May my life reflect the beauty of the Lord...

Moving!

2009-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Skillman's are moving - to a family blog ;-)

http://lovetruthandskillmans.blogspot.com/

There are not posts yet, but Joe is working on it - - - - but the format is similar... same links and sidebar information, plus a few extras.

It is still under construction, but mostly done.

See you over there! Now I just have to work on linking my years of posts from this blog to the new one. Don't want to waste all that information.

Does anyone know how to do that?

Our Lady of the Rosary

2009-10-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Individually, we have prayed the Rosary every day for a few years, and for two and a half months (since we were married), we have been praying it together sometime after dinner and before bed. What a blessing! We hope to do this for the rest of our lives and make it an important family tradition. It might need to be modified a bit when there are tiny people running around. :-)

“All the supreme teachers, the popes, have been unanimous in proclaiming that the devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Rosary are the hope and

salvation of the world in our evil and dangerous era.

They have endeavored, by word and example, to bring

the faithful more closely to Jesus Christ in the

Most Blessed Sacrament and to Our Lady’s Rosary.”

From The Eucharist and the Rosary:

The Power to Change the World

More on...the FEAST of Our Lady of Victory (the Rosary)

To commemorate the victory of the Christian Armada over the Turks on Oct 7, 1571, Pope Pius V introduced the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. Christian Europe had been at risk of being conquered by the Ottoman Empire (Muslim). The year leading up to the battle had been declared the Year of the Rosary. At the beginning of that year, each mariner of the Holy League was given a rosary and instructed to pray it daily. The rosary also served to unite the contentious factions of the Holy League during the year of its formation and proved equally important for getting the Holy League to the battle as winning the battle. When faced with unfavorable wind at the onset of the battle, the men picked up their rosaries and began praying. Miraculously the winds shifted and served to be a key factor in the ensuing victory.

The Feast's name was changed in 1969 to “Our Lady of the Rosary” and it is now a mandatory memorial. It is now attached to and starts Respect For Life Month.

Many complain that the Mass and Rosary are repetitious. However, the “repetition” of the Mass and Rosary alike can work a slow but deep transformation of one's heart. One could also point out that repetition is not necessarily a sign of a lack of imagination. It may be sheer exuberant pleasure that makes us repeat an activity. G. K. Chesterton argued that repetition is a characteristic of the vitality of children. They like the same stories, the same words, time and time again, not because they are bored and unimaginative but because they delight in life.

Chesterton wrote:

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead, for grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes each daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore. Heaven may encore the bird who laid an egg."

Pray the Rosary. Pray the Mass.

Exult in the monotony. Transform your heart.

A Day Late - St. Francis

2009-10-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

October 4th is the Feast of St. Francis. yesterday it was trumped by Sunday, because Jesus is a little more important. However, the Feast of St. Francis is a great day for me and Joe. Both of us have a great love for St. Francis and St. Claire, (of which the long story will come in another post) and it is the one year anniversary of the day we were engaged (outside of our favorite Adoration chapel with a statue of St. Francis)!

I still receive daily Eucharistic emails, and this was the email on the Feast of St. Francis.

"I beg you to show every reverence and honor possible

to the most holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

in whom all things in heaven and on earth

are set at peace and are reconciled to Almighty God.

Let us love God and adore Him

and offer Him praises by day and by night."

St Francis of Assisi

b.1181 d.1226

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Ste Francis, ora pro nobis!

Little Flower

2009-10-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

St. Therese of Lisieux (The Little Flower), born Therese Martin, was a young French girl, passionately in love with Jesus Christ, who became a Discalced Carmelite nun at age fifteen and died of tuberculosis at age twenty-four in a monastery in Lisieux, France.

Therese experienced extraordinary breakthroughs in what is possible in a human being's relationship with God and with other humans. Since her death, she has fascinated countless people. Her memoir, "Story of a Soul," became the religious bestseller of the 20th century. Countless miracles have been attributed to her intercession. She was canonized in 1925 and, in 1997, named a Doctor of the Church. She is often called the "Little Flower."

"My mission: to make God loved, will begin after my death. I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will send a shower of roses."

"Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be - and becoming that person."

"Let us see life as it really is... It is a moment between two eternities..."

"To Call God my Father and to Know myself His Child, that is Heaven to me ..."

I highly recommend reading this.

St. Therese, pray for us, that we may be

simple, humble, and love Christ with a child-like faith.

Amen

Mapping Out Our Nations Sin

2009-09-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

The link below is to a posting on Faith and Family Live - It is a study of our nations sin.

What’s your hometown’s sin of choice?

A team from Kansas State has mapped out our nation’s hot spots for the 7 deadly sins by plotting per-capita statistics of things like violent crime, STDs, and numbers of fast food restaurants.

Some might question the “science” of these findings, but the maps sure are an interesting way of looking at our country’s regions.

I especially like the fact that the map for pride is an aggregate of the other six maps “because pride is the root of all sin.”

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/mapping_out_sin

Feast of the Archangels

2009-09-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

"O, angelic spirits, who guard our tabernacles, wherein

lies the adorable treasure of the Holy Eucharist,

defend it from profanation and preserve it for our love."

St Josemaria Escriva

"Michael and his Angels battled against the dragon...

Satan, the seducer of the whole world, was driven out."

A Sermon of Pope Saint Gregory
From the Third Nocturne of Matins of the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel

We speak of nine orders of Angels, because we know, by the testimony of Holy Scripture, that there are the following: Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim. It must be realized that "Angel" is the name of their office, not of their nature. For the holy Spirits of the heavenly homeland are always Spirits, but they cannot always be called Angels; they are Angels only when they are announcing something. Those who announce less important things are called Angels, and those who announce the highest things are called Archangels. And so not any Angel but the Archangel Gabriel was sent to Mary; for this ministry, it was fitting to have the highest Angel, since he was to announce the greatest news of all. These Archangels are also given special names to describe their particular virtue. For Michael means "Who is like to God?" Gabriel means "Strength of God," and Raphael "Medicine of God."

Whenever something is to be done needing great power, Michael is sent forth so that from his action and his name we may understand that no one can do what God can do. Hence that old enemy who through pride desired to be like God is shown at the end of the world, left to his own strength and about to undergo the final punishment, as destined to fight with Michael the Archangel, as John says, "There was a battle with Michael the Archangel." Similarly, Gabriel was sent to Mary; he who is called "Strength of God" came to announce Him who deigned to appear in humility to conquer the powers of the air. And Raphael is interpreted, as we said, "Medicine of God," for when he touched the eyes of Tobias to do the work of healing, he dispelled the "night of his blindness."

St Michael, St Gabriel, St Raphael, pray for us

and defend us in battle!

Monday's are my favorite!

2009-09-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

With my current schedule, I am totally free on Monday's. This is such a blessings! I use the time to do household things that I would have normally done on the weekend. [Though Sunday I did clean a little because Joe was around to help ;-) ]

Just to give you a peek into my Monday, here is how it goes:

6:00-8:00 (depending on the day): Wake up and change the sheets. I am a fanatic about changing the sheets every week, and clean sheets are one of my favorite things EVER. However, folding the sheets in another story. Our big king bed can be quite the challenge. So usually, even thought we have 3 sets, I wash, and then put back on the same ones. That leaves the bed unmade for a few hours, which I don't love - but can handle. ;-)

Then I make some coffee and get to work reading blogs, checking email, responding, reading news stories, etc. Because Monday's are more laid back in the morning, I usually get to take more prayer time as well.

Finish any laundry left over from last week. Usually I try to do a load or 2 during the week to keep the work load down. I realize that with only 2 people, we don't produce a lot of dirty clothes, but someday there will be more little people joining us who make a lot of laundry, and it is good to have a little routine now to fall back on.

Clean. Not too hard with our 2 bed/2 bath home, and I keep that to a minimum by picking up and tidying things all week long.

Meal plan and grocery shop. Joe did the meal planning this week and next (We try to do 2 weeks at a time) which was great! It isn't everything I would have picked, but I love that he wanted to help plan and of course picked all his favorite meals (lots of meat and potatoes, especially on October 4th - our engagement anniversary and the feast of St. Francis - "Let the meat hang from the walls!".

Now I just have to head to Freddy's to get all the goods.

I try to be home from the store around 11:00 (won't happen today), wash the produce, put everything away and then busy myself with other tasks.

Today I need to run some errands aside from the grocery store (Macy's and Target), finish a sewing project I am working on, (put the sheets back on the bed), head to my mom's to drop off stuff for her garage sale next week (If you are around, come check it out, there are lots of great things!) and prep some dinners for this week. There are also some family business things I need to get done - bill paying schedule, paper filing system (for being an organizer myself, I still haven't mastered paper management the way I hope to someday). Maybe there is something on this website that Lindsey blogged about today- Organizing Junkie

On my list of fun things to do, I also need to write my dear friend Sr. Cora Marie (used to be Kathy Webb) a letter. All last year I wrote her once a week, but this year she can't receive mail except for her feast day, Christmas and Easter. So I have been writing once a month.

I hope you all have a productive Monday! Let me know if you have tip for paper order too! PLEASE!

wedding - 1 (1909 photos), by Anna Doherty

2009-09-21T11:28:00.001-07:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Pretty darm proud of myself!

2009-09-14T19:11:00.001-07:00

Proud in a good way ;-)
Look what I made today ....

Since we have glass doors in both our bathrooms and I wanted to add some color, but without a shower curtain, that is hard. The above color is in Joe's bathroom ;-)

We got the dining room furniture a few weeks ago and hung the curtains last week. Joe provided the flowers ;-)

I made the bedroom curtains today, and the 2 cute pillows to match with the extra fabric. Now the room seems complete to me. Hooray! I love the neutral color of our bedding which made for any color to be the accent. We picked blue and painted one wall that color and the curtains are blue too.

Another glass door in my bathroom---- We have brown and light teal towels in there, so I made some curtains to match the teal color. I think it makes it look very nice. Just how I imagined. I do like the style I picked for Joe's bathroom a little better.

Seven Things I love ...

2009-09-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Cheri over at As the Family Goes.... Thanks!

Seven Things I LOVE!

1) Joe! Being married to Joe. Talking about how cool it is to finally be married. Be watching a movie or cleaning the house or driving somewhere and saying .... "ummm We are married!" It still doesn't get old and is so fun.

2) Though I miss Minnesota and our friends there very much - I LOVE being in Washington and seeing either my family or Joe's family every weekend. We have been having a great time doing little adventures around the state. Last weekend, we went to Zillah and went to 3 different wineries.

3) Reading about and learning things I never knew. As I mentioned in a previous post I have been reading Beautiful Boy. It is a book writen by a father about his son who is addicted to drugs and they cycles of heartaches he and the rest of his family go through. I am facinated by this whole other world that I had no idea about.... The book is honest and thoughtful. The father is a writer for the New York Times and is very eloquent in his heartfelt love and deep suffering as he watches his son destroy his life. Everyone knows about suffering and heartache - David Sheff makes his come alive on the page. He isn't a man of faith, but slowly comes to see God as necessary.

4) Lazy mornings, hot coffee, catching up on good prayer time, reading books and blogs and new recipes to make for the week.

5) Being crafty. I made 2 sets of curtains and feel so accomplished.

6) Thinking about, talking about, praying about, and trying to make real long term goals or ideas. There are so many things we want to see, do, experience, try ..... It is fun to dream, and to make a reality.

7) New friends, old friends, catching up, getting to know, and loving people where they are at.

You are supposed to tag 7 people, some I would tag have already been tagged .... but check out their posts and new people can participate!
Kristine, Carrie, Laura, Sarah D, Janelle, Amelia

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-09-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

Find more here

For Today... Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Outside my window...clear skies and very chilly. Fall is almost here!

I am thinking... I got up a little too early today and don't have much to show for it - haha!

I am thankful for... being unpacked and settled in. Everything has a place.

From the school room... Joe started teaching yesterday. Looks like he has a great group of middle school students this year!

From the kitchen... Meals are planned for the next 2 weeks, and I am off to the store this morning. BBQ Chicken with pepper-jack cheese, baked potatoes, and broccoli tonight.

I am wearing... uh-oh. Still in my PJ's - about to get ready for the day ;-)

I am creating... my first Daybook entry and a long over-do post.

I am going... to get ready and go to the grocery store. Then off to visit my friend Kristine.

I am reading... Beautiful Boy by David Sheff and Joe is still reading me the Harry Potter books!

I am hoping... I can get everything crossed my list today (and a little more)

I am hearing... The washing machine doing some hard work on sheets and towels.

Around the house... It feels great to have everything put away, furniture in its place and things in order. Our daily routine has begun.....

One of my favorite things... The smell of clean laundry, and the 1st night of sleeping in fresh sheets. It's the little things!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Jack's retirement party on Friday, clearing out the attic with my mom to get ready for the garage sale, and enjoy the extended weekend!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Nothing like great girl-friends! This is a picture from the day before the wedding. We went to Seattle and were tourists for the day. I just love remembering how all our best friend were in town for such a fun week and to be a part of our big day! Thank you!

Much needed post - in the "7 quick takes" format

2009-08-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's been one month since the big day, and I have been so overwhelmed with stuff to post about that I just don't post at all. Silly, I know, but true. I will do this post in the "7 Quick Takes" style, even though it isn't Friday, over at Conversion Diary , just to keep my head from spinning.....

1) We had a great wedding! I hope you got to see Casey's great pictures (the previous post links you to his website). He did such a wonderful job capturing the day from beginning to end! He was such a trooper and arrived at my house at 6:40am the day of the wedding, and could be seen at 10:45pm leaving the reception after a long night of dancing and pictures. Thank you, Casey.

Also, the whole day's details will come in another post, but it truly was the best day ( and week ) of my life. Everything people say is true ..... It is just magic. Everything went off without a hitch. The only thing that we weren't too happy with ( and by WE, I mean my mom and I, Joe had no opinion ) were the flowers. We wanted something much different than what we got. But, my mom went to the florist and spoke to them about her unhappiness, and got a nice chunk of change in return. Our best friends were in town for the big day and we had a whole week of fun. Joe and I commented we need to do it every year - not get "re-married" because that is impossible, but have a great big party for everyone to come to!
(Most of our friends at my parents house Thursday before the wedding)

2) Mexico was ---- too good for words! I will make another complete post about it in the future, but here are some pictures. We were at a great resort (RIU Palace), all inclusive, on the beach, lots of pools, yummy drinks, food, snorkeling, para sailing, outback tours .... you name it, we did it.

3) Another wedding - My dear friend Sara Primera was married to Josh Davila 2 weeks after our wedding. I went down to Texas, without Joe, and was a bridesmaid for Sara. It was nice to see a few other NET people and old friends. I also danced the night away (kind of) with Ernie - he is one of "my people" and taught me how to dance like a real Mexican. Now I need to teach Joe.
Keep Sara and Josh in your prayers as they begin their lives together!

4) Joe and I went to Woodland Park Zoo, the Sequim Game Farm, and my parents beach house in Wenatchee/Chelan. I would say we are living up our "pre-retirement" (in the next post) quite nicely.

5) We have been calling this stage in our life, "pre-retirement" - being a teacher, Joe has the summer off, and I am still looking for a job for the time being and thinking about how to start organizing here - until then, we are just 2 young retired people. It has been great!

6) Harry Potter - Joe loves Harry Potter, I never got into it. So, for the past few days, Joe has been reading me Harry Potter - we are on book 4 (he said the 1st 3 weren't worth the effort) and I have seen the movies already. My love language, if it exists, is being read to. Maybe that goes under the "quality time" category, but I really think it is something totally different.

7) Joe got a job! We are very excited about that. We probably should have been a little more "nervous" about picking up and moving home the week before the wedding, without job, and no time to look for them either. But we trusted in God's providence and knew something would happen. Well, within a week of being home from Mexico, Joe had a few offers and the best one was at the school closest to our home! The Lord is so faithful and we trusted He would provide. As always, He did! Mr. Skillman will be teaching at St. Patrick's in Tacoma - Middle School Science.

More posting to come. 1st things 1st - get new married life organized.

God bless!

The Skillman's

p.s. Soon (or maybe not so soon) I will be making the move to this place: http://theskillmans.blogspot.com/

It is still unnamed and hasn't been used, but I think our new life as one needs a new blog as one ;-) I will keep you posted.

Wedding Picture Link

2009-07-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

I finally put the LINK up - sorry about just positing the website - but I am sure you all figured it out.

check out some great pictures Casey made into a slide show!

More to come!

I am in awe

2009-06-25T06:47:00.001-07:00

Currently, I live across the street from a HUGE nursery. Spring time is the best because of all the blooming flowers! It is an oasis. Going on walks is something I truly enjoy, and walking through and around the nursery makes it even better.

Recently, I was walking by and saw a flower that was totally new to me - never in my life had I seen it and thought I had missed out on a true piece of beauty. I walked into the nursery and described the flower that took my breath away, and they immediately knew what it was - and Allium! (I described it to them as a big purple "dandelion" when they are white and fluffy.)

My mom has quite the green thumb, so I gave her a call to see if these grow in Washington, and THEY DO! You can guess what I will be doing in the fall - - - planting my Allium bulbs (They are a "plant in the Fall, grow in the Spring" flower).

Each night around 8:00 pm when the heat and humidity have almost worn off, I head out for a walk around the nursery and marvel in the beauty of the Allium (and all other flowers, too)

Cathedral of St. Paul - New National Shrine

2009-06-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone needs another excuse to come to Minnesota - (what many people around here call "God's Country") - but now the Cathedral of St. Paul has been established as a National Shrine!

As the Year of St. Paul draws to a close on June 29, the Cathedral of St. Paul announced its new designation as National Shrine of the Apostle Paul.

The Cathedral is among about 100 U.S. Catholic churches that have been honored with the designation — and it’s the only one dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle, said Msgr. Anthony Sherman, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Divine Worship.

The designation comes from the Holy See and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the request of Archbishop John Nienstedt.

The title ‘shrine’ recognizes the Cathedral’s national importance and designates it as a pilgrimage destination for groups from across the United States, said Father Joseph Johnson, the Cathedral’s rector.

The Cathedral began the application process when the Year of St. Paul was announced, Father Johnson said. He felt the Cathedral had a particular responsibility to heed the jubilee year’s call to greater devotion to the Apostle Paul.

He also thinks the national shrine designation honors the vision of the Cathedral’s founder, Father Lucien Galtier, the first priest to establish a parish in the area in 1840. Because of his devotion to the saint, he named the log chapel he built after St. Paul, which led to the name of the city. “Father Galtier looked to the person of Paul when he arrived in this wilderness, and it’s interesting that now the universal church has said we’re all going to do that,” Father Johnson said.

Because of the shrine designation, the Cathedral will continue some of the programming it began during the jubilee year, including its First Saturday series, which featured speakers, prayer and reflection. It already offers several weekly tours.The new shrine has also established the Archconfraternity of the Apostle Paul to help people feel connected to the shrine, Father Johnson said.

Members serve as the spiritual apostolate of the National Shrine of the Apostle

Paul in five particular ways:

- Greater devotion to St. Paul and his intercession.
- Study of and reflection on the Pauline epistles in the New Testament.
- Practice of corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
- Commitment to evangelization, especially in everyday encounters
- Connection with the spiritual life at the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul.

Last week, as a going away present, my co-workers and I all went on a tour of the Cathedral, something we have "always wanted to do", but never got around to. When you live in a particular city, I have noticed you often don't do the "touristy" things associated with that region. I have been to the Cathedral - perhaps hundreds of time - for Mass or other events, but never had a complete understanding of what each window, or fresco or marble stone meant or came from.

The experience was truly memorable. We spent time in each side chapel honoring the saints and learning about what went into building their chapel. Each marble slab in the side chapels came from the country of origin for the Saint. The stained glass windows and "rose windows" are priceless, yet at the time when the cathedral was constructed, they were a few thousand dollars. Unbelievable.

I will admit that the Connemara Marble from Ireland (the picture in the link does not do it justice) from St. Patrick's side chapel was the most radiant and beautiful of them all.

All in all, I highly recommend an organized tour of the Cathedral, it has given me a much greater and renewed sense of wonder and awe for this building men erected in honor of our good and loving God.

The Body of Christ

2009-06-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Solemnity

of Corpus Christi

The Most Holy

Body and Blood of Christ

"The Eucharist is the ‘treasure’ of the Church, the precious heritage that her Lord has left to her. And the Church preserves it with the greatest care, celebrating it daily in holy Mass, adoring it in churches and chapels, administering it to the sick, and as viaticum to those who are on their last journey . . . . " (Pope Benedict XVI)

As Cardinal Ratzinger, in his book titled, God Is Near Us,

our future Holy Father wrote:

“Communion and adoration do not stand side by side, or even in opposition, but are indivisibly one. For communicating means entering into fellowship. Communicating with Christ means having fellowship with Him.

That is why Communion and contemplation belong together: a person cannot communicate with another person without knowing him. He must be open for him, see him, and hear him. Love or friendship always carries within it an impulse of reverence, of adoration. Communicating with Christ therefore demands that we gaze on Him, allow Him to gaze on us, listen to Him, get to know Him. Adoration is simply the personal aspect of Communion. We cannot communicate sacramentally without doing it personally.

Sacramental Communion becomes empty, and finally a judgment for us, unless it is repeatedly completed by us personally. The saying of the Lord in the book of Revelation is valid not only for the end times: ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My Voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him and he with Me’ (3:20). This is at the same time a description of the most profound content of Eucharistic piety. True Communion can happen only if we hear the Voice of the Lord, if we answer and open the door. ‘Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and… [let] our adoration never cease’ (Dominicæ Cenæ).

Lexington and Nashville to visit my favorite Sister, Kathy.

2009-06-09T04:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my trip to see one of my favorite people in the whole world -
Sr. Katherine (soon to receive a new name!)

Bye Bye Kathy!

When you give your life to Jesus, He takes good care of you, check out the castle they live in.

More of the castle ...

And still more....

Marian garden at the cemetery.

More cemetery garden....

Lovely Holy Family statue at the 'vent (that's what I call the convent!)

Hanging out in Kentucky.

Sr. Katherine relearning how to use a cell phone.

Here are my Eight

2009-06-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Kristine - this is fun.

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1) Getting married to Joe in 39 days. Enough said!2) Swing dancing for REAL, after 6 weeks - - well, 12 weeks of lessons really, we are dancing at a real swing club! Hope we are as good as we think we are.

3) Monica and Jordan's wedding, which was actually Friday night.
4) Lounging on a rainy day in St. Paul. Feels just like home.
5) Having some of my best "NET" and Minnesota friends come in to town this July to hang out before the wedding. Only a few have ever been to the Pacific Northwest.
6) Organizing our home. I am already looking forward to unpacking (1st I have to pack though) in our home together, finding places for everything, and making our home a warm, peaceful and welcoming place.
7) The feeling of having everything checked off the wedding list - - - - I've got a little ways to go.
8) Having more time in the morning to do things. I am at my best in the morning, and now that the sun is out SO EARLY, I wake up earlier, giving me more time to do all kinds of things around here.

8 Things I did Yesterday:

1) Went to work and covered the front desk for Vicky who was away on the interview weekend.
2) Took a half day at work in order to drive up to Moorhead/Fargo for Monica and Jordan's wedding.
3) Played fun car games and had good conversation for 4 hours in the car on our way to the wedding.
4) Witnessed a beautiful ceremony with lovely music, homily, and people I love.
5) Congratulated Joe on his 1st last day of being a teacher! The kids were so cute when they said goodbye, wanting to take his picture with them, etc. etc.
6) Danced the night away at the reception. I will say we NET folks certainly closed the place down, we decided not to leave until the very LAST song, and we made good on that. 1:00 am came and we danced our way to the van to drive back to St. Paul.
7) Tried to sleep on the 4 hour trip back to St. Paul, switching positions every 5 minutes.
8) Watched the sunrise as we drove down I-94 thinking - "I have been up for 24 hours, Why can't I sleep!!!!!" Needless to say, as soon as my head hit the pillow of my bed, I was OUT - only for 3 hours though. Joe and I had out last NFP class at 10:00 am

8 Things I wish I could Do:

1) I know how to knit, now it is time to crochet
2) Learn how to be a really good gardener
3) Run a marathon without having to do all the training
4) Fly a plane
5) A back flip
6) Focus long enough to have deep meditation during prayer
7) Take a small cat-nap each day around 2:00 pm
8) Focus on one things at once. I am notoriously thinking about the next things that needs to get done . . .

8 Shows I watch: (note: My roomie and I do not have a TV, but I find ways to watch a few things)
1) House - sometimes I don't like the subject matter, but MOST of the time, I LOVE IT!
2) The Little Couple (a new show about little people)
3) John and Kate Plus 8 (but not often)
4) Man verses Wild
5) 24 (It is like a drug)

That's about it.

Now I will tag : Sarah, Laura, Janelle!

Soon

2009-06-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Update coming soon on my visit to see Sr. Katherine and all the fun happenings of this week!

7 Quick Takes - Volume 2

2009-05-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

The 7 Quick Takes are perfect for a Friday post!

1. Tomorrow, at 5:30 am, I take off to Lexington Kentucky to visit one of my best friends in the whole world. We have spend almost a whole year apart as she lives out her vocation as a religious sister with the Nashville Dominicans.

Sister Katherine is one of quite a few of my friends who have joined, or will be joining a religious order/become a diocesan priest. She will receive her habit and new name around August. My heart holds so much love and joy for her! I will post more when I get back.

2. Tonight = homemade pizza recipe I got here. I made the 1st part ahead of time - the dough and backing the Parmesan cheese on the crust, so all I need to do tonight is pop it in the oven! Top it off with some Caesar salad and root bear floats, and we have ourselves a great Friday dinner! As lunch time is quickly approaching in the Midwest, I am already looking forward to dinner.

3. Now that our employers know, and I think most everyone else does as well, Joe and I will be returning to the great state of Washington to being our married lives together. I will have a whole other post dedicated to this, but as it is Quick Take Friday - now is not the time. We will be headed that way the 1st or 2nd week of July, just in time for our July 18th wedding!

4. Hip Hip Hooray to my mom! She has been SO on the ball with the wedding! I can honestly say it has been stress free - well, mostly ;-) I am so thankful for her and her planning skills!

5. It is not too late to start the Novena to the Holy Spirit,
Or any novena really! 9 days between now and Pentecost - Happy Birthday Catholic Church!

6. What happened to all the hype about Swine Flu - I mean H1N1? All of a sudden there is nothing else about it. Don't get me wrong, I am still washing my hands and all surfaces as often as I see water, soap and disinfectant, but where did it go? I checked a few websites, and it is still around - All I know is that Joe and I are still going to Mexico on July 20th - hopefully we stay free of H1N1.

7. Recently, I can't get enough of Jodi Picoult! Her writing style is phenomenal and the books (fiction novels) really capture my interest. As Joe and I drove to La Crosse about a month ago, I read Typically, each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the main characters. I have read 3 in the last 2 months and am hooked! I am reading Handle With Care now:

When Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe’s daughter, Willow, is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, they are devastated – she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. As the family struggles to make ends meet to cover Willow’s medical expenses, Charlotte thinks she has found an answer. If she files a wrongful birth lawsuit against her ob/gyn for not telling her in advance that her child would be born severely disabled, the monetary payouts might ensure a lifetime of care for Willow. But it means that Charlotte has to get up in a court of law and say in public that she would have terminated the pregnancy if she’d known about the disability in advance – words that her husband can’t abide, that Willow will hear, and that Charlotte cannot reconcile. And the ob/gyn she’s suing isn’t just her physician – it’s her best friend.

Handle With Care explores the knotty tangle of medical ethics and personal morality. When faced with the reality of a fetus who will be disabled, at which point should an OB counsel termination? Should a parent have the right to make that choice? How disabled is TOO disabled? And as a parent, how far would you go to take care of someone you love? Would you alienate the rest of your family? Would you be willing to lie to your friends, to your spouse, to a court? And perhaps most difficult of all – would you admit to yourself that you might not actually be lying?

“Told through multiple points of view, this suspenseful story explores questions of medical ethics and personal choice, pinpointing the fragile and delicate fault lines that span out from personal tragedy and disability.”
—Kirkus Reviews

As summer approaches and you have a little more leisure time - read a Jodi Picoult book! It is really worth it.

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Pray for all our veterans, those who have fallen, and also for those who are with us - protecting and serving. They are more brave that we will ever realize.

Novena to the Holy Spirit

2009-05-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

Join the faithful nationally and around the world for the Church’s annual Pentecost novena, taking place this year from Ascension Thursday, May 21, to the Eve of Pentecost, May 30. This novena will be offered for the renewal, restoration and reawakening of our nation as well as for our President. Please add your personal intentions as well.

The Novena to the Holy Spirit

The novena to the Holy Spirit is the Church's only novena that was divinely ordered and it's the only one the Church officially prescribes. Jesus told the Apostles, "wait for 'the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 1:4)

So the Apostles went back to the city and to the upper room. There they "devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and his brothers." The fruit of that prayer was the Holy Spirit, God sharing His very nature with us. The Holy Spirit empowered the Apostles to go forth and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to the entire known world and to even not be afraid to shed their blood if that was necessary.Every year, the Church keeps that same novena between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost. And God still keeps His promise and continues to send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke, "If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (11:13)

Let's take this opportunity to ask Him for the Holy Spirit - for a new Pentecost to carry out the New Evangelization which Pope John Paul the Great called for. We desperately need that evangelization in our country as polls begin to document the loss of faith.

The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT--To be recited daily during the Novena

On my knees I before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, "Speak Lord for Your servant heareth." Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT--
To be recited daily during the Novena

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
The Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday.

FIRST DAY (Friday after Ascension or Friday of 6th Week of Easter)

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit
Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared--sin· Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us."

Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

SECOND DAY (Saturday of 6th Week of Easter)

Come. Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live!

The Gift of Fear
The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls."

Prayer
Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

THIRD DAY (7th Sunday of Easter or transferred Ascension)

Thou, of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost refreshing peace bestow.

The Gift of Piety
The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.

Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

FOURTH DAY (Monday, 7th Week of Easter)

Thou in toil art comfort sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe.
The Gift of Fortitude By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to under take without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved."

Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

FIFTH DAY (Tuesday, 7th Week of Easter)

Light immortal! Light Divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill!

The Gift of Knowledge
The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth--in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it."

Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

SIXTH DAY (Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter)

If Thou take Thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, All his good is turn'd to ill.

The Gift of Understanding
Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion BY faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to "walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

SEVENTH DAY (Thursday, 7th Week of Easter)

Heal our wounds--our strength renews; On our dryness pour Thy dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.

The Gift of Counsel
The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth."

Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

EIGHTH DAY (Friday, 7th Week of Easter)

Bend the stubborn heart and will, melt the frozen warm the chill. Guide the steps that go astray!

The Gift of Wisdom
Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is written "all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands." It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: "Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

NINTH DAY (Saturday, Vigil of Pentecost)

Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee Adore, in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend; Give Them Comfort when they die; Give them Life with Thee on high; Give them joys which never end. Amen

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.

Prayer
Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

The Dynamics of Celibacy - an article

2009-05-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Spirit & Life®
"The words I spoke to you are spirit and life." (Jn 6:63)
Human Life International e-Newsletter
Volume 04, Number 18 Friday, May 15, 2009

The Dynamics of Celibacy

Some recent high-profile priest scandals have put celibacy back in the limelight as a topic for the pagan world to rage about, but rarely will you hear what the Catholic Church actually teaches about it. I hope that the following insights will be a short-course in the dynamics of a marvelous life of grace: namely, celibate chastity. The world needs to hear “the other side” of the story.
Number One: Celibacy is a gift to the world, not a rule imposed by the Church on a few seemingly-abnormal men. Celibacy initiates men into a life of spiritual fatherhood in a strikingly positive way for others.

We are called “father” for a reason: we bring spiritual life to our people through the sacred mysteries which we handle, and they are drawn into a spiritual family thereby. A truly dedicated priest has thousands of spiritual children who sometimes make immense demands on him—I often wish I had only seven children like my father! In an age where men have massively renounced their sacred duty to generate, protect and nurture families, there are myriads of selfless, celibate men sacrificing themselves in a truly manly way for the sake of God’s family and, indeed, even for the sake of many individual families. The fact that some priests fail at it does not make the gift of celibacy anything less than a true blessing; in fact, its failures force us to reflect more deeply on its quiet successes.

It’s hypocritical to think that we should throw away the gift of celibacy (i.e., make it “optional”) based upon a miniscule percentage of failures of its practitioners. We don’t say the same thing about the much higher percentage of failures in marriage. Should we allow polygamy just because some married men can’t stick to one woman? This is the time to reaffirm the genuine beauty and value of celibacy, not change this immense gift to us.

Number two: Celibacy is the personal renunciation of the legitimate goods of marriage and family as a fruitful sacrifice for the kingdom of God. The astonishment of this generation that a perfectly normal, red-blooded male could make that particular sacrifice is exactly the point of celibacy. The world needs to know that there are some men walking around who are not bound either by the expectations of society or by the terms of our fleshly human nature. They are bound by only one concern; that of a kingdom that is not of this world, and they are willing to sacrifice everything for it.

The presence in society of men who make this sacrifice is profoundly challenging to a culture that wants to reduce everything in life to the pleasure principle. Such a total renunciation is truly counter cultural: it’s like choosing to live with a permanent wound in the heart that never heals but out of which flow “rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38) that heal countless others. Celibacy is not easy for anyone to live, in fact, it is a constant death to self; but it is enormously life-giving to others, and the Church has not lost sight of that for two thousand years.

Number three: vows are vows. Married men make vows and so do priests. A vow is a promise before God of fidelity to a particular person or state in life. From a spiritual point of view a vow in marriage has the same significance as a vow of celibate chastity: it is permanently binding on the individual and requires total fidelity. We all know that vows are broken by weak and fallible men, but we also know and have seen that vows can be repaired, sins repented of, amends made and forgiveness granted to those who have offended others. Who of us does not depend in some way on the Mercy of God and those we have hurt when we have fallen? The return to fidelity breaks our pride and chastens our passions. What we must never do is make excuses or justify our compromises with pop cultural moral relativism. For example, the fact of “falling in love” with someone is no more an excuse to abandon the celibate priesthood than it is to abandon a wife and family for another woman. I have known many married men who have had that experience and then, in a more rational moment, picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and returned to fidelity—sometimes at a great cost.

Thankfully God gave us a rational will, in addition to our lower passions, so that we have something other than whimsical feelings to govern our actions. Fidelity is always possible for those who desire to return to their deepest commitments.Well, although a short article on celibacy is not enough to explain such a beautiful mystery, it is just enough to witness to a very dynamic way of life whose adherents have given life to millions throughout the centuries. In this time of great secular challenge to our faith, let us pray for the celibate men and women who have served us so well in this life and especially for those who are still trying to return to fidelity.

Sincerely,

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

7 Quick Takes ... Vol. 1

2009-05-08T04:54:00.000-07:00

1. After 2, 6 week sessions of dance class with Joe - there was a little "skills test" on Monday night, and they also made it into a fun competition --- well, guess who got 1st place (tied with another couple)? Uh huh, Joe and Anna. It was fun. Our prize .... a box of Charleston Chews - how appropriate.

2. Memorial Day Weekend is quickly approaching - and that means going to Kentucky to visit my dear dear friend, Sr. Katherine! Kathy joined the Nashville Dominicans (go check out the website!) last August and after almost a year, she has a home visit. I will be spending the weekend with her and her family - enjoying every moment we have! Kathy is SO beautiful and I can't wait to hear stories and rejoice together in what the Lord has done in our lives.
3. What on my mind today you ask? How about the fact that Joe and I are getting married in 70 days! Reading the Psalms in reverse order has been a very fruitful way to count down the day - and put some purpose into counting down - not just wishing the days away.

4. This weekend is very busy and exciting - Not only are we going to a yummy Mediterranean restaurant tonight, tomorrow I get to hang out (babysit) with some of my favorite kids! And Sunday, Joe and I are going to a Mariner's game - well, a Twin's game ----- a Mariner's verses Twins game ---- who do we cheer for? Sunday night, Megan and I are having dinner with 2 other girls from our NET team who both live in MN - so fun!

5. Last night, today, and tomorrow I will be boxing up light weight bulky things as Joe and I prepare to move home - Those things can be easily and cheaply shipped back to WA, and I will get them out before Monday when postage goes up! Take that USPS!

6. Praise the Lord - He can not be outdone in generosity. Lately He has really been surprising me with how generous He is - and why should I be surprised. One quick story - I am selling my car - my dad had one, which is now mine, so instead of Joe and I driving both our cars back to WA, I will sell mine here. On the fly about a month ago, we told our NFP teacher how we are selling my car, and she pretty much said - "We will buy it" - This weekend, the car will be theirs. I am so thankful that the Lord has turned what could be a stressful situiation, trying to sell a car, and pack up our lives, into a very blessed and "easy" situiation. Thank you, Jesus! I will miss my little "Big Red" as I call her. She has been the best little car for me over the years.

7. Dove Dark Chocolates are my favorite sweet treat - today, the little "promise" inside the wrapper was "Believe the best in others!" Indeed I will, thank you Dove!

3 Crosses Retreat Center

2009-05-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Joe and I, along with our great friend, Megan and Mikey, took Friday off and went to 3 Crosses Retreat Center in Cannon Falls. Gary and Barb have transformed their own home into a beautiful retreat center/get away for anyone who wants to come. Megan, Mikey and I were 1st exposed to this place while we were on a team together for NET Ministiries. They are such beautiful people - and while they live in their home (the retreat center) they also work to maintain the grounds, prayer gardens, and welcoming environment of this Christ-centered place. The 4 of us decided, though we will not live near each other, to return to this place with our growing families routinely, to enjoy God's creation in the place where we feel so at home. Here are some pictures.

-----

Joe helping me down from a tree.

Totem Poll shot

Easter in St. Paul

2009-04-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe I just celebrated my 4th Easter at the Cathedral of St. Paul. When I was "On the Road" with NET - we went as a team to the Easter Vigil - and I have been going back ever since.

The Easter Vigil is perhaps one of my favorite liturgies of the year - with the lighting of the candles in the pitch black Cathedral, bringing in the light of Christ. I wish I could have taken a picture inside as the lighting was happening. As all the lights were out, it was still a little light outside and the stained glass windows looked more beautiful than I had ever seen before.

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe - LaCrosse, Wisconsin

2009-03-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday -Joe and I planned a trip down to La Crosse, WI. It is about a 3 hours drive, so we made a fun day out of it. Joe had been sick with the flu - influenza - all week, and we were both glad he started to feel better. We took the road that runs along the Mississippi River and enjoyed the view. All of the leaves were off the trees which made the view of the river perfect, though we both commented on how it would have been nice to do that same drive in the fall or spring when things were in bloom. In La Crosse, there is a new Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is just beautiful. Below I posted some pictures. I don't think words will do it justice, but at least you will be able to see. Each set of mysteries of the Rosary had one of these 1/2 circles devoted to it. The tiles were hand painted I am certain and the light blue color made each image shine. Up close view of the Wedding at Cana. Each of the side chapels in the Cathedral were devoted to "modern day Saints" - those from the 18th and 19th centuries. This is St. Maria Goretti, a young girl who died at the hands of the man trying to molest her. He, Alessandro, is also in the picture. Maria said as she was dying that she wanted to see him in Heaven, and while he was in prison, he had a vision of her saying that she forgave him - making him repent and seek forgiveness. When he was released, 27 years later, he went straight to Maria's mother who was still alive and begged for forgiveness. She said "If my daughter can forgive you, how can I refuse?"

St. Therese, the Little Flower.

Us at the Shrine, a nice family from Delano took our picture.

St. Gianna, Pray for us!

The dome of the Cathedral, with the stars in the exact spot that would have been when Juan Diego looked up into the sky.

These are my roommates from last year, minus 1 - Sr. Katherine Webb is with the Nashville Dominicans. We were all at a bridal shower for Monica, who will be getting married June 5th. It was great to all be together again, and Mary is at Steubenville and Monica lives a few hours north of the rest of us!

No Fear in Christ

2009-03-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

I received this through the "Daily Eucharistic Emails" I get each morning.

For me, it is beautiful to think of the sacrifice and effort many people make to receive the Eucharist, compared to being able to drive 5-10 minutes in any direction here in St. Paul and arrive at the nearest Eucharistic Adoration chapel or daily Mass.

I thank the Lord for the gift He has given me by making himself so readily available in the sacraments. I pray that I can seek His face even more - considering how "available" He has made himself.

"O great and Divine Sacrament
That veils my God!
Jesus, be with me each moment,
And no fear will enter my heart."

St. Maria Faustina
of the Blessed Sacrament

The Human Experience

2009-03-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

Another great movie to share with everyone!

From Grassroots Films of Brooklyn, New York (the guys who made Fisher's of Men and God in the Streets of New York) comes THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE – the story of a band of brothers who travel the world in search of the answers to the burning questions: Who am I? Who is Man? Why do we search for meaning? Their journey brings them into the middle of the lives of the homeless on the streets of New York City, the orphans and disabled children of Peru, and the abandoned lepers in the forests of Ghana, Africa. What the young men discover changes them forever. Through one on one interviews and real life encounters, the brothers are awakened to the beauty of the human person and the resilience of the human spirit.

Trailer

If you live in the Twin Cities, come --- it's FREE!

Where: O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium (University of St. Thomas, St. Paul campus)
When:
When: Thursday, March 12 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

what can happen during a Minnesota winter...

2009-02-27T17:58:00.000-08:00

If you have an aversion for feet -I suggest not reading the rest of this post.

Sunday evening, a few of my favorite people and I went to the Grand Ol' Creamery - the best place to get ice cream here in the Cities. Seeing as Lent was to begin on Wednesday, we took advantage of the cold night, and ventured out to get ourselves what may be our last good scoop of ice cream until Easter. All went well and we headed home. When we got to Joe's house, I was going to go inside for a little bit and have him take me home later - bad idea. As I was leaving, I stepped off a small, but bigger than I though, ledge, and fell to my doom onto the icy driveway. Below is a picture diary of the past few days .....

1st - the happy scoops of ice cream and hot fudge! Yummy raspberry and chocolate flake with chocolate chip mint - and hot fudge of course!

Rolled ankle - 1 night of total agony, a trip to the Dr. in the morning, and an "air cast" and crutches for this week, and perhaps the week to follow. With this picture, I especially enjoy the bruise at the heel AND and the high ankle that is already turning yellow. I sure did a number on my right foot!

Each day the coloring has been progressively "better" - and more colors appear. The 1st day there was hardly anything, and day by day, the blue, black, purple, yellow and red's have been surfacing. In order to make this somewhat upsetting event a bit more "fun" - I take a picture of my foot daily to track its progress.

These photos are from the past 2 days (Thursday and Friday)

Demographic Winter

2009-02-19T19:34:00.000-08:00

Demographic Winter is the name of a documentary that my seminarian friend (Brian) sent me. He has watched the entire film, (which is totally secular), and expresses the need for societies to stop freaking out about the hype surrounding having "too many people in the world" and start having kids!

In order for our society (and world) to survive, demographers (and statistics) say we need to "replace" ourselves at a birth rate of 2.1, which makes sense - 2 children to replace the 2 parents that gave them life and .1 to factor in all sorts of other birth complications .... currently, most countries are at 1.something - - - -

There will soon be too many old people in the world for the lack of young people left in our world to support them.

What I find most interesting about the trailer that I have given you the link to, is that these secular demographers, state that the "in-tack male+female family unit" is the strongest and most successful way for our world to survive.

Check it out, and try to watch the entire film if you can.

Hooray for marriage and family life!

Warm Memories

2009-02-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

After my dad went through his cancer treatments 15 years ago, he was perpetually cold. To conquer that, he nearly always wore a turtle neck with a sweatshirt over it. This past October when we were going through my dad's clothes to donate them, I decided to same some key pieces - 6 sweatshirts. I had no intention of doing anything with them, just having them to look at and hold ans smell and remember my dad. As I was looking at them in a bag one day, I said to myself that if I don't do anything with them, they will just sit in that bag and in 5 years I will probably donate them too. Well, I didn't want that to happen, so I decided to make a blanket with them.

A blanket made of sweatshirts, to keep me warm, just like they kept my dad warm all those years.

The black and white fabric was not a sweatshirt - obviously. It was just to make the blanket bigger and give it some dimension. I used one of my old sweatshirts too, because I needed 2 more squares to make it even. Having Monday off helped me to sit down and just finish it, and early this morning, I hand stitched the corners so they would be extra secure.

I am so thankful that I saved those sweatshirts and made a blanket. Years for now, as I snuggle up with the blanket, and hopefully a few kids in tow, I can share with them wonderful stories about their grandpa, who went to Heaven before they could meet him.

Divine Mercy and "7 Secrets of the Eucharist"

2009-02-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

FRED BERRETTA'S EMAIL TO VINNY FLYNN
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Subject: Passenger of Flight 1549

Vinny,
I sincerely hope this email finds its way to you. I was a passenger on flight 1549 and my name is Fred Berretta. You might have caught a glimpse of me or heard me on CNN or Fox the night of the crash. I interviewed with Lou Dobbs, Wolf Blitzer and Bill O'Reilly and discussed the crash that night. I had been on a one day business trip to NY and sat in seat 16A just behind the left engine.
My trip was a last minute decision the day before. I finished my meetings early on Thursday and realized I had time to attend the 12 noon mass at St. Patrick Cathedral. It was unusual for me to have the extra time, but that day I did. After Mass, I stopped by the gift shop just across from the cathedral and purchased your book, "7 Secrets of the Eucharist." As I waited to board flight 1549 bound for Charlotte, where I live, I began reading your book. I continued reading while we taxied until just after take off. I think I got through about half of it and then decided to close my eyes and reflect on the incredible insights your book gave me regarding the Eucharist. We were climbing out and just a minute or so into the flight I heard the impact of the bird strikes and then the explosion in the left engine. I could see it on fire and the cabin began to smell like jet fuel.
As a private pilot, once I realized the second engine was also not functioning, things became quite tense. While I had known about and prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet years before, I had not really focused on it in quite a long time. Ironically, I had prayed the chaplet the day before at 3 pm. I had forgotten that in my briefcase I had long kept a copy of a booklet of the Divine Mercy chaplet which had excerpts from St. Faustina's diary. When I arrived in NY, I had some time at my hotel and decided to clean out my briefcase, something long overdue. I found the Divine Mercy booklet, prayed the chaplet, and read some of the words of Jesus to Faustina. Before we hit the water, I thought about the words Jesus said, that nothing would be refused if asked for during the hour of mercy.*
I really thought there was a good chance myself and others would die that day, but I asked God to be merciful to us, I prayed the Lord' prayer and a Hail Mary. I then prayed to St. Michael, and we impacted the water. The odds were not with us that day, but God clearly was. I believe it is the only jet airliner to successfully ditch in the water without fatalities in the history of aviation. I just want you to know that your book gave me comfort as we were going down, and for that I am grateful.
I know a lot of people prayed on that plane, and I believe the Miracle on the Hudson was a testament to the mercy of God, and a sign of hope. Take care and may God continue to bless your ministry and all you do to spread the message of Divine Mercy and the wonders of Holy Communion.

Best regards,
Fred Berretta

January in Pictures

2009-02-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

January seemed pretty busy - here are a few shots of the activities....

Megan (my roomie) has trouble wearing what I call "cozy" clothes. She just never did growing up and was never in the habit. But I have peer pressured her into it over the years. Last week, we were sitting around talking about when we were going to go to the grocery store this week ... we figured out we had to go RIGHT NOW or else... no food for us. We were already in our cozy clothes, and I insisted we not change out of them. Due to the momentous nature of this event (Megan going out in public with her flannel pants on) I documented it.

The "Worlds Toughest Cowboy" came to St. Paul, and Joe, Mikey, Megan and myself went to check it out! Awesome!

Thursday night --- Friday morning, someone decided to break into my car, which was in the garage of my apartment building, and take the only thing worth anything - the stereo I had installed when I just got the car a few years ago. Along with taking the stereo, they took my heat and defrost too! Geico has been wonderful and I have a rental car while mine is in the shop. I must say it was an interesting sight this morning as I was driving to work scraping the ice from the INSIDE of my car window with my Visa card (pre-rental car). I should have been arrested.

The beautiful sunrise I saw before discovering my car was messed up.

One more action shot of the pajama shopping extravaganza!

Megan, Mikey, Joe and myself are also taking dance lessons so we don't look like goons dancing at the wedding. I have no pictures of that ---yet.

Presentation of the Lord

2009-02-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

“Simeon gave back Jesus to His Mother, he was only suffered to keep Him for one moment. But we are far happier than Simeon. We may keep Him always if we will. In Communion He comes not only into our arms but into our hearts.”

St John Vianney

Picture by: Greg Olson--Simeon blessing the baby Jesus in Jerusalem

Luke 2:25-35

FOCA - Radical threat to human life

2009-01-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

As some of you may or may not know, I work for the Archdiocese of St Paul/Minneapolis in the Office of Marriage, Family and Life. Our office is spear-heading the national campaign launched by the USCCB (United States Catholic Conference of Bishops) to have every voting Catholic in the United States sign a postcard which will be sent to the local representative and senators. This will hopefully get the attention of our law makers that FOCA is a radical threat to human life and should be stopped.

Here is a link to the campaign website. If you haven't heard about it at your local parish (they are doing this all over the US) talk to your parish priest or local pro-life group to get some information!

NCHLA.org

Our office also put together a quick brochure to send out before the campaign started to condense the information in brief. I could not get the PDF up here, but here is what it says:

Now More Than Ever We are facing the most serious threat to pro-life policies ever—the “Freedom of Choice Act”, or FOCA. This bill would create a right to abortion the government could not limit and bring about national abortion policy far worse than the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. For the first time, abortion would become an entitlement the government must fund and promote. Citizens would lose the freedom they now have to enact even the modest regulation on the abortion industry.

***FOCA is without a doubt the most radical abortion legislation ever considered in the United States***

FOCA eliminates regulations that protect women from unsafe abortion clinics

FOCA forces tax payers to fund abortions

FOCA requires all states to allow “partial birth” and other late-term abortions

FOCA subjects women to abortions by non-physicians

FOCA violates the conscience rights of nurses, doctors, and hospitals

FOCA strips parents of their right to be involved in their minor daughters’ abortion decision

Prayer to End Abortion
Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son.
I am ready to do my part in ending abortion. Today I commit myself Never to be silent, Never to be passive, Never to be forgetful of the unborn.
I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, And never to stop defending life Until all my brothers and sisters are protected, And our nation once again becomes A nation with liberty and justice Not just for some, but for all.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Daily Eucharistic Emails

2009-01-15T07:15:00.001-08:00

I am on a Daily Eucharist Email list - A beautiful women here in the cities sends daily Saint quotes, book quotes, inspirational quotes with a picture as well - etc. Also, once a month she offers adoration for the intentions of everyone who receives the emails. It is beautiful. Today, I particularly enjoyed the quote and picture.

(Let me know if you want to be on the list!)

"At that hour of the Sacrifice, at the words of the Priest, the heavens are opened, and in that mystery of Jesus Christ, the choirs of Angels are present, and things below are joined to things on high, earthly things to heavenly, and the service is both a visible and an invisible event."

~St. Gregory the Great († 604)

December: A review in pictures

2009-01-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

December was full .... here is a glimpse in pictures.

Home in Tacoma during the freaky snow storm weather - - - we made the most of it with a friendly snow man. We never make them in Minnesota because it is just TOO TOO cold when the snow comes. Josh and Mike both came into town in early December. Josh had training for his new job, and Mike missed Minnesota so much he just had to come back. The Cathedral is in the background.

Minnesota sunset. Even thought it is freezing, the sun comes up every morning and it is so pretty!

Trying on one of the veil options for the wedding. Cathy D (My mom's friend from high school) is helping me put it on (the veil she wore at her wedding), and my mom is just watching.

My mom putting together some bows from my 1st shower. Her grade school and high school girlfriends threw me my 1st wedding shower (Bath and kitchen themed). It was great!

Joe and I trying to recreate a pose similar to one my grandma and grandpa had, Christmas of 1965 in front of a tree. I should get the original up on here. They are pretty similar .... we framed it and gave it to her for Christmas - side by side with the original. She just loved it.

Christmas and the New Year

2009-01-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

I was home for 2 weeks, by home I mean Tacoma, Washington. It was so great to be with my family and Joe's family for the holiday. We love being home and the trip back to MN is always a little hard - leaving our family and the ones we love to come back to MN .... where of course we love our life as well. There is just something about being home that makes you want to stay.

Wedding plans are going well. We are all ready to go, now we just have to wait until July 18th!
Thanks to the help of my dear friend Kate - we actually addressed all the invitations and sent "save the dates" to the out of town guests. 5 of my ladies already have their dresses, the cake is settled on and I think the flowers are too. As far as wedding cakes go - I am not a fan. I haven't ever had one I LOVED, and I just don't like cake in general. I would much rather have ICE CREAM - but that was not approved by the wedding committee - - - my mom ;-) --

The snow in the northwest over Christmas made for a few changes in plans, but it was nice to rest and slow down for a change. When it snows in MN, nothing slows down!

Now we are back in Minnesota, have the weekend to regroup and adjust to life in the Midwest until we head back to work on Monday.

Pictures of break to come soon!

Another website

2008-12-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

Wedding website

I am trying out a free wedding website for in-town and out-of-town guests.

So far it is kind of fun, but I have enough trouble keeping the blog updated ... at least I don't have to keep updating this one, once the information is on here, that's it!

God bless you and your Advent season. May the Lord make you truly apprecite this time while you wait in JOYFUL HOPE!

Engagement

2008-11-30T18:07:00.001-08:00

Joe and I went over to a good friend's house, had a great lunch with the family, and then had a little photo shoot. We wanted to get some good pictures for ... perhaps some "Save the Date" cards, Christmas pictures, or some fun decoration ideas at the reception. We had a fun time and got some great shots . . . after I decided to start smiling. Joe however, has the same wonderful smile in every picture (well, almost every picture).

Last night it also decided to snow! Which made it cold, but also gave us a nice background. Up until now, the snow has only been around for a day or so, but I think this time it will stick .... maybe we will see the ground in March?!?

Dave told us to be "dramatic" .....

Joe was standing a few feet away from me, down a hill. We are almost the same height now.

When I was between the ages of 0-5 years, I refused to smile in pictures - I was just trying to recreate that

Date Night

2008-11-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago, Joe and I decided to set aside one week night as Date Night. We picked Wednesday's. Lately though, Wednesday's have been full of other obligations (this Wednesday my boss at the Archdiocese is having our office over for dinner) so Joe and I have been forced to reschedule - which is just fine.

Date night has been such a blessing. It gives us a set time to spend together. We sometimes have more of a "business" type meeting, now discussing the details of the wedding or planning something, but mostly it is just time set aside to enjoy one another.

Tonight Joe planned Date Night - It was a great one!

We played poker! He brought the chips, and cards, and sun glasses and hat - even big pretzel sticks as fake cigars.

Not that life will ever totally get back to "normal" after the death of my dad - it is comforting to know that life does go on, and Joe and I are living life, having fun, and enjoying each day together. Today marks the one month date since my dad died. It is hard to believe.

God continues to bless the struggle and the suffering. His grace is sufficient.

Let it snow ...

2008-11-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

November 7, 2009 -

The snow is falling in St. Paul, MN this morning. This is not the 1st time this season we have seen white, but it is the 1st time that it is sticking ......

Winter is upon us.

Perhaps we will see the ground again in April.

Day's like today, I would like to be back in Seattle, where school would be cancelled due to the .05 inches of snow dust on the ground. But in MN - it's life as usual, even with feet of snow.

Who invented snow plows?

For those interested....

2008-10-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Everyone, please pray for my dad, who died pretty suddenly on Saturday morning. He always went to my grandparents house on Saturday's at 10:00 and is NEVER late for anything (I must get that from him) so when he didn't show up they were worried. They called him a few times, and then went over to his house, where one of my dad's sisters met them.

My dad had gotten up in the morning, and done his usually routine.... got breakfast ready, was watching the news. Somewhere during that time, they think his heart must have stopped or he had some kind of a heart attack. He was laying next to the couch, as if he had tried to walk off the pain, and then rest. My family said he looked peaceful.

When I was in 1st grade, and again in junior high, my father fought Hodgkins Disease. A type of Lymph node Cancer. He had been in remission for MANY years, and up until Saturday was the only person still alive after receiving the treatment he did. (chemo, full body radiation, stem cells - - the list goes on) The others lasted less than 2 years.

God gave our family a miracle by letting my dad be around to see me grow up (almost) fully.... he was able to be there for all of the milestone we never thought he would when he got sick when I was a tiny girl.

Junior high fun, high school sports (of which he never missed a swim meet or other event!) and graduation, college fun and graduation, along with countless trips up and down I-5 to visit me in college at least once a month, and pick me up and take me home whenever I wanted to come home (before I had a car) - and he was even able to share in the joy of my recent engagement to Joe! Joe was able to talk to him about his plans to marry me, and ask for permission, and then we were able to celebrate (on the phone) about the news. Praise the Lord! How providential the way joy and sorrow are mixed together.

When Joe asked my dad if he could marry me, my dad said to him ... "Well, it's okay with me, but you better ask her!" Is anyone surprised? ;-)

Due to all his cancer treatment, he just had a weaker body. His heart and organs were not like ours. Though he looked okay on the outside, he was constantly fighting inside, and fatigued easily.

Please pray that this will bring about conversion among many souls, and for the repose of his soul (David Doherty), that he may rest with Jesus, Mary, and the Saints and angels forever.

My dad received most of his treatment from Dr. Bonnie Takasugi and her team at Highline Cancer Center. Dr. Bonnie was one of my dad's favorite people and she helped him to survive as long as he did.

My dad didn't want any service or memorial,
for that reason, I am asking that donations be made to the hospital where he was treated.

If you feel called, please send donations in David's name to:

Highline Medical Center Foundation
ATTN: Cancer Center
16259 Sylvester Rd SW, Suite 101
Burien, WA 98166
(In memory of David Doherty)
Or online at : http://www.highlinemedical.org/Donation_Form.htm

Keep praying.

To my dad.... by far the best dad, for whom my love will be eternal.

My Dad

2008-10-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Please lift all of your prayers to heaven.
My dad died pretty suddenly on Saturday morning.
Pray for the repose of his soul and the conversion of many souls through this suffering we are going through.

He made it very clear that he did not want any service after his death -
we will be setting up a memorial fund in his name. More to come.

Maybe God be given all the glory.

Peace.

Lots to come

2008-10-11T09:57:00.001-07:00

Updates are coming soon, that last week, well, few weeks have been a whirlwind or business and events.

Today is soup day - Annie, Cheryl, Megan and myself went to the Farmer's Market this morning, got our ingredients, and are making 5 different soups today!

2 are simmering currently, 3 more are on their way to completion.

We can now hibernate for the winter and be prepared.

Fall is here!

2008-09-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Fall is here, officially as of yesterday, and the St. Paul farmers market proves it! The roommate and I (Megan) typically go on the weekends whenever we get a chance, as do Cheryl and Annie (they are the one's who got Megan hooked) and the summer at the market was wonderful, as of Saturday, Fall has taken over and it is packed full of yummy goodies! The Red peppers were redder than ever, and now there is squash all over the place!

One really great thing happened - Megan and I planned on making salsa when we got home, and of course i didn't need 12 jalapeno peppers to do that, just one or two, so i asked a nice man how much he would charge me for just a few, thinking that is a whole box was a few dollars, i would be glad to give him a few quarters for 1 or 2 - he said "well, i wouldn't really know what to charge, so here, just take two" - because of his kindness, and our necessity, we also purchased fresh green beans from him. yummy. Thank you kind man!

My favorite picture is down near the bottom, a woman was carrying her 2 little dogs like most people carry their little babies. I asked her if i could take a picture, she didn't seem to mind. Thank you nice dog lady!

Cheryl and Annie started the tradition of "Soup Day" - buying ingredients are the market and making a few soups in one day, and freezing them for the winter - Soup Day will be later in October, and i am looking forward to it!

very important

2008-09-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Worth a few minutes of your time

Psalm 23

2008-09-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

Goodness and Love will follow me .....

Clicking on the above link will be good for you. I promise.

A tribute to 3 people who have blessed my life ...

2008-09-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Last night at Kyle's going away party, I was able to recognize how truly blessed I am to live in the place I do, and know the people I know. Kathy, Kyle, and BP (Brian), have become very close friends over the past 3 years, and all three of them have answered the call our Lord has placed on their hearts, to give up everything and follow Him.

Kathy left on August 8th to join the Nashville Dominicans. She has been there for about a month now and and the end of her 1st letter to me, she wrote, "I am joyful, content and peaceful. His Will is my joy." Also, she wrote, "He is ever drawing me near to His heart. I long to breathe prayers moment by moment, and I am learning to. I don't forget who I'm doing this for and I don't forget that I am a woman in love with women in love."
In about a year, Kathy - Sr. Katherine, until next year when she gets her new name - will get her habit. Currently she wears a white blouse and jumper, with no veil.

And then there is Kyle, who the party was for last night. Kyle was my co-supervisor my 1st year on NET staff. We were about to supervise 2 teams, travel all over the country, and have a good time. Kyle is joining the FPO's - Franciscans of the Primitive Observance - they broke off of the CFR's years ago to live a more radical call of the Gospel. They have no money, no possessions, and live as close to how St. Francis lived as possible. They beg for food to eat, hitch-hike or get rides donated somehow --- and I could go on and on. I wrote a post about them a few months ago, but they asked Kyle (who had it on his blog, i just copied and pasted it) to take it off because they didn't want the "publicity". Pray for Kyle, his health, well-being, continual self-denial, and pursuit of holiness.

Here Kyle is trying to look like St. Francis De Sales - he is doing a pretty good job. This was the day I tried to honor Kyle by putting on a beard from the prop closet - - he liked it.And now for BP - Brian Park- Thankfully he hasn't left us like Kyle and Kathy. BP is a seminarian for the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis. BP was my supervisor when I was on the Home Team in 05-06. And for the past few years we have been able to be every day friends - which is wonderful. This was taken with BP and some of the priests and seminarians from the Archdiocese went to visit the Pope in New York. I think it is a pretty cool picture. BP has been an wonderful brother and friend over the past few years, and I am so thankful to have people like Kyle, Kathy and BP in my life!

Only the Lord knew all the things he had in store for me when I moved to Minnesota!

MN State Fair -Some down home midwest fun!

2008-08-30T21:26:00.001-07:00

The Minnesota State Fair is over on Monday, so we had to take a little trip up there to see the sights. Megan and Joe had never been before, however, I have now gone all 3 years I have lived here, so was certainly excited to go back! The big thing with the MN State Fair is everything being "on a stick". They have pickles on a stick, spaghetti and meatballs on a stick, deep fried candy bars and Twinkies on a stick, pigs in a blanket on a stick, ice cream on a stick ... I could go on and on....

I did manage however, to not eat ANYTHING on a stick. I had some ice cream, in a dish from the Dairy Barn, where the milk is fresh daily, and a Gyro, which was extra delicious, however, I made them myself a few nights ago, and I would bet that mine were much tastier!

Here are some pictures to document the event. Enjoy, and check out the fair next year, or tomorrow if you are in town!

Joe, standing next to some lawn art that best represents him .... a giraffe.
Only some of the people who were at the State Fair with us yesterday afternoon ..... Good thing the people here are "Minnesota Nice" or else it could have gotten out of control!For 50 cents, you can try your skills at milking a goat. We thought it was a genius idea on the farmers part. The goats need to be milked anyway, and this way, they are getting free labor, and being paid to DO NOTHING! While us city folks get to feel cool by milking a goat. Well farmers, we've got you figured out!
Cows showing some love.

This picture is for Kathy (Sr. Katherine, in the convent with the Nashville Dominicans.) We are waving hello to her with a super fuzzy and soft looking cow at the fair.

This is a pig - with his head, and his bottom, stuck in his food and water dish. Poor pig. Joe, myself, Mikey and Megan resting our little feet before conquering more turf at the fair. Again, another picture for Kathy, she always got on me for putting too much garlic on EVERYTHING, I thought it only appropriate to take some pictures at the garlic store, holding garlic. I love garlic, it's probably one of my favorite foods. Watch out world, here I come!

Renaissance Festival 2008

2008-08-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival was this weekend, and I had never been before, but had always been interested in going, so a man I work with, who is one of the performers at the festival, gave me 4 tickets, and Megan, Jacqui, Joe and I took ourselves out to Shakopee, MN for the afternoon to enjoy .... something we were not sure about.

This was the entrance to the festival - Like a mini-Disneyland, in Medieval times

This man was a sword fighter - he greeted us as we entered into Make Believe Land. We had taken two pictures before this one, and then he decided he needed to make a better face, so I did too. I am pleased with the results.

Jim is in the center. He provided us with the tickets to Make Believe Land. We had a great time and were lucky to find him. His job is basically to escort people all around the festival, so he is never in one place for very long!These very large puppets also greeted us as we walked into the festival.

Perhaps one of my very favorite things to see at the festival - men, women, and children, walking around gnawing on very large turkey thighs. I could not help but take pictures of Joe as he participated in the activity. And in the picture here, it looks smaller than it actually was! CRAZY
After shot of the turkey leg...

Two small children with balloon bunny ears learning how to sword fight . . . one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

Check out the cool Renaissance buildings behind us!Old fashion Renaissance dancingA fire breathing, tight-rope walking, juggling, comedian. Weird, but very cool.

Going to the festival was like traveling back in time - people called us "My Lord, and My Lady" - they were wearing period clothing, speaking differently - etc. Quite the experience. We took in a lot of shows while we were there, most of them were very funny. My favorite was Zilch the Tory Steller, he tells a whole story and switched the 1st letter of all the words around, Tory Steller is an example - it is really Story Teller . . . . get it? He told the story or Parunnzel, or "Rapunzel" for those of your who don't speak Zilchs' language ;-) It was very funny, hard to follow in the beginning, but then your brain adapts to the language. A lot of the comedy acts were pretty inappropriate though, we left a few of them. All in all, it was enjoyable, but one time at the festival was enough to last me a life time I think.

Butterfly fun at Como Zoo

2008-08-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today was great. The Como Zoo is having a butterfly exhibit until the 7th of September, and Joe and I decided to take advantage of it this afternoon before going to Vigil Mass at the Cathedral. It was lovely. There are some beautiful pictures of the butterflies that stayed still long enough to let me take their picture. The people working there said there were over 40 species of them, I don't think we saw them all.

We were sitting down at a bench, hoping one might land on us.

There were fruit trays all around where many of them were found having a snack. This one spread its wings so I could see all the lovely colors.
These black white and blue ones were very photogenic. They didn't shy away from my camera, and usually stayed still.
A pretty little orange one on a little red flower. Delightful.
Here is another blue black and white one - I forget what they were called.

This one opened all the way for a great shot.
A zebra butterfly, I think.
This was the sky a few nights ago before a big storm.
If you are in Minnesota, near St. Paul, go check out the Como Zoo Butterfly exhibit - - - the best part about the whole thing - it is FREE! I love free things!

Tuesdays = Free outdoor concerts at the MN History Center!

2008-08-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday nights in St. Paul leave me at the Minnesota State History Center where each week is a free outdoor concert - each week is a different kind of music. Two weeks ago was Irish music, and last week was Swing! We bring a little picnic, and enjoy the music, and all of the people. What I enjoyed most this week, was being able to be there with my co-leader from NET (Joe Mailhot) and his fiance, soon to be wife (August 23rd), and also, looking around seeing TONS of people I know. Living in a city you didn't grow up in can seem --- challenging - you have to get to know new people, find out about the town, seek out some kind of community, etc. Yet, though I have only lived here about 3 years, I was surprised, and comforted to go out to a public event, downtown, and see at least 5 families I know, and many friends.

A highlight of the night was Hal W. Hal is an 81 year old man who never forgets his dancing shoes! He is pictured below in the blue shirt and black pants - dancing with all the ladies. I am certain people go swing dancing (Thursday nights at the Tapestry) just to dance with Hal! He was amazing! As i was watching him dance the night away (yes, I was watching, not dancing) I thought about all of the times my Grandma June tells me about how she would "dance every night!" as she wonders why I don't. I tell her things just are not the same with dancing these days. We don't have the big bands, the dance halls, the young G.I.'s hanging around waiting to dance with a nice young lady ......

Anyway, I became so happy thinking about my grandma in her youth, dancing every night, and Hal was able to show me a piece of what that might look like - I had to go talk to him! That is when I learned his name (Hal), how old he is (81), how long he has been dancing (since 1942), and that he goes swing dancing AT LEAST every Thursday (at The Tapestry). He asked me to dance right then, but saw I was wearing flip flops, and said there is no way I could dance well in them. Maybe next time Hal, maybe next time.

Check out the pictures, and enjoy!

Joe (my co-leader from NET who lives in Maine but is out here taking masters classes at St. Thomas for the summer) and his fiance (soon to be wife - Aug 23rd) Schara, in front of the BEAUTIFUL St. Paul Cathedral - - - - it is amazing! I can't believe I live in a city where I can see, and go to a cathedral daily if I want!

Hal (in the blue shirt and black pants) dancing the night away - notice his little finger point as he gets ready to spin around!

Hal dancing with a nice young lady - but not me :-( because of my flip flops

Lots of dancers !

Hal again, dancing!

And there it is!

Home Team 2005-2006- 3 members represented (Megan, Anna, Joe), 1 honorary member (Schara)

NEWS: You have got to read this

2008-07-31T06:59:00.000-07:00

44 lb stray cat - Princess Chunk

44lb cat found in NJ a few days ago - check it out.

Cat's are supposed to weigh 10-12 pounds .....

Happy Thursday

Lumber Jack Days - Stillwater, MN

2008-07-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

So - the gang who went to World Youth Day from NET is back - and Mike was in town for the weekend waiting for his flight home, which was wonderful, because we got to spend a bunch of time with him - and guess what we did ... Lumber Jack Days!

This weekend, Mike, Joe and myself went to "Lumberjack Day's" - this is an event highlighting the men who cut down trees for a living and are proud of it - it is like a sport - and they are good at it!

I will let you see some pictures below, but these guys can climb a 60 foot pole in about 13 seconds, and run across logs in the water in about 9 seconds.

Another super fun part of the show was the "Logs and Dogs" portion - they had dogs that could jump about 28 feet across -

And who says MN isn't a great place to live! Who else saw something this cool last weekend?

Getting a piece of wood signed by all the lumber jacks

Lightly running across the poles - he was pretty much flying! - 9 seconds down and back ....Climbing a 60 foot pole in 12 seconds - up and down.Getting ready to run across polesJoe and myself, enjoying the sights - clearly Joe could see more of the action than I could ...

I will let you all know when it happens again next year, so you can come for a visit ;-)

Or you could watch it on TV - I believe it will be on the Outdoor/Wilderness station.

Apartment pictures

2008-07-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our balcony on the 4th floor.

Beyond the town homes, you have the Mississippi River Vally, if you look really hard, you might be able to see the river!

Apartment pictures - Move in day verses this evening

Franciscan LEAD - Leadership, Evangelization And Discipeship Program

2008-07-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

For the entire month of June, I participated in directing and facilitating Franciscan LEAD. LEAD took the place of the former "Young Apostle" program. And from what I can tell, the change was wonderful. There are still LEAD weeks going on before most of the 19 Steubenville Conferences, so keep your prayers coming!

LEAD gathers about 20 young people at each conference site who are currently in high school, or have just graduated, and give them 5 days of training on how to be a better "LEADer" in their communities. I encountered roughly 60 young people this summer who were on fire for Christ, and wanted to set the world ablaze.

At each conference many of the LEAD youth were about to stand up in front of the whole conference and give their 3-minute testimony, which they put together over the week. One women in particular touched so many, I will attempt to put the video here, if not, it will be on facebook.

Here are some pictures of their experiences:

Stacee is a WITNESS

Go to Facebook and watch this video of Stacee. She is in front of 4000 people giving her Testimony. I think you have to have Facebook to watch it, but maybe not. Try it out!

http://www.franciscanyouth.org/Apostles/

One of the most exciting aspects of Franciscan LEAD is the depth of training that the teens will receive. Our goal is to equip and empower young people to be witnesses to their Catholic faith and lead their peers into a deeper relationship with Christ. Imagine the impact on your youth group, even your parish, if you had teens that were unafraid and passionate about preaching the Gospel. This program is designed with you and your ministry in mind. We want to prepare your teens to strengthen their relationship in Christ and empower them to be authentic witnesses in your youth groups. In order to do this, we are going to need your help.

Franciscan LEAD seeks to be the soil where God will plant the seeds of evangelization for the next generation. Participants will discover who they are in Christ, how to walk with Him as a disciple, and how to share His love as a living witness. This program will help fulfill John Paul II’s call on this generation to join in the New Evangelization.

Cedar Point 2008

2008-07-21T17:03:00.001-07:00

This post is way past due!

After wrap up week, the NET gang headed to Cedar Point for some roller coaster fun! Now that I'm not a NET Supervisor anymore, it might not be an annual trip, but I hope to go back frequently!

Here are some pictures of the highlights - well, the whole trip was a highlight!

The whole group: Joe, Anna, Chad, Kathy, Vito, Mike, BP

"Tuckin' in" some Chic-fil-a on our lunch break

Waiting in the very short line for Millennium Force - that's why we are so happy!The Super FUN van ride to Cedar Point...
Mike and BP being so scared on the Wicked Twister

The Dragster - 400 feet straight up. Yes please!2 days of riding coasters for 7 hours - Best trip ever, next to last year of course.

My Cousin Brandon

2008-07-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Please pray for my family as we morn the loss of my cousin Brandon.

Last week, my cousin Brandon died. Much of what we know came from the information his friends gave us who were there, and the bystanders witnessed. This is the story:

Brandon was in Lake Havasu, Arizona with some friends jumping off cliffs into the lake. Brandon leaped off a rock in the Copper Canyon and disappeared under about 30 feet of water - it was several minutes before he was rescued - (by a scuba diver who was in the area). An off duty registered nurse administered CPR until the paramedics arrived.

They took Brandon to the hospital, then airlifted him to a medical center in Las Vegas for more advanced treatment. He died last Tuesday due to massive head trauma suffered at the moment of impact.

Please keep his parents, and little brother in your prayers, and also for my extended family, as this is the 1st death on this side of the family- and it was so tragic.

Storm heaven with your prayers for Brandon, and our family.

May God be glorified through this, now and always.

The picture below is a recent family photo from December 2007. We have had 3 major family pictures like this one. Each time, every family member has made it a priority to be present. As you can see we are all represented by the colors of the rainbow. My dad is one of seven. There are 7 colors in the rainbow. We each got one. My dad and I have yellow :-) Brandon, his brother Ramsey, and his mom, my aunt Faith are in navy blue, (there is a navy blue family, and a dark purple family). He is pretty much front and center - had a huge smile on his face - I am so thankful we were able to get together for this family picture.

The BIG move

2008-07-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings friends and family:

NET has ended, at least my time with NET as a supervisor. Currently I am working as an assistant around the office with daily organizational tasks ... more on that to come. However, because when you work for NET as a supervisor, you also live in household with the other supervisors of the same gender, when I stopped working as a supe, I had to move out. I am excited for this stage of my life . . . living in an intentional community has been awesome, and I will always live in some form of community (with a roommate, or my own family), but I also looking forward to living with just one other person, one person who I love so dearly ....

So on June 29th, Megan and I (Megan and I were on NET together in 05, we were on the same team, and ever since then I have dreamed of living with her - - - it finally came true!) moved into our very own apartment. This was new for both of us! In college we either lived in the dorm, or in a house, and we had never experienced apartment living before. So far, we love it. We are on the 4th floor of a building with only 4 floors . . . it is very spacious, tons of light, beautiful view (not as beautiful as the ocean and mountains of Washington, but rolling hills and the Mississippi River Valley are as close as it gets).

Every day, Megan or I will say to each other, "I love living here with you." or "I love our apartment." or "This is like a dream come true." - - - And every day is a joy. The Lord has given us so many blessings, and I am so thankful every day for that.

Pictures will be coming soon! We are getting the Internet hooked up tonight, and then I will have more time to post from home.

Check back in a few days. God bless you and enjoy your weekend!

Steubelville Conferences

2008-06-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Life is crazy - i know we can all relate.

This past month has been filled with saying goodbye to the NET teams, having a few weeks off to get some rest and frantically preparing for the Steubenville Conferences this summer.

NET has partnered up with Franciscan University of Steubenville this year to revamp the "Young Apostles" program. YA no longer exists and it is now called "Steubenville LEAD" (Leadership, Evangelization And Discipleship). 3 of us over here at the NET offices head out on Sunday afternoon to go all over the country and help lead and direct the LEAD weeks which happen the Monday through Friday before the weekend conference.

I will be headed out to Steubenville Sunday, then Louisiana the following Sunday, then back to Steubenville the Sunday after that!

When i get home on the 27th - my time with NET will be wrapping up . . . crazy to think that is has already been 3 years since i joined on with NET. (More to come on that later)

Keep the conferences in your prayers this summer, and all the young people who will be reached!

http://www.franciscanyouth.com/Apostles/

Catholics Come Home

2008-03-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Holy Week! I was sent the following link from a woman I work with - she received it from a NET alumn who is studying for the priesthood in Canada.

I checked out the website and thought it was really neat, especially the television commercials at the bottom of the opening page. Just thought I would share! God bless you!

http://www.catholicscomehome.org/index.phtml

Here is a small taste of what this website offers:

"At Catholics Come Home, we promise to always give you the honest truth, with nothing held back. We won't shy away from difficult subjects, nor will we refrain from pointing out the many beautiful, wonderful, and even miraculous aspects of the Catholic Church."

West Saint Paul -

2008-03-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

http://homepage.mac.com/wilsonwebb/iMovieTheater21.html

Check this video out - it is interesting!!!

Does it make you want to move here?

Let me know what you think.

One thing this video forgot to mention was NET Ministries! Oh well, I will get the word out!

Being Thankful.

2008-02-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

Things I am thankful for today, Feb. 22 - 2:59 pm - Central Standard Time ....

*Traveling through 4 times zones in the last 2 weeks. Thanks what happens when you supervise 2 traveling NET teams, one in Las Vegas, and the other in Kentucky.

*Having a rap written about you - and all your roommates for Valentines Day's ... "From the Chateau to the Chalet, Happy Valentines Day ..."
(the Chateau is the name of the house the guys i work with live in, and the Chalet is the name of the house we women all live in)

*Going to Vegas, seeing the fountain at the Bellagio, recognizing the beauty that the sinfulness of Vegas is hiding, and riding in a PT cruiser convertible.

*Having 3 days off. Usually I would be filling some of my day with Jack Bauer in "24", but Bless the Lord ... It's Lent ...and I'm happily enjoying the sacrifice of NOT watching "24", while I blog and think about reading a book.

*Psalm 136 - the original, and the new renditions that Team's 5 and 6 wrote. "God's love Endures FOREVER!"

*Teaching my friends how to sew. Who knew all those sewing lessons as a child would come in SO handy!

*Being able to help Kathy make part of her habit! (She will be entering the Nashville Dominicans in August, pray for her.)

Recent pictures from the past few weeks:

Team 5 and their Supervisors (Me and Vito) @ Woodford Reserve Bourbon Distillery

Anna and Lupita at the Woodford Reserves Bourbon Distillery in KY

Chateau Men rapping to us on Valentine's Day!!!

NET Mission Staff Households joined together to celebrate....

The ladies of the Chalet sipping our Mexican beverages :-)

Right Order

2008-01-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

Well - I have been meaning to post this information for awhile, and while I am hesitant because it is still not totally official, it is exciting and wonderful.

I am starting my own business!

While working as a missionary for NET ministries in 2005, I stayed with a woman who was in the process of quitting her job as a civil engineer to start her own business as a Professional Organizer. This conversation sparked something in me. I had no idea this was something people could do for a living! We stayed up for much of the night chatting, about her business and goals, and I was very intrigued. Though my interested was peeked, I didn't give it too much weight, because I didn't think it was actually something that was doable. I continued to travel on the road with NET until May of 2006, and then signed on to work for them full time as a Team Supervisor for the 2006-2007 & 2007-2008 NET year.

The wonderful woman that I met in Northern Minnesota emailed me and sent information about NAPO - National Association of Professional Organizers. Again, I didn't do much with this information because I was busy working for NET and had other goals I was working toward.

During the summer of 2007, I was looking into opportunities for grad school and jobs, knowing that my commitment for NET would be over in July 2008. Through all of the searching and investigation, I was not having any peace about grad school - and was prompted (by the Holy Spirit most likely) to recall the NAPO web site and check it out.

I found out that NAPO meetings (in Minnesota) happen the 1st Monday of every month, and the soonest I could make it to one was October 2007. At the meeting, I met many people who had tons of experience and advice about organizing, and one women who teaches classes about how to start a business, specifically in ORGANIZING. I took the class, and was on my way to starting a business.

Long story short ..... my business is called Right Order. The name came from wanting to have and idea of peace and calm in my home and the homes of others. After many names that were on the table, eventually Right Order came. The definition of PEACE is ...... mutual harmony, serenity and .... Right Order! It made perfect sense to me.

It is still in the very beginning stages, but I already have business cards, and the website is under construction http://www.rightorder.biz but viewable and has a few items up. Please check it out! I will post some before and after photos of the places i have already organized soon.

I will continue to give updates as things develop. Please keep all of this in your prayers.

December Retreat 2007 - NET Teams

2007-12-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

We bring the NET teams back for 3 days in December to give them some time to rest, so they don't return to their families looking like zombies from doing retreats for the last 4 months. When they are at the NET center - we have a good ol' time - no business, just resting, prayer and FUN!

Please pray for the NET teams as they are home with their families for 2 weeks. They are getting a much needed and deserved break! The NET teams return on January 2nd for one more week of training, and head out to their new diocese on January 9th - not returning until May 10th.

Here are some pictures and video clips.

Rob, Jessica and Matt (Team 5) competing in the"Egg Bake" eat off -

They were VICTORIOUS!! 1st place in Crazy Olympics!

Mary, Monica, Sarah, Anna, Kathy, Lynn -

The wonderful, beautiful women I live with.

Team 6 women and Team 2 men singing "country" Christmas carols.

Team 1 women and Team 6 men singing "heavy metal" Christmas carols.

Hallelujah Chorus - one of the best moments of December Retreat. Chad and Joe pulled off a practically perfect rendition of this NET holiday tradition. Enjoy!

More to come...

2007-12-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, November was crazy wild busy, December will get batter.

More posts to come.

Enjoy Advent! Prepare the Way!

All Saints .... Pray for us!

2007-11-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

On All Saints Day, we take a moment to remember all of those up in heaven who have gone before us to where we hope to go. Most of us have at least a nodding acquaintance with the famous saints – people like St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Patrick, and St. Francis, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Therese of the Child Jesus, to name just a few. Yet heaven is populated with “everyday” saints. Some may be people we were privileged to know here on earth: loved ones who passed on before us; teachers who opened our eyes to the mysteries of the world; doctors; good priests and religious; storekeepers and accountants; indeed people from all walks of life.

There are many others whose names we may never know, but we can rest assured that they too offer models of holiness. The doctrine of the Communion of Saints is one of the most comforting in the Church. We are all in this together. We are all part of the Body of Christ. Whether one walked alongside Jesus in 1st century Palestine or toiled in the Middle Ages or is trying to make his way amidst the challenges of 21st century America, we are all connected. We are here to support each other both in this life and the next. The saints up in heaven have achieved the summit and stand ready to help us climb the mountain. Just as we pray for each other here on earth, they are eager to pray for us up in heaven. We can lean on them for support and encouragement. And so, on this day we celebrate the “everyday” saints, the ones who have no feast day on the liturgical calendar.

We think of the people who lived their lives in relative anonymity, the way most of us do. We remember the mothers and fathers who raised their children to the best of their abilities, the people who went to work every day and did an honest day’s labor, the women and men who practiced works of mercy whenever they could, and the people who prayed for others on a daily basis. We may look at the lives of the famous saints and think that we could never be like them, but there are as many paths to holiness as there are people on earth. We can look to these unknown saints for inspiration when the days get hard. God calls each of us in our own way. Whether we are doing the dishes, helping our children learn to read, doing data-entry in an office, managing a staff of hundreds, caring for a sick parent, or sitting in a Church praying, if we are doing what God wants of us, we can be sure we are on the right path.

God is found in the details of our daily life, just as God was found in the details of the lives in the saints that went before us. They are waiting for us with outstretched arms, eager to welcome us to the promise of eternal life.

by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

God Moments

2007-10-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Vito and I arrived safely back from Bismarck ND and Toledo OH. Now all of the supervisors have the rest of the week off! You will be able to find me watching a few episodes of 24 and sleeping in!

This was taken at the Badlands in ND - We pulled over at a "scenic view" with the team and took pictures. After we "posed" for this photo - our team members came in between us to get a shot with their supes - it was CUTE

I want to share a few "glory stories" from our travels to visit the teams ... being with our teams was wonderful, and a very blessed time, but it was the times of traveling in between and the people we met that amazed me the most.

While we were in Bismarck, I was able to stay in the host family of 3 of the ladies i supervise. I had gotten there late (8:00 pm) and they had already finished dinner and were sitting around chatting. As soon as i walked in, in true host family style - they offered me more food that i could ever eat and sat around the table to get to know me. This family is amazing! They had 4 children ranging from 12 - 20 (Luke, Mary, Virginia, Molly - they wanted to name all of their girls after our Blessed Mother Mary!) and over the last 15 years they have had 52 foster children! If that isn't selfless love, i don't know what is. The host parents (Todd and Deb) shared about how they met and how much they love one another, and said "We have so much love between the 2 of us, it seemed wrong not to share it with children who don't have that." My heart was so overwhelmed with joy after listening to the stories of this family, and all of the trials the Lord has brought them through, that i couldn't help but cry. They have total trust and faith that God will take care of them - because he hasn't let them down yet ..... i pray i can imitate their virtues.

Catherine, Amy, Deb (Host mom), Maria, and myself saying goodbye in the Church parking lot.

Then, to make a long weekend full of stories as short as possible - on the flight back to St. Paul from ND - Vito and i sat next to a nice woman from Denver who was traveling back for her grandmother funeral. She was about 40 years old, and he father had also recently passed away a few months prior. Vito (who is really into Christian rap and spoken word) was trying to teach me how to "flow" when the woman sitting next to him said, "that sounds like music my husband would listen to."

The rap i was learning went like this, "You say that Jesus Christ just ain't your type of flavor - He never claimed to be, He came to be your type of Savior!"

That gave Vito and I an open door to evangelize. She shared a lot with us - and after the trip, as we were landing, Vito leaned over to me and said, "Make sure i pray over her before we land." And with that, he asked if she would liked to be prayed over, she said OF COURSE, and the Lord worked! It was beautiful. She was so grateful for how the Lord worked through her trip home, and i am glad we were there to be able to witness the power of God and be His vessels.

Team 6 sisters at the park across the street from the church - St. Josephs, ND

I am learning so much this year, most importantly, i am learning to not be afraid to share the Gospel always - even when you are weak - God uses you!

I will also post a few pictures below of Team 5 and 6's team building activity. We use "the tent pole" on the 1st Supe visit to help them work as a team and lower the tent pole to the ground. As simple as lowering a tent pole to the ground may sound - it is actually very difficult and i have only seen 1 team ever do it. The tent pole has to rest between the second knuckle and the tip of your pointer finger - if your finger comes off of the pole at all, you have to start over. Because the pole is so light and has no resistance, it magically moves up when you want it to go down. If you ever need a team building activity - i will be glad to give you all the details! Just let me know.

Team 6 attempting to lower the pole

Team 5 skipping off after trying to lower the pole. We didn't even tell them to do this, they just got in the field and started skipping together!

Team 6 on the slide together

NET TEAMS 5 and 6!

2007-10-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

It's official - Vito (my co-supervisor) and I are off to Bismarck, ND, and Toledo, OH, this weekend and the next for our 1st Supervisor Visit to teams 5 and 6. Team 6 gets the first visit - we leave Friday the 12th to fly to ND and spend a fun and long weekend with the team.

Our visits serve a few purposes - to observe the team in action now that we sent them on the road all alone, to lead them in team building activities, to care for their needs (as best we can with God's grace) and to love and serve them. We have a very fun team building activity (more on that in another post) and lots of other tricks up our sleeves that will help the team unite and work together as one cohesive unit.

Please keep Vito and me in your prayers and also the teams as they continue to pour themselves out ministering to young people across the country!

Team 5 on team picture day

Team 6 on team announcement night at Wapo

Monica and Chris Bader!

2007-09-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Monica and Chris celebrated their wedding. I was so thankful to be able to break away from NET training for a few days in order to stand next to Monica and Chris as part of their bridal party. The day was so bless and Monica and Chris were so relaxed.

Some of the best parts were seeing her family from Mexico and Hawaii all together celebrating together. There is so much love between them all and it was a joy to witness.

Cutting the cake

Monica's side of the bridal party

Exchanging vows

Monica and me right before the ceremony

I am so thankful for the friendship i have with Monica. We became friends when i was in high school through another family that we were part of. Though our relationships with that family are no longer as close, Monica and i have stayed friends, and grown even closer.

Monica, i love you!

Fall Training

2007-09-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Fall Training is half way completed: here are a few pictures of what we have been doing so far. Continue to keep all of the Netters in your prayers as they prepare for their mission!

Small group at Camp Wapo

Team 5!!!

Team 6!!!!

The wonderful women i live with! Sarah, Lynn, Mary, Monica and Kathy

Very holy people ... 2 CFR brothers from New Mexico who came to serve at camp, and 3 sisters from the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr of St. George.

Pray

2007-09-02T16:36:00.001-07:00

I probably wont be posting again until October. We are in the process of training all of the new NET teams, which is a 5 week process.

Please keep of the Netters and all of the staff in your prayers. The Lord is working powerfully and is using all of us to fulfil His ultimate plan.

"Each day be conscious of your duty to become a saint. A SAINT! And that doesn't mean doing strange things. It means a daily struggle in the interior life and in heroically fulfilling your duty right through the end." St. Josemaria Escriva - The Forge 60

We will keep all of you in our prayers as well.

it's amazing how one hat can bring you so much joy...

2007-07-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend most of the people on Mission Staff @ NET headed out to a Minnesota Twins game. We had a great time watching the game but my most favorite part was the woman sitting in front of me with the most fantastic hat i have ever seen. (scroll down for a picture). This hat was beautiful, multi-colored sparkles - i couldn't take my eyes off of it. Infact, i couldn't stop touching it either. Thank goodness for Megan, Joe and BP who pulled my hand away whenever i would try to steal it. I did manage to lay my fingers on the hat a few times, but not nearly long enough to enjoy it fully. We tried to do a quick trade, but there is no way she would have traded her beautfil "bedazzled" hat for my navy blue Old Navy hat. That would have been a totally unfair trade - but i would have enjoyed it.

Enjoy the photos - especially of the hat!

Kathy and Lynn

Mikey, Sarah and BP @ Twins game

BP being cool

Joe and Anna

Anna and Megan (Megan is moving to MN!)

Anna and a BEAUTIFUL hat!

Here is a shout out to the woman in the wonderful hat! Thank you Hat Lady - you made my day.

Profound Wisdom

2007-07-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

A message from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen...

"If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches in the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church which is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and of never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of GOD as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to GOD. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself The Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men. Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved. Therefore the Church is Divine."

24 hours to practice patience

2007-06-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Team picture after the wedding

Mikey, Paul, (Carlos - honorary member), Linda, Anna, Laurie and Megan

After a usual Friday at work, Corinne took me to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport for my 7 pm flight to Chicago-O’Hare, and then from Chicago to Newark for Linda and Chris Allen-Poole’s wedding. I quickly made it through security in less than 10 minutes, and then sat and read until my flight. However, when I arrived in Chicago, all plans were off – due to a computer glitch with Air Traffic Control and the FAA, coupled with bad weather on the East coast – ALL FLIGHTS out of Chicago to the East Coast were CANCELED!!!!!

I proceeded to get in a line of approx. 300 + very angry people who all needed to get on a plane to the East Coast tonight –this was going to be a problem. As I was standing in line, I also tried calling the rebooking number – and the soonest they could get me to Jersey for the 3 pm Sunday wedding was 10:30 am on Sunday. That wasn’t going to work! After many phone calls and waiting in the rebooking line until almost midnight – I was able to get a confirmed seat on a flight to St. Louis for 5 pm Saturday night, and then be routed to Newark at 10:30 pm to arrive in Newark at 12 Midnight – just in time for the Sunday afternoon wedding. Because the flight that didn’t leave Chicago until dinner the next day – I was required to sleep somewhere - - - and of course, all of the area hotels were totally booked from all of the canceled flights that had arrived sometime in the afternoon. So the city of Chicago provided us wayward travelers with military cots and blankets all lined up in the K Terminal. As we walked down the airport – I thought to myself – “this is quite the adventure, I wonder what else will happen?” I spoke too soon.

We arrived to the cot area, and I found something you might picture in a refugee movie, hundreds of cots lined up with people scattered everywhere. I grabbed my blanket and pillow and proceed to find the safest resting place. I parked myself between a young women talking anxiously on her phone and a sleeping elderly couple with their cots pushed together. I figured this would be safe. To ensure none of my belongings would be stolen, I put my backpack on my back, and used my purse as a 2nd pillow. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep. 1 am came and went, 2 am came and went, I think I fell asleep for a moment, and then it was 4 am – all of a sudden, whistles were blowing and men were yelling that it was time to get up. The airport opens officially at 4 am and Chicago doesn’t want a bunch of wayward travelers sleeping in their terminals during business hours. And so we were up. Hundreds of travelers wandering around looking for somewhere to sit or lay until their flight. I found an outlet, charged my phone and laid on the ground for a little nap. This time I fell asleep. I managed to get myself on stand by to get into St. Louis sooner, in hopes on getting on a standby flight from St. Louis to Newark sooner – and I got on! I was into St. Louis by 12 – only to wait there until my 10:30 pm flight to Newark. Stand by was totally booked, and the earlier flight was overbooked – so I kept my original ticket and submitted to God’s perfect will – practicing patience in the airport, and being joyful about it.

I arrived safely in Newark around 11:30 pm Saturday night – exactly 24 hours after my originally scheduled travel. Megan and Mikey picked me up promptly, not wanting me to wait one more second in the airport, and my bag was not lost! It was fully intact sitting at the top of a very large pile of luggage.

We got to the hotel, visited with one another for a while – hung out with Linda on her last night as a single woman – listened to Mikey play the guitar, and prayed together just like the good ol’ days. Linda and Chris’ wedding went smoothly, and was so beautiful! Chris even composed all of the Mass parts! That’s talent!

It was such a blessing to be with some of my team mates that I would so it all over again in a heart beat – even knowing ahead of time what was to come. Though a year has gone by since many of us had seen each other – the bonds are so strong. The Lord has kept us together through the beautiful body of Christ – brothers and sisters.

Team Dance Off!

Pretty flowers!

Pretty Ladies!

Home Team 05- 06 - - - I LOVE YOU!

Let your love for one another be intense

2007-05-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

"Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. "

1 Peter 4:8

As this year come to an end for the 06-07 NET teams I supervise, I want to honor them for their outstanding service. These 18-25 year olds have dedicated 10 months of their life to put on retreats for 6th-12th graders all over the United States. They have put their lives on hold in order to spread the Gospel and challenge young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. They have traveled in a van every day, sometimes for hundreds of miles, stayed over with different host family every night, exhausted themselves putting on high energy retreats 6 days a week, and managed to love one another very well in the process, being a witness of love to people all across the country.

To Sarah K., Jonathan F., Jenna, Sarah G., Gineal, Emily, Melinda, Robbie, Andy, Jonathan S., Juan, Sara, Nathan, Lindsey, Matthew, Alissa, Andrew, Kaylene, Danielle, Nick, and Meaghan - I am blessed to know you, and honored to be your supervisor. Thank you for all of you hard work and dedication!

Team 5 in Ohio on our 1st Supervisor visit

Team 6 on our 3rd Supervisor visit in Kentucky

Posh sunglasses

2007-04-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Kathy, Lala, and Anna - trying on sunglasses outside the Cheesecake Factory in Minneapolis. We thought we looked pretty cool - clearly!

For the beauty of the earth

2007-04-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Sara, Corinne, Anna, Chad, Kyle, and Brian - Covenant Heights Retreat Center - Estes Park, CO

After Easter, a few other supervisors and i were able to go to Colorado to put on an interview weekend for people interested in serving on NET next year. After the interview weekend, we headed up to the mountains to get back to our roots and put on an overnight retreat for 30 8th graders. The young people were so open to the Lord working, and because they had gone to school together since 1st grade, they were all very open and willing to share. The retreat center in the mountains made all of us, and the young people appreciate how wonderful our God is to us! How blessed are we to have a God who created all of this for US! Alleluia!

To be thankful, and faithful

2007-03-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Recently i have been doing a novena of thanksgiving, and it has shown me how ungrateful i have been...simply because i think i am too busy to thank God, or i just forget about it, move on with my blessings and assume God will continue to provide. The Novena end with the story of ten lepers who were healed by Jesus, and only one - the Samaritan - came back to thank the Lord.

Let us always remember to thank the Lord for everything he has given and taken away - all comes from the hand of the Lord.

Luke 17:11-19

Continue to Move

2007-03-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

As i was on a retreat this weekend in Southern Minnesota, the best advice i received was to keep moving. The Lord can't steer a parked car - so continue to move. I find that especially helpful at this point in my life, and during the season of LENT - Move closer to the Lord, in all you do. He will put up road blocks if you are going the wrong way, but as long as you are moving, seeking His DIVINE WILL and growing in virtue, you are on the right path.

I pray the Lord will continue to guide you on the path directly to HIM!

Supervisor Visits to Team 5 and 6

2007-02-16T14:14:00.000-08:00

Life in MN is busy as always, Kyle (my co-supervisor) and i just got back from visiting team 5 in San Bernardino California. Their ministry is going very well - but they are being attacked, so please pray for them. Lindsey has a bad knee, Andrew just got diagnosed with an enlarged heart that needs medical attention, and Danielle will be going home on Monday to being surgery on both of her shoulders - the rotator cuffs need to be replaced. They are down to 5 men and 5 women who love one another and are willing to persevere through this tough transition. It is never easy to lose a teammate, but they will get through this with God's grace.

We are headed to Kentucky this weekend to visit team 6. As far as i know they are all alive and healthy - but keep them in your prayers as well. With only a few months left of team life, individuals can become complacent and forget the mission. Pray for zeal and strength.