Our big family event this year was a trip to Europe, which began just after the kids completed their school year and lasted for three weeks. While there was some initial bitterness at how we timed the event for the historical low in purchasing power for the U.S. Dollar, this was a trip that had been in planning for years and we were not to be deterred. We started with three days in Paris, continued via train to Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland for 3 more days exploring the Alps, had a quick overnight visit with our friend Armand and his family in Zurich that was fortuitously timed for the Euro 2008 games, and then dropped down to Trento, Italy to spend 5 days with my Aunt Donna and her family there. After a fantastic ride across the Austrian border with the whole extended family and a day trip to Venice, we set off for 3 days in Cinque Terra along the Italian Riviera, explored Rome over the 4th of July weekend, and returned to the U.S. with an overnight layover in London.