Butterfly fun at Como Zoo

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.