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2013 Holiday Poem

T’was another October and I could really feel the pressure,
To come up with a new poem and to provide a refresher,
Of what we are up to, of course, set  in elegant verse,
If not for rhyming websites, this poem would be far worse!

This year has been interesting at best,
With the government bickering and then taking a rest,
We are sitting here wishing each side would just get along,
So that the economy can continue to get strong.

It’s hard to believe that this is the fifteenth holiday poem of mine,
We began this farce in 1999!
As you have probably surmised, the Bianco’s are doing okay,
Let’s give you an update of what we are up to each day.

Becky works at Google engineering software,
She loves to walk around New York City when she has time to spare.
She has also travelled a lot for pleasure and for work,
Travelling on four continents this year alone has been quite a perk.

In January, she went to Australia on a three week work trip,
Who knew that Becky would come back in a relationship!
He boyfriend, John, moved to New York to be with her,
But now they are on their way to Sydney once Becky gets her transfer.

Julia is a sophomore at Case Western in Cleveland, and now she will try,
To double major in Political and Cognitive Sci.
Throw in a double minor of Writing and Stat,
It’s amazing that she has time for a boyfriend named Matt!

Last summer, Julia stayed in Cleveland taking a course or two,
She also accepted five unpaid writing internships, it’s true.
In August she came home for a few weeks of well-earned rest,
For Julia, dog-sitting a Shih Tzu named Barkley was the absolute best!

I’m sure it’s getting boring since it seems that all our life is about,
Is biking, hiking and climbing the rocks – both indoor and out.
In August we rode a hundred miles with 9000 feet of hill gain,
It took eight hours to finish – a success as we were not in too much pain!

We were in charge of the Eastern Tandem Rally in New Jersey, this year,
We had over 200 people come from quite far and some near,
For a weekend of friends, tandem cycling and eating a ton.
Organizing this rally took a lot of time, but it was also quite fun.

As for trips, we took a lot of long weekends away,
And a few trips up to Vermont to go out and play.
We also went out to California for a wedding and had such a great time,
We partied and biked and even did an outdoor rock climb!

We would love to hear back from each of you,
The holidays are such a busy time of year with so much to do.
When you get a chance, just drop us a line or a note, or we can plan a date,
We could even talk about Congress and commiserate.

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2012 Holiday Poem

T’was another October, the weather again playing tricks,
A pre-Halloween storm — heavy rain and high winds in the mix,
Hurricane Sandy was on her way, a 100 year storm,
For the second year in a row! This is becoming the norm.
So while we still had power, it was best not to wait,
To provide you with our fourteenth yearly update!
Our year’s been busy with celebrations and milestones, we must say,
Two graduations, our silver anniversary, and a REALLY BIG birthday.
Becky graduated with a double major in Math and Comp Sci,
Last June, she was quite ready to bid Cambridge “good bye”,
Now that she’s a New Yorker, she enjoys her trips back, though,
There’s barely time to see old friends and work an MIT show.
Becky works for Google as a Site Reliability Engineer,
She loves it and has no doubts about her choice of career.
Half her team is in Australia and she’ll be spending January “down under”.
She’s pretty independent and excited about life, it’s no wonder.
Last year, Julia graduated high school and is now living away,
We’re empty nesters and amazed at how clean the house tends to stay.
Julia goes to Case Western in Cleveland and is all set,
To major in Cognitive Science and maybe become a vet.
Julia is really enjoying school and with the election of late,
She is making the most of being in Ohio, a swing state.
She’s the Democratic Party Rep for the freshman class, and last week,
She went to a rally, saw Air Force One, and heard the President speak!
We went to Hawaii, last June, and were constantly on the go.
We hiked, kayaked, snorkelled and rode bikes from the top of a volcano.
But the highlight of our trip was our doorless helicopter ride,
Even though Julia feared that she might fall out on her side.
This past year was my last leading my Girl Scout troop,
So I have begun to volunteer with a new group.
We’re planning a cycling rally next August and with help from many a friend,
There’ll be over a hundred tandems riding together for the weekend.
With Julia off to college, Mike lost his partner for climbing rock walls,
So I have joined him with the rope catching me on my falls.
I have enjoyed the challenge and the benefits of stretching each limb,
And I’m proud to be among the oldest women at the rock climbing gym.
We even climbed in the Delaware Water Gap — some may think we’re crazy,
But nobody could ever accuse us of sitting around being lazy!
There are so many things that we are particularly thankful for,
Among them our health, jobs and general good luck, we couldn’t ask for more.
Today, I am especially grateful to have a website to help find the rhyme,
Thus saving me lots of poetry construction time.
I hope that you enjoyed our poem again this year,
As always hearing from you — even in prose — would be quite dear.
And for the Holidays, please stay dry and warm,
Before we know it we’ll be done with this storm!
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2011 Holiday Poem

T’was an afternoon in October, when I looked all about,
Snow was falling fast and the power was out.
With this wintery mess before Halloween,
It was just the time to begin Holiday Poem Number Thirteen.
This year has been interesting at best,
With earthquakes, hurricanes and floods giving us all a test.
So we’ll take this opportunity to let you know,
That the Bianco’s of Montville are well despite all this snow!
Becky is now a senior and will be graduating in June,
She just found a job and will be moving near us soon,
She’ll be working in the high tech industry,
As a software engineer at Google in New York City!
Between work and school, Becky has been pretty busy,
But she did find the time to go out West with Mike to ski.
She also produced the school musical — Jekyll & Hyde.
Her dedication to musical theatre cannot be denied.
In December, Becky will be travelling to Israel for free,
She’s going with Birthright and students from Harvard and MIT.
Julia is also a senior and will be graduating in June,
She’s applying to colleges and will fly from the nest soon.
Julia is a free spirit with her own independent thought,
When she grows up, she wants to be an astronaut.
So she would like to get an engineering degree,
She is also thinking of majoring in Chemistry.
Last summer, we had a taste of living alone,
As Julia travelled to many a different time zone.
She went to Europe, Panama, San Francisco and even outer space,
She commanded a mission at Space Camp to a satellite base.
We travelled with our Girl Scout troop to Switzerland,
We hiked, rapelled and zip lined among mountains quite grand.
Julia and I did the Avon Breast Cancer Walk this year,
We strolled in Santa Barbara with the Pacific Ocean near.
Mike and Julia have taken up rock climbing
at an indoor rock gym,
When Julia goes away to college,
Mike would like me to rock climb with him.
As you know a tandem is where
you’ll usually find me and Mike.
This year we dipped into the savings
and bought a new tandem bike.
This bike is sleek, fast and rides like a skiff on smooth waters,
We’re embarrassed to say that
we now have more tandems than daughters!
We hope you enjoyed this year’s update,
And are doing well with the weather challenges of late.
Please drop us a note or give us a call,
Before we get the plague of locusts that is surely to fall!
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2010 Holiday Poem

T’was another November, the twelfth in a row,
I’m at it again with our annual update, you know.
The past twelve months have flown by so fast,
And so it’s now time to tell you about the year past.
Becky is now a junior at MIT,
She loves being a student, so much, you see,
That she wants to stay a fifth year for a masters degree.
She thinks she can do it practically for free!
Becky worked at France Telecom from May through August.
While she loved Paris, traveling in Europe was also a must.
She rented a studio flat near the Eiffel Tower,
And she walked around Paris many an hour.
Julia is in her junior year at Montville High,
She is smart and pretty, but we are worried — here’s why,
Julia just got her permit and is now learning to drive!
Stay clear of Northern NJ, if you want to stay alive!
In April, we hosted an Israeli girl named, Mai.
And Julia went to Israel for a few weeks in July,
In December, Julia is going back to Israel and I must tell,
That despite her world travels, she still won’t try hummus or falafel.
As for Mike and me, we biked, we hiked and we even bought cross country skis,
We bought a mountain bike tandem and now we ride around rocks and trees!
In the single track mountain bike trails, we have scaled some small log piles,
And on the road bike, in 2010 we rode over 2500 miles!
We have been so into spending the weekends exercising outdoors,
We have no time or energy to do our household chores.
In July Mike and I went on an adventurous vacation together,
Seing Becky in Paris and cycling the French countryside amid lovely weather.
We carried our clothes on the bike and found speaking French a challenge for sure,
But especially when the wine was pouring, we couldn’t ask for more!
 We were in Paris for Bastille Day and also the end of the Tour de France,
The cyclists rode in a pack so fast, we were not able to pick out Lance.
We don’t have much more to say,
Other than we hope that you have a wonderful Holiday.
Please keep in touch, we would love to hear what you are all up to,
And we won’t use any more poetry to bore (or perhaps awe?) you.
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2009 Holiday Poem

T’was a night in November and I’m at it again,
Poem number eleven is at the tip of my pen.
It is so very true, though still a clich*,
Time just flies by, faster each and every day.
So it’s time to update you anew,
As usual in rhyme, though I’m considering Haiku*.

Becky at MIT is now a sophomore,
Computer science and math will be her major.
As the daughter of a programmer and actuary,
The apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree!
Last summer, Cambridge, Mass was Becky’s home base,
She worked with autistic kids, and her data interface.

Becky loves college life, and has been busy in so many ways,
She’s stage managed and produced two of MIT’s musical plays.
Like most college students, she stays up all night,
Between schoolwork and dorm life, there’s no rest in sight!

Julia is now in tenth grade and can always make us smile,
Though a teenager, she still talks to us, at least once in a while.
She’s pretty and smart and I know she’ll go far,
In her free time, Julia plays a keytar.

Last summer, three weeks of camp at Yale flew by so fast!
Julia met kids from over 20 countries and had quite a blast.
School, mentoring and Scouts keep Julia busy so,
She has had little time to be a couch potato.

Mike is still very much into cycling and his new i-phone.
He rode his bike over 1500 miles with me or alone.
With our gadgets, we monitor riding distance and terrain mix.
Total calories burned: 102,396!
We still go out together on the tandem bike,
I even tandemed a hilly 100 mile ride with Mike!

We went on vacation to the National Parks out West,
Julia saw the Grand Canyon and was unimpressed.
We hiked and drove a lot, even off road in a Jeep,
The scenery was breathtaking — and in some places, quite steep!
Mike and I loved it and with more time — and no kids — we will return,
We’ll need to wait ’til retirement, though, for time to not be a concern.

As for me, well there really isn’t anything new,
Busy with work, piano, Girl Scouts and reading a book or two.
I am also trying to teach myself French a little bit,
And I have even found a small amount of time to knit.

It is getting late,
So I’m going to end now,
With my first Haiku!

Don’t be a stranger,
We would love to hear from you!
Happy Holidays!

The Bianco’s.

*Haiku is a very important form of traditional Japanese poetry. It is based on a Zen Buddhist philosophy of brevity and simplicity and is believed to have originated in the 17th century.  The format consists of three sentences, each containing five, seven, and five syllables.   (From www.WiseGeek.com)

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2008 Holiday Poem

Can You Believe It Is Poem Number Ten?

T’was a night in November, when all through the house,
I was sitting with my laptop, my hand on a mouse.
Another year has passed so quickly again,
It’s now time for an update with Poem Number Ten!

Between the election and the economy,
There’s a lot going on in the world, you see.
It seems we are living under that old Chinese curse,
To live in “interesting times”; though it could be worse.
While the stock market crash has diminished our wealth,
We are very thankful that we still have our health.

This year has been busy for the Bianco family,
With two graduations and Becky at MIT.
Mike dropped Becky off at school with nary a tear,
But, it does feel weird with only three of us here.
Now the house can be a disaster, totally and complete,
But Becky’s room ironically remains organized and neat!

Julia is a High School freshman and at 14 is quite busy,
She’s does Girl Scouts, mentors and Forensics — that’s speech, you see.
Julia went to the Toy Challenge National competition.
And with her team, she won an Honorable Mention.
Julia also earned her Girl Scout Silver Award with Troop 1868,
Collecting books and toys for children in hospitals, how great!

Julia spent three weeks at camp in Wellesley last July,
She made lots of friends, with the time just flying by.
Julia’s a Facebook addict, always keeping in touch.
I now have a Facebook account, but I don’t use it much.
Becky is loving college and living in Boston,
While school’s quite hard, she still finds time to have fun.

Last summer we vacationed in Austria on bike,
She enjoyed touring and eating “schlagobers*”, with Mike.
We got lost a lot, but never as bad as on the last day,
When we rode to Vienna, map upside-down all the way.

Becky and I walked for breast cancer, trucking MANY a mile,
We had fun walking, but it was still quite a trial.
We got caught in a surprise storm, getting wet and cold,
For two Girl Scouts, we were quite unprepared, I am told.
Becky appreciates how hard a marathon must be,
I hope to walk with her again, perhaps in a new city.

Mike’s been a political junkie with the recent election,
He’s happy the country is moving in a new direction,
I fear that now that the presidential election is done,
Mike will go through withdrawal until the next one’s begun.

As for me, things seem crazier each and every day,
Managing money has been a challenge, I must say.
But I still find time to do the things that I like,
Like reading, playing piano and riding with Mike.

Well we could certainly tell you more,
But we are running out of paper and don’t want to bore,
We would love to hear back from all of you,
Please keep in touch and tell us what’s new.

The Bianco’s

* German for Whipped Cream.  We just like the word.

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2007 Holiday Poem

Can 2008 Really Be Near?!!!!
T’was a night in November when in the Bianco house,
I was sitting at my computer, my hand on the mouse…
NOW WAIT A MINUTE, CAN IT REALLY BE,
THAT ANOTHER YEAR HAS SNUCK UP ON ME?!!!
How could this happen? The year flew by way too quick!
It’s hard to believe ― has my mind played a trick?!!!
Alas but it’s true and now we want to tell all we are fine,
As the new year is near, here’s Bianco poem number nine!Becky’s a senior at Montville Township High School,
She drives now ― which is both scary and kind of cool.
She keeps very busy, with classes, mentoring, and working for pay,
School and college apps cause her to go to sleep at 2AM many a day.
Becky falls asleep mid-sentence on her computer ― her energy can’t last,
Waking up at 8PM, she’ll think its morning and eat her breakfast!Becky was FBLA  NJ state champion in Accounting I,
She placed ninth at Nationals in Chicago and had lots of fun.
Becky is intense and hard working, but she still finds ways,
To make time for Scrabble with Mom and to fence with Dad some days.
Last summer, Becky volunteered in a Hunter College lab for Chemistry, 
She commuted into New York City every day along with me.

Julia has been quite involved with Girl Scouts and mentoring,
She went to San Diego as a Toy Challenge finalist last spring.
She also visited England and Scotland as a Student Ambassador,
She toured London, old castles, Loch Ness and so much more.
Julia’s Halloween costume was easier than in the past, although,
She still was original dressing in black as her friend’s shadow! 

 
Julia’s Bat Mitzvah was October 6th this past year,
She chanted beautifully and her speeches were thoughtful and clear,
That Julia had such a nice singing voice came as quite a surprise,
The rest of us cannot carry a tune, you must realize. 
We’re so proud to see her grow up so much, although I will wager,
That it’s still a wonder to most that she is now a teenager!We used to think “The years 2007 through ten, BEWARE!”
For we will have TWO teenage daughters under our care.
However, thus far it has not been so bad,
The girls are good kids and for that we are glad.Last spring we all went on a trip to Whistler, BC,
It was so beautiful out there, so much terrain to ski.
Mike and Becky were crazy skiers and could not get enough,
While Julia and I found the terrain and all that snow really tough.

Now on to Mike and me, there is not a whole lot more to say,
I passed my last exam, so I can use the letters CFA**.
Mike is still into road as well as mountain biking,
But being pulled along on the tandem is more to my liking.
As always, we hope that you enjoyed our little update,
Please keep in touch and tell us what you have been up to of late!

The Bianco’s

* Future Business Leaders of America
** Chartered Financial Analyst
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2006 Holiday Poem

JUST ANOTHER BORING HOLIDAY POEM FROM THE BIANCO’S
‘Twas a night in November when all through the house,
The computer was whirring, my hand on the mouse,
Time to write and rhyme to provide an update,
Of what we’ve been up to, so here’s poem number eight!
As you can imagine, we’ve been busy in the year past,
It’s amazing that ’06 has gone by so fast!

Becky at Montville High School is in her junior year,
Her clubs and studies keep her sleep deprived, I fear.
There is one other thing for which we are not quite ready―
Becky has a boyfriend, and they’re going steady!

Becky’s also looking at colleges to see which is a good fit,
And beware for she has just earned her driving permit!
She spent last summer studying Latin at Stanford U.,
Her A+ beat out the grad students, it’s true!

Julia in 7th grade is now twelve years old,
She is friendly and sweet, with a heart of gold.
She can be quite picky when it comes to foods,
And being a pre-teen, she has her “attitudes”.
But Julia has her own sense of self and style,
And one thing’s for sure, she always wears a smile!

Julia loves to read books and lounge around so,
That she is our own little couch potato!
Just the same, her high grades tell us that there,
Are brains under that mop of curly, red hair!

Mike and the girls are learning to fence,
Swords in their hands can make anyone tense!
Mike still loves to go for many a bike ride,
Whether solo or with us along by his side.

With Julia at camp and Becky out West,
Last summer we roosted over an empty nest.
It was strange having both of the girls away,
Strange, but quite nice, we would have to say.

This year has been quite hectic for me,
Holding jobs at Celanese and then PwC.
My new job is Director of Investments,
Keeping track of five billion dollars and some cents.

With my new job, I commute to New York every day.
I manage to nap on my bus rides each way.
I guess that it’s pretty ironic and funny,
That I haven’t had time to manage our own money!

Now that our Holiday poem nears its end,
We want to remind both family and friends,
To please give us a call or write us a letter,
An invitation to get together would be even better!

Happy Holidays!
Caren, Mike, Becky and Julia

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2005 Holiday Poem

T’was a night near Thanksgiving when I was sitting at home,
Thinking of what to write in our seventh annual Holiday poem,
It’s time to give our favorite friends and family an update,
Of all of the things that we have been up to of late.
Another year has gone by and the Bianco’s continue to do well,
We have been very busy and we have much to tell.

Becky is a sophomore in Montville High School this year,
Last summer she went to Oxford to study Shakespeare,
Becky joined ten school clubs and does a ton of work,
Most of her teachers are great, although one’s a bit of a jerk,
Clubs, mentoring and volunteering keep her day quite crazy,
With all that she does, nobody would ever call her lazy.

Julia started middle school and is now in sixth grade,
Though doing quite well, she misses grade school, I’m afraid.
Julia loves playing with friends, reading and watching TV,
On Sundays at Montclair, she studies Medieval History.
For Halloween, Julia dressed up as a traffic light,
She lit up the streets while trick-or-treating at night.

Mike’s in great shape and continues to be a cycling geek,
He’s happiest if he can get out riding a few times a week,
We bought a tandem, matching jerseys, and we ride quite fast,
We look pretty strange, but we are having a blast!
With so much gear, it’s hard to keep our inventory straight,
I thought we had 7 bikes, but Mike corrected me—it’s 8!

Becky joined me for a 62 mile ride amid a clear blue sky,
We especially liked the rest stops’ candy and apple pie.
Over the summer, while the girls went to camp and the UK,
Mike and I cycled the Finger Lakes – it was fun to be away.
We rode together about 800 miles in the year past,
And they said that the honeymoon would never last!

Mike’s job has moved 15 miles further to Somerset,
So now he drives 40 miles each way to get to Met,
Books on tape make the ride more bearable, it’s true,
As Mike racks up miles on his BMW.
I bought a cool car – an Audi A4 – in silvery gray,
Now to save miles, Mike plans to take the minivan each day!

In January I joined Celanese, a client, and started a new career,
It’s been fun and challenging learning investments this year.
However, my job will be moving to Dallas next spring,
I look forward to the adventure that another new job will bring!
I continue to be challenged finding the time,
To do everything that I want while still in my prime.

We hope that you enjoyed our family news,
We would love to hear from all of you’s.
(OK, so I am getting pretty tired of writing in rhyme,
Do I have to be grammatically correct all of the time?)

Happy Holidays!
The Bianco’s

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2004 Holiday Poem

T’was a sixth year November when all through the house,
The computer was off, tucked away with the mouse,
I said to the girls, “Forget poems this fall,
Let’s do a newsletter, or nothing at all.”

The girls cried, “No poem! It won’t be the same!”
“We all LOVE the poem, though your rhymes are quite lame!”
So, alas, please indulge us as we update once more,
About the Bianco’s of Montville in 2004.

Becky, at fourteen, is a high school freshman,
She loves reading and writing whenever she can.
Leaving for school, it is still dark, I fear,
One morning, she nearly ran into a deer!

Becky’s an honor student, works hard to keep A’s,
With all that she does, we don’t see her these days.
Becky’s always glad to volunteer time and energy,
Girl Scouts, clubs and mentoring keep her quite busy.

As you can see from the picture, Becky’s let her hair curl,
She has grown into quite a beautiful girl,
And while this is no surprise, for sure,
Boys have begun to knock on the door!

Julia’s ten years old, enjoys life in fifth grade,
Come June, she’ll graduate Elementary School, I’m afraid.
Julia likes costumes that are not alive,
For Halloween, she dressed up as Harry Potter – Book Five!

Julia went to summer camp, making many new friends,
She left Monday to Friday, coming home for weekends,
She brought laundry and stories and needed much rest.
Mike and I enjoyed our days with an empty nest.
Julia loves to play with her friends and read,
But her favorite place to go is Hershey Park, indeed.
With towels in her shoes and lift from her hair,
Julia was tall enough to ride the coaster Great Bear!

As for Mike, he’s happy with his car – you know why,
It’s a convertible – a BMW 330Ci.
Mike remains in great shape, riding his bike like a kid,
Now he owns three bicycles – mountain, road and hybrid.

Mike and I have taken to going on long rides together,
In May, we cycled 100 miles to Montauk in perfect weather.
In July, we rode in Ontario, five days straight,
Next year we’ll do more trips – I can hardly wait!

As for me, I’ve been trying to keep up with Mike,
I even bought dorky clothes and shoes for my bike,
With all of this riding, I’m not in better shape at all.
Late night dark chocolate has been my downfall.

Becky and I had some bonding last summer,
We went to Paris together – it could not have been funner.
We loved city walking, street-side cafés were great,
Becky’s middle school French helped us communicate.

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve more than heard your fill,
Of how we have spent another year in Montville.
The years all go fast and we don’t always hear,
About how friends and relatives have faired this year.
So please send us a letter or give us a call,
We would love to hear from you this fall!

Love,
Caren, Mike, Becky and Julia