From Our Neck of the Woods...: Poppe's in New Jersey

In June, Cassandra and most of her family visited us in New Jersey because she and Jay were speakers at a Catholic Homeschool convention nearby. When they weren't rehearsing or participating in their day at the convention, we got to play! Logan stayed home in Oklahoma to help Memah tend to the farm. She relished the peace and quiet once her noisy family pulled out of the driveway and looked forward to when we would be visiting Oklahoma a few weeks later.

One day, Jay took Ryan and Shannon to NYC via the Staten Island Ferry so that they could see the Statue of Liberty on their way to Manhattan. They took public transportation and got to go all over Manhattan. My father would be so proud and envious of all they got to see in so little time! While they were wandering Manhattan, Cassandra and I took the rest of the kids to the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling. We picnicked on the beautiful grounds and visited their 9-11 Memorial. The steel structure of the monument is made from pieces of the World Trade Center. My girls were very touched by this memorial - seeing all the names listed on the walls and seeing all the mementos left behind by loved ones. One was a note to a police officer from his young children. Absolutely heartbreaking explaining to Nikki and Caroline what they were looking at.

Anyway, it was a visit that was way too short. Luckily, they left Shannon with us for 2 weeks and we brought her home for our visit to their place!

Shannon and Ryan in the Empire State Building