It's been over a year since I last wrote and these days, that seems like the blink of an eye. So much has happened in our family since then, as I'm sure it has in yours. Some good and some not so good, but I do hope that as in ours, the good outnumbers the unfortunate. I hope that you and all of your family are all well.
We are mostly excited about having Zoe back with us in Canberra! She had an amazing time in Japan last year and has made lifelong friends and experienced the world in a new way! She has grown and matured a great deal while she was away, and Spike and I feel that she is now another adult in the family, rather than our little girl! While at first I felt a little sadness at this, it wasn't long before I this 'new' member of our family was one of my best friends with whom I love connecting and spending time with even more! Part of her growing was being our tour guide and host while we spent 3 weeks with her in Tokyo last June/July last year. She took on the responsibility of taking care of a party of 5 of us travelling in an around Tokyo as well as other cities in Japan. We had an unforgettable time with her and it definitely made the time she spent away from us easier to take, having seen where she lives and meeting the many wonderful host families and friends that looked after her who have now become part of our extended family. Being able to Skype with them regularly will hopefully keep us close in touch for many years to come. Zoe has now started the next chapter of her life, an Asian Studies degree majoring in Japanese, at the Australian National University.
Grant continued to play football as well as futsal, at an elite level last year and was part of the national championships in Sydney at the beginning of this year. He also finished High School last year and has moved on to College this year taking on the new responsibility for his own learning expected of students in College better than expected. It will be a tough two years, but hopefully at the end of this, he will leave college with a good all round education, and skills to continue his education here or overseas.
Spike and I are both well, with our share of aches and pains that come with reaching midlife! We both turned 50 last year and we also celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary this year, so the last year was a real milestone for us both. We took Grant and Spike's mother to Japan with us last year to visit Zoe, and to celebrate our birthdays and our 20th Anniversary last year in a big way! It was a wonderful time for our whole family, and brought us closer together including Spike's mother. I'm still plodding along in my job and Spike has been appointed Deputy Head of his department for two years so is even busier these days. He still finds time for his football and seems to love it more each year! He is enjoying having Zoe back with us as they are very much kindred spirits.
Last year our family lost my Grandfather and so it was a hard year for my mum. The house she grew up in has been sold and it is the end of an era for the Lazarou family. The large gatherings of my childhood at Easter and Christmas are a thing of the past now, but the memories will be with us forever. This Easter has been a quiet one for us here in Canberra, but we have maintained the traditions we adopted after spending time with you in Santorini. We continue to dye eggs, share eggs and cook easter biscuits to share with friends and family. We will celebrate Greek Easter next weekend as well, so we are looking forward to that too.
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