Introducing....Kate Kotsko!!

Asheboro, NC

Getting ready for our kickball debut

Name: Kate Kotsko
Hometown: Port Huron, MI
Current City: ATLANTA, GA WITH ABBY!
College: UGA!
Major: Social Work
Occupation: Recruitment Manager at Teach For America
Connection to the Queen: one of the Queen's many admirers/Abby's college roommate
One "Must Have" for the 3-Day: I think I will bring my Jean bag. She made me this kick butt, homemade bag in college. I absolutely love this bag - one of my fave gifts EVER!
Favorite Quote: "it's a thing that happens to you. when a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real." -The Velveteen Rabbit
Favorite Elementary School Memory: One time a clown came to our school, and he chose me out of all the little kids to be his "special helper" during his magic/clown show. Well, it turns out I'm terrified of clowns. I bravely walked up to go help him, then I simply burst into tears and had to be taken out of the gymnasium by one of my teachers.

Favorite Craft project you've ever made or had given to you by someone: Actually, I think I would choose all my homemade gifts I gave to my fam for Christmas. One time I painted a plaque for all my siblings and pasted the poem, "I Carry Your Heart" by e.e. cummings on the plaque with a picture of us as little ones. They probably threw it out, but I thought it was nice!

Funny Story/Memory of the Queen: In college, Abs and I bonded over the fact that our families both still used colored Christmas lights, rather than the plain, boring white ones. Abby quoted her mother's reasoning for the colorful lights to me, "We celebrate diversity in this house." :)

Introducing...Brittany Grossman!!!

Name: Brittany Grossman

Hometown: Acworth, Georgia

Current City: Athens, Georgia

College: University of Georgia

Major: Early Childhood Education

Occupation: Pre-K teacher in Barrow County

Connection to the Queen: Friends and sorority sister of Abby

One "Must Have" for the 3-Day: For me it is going to have to be the blister kit! Got to be prepared for the inevitable.

Favorite Quote: "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." -by Albert Einstein.

Favorite Elementary School Memory: I am a huge dork and loved school growing up, which is probably why I returned to elementary school as soon as I could! I think the best memory was in fifth grade when we got to go to Jekyll Island on an over night field trip.

Favorite Craft project you've ever made or had given to you by someone: Teaching pre-k you would think I would be crafty, but sadly I am not the best! The one thing that I have made and loved is an old window that I scrapbooked pages for each window pain. Not very exciting but a pretty big thing for me :)

Funny Story/Memory of the Queen and/or one of her kids (AKA: if you have a funny Jean story or if you didn't know Jean, then write a funny story about Nancy or myself): I wasn’t lucky enough to know the Queen, but have truly been blessed being friends with Abby. I think the past year there are many great memories from dinners and margs to the first steps of training for the walk. I think my favorite memory was our beach trip this past summer. I have never been able to travel with someone else who loves the beach the same way!

Introducing...Hart Hewlett!!

Name: Hart Harris Hewlett

Hometown: Born in Salt Lake City, Utah

Current City: Atlanta

College: University of Georgia

Major: Advertising

Occupation (if applicable): 6th grade teacher at the Schenck School; teaching math, leadership, writing, grammar, and social studies

Connection to the Queen: avid worshiper and friend of Abby's

One "Must Have" for the 3-Day: underwear and white wine

Favorite Quote: "Life isn't fair, that's why bras come in different sizes

Favorite Elementary School Memory: Running for class president in 5th grade with the campaign slogan "Woman of America, Hear Me ROAR! " (and then I actually growled like a lion)

Favorite Craft project you've ever made or had given to you by someone: My favorite craft project was stolen off of a blog from a sorority sister. She is my idol (Laura Bolton) and I would copy anything she did. She showed me how to make small, paper mache birds, covered in magazine clippings. I have a virtual aviary because of her. My paper birds live in my bookcase, in my kitchen, in the plants, and top wedding presents.

Funny Story/Memory of the Queen and/or one of her kids: Miss Jean was FAMOUS for wearing her christmas sweaters. Every year at our high school bible study christmas party, she would grace the room with some sort of cotton, red and green, feathers, sequins, and smiling grinch sweater. Any hoo, one year I gave Miss Jean a compliment on her fluffy, light up sweater and she simply said, "Hart, I'm a teacher, and parents love this kind of shit." As a second year 6th grade teacher, this has become my philosophy on dealing with parents...

Introducing...Melissa Brody!!!

*It formatted weird when I copy and pasted and I don't know how to change it...

Name: Melissa Brody

Hometown: ATL

Current City: ATL

College:Jo-Jah (University of Georgia)

Major: Biology and Ecology

Occupation (if applicable): Account Manager

Connection to the Queen: My best friend's Mommy!

One "Must Have" for the 3-Day: A heart to heart with a stranger and preventative blister bandages.

Favorite Quote: "It ain't over till it's over" Yogi Berra

Favorite Elementary School Memory: Being the first person in my 4th grade math class to earn enough money in my checkbook to be "Teacher for the Day." Also...I was awarded "Singer of the Month" during 5th grade chorus, clearly the word singer did not really mean someone who knew how to sing.

Favorite Craft project you've ever made or had given to you by someone: Hmm, I can't say craftiness is one of my strong suits, but once Abby and I made a paper mache pizza with a poem inscribed in the middle apologizing for our high school history class's wrongdoing. It was almost lunchtime, we were all hungry, and our class ordered a Papa John's pizza to be delivered to the classroom without our teacher's knowledge, as he left us alone for a solid 30 minutes. Upon the pizza's delivery with the Office Administrator standing by the deliveryman's side, Coach Kopkas (our teacher) immediately went balistic. We were shocked at his reaction, especially when he granted the entire class detention the following morning. Abby and I walked into detention with the apologetic paper mache pizza in hand and it couldn't have been received any better. He let us all leave early. The crafty pizza hangs on his classroom wall to this day.

Funny Story/Memory of the Queen: Queen Jean used to ask my mom, "Can't you just find Abby a nice, Jewish boy?"