Woohoo...We've been away for a while to spend time with family. Did not sail on Orion but took a plane to Miami, Florida. Our friends Jim and Pat took our cat "Whiskers" in their home in Ponce; their cat "Malcolm" was looking forward to her company...at least that is what Jim told us! We thank all three of them for making it possible for us to enjoy being away without having to worry about "Whiskers", our 18 year old sailor cat :o) You guys are the best! Graduation Julia
On April 27, 2010 our daughter Julia graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a Bachelor of Arts...Minor in English Literature...Magna Cum Laude...Member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society! We are incredibly proud of Julia and her accomplishments.
On April 27, 2010 our daughter Julia graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a Bachelor of Arts...Minor in English Literature...Magna Cum Laude...Member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society! We are incredibly proud of Julia and her accomplishments. 
We still cannot believe how grown up our daughter is...Wasn't it just yesterday that we saw her sitting in front of Miami Dade College with her new Mac Computer? Four years have passed since then...unbelievable! Well, Julia's hard work and dedication have paid off and she is well on her way to her next adventures. As her parents we could not be prouder of her!We all, especially Julia, were so thankful that her Grandfather, Rick's 90 year old father Harvey, traveled all the way from North Carolina to come and see her graduate. Way to go Grandpa! We know that Julia's paternal Grandmother Betty and her maternal Grandparents Susanne and Hermann are very proud of Julia also and I am sure the heavens were singing mighty songs that day!
Abigail's First Birthday
We also celebrated the first birthday of sweet Abigail, Rick's first Grandchild together with Abigail's parents Mike and Michelle Goostree and a whole bunch of other people. Her actual birthday was on April 30, 2010, but there were several days of fun activities to accommodate everybody in the extended family. Michelle and her sister Jeanette are my step-daughters. Jeanette came all the way from Melbourne, Florida to join the fun :o) She also attended Julia's graduation ceremony. Jeanette and Michelle, together with our children Jessica, Julia, and Michael make up the most important part of our blended family and we are very proud of all of them. It was great to be together again in one spot, since the kids all live in Florida now and of course we are freshly baked "boat people" in Puerto Rico! We missed "the Tedster", Jeanette's husband. Ah well, reason enough for another get together in the not too distant future...we might even sail there!
Rick's 60th Birthday
Yap...just after the Grandkid turned one year young, Rick joined the Club of Sixty!! May 3, 2010 was the actual big day. The kids gave him a surprise birthday party a few days earlier with his favorite: an ice cream cake :o) They presented him with a gift card for Barnes and Nobles for some big amount, knowing that he will put it to good use for reading material or DVDs on the boat...Way to go guys! This was very thoughtful of all of you and totally unexpected, since we don't usually exchange presents for the grown-ups anymore...Guess sixty is a milestone again! Way to go Rick!
There's so much more stuff to report, which I will do in another post on this blog soon. I am still in awe that I had my three kids in one spot for a change...love you Jessica, Julia, and Michael! And of course...love you Michelle, Mike, and Abby!...And ...love you Jeanette and Ted! And...love you Harvey! God bless all of you! 
