Ben graduated from Union Catholic High School this week with honors. He wore the National Honor Society cape, and 2 ribbons from National Spanish Honor Society, and Peer Ministry. At the graduation ceremony they awarded metals for several areas of excellence. Ben was awarded 3 of those metals for Engineering, Music, and Religion. He worked so hard all through High School and it shows. Good luck at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the fall.
Benjamin has accepted going to RPI for college in the fall. He applied to 11 colleges and was accept to all of them. Last fall he was awarded the Rensselaer Metal, a scholarship worth $40,000 for up to 5 years at RPI. He was impressed by RPI for several reasons including that he felt comfortable with the program and the students he observed on campus. Rensselaer is in Troy, NY outside of Albany. He is entering the Aeronautical Engineering program which is a specialized Mechanical Engineering option.
We just completed a cruise of the Mediterranean on the Disney Dream ship with Rose, Joe, Rosalie, John and Ben. The traveling to Europe was a disaster for all of us due to canceled flight and long delays. We will never forget the troubles we encountered getting to Europe or back but it all worked out in the end.
Rose, John, and Ben started the vacation with 3 days in Paris and 1 day in Barcelona. Since Rosalie had been in Paris many times for work, she was able to guide them with a great time visiting Paris. They then spent a day in Barcelona.
Rose and I met them on the cruise ship after that and spent 7 days on the ship. The ship skipped the first port in the French Rivera due to a medical emergency on the ship so our first stop was in Italy. The cruise is a great way to get a quick view of the area but since the cruise ports are so far from the cities we visited it was no more than that. Also, the crowds made it impossible to visit most of the buildings due to long lines so we experienced the cities from the outside only – a real disappointment.
All of us visited Florence but it was so hot and humid that Rose and I decided to use the on-off bus rather than all the walking the the Cooks experienced. We did meet for lunch but then back on the bus. After that, Rose and I decided to stay on the ship for the next 2 ports – Sorrento/Amalfi and Rome while the Cooks took excursions. Rose and I had been to all these places on Tauck tours so it wasn’t an issue.
We all enjoyed the time on the ship with great food and the “disney” experience on board. Overall, a mixed vacation for us having experienced this same cruise in 2007 without all the crowds or heat and without the air travel troubles. Rose and I consider this our last trip to Europe but we encourage Rosalie, John, and Ben to experience Italy with Tauck tours to see more with a high-end experienced travel company.
Well Ben just got his drivers license since he turned 17 – hard to believe!
And in addition to his National Honor Society, he now belongs to the Spanish National Honor Society. Way to go Ben!!!
Ben was awarded his Karate Black belt on June 18 after many months of intense training. He has been taking karate since the 1st grade achieving one belt after another. However, the black belt was the most difficult. Here is he holding all the belts from white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown and finally black. Congratulations on a job well done.
At the age of three, Ben and Julia had their first “sleepover” at naptime in Ben’s room. They each had their own mat on the floor with their own pillow, blanket and stuffed animal. Ben had his Winnie the Pooh bear that he always sleeps with. Julia had Ben’s Piglet. At first, they were very quiet and then they made little noises for 45 minutes. Apparently, they told us later that “Pooh and Piglet were talking to each other”. They were oohing and ahhing and whispering very sweet nonsense words to each other. I would say that this was their first true bonding experience.
Wednesday — 11am flight. Character dinner at Chef Mickey with Mickey and the Gang.
Ben was very good on the airplane. He wanted to sit between Mommy and Papa. He ate his animal crackers and drank his milk during take off and landing so that his ears didn’t hurt from the pressure. He didn’t sleep on the plane so he was exhausted when we arrived. He slept in the car on the way to the hotel. He slept in the car all through check-in and kept sleeping while we went to buy groceries. He woke up as we were getting ready to leave the store. As we drove to our hotel, we told him to look for Mickey Ears on the street signs. He loved it. The whole rest of the trip, on every car ride he’d proclaim “I looking Mickey Ears!” He would point them out whenever he saw them. We got back to the hotel and he loved the Mickey Ears on the banisters. He explored the room and found lots of great hiding spots for himself and his toys — his favorites were the big closet in Mommy and Daddy’s room and the big cabinet in the kitchen. We went to dinner at Chef Mickey in the Contemporary. He loved seeing the characters. He was a little afraid when they came close to him but he loved seeing them from far away. He was the most afraid of Goofy and the least afraid of Minnie. After dinner, we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom to pick up our tickets. He loved seeing the big Mickey and Minnie topiaries. He went to bed without an argument… he must have been so exhausted! Continue reading