Click!

Ish came up to Boston yesterday so we could meet with a photographer.  We have decided to have her shoot the photos for our wedding.  Check out some of her work.

Ruth's Hula Hoop Routine

Here is a video of my future niece Ruth doing her Hula Hoop routine. She has got some pretty neat tricks. She'll be performing at the wedding reception.

Owen and the Frisbee

This is a video of my future nephew Owen throwing a frisbee.  

He is only 2 and I am pretty sure he can throw it a greater distance than I can.  

He is also the ring bearer in Ish's and my wedding.

A flower for you...

Today it is really gross weather here in Massachusetts so I thought I would provide a bright and sunny photo to cheer up the day.  I took this photo when I was in San Antonio this past fall for Michael's graduation from basic training and to see Andie.  I was taking a walk along the River Walk and this flower struck me with this great awe of God's creation.  Flowers have a tendency to remind me how artfully God created the world.

In my face...

I really hate when people talk too closely to my face--especially if they are to close to my ears.  I hate the game telephone because it requires people being way too close to my ears for comfort.  It doesn't matter if you are whispering;come to close to my face and my stomach starts to turn.  It is almost as if my senses go on overload and I just stop processing things.  Of course try explaining why you are cringing when they just asked you a simple question or were trying to tell you something nice.  I think my sensory overload just caused me to respond in a way that offended someone.  It was totally unintentional.  I really just can't handle you being too close to me when you are talking.  Sorry.  

Family day

Today was my cousin's First Holy Communion.  It was a lovely affair.  The priest gave a really good homily that I thought was really understandable for the children but applied just as much to the adults.  Colleen looked precious in her little white dress and veil.  After Mass, there was a luncheon at my aunt and uncle's house.  I got to meet my cousin Samantha for the first time (she is only 10 weeks old).  She is absolutely adorable, and looks like a clone of her big sister.  It was nice to see all of the other in-state relatives as well.  The little ones all looked so cute.  It was a nice day overall.

Change the way world thinks...

This is my current song of choice. It is absolutely beautiful and totally inspirational. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday Ishmael!  Enjoy 23!  

Cherry tree...

The cherry tree in our yard has blossomed.  It isn't in full bloom yet-- there are still some unopened buds, but it is absolutely beautiful to look at.  God really is a master artist.

Another beautiful day...

You sons of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. --Daniel 3:82

It was another beautiful day today.  I took a long walk on the beach.  Once I got past the really rocky part, I was able to take my shoes off and walk barefoot in the sand.  Warm sand on my feet is one of those things I find really comforting.  It probably has something to do with the fact that I grew up with a beach down the street.  When the sand got to be unbearably hot I waded in the water a bit.  It was surprisingly not frigid--just cool and soothing on my burning feet.  It was such a peaceful walk.  I find walking in nature to be a good reminder of the beauty of God's creation.  Sometimes I need that reminder more than I would like to admit--today it came with perfect timing.  While I was walking, I was reminded of the prayer in Daniel 3:52-90 when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are invoking all of creation to praise God and how we are all called to take a place in this hymn of praise throughout our lives.

Spring has sprung...

It reached 82 degrees today here in good old Quincy, MA.  The flowers on our pear and cherry trees have begun to blossom. Perhaps I'll take a picture tomorrow.  There is something very refreshing about spring-- even if I cannot breathe thanks to allergies.    I saw my 98 yearold neighbor out for a stroll-- yes, he can stroll; the man can still run, and he will show up people a quarter of his age on the dance floor.  Kids are out and running around all day; it is definitely the perfect weather for school vacation week.    Spring here makes me miss Delaware in the springtime.  

Where did I ever find him?

...China

Ishmael is visiting in 1 week for approximately 9 hours so we can meet with a wedding photographer.  I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to have a fiance who willingly and lovingly makes last minute travel plans just so we can plan our wedding together.  It is such a blessing to have an involved fiance.  

Seeing how involved Ish is in our plans for our wedding day makes me feel like I am getting a sneak peek at our future.  I envision a sweet man who is lovingly involved with his family--a humble servant of the Lord living out his vocation in married life.  I cannot express in words the joy and hope I feel when I think about life after July 18, 2009.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

I think they doth protest too much...

If you have ever wondered why the Catholic Bible has more books than Protestant versions, this article is a good way of explaining the validity of both Judith and Tobit.  For all of you Baruch, Wisdom, Maccabee and Sirach fans, I'll try and find something for you.  Also, anyone who loves the extras in Daniel and Esther, I'm working on it.

Catholic Education...

Something that has bothered me for a while is reports I have heard of Catholic colleges allowing and even promoting things contrary to Catholic teaching.  Pope Benedict XVI is clearly concerned too.  Here is a wonderful (and rather amusing) article that summarizes what he said to Catholic Institutions of Education  while he was here in the USA.   I can only pray that people heed his words.

Blog neglect pending

Ishmael is coming up to Massachusetts this weekend.  As a result, you may not see any posts for a few days. 

One big family...

I read about this in the newspaper and then Kimberly at Catholic family Vignettes posted this. I felt moved to post it as well. Please take a few minutes to watch the video. It is beautiful.

Amen to that!

"Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility."--Pope Benedict XVI

He may be 81, but Benedict XVI is a very intelligent, yet clearly humble, man.  

Latin Mass

I have been reading a bit about the Latin Mass recently and have become very interested in attending one.  Since Ishmael is visiting this weekend and he is also interested, we are going to go to a Latin Mass on Sunday here in MA.  I am very excited for the chance to do this.

Bookworm business.....

I made the decision to sell books as part of my income.  Check out The Bantering Bookworm storefront. I also added it as a link on the side of my main blog page.

A delight...

Mom, Nana, Meg, and I went to see Singing in the Rain today over at the Foot Light Club.  It was really good and provided a delightful distraction on a kind of blah weather day.  I had a good many laughs and the tap dancing was rather good.  I am kind of a sucker for a good musical...

Run away!!!

It always amazes me how when I need some sort of encouragement to slow down a bit God sends me lovely, somewhat explosive, reminders.  Today I was racing for the phone and managed to have my height adjustable desk plummet to its lowest setting.  My jade plant went flying--scattering soil everywhere.   All sorts of papers went fluttering down around me.  

The results:

My plant went kaput, and I made the sad decision to dispose of it. Otherwise, nothing was broken (I managed to put the desk back to its normal setting and tighten it).  Most importantly I have taken a step back and managed to slow down a bit; I am taking some time out to breathe.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday Meghan!  Enjoy 23--you deserve it.  

Link happy?

I came to the realization today that most of the time my blog consists of linking people to other people's thoughts and ideas.  I do realize that being a link resource has its place in the world, but that is not what I originally intended my blog to be.  I think the news and media junky in me has been very much exposed, but the fact that I am capable of expressing my own ideas has not.  With that said, I am hoping to provide a better mix of content.  

Providing variety is going to be a difficult task for me.  I have come to rely on my short personal drabble, embedding videos, and providing links to elsewhere on the internet to fill my blog with frequent updates.  I hope to change that, but I also must indicate that this change will probably be a slow one.  I do not always know how to express what I think about something without being completely incoherent.  I am making a promise to myself to work on this though.

Just to clarify, I stand by the links I have decided to share with you all.  I don't post them as a substitute for writing more thoughtful piece.  The resources I choose to share with you are ones I find valuable, interesting, and/or intriguing.  If you have the time, follow these links, and read their content.  It is well worth it.

Vocation of a wife...

As I have started to prepare for the sacrament of Holy matrimony, I have been trying to discern what the true vocation and role of a wife is.  As a Catholic woman this is very important to me. Today I was reading a post in a blog by Kimberly, a Catholic wife and mother, that revealed to me what it means to follow God's calling to be a wife.  The explanation  is both beautiful and moving.  Women and men alike can gain wisdom from this post.  To those of you with feminist points of view, read with an open heart and an open mind.  God's plan for wifehood is full of sacrifice, but it is clearly the key to a fruitful marriage.  

Kimberly--Thank you for giving me permission to link to this post.  God bless you and your family.

I unofficially passed!

I got an e-mail with my unofficial MTEL results.  I was not surprised that I passed my Communications and Literacy tests, as they were very similar to the Praxis I which was not overly difficult for me.  The big shocker is that I passed the English subject test.  I walked out of that test thinking I probably failed it.  I am kind of speechless right now....

No longer blind...

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. --Matthew 11:5

For the past few years my Nana has been blind in one eye.  She originally had an infection in that eye, and when the eye tried to heal itself, it left a calcium deposit that caused her to lose her vision in that eye.  Today she had surgery on her eye to try to scrape away the calcium deposit.  The surgery was successful, and her eyesight has been restored.  Praise the Lord!

What is it with feeling old today?

I was reading the local newspaper today and saw that the little girl I used to babysit for when I was in 8th grade is now in 8th grade herself.  Oh boy, I feel old...

Middle school students amuse me...

Me:  When did the first person land on the moon?

Student #1: July 20th, 1969

Student #2: Miss C., were you alive when that happened?

Me:  Do you really think I am that old?

Student #2: Uhh...yeah

After that I just proceeded to shake my head.  Oh 6th graders...

You may be right...

I may be crazy

I like to grocery shop.  This is considered bizarre and perhaps outlandish by many--my mother and my sister included.  I am aware that many people actually loathe grocery shopping, and they avoid it like the plague until it is absolutely necessary.  I do not fall into this category--not even close.

To me, grocery shopping is an adventure.  I enjoy the effort  of making a list.  The planning of meals in advance is something I find both satisfying and exciting.  I find great accomplishment in both determining and fulfilling my grocery list.  I also find great joy in seeing how much money I was able to save by planning ahead instead of impulse shopping.  

I really hope I am not the only one out there who finds grocery shopping enjoyable.

Take me out to the ball game...

The Red Sox are finishing up their home opener as I write this.  They are currently up by 5 in the bottom of the 8th.  I hope this ends well.  They are currently sitting at the bottom of the East in the American League.  They could use a win.  

Just read it.

This editorial  really makes you think about the abortion issue from a human rights perspective.  Whether you are already pro-life or still hiding behind the rhetoric of choice, I implore you to read this piece.  

Good Citizen Award

Meg gets my good citizen award of the day.  Thank you for stopping and bringing me to the post office and bringing me home.  You are wonderful.

The beauty of crazy math

"Six months after I started to write Wrinkle, I discovered higher math. And for me, higher math is much easier than lower math. Lower math lost me in 4th grade when I was taught that 0 x 3 equals 0. Now, I understand that if I have nothing and I multiply it by 0, 3 something's are not going to appear. But, if I have 3 apples and I multiply them by 0, why are they going to vanish? So I wiped out lower math as philosophically untenable." --Madeleine L'Engle

Take a look at the ordinary...

At the NCSC conference in Dec/Jan there was a concert one night by Corrinne May.  If you haven't heard anything she has written you are missing out.  She is an amazing artist.  Her voice is very pure and beautiful.  She is a singer/song writer whose Catholic faith deeply infuses her work.  Here is one of my favorites--Angel In Disguise

Neglect...

I was whisked away by the children's theater gnomes for the majority of this week.  I have thus significantly neglected my blogging.  I shall return with renewed energy after a good night of sleep and perhaps some guacamole. I do doubt that my lack of blogging has made a difference anyhow, as I am pretty sure people do no regularly read my drabble.

To Ishmael, with love

This post is primarily for Ish.  I started thinking of doing this awhile ago for an anniversary or something, but I decided today to do it just because.  So Ishmael, here is my top secret mission that I've been working on.  Enjoy the sap.  Oh and umm...I guess it does include that song (sorry for the lie, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise).

Also, because I am not yet movie making savvy, I am listing my credits out here.

Thank you to :

Family, Friends, and the many cameras that went into providing the photos

Randy Travis for writing the beautiful song "Forever and ever, Amen"

Ishmael for giving me a reason to  make this video/slideshow 

and 

God for everything.

EDIT: apparently it won't play the music...

Hey Jesus

I have had Jason Upton's song Into the Sky stuck in my head for 2 days now. I therefore find it necessary to share it with everyone else. This video actually tells the story of the song and how it was written. Warning: if you watch this video, you will feel a big old tug at your heartstrings. Also, thank you Brian and Liz for introducing me to this song.

If we throw these books do you think they will fly?

This whole book purge is going quite well.  I am slightly annoyed that the post office is such a trek, but I am thankful for a reason to get out even though I am sick.  If I had known selling my books on amazon was so easy, I probably would have done that instead of selling my textbooks back to UD.  I am all for breaking the monopoly on college text books that campus bookstores seem to be striving for.  

Headcolds are icky, but they do have a sneaky way of making me thankful for all the times when I am healthy and not discombobulated.