The Rain in Spain....

So, yes, it's a slightly unoriginal title, but hey, I figured it worked. So, here we are, and I've done a decently poor job of updating everyone. However, that stops now, and I'll be recapping my trips as the semester winds down. For the second 10-day vacation during the semester, the students at Gaming are able to roam freely about Europe, and myself and my friends Liz, Dave, Maria, and Brian traveled to Lourdes, Santander, and then met up with our friend Tom to go to Barcelona. For the record, the latter two are cities in Spain.

Lourdes was not a very long visit, because we only had a day to spend there, but it was lovely. It was obviously a very incredible experience, to be kneeling at the very spot where Bernadette kneeled, to be able to pray at the very grotto where the Blessed Mother appeared so many years ago...on top of that, we were able to drink some of the water that has been gathered from the miraculous spring blessed by Mary. Now, they are able to divert it to several fountains, where it's possible to push a button and receive the blessed water. Unfortunately, we were unable to go to the Lourdes Baths, because they were closed when we arrived, and opened after we had to leave.

From there, we went to Santander, where we met up with Dave's friend Fr. Alberto, a Catholic priest in a country where being Catholic and being a priest are both ways to get yourself disliked. Fr. Alberto is quite the character: he's an amazingly hospitable man, as are most Spaniards, and he's very happy and talkative. He drove us around the general area, taking us to a nearby medieval-era town in Spain, and also to a lighthouse on the coast, which we had lunch nearby on our last day in Santander.

Then, off to Barcelona, to meet up with many family members of Maria. Like the others, they were incredibly friendly, even down to the tiny little dog, who was not so much a small dog as he was a fox sort of dog. Maybe a little small, but not so much perky as happy. A very joyful little dog. Oh, and the food. Spanish food is top-notch, seriously. Including their "tortilla", which is the Spanish way of saying "omlette"...except, much better. Egg never tasted so good. That, coupled with the Spanish philosophy of food: Empty plate? Here, let me fill it right back up!

So, we stayed around Barcelona for a few days, and that city is lovely. The streets are so wide, you completely lose the crowded, clustered feel of most cities. There's lots of room to breathe, and lots of trees everywhere. We also went to see one of the most spectacular sights of Barcelona: the Templo Sagrada Familia, which is an unfinished cathedral designed by the prominent (and deceased) architect Gaudí. While the modern style of the building initially threw me off, I warmed to the building, and it truly is magnificent. Now if only they didn't stick those giant grape clusters here and there...

After Barcelona, we got back on the trains to travel back...did I mention it's almost a 30-hour trip each way? Not to mention the rather lengthy wait we had for a train to go through Paris....for future reference, the French apparently cannot schedule trains exceedingly well.

But we got back. So, praise the Lord for that!

~Andy

To Gaming!

This is the European correspondent reporting now, off on a trip away to Gaming, Austria, for a semester of studying abroad. Hopefully, this should be an amazing experience, with amazing travel stuff. If you wanna hear about the more intellectual side of things, check out http://gamingthinking.blogspot.com for when things in class catch my attention in a big way. Anyhow. We'll kick things off with an initial look at the campus, etc...


A model of the Kartause, which is the place where we're staying. Used to be a Carthusian monastery, closed down by Josef II of Austria. Now serving as a college campus and summer hotel.

Liz, on the ride up to the campus from the airport...just being Liz.

Dave is chillin' on the bus.

The courtyard in the middle of the Kartause complex.

Another view of the Kartause.

Gruss Gott!

Here's To Fall!

Well, we're finally back, after a 4-month break from blogging =D What a lot has gone on! This summer consisted of many, many events, but with one brand new one: I took off for Louisiana with my Church youth group, for a Franciscan Summer Youth Conference--my first! This weekend (June 21-23, followed by a day at Six Flags over Texas) included Adoration, Mass, and many random happenings.

Isn't this little critter cool? Here, Riann (one of the girls with our group) is posing with this nifty little clothespin creature that someone gave her, and some of us, at the conference.

I can't lie...this apple was amazing--I really couldn't get it in the picture, but it bulged out in the top in this wierd way, and stuck out kind of strange, before curving inward. It was just randomly cool.

We had a twelve-hour drive, so I made sure to bring Rosary string...it was fun. Here's Brooke, playing around with the string. I didn't even try to count how many rosaries I had upon our return; probably somewhere along 15 or so.

Here I am, prepared to go on this twirly ride for the 2nd or 3rd time...I don't know why, but we decided to go on it right after lunch. Fun!! I'll never forget the way my stomach was churning as we moved off the ground for the first time!

The carousel was a bit calmer, fortunately.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend, giving me many rockin' awesome memories!

Welcome to Our Home!!!!!!

As you can see, Dominic sure loves his Uncle Bernie! Even after this "strangling," he's still going. He's been experiencing these Kansas thunderstorms first hand-quite the experience, I am sure! When it's not storming at night, he's been keeping us company and entertained, teaching us about fishing (yes, we have the fishing rod out-we're gonna have to take it to the lake one of these days...). He actually had quite a trip, flying in from Stayton, Oregon, on Saturday. We've been giving him the real Wichita Catholic experience, from Eucharistic Processions to novenas to morning Mass. As he puts it, "Wichita sure knows how to build churches." And, during all of this, Dominic is enjoying being a Kansas Cowboy.

And He Comes Back....

Yes, Andy is back from college...he seems to be taking on the '20s look. Sure fits all of this new swing dancing stuff. Yes, that is correct: Andy is now swing dancing! And, he's trying to teach the rest of us. I haven't broken my neck yet-though I had some qualms about that first aerial!

Now You See It, Now You Don't

Annie joined the ranks of Locks of Love donors by giving her lovely tresses away. Makes her look at least 6 months younger, doesn't it? Christina is toying with the possibility of following in her sister's footsteps.

A Special Concert

It was a memorable night recently when Tony Melendez and his band arrived at our parish for a concert. Not only does Tony play the guitar with his feet, but the drummer (Tim) plays the drums with one hand while using the other to play keyboard bass! A real inspirational and uplifting time!

This Week's Quiz: Wichita State University's mascot is the "Shocker". What is the Shocker named for? The first non-Kansan to answer correctly will win a video e-mail featuring the Hauge children presenting a country music medley (or something of similar cultural significance)!