Joe and Frances 2006

 

How lovely 'tis to take this time
To greet our dearest friends,
To wish them health and happiness
Before the old year ends.

Darkness comes late afternoon
And winter lies ahead,
But friendship is a glowing fire
When all seems cold and dead.

Just as in some vacant barn,
Unnoticed in the night,
The whole of human history turns,
So we, too, make things right.

We must keep alive the flame
Though darkness grip the Earth;
For in the love we find in friends
Is our chance for rebirth.
-Nicholas Gordon

The year 2006 can be summed up in one word – busy.  So many things have happened this year it is hard to see how it could all fit into one year. It has been a year of sadness and sorrow. It has been a year of new beginnings.  It has been a year of celebration, of travel, of hard work and of extended family.  As Christmas approaches at the end of this year and I reflect on its highs and lows, I pray that next year is just as fulfilling and that all of my family and friends remain safe and happy during 2007.  God Bless Each and Every One of You.
 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
from Joe, Frances, Dominic, Timothy and Jeremy (and Matilda)

This year has been a year of sadness and tragedy for our family as we lost 6 family members since my last newsletter.  First was my Uncle Efraine. (My mother’s sister’s husband) who, after successfully having an aggressive cancer removed, suddenly went into a coma and never came out. He passed away last November.  Then in January, my uncle Frank, (My dad’s brother) passed away from stomach cancer.  The following month, my cousin Nancy’s husband Bob passed away having never fully recovered from a second liver transplant.  In August, Frances’ father’s brother, Ken, passed away. 

Tragedy and shock struck our family in August after my sister Brandy’s husband, Rocky was murdered.  It is still unbelieveable that such a horror could actually happen to ordinary people.  And finally, in November, another of my dad’s brothers, my uncle Tony passed away.  Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of all of these people and we share in your sadness, especially at this time of year which can be the most difficult.  It reminds us to value and cherish each and every moment that we have with all of our loved ones.

In January we rented a cottage across from the beach at the Central Coast for a week. The weather was beautiful and we were able to start out the year relaxed and refreshed
 

Jeremy Year 11

Timothy

Dominic

New industrial kitchen at Strathfield South High School

Dominic has progressed to the next level of his driver’s license getting his Green P’s which means that in a little over a year he will be on a fully unrestricted license.  Timothy hasn’t been too interested in progressing past his learner’s licence, which he allowed to lapse and hasn’t yet renewed.  I imagine he will renew it during the holidays when I will take Jeremy for his learner’s license as well.

Speaking of driving licenses, I am training to get my light rigid vehicle license which will enable me to drive a 30 seater school bus.  I will be pursuing that during the holidays.

Frances had an interesting year at work as her firm, Sothertons, merged with another accounting firm, Moore Stephens, more than doubling its size.  The merger meant that their premises were not adequate for their needs so they moved to another building in the city.  It is a larger, more modern premises and all seem to be settling in comfortably.

Frances also received a well deserved promotion to Senior Manager this year.
 

Timothy, Dominic, Jeremy, Frances and Toni

Speaking of having lived in Australia for nearly 20 years, on July 27th this year I became an Australian citizen.  Whilst I still retain my US citizenship, I find myself committed to the values of my adopted country and feel that this country has provided my family and myself with a wonderful lifestyle and many, many opportunities.

Australian Citizenship July 27, 2006

On September 27, Frances and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.  It is remarkable how it seems that no time has passed at all during those 20 years when in reality it was, and continues to be, the most amazing time of my life.  Our marriage is a strong partnership that is based on acceptance of each other’s independence and diversity while, simultaneously sharing a strong commitment and agreement to those things that are most important in our lives, our family, our friends, our values and most of all our love for each other

To celebrate this anniversary, Frances and I decided to indulge ourselves and take a holiday without the children.  The holiday centred around my cousin’s daughter’s wedding but we included a 7 night Caribbean cruise and three days in Las Vegas.

Caribbean Princess
 

We arrived in Florida very refreshed and relaxed (and in my case, very sunburnt).  We had a week before the wedding and we were able to catch up with family and friends.  My mother was in Florida for the wedding, so naturally we spent quite a bit of time with her as well as several aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course, my grandmother.  My grandmother is a remarkable woman and I always enjoy and treasure every minute that we can spend together.  We caught up with some friends as well and managed to squeeze in a bit of sightseeing in Little Havana and Miami Beach between relaxing on the beach, shopping and, once again, eating and drinking way too much.
 

Mom with her sister Diane and brother Dan

Saturday morning was really windy and there was some rain, but the weather couldn’t dampen the spirit of the day.  It was a beautiful wedding Mass in a lovely church in Deerfield Beach.  The bride was beautiful and the groom was debonair as they exchanged their vows.

Dutch and Courtney

That evening we were treated to a magnificent wedding reception at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, an historic hotel, on the waterway. It was a lavish, five star affair, elegantly set in the Chapel room for 180 guests.  A nine-piece band entertained us as we danced until late.

The next morning we attended Brunch at my cousins’ home. White gloved waiters serving Mimosas and Bloody Marys and Gueridon chefs preparing omelettes in their beautiful garden which has been featured in Boca Raton Home and Garden Magazine put the finishing touches on what could be described as a Regal weekend.

Then it was off to Las Vegas for three days and three nights.  We stayed at the Luxor Hotel, an Egyptian themed hotel/casino, complete with pyramid and sphinx,  at the end of the “Strip”. Most of our time was spent walking through the many fantastically themed hotels up and down the strip.  We saw the old classics such as the Flamingo, Casino Royale, Caesar’s Palace and the Stardust (which incidentally closed down only a few days before we arrived) as well as the newest and most spectacular ones such as the Venetian, Monte Carlo, Paris, Wynn’s, the Bellagio and New York, New York.  We saw two shows, the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana, and the Cirque du Soleil performance of the Beatle’s LOVE at the Mirage.  The shows were magnificent and I would highly recommend the Beatle’s LOVE if you ever get the chance to see it. 

The Luxor

New York, New York and Excalibur

By the way,

	I managed to lose quite a bit of weight early this year and, remarkably, managed to keep it off, despite all of the good food that was on offer while I was in the US.
	After discussing the possibility for many years, Frances and I decided to get ducted air-conditioning/heating in our house this year.  We managed to test out the effectiveness of both extremes and are looking forward to a more comfortable summer this year.
	Dominic and Timothy have turned 19 this year and have successfully completed their first year of Uni.
	Jeremy turned 16 this year.  He has also successfully completed his year 11 coursework and has begun the arduous task of studying for his Higher School Certificate which he will sit after his graduation next September.
	Timothy is still working at Woolworths – he is now the office cashier and tallies the monies at the end of the shift.
	Dominic recently began a new job at Liquorland and is working hard preparing for the busy season.
	Our poor old dog, Matilda, who just turned 12 the other day and wasn’t expected to live much past last Christmas after her tumours, is still with us.  Generally her health is good and she is as enthusiastic as ever, but unfortunately her eyesight has gone.  She is almost completely blind and bumps into things as she tries to get around.

Christy, Effie, Jimmy, Pat

Brenda and Doug

May the tranquillity of the season be a special part of the holidays for you.

Toni and Luke