7 Quick Takes - Volume 2

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.

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

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!

Tuesdays = Free outdoor concerts at the MN History Center!

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)