Well we've arrived in Rome. This morning we traded in the beach for the city life, and let me tell you, we are livin' large. Our hotel is great...a little far from the city center, but really nice and very hospitable. Most of the group are in double rooms; however, there are some boys who just can't get enough of quads! We spent most of our day touring Rome from the bus as it was a little rainy, but there were a few moments when we hopped out and were able to really get a feel for the city.
Upon arriving in Rome we made a stop for lunch and shopping at the Fontana di Trevi--so great. Naturally my first throw into the fountain was a bit of a miss. Let's just hope that it doesn't mean I'll never make it back to Rome. I threw a few more pennies in just for good measure. Most of the group spent their time visiting the local shops and exploring...more like scavenging for new foods. Apparently the sandwiches from a man in a cart were the best. Who knew pizza could get old after a while?! After we left the Trevi Fountain and got our fill of pictures and rain drizzle we hopped back on the bus and headed for the coliseum.
We were able to breeze through the line and head inside thanks to our Pretty in Pink tour guide, Julia. Once we were inside it was rainy, but it didn't stop us from being total tourists. We took so many pictures our faces hurt...and I'm pretty sure our precious seniors got a little more than annoyed with us. Oh well! The ruins were so neat to look at and learn about. We were able to go up to the to of the coliseum and all throughout one of the bottom levels and get a great view of where the gladiators and animals used to run out. Much of the conversation surrounded how cool it was that the emperors of the day would sit in the very spot where we were and many questions arose as to what happened when lions jumped up into the stands--they may have graduated high school, but I guess that doesn't make them world class scholars! They're so funny.
After we left the coliseum we boarded the bus for the hotel. On our way we passed some great sights! We passed some of the ancient ruins of Rome as well as the "Wedding Cake Monument". We passed right in front of St. Peter's Basilica and wanted so badly to go run around on St. Peter's Square. Once we got back to the hotel we settled in and ate dinner. It didn't take long for a game of soccer to break out in the parking lot. Our next goal is to break out a game in St. Peter's Square. We shall see.
It appears now that graduating has sparked a bit of bravery as our seniors have left for an Italian McDonald's excursion. They are determined to find a quarter pounder in Italy. I'll be sure to let y'all know what the outcome is tomorrow. For now, it's time for bed for us here in Italy...and time for a late night snack for some.
Buonanotte...
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
can I buy a boat?
We're off to the beach! We have left Assisi now and are at our next stop--a beach just about an hour outside of Naples along the Mediterranean coast. The water is a deep blue and the sand, while not as white as in the states, is really smooth and not pebbly at all. There is a huge boat port with beautiful yachts just down the beach from our hotel. Some of the kids were asking if they could buy one to take out on the water. Fr. Louis told them they could. Surprise!
Our hotel is very nice--pretty contemporary for Italy. Each room has a balcony and I think most everyone has an ocean view. The water is pretty chilly but according to the boys in the group, it's totally worth jumping in. There is a small area near the port with a couple of restaurants and shops, but the main drag of this area is called Centro and is the city center or town square. It runs along a street called Vie Tittoni. When we arrived yesterday everyone hit the beach, but today most of the group slept in and are actually just heading out to find some lunch now. Plenty of time for pizza and gelato before our late dinner.
So far so good here in Italy. Ciao i miei amici.
Our hotel is very nice--pretty contemporary for Italy. Each room has a balcony and I think most everyone has an ocean view. The water is pretty chilly but according to the boys in the group, it's totally worth jumping in. There is a small area near the port with a couple of restaurants and shops, but the main drag of this area is called Centro and is the city center or town square. It runs along a street called Vie Tittoni. When we arrived yesterday everyone hit the beach, but today most of the group slept in and are actually just heading out to find some lunch now. Plenty of time for pizza and gelato before our late dinner.
So far so good here in Italy. Ciao i miei amici.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Benvenuti in Italia
We have arrived in Italy! Assisi was so wonderful. The streets are so narrow and wind throughout the whole city. Our rooms are small and quaint. They are very primitive, but very Italian! The windows have shutters that open wide, allowing the fresh air to come in--no AC here, folks! The hotel has breakfast and dinner for us and so far it has proved to be quite a...cultural experience. Not to worry, though. We're all eating with pictures to prove it.
Most of our days were filled with lots of picture taking, gelato eating, and church visiting. We were able to visit quite a number of the churches in Assisi. The only problem is that there aren't any pictures to show for it. In Italy it is disrespectful to take pictures inside of churches so I only have pictures of the outsides of them! They were so beautiful--the frescos, the marble, the stone. We were able to visit the original church that St. Francis used when he began his order. We also saw the rose garden which was where Francis threw himself into the thorn bush to avoid temptation. When he fell onto the bush, the thorns turned to roses. We also saw the Basilica of St. Francis where, where we had mass upstairs from the tomb of St. Francis, as well as the Basilica of St. Clare (and her incorrupt body).
For lunch most of us had pizza and pasta from little pizzarias or ristorantes in the area. This was usually followed by at least 2 servings of gelato. At night we would wander the streets and pop into little shops here and there. The city is so small that often times we would stumble on other members of our group who were exploring on there own as well. The trip as been so wonderful so far, and I am sure that the beach that lies ahead will only be better! More to come, friends...
Most of our days were filled with lots of picture taking, gelato eating, and church visiting. We were able to visit quite a number of the churches in Assisi. The only problem is that there aren't any pictures to show for it. In Italy it is disrespectful to take pictures inside of churches so I only have pictures of the outsides of them! They were so beautiful--the frescos, the marble, the stone. We were able to visit the original church that St. Francis used when he began his order. We also saw the rose garden which was where Francis threw himself into the thorn bush to avoid temptation. When he fell onto the bush, the thorns turned to roses. We also saw the Basilica of St. Francis where, where we had mass upstairs from the tomb of St. Francis, as well as the Basilica of St. Clare (and her incorrupt body).
For lunch most of us had pizza and pasta from little pizzarias or ristorantes in the area. This was usually followed by at least 2 servings of gelato. At night we would wander the streets and pop into little shops here and there. The city is so small that often times we would stumble on other members of our group who were exploring on there own as well. The trip as been so wonderful so far, and I am sure that the beach that lies ahead will only be better! More to come, friends...
Saturday, May 22, 2010
where did all the time go?
Hello family and friends! I am writing to you as an official college graduate--woo hoo! I can't believe it's already been four years. It feels like just yesterday I was riding up to DC with my mom and setting up my room in Flather for the first time. Now it's all done. I'm waiting to hear back from some post grad programs, so in regards to what I'll be doing next, your guess is as good as mine.
For now, I am looking forward to my brother's senior trip to Italy. We all leave tomorrow--that's right! I along with my parents and some other adults are chaperones (go figure) and I think there are around 20 of Joe's friends who are going too. It should be really great. I'll be blogging from the other side of the world so no worries. In the meantime, check out some of my pictures from graduation. Click the photo of me on the right and it'll take you to the full photo album. Enjoy!
Gustavo and Me before the Baccalaureate Mass in the basilica
Me getting my diploma from Dean Poos
The whole family
Andy, Me, and Nick after commencement
For now, I am looking forward to my brother's senior trip to Italy. We all leave tomorrow--that's right! I along with my parents and some other adults are chaperones (go figure) and I think there are around 20 of Joe's friends who are going too. It should be really great. I'll be blogging from the other side of the world so no worries. In the meantime, check out some of my pictures from graduation. Click the photo of me on the right and it'll take you to the full photo album. Enjoy!
Gustavo and Me before the Baccalaureate Mass in the basilica
Me getting my diploma from Dean Poos
The whole family
Andy, Me, and Nick after commencement
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
and it's stm with the win!
Below is an article written about STM! They're the 2010 Lacrosse State Champs! Go Cougars!
By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor
Junior attackman Saban Sellers, senior attackman Joe Boustany and junior attackman Hunter Stinson all registered a co-team-high four points to lead St. Thomas More to a 12-10 upset victory over New Orleans Jesuit in the second-annual Louisiana High School Lacrosse League state championship game Sunday afternoon at Pan-American Stadium in New Orleans.
Sellers and Boustany scored three goals and had an assist, and Stinson came off the bench to post two goals and two assists, as St. Thomas More (14-2) won its first Louisiana state championship in school history.
“I can’t give enough credit to the kids for doing things the correct way for the last eight months,” St. Thomas More head coach Mike Guidroz said. “They played complete lacrosse. They played defense from the attack to the goal, and they played offense from the goal forward. Everybody was involved in the offense. Everybody was involved in the defense.”
Before the season started, the Cougars weren’t even in the conversation. St. Thomas More was coming off a lackluster 2009 season in which it posted a losing record, and it was hardly ever mentioned as a team to watch.
Ranked No. 5 in the state in preseason, St. Thomas More shot out of the gate with four straight wins before losing a close two-goal game to New Orleans Jesuit. And the Cougars just kept getting better as the season progressed, finishing the year on an eight-game winning streak.
On Sunday, the Cougars got production from their stalwarts, Sellers and Boustany, but also from an unlikely source in Stinson, who came off the bench and was named the game’s offensive most valuable player.
Other offensive contributors for St. Thomas More were junior middie David Escott, who finished with three points on a goal and two assists, and senior attackman Scooter Todd, who scored once.
Defensively, junior goalie Andrew Broussard came up huge, saving 14 shots, and was named the game’s defensive most valuable player. Meanwhile, senior defensemen Hunter Crochet and Chris Gossen and junior defensemen Grady Lerille and John Daigle shut it down in crunch time.
For New Orleans Jesuit (12-1), it was a day of heartache once again. The favored Blue Jays, who have four seniors heading to NCAA programs, had their 12-game winning streak snapped and lost in the state championship game for the second straight year.
St. Thomas More got off to a fast start, scoring three straight goals in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead. New Orleans Jesuit fought back in the second quarter and closed within 3-2 when senior Louis LaCour scored in the final second of the first half.
The Cougars led 5-4 at the end of the third quarter, giving way to a tense nine-goal fourth quarter. St. Thomas More started the final period on a 3-1 run to push its lead to 8-5, and the teams traded goals from there, with the Blue Jays never getting the spread closer than two.
“I think we just came in relaxed,” Guidroz said. “We weren’t supposed to win. We were the underdog. The kids played defense like they’ve never played before.”
By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor
Junior attackman Saban Sellers, senior attackman Joe Boustany and junior attackman Hunter Stinson all registered a co-team-high four points to lead St. Thomas More to a 12-10 upset victory over New Orleans Jesuit in the second-annual Louisiana High School Lacrosse League state championship game Sunday afternoon at Pan-American Stadium in New Orleans.
Sellers and Boustany scored three goals and had an assist, and Stinson came off the bench to post two goals and two assists, as St. Thomas More (14-2) won its first Louisiana state championship in school history.
“I can’t give enough credit to the kids for doing things the correct way for the last eight months,” St. Thomas More head coach Mike Guidroz said. “They played complete lacrosse. They played defense from the attack to the goal, and they played offense from the goal forward. Everybody was involved in the offense. Everybody was involved in the defense.”
Before the season started, the Cougars weren’t even in the conversation. St. Thomas More was coming off a lackluster 2009 season in which it posted a losing record, and it was hardly ever mentioned as a team to watch.
Ranked No. 5 in the state in preseason, St. Thomas More shot out of the gate with four straight wins before losing a close two-goal game to New Orleans Jesuit. And the Cougars just kept getting better as the season progressed, finishing the year on an eight-game winning streak.
On Sunday, the Cougars got production from their stalwarts, Sellers and Boustany, but also from an unlikely source in Stinson, who came off the bench and was named the game’s offensive most valuable player.
Other offensive contributors for St. Thomas More were junior middie David Escott, who finished with three points on a goal and two assists, and senior attackman Scooter Todd, who scored once.
Defensively, junior goalie Andrew Broussard came up huge, saving 14 shots, and was named the game’s defensive most valuable player. Meanwhile, senior defensemen Hunter Crochet and Chris Gossen and junior defensemen Grady Lerille and John Daigle shut it down in crunch time.
For New Orleans Jesuit (12-1), it was a day of heartache once again. The favored Blue Jays, who have four seniors heading to NCAA programs, had their 12-game winning streak snapped and lost in the state championship game for the second straight year.
St. Thomas More got off to a fast start, scoring three straight goals in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead. New Orleans Jesuit fought back in the second quarter and closed within 3-2 when senior Louis LaCour scored in the final second of the first half.
The Cougars led 5-4 at the end of the third quarter, giving way to a tense nine-goal fourth quarter. St. Thomas More started the final period on a 3-1 run to push its lead to 8-5, and the teams traded goals from there, with the Blue Jays never getting the spread closer than two.
“I think we just came in relaxed,” Guidroz said. “We weren’t supposed to win. We were the underdog. The kids played defense like they’ve never played before.”
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