have our beloved Superfan shirt in my possession this summer. Over the last few years, our gold cloth enjoyed wonderful journeys with Brian and Emily. It was my turn to show our t-shirt a good time. This spring, I asked our epic garment if it could fit a trip to Europe into its summer schedule. ".........."

No words were needed. The reaction said it all. Our shirt and five members of the 2010-2011 Ashland JVC Community were ready... Europe, here we come!!!

Our first stop was Madrid... We bunked up in a hostel near the Plaza Mayor. I resisted the temptation to nap for more than twenty minutes on that first day, although it wasn't easy. It was my first serious jet-lag experience and I WAS WIPED!!!

I tried my hardest to learn a bit of the language. Thankfully our Spanish and Cuban companion, Tony, came along for the trip. He taught me some of the common phrases and aided the group on the five day journey around the city. The happenings included several strolls through the Parque del Retiro, a brutal bullfight at the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, a tour of the Real Madrid stadium, a Flamenco show in downtown Madrid and a day trip to Toledo. One late-night wine party led to an early-morning game of strip poker. We were supposed to make it to the Prado the following morning, but a few of us needed to sleep into the PM hours. What happens in Madrid, stays in Madrid (unless you post the story on a blog!).

On the last day, after a boat ride in the Estanque del Retiro, 

I made my last trip to the Plaza Mayor with my community mate, Emily. 

Thankfully we brought the camera... She snapped a picture of our shirt and I next to the lamppost. Adios Madrid. Here we come, Barcelona!!!

The short trip to Barcelona was slightly longer for our group as we took an all-night, local train to the "City of Counts." While we saved some money by not booking a hostel that evening, the muggy conditions made for a tough sleep. Solution? A nap on the beach. It wouldn't be our last over the next three days. We also made it to Park Güell for a look at Gaudi's wild and crazy work, the Picasso Museum and the Sagrada Familia, my favorite landmark from our Eurotrip. Rome was amazing (which I'll get to), but nothing wowed me more than this church. From its breathtaking presence in the Barcelona skyline to the detailed art inside and outside the building, the Sagrada Familia is a sight to see. I had to buy tiny replicas to bring home to the family!

All in all, Barcelona treated us well. We met some cool guys and gals at the hostel, 

danced our shoes off at a nightclub and enjoyed some seafood and soccer with the locals.  

The Arc de Triomf wasn't too far from all the fun. 

Here I am before a trip to the beach one afternoon...

After our Spanish adventures concluded, some members of the crew headed back to the States to get back to work... The rest of us trekked east to Rome. On the day we arrived, Spain played Italy in the Euro Cup Final. It was INSANE!!! Flags, horns, firecrackers, facepaint... AND SO MANY PEOPLE. Thousands of people gathered at Circus Maximus, an old chariot racing stadium that hosts big events throughout the year. We joined them to watch the match on massive televisions. Italy got destroyed, but it was a fun night.

Our hotel was close to the Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the many extravagant basilicas in the city. We spent our first few days visiting other churches and the mainstream landmarks. One of my favorite parts of the trip was our trip to the tomb of St. Labre. Our school in Montana is named after Benedict Joseph Labre, a French saint canonized in the 19th century. It was cool to hear and see more of his story after working for an organization founded in his honor. We even saw his death bed! Slightly creepy...

I loved St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum... We tried to spot the Pope, but he was on his summer getaway. Oh well, next time! At least we had some great pasta, wine and conversation!

Here I am in front of the Coliseum... My bag made the picture too!!!

All in all, it was a great trip. A fun reunion with the JVC community and a good way to start the summer. Favorite city? Slight edge to Barcelona. Small disclaimer: I was forced to actually WEAR the shirt in Europe due to packing limitations, but don't worry, it made it back in good form and it had successful trips through the washer and dryer upon return. 

Below is almost the whole group in Madrid. Tony is taking the picture...

Tony, Emily, I, AND THE SHIRT with St. Peter's in the background

In other news, it's been great being back at home. I've certainly had to re-adjust to life again in the Foley household, but it's been a blessing to reconnect with the parents, Katie and the two pups after a few years away. I'm temporarily working full-time with my dad at his printing firm until I'm ready to make the next move (grad school perhaps?). My sister, Katie, is a Sales Assistant with Time and is community to NYC daily. Mollie, the other sis, is livin' it up as a senior in the Mods. I've crashed a few of her parties already. Their last football game was yesterday :-( I remember our last like it was yesterday... You know what's crazy, though? We're like halfway to our first reunion... Even if we aren't lucky enough to have a 'Family Reunion' before then, five-year is just around the corner!!!

Wherever each one of you is tonight, I hope you are doing well. I know we don't talk every day, but you all frequently cross my mind. As we become busier with life and continue to broaden our networks, I begin to appreciate this blog even more. Our familial bond is ever-present and "The Famlihood of the Traveling Shirt" is living, technological proof! 

Clare, the shirt will be shipped out to you this week.. Then, it will have completed the first round through the four of us.. How exciting?!?!?! I propose that we mix up the order. So after Clare has had some quality time with the garment, she sends it to whomever she wants to start the second round... Thoughts????

Love you guys. Very grateful for each one of you during this Thanksgiving season! God Bless!

--- Roley Poley Foley

Big shoes to fill

The Superfan shirt is now in my hands..... It found me in Ashland, Montana before it's previous holder departed for Columbia.... I can tell (by it's condition and the epic blog posts) that it has had a privileged and blessed life up to this point. I have big shoes to fill as it's next caretaker....

If our Superfan shirt is lucky, it may find itself next to this lamp post real soon...

... or under this arc ...

... or in the shadows of this "stadium" ...

Stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy the start of your summers!

Better late than never!

Dearest family: please accept my profound apologies for having procrastinated this blog post by approximately a year. I haven’t forgotten about our traveling shirt pact or our wonderful family… our picture is by my bed in that family frame you all gave me. I cherish our wonderful memories!

The last year or so has been so eventful! My original intention for my shirt-activity was the Detroit Turkey Trot last Thanksgiving—which I have now done twice since—so I have included the pictures from that. However, JVC (as Joe knows…) can be rather time-consuming and I somehow managed not to send it along then. In the ensuing months, I have finished volunteering and living with JVC, dated Rick for over a year, and moved back to Michigan for grad school! I’m studying public health epidemiology with an international health concentration; if all goes according to plan, I will be spending the summer researching malaria inBogotá,Colombia.

All that aside, by far the most exciting family event was of course CLARE’S BEAUTIFUL WEDDING!!! Despite missing Joe, we all managed to have a wonderful time and Clare looked stunning all night. Chris is a welcome addition to the Sweeney and the CTK families! I’m sure he will give her a lifetime of happiness… which is good, because if he doesn’t, Brian, Joe, and I would fly down south and beat him up. Just kidding! Sort of.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of good pictures from the reception (see below), but the professional wedding photos are gorgeous. I was a bit of a slacker with the actual shirt, but the year has provided many fun and impactful memories that I will chronicle in photos despite the absence of our soon-to-be well-traveled Superfan shirt. Sorry!

I love and miss you all, and can’t wait to read the next installment! We should plan a reunion for the coming year…

New grad school friends as GangGreen for Halloween (Rana, Lia, Nithin, me)

Clare's wedding!

Brian and TJ in DC on our way to Clare's

Sunrise in Chicago (from the boat) with the family after our sail down from Mackinac Island, MI

Some JVC/BC friends at our preferred gay sports bar in DC, Nellie's (Laura Regan, roommate Tommy, me, Brian, Rick, Hanna Tappen)

With Rick in Baltimore, where he did JVC

He makes me pretend to care about the Phillies sometimes

My beautiful JVC community and our support people. I miss them! (Mike Serzan, me, Ana, Kim, Emily, Tommy, Nawal, Laura, Meg)

Our illustrious shirt keeping me company on the rather long drive from Detroit to DC

Dad.

Mom.

Turkey Trot!

Post 10/5K race in downtown Detroit with Johnny (this one's 2010)

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!

~Emily

Shirt Entry #1!!!

Well friends our great new friend Mr. Supper Fan shirt has started his journey . I took our shirt down to see Emily in Washington DC. It was a dual purpose visit. I had just found out that I was offered a job, a real big boy job! Told the bossman that I was able to leave my current job interning at the DEP and start up at BL Companies, but that I needed a few days before I could start. So in that week I rode up to BC and hung out with some of friends up there- Dave, Annie, Amanda, Sean. And most importantly I bought a Superfan Shirt!
That wasn't cool enough for the first entry though so I brought it down the next weekend to Washington DC. Emily was a gracious and wonderful host- I think it was because i brought her food and booze. It works every time!

Thursday night we went out to a fancy little Mexican place. They sold pitchers of margaritas! Emily pretended that she didn't have work the next day and split it with me. It was a really fun dinner. I kind of felt like a grown up.... I get that feeling every once in a while now. I am still not sure that I like the feeling yet.

Friday while Emily was at work I walked down the the National Mall. I wandered around to the naval memorial and took a bunch of pictures for my navy vet Grampa. I was in full tourist mode. I had last been to DC when I was in 8th grade when I was much more interested in trying to get my flirt on with Lauren Curtis than I was with sight seeing. [Side note...I was successful :) ] so it was great to actually take the time to walk around and see what really is an impressive area. I was by myself so I was able to cruise around with out having to wait for anyone to finish reading something or to get out of the bathroom or any other potentially annoying things that come with going with a group. BUT i had no one to take my picture with my super fan shirt. That is why there are a bunch of pictures of just the shirt. The best picture I got was when I mimed "please take my picture" to a couple Asian men that did not speak English in front of the Capitol.

My Cousin Carrie is a student at University of Maryland and she joined me around noon just when I started to get a little lonely. Here is a picture of her by the Washington Monument (very artistic i might add). It was fun to walk around with her. She hadn't been sight seeing since sophomore year so she had just as much fun as I did.

After a day FULL of walking around and tons of miles on foot I headed back to Emily's house. We had some dinner with all her roommates- who are really terrific people who Emily is lucky to have living with her (and they are lucky to have Emily!) .

Turns out that Jesuit Volunteers also know how to drink some beers as well. We proved that Friday night when we invited the other house of volunteers over for some beverages. There were lots of beverages! I may have been a little bit of an enabler (when am I not?) and made sure everyone was having a great time.

Saturday I dragged Emily out of bed and we went to a Washington Nationals Baseball Game. We bought some nose bleed tickets and were able to meet one of my best friends Pete and my next door neighbor Mary at the game. Then my other buddy who works for the Nationals called me up and offered to bump up our tickets to baller status. We sat in the section right behind home plate .

Burgers back at Pete's place in Arlington followed the game. It was the first time that i was able to see his new apartment. It is weird/awesome to see a kid that you have known for 20 years living in a place that is his new home. It is a really nice place. Here is a picture of Mary, Pete, and Emily.

After dinner Pete, Mary, E, and I we went out to an open bar with Pete's kickball team. (It is awesome that he gets to be in a kickball league). Picture of us at the bar.

Saturday night Emily and I went to a bar right by the river. It was cool. People would pull their yachts up to the dock and invite young impressionable drunk ladies on board. I had to drag Emily off a couple! Although being the true sailor she was just checking out the boat! I'm Kidding!

It was a really fun day. It was a really really fun weekend.

But I am happy to report that I am going back down to DC again for Halloween Weekend and am again going to be able to crash with Emily! My sister and I are headed down for the John Stewart / Steven Colbert Rally on Saturday. And then to watch my cousin Carrie and my uncle Eric run in the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday. Hopefully another great time!

Love you all! Now I can't wait for all of your Superfan adventures! Emily has the shirt right now so she is on the clock!

BRIAN