Joseph had lots to share with us when he came home from Christmas because he had just spent a semester abroad in Austria!!! To me, it was miraculous that he was even able to go to Austria during this crazy Covid time in history. He was even able to visit Ireland, France, Rome, Assisi, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, and (my personal favorite) Medjugorje!!! He was able to go all of those places without getting vaccinated, and he said that not one single Franciscan University student ever tested positive for Covid during the entire semester even though they had to get tested weekly in order to travel!!! Modern day miracle for sure. Surely a semester he will never forget. God is good!
Here are just a few photos from his overseas adventures:
This was his campus in Gaming, Austria, called the "Kartause".
It was an old monastery that was converted into the Franciscan University Study Abroad Campus.
Joseph with the Alps behind him.
Joseph the "tree elf" :)
Joseph got to spend lots of time with his girlfriend Bailey in Austria
because she also did the Franciscan Study Abroad program.
What a lovely fraulein she is!
Joseph seems pretty smitten with beautiful Bailey...
and we like her a lot too :)
We were blessed to finally meet her in person during Christmas break.
We think she is a beautiful, sweet and a holy young lady!
May God bless and guide Joseph and Bailey on their vocational journeys!
Dominic hauling our Christmas tree to the car.
Paul is happy his only job was cutting down the tree and not carrying it this year :)
We had a lovely gathering with some of our dearest friends who invite us every year to cut down a Christmas tree on their property.
Paul and I on Christmas Eve--still in love, still abundantly blessed!
Isaiah was the first child awake on Christmas morning to dig into his stocking! :)
He was happiest with his new little "hog" from his Secret Santa (Joseph--"the hog").
I'm not sure how Joseph inherited the nickname "hog," but that's what his little brothers call him.
That's why Isaiah was so tickled to get a baby hog from him :)
Isaiah checking out his new baseball cards while all his brothers are still sleeping.
Nathanael was the 2nd child awake on Christmas morning.
He was most excited about the baseball cards he found in his stocking.
He was most excited about the baseball cards he found in his stocking.
Isaiah was happy to get a Miguel Cabrera card,
and Nathanael was thrilled to get Yadier Molina.
Joseph got his little brothers a new chess set from Austria!
Four of the boys happy on Christmas morning with the gifts they found in their stockings.
The 5th boy (Michael) was still sleeping :)
Dominic happy with the new ear buds he got for Christmas.
The boys with their new LEGO sets.
Michael was the last one to wake up, but the first one who wanted to play chess on Christmas day.
For Christmas, Joseph got us new rosaries from Medjugorje
and a new Marian icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa from Poland.
Totus Tuus,
~Maria
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