Dearest Family and Friends: Tony's
dad always said time goes faster as you get older and we can certainly
attest to that! 2009 has flown by and here we are entering the second
decade of the new millennium! Fortunately we feel like we are ending it
on the upside. Some time after 2006 our move to Tony's bachelor-days
townhouse in Reston after 14 years overseas it became obvious that
Steven (b. 1995) and Emily (b. 1998) did not enjoy sharing a bedroom
anymore. In mid-2008 we moved in to our new home where Steven and Emily
are merely neighbors, but it took until mid-2009 to sell the townhouse.
Thankfully, we can now report that we are well and happily all moved
in to our new home and paying just one mortgage. The kids were able to
stay in the same public schools and are doing quite well. Thanks
to Tony working mucho overtime at Northrop-Grumman, we have been able
to enjoy a few excursions this year. During spring break we took the
kids to re-live Tony's Syracuse college days during a week in upstate
New York. Cooperstown, Rochester, Syracuse and Corning provided every
entertainment from fine arts to farm museums to breweries (hey wait,
that was just Cooperstown!), anyway, we had a blast and learned so much
about an unheralded part of the country we would recommend to anyone. In
the summer we were able to visit Maine with Tony's sister Donna and see
Anne's brother Jeff. Donna rents a turn-of-the century cottage for a
week on Baily Island with the most peaceful yet interesting view of
Casco bay and its lobstermen at work. Jeff and his daughter Claire are
thriving in South Freeport, only 40 mins drive from the cottage. In
August Anne and the kids spent three weeks with her mom Jean (Tony was
able to join us for one week) in San Clemente, CA, including a
mini-reunion with her brothers Pete and Chris and their families. We
also had the pleasure of hosting Anne's brother Chris, from Orinda, CA,
his wife Julia and their two children for Thanksgiving, with the added
bonus of Julia's mom, grandmother, aunt and uncle (who all live in our
region) for a lovely family Thanksgiving. Funerals
and birthdays brought us together with Tony's far-flung family. Tony's
sister Donna lost her husband Bill to a sudden heart attack in March.
The hundreds of mourners at his wake were a sight to behold and a
measure of the esteem in which all held him. In September, a cousin of
Tony's mom, John Mangini, was fetted at an 80th birthday where we came
together with cousins we hadn't seen in years (and Anne and the kids met
for the first time). In December, the death of Tony's late mother's
best friend, Lulu Roody, provided another occasion to reconnect with
friends and family, including Tony's brother Tom from Plano, Texas, in
New York City and, frankly, to spend a few days enjoying the wonderful
sights and spectacles (including the Radio City Rockettes) of Christmas
in Manhattan. As
we prepare to celebrate Christmas in Reston hosting Anne's brother
Peter, his wife Janet and their three children plus "Aunt Donna from New
York," we are enjoying the biggest snowfall in history. Thankfully the
weather is set to be cold and clear through Christmas and school is out
for the rest of the year! What more can you ask! Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year! |