Orval Abbey

Tomorrow and Tuesday the twins will be at the Orval Abbay visiting a working monastery.  They have been studying the Middle Ages in their French Social Studies class and this visit will let them see the well cared for ruins of this ancient Monastery.  They will also study the daily lives of the monks and actually have a one on one interview.  They will sleep overnight on the floor of the abbey and rise and shine at 4am to hear the Monks chant and start their day of prayer and work.  Like many monks, they not only pray but they also make cheese and Trappist beer.  Do you think they will let the 8th graders sample the beer?


You can read more about this beautiful Abbey at http://www.orval.be/en/home/Abbey



Disney Report #7 - Ride photos

You can double click on all these photos to make them bigger.

The Yeti Roller Coaster at Animal Kingdom is great.

Tower of Terror at Disney MGM is not Jennifer's favorite.

Even I got excited on this ride.

As we got off Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom, all the riders passed by the photos to see how they looked in their picture.  As we were standing there, a stranger said, "Look at that guy!!" and pointed to Bob's reaction in the photo above.  Bob looked right at him and proclaimed, "THAT'S ME!!!!"



New Year's Eve at Epcot's Test Track.  Bob has on everybody's hat.



Disney Report #6 Just pics of us

Leah and Maria

Bob and Leah



Maria in the mist



Jenn Leah and Maria getting ready for A Bug's Life 3D movie



Bob Julie Jenn Leah and Maria at Epcot



Disney Report #5 - We have to go back

This picture of the castle at Disney should be on the front of a postcard or a travel magazine.  It is a pretty place.  Below is the contruction going on in the Fantasyland section of Magic Kingdom.  Knowing something wonderful is coming soon, we really want to go back and see the new stuff completed.

Disney Report #4 - Only at Disney

 While at Disney, I kept telling everyone we had to go to Disney MGM to see the lights.  The family kept saying ok but didn't pay too much attention to me.  Once I finally drug them over to the area you see in pictures and in the video, we were impressed and completely entertained.  How cool!

Disney Report #3 A water ride in December? Are you crazy?

I already mentioned our goal of riding 50 rides while we were at Disney.  One of those rides was a water ride.  Now, normally, I wouldn't even consider a water ride in the summer.  You know, my hair would get messed up and my clothes would get wet.  Blah blah blah.  All good excuses but when you live with 4 other fearless roller coaster riders you just have to give in and ride the wave.     We rode Splash Mountain and got soaked!                                  

 Bob after the big plunge. He is still smiling!

Maria at the end of the ride



Bob, hands in the air, no wonder he got so wet. Leah is making the thumbs up with Jenn doing the same.  Maria is in the green jacket somewhat covered.  Me?  I am the one in tan hood bending down in hopes of avoiding the big splash.  It didn't work.



Disney Report #2 The Weather

The weather was beautiful at the end of December in Disney World.  We actually swam on 3 afternoons and only needed jackets in the evenings. 

The sun was shining on Santa!

This picture was taken while riding a roller coaster at 8am in the morning. Maria needed her gloves to keep warm! Once the sun popped out we put the gloves away.

Great picture on the Test Track ride at Epcot.  Look at that hair! Again it was sunny and bright.

Overall we had high temps in the 80s and lows in the 40s.  On our last day in the parks we actually got a little cold but it obviously didn't stop us!

Disney Report #1

With over 500 pictures from our trip to Disney World, it might take me a while to get all of the best pictures posted on the blog!

Our first day, and for that matter all the days, were well planned in advance.  I really did my homework.  I didn't make everyone stay on a schedule or anything crazy like that but I did know which park at Disney would be the least crowded on each day and I made meal reservations in advance.  I also had an app on my phone telling which ride had the shortest wait time.

We arrived in time on the first day to see the Candlelight Christmas Show at Epcot.  During the Christmas season this beautiful performance is narrated by different celebrities.  Our show was narrated by Marlee Matlin and an interpreter.  She signed the entire thing.  It was quite moving.

We had great seats right in the front.

The stage was awesome.

Bob took these videos.  At the end you can hear him clapping first before anyone else.  He loves a good show.  Leah and Jenn enjoyed sitting so close to the orchestra.  Maria took tons of pictures.  I just sat back and enjoyed our first evening at Disney.

Happy New Year from the Happiest Place on Earth

Happy New Year from Julie Bob Jennifer Leah and Maria!

On Dec. 27 we flew to Florida to spend a week at DisneyWorld. Don't roll your eyes and say we could have gone anywhere, we know that. But we love Disney and this trip was flawless. Flight was good, weather was great and our kids were unbelievably fun. We had a very special goal on our trip. When Bob turned 50 in October, the girls promised him that they would ride 50 rides at Disney. It was a lofty goal but it was really fun trying to reach it. They kept track of each ride on Maria's phone averaging about 6-7 rides per day.  With crowds so huge during the Christmas holiday, we had to be good planners with our time.  Things like the Monorail in the picture above did not count.  We had originally said we wouldn't ride on the Tea Cups (too much spinning) or Winnie the Pooh (too many preschoolers) but if there wasn't a line we rode on the those rides anyway.  We had never ridden the Indy Cars but that ride turned out to be so much fun.  Bob has road rage even on a Disney ride if he is behind the wheel of car!  3-D movies like the Muppets or A Bug's Life didn't count as rides.  Yes we had to wait in line but I just couldn't convince anyone that they were rides. (Those attractions turned out to be the ideal place to take a 10 minute nap!!!) Our favorite rides were Rockin Roller Coaster, Yeti, Midway Mania and Space Mountain.  We rode each of those at least 6 times.

 Below are pictures from a few of the rides.  At Disney they take your picture while riding in hopes that you will buy the photo as a souvenir.  We do buy the pictures every once in a while, but in the cases below we just took a picture of the picture.  Take a look at Bob.  He is having so much fun!  We had 8 days of hands in the air, great big smiles and true joy.  Priceless.

Christmas 2011

 Christmas 2011 was absolutely wonderful, the best one yet.  ( I know I said this about my 2011 summer too.  Life is good! )  I just wish we had taken more pictures of the family stuff.  The pics above and below were taken on Dec. 22 and then I have no account of anything after until Dec. 27.  So I have no pictures of Bob's parents or Uncle Jim and Aunt Cindy or the homemade ravioli.  I have no pictures of my parents or all our present opening or Bob and my Dad playing golf on Christmas day or my Mom's beautiful Santa centerpiece and tree.  I know we took pictures of all these things but they are nowhere to be found.  It is sad.  The best picture I took was of Bob opening a gift from my brother and his wife.  The gift was the biography of Obama.  Bob's facial expressions of disgust were priceless and I caught all of them on film.  You will just have to use your imagination.

Leah, Jennifer and I were supposed to leave for the United States on Dec. 22 but there was a rumor that all of Belgium would be crippled by a huge transportation strike on that day so we left a day early.  The strike turned out to be nothing but we got to start our celebrating a little early.  We took the train from Grandma and Grandpa's house and went to State Street and Michigan Ave in Chicago to see the beautiful decorations and have lunch at the Walnut Room in Marshall Fields (oops Macy's).  The pictures are of the girls in front of the giant tree in the restaurant.  It was a banner day celebrating our 1st day back in the US with Starbucks, Macy's, Frango Mints, the Salvation Army bells and popcorn munched while walking down the cold streets of Chicago.  It was good to be home!
We had wonderful food in Chicago with a trip to Frank's restaurant where we always eat too much. Then we had our Christmas celebration with homemade ravioli made by Mary and Primo.  Bob and I had a chance to try out my new Nike+GPS app and walked/ran all over his old neighborhood.  The weather was beautiful.

After getting our fill of Chicago, we drove to Jerseyville to spend Christmas with Nana and Papa.  The weather was so nice Bob got to play golf on Christmas day and try out his new putter.  My dad and I used my Nike app again and walked 5 miles all over town!  He is in great shape.  Mom made her famous pork roast for Christmas dinner with Maria's favorite pumpkin pie for dessert.
The girls got some fun gifts.  Leah loves her Kindle, Jenn made something right away with her sewing machine and Maria took pictures with her new camera.  Thank you notes are on their way Nana.
From Jerseyville we went back to Indiana to regroup and check out the remodel project on the house.  We had to finalize kitchen cabinets and appliances.  This project has taken a long time to complete but it will be beautiful when it is done.
Then on Dec. 27 we flew to . . . Hmmm Where would the Biasi Family go while in the US???