Hannah's Last Days as an Eighth Grader!

Hannah wrapped up her middle school career at Barrington Christian Academy with quite a string of important events.  A Sports Banquet, School Play and of course, Eighth Grade Graduation.

THE SPORTS BANQUET

Hannah sang the Spar-Spangled Banner as a duet with her friend Emily to open the sports banquet festivities. Of course, I was running late from an appointment, so made them re-perform it for me in the back hallway of the school! LOL!!!

Hannah (2nd from right) with her basketball buddies receiving their certificates of recognition.

Hannah received the Most Valuable Player award for the second year in a row.  As the point guard, she scored 144 points for the season, leading her team to a 14-1 record.

Swish!

My girl in Action!!

Hannah is a fierce competitor and not just an outstanding basketball player! She also received an award for placing 3rd in hurdles in a regional track meet out of 37 teams!

THE PLAY - WELCOME BACK BILLY BEST

Hannah's Solo Performance

EIGHTH GRADE GRADUATION

Hannah looked amazing on Graduation day and so grown up!

Hannah only had 19 kids her graduating class. A big change for her going to high school next year where she will have 400 in her freshman class!

The Graduate!

The kids created a memory board highlighting all their best memories of middle school.

Look out LaSalle Academy...HERE COMES HANNAH JANNITTO!!

Puerto Rico - The Island of Enchantment

For Hannah's April spring break we headed to Puerto Rico.  Marcus has been there hundreds of times with the Air National Guard on specific missions.  Hannah and I had vacationed there years ago....probably six to be exact.  I'm so glad we went back!   We experienced life on the opposite side of the island from San Juan, on the Coast Guard base in Borenquen.  The Base is located in a fairly secluded area and right on "Survivors Beach", a nearly deserted beach.  It was paradise!

PR has over 300 miles of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, a large Tropical Rain forest, a Cave System millions of years old, and a Dry Forest filled with Cactus.

Puerto Rico is one of the top five destinations for shore diving the Caribbean/Atlantic region.  The ocean temperatures are 81ºF and underwater visibility averages from 60 to 75 feet near the beach. Offshore it is easily 100 feet or more! Literally a diver's paradise!

When I take vacations with my friends they are rarely trips of leisure...but Marcus planned this trip knowing full well, I need a break from my business and from my fast-paced Barcelona trip the month before!

 

Did you know the Pina Colada was supposedly invented in Puerto Rico?  I'll drink to that!

 A relaxing, and memorable trip....a time of peace and reflection with my peeps!

Remembering Barcelona

Barcelona, "Gaudi's City" was my destination of choice for the month of March! What a great choice it was...full of art, architecture, fashion, food and fun!  I traveled with my friend Catherine, with whom I've been to five different countries including France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and now Spain.

Many famous artists came out of Spain including Pablo Picasso, Anton Gaudi (architect), and surrealist painter, Joan Miro.  Gaudi's architectural influence is everywhere in the city...thus the nickname "Gaudi's City". 

 

  

Barcelona has been at the centre of the Street Art Movement for over a decade, inspiring writers & artists the world over.  This unique artistic expression can be seen everywhere.

I visited my second Olympic Stadium of the year. The 1992 Summer Olympics were held in Barcelona.

One of the main highlights of my trip was meeting Nunu, my Barcelonian-based massage therapist.  It is a rare treat when I get to meet one of my European therapists! 

She was a delight and besides giving myself and Catherine each an awesome massage...which we needed after many hours of airplane travel and hours of sightseeing on foot...she also took us to many local digs...including an authentic Flamenco club. 

A visit to the Benedictine Monk retreat at Montserrat offered some of the most spectacular mountain views of Catalunya.

We took a break from Barcelona’s frenetic pace to venture into the countryside of Catalonia.  We enjoyed lunch in a winery where local families eat on Sundays.  We began our meal with glasses of cava, Spanish sparkling wine, and ended with a splurge on roasted veggies, tapas, lamb, sausage, and ended with the traditional carmalized-flan!

Barcelona Baby!  I'll be back!

NYC - The "Apple" of My Eye

Earlier this month I combined business and pleasure in NYC. I had a big meeting in the "city" and took my family along for fun.

Hannah is now old enough to appreciate all that New York has to offer. In the past it has always been too much walking, too much noise, and too much complaining! LOL!!

We went to the top of the Empire State Building, and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Hannah got close to a lot of Rock Stars..welcome to my world!!

We also visited the Museum of Natural History, Ground Zero, satiated ourselves in Little Italy, the Hard Rock Cafe in Time's Square, Ellen's Stardust Diner where the waitstaff aspire to be Broadway stars...and saw magical Mary Poppins on Broadway.

At 14, Hannah loves to people watch, take pictures non-stop...and shop, so what better place to do it! Chinatown was a young girl's shopping dream!

Did I mention shop 'til you drop!

Tryin' to blend on the NYC subway! 

We had a blast and built some more family memories. I can't think of two people I enjoy more then Mark and Hannah. I am so lucky, and celebrate their light and love everyday!

Tourlink Conference 2010, Mesa AZ

The Magic of Montreal

While most families head south to escape the harsh New England winter to bask in the sun for a minute...my family decides to head north to enjoy artic-like conditions in Montreal, Canada!  But, there is something magical about Montreal in winter.   The most striking aspect of the city was its vibrancy in all aspects of culture, architecture, demographics, street character, connectivity and the life of the city...even in winter.

 

I personally  LOVED Old Montreal which lies along the St. Lawrence river and is a tribute to the cities romantic past. Horse and buggies chauffeur tourists down the cobblestone streets, and along the riverbank are the museums and attractions of the Old Port.  Since it was during the holidays,

the snow-covered streets were flanked by lighted trees, and the restaurants and cafes were decorated in holiday garb, with their rich aromas filling every nook and cranny of the narrow streets.

In Old Montreal I satisifed my need for "tourist shopping". We each bought a funky animal hat that made us look like we needed to be wearing "animal crossing" signs on our backs.   I also purchased Canada's popular maple tea, and ice-wine tea for my friends back home.

The Summer Olympics were hosted in Montreal in 1976.   If I remember correctly, the Canadians failed to win one gold medal at those games and on their own soil.   The Olympic Park is now home to a variety of sanctuaries.  An animal sanctuary, an insectoriam, and botanical gardens.  (my favorite).

 

In the center of town, a block from the hotel, we visited the underground city which stretches over 18 miles and links offices, department stores, restaurants and cafes, subway stations, and rail and bus terminals.  This was a great place to get out of the blizzard conditions for awhile.

I would love to go back to Montreal in the summer.  They host festival after festival...and even though we all know I'm in it for the music, they also host film, art , comedy, and cultural events! I'm in.