Bob and Phyllis Bordona, Oakdale, California, celebrated their 50th anniversary with their family aboard the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas, on a seven-day excursion originating in Spain, with stops in Italy and France.
Ron Bordona, the couple’s only biological child, added the American Field Service (AFS) students whom the family hosted in high school and with whom the family maintain contact and whom they regard as their children. Ranging in age from 33 to 38, five AFS students are from Switzerland, Panama, Finland, Spain and New Zealand. Now the “children” have added spouses and their own offspring to the family fold.
Phyllis first shared the couple’s dream of taking this trip with their children years before, when the group gathered in Panama for a Bordona Family Reunion. The Panama reunion was described as a dream come true for Bob, who had a great desire for the family to reunite.
The computer proved to be a valuable tool for coordinating travel plans around the globe. They emailed each other and shared which stops interested them. Planning began one year before departure.
Onboard activities were plentiful, including rock climbing, ice skating, in-line skating, Casino Royale, golf simulators, a 9-hole miniature golf-course, swimming pools and a water slide.
“The very best gift of all,” Phyllis said of their 50th anniversary trip, “was that all of us gathered in the State Room and they all decided they wanted another reunion in Oakdale, California!”
From oakdaleleader.com, Oakdale, California
