7 Quick Takes (3)

1

Luke left his morning for Dayton, Ohio, for his first road trip of the soccer season.  Life isn't as bright when he is not here, but as tempting as it is, I have made a resolution {to try} not to wallow in misery.  After all, it doesn't do anyone any good, and, as Luke said, I have Augustine here to take care of me...or at least keep me company :). 

2

I dodged all the hype leading up to the big day, but this afternoon I watched the Royal Wedding at a friend's house.  {I know a lot of people are totally over the whole thing, but I had a lot of fun watching it, especially since I didn't know any of the details...and I am a romantic.  Who doesn't love weddings?!}  As the Bishop of London said during his homily, "Every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future."  Amen to that.  

3

My younger sister is in the process of getting her massage therapy license.  She has just two weeks of intense training left...and then, {I hope she realizes} I will have a personal masseuse for life!!  Hot stone massage just because--yes, please.

4

It's First Communion season, and my family has two to celebrate this year!  One niece this weekend and another niece/Goddaughter next weekend.  Anybody have any Communion gift ideas for God children?

5

I am reading The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  I will have to give my final review when I am finished, but so far I like it.  According to the doc, men are simple: all they want is food, respect, direct communication, appreciation, and good lovin'.  True??   

6

Didn't you love how the Bishop of London quoted Saint Catherine of Sienna on her Feast Day?  Me too. "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." 

St Catherine, Pray for Us!

7

A week from today, Baby A and I are planning on driving 8 hours {one way} to celebrate my Goddaughter's First Communion.  Are we crazy?  Do you have any ideas on how to keep a 16 month old busy and happy in the car...for a LONG time?

RIP Chanel Chance

It's been a good, long run, my delicious bottle of perfume...

You were the scent I wore while I was dating my husband.

It was your intoxicating aroma that he associated with me.

You smell SO good.

But, alas, despite my efforts to ration you over the last couple years {for sentimental reasons}, you have sprayed your last. 

You will be missed.

But I cannot write about your end without telling the story of your origin. 

You see, you were not always mine.  Before you belonged to me, you belonged to my old roommate, Julia.   Julia and I lived together for the 2006-07 school year--both of us working as FOCUS missionaries at the University of Colorado.   

Julia and I were not just roommates; we were also co-workers and friends.  We spent many an evening watching movies together slumber-party style on my bed, laughed non-stop, and always had an open ear for each other.  

We shared many things as roommates.  In particular, Julia loved my spiral hair brush, and I loved her Chanel Chance perfume!

So naturally, I asked if I could borrow a few sprays to wear on my first date with Luke!

"Of course, Love," she said. {She is sweet like that.}

Luckily for her, Luke lived across the country, so I didn't bug her about borrowing it too often--just on special occassions.

As the year went on, Julia and I were both planning big moves for the next year: 

I decided I was going to move to South Carolina to be closer to Luke, and she decided she was going to join a convent--yes, a real convent to become a nun.  She is that awesome.

One day, Julia mentioned that she would not be able to bring ANY belongings with her to the convent. 

"You can't bring anything?"  I asked in disbelief.

"Nothing," she said.  She didn't seem bothered by it.  She had an attractive freedom about her the rest of that year, able to give things away and not worry about accumulating anything.  {Once we went to Starbucks and as she was picking out a new travel mug, she said, "Andrea, come help me pick it out because it's going to be yours soon!"  What a sweet friend!  I still have that travel mug--inherited at the end of that year--and think of her when I use it}.

A few months before we were to move on with our respective futures, I asked,
"So, Julia, since you can't take it with you, can I have your perfume when you join the convent?!"

It makes me laugh thinking back on it, but I knew she would be happy to give it to me--and she was. 

At the end of the year, I moved to South Carolina with my newly acquired perfume, and Julia moved back to California to prepare to enter a convent there.  However, long story short, she didn't end up entering for another year!  I always felt a little bad knowing that she gave me her perfume when she could have been using it for another year...

But she played a significant part in Luke and I dating in the first place and always took joy in our relationship, so I am sure she was happy to know that all the way on the other side of the country Luke was enjoying her perfume!  

Fortunately, I got a bottle of Chanel Coco a few Christmas' ago, so I am not in complete Chanel withdraw, but I will always remember my Chanel Chance with a special fondness--the generosity of a friend and the beginning of a lifelong relationship. 

A Thought for the Day

that I really needed to hear. Today. 
God be with me!

Many souls are discouraged at the thought of suffering, and try in every way to avoid it because they do not have enough confidence in the Lord, and are not fully convinced that all is planned by Him, down to the last detail, for their real good.  Every suffering, whatever its dimensions, always conceals a redemptive, a sanctifying grace; and this grace becomes ours from the moment we accept the suffering in a spirit of faith, for love of God.”
~Divine Intimacy

You Know You Grew Up in a Conservative Home When...

you and your sisters make up songs like this:

to the tune of Do You Believe in Magic?
{you know, the McDonald's version...so it's a parady of a parady so to speak}

Do you believe in Clinton?
And I hope you don't!
You'll always have a jerk charging you too much.

Do you believe in Clinton
at the Whiiite Hoouuse today?

If you believe in Clinton,
then I don't believe in you!

~circa 1992

And in my Dad's defense, he never actually called Clinton a "jerk" (well, execpt maybe after that ONE incident...but that was years after our song's debut.  Maybe we were just ahead of our time??)

...did I mention our family pet was named "Rush" {as in Limbaugh}?

Seven Quick Takes (2)

1
We are back in the full swing of Luke's soccer season. He is, in fact, playing in a game as I write this. I really wish I could be watching Luke play, but our little guy needs his sleep, so I am home with him instead. It's crazy how motherhood changes one' priorities, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

2
A priest who is a close friend of mine just stepped down from his duties, in light of an accusation made against him of "inappropriate behavior." {Information about accusation is limited, but we do know the behavior did not involve a minor and is not criminal}. Although it is my hope and belief that the priest will be reinstated soon and found without fault, the other day I came across a comforting quote in times like these:

"The point is that, if the life, vigor, holiness, and efficacy of the Church depended only upon the virtue of priests and bishops, it would have been dead-on-arrival, not surviving that afternoon when the sun hid in shame and the earth shuddered in sadness. Our faith is not in popes, cardinals, bishops, priests, or even in monsignors. Nope: our faith is only in Jesus. He and He alone will never let us down; He will never sin; He and He alone will never break a promise; He and He alone deserves our absolute trust and confidence. That’s why it’s especially tragic when someone leaves Jesus and His Church because of a sin, scandal, or slight from a priest or bishop. If your faith depended on us, it was misplaced to begin with. We priests and bishops might represent Jesus and shepherd His Church, however awkwardly — but we are not Jesus and His Church."

Archbishop Dolan

It is for this reason, that when priests do let us down--which does happen--one need not lose faith or hope in Christ's Church.

3
I don't know any child who likes to be outside more than my son. He is only 15 months old, I know, but for the time being he would rather walk around the yard picking up rocks and leaves than watch tv {which he never does}...and that makes me happy!

4
My sister gifted me with some Resurrection Eggs a few weeks ago. You may remember my beef with Santa Claus, and I have been dreading facing a similar situation with the ever-more irrelevant Easter Bunny. Thankfully, my sister knows me well, and these eggs will really help incorporate the true meaning of the holiday...amidst egg hunts and chocolates and jelly beans and rabbits and baskets and plastic grass and ducks and pastels--you know, Easter things...oh yeah, and Jesus' Resurrection from the dead.

5
My 10 Year High School reunion is less than three months away {=I feel old}! Last night I dreamed about getting dressed for it. I ended up looking ridiculous, wearing a long jean skirt with black boots that zipped up the back. It was bad. Whether or not I will attend my reunion is still up in the air. Initially, I had really wanted to go, but since finding out that Luke can't make the trip with me, I am feeling rather indifferent about the whole thing.

6
After a 2+ year hiatus, I am really feeling like a normal girl again. And I am not thrilled about it just yet. Call me crazy, but I actually liked the pregnancy and postpartum era. I burned calories faster than I could consume them and felt totally justified in not working out, aside from pleasant walks and an occassional jog. Now that Augustine is almost 16 months old and is nursing less, however, it's probably about time to join the soccer team again...and to think twice before putting that giant cookie in my mouth...

7
Luke and I are reading an awesome book together: Called to Love by Carl Anderson and Jose Granados. We are only on page 60, but I am loving it. Here is a little sampling of the amazing-ness ...
Like sensuality, sentiments alone are blind to the value of the person. Think of how lovers tend to idealize their beloved. Their incapacity to see a loved one's defects is symptomatic of a deeper and much more dangerous blindness. Instead of loving the actual flesh-and-blood person before them, they love an idealized object whose value they gauge exclusively by their own subjective reaction to it. Such idealization does not exalt the beloved but actually degrades his or her true dignity, for it overlooks the real person, who is much more than the feelings that he or she awakens in us.

7 Quick Takes

1.

I have never done this before, but I enjoy reading others' 'quick takes,' so here goes! ...Not to mention, I need something to jump start me into blogger mode after several months of slack-ing!

2.

My name is Andrea, and I am addicted to preztel M&Ms. I just cannot get enough of that salty, sweet, crunchy deliciousness! And I have upgraded from the meduim bag to the large bag. This is not good.

3.

My husband and I gave a talk to the WINGS {Women in God's Spirit} group at a local Catholic church on Wednesday morning. We give talks together on occasion, and the graces that flow never cease to amaze me. It is so awesome, yet humbling, to hear our audiences get so excited about young adults on fire for their faith. This time we shared our testimonies, talked about how God has blessed our marriage via the sacraments, and encouraged the women to adopt a plan of life to keep God present throughout their day.

4.

I really wish people knew the truth about Planned Parenthood. It makes me sad that people can so blindly defend such a corrupt organization. On the bright side, "volunteering at a {moral} crisis pregnancy center" just jumped up a few spots on my bucket list.

5.

Shots are cruel--my 15 month-old son agrees with me. He had a check-up today and is very healthy! Thank you, Jesus!

6.

My husband and I are watching Iron Man II tonight {not for the first time}. Never a superhero fan before meeting the hubs, over the past few years I have developed an appreciation for a good superhero movie every now and then. And, Iron Man is my favorite!

7.

The weather has been a huge tease lately--super hot one day, cold and rainy the next. Just for the record, spring is welcome any.time.now!! I can handle warm, spring showers, but let's leave the freezing temperatures out of it!

Original post at Conversion Diary.

Playing Catch-Up!

My goodness, I am sososo behind with my blogging, especially about a certain 15 month old little boy who is so ridiculously cute I don't know what to do with myself.

Let me catch you up on the cuteness of the past month or so...

*Last night Augustine peed in his brand new potty. Kinda weird for such a little man, I know...but when I took off his clothes for his bath he was standing right in front of the potty. He started peeing {on the floor} so I scooted him a little closer, and he peed {standing up} in his potty! Then I clapped for him, and he clapped too!

*Augustine is very observant and likes to do everything I do, including: brush my hair

sweep and mop the floors {he even knows how to push the button on the swiffer to spray cleaner...}

blow his nose {he opens the wipe container himself, takes out a wipe, holds it to his nose, and really blows...then, he comes to hold the wipe to my nose so I can blow too}.

*this morning, Augustine found a wash cloth in our bathroom drawer and washed Dada's face for him

*after witnessing me spit in the toilet on ONE occasion, Augustine made spitting noises anytime he walked by a toilet for the next several days--he has now moved on to making that same noise when he sees me spitting in the sink after I brush my teeth {nice}

*Augustine gives the sweetest kisses--at his own discretion. It's precious because when I do something that he finds particularly charitable, like rescue him from the grocery cart or hold him while I vacuum or give him loves after he falls, he sweetly initiates a kiss! It melts my heart! This morning after Mass, one of the nice older ladies said, "Augustine, can I have a kiss?" Surely, she was speaking in hypothetical terms, but Augustine doesn't know better, and he puckered up...and she leaned in. The germ-o-phobe in me tried to stay calm.

*Augustine likes to talk his Dad on little walks in and around our front yard every evening. The boy loves to be outside!!

*In the past week or so, Augustine has added "book" and "ball" to his vocabulary, along with -"Mama." "Dada," and "Ut" {ut-oh}.

*When I was blow drying my hair this morning, Augustine signed, "all done" to me--initially taught for use during meal time, Augustine now also uses that sign whenever he wants something to stop/end. It's very cute, though hard to comply with at times.

*Augustine's cousin, Taivan, came to visit last week! It was a great visit with Aunt Cait, Uncle Cole, and Tavo!