Happy (belated) New Year 2020!
We hope this email finds you all well and happy. This past year was filled with calmness and
some traveling. To catch you all up, we
just returned from Spain about two weeks ago.
My Mom took everyone to the Costa del Sol for Christmas 2019. We started in Granada then drove through
miles of olives trees to get to Malaga, and we hiked an amazing gorge where we
were right on the edge of steep mountains.
We then went to Marbella, which like Malaga is right on the Mediterranean.
Then it was on to explore Gibraltar on the way to a night in Jerez, then off to
Seville for two nights, and then for New Year’s Eve partying in Toledo in the
town square with live music, dancing, fireworks and everyone eating and swallowing
(or trying to at least) 12 grapes very quickly followed by Cava (Spanish
Champagne). We were there for a week
with the entire family. Everyone flew
back on New Year’s Day except Brian, Amanda, and I we went to Madrid and then
to Barcelona for a few extra days. Side
note Rebecca had been to Barcelona the previous year and didn’t want to go
again, so she went home with everyone else plus she needed to get ready as she
left for study abroad just a few days later.
We enjoyed our trip seeing the sights, spending time with the family,
and having our fill of paella and tapas. The trip to Spain was a really nice
way to end 2019.
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| St. Michael's Cave in Gibraltar |
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| Ringing in the New Year with Mom in Toledo, Spain |
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| Gray girls in Montreal 2019 |
In April we went to see my dear friend Valerie. We went to Colorado Spring, Denver, Estes Park and Boulder. It was great to see Val’s new home in Denver and spend time with her. I thought Denver was beautiful and flat, and I wasn’t expecting that. From Val’s home we could see the snowcapped mountains in the distance, just stunning!
In May, we headed for a different type of vacation Nashville
with our friends Debbie and Marty. Well,
those southerners know how to party, as Nashville was out of control! We had a blast and danced and drank our way
through the weekend. It was so much fun. Brian also went on a work-related trip
to Washington DC for a couple of days, and the good news is he got to
thoroughly enjoy going to an economic conference and spending time doing things
that I would have absolutely no interest in, such as going to the Library of
Congress, and the Supreme Court.
In July, I had hernia surgery. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go
swimming or exercise for the summer break, so I spent it quietly at home recovering. At the end of July, I did go with Mom, Susan,
and Lauren up to Maine. My nephew Lucas was
on a sailing adventure from Connecticut to Maine (where we had to pick him up),
so we all went to get him. On our way
there all we did was “drive, shop, eat and repeat.” We had a lot of laughter. When we picked up Lucas he almost had to run alongside
the car because it was filled with “stuff”.
Don’t worry, we managed to squeeze him in. In August, Brian and I went upstate NY to be counselors
at a UU camp. It was the same structure
of the camp which the girls went to on Shelter Island for many years, they just
changed the location. It was Brian’s
first time and we both had an enjoyable experience and plan to return next
summer (if travel plans don’t get in the way of course!).
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| With Debbie and Marty in Nashville |
In October all of us went out to LA for a Cohen family
reunion with the “excuse” being Brian’s Uncle Ron’s 80th birthday
celebration. It was fantastic, as the
Cohen clan on the west coast did an amazing job planning and executing the
weekend. It was especially great for
Amanda and Rebecca to meet Brian’s Aunts, Uncles and cousins. It was a really special weekend and we are so
glad we all went.
Now for the update on the family. Right before Thanksgiving
Brian and I were discussing our week ahead.
It was a Sunday night and he shares that on Wednesday of that week he is
going to the hospital. Me being me says
“are you having a baby?” Unfortunately, that was not it. He was going in for an angioplasty because a
test came back indicating there may be a blockage. Needless to say I was shocked and of course
took the day to be with him. It was like
going to the mechanic for an oil change at the hospital, the patients went in
and out all day, it was amazing. The end
result is that there was an 80% blockage and they put a stent in. He was home
the same day. This was a wakeup call for
him and as result he has lost 25lbs to date.
I am so proud of him; it was certainly a rude awakening how life can
change very quickly.
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| Yes, this is the actual Brady Bunch house! |
Rebecca is a junior at UConn and switched her major back to
accounting. In May, she went to Portugal
on a school trip, and on the way home stopped by London for a couple of days to
see some friends. Over the summer she worked at the Teddy Roosevelt Sanctuary
in Oyster Bay. She loved the program and
enjoyed working as a camp counselor. In
December she moved all her stuff out of her dorm because she is spending the
spring semester abroad in Scotland. She
left January 7th and is having a great time so far, and we are
looking forward to visiting her next month. Rebecca will be working in West
Hartford most of this coming summer, as she secured an internship with Aetna
that she is very excited about.
Amanda continues to work at Stony Brook Hospital. She
continues to be active with the UUFH and helps out some Sundays in the religious
education program and participates in our local young adult youth group here. She also bought a brand new car a few months ago, a beautiful red Mazda SUV that she picked out.
Brian and I are at our respected jobs and we both continue
to enjoy our careers. We still laugh and
enjoy each other company. We wish you
all a Healthy and Happy (even though belated) New Year!
Debbie, her editor Brian, Amanda, Rebecca, and Buddy
