Merry Christmas 2011 to all our Family and Friends

Merry Christmas 2011 to all our Family and Friends

Where do we begin? 2011 has been a busy, wonderful year with some very sad moments and many very happy ones.

We've spent some time in New York visiting the kids and cheering on our Yanks; then in Florida, where I LOVED serving behind the bar at Nolan’s Irish Pub on St Patrick’s Day; in and out of North Carolina, having lots of good times with good friends, and another autumn in Maine, enjoying our beautiful escape on North Pond. We've trekked to Seattle, where we explored Bainbridge Island, had oyster shooters and visited family; then cruised Alaska to take in awesome glaciers and tour majestic Denali. We took a cruise in

the Caribbean for relaxation, sun and sand. We traveled around Florida to learn about our "new" state and Maine enjoying our "old" state. There was a relaxing week on Cape Cod with my Greeley girls and ten days in breathtaking Ireland to view the stunningly beautiful countryside and share happy times with fellow travelers. Take a moment or two to enjoy our photos.

Alaska – http://www.flickr.com/photos/32224949@N00/sets/72157626651332613/

Cape Cod – http://www.flickr.com/photos/32224949@N00/sets/72157627478527448/

Ireland – http://www.flickr.com/photos/32224949@N00/sets/72157627645233548/

The summerhouse in Maine is getting an upgrade and a facelift, thanks to Bob’s construction skills. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32224949@N00/sets/72157627831398994/ )

The kids are doing well. Kate is crafting beautiful jewelry at home (http://www.katecojewelry.com/ and http://www.etsy.com/shop/katecojewelry?ref=si_shop) and award-winning advertising. Rob spent the season with the Staten Island Yankees' grounds crew and is looking for his next challenge. Adam has been substitute teaching and has successfully coached Greeley sports (Boys Varsity Soccer – Sectional Champs!), while looking toward future education and employment. All is positive with them.

In August, our family happiness multiplied, when Rob proposed to Megan Murphy and she accepted. We love her and can't wait to welcome her into our family on February 25, 2012, in Mystic Seaport, CT. http://borman-murphy.ourwedding.com/

Sadly, our wonderful Florida friend, Chris, passed away in August after a valiant fight against cancer. We will miss her so much. We should all emulate her positive outlook and unwillingness to accept defeat. Our hearts go out to Gerry and the kids and to the entire Nolan's family.

We look forward to an exciting 2012. We have several trips planned, including cruises to the Caribbean and Hawaii and, of course, the Murphy-Borman wedding.

Please let us know what's been happening in your lives. Keep us posted!

May God bless all and bring us peace.

Diana and Bob

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Bormans - 2010!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Bormans - 2010!

We hope you had a happy and successful year! 2010 brought many changes and adventures to the Borman family.

After our visit with Don & Terry in Cape Canaveral and our first cruise experience in December 2009, we decided that we liked cruising and that we liked the area. In March we purchased a condo in Canaveral and planned another Caribbean cruise. In January we spent a few days in Savannah (Charleston is still my favorite southern city) and St. Augustine on our way south. We’ve been lucky enough to see a few launches from Kennedy Space Center - awe inspiring, especially at night.

New friends in Canaveral have drawn us there often. Nolan’s Irish Pub is like home for us and its denizens are like family. Gerry & Chris O’Connor and John & Mary Nolan are special people. As tour operators, the Nolans helped me fulfill a life-long wish - a trip to Ireland. Having a group of pub regulars along made for a constant party. Our tour driver, Dave Yeates, and all the happy travelers made the trip fun. The beauty of Ireland and the warmth of its people made the trip unforgettable. We spent most of our time in Northern Ireland; I’m hoping to get back to see more of the Republic.

We’ve done plenty of traveling this year. In May we hit New Bern, NC, a quaint town steeped in history. Bob’s attendance at a conference took us to Austin and San Antonio, TX, in October. The oldest dance hall in Texas in Gruene and the Riverwalk area of San Antonio were the high spots. We returned to the east coast and to Maine, where the new construction is coming along nicely. We spent time with family, took in some culture and lots of lobster, enjoyed delicious meals at The Thirsty Mule, nephew Matt’s latest undertaking and, of course, shopped in Freeport. We were thrilled to have Rob and Megan (and Brooks) surprise us with a visit. Wish the weather was better, but the foliage was colorful and they did get to hike to some beautiful spots.

November brought us back to NY to celebrate birthdays and holidays with the kids and attend a Broadway show. “Wicked” was impressive as was our very special back-stage tour and dinner at The Palm. The whole family helped Kate get ready to present her jewelry at the Wilton Craft Show. The clientele was very pleasant and her pieces were very well received.

Thanksgiving and Christmas in Florida seems to be becoming a tradition with a mid-December cruise on the schedule again. Late December will bring us back to Calabash to host our annual New Year’s Eve celebration. We’re looking forward to our May 2011 Alaska cruise - another “bucket list” entry. Our main retirement activity seems to be packing and unpacking suitcases. No complaints!

Kate continues her graphic design, but her passion is still her jewelry. Rob is still making baseball bats and looking for work, but is taking on more landscaping and home repair jobs. Adam is subbing in schools in the Chappaqua area, coaching and working with his brother, while searching for a full time teaching position. In general, they’re healthy, happy and enjoying life – just like their parents!

As always, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a joyous new year.

Diana & Bob

See photos of our life at http://www.flickr.com/photos/32224949@N00/sets/

Kate’s jewelry site is http://www.katecojewelry.com/

Rob’s bat site is http://yarddogbats.com/

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Bormans - 2009!

We hope your year has been all you hoped for and even more.

We seem to be getting the hang of retirement. Lots of traveling and trying new things has become our norm, but our I-95 journeys seem to have multiplied.

Nan and I loved our sisters’ trip to Charleston in January – her first. We’re working on another sisters jaunt in 2010. While Bob headed to NY to wrestle with income taxes (I-95!), I celebrated my 60^th birthday with good friends Joanne and Trish – also 60 this year – in Asheville, NC, at the Biltmore Estate and Grove Park Inn. Our Maine house renovation project hits year three. With Bob spending the summer there and with help from Don and Bill Chambers, work has progressed apace. Kate came to NC for an early summer visit with lots of beach time. Our fall travel season began with a flight west to celebrate the marriage of Neil’s youngest daughter, Karen, to Ian Hollaman in Boulder, Colorado. The chapel was impressive in its simplicity and the ceremony was enchanting. It was nice to have so much of the family together in one place. We bracketed the festivities with a few days in Denver, Boulder and Estes Park. Back to NY, then off to Maine. We’ve planned to take the CAT ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, NS, for a few years and this was the year – BIG mistake!! Most of the 900 passengers on the voyage were seasick; Yarmouth was a yawn. Never again! Back in the USA, we spent October enjoying Maine’s fall foliage, lobsters and other fresh seafood, and the company of Terry & Don. In NY once more, we saw “Jersey Boys” on Broadway (exceptional!), hugged the kids, did some laundry and headed south (I-95 again!). A timely and generous invitation from NY friends sent us on a week’s detour to Hilton Head Island in early November. We stayed at a beautiful Marriott timeshare, but HHI didn’t impress us. While there, we took a pretty sunset dinner cruise and a day cruise to Savannah – and celebrated the Yankees 27^th World Series win! We plan more time in Savannah in January. A few days in Calabash allowed us to reconnect with some friends there - and do more laundry - before our next venture (I-95 once more!). We joined Don & Terry at their condo in Cape Canaveral. Our cruise director/concierge, Don, kept us moving with flea markets, dinners, auctions and plays – and a Space Shuttle launch! They returned to Maine after a week; we stayed on through December. Making the most of our stay (We’re learning, Don!), we’ve been to the beach almost daily, taken in street fairs and art shows, toured Kennedy Space Center for two days, found a lively Irish pub with nightly music that has us considering a visit to the Emerald Isle, eaten dozens of oysters and tried out many new restaurants. We lunched with some Borman relations in Clermont during Thanksgiving weekend. A four day trip to Key Largo and Key West in early December, a casino cruise and a four day cruise to the Bahamas round out our Florida stay. Late December finds us headed back to Calabash to host our annual New Year’s Eve celebration.

While we jaunted, we kept up with the kids via cell phone and email. Kate continues in graphic design, but her passion is still her jewelry. She has shown her wares at several home parties and craft fairs in the NY area and has had some success with internet sales. Rob is still making baseball bats and looking for work, but keeps busy taking on landscaping and home repair jobs around Chappaqua. Adam is subbing in schools in the Chappaqua area, while searching for a full time teaching position. His stint as assistant varsity soccer coach at Greeley was instructive (thanks, Mr. Oddo!) and rewarding, as the team made it into Sectional competition; but Arlington proved just too tough to beat. In general, the kids are healthy, happy and enjoying life – just like their parents!

As always, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a joyous new year.

Diana & Bob

See photos of our trips at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32224949@N00/sets/

Kate’s jewelry site is

http://www.katecojewelry.com/

Rob’s bat site is

http://yarddogbats.com/