December 15, 2007
2007 Year-in-Review
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Welcome to the third annual Buchwald Family Newsletter! This year has been busy, bringing with it many new challenges and adventures.
BUCHWALDS DOWN UNDER?
We kicked off 2007 by making an 18-month commitment to plan to go to World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia. If you’re not familiar with World Youth Day, it is an international gathering of Catholic teens and young adults. Pope John Paul II started World Youth Day celebrations in the 1980s, with larger international gatherings happening about every three years.
Our parish is teaming up with another local parish and together we have approximately 60 people, including Amy’s cousin Beth, hoping to make the trip.
Since January, we’ve been selling, assembling and distributing hoagies almost continuously. When fundraising started, we were merely along for the ride, but we soon discovered that there were many areas where we could help. Amy waits for the delivery of hoagie supplies (they might arrive any time from 10am to 5pm!) and tries to get everything sorted & organized before the crew arrives while Matt works to make sure the assembly lines don’t run out of anything. We’ve very nearly perfected the process… by the time we actually figure it all out, we’ll be done fundraising!
In the new year, we hope to be updating our website more often with our progress on the road to Sydney. We’ll definitely have a full report with lots of pictures when we get back, so make sure to keep an eye out for it!
ALL IN A YEAR’S WORK
Almost immediately after the first World Youth Day informational meeting, we discovered that Matt’s feet were two very different sizes. After a full course of testing, x-raying and scanning and countless doctor appointments, we still don’t know exactly what was wrong, but his feet finally match again!
While all of that was going on, we learned the hard way that it’s always a good idea to shovel the driveway when it snows.
Matt has had a nice quiet year at I2T without any crazy three-week project start-up trips. It was a welcome change from 2006! He’s looking forward, though, to completing a few more projects in 2008.
The end of June brought with it the first anniversary of living in our house and of Amy’s new career as a full-time domestic engineer. In addition to everyday housework, Amy also teaches CCD and finally finished her Basic Certification courses through the diocese this fall.
We also learned a new craft together over the summer. Amy discovered an organization called Rosary Army, whose primary purpose is to teach people to make, pray and give away all-twine knotted rosaries. Amy’s been working on some rosaries to send to Rosary Army (they send a free rosary to anyone who requests one and rely on volunteers to help keep up with the demand) and we’re also planning to teach the World Youth Day group and take some with us to Australia.
YACHT CLUB AND YOUTH GROUPIES
As a result of our involvement with the World Youth Day group, we’ve also joined our parish’s YACHT Club (Young Adult Catholics Honoring the Trinity) and we’ve been chaperoning occasional Youth Group outings and retreats. Most recently, we spent a weekend at Camp Allegheny on retreat with over 100 teens from all over the Pittsburgh Diocese.
NORTH OF THE BORDER
In August, we visited Niagara Falls for probably the last time before the new passport laws go into effect. We spent the first part of our trip with Amy’s sister Lisa & brother-in-law David then met up with some of Amy’s friends for some extra sight seeing.
While we had Lisa & David with us, we explored Niagara Falls State Park, walked to Canada and back, and visited the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.
At the park, Matt had his picture taken with the statue of Nicola Tesla for the second time, making it a new Official Buchwald Family Traditionâ„¢. We also spent a significant amount of time watching a duck attempt to swim upstream near the edge of the falls. Small things amuse us!
We visited the Shrine so that we could take one more picture with the statue of Saint Matthias to give to Father Ritzert before he retired.
After David & Lisa went home, we spent some more time at the Shrine, exploring the Avenue of Saints and the various gardens and taking in the view from the top of the Basilica.
We spent the remainder of our trip visiting with friends at both Niagara on the Lake and at the Butterfly Conservatory. Amy particularly enjoyed the butterflies! We also walked up Clifton Hill and rode the Sky Wheel, an enclosed ferris wheel that overlooks the falls.
CATS IN THE CORNER
Ratzi & Linus spent much of the past year sleeping and they’re quite proud of it! They also enjoy chasing each other around the house and pestering us for breakfast beginning at about 3:30 in the morning. Mostly, they’re just really loveable cats and we’re glad they’re ours!
UNTIL NEXT YEAR…
We hope that 2008 brings everyone happiness and many blessings. Please stay in touch & let us know how life is in your neck of the woods. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!
Love,
Matt, Amy, Ratzi & Linus Buchwald
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