We added a Santora this year!
Around Christmatime last year, Josh met a young lady at his Masters Class at UCF...he mustered up the courage to ask her on a date, she said yes, and in four months they were engaged! I guess when you know you know!!
There was much to do and preparations to be made. They were both working on completing their Masters degrees as well as working full time and making wedding plans! They would have to marry in late July or wait until Christmas break due to school schedules so they decided sooner was better than later! July 29, 2011...the date was set!
In May Debbie took Kathi and Michelle to NYC for a girls getaway/celebration of Michelle’s graduation from UNF. It was SUCH a wonderful trip! We stayed right near Times Square, ate at Sardis (quiet famous and if you read Karen Kingsbury, you know they ate there!), saw “Phantom of the Opera,” “How to Succeed in Business without really trying”, biked in Central Park, Regis and Kelly taping, visited Ground Zero, the Statute of Liberty, Macy’s (all 9 levels!), a “You’ve Got Mail” (led by our own Michelle!) walking tour, and took a train to visit Lon’s Aunt Kathleen! Whew! All in 5 days!!
On June 13th we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. We were in the Florida Keys with Cindy and Don, Debbie’s sister and brother-in-law. We had a fabulous week swimming, snorkeling, shopping, reminiscing and made many wonderful memories.
July was a busy month!! We celebrated both our birthdays, had a vacation in New Smyrna Beach with all of our children coming to stay for a day or two. We were all together for about 24 hours and it was glorious! Some dear friends gave us the use of their equisite condo which was right on the beach and it was SO amazing! What a blessing and forever memory for us!
On July 29, just a few days after the beach trip, Joshua married Emily and we gained a daughter-in-law. It was a beautiful wedding complete with dinner, dancing, and a candlelit path to a waiting horse drawn carriage! The following week Joshua walked the Isle at UCF one last time and received his Masters in Education. He continues to work for NASA. Emily teaches high school algebra and geometry. They live in Titusville and are enjoying newlywedness. On December 16, Emily received her Masters in Education just like her husband!
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| Kathi with Dan Cathy and the Grand Opening Training team |
On August 15th, Kathi moved to Atlanta, Georgia having accepted a position at Chick Fila home office. She works in the learning and development department. She travels all around the country meeting with owners and operators and has even traveled in the corporate jet! Moo Force One.
Pretty cool stuff! She is adjusting well to life there but we sure do miss having her only two hours away.
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| Danny and Lauren Dailey |
In September we attended Lon's Niece, Lauren's wedding. Welcome to the family Danny!
It was a picture perfect outdoor wedding at a lake house in Anderson, South Carolina. After a beautiful ceremony and wonderful southern dinner, the happy couple left by speed boat as the sun was setting...we especially enjoyed spending time with Lon's Aunt Kathleen who was able to come down from New York for the wedding. As you can see, Lauren was a beautiful Bride...and I think Danny was saying..."not one more picture Aunt Debbie!"
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| this is the face you make when you see your dog peeing on a guest! |
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| Ai and Mitsuko |
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| Random Act of Culture at OIA |
Lon did some traveling for work this Fall. He spent a week in Denver, which he really enjoyed and a week in Las Vegas…which he didn’t really enjoy! He also went to D.C. for a week. They traveled by Amtrak and he has decided that he would rather fly or go on a cruise, which says a lot about how much he DID NOT like the train!
In December, Lon and Debbie ran in the Reindeer Run which is a 5K at Sea World. Everyone dresses up and it's ....well not fun...but in a way it IS fun! It's fun when we're done! And we get cookies and hot chocolate! There were over 4,600 runners this year! Their biggest crowd ever!!
Michelle will be stretched like never before…going to a strange land, by herself, to a family she’s never met. We know that God is going to do great things in her life. We are reminded that we need to surrender to God what we love the most. In this situation, that would be our precious daughter. We know that He loves her and will go with her. We recently found out that one of the other team members is a friend of ours from many years ago! How precious of God to have a friend waiting in this foreign land! Please pray that God will provide the finances she needs to get over there and back. Please email us if you would like to support her financially and prayerfully! deborah.santora@gmail.com
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and is name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
This Christmas Season we are
challenged to…
WORSHIP FULLY...SPEND LESS….GIVE MORE…LOVE ALL
(The Advent Conspiracy)
Love and Blessings,
Lon and Debbie
Visit our blog, Santora Syle, for updates throughout the year!
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