I look forward to writing this letter every year. It gives me a chance to reflect on how blessed we have been. It also helps me determine what I want 2026 to look like, although best laid plans….
This was the year we were going to spend more time at home. Didn’t happen. But we tried. We started off January with planning two back to back trips to Cuba. You noticed I said ‘planned’. The first trip didn’t happen for us due to a medical emergency with David. He’s fine now, but the first trip was a no go. I’m now a firm believer in travel insurance as it really paid off. I was able to go on the second trip to Santiago which was a wonderful experience. The Cuban people do so much with so little.
April found us visiting our good friends from Australia in Tasmania. Yes, there’s actually a Tasmanian devil. He’s vicious and not someone you would want to meet in a back alley. Tasmania is a beautiful, rural, throwback in time kind of island and I would highly recommend a visit. .
Staying on the island theme, we next went to Sicily in May. If you’ve ever visited Italy you know how great the food is and Sicily is no exception. Seafood forward, there’s still plenty of pasta and pizza and we enjoyed it all.
Next island visit was in July when we toured Ireland. This was on my bucket list and it didn’t disappoint. The people are warm and the landscape inspiring. This one might merit a return visit.
Our most exotic trip was in October/November to Nepal and Bhutan. Kathmandu is a little like India lite. It’s a decently large city with the Himalayas as a backdrop. Mainly Hindu, a large Stupa was near our hotel and available for us to visit at any time. Bhutan was a whole different breed. Very mountainous, the country is very rural and steeped in deep traditions. The men and women mostly wear their traditional dress and continue to celebrate festivals with dance and song. They don’t want to become a tourist destination which explains the $200/day fee to visit. Finally, Tammie went on to Thailand while David traveled back home.
Our family continues to thrive. Ethan is now in 1st grade and is reading well. Alexa continues with her art endeavors while Jason stays busy with his consulting business. Brandon and Kathryn remain in Santa Clarita with their two adorable cats. We were fortunate to all be together for Thanksgiving.
We look forward to spending the holidays with our family and friends. We hope 2026 is kind to you and yours.
The Maloney’s
Tammy
ReplyDeleteYour year sounds wonderful. Sorry David had a health setback,and I'm glad you pursued with your I ur plans. You are lucky to have seen both boys st Thanksgiving. My boys both came in October. Christopher is coming for Christmas, but Andrew prefers to work at his Detox facility in Florida because he'll get double pay.
Happy new year!
The Kemendos