Our Daughter in Benin

Another Christmas gone....

2009-12-29T18:20:00.018-05:00

It is hard to believe another Christmas and soon New Year's Eve has gone by and you are still away in Benin. Cannot believe it has been already twenty months since you have left us! Where has the time flown?

It made us so very happy to hear that you finally received your Thanksgiving and Christmas packages. How great was it to get them on Christmas Eve and you were able to enjoy them with your friends! Speaking of enjoying, I have attached pictures of the season. We miss you and can’t wait to see you next year!!!

Events of Recent Past

2009-11-27T18:00:00.010-05:00

Wow - time does fly by quickly. We went from Mom's birthday right through Thanksgiving 2009. It's great to know that all of these events you will be home to enjoy first hand soon - but not soon enough.

SO! In order of appearance: Mom's Birthday. (Bonnemaman's treat!) A long weekend in Vermont. (You know some people just have to bring school work - lol)! Ella's first party! (You would never know at such a young age she already has her mom and dad's talent to have such a lavish party!!!!) And just recent - Thanksgiving at Loretta's and Mike's! (What a feast it was - you can tell everyone was fully satisfied after partaking in such a repas.)

So my dear girl - these events shall be on your calendar next year - nes-pas?

Miss you and Love you to Mars and back!

Will we have a date next year?

2009-11-17T21:43:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago Mom and I went to a special place in your heart. Here are some pictures.

Lets make a date for us to go next year - oui?

Love You!!!!

A kiss is but a kiss - PART II

2009-10-16T17:44:00.010-04:00

Why part II you may ask! In an attempt to edit part I which had several lines of text next to pictures, these lines were actually at the end of the blog. Trying to erase these lines, I accidentally erased the pictures as well as the text. So - these picture which were in part I are now found herein.

Catherine - Miss and Love you to Mars!!!!

A new Sailor! Rob's White Coat ceremony. Mom's first overnighter on the boat. Singers from Germany celebrating the 1000th anniversary of their Cathedral. A special wedding! And best of all - Ella at her first chowder day at the beach!!!!

A kiss is but a kiss..........How Time Goes By!

2009-09-22T09:07:00.029-04:00

Several months have gone by and I cannot believe I have not updated the blog in such a long time. It’s almost embarrassing. Almost! In this period though, and not an excuse but a fact, I lost a whole group of pictures which I wanted to post on the blog. Alas, I was unable to retrieve them so I was disheartened to update the blog.

Many events have transpired but most rewarding was Catherine’s coming home, if only for a brief three weeks in June. Crammed into a few weeks before, during and after, numerous events had taken place which I hope to portray through pictures:

A visit to the met - Benin exhibit.

Springtime at home!

Weddings, graduation parties, a brief homecoming, more parties but most important, the birth of beautiful Ella!

I promise the next update will be sooner!

Miss you my dear - hope these will help bring back the days when you were home - how great that was! Soon you will be home again!

Love you!!!!

The two 80's gone by!

2009-04-12T12:35:00.011-04:00

This update is long over due and I present no excuse for its delay. Procrastination and possibly a bout of laziness had taken hold! The following pictures will tell the story in itself. We miss you Catherine and can’t wait to see you in June, albeit for only a few days!

A Day Between

2009-01-25T12:06:00.017-05:00

Many things have transpired since our last update: The Christmas Holidays are over and all the Christmas decorations are once again tucked away in the attic. A new President has been sworn in (twice to be sure) and the hopes of the nation ride high that his administration will be able to take our nation out of its doldrums. Between these two events our family had one also. The Smiths had a gathering of the family at their beautiful home. It was wonderful to see most of the family and enjoy great company, scrumptious food and drinks. A highlight, as you know, was for everyone to speak with Catherine wishing she was with us.

The missing: Grandma was sick (why Grandpa is missing), so too Big Mike; the Busi’s were skiing and Chris and Aiden were at a wrestling match.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Wish You Were Here!

2008-12-24T12:44:00.007-05:00

Some pictures with Samantha helping with the final touches before Christmas!

Wish you were here to help too! Speak with you soon! Love you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas Cookie Party 2008

2008-12-14T11:21:00.004-05:00

You will never believe it, Mom and I got up at 5:30 to go to a Christmas Party at Sam’s in Massachusetts! Dad got up to make sure that we had a good cup of coffee, the daily dose of grapefruit and of course cereal. Once breakfast was done off we went for our three hour ride. It was cold but mom made sure I was warm with my hat and overcoat on.

When we arrived a few hours later, the Cherry sisters were in full swing with breakfast again – fruit salad, bagels, baked French toast, broccoli quiche, pumpkin bread and of course mimosas. Humm all was sooo delicious. Before we knew it, Mrs. Santa Claus and Santa himself came over. There must have been hundreds of children all eagerly awaiting his appearance and they all could not wait to receive their first present for Christmas.

I had such a great time meeting all those wonderful Cherry Sisters who all welcomed me! You could feel the love emanating from them and surrounding the whole occasion. Oh what a blessing for mom to have such nice beautiful women as good friends. Here are some pictures:

Happy Birthday Surprise!!

2008-12-07T15:41:00.005-05:00

It was fun to hear the surprise in your voice after we sang Happy Birthday to you. I am sure that you never expected to hear your best friend’s voices on the phone! We had a great time celebrating your birthday with them. So you know, we had mimosas, fruit salad, Belgium waffles and other goodies. Everyone was glad to speak with you as well and we also called Cathryn to complete the circle. (I included a picture of the ring so you could see it for yourself!)

As always on your birthday we had snow and of course you know who had to go and play!

Happy Birthday! LOVE YOU and miss you!

A Trip to the City!

2008-12-07T14:53:00.005-05:00

A few days have

gone by since Thanksgiving; the

turkey, stuffing, vegetables and other goodies have been eaten. December is upon us and since mom received tickets for White Christmas (playing on Dec.2) for her birthday mom decided to take the day off so we could spend it in New York City. We ecided to go to The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, had lunch at The New Leaf Café (which was wonderful) and then we went to visit with some friends. We later took a bus down to 59^th Street and 5^th Avenue to look in at The Plaza which recently reopened. The Oak Room has just reopened as well and has not been changed. From there we went to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree before it was lit. Once we got through the mob (they were lighting the tree later) we headed for a wine tasting. From there we headed to the play. I must tell you, it is worthwhile seeing and I hope it will be back every year for the Christmas season! Anyway, here are some pictures. After the play we once again went to see the tree which was now a lit! We then had a drink at the Algonquin Hotel. Sound familiar? Notice anything missing? Love you!

Thanksgiving / 80th Birthday 2008

2008-12-02T13:25:00.013-05:00

Off to the Busi’s for some Thanksgiving dinner and an 80^th birthday

party for

Grandpa. It was sad that you were not able to be with us, but you were certainly there in spirit! It also helped that we were able to speak with you even for a few minutes. There was lot’s of good food and the usual great wines!

This was the first Thanksgiving that we were not together as a family and I must say it was somewhat hard for us. The only consolation: knowing you were happy in Benin and made plans with some of your other volunteers so you would not be alone with Scout! As you can tell by the pictures, Samantha certainly was kept busy with all your family. Everyone asked about you and they all missed you as well.

Grandpa was surprised by his birthday gift as it was brought out by John and Tom. Madeleine helped Grandpa unwrap it since it was so big a task. It was set up the next day in the den. Grandma is worried that the Christmas decorations will not be able to fit. Hope they figure out how to do it. Hopefully in the next few days we will go out and see it and will take a picture to post.

We love you and miss you!

Autumn Leaves

2008-11-24T10:28:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures of what we were doing some days ago. Samantha could not help it but jump right in! All the leaves are now gone and everything is set for winter and the upcoming Holiday Season.

A walk in your favorite place!

2008-11-16T17:33:00.005-05:00

This was several days ago. The colors were breathtaking and the crisp air was just right. We walked the course that you (Catherine) are familiar with and every step you were in our thoughts.

The lone tree (actually four in one) was breathtaking! Unfortunately "Sam" was not with us at the time since we did not think of her until later!

We had a great time walking in your footsteps in a place so dear to you.

The swing is something new - you would have loved it - right on the Sound looking out on the water.

Can you find Mom! She does blend in so well.

So people know, this is Caumsett State Park located in Lloyd Neck overlooking the Long Island Sound. This park is majestic and beautiful with the mansion and other buildings. A walk from the parking lot to the main house is about one and a half miles with each step seeing beautiful surroundings. It has many different trails and a stable on the grounds. Many people chose to ride their bikes, some jog and other (like us) love to walk the grounds. A place well worth visiting!

2008-11-08T18:35:00.008-05:00

Several days ago was my wife’s birthday. To be more specific it was on October 28 and she just turned thirty-nine! As with all of our birthdays, my dear mother takes us out to fancy restaurants. This year for her birthday we all went to the Garden City Hotel and had a wonderful dinner. Unfortunately, Rob was unable to join us! Catherine, well that’s another story!

Here are some pictures commemorating the evening of November 7:

You may be wondering why Samantha (Catherine’s doll) is in the pictures. Since Catherine is unable to be with us she will be through her proxy. So Catherine whenever you see your doll you will be with us at the event.

2008-11-06T09:21:00.002-05:00

Catherine's best Friends (Catherine on the Right) - a little party!

Catherine and Therese the day before she left.Special Glasses for Catherine (Note theme)

Therese and Coby in MaineCoby and I - in Maine!

Why it Took So Long to Post - The Beginning

2008-11-06T08:58:00.002-05:00

On July 1, 2008, Therese (my wife), Catherine, Coby (Catherine’s dog) and I left Long Island, heading south for Philadelphia, PA on a warm day with beautiful puffy white clouds overhead. We were on the way to Catherine’s Peace Corps orientation, the inauguration as a volunteer. The trip was none eventful as the anticipation of what was going to happen kept entering my mind. We paused our ride only once, at our favorite rest stop on the Jersey Turnpike, to stretch and allow our pooch to, well you know, do his thing. We continued and within an hour arrived at the “City of Brotherly Love” which I had not seen in many years. As in all large cities in the USA, this one had changed its profile with many new buildings and structures.

With the help of our GPS, we arrived at the hotel where Catherine spent a few days before embarking on her assignment in Benin. Upon entering the lobby, several other trainees were already mingling and we could feel the excitement in the air. After registration, we settled Catherine in her room and decided to grab some lunch. Around the corner from the hotel we noticed a small pub-like restaurant and decided that the menu seemed enticing. Although the food was good, my palate was not registering any of the tastes. (I don’t believe I need to explain why, as any parent will understand).

As we left the restaurant, an uncharacteristic feeling was beginning to form in my stomach. I knew that within minutes, we will be forced to say our goodbyes. Having spent the past month watching Catherine say farewell to friends and neighbors, I knew this was not going to be easy. We went to the garage and Catherine spent a few minutes saying bye to her beloved Coby. Several times I had to turn and look out so she would not witness the sadness in my eyes. Hearing the car door close, our time was at hand. Walking to the elevator, Therese and Catherine started to enter. I stopped them saying it would be best to part and say goodbye in the virtual seclusion of the garage (knowing how emotional we all were). As expected, this took several minutes and in truth when we hugged I wanted to take her in the car to bring her home. She entered the elevator and we watched as the doors closed on our beloved daughter. The ride home was somber and even Coby seemed sad.

It’s hard to believe that was only four months ago. It seems an eternity has gone by. Although we speak to Catherine constantly it is still hard for us, conscious she is so far away. We are very proud of her and what she is doing in Benin. Her ability to adapt to a new country, language, customs and people is remarkable. Being able to manage a new home is equally impressive: painting, furnishing, cooking etc, all tasks she had to learn herself.

Why this Blog? The idea came to mind a few days ago. Since it takes long for Catherine to receive letters and packages, we thought it may be fun to post some of the events which transpire here at home. This will enable her to read them whenever she has a chance to go to a cyber café and access the internet.

SO! Finally posting for the first time. Today is November 6th and thank God the election is over and we no longer have to hear the banter. We are excited for the country as God knows we need a new direction. We hope and pray that the new President will be able to deliver his promises.