Holmdel,
December 2004 Dear Friends, |
Happy New Year 2005 | |||
2005 is just around the corner and we're back to share with you how 2004 went by for us. The year began with lots of snow in New Jersey. Mauricio's mom, Renalva, who arrived in December 2003 to visit, stayed until March, when it started getting a little warmer. During her stay, she made two beautiful paintings for us. |
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Alec and
Sasha are growing up fast. Sasha turns
17 on December 31st. Alec
turned 13 on August 3rd.
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Sasha and Lucia started the year in Rome. They traveled there with Sasha's friend Debbie to celebrate Sasha's 16th birthday. They stayed for five days, three in Rome, two in Naples. |
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Sasha started the 11th grade in September and is starting to take the first steps toward leaving for college. She's enrolled in an SAT prep course for her March 2005 (new format) SAT. She is looking for a university in the east coast of the U.S. Something not too close, but also not too far from home. Her current plans seem to be leaning toward a major in something like political science or psychology. | ![]() |
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This year Sasha started learning how to drive. She took some driving classes and got her trainer's permit and now practices mainly with Mauricio. After next March, she will be able to take her examination to get a permanent driver's license. Sasha enjoys music and film. She went with friends to see bands like Thursday, Thrice, and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. At home, she can watch, over and over, a DVD of a movie she likes. One of her favorite films this year was the Brazilian movie Cidade de Deus (City of God). It's common for her to go to a friend's to watch one or more DVDs. Of course, her mom and dad are most often the chauffeurs. |
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Alec started
the 8th grade in September. His
favorite subjects are still math and science and his
biggest doubt
now is where he will do his high school. In
November, he attended an open house at a small math and
science
magnet school near our home. The High
Technology High School takes about 60 students a year from all over
Monmouth
Country and directs the student's studies to math, science,
engineering, and
research. Entrance is very competitive
and he doesn't even know if he will get in. But
if he does, he worries he will lose his friends at
Holmdel High
School. |
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Alec continues to play on the Torpedoes, his travel soccer team since age eight. While playing, he fractured his wrist attempting a bicycle kick during a tournament in October. That kept him off the team for the rest of the year, tough he did take part in several practices (almost making Lucia go crazy). His team went from premiere to second division and back to premiere this year. In 2005, the team is planning a trip to play a tournament in Portugal. Alec ran 14 kilometers in December to raise funds for the trip. |
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During Spring Break in April, Alec traveled with his friend Adam and Adam's parents, Linda and Boaz to Hilton Head, South Carolina, where he mainly hung out on the beach. In August, he traveled to Scotland, once again with Adam, Linda, and Boaz. He spent two weeks there and visited places like Edinburgh, Isle of Harris, and Loch Ness (no, he didn't see the Loch Ness monster). |
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Mauricio and
Lucia are still working for AT&T at the same jobs as last year. Though Mauricio's organization has appeared
to be safer from layoffs this year, Lucia's organization was affected
several
times. Lucia and Mauricio have both
thought of leaving AT&T, but for now are still put.
Besides traveling with Sasha to Italy, Lucia
traveled alone to Rio in February for ten days to be with her parents. |
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Mauricio traveled much less this year than on previous years. He went twice to Gainesville (Florida) to visit his friend and colleague Panos Pardalos and twice to Brazil for conferences. Both conferences were in nice places: Angra dos Reis, on the coast just south of Rio and São João del Rey, in Minas Gerais State. |
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On the Angra dos Reis trip, Panos came along on his first trip ever to Brazil. Panos liked it so much that four months later he was back in Brazil. | ![]() |
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Mauricio continued to be involved with Alec's soccer team, acting as an assistant coach. He really enjoys it. | ![]() |
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On her spare time, Lucia continues with her beads. She took over one of the rooms in our house and really enjoys making jewelry. She and several friends from work took part in two street fairs this year, where Lucia was actually able to make some money from her art. | ![]() |
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In July, the
whole family made its annual pilgrimage
to Rio. Mauricio and the kids stayed for
five weeks, mainly in Rio, ... |
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Itaipava (at
Mauricio's mom's house on the
mountains
near Rio), ... |
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and at the beach side town of Búzios. |
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Lucia stayed an extra three weeks working. Again this year her management at AT&T let her work from Rio. The wonders of modern telecommunications! | ![]() |
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Besides seeing friends and family from Brazil, we got together with Florida friends Joyce, Marcel, and son Jason for a nice rodízio (all-you-can-eat barbecue) at Barra Grill in Rio. They were impressed with Barra Grill as we always are, too. Joyce went to Escola Americana with Mauricio in the 70s. Mauricio took Alec and cousin Gabriel to Maracanã stadium in Rio to watch Botafogo and Flamengo play a scoreless soccer match. It was fun, nevertheless. Alec and Mauricio are Botafogo fans, while Gabriel likes Flamengo (Lucia's team). On our last weekend in Rio, we once again threw a big party to celebrate Alec's birthday at Lucia's parents' (Orestes Lucio and Maria Ignez) place. It was packed. |
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Rio de
Janeiro friends Johnny and Beth with sons Nick and Bernardinho, as well
as
Lucia's cousin Maria Luiza, spent the Christmas holidays with us. |
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That's all,
folks. We all wish you happy holidays
and a 2005 full of joy. We hope that in
2005 we can meet to catch up on things and have some fun. Kisses and
hugs,
Lucia,
Mauricio, Sasha, and Alec. |