December, 2009
The Athanasios Newsletter
Well, hello again … it’s been a while. Yes, last year we did
not have a newsletter (long story), but it was really nice to
hear from so many of you. I did not realize that you really
read those letters … thank you.
So, let’s start with last year, 2008. Let’s see if I can
remember anything.
Our summer was spent on a fantabulous road trip from
Alamo, California, all the way to Victoria, BC in Canada.
Amy went with us and we had a really wonderful trip. We
stopped in many wonderful places along the way. Our first
stop was Willits, CA where we had the best breakfast ever
… the chocolate milks were yummy and the potatoes were
oh-so-greasy and delicious. We also spent a night in Eureka –
Neda, remember the “shoplifting will be rewarded with a
free ride to the police station” sign? Our “cruise” in
Humboldt bay was interesting ☺. We also stopped in a Wild
Cat Park … oh that was fun – seeing all the wild cats up
close and personal … “show me some teeth” (sorry, that’s an
inside joke only Amy, Hana and Neda will get). We also
spent a night in Springfield Oregon where we watched the
4th of July fireworks and Hana dunked her cell phone in
lemonade! Then we drove to Seattle and spent a couple of
days there. We had a fantastic time
in Pike’s Market and had some weird
fish tossed at us. We went to the
Seattle Space Needle and marveled
at the view from the top. We had a
yummo dinner at the crab hotpot – a
meal we will not forget anytime soon!
We then drove to Port Angeles (where some of us sucked
ice cream out of a straw) to take
the ferry to Canada. Oh my, what
a fantastic time we had in
Victoria. We went to the Undersea
Gardens and saw the biggest eel
ever, we went to the Buchard
Gardens and saw the most
beautiful flowers (and ate yucky pizza on the way). We also
walked around town, visited the
mall, ate at the Spaghetti Factory
(yummy), went to their Fisherman’s
Wharf and fed the seals and walked
around the beautiful boat houses (I
want one of those). We also
attended a magician show where I
was totally willing to sacrifice Hana’s arm for some good
laughs … right Hana? On the way
back from Canada, we stopped in
Portland, Gold Beach (weren’t
those calamari’s delish?) and lamo
Bandon where we were almost
blasted with sand. Once we
entered California, we stopped in
Clamath and took the sky ride up to the “sky” – really to the
top of the giant redwood trees. Needless to say, most
Volume 3, Issue 1
of us were totally freaking out even though
the scenery was breathtaking. Our final stop
was in Avenue of the Giants where we had a
fantastic time and really did not want to
leave. We drove through giant redwood trees,
played ping pong and roasted marshmallows at
midnight and woke up in the gorgeous woods. It was quite
the trip!
This year we celebrated Teta Lina’s 90th birthday. Other
than all her “children”, we were also joined by Alaa, Abla,
Rick, Tamer, Sabry, Maha, Mina and Mirette as well as
more family and friends. Teta brings so much joy and peace
in the family. We love you Teta.
We also celebrated Uncle Norm’s 70th. What a fun event
that was … thanks Garys.
In September, Soos and I went to New York … we had a
great time … dot dot dot … ☺
In October, we went to Florida to
spend some time with Giddo
Roushdy, Teta Wedad, Soos, Kook
and Sue. This time Boshra went with
us. Our vacation started
wonderfully, in Miami, then at May’s beautiful house
meeting with some of my wonderful Miami friends. Next
day, in Captiva Island, we played tennis. Boshra and I were
kicking some serious tuchas when pop! I fell to the ground
in excruciating leg pain … but according to Kook … “it is
not the Achilles ya habeebty” … my ankle swelled up and
was miserable the duration of the trip. I went back to
California and asked my doctor to cast it since we
had reservations to go to Egypt during
Thanksgiving week. My doctor did not like what
she saw and referred me to an Ortho Surgeon who
too one look at it and determined it was a
complete rupture of … yes, my Achilles Tendon ya
habeebty! I was scheduled for surgery the next day and
spent the next 6 weeks off the floor and the following 6
weeks wearing a boot and doing physical therapy. Needless
to say, we did not go to Egypt! I am doing very well now,
but, unfortunately, I will not be able to
compete in any more sexy legs
competitions!
Back to our Florida trip – despite the
“injury”, we had a great time as usual. We
fished a lot (actually caught a couple of
snooks this time), enjoyed great company,
and discussed politics daily (our trip was
just before the presidential elections and even those of us
who never pray, prayed for this one … thankfully, the
outcome was what we were all hoping for and we had a
good cause to celebrate later in November).
So, 2008 was a good year … let’s see what happened in 2009.
For that, you would have to go to the next page.
OK – now, let’s see what we did this year …
Auntie Phoebe came for a visit early in the year. It was so nice seeing
her. Then Soos came for a few days. As usual, we had a wonderful
time with her. Then Maria came and spent a few days with us. I really
had a good time with her. Maria, you promised to come back on a
Monday, in November when you are not pregnant! In April, Kook,
Sue and Nadia came for a visit. We had a very enjoyable time with
them. We hope to see all of them again soon.
As soon as school was over, we took a Pacific
Northwest Cruise – just the four of us. We drove
to LA and boarded the magnificent Mariner of
the Seas.
Our first stop was San Francisco (how funny is
that!). The highlight of our trip was when the ship
sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge … wow …
fantastic! In San Francisco, everyone disembarked
except us … so we had the whole ship to ourselves. We
spent our day playing basketball and mini golf and
rock climbing (yes, even yours truly rock climbed and
in the process provided a lot of entertainment for
all those watching). It was a really nice day.
We also stopped in Victoria (yes, again). This
time, we walked all over town and then ended our
visit with a horse drawn carriage that took us back
to our ship.
Our last stop was in Seattle, where the girls and I
walked around the city, visited the first Starbucks,
ate at the best handmade cheese factory, walked all over Pike’s
Market and had a great day. Daddy went to a bar and watched the
Egypt vs Italy game (Egypt won) … so we all had
a great day!
We also cruised several days. While at sea, we saw
whales, sharks, dolphins – the girls went ice
skating, we ate, swam, Jacuzzi(ed), and made
friends with the Avetisians. Neda and Henry spent
a lot of time together and had a wonderful time at
the pool and making a mess out of ice cream! The
shows were great and we really enjoyed ourselves a lot.
On our way back home, the Avetesians invited us to watch the USA
vs Egypt game at their beautiful house in Burbank. We had a really
nice morning/afternoon with them and drove back home.
Mena, Reda’s cousin’s son came in June and has been staying with us.
We love having Mena as a member of our family and we wish him all
the best in his career and academic endeavors. His only problem is
that he consumes too much “pepper” … we need a constant supply
to keep him happy. He is a talented guitar player and is teaching
Neda to play the guitar … lalalalala …
In August, we flew to Washington DC to attend Noof’s wedding …
what a joyful event that was. I cannot
put in words what a happy,
memorable time everyone had. The
rehearsal dinner, the wedding, the
brunch … everything. It was just
lovely. Noof and Noel, we wish you
all the best …
We then drove to Virginia Beach and spent a week with a group
from the YWCA. That was a lot of fun too. We enjoyed “living”
with Nadia, Tia, Ramzy, Soos, Ramzy H., Adam and Samia very
much. We also enjoyed our beach days, dinners, walks and times
with Nevine and John, Dalal and Sherif, Manal and Michael, the
Guirgis family and the Bishara family. We hope to
see you all again soon.
In August, I finally became an Auntie. Maria and
Samer welcomed baby Nora Alison Sadek on
08/19. I saw her in October
… what a cutie. Hana and
Neda can’t wait to see her.
In November, the girls and I took a trip to
Egypt. On the way, we stopped for a day with
Salma and Martin in Amsterdam. It was so nice
meeting Martin. They are getting married on
December 22nd. 2009. We wish them all the best. We had a great
day. We went to the open market (sook el khodar), had a delicious
meal, visited the Van Gogh Store, walked around the I Amsterdam
sign and played UNO! What fun we had. And, although the
competition between Martin and airplane food was intense, I will not
tell you the results! I will let Neda do that instead. And Amany, we
will see you next time.
In Cairo, we were picked up by Basbousa and Karim … we are so
happy to see them and so happy for them for their engagement.
We spent some time with Teta and Giddo. Thank you Teta for all
you do for all of us – we love you very much. Giddo, hope you get
better soon.
We saw and visited with our dear dear friends. We spent a lovely day
with the Abdallah family and my Aunti
Nahed. We also spent a wonderful
evening with Sherif, Suzy, Heba, Nada,
Asma, Aziz, Basil and Shalaby! Suzy,
thank you so much for putting a really
nice evening together … and
hopefully, your hearing will get better
soon … eih … mish sam3a! Habhouba Almost, we are waiting for
you in summer!
We also spent another fantastic evening with the Adly Farid clan –
oh do I miss Uncle Adly and Tante Camellia. We saw Farid’s family,
Sherif’s family, Uncle Maher and Baby, Uncle Sayed and Jill, Suzy
and Heba and Seesa and Basbousa. Thank you Gina for a really nice
evening and we are looking forward to seeing you all in summer.
The girls and I spent a day with Doodoo at
the pyramids. That was so much fun – we
are extremely grateful to Doodoo and
Nermine and we hope to see them soon
in California. Reemo, we are waiting for
you to spend a summer with us.
We also spent a very nostalgic evening
with my friends from AUC – colleagues who I have not seen in the
last 23 years (since I was 5). That evening was a trip down memory
lane. Thank you Mohammed and thank you FaceBook!!!
And thank you everyone … it was wonderful seeing Nevine, Fatma,
Aimy, Samha, Randa and Noor el Hoda.
Hana is in 7th grade this year. She is growing to be a beautiful (inside and out) young lady who brings us a lot of
joy. She played soccer this year and her team, the Force, won the U14 League Championship … go Force! (She
loves her soccer buddies). Hana also is a wonderful actress, yes at home and on stage! This year, her drama class
presented “Crime Scene” and she played the judge (she was the cutest judge I ever saw) and the clock (that was
hilarious) … She is also becoming a wonderful photographer. You should check out some of her photos on
FaceBook. Hana is truly a compassionate gentle person. We love you Hannouna.
Nedzy is turning double digits this year – wow, I can’t believe that she will be 10 years old! She is still the funny,
messy, delightful, clownish self she has always been. Neda started dance lessons this year, so watch out Beyonce!
She was in Mrs. Manning’s class last year and in Mrs. Keen’s class this year and is having a great year. Neda joined
her chorus group this year and they performed at the Alamo Tree Lighting event and at a concert at school.
Wonderful! We love you Nay Nay.
Reda and I are almost turning triple digits ☺ - or at least that’s how it feels sometimes. We continue to balance demands of work, the girls, the
pets, the house as well as make sure to have fun with family and friends … life is good!
And, we also have a new addition to our family … Loui the cat joined our clan in November. He and Pudgy are learning to live together … it’s
not easy … especially when they are both competing for the cutest, prettiest and most favorite member of the family position.
We are so proud of Hana and Neda. This summer, they started a charity project to benefit St. Judes’ Children’s Hospital, The Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society and Make a Wish Foundation. They offered their services during the weekends to anyone in our community who needed
any assistance that they may be able to provide - for example, helping wash a car or tidy up a closet, help with folding laundry, reading to or
helping baby-sit a younger child, helping with filing, helping in the kitchen or yard, walking the dog … etc. During the summer, they washed
cars, cleaned garages, bird-sat a parakeet (that was a fun job – they miss Commet), picked fruits from fruit trees, made lunches (Hana loves to
cook), took out our neighbor’s garbage cans/brought them back in while our neighbors were on vacation, fed squirrels (that was interesting) and
helped clean up yards. Instead of paying them for these services, Hana and Neda asked their “clients” to donate to their charities. They are still
available. If you wish to “hire” them, please contact us at hanaandnedasummercharity@gmail.com.

They are also involved in monthly homeless lunches and monthly homeless dinners … wow … what wonderfully
kind children we have … silly, but wonderful …

This year, we said good bye to Aunti Loola Attallah and Khallo Fouad … they will be missed.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

The Athanasios Newsletter is published annually in December (although we missed last year’s edition … but it sounds so professional to say
it this way). Executive, editorial, and advertising offices are located at 1448 Twelve Oaks Ct – Alamo – CA 94507 (meaning my office, my
computer and my printer). We can also be reached via email (soha@athanasios.com). Please check us out at athanasios.com. All
photographs are © of Reda and Soha Athanasios (although the good ones are Hana’s).