We’re Baaaack!
For our newer friends, this is our attempt to get back on track. For our family and longtime friends, you know us. Ever since we got engaged in 2008, we’ve sent a two-page annual newsletter to family and friends as a way of sharing the highlights, and sometimes lows, of our year with the people closest to us. However, some of you longtime friends may be wondering why you were dropped from our friends list in 2023. Please rest assured that NOBODY has been “unfriended.” Nobody got one of these in 2023 or 2024 because we never got them finished. In 2023 we barely got past the draft. Last year, we tried to combine that draft with a 2024 letter but ended up with six pages and struggled to edit it down to something you might actually read! Before we even got started this year we acknowledged that this could get really, really long, so we decided to try a new format. This is our first-ever, digital newsletter, which we hope you find more accessible than the printed version, and more enjoyable with the easier-to-see photos. We MAY even include some short videos in future editions.
2023
2023: Our Theme Was Going To Be “Bonds”
As past readers may recall, 2022 was a tough year. So tough that we purposely began 2023 by bringing Ken’s Mom and Mel from FL to Atlanta so that mom could finally meet her three great grandkids face-to-face for the first time and kick off of better year on a great note. It was a wonderful visit, and it did kick off a better year. The remainder of the year seemed “quieter” than many of our adventurous years, but we felt it was because we stayed a little closer to the people in our lives. Think old friends around the world, new friends in our neighborhood, and of course a growing family. Our only big adventure was our trip to Australia for the World Barefoot Waterski Tournament and a little vacay in February (Summer down under ;-)).
Down Under
Our time in Australia was unforgettable because of the bond we both have with the Barefoot Water-ski Community even though Ken has never participated in the sport. After hearing about how we nearly got stranded in the Outback on a kangaroo quest enroute to the tournament site (quick note: a town on an Australian map just means there’s at least 2 houses there – don’t count on it having any other “town” stuff like a gas station, food or lodging.) and Andrea’s weird obsession to bring home genuine Flavon Chicken Salt (don’t ask, it’s an Australia thing) for the kid’s French fries after discovering it in Sydney, the locals all offered advice (and even lodging) for where to do wine tasting, sightseeing, and other adventures for the remainder of our time down under.
Remember our neighborhood wine club? With the help of our friends down under, we selected – you guessed it – “Down Under” as our theme for the dinner we hosted. When we asked for some, “typical Aussie dish” ideas we got a variety of responses but most everyone said that lamb would be the dish to go with. So we got a delicious recipe for “Grandma’s Roast Lamb” and were sent home with the authentic Aussie mint jelly to go with it. It was a hit with the neighbors! Thanks Wendy & Danny.
OK, go ahead and ask Andrea when you talk to her next! After days of pursuing acquisition of the “real” chicken salt, she procured five kilos of it from a restaurant supply store. Still, we came home with only a cupful from an airport kiosk because her 5 kilos got confiscated at airport security! Despite the experience of millions of flights, Andrea somehow didn’t know that transporting 5 kilos of ANY powdered substance in a carry-on bag is prohibited!
You can click on the images in this gallery to enlarge them, and if you do, look closely at the kangaroos and see if you can spot the joey!
Side note: Literally: Crackenback was not on our way but we kept seeing the signs for it so finally Ken decided we had to turn. It was only 40 Km and he said, “We just have to be able to say – ‘We went to Crackenback ‘n back!’”
New Family Traditions and New Word: Disappointment
Later in the year, family visited us for the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and the Feast of St. Nickolas. Hosting these 3 holidays is rapidly becoming a family tradition since our move to Tennessee. (Editor’s note: Not the case this year as you’ll read about later.)
Andy and Rebecca brought Trudy (Ken’s mom) and Mel down for the 4th of July and the kids and grandkids came up for some lake fun, and our neighborhood fireworks show that Ken and Philip next door put on from the island across from our house. Unfortunately, the day didn’t go so well and we don’t seem to have a single picture from it! You see, about mid-day, BOTH of our boats broke down (one while trying to rescue the other) followed by Liam’s little brother Eli dropping Liam’s fishing pole off the end of the dock, where it sank like a stone. Liam was INCONSOLABLE. Finally, as the sun went down and we set up to watch fireworks on the dock (instead of on the boat, closer to the island as we did the year before) Liam tried to express his feelings. But after a bit of stammering, our (then) 3-year-old grandson told his mom, “I just don’t have a word for it!” Andrea interjected, “Disappointed Liam, you feel disappointed.” Two weeks later Alicia sent us a picture of the two boys lying on their backs under the kitchen table, toy wrenches in the air, pretending they were mechanics fixing our broken boats. Grandkids are so adorable!
Alicia and the boys came up again in early October over Fall Break at school, and the Andy and Rebecca came down again, this time with Andrea’s mom, for Thanksgiving, and once again the kids and grandkids came up from Georgia to see GG (Great Grammy.) A couple of weeks later, Alicia and the family came up for our St Nick weekend where we made a ton of cookies and Advent wreaths for them to take home. Sadly, Kyle and Lauren and the boys weren’t able to make the trip this time.
This was as far as our 2023 letter got and we decided not to rewrite it in 2024, but just to incorporate it.
2024
2024: More Family & Friends, and More Adventures
More Grandsons! Yes, four boys now, and no girls. (Spoiler Alert: This will change in 2025!)
We LOVE our Tennessee home! The obvious reason is the lake in the back yard but the community is amazing. We know nearly every year-round resident and we’ve made countless new friends. Between the wine clubs, card and billiard tournaments, bunco nights, line dancing, lake outings and general neighborhood parties, there’s never a dull moment. We even have a community band now and dancing on the Pickleball court!
Of course, the main reason we left California was to be closer to family and oh how nice that has been! Our 4th grandson, Noah Lee, arrived in March and now we have what we call “birthday season.” Kyle, Lauren, all 4 grandsons, Ken’s brother and Andrea’s sister, all celebrate in the three months between March 11th and June 7th. The kids live close enough that we go there or they come here pretty regularly. Soon though, the boys may be pestering mom & dad to come here more frequently. They love, “Jeepa’s lake,” and going to Jeepa’s house, but really, they just get a kick out of saying, “Jeep-pa-pa!” Honeygrams is the one who spoils them with campfire meals, treats, and all kinds of fun and games.
Happy 60th Barfday, Ken!
Ken turned 60 in 2024 and wanted to celebrate that milestone with his mom. That plan morphed into us (mom, Mel, Ken, his brother Andy, Andrea and her sister Rebecca) all taking a weekend cruise to the Bahamas. Ken flew to Cape Coral a few days early to spend some quality time with mom before transporting her and Mel to meet the rest of us at the seaport in Miami, but that backfired – QUITE LITERALLY! He got food poisoning on Day 2 and quickly went from “Birthday Boy” to “Barf-day Boy”. He spent 3 days in the bathroom and was still so “gummy guts” he called the night before departure to say, “I don’t think we’re gonna make it.” But since the rest of us were already in Miami, he puckered up and made the drive. He spent most of the outbound cruise in the head, but by the time we got to the Bahamas he was looking less green than the sea and by the time we reboarded he was back to his old self. So, we all had (as the slogan goes) “A Perfect Day at Coco Cay!” [Yes, cruise ship marketing is generously aspirational.]
Emily Formella
Family Historian
Every story shared reflects the warmth and love that define our family’s 2025 experience.
Michael Formella
Memory Keeper
Photo Favorites
this is a catch-up letteer for 2023, 2024, and 2025
2025
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Capturing Moments that Matter to Us
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