Living Vicariously

In general, I don't BELIEVE in living vicariously through one's children.  At least not in a serious fashion.  Nevertheless, I am currently enjoying a bit of vicarious pleasure in the upcoming summer plans of several of our kids.  The most exciting plans are those of the princess.  She'll be traveling in Europe for three months, visiting Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, France, England, Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar.  Whew.  In each of those locations she will be with a different friend - several of them natives of the country visited.  In a couple of instances, she will be with an American friend who is also visiting Europe.  But most of the time she will be staying in the family home of her European friends.  So cool.  She'll end her trip by attending World Youth Day with a million or so other Catholic youth in Gibraltar/Madrid - along with her two younger brothers whom she will meet up with in Gibraltar. (Meanwhile, they will have arrived in Gibraltar after a 6 day tour of Rome and Assisi) She'll return home (traveling with Prince 94)  in time for her cousin's wedding  in Napa and go directly from Napa to her MFA program beginning on the last Monday of August.  Again - whew.  Meanwhile, Prince 91 will remain in Europe, traveling for two weeks from Madrid to Dublin by a yet undetermined route - probably via Barcelona and France - accompanied by one or two other CUA students also on their way from WYD to a semester abroad program in Europe.  He'll be attending an exchange program at Trinity in Dublin and will intern at Irish Parliament as part of his program.  That compels a third WHEW!  I am so happy for them to have such an amazing summer.