Shhhh…Matt turned 30!

Shortly after returning to the States, we were on a plane again – this time we would be vacationing in Hawaii for two weeks to celebrate Matt’s milestone birthday.

Yes, for my 30th Birthday, I asked Amber to take me to Hawaii as a gift. It was a nice surprise and was very thoughtful of her to pick it out! No, really, we had wanted to go to Hawaii for some time now and we thought it would be a good time to go during the transition back to the US.

The only downside to our trip was that we were still fighting with various things related to our move back home and my lost golf clubs on the way to Hawaii. Whatever you do, don’t use FedEx for shipping boxes between UK and the US. They will royally (no pun intended) mess up your order from start to finish. Be prepared to get aggravated and spend a lot of time on the phone with various people, though. Okay, moving on to the fun stuff in Hawaii.

We took off on Wednesday for 2 weeks, looking forward to lots of fun! Wednesday was pretty shot with travelling from Denver to Honolulu and then on to Maui, our final destination. We were staying with my Uncle John, so he met us at the airport and took us back to the house up in Kula for a nice dinner with him and our new Aunt Boonta. Kula is located high up in the mountains at about 4,000 feet above sea level, and the views are tremendous. You get a complete view of the North and West shores from the house. The living arrangements were fantastic as we had our own bedroom and bath suite separate from the main house. We spent about 12 days in Maui and then another day in Honolulu before heading back to Denver. We had a fantastic time in Hawaii and thanks so much to Uncle John and Aunt Boonta for the wonderful hospitality and recommendations they provided during our stay!

Some of the highlights of our trip include:

-Helicopter tour: On my birthday, we took a tour of the whole island including the crater area, wetlands, and saw all of the celebrity homes. Amber and I got to sit in the front seats by the pilot and had great panoramic views of the scenery.

-Whale watching tour: We took a boat tour to go and watch the whales jumping out of the water. We were there towards the end of the whale season, though, so most of them had already started migrating back to Alaska. We found out it takes them about 60 days to travel from Hawaii to Alaska and they do it in one full swim, no stopping.

-Golf: I had the opportunity to go out and golf with my PGA tour capable uncle and some of his friends. Unfortunately, I am the farthest from PGA capable and it showed. I played a fair amount in England, but it went out the window. I swear the views caused my swing to mess up, so it wasn’t my entire fault. Meanwhile, they shot somewhere in the Tiger range and taught me some lessons.

-Road to Hana: This is a long windy road that leads from downtown Maui to the little town of Hana. The best thing about the drive is not the destination, but the scenery along the way. We traded our crappy Dodge Caliber rental car for a Subaru and put the all wheel drive to the test. We left Maui about 7am and without much traffic on the road, we ended up in Hana about 8:30am. It was supposed to take closer to 4 hours to get there with summertime traffic. With me driving - and if it had actually taken 4 hours - we would have arrived in a state of divorce, so Amber was partially glad for the shorter drive time, but her stomach was trying to catch up for a while. On the way back, we stopped for lunch at a roadside BBQ and it was one of those meals where you cannot stop smiling because the food was so good. (Matt was literally squealing with delight. ~Amber)

-Mama’s Fish House: For my birthday celebration, we went out to the famous Mama’s Fish House on the North Shore. The food was really good, but a little pricey, and we had great views while eating in the open air near the ocean.

-Parasailing: On our way back to Denver, we stopped in Honolulu for a day and went parasailing. It was a tandem parasail and we were the first to go up, so we didn’t have time to get scared beforehand. It was really fun and you could see a lot that high up. They even dipped us in the water on the way back down before landing in the boat.

-Pearl Harbor: Also while in Honolulu, we took the trip out to Pearl Harbor. It was nothing of what I expected; it turns out I was completely ignorant what to expect. It is a very sombering and moving experience going there. I have said before and will say again, to learn history you need to visit history and this is another point blank case of US history you cannot learn in a classroom. I would highly recommend the visit if you are in Honolulu, it is a must see thing to do. The ship is still buried in the water where it was shot down and a memorial bridge has been built above it to commemorate the fallen soldiers. Every so often you can see little oil droplets coming up from the ship and some say it is the ‘blood’ of the soldiers, a very moving place.

-Honorable Mentions: Haleakala Crater, watching the surfers on the North Shore, laying on the beach, snorkeling, Jazz night with David Benoit (he is incredible)

PITTSBURGH

I recently returned from a two-week trip to see my family in Pittsburgh. I haven't spent two weeks with them since I was in college. Matt was not able to join me on this trip due to work commitments and I probably would have stayed longer had we not had Cheyenne back in the UK to pick up from the carers. My family told me the visit went by too quickly and that I should stay for a week longer! Who knows the next time I'll get to stay that long. Most of our visits are 4-6 days long, once every 1 - 1.5 years. My cousin promises to bring her boys out to Denver next summer, if we've returned to the States by then.

with my Mom

with Aunt Rosanne (a.k.a. RoRo)

So, during my stay I spent plenty of quality time (although there never is enough) with my Mom, Aunt, and my cousin and her family. I was hoping to spend a bit of time each day in the pool, but everyone said I brought the rain with me so the weather was quite a bit cooler than it had been prior to my arrival. I hear it is back up in the 90s again.

The DiPippas - Tino, Zach, Chaily, Justin, Adrian

We did quite a bit of shopping, although for me it was window shopping for the most part. We had a big family day out at Kennywood Amusement Park, which I haven't been to since I worked there the summer of 2000 during college. When I was little we used to go there every summer and it will always be my favorite. I have such fond memories of being there with my grandmother and still get a little teary-eyed on the Whip, which was one of her favorite rides. Sappy, I know. Anyway, I took the boys to a pottery painting place for some bonding time. I got to see the two youngest play tee ball and several of us went to a Pirates baseball game.

The Skycoaster! Amber, Donna, and Tino

The family (minus my Mom) at the end of a long day at Kennywood

My cousin, Chaily, hosted a family reunion on the 4th of July. She and her husband, Adrian, have worked very hard on their house over the years. Last year she started home schooling the boys, for a number of reasons, and so they converted their basement from a Steelers-themed game room to a classroom. Also, the week before the party they started building a deck out back. Adrian had all but one quarter of it completed and it suited us well for a group our size. They have been such gracious hosts over the years now, inviting family members over for holiday functions throughout the year. I only wish Matt and I could be there more often to share in the festivities. It was quite a tearful goodbye with everyone as I never really know when I'll see them next. I'm very close to my family and it saddens me to think about all the things that I miss out on, but I have to look on the brighter side of life and hope that they remain in good health and spirits until my next visit.

All of the cousins! It wasn't the best picture, but that was almost inevitable with that many kids.


Many more pictures at

http://picasaweb.google.com/amber.biviano/PittsburghSummer2008

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Matt in his new business suit

Matt turned 29 yesterday! However, he's not quite an old man yet, despite what some of your voice messages said! Unfortunately, he was battling a sinus infection and was not feeling well so we didn't do anything big to celebrate. His long working hours and frequent business trips really take a toll on him. When he is home he is either sleeping or working! I made him a steak dinner for a quiet evening at home. He's off again in the morning to Germany and then Poland. We won't get another whole week together until his parents arrive at the end of the month! I'm looking forward to that time!

Grandma turned 90!!!!!!!!

On January 14th Matt's Grandmother, Helen Biviano, turned 90!!! She lives in Rochester, New York near one of Matt's uncles and his family. There was a small family dinner the weekend before her birthday, but unfortunately we were not able to attend. Grandma Biviano is the only living grandparent either of us has so she is very special to us. We hope to be able to visit with her again upon our return to the States next year.

Grandma and Matt's Dad, Joe

Grandma and 3 of her sons - David, Tom, Joe

Congratulations, Sailor!

Mom, Dad, Tony, Bridget, Sarah

Matt's brother Tony graduated from Navy boot camp on January 11th!!! He is now living in Connecticut for schooling to be a Machinist Mate. Good luck and best wishes! We are so proud of you!

The DiPippa Boys

Christmas 2007 - Justin, Tino, Zachary

Introducing you to my nephews! Well, really they are my cousin Chaily's sons, making them my cousins, but they are like my nephews because she is like a sister to me. Most of my life I have been an only child and my cousins Chaily and Malissa were all the only siblings I had. Spending summers with my grandmother, and extended family, in Pittsburgh meant that I got to spend a lot of time with them as well. In fact, they lived with us one summer while we were in Georgia and Chaily lived with us for a while in high school in South Carolina. She was there for me a lot during those crazy middle school and high school years. I was sad when she moved back to Pittsburgh, but in the end it all worked out for her. She is now married with three wonderful boys and a loving husband!

Malissa and Chaily (2005)

In college, Matt and I would babysit Tino when we were visiting during school holidays. In 2001, Chaily was supposed to be in our wedding but found out she was expecting around that time. Justin came early (Jan) and unfortunately was found to have cerebral palsy, among other medical conditions he's living with today. Just months after Justin's birth Chaily found out she was pregnant again. Zach arrived in December 2001. In 2002 Matt and I were honored to be asked to be Zach's godparents.

With our godson, Zach (Dec 2006)


Justin and Tino in their pool

These boys are very important to us. In essence, they are the first nephews we have since Matt's siblings don't have children yet. I am very sad that we don't get to see them very often. We've been lucky enough so far to take a trip at least once a year, but that is not enough for me. At least they are at the age that they remember me, though, because when they were younger they would not remember who I was from one visit to the next. They are growing up so fast and I feel that I miss out on a lot. Thankfully Chaily and I still have a great relationship and she keeps me updated with pictures and phone calls. She now homeschools the boys and has told me they enjoy reading my blog and seeing pictures of Europe. Hopefully they'll get a kick out of seeing their faces on my page!

Daddy Adrian with the boys @ Steeler Training Camp

Thanksgiving in Paris!

Yes, that is right. I spent Thanksgiving in Paris with my Mom! My Mother visited us the week of Thanksgiving (and my birthday), which was her first trip overseas. I was so excited to share that milestone with her! Also, she has always wanted to go to Paris since taking french in high school. Unfortunately at the time her family could not afford to send her with the french class for study abroad. Matt bought us train tickets and offered his Hilton points for our stay (as my birthday gift). It was quite a short trip for us. We took the new Eurostar from London's St Pancras station about 8:30am Thanksgiving Day. Upon arriving in Paris we were told that the train workers were on strike and we wouldn't get very far on the subway. That turned out to be a good thing b/c we would have missed a lot of the city if we would have stayed underground. Despite having to walk several miles to the other side of the city to our hotel, we had a fabulous time taking in all there was to see. We didn't have time to go into any museums or other important buildings, but we did enjoy views of the Eiffel Tower, an evening boat cruise on the Seine River, and a casual dinner in a french restaurant. We were laughing all the way back to the hotel because of the price of our dinner. While most of the items were reasonably priced, my soda cost 8 euros (which is about $12 USD)! That was a shock. We stayed at the Paris Hilton Eiffel Tower. As you will see from our pictures, we had a fabulous view of the Eiffel Tower from our room! What a dream come true for my Mom and a lovely time for us to share. We had to leave the next morning, but will cherish our Mother/Daughter time together in the city.

Enjoy the rest of my photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/amber.biviano/November2007!

Paris is definitely the City of Lights and the City of Romance. I hope to go back there with Matt to take advantage of all that the city has to offer. I would like to climb the Eiffel Tower for its incredible view, take a romantice boat cruise, and tour one or two of the museums. I would also like to take a day trip to Versailles to view the Palace. Matt isn't up for the museums, but would be happy hanging out at a cafe watching passers-by while I get a 'bit of culture'.

During my Mom's visit, we also took a bus tour of London, went shopping in a few of the local malls, and had a delicious Italian dinner at the coast for my birthday! I can't explain how happy I am that she was able to visit and make this trip of a lifetime!

Our little family, on my Birthday!

Biviano time!

We had such a great time earlier this month visiting with Matt's family in South Carolina. They are a big and boisterous group...and I LOVE it! We don't all get together that often, but when we do it is wild and crazy times. We had a whole week full of quality family time and bonding with some new additions. I can't forget the dinner Matt and I had with a college friend and his family, as well as an old friend of mine from Batesburg.

Let me introduce you to the family: Deacon Joe & Kathy (a.k.a. Mr & Mrs B. OR Dad & Mom), Oldest child - Bridget, 2nd in line - Matt (and me of course!), 3rd - Maggie, 4th - Sarah, 5th - Tony, 6th - Peter (and new wife, Kelley). Bridget and Maggie have both been in serious relationships (with Gregg and Brian, respectively) for a couple of years now...perhaps leading to more permanent relationships soon. Nudge, nudge, boys! Sarah is now living in Nashville and Tony will be heading off to Navy boot camp in mid-November. Some of us have spread our wings farther than others, but family is always close at heart no matter where we live.

The breakdown of the week (16-22 Oct):

• Tuesday - Arrived in Columbia and joined in birthday celebrations dinner with the family. (Maggie and Bridget both celebrated birthdays this month. Dad, Mom, me, & Sarah - as well as Cheyenne - celebrate birthdays in November.)


• Wednesday - I went shopping with Sarah, which included getting pampered at a nail salon. Matt and I had dinner with the Moores and Mendenhalls in Columbia. Jonathan Moore and Matt have been best friends since college. April Mendenhall and I were neighbors back in high school, out in the boondocks of Batesburg/Saluda.


• Thursday - More shopping! Matt, Bridget, Sarah, Brian and I hung out in Harbison before heading to Peter's for a sibling cookout. Brian wasn't able to stay for dinner, but Gregg joined us. We brought a bottle of Polish vodka to share and it made 8 shots even! Maggie opted to take the picture instead of drinking up. It was awesome!


• Friday - The first half of the day was dedicated to decorating the Family Life Center for the reception. With all of us working together I think we were finish by mid-afternoon. That evening was the rehearsal for the wedding party and dinner at the Bivianos. Around 30 people attended and it was nice to have an opportunity to meet Kelley's family and Peter's firemen brothers.


• Saturday - The Wedding Day! The groom and boys met for breakfast while the rest of the Wedding Party ran around getting dressed and such. The wedding took place at 3:30 at Kelley's church. The wedding party was then escorted to the Biviano family church by fire engine, with all the bells and whistles and caravan of honking cars. Of course the reception was a blast!


• Sunday - Bridget's Surprise Party! Sarah had been planning the surprise since the summer and enlisted us siblings and some of Bridget's friend to keep the secret and make sure the day went smoothly. Maggie hosted the party at her community clubhouse. The weather was wonderful and the birthday girl was definitely surprised. We ended the evening with dinner at Mom & Dad's, before saying our goodbyes and heading to the hotel for a few hours of sleep in anticipation of an early flight back the next morning.

I am not sure when we'll get a chance to go back or when we'll all be together again, but I am looking forward to it immensely.

Have fun looking at all of our pictures from the week! http://picasaweb.google.com/amber.biviano/October2007

Family Dinner at Bridget's New Home

First Picture: Table 1 - Dad, Mom, Brian, Bridget, Uncle David
Second Picture: From L to R - Brian, Maggie, Bridget, Gregg

While in town for my high school reunion, I was able to attend a Biviano Family dinner at Bridget's new home. It was fantastic to have everyone there...well, minus Matt and Sarah! At the lake last year all of the siblings were there, but not the significant others. This time they were there, including a new addition (Tony's new girlfriend). Even Uncle David was in town and joined us. It was great to have that time with family. Bridget and Dad remodeled this house and it was a wonderful little place for her first home. The full album can be viewed using the link on the left. Click on the pictures here for larger view.

Our First Visitors!

*More pictures of these adventures can be found using the "WEB ALBUM" link on the left side of this page.*

Picture 1: Marie & Bob @ Southend-on-Sea

Picture 2: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (Merchant of Venice performance)

Picture 3: Amber & Matt (Us) @ Stonehenge

Picture 4: Roman Bath in Bath, England

Picture 5: Amber & Quinn with Darth Vader

Okay, our guests have been gone for a week now so I shouldn't have any more excuses of why I haven't updated our blog lately. I was waiting until the end of their visit so that I could update everyone on all that we did. It was very exciting to have Matt's cousins (Marie, husband Bob, and son Quinn) be our first guests. We haven't seen them in a long time, but knew that they were very adventurous so we would have an exciting time. They are perfect guests in that they don't expect much from their hosts. They kept themselves busy each day heading into London, made their own meals, etc. What was exciting for us was hearing their daily stories and also being able to join them on a few excursions, not to mention tasting all of the new beer and cookies they brough home!

I could write a short book about all of the things we did while they were here, but I'll try to save you most of that. The highlights for me were a play at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the Star Wars Exhibition (how lucky we were that it was happening this year), and the trips out to Bath and Stonehenge. Most of you probably didn't know that I was a Star Wars fan, but I am very intrigued by the story of all the characters in the saga - not so much the light saber fights and flying vehicles. However, I'm not a big sci-fi fan in general just of SW. (Matt doesn't share the love, though.) Anyway, I could talk days about all of that. The Star Wars Exhibition is in town until September and the first-ever Star Wars Celebration Europe will be held in London in mid-July to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the release of Star Wars. Unfortunately that coincides with my high school reunion. Wish I could be in two places at once! The play we went to see in the Globe was Merchant of Venice, one of Shakespeare's comedies. It was great! One of the surprising things that coincided with their visit was a Monster Truck Show! Can you believe it? Granted, we are living in a small town (not central London) and it was held at a local farm, but still very interesting. Of course we had to go and check it out. It wasn't the best/biggest we've been to but entertaining enough to say we did it. Haha! Please check out our web albums for more pictures of from our visit. Stay tuned for my next update...