[Private Letters sent only to the recipients - for muns only]
To: Adam Barrett
Dear Adam,
I'm glad you guys had a good time in Europe. Do the med next year. I'm assuming you guys will manage to stay out of significant trouble and do great at school.
Thanks for dinner. It was great all the way around, and Sam adores Paris. I noticed your face almost fall off when Sam didn't bitch at you about women the one time at dinner. Don't worry, she hasn't gone completely nuts. I was wringing her hand off under the table. I'm trying to get her to stop sweating the small stuff quite so much. It's probably a losing battle overall, but it will work on occasion at least.
Lyle says to tell you hi and that he'll work with you on warp calculations after you get through that class next semester. Sounds nasty to me, but that's why I'm not a great pilot. I can manage not to fly into a sun or crash on a planet, but damn if warp calcs are really interesting to me.
Let us know when you're ready to head back this way. Don't let your mother drive you crazy. I know she loves you guys, but she can be crazy-making nonetheless.
If you want to come back before summer's up, the Andersen's said you can stay with them. Hell, they'd love you to stay all the time. Except for the bike. It seems Kareena wants one now. haha! Oops. I told them to get her a body shield helmet and not worry about it. Who knows if they will. You can come stay with us a couple weeks too if you want. You're always welcome for a visit. Hope you know it.
Take it easy.
Raul
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To: Brad Barrett
Dear Brad
Thanks for the dinner in Paris. Sam adores Paris in particular. And it was a great choice. You have to order frog legs again sometime so I can watch her make faces. She's cute that way.
I'm glad you guys enjoyed the trip. Travel is something I think everyone should do. As I said, do the med next year. It's awesome. Be sure not to miss the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi in Istanbul. Amazing architecture. Then again, Greece is amazing too. The islands are mostly just plain fun. You can get a cruise from Athens to Istanbul, and back if you want to stay that long.
Thanks for keeping Adam out of too much trouble along the way. I worry less about him than Sam does, partly because I just don't worry so much. But I also figure he's 16 and e'll get over that. In the end, he's also a smart guy, however 16 he is. Helps to have a big brother to smack you upside the head when you need it along the way. I wish I'd had one, though I bet it would have annoyed me to hell at the time.
I don't really know what your schedule or your plans are between here and school, or for holidays. We'd love to have you visit for a week or two any time, or even a weekend. Just give us a shout. And if you need anything, yell. I feel like I have an ongoing battle with all of you to see who can feel the luckiest. I still say me. In the end, people are what's important, and I got really lucky on that side of things.
Take it easy.
Raul
