|
| 2004 - A Year in Review... | | Date Created: Dec 18, 2004, 10:10 AM |
This has been a fun, eventful year, full of many memorable events. For me, this has also been a milestone year on top of everything else. So join me, if you will on a trip down recent memory lane...
Full Photo albums for the events are available in the Member's Only section of the site. Why? Write me and I'll tell you. Family & Friends can visit the photo albums here.
JANUARY - MARCH. While NYC was hit with a brutally cold and snow-filled Winter last January and February, the celebratory mood got it's first swing in late February, when my old pal Mark celebrated his 40th Birthday with a fun trip to the city with his daughter, Amanda, and (soon-to-be) fiance Lisa, in tow. Among his gifts was a working replica of Darth Vader's lightsaber, which he made prompt use of.
April - In April, I began the first of what turned out to be many trips to Florida this year. The purpose of the first trip was twofold: My grandnephew Jorge had requested that I act as his Sponsor for his upcoming confirmation. I was very honored to assist, and found it great to spend time with my nieces and nephews who actually know me as "Uncle Tony".
At the same time, my old travel pals Rich and Michele had been making plans to visit Disney World. So, armed with a double dose of reasons to go to Florida during Spring break, we set out for a fun and furious trip. It was Michele's first visit to the land of Theme Parks, and we fit in as many of them as possible within that week's stay.
Visiting Florida always means stopping in to see the family I have living down there. Lillie and her family have been living there for close to 15 years now. A long time for these one time New Yorkers.
May - Star Wars Weekends. Just a couple weeks after returning from Walt Disney World, I was back in the midst of the magic for the Annual Star Wars Weekends. This special celebration of 'The Force', features guest appearances by the cast, crew and many costumed characters from the movies. I also took advantage of a special opportunity to stay at what is my favorite place to relax at, The Animal Kingdom Lodge.
June - The travels did not end there! In June, my dad needed to visit Puerto Rico, which was great, because it enabled us to try out Jet Blue's direct service to Aguadilla. It used to take 2 hours of driving from the airport to get to my dad's hometown. Now, we were there in minutes. Some advice: If you travel to P.R. in June, make sure you stay somewhere with an air conditioner. It was disgustingly, frustratingly hot!
Late in June, we had another graduate in the family. Francesca graduated from High School in NY. The event called for a party that was attended by my brother and nephew Bill, and Florida migrates, Maria, Tina, and my sister Lillie. It was wonderful to have the whole family together again for the first time in 5 years.
July & August - While the weather this summer was kind of blah for New York City, leading to somewhat uneventful days, one of the highlights was being able to visit with my grandmother, who just recently turned 103 years old!
It was to be a summer of visits by people we had not seen in ages. A week after my Grandmother's visit, my Godfather Michael visited our home, along with my cousin Mike. And a week or so after that, we got together at my Godmother Margie's home for a family picnic, at which we celebrated all of the upcoming birthdays for the year.
September bought Nature's fury to the state of Florida, pounding it with a relentless round of powerful tropical storms that caused much damage. Fortunately, our family persevered, though they had to struggle with weeks without electricity, food, or gas. They also sustained some roof damage and downed trees in an endless succession that really dampened spirits.
October - The weather in Florida settled down long enough for my family and friends to take a much-needed relaxing cruise to the Bahamas aboard a Royal Caribbean ship. The purpose was a long-planned reunion, as well as a celebration of anniversaries and my upcoming fortieth birthday.
For my actual Birthday, Jen & I went West for an all out birthday bash weekend in the original Disneyland Park in California. Our memorable stay was made more spectacular by our stay at Disney's Grand Californian Resort, the newest and grandest of the Disney resorts, located inside the theme park. One of my best birthday's ever, the complete trip report can be found at my previous blog.
November- The city prepares for the holidays, and we had two birthday celebrations at once. Francesca's 18th and Richie's 35th - both on Thanksgiving! Instead of a home cooked meal, we left tradition behind and ate out at Villa Marsala's. Unfortunately, I got sick, couldn't really enjoy myself and still don't feel as if I've had any Turkey! But we still had a pretty good time.
December - a final trip to the Magic Kingdom for me (for this year), as I took advantage of the low rates and airfares to visit the parks during the holidays, along with Jen and her parents. Along the way, I also got to spend some nice time with the family, and got to meet some new friends with whom I'd only ever communicated electronically. The Christmas theming of the parks left me with an uplifted spirit of the season, a feeliing I have not had in a very long time. This is the first year I've travelled so frequently, and to readers it must seem as if I only go to the same old place. But it's more than that, as I'll try to explain at some future time.
In the meantime, I've found the first few months of my 'new decade' to be kind of fun. Giddy. The most recent trips to Disney World was so memorable, that it's led me to believe that life really does begin at forty! It's not a place solely for the young. It's for the young at heart. And I guess that's what I must be..
That was My year. How was yours?
[Be sure to check out the Photo Album (members only) ]
(Photo by Jen)
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
