Welcome

Happy New Year!

California 2009

Golden Gate Bridge

The Louvre 2008

Mona Lisa

Italy 2007

David by Michelangelo

The City of Paris 2006

Moulin Rouge

The Italian Alps 2005

On the Road to Vienna

Arc de Triomphe 2004

History is alive and well

The Changing of the Guards 2004

Getting there early is the key to seeing the action

Arizona 2004

The Cliff Dwellers

2009 Holiday Letter

It’s the day after Thanksgiving and if you’re in our area, you woke up to a beautiful layer of SNOW on the ground! It was nice that it waited until we were fast asleep to arrive. In 2005 the temperature outside was 70 degrees! We hope you and your family had a very nice Thanksgiving holiday.

Our sympathy goes out to those who have lost friends and family members, during the past year.

We have had a few adventures this year, a trip to Sacramento, CA to see Melissa/Ryan/children, and later in the year, a short trip to Charlotte, NC to see Ben/Robin/children. They are growing like the weeds in our yard, and no, the grass still is not growing in the bald spot (the lawn, the lawn!). The kids were here at one time or another during the past year and as always it was a pleasure to have them. It is fun to see that they are healthy, happy, and enjoying what we do together as a family. Donna’s parents and my mother are doing well.

Did I tell you that our 5 grandchildren are the smartest kids we know? Isn’t it great to be grandparents? Consider the technology available, the information accessible and ease of use. These children will be far better educated at their age, than we were.

While in CA, we visited San Francisco (cable cars), Lombard St. (crookedest street) and Fisherman’s Wharf (shops). We went on to Monterey, and a whale watching adventure in Monterey Bay. We saw, from a distance, two humpback whales blowing and it was quite interesting. It gets chilly out there on the water, so a jacket was necessary. We then traveled down the coast to Carmel by the sea, (home to Clint Eastwood), Pebble Beach, and The Seventeen Mile Drive.

Carmel is full of small shops, each vying for your attention. One such antique shop caught Donna’s eye and the pull was too great for her to resist. We ended up shipping an antique desk back home and it now resides in the living room.

Donna has been working hard to keep me happy, I don’t know how much more she can do! I’ll try to find something. Just kidding, she is great, and I don’t even have to bribe her. Believe it or not, we will celebrate our 7th anniversary this Sunday. The time has a habit of flying by; it is one heck of a rush.

Donna has really come into her own as she helps the patients that need her services. She is never more than a call away to those in need. She is constantly striving to be the best she can be. She is an unsung hero to many. She has my praise, admiration and heart.

I am completing another semester at the University of Akron. I was taking another Web Design class. You can see the results at blqt.nls.net or gozips.uakron.edu/~lanza/finalweb/index.html . Be sure to check out the time-lapse video I have created.

Did you ever notice how the holiday season gets your mental juices flowing? Memories of smells, sounds, sights, people, and other stuff gives you an endorphin high, which unfortunately climaxes when you must return to work following the New Year.

To you, our family, our friends, with our love, respect and admiration, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy, New Year! So, until next year…we wish you and yours the very best life can offer.
Ben & Donna

Journeys