Thank You Mr. Kennedy

As an AmeriCorps Alumnus, specifically and proudly an AmeriCorps Cape Cod Alumnus, I want to pay my respects to Ted Kennedy. While I was serving in AmeriCorps in 2002 and 2003 our funding for our program and other programs in Massachusetts were threatened and may have been cut if not for the ardent support and belief in AmeriCorps from Mr. Kennedy. We received the funding for the following year and just this past May AmeriCorps Cape Cod celebrated its 10 year anniversary. We were lucky to have the lion of the senate on our side. While the funding for AmeriCorps was debated across the country, Ted Kennedy held a rally in Boston for support of the AC programs and a few of us traveled up to the city to hear him speak. He was a sincere and charismatic speaker and I am lucky to have been in such a great event with him for a great cause dear to my heart.

On September 11th this year my dad and I visited Arlington Cemetery to pay our respects to the Kennedy's but especially to Ted in light of his recent passing.

We should be so grateful for his time and his amazing courage to his convictions and fighting for the dispossessed and under served. He often made speeches about privilege and responsibility and how his public service was his way of giving back. He was born into wealth and privilege but was a true politician for the people and i think we will all miss him very much. Well maybe not everyone, but I sure will.

our AmeriCorps crew kicks ass, still. Some of us but not all of us stopped carrying axes around.

In honor of the September 11th victims of the Pentagon we also traveled to the memorial on the grounds outside of the building. My dad lost a friend and colleague that worked with him at Dulles Airport for many years. It was tough to stand in this place of loss and destruction but i thought the memorial was beautiful and stark and a simple tribute to the people that lost their lives. Here are some of the pictures from that day.

Speaking of loss, I would like us all to take a moment to say goodbye to something dear to my heart. My Chacos. What are Chacos some of you may ask? Well they are amazing all terrain sandals. Not convinced they need to be mourned? And what happened to your sandals Kate? Well, I bought my Chacos in college and they were purple and now they are this sickly gray color. I wore them religiously on every trek and travel overseas, every jaunt through a stinky sulfur swamp and into every body of water you could think of. And now, 3 years after they started to stink and 1 year after they started to really really really stink, its time to let them go. They are dead but not forgotten. 80 bucks well spent. 8 years together and now we must part.

Dont worry, I will be recycling them in the Chaco recycling program and sending them off to some town in Africa where a young boy will wear them and then he will be made fun of for stinking just as I was. I am happy to make this child's life better. I put African kids first.

And on to simpler matters; I received a "refusal of visa" from the UK Consulate in LA because I had the wrong paperwork from my school. Long story short the immigration rules changed mid application and preparation for entry and so I got the old stuff and the immigration officers wanted the new stuff and I paid. But after a brief meltdown I finally reapplied and was issued my Visa yesterday. Immigration paperwork is really fun. I have been doing it since May. I am now an expert. Please consult me if you have any immigration questions. And no, I don't agree with Joe Wilson, Obama's health care will not cover the guys waiting at 7-11 for a full work day.

I am leaving on Sunday for England thus ends months of immigration issues, until next year tier 4 student visa officers, I simply can not wait.

And for good measure, here is a picture of Alfie trying to wake up in the morning. He has trouble, he's a sleepy hound dog from Arkansas. Life is tough....