What a day....

Today has been one very long day for me, and waking up with a stuffy nose and headache was not helpful at all.
I went back to work after my lovely four-day week-end to find that I would have to fly solo for the majority of the day... Normally that would be a stressful thing for any teacher working with 12 2 1/2 yr. old kids, but luckily I have a really great class. They are awesome with listening and following directions. They are a dream class to have, and I don't take them for granted at all!
After work I left for class where we ended up talking about personality disorders for the night... very interesting stuff I must say....I have to say though with my little cold starting up I wasn't paying half as much attention as I normally would have....
After class I spent another hour and a half working on my portion of a huge group project that is due in a few weeks. We are editing and compiling a chapbook, which is basically a book that has to be over 20 pages and is filled with poetry or short essays.... It will be really cool once it is done... but since the program that we are using can only be used on campus I ended up staying late to get it done...
Tonight though I found a strange bite on my thigh.... it looks very similar to a brown recluse bite in the earlier stages from the pictures I've looked at. Hopefully it's not, but I'll just have to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse I'll go to the doctor... If it is one it would explain the icky sick feeling I've had all day long and the stupid head ache...
I am now ready to get off of here and get a good night's sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot easier in more ways then one.......

I Think I need to go read the book of Daniel now....

Teresa took the What Bible Book Are You? quiz and the result is Daniel

You want people to be faithful to God in the midst of temptation to conform. You will not let societal pressures bother you, and you reassure people of God's faithfulness and his victory in the end. You know more hard times will come but God will give the ultimate victory. You have deep insight into the world and the future.

Every Person Has A Story

While walking the family dog yesterday I happened to notice a very elderly man walking across the street from me. He was carrying his oxygen machine around with him... He walked very slowly while holding his head down, I suppose to make sure he did not trip on anything. On a gorgeous day normally people really look around and take in the heat from the sun, but this man looked so serious...As the dog was sniffing around on the ground I could not really help but wonder about this person. I don't know, something about him just kind of struck me. I kind of wished he looked my way so I could have waved and smiled at him.... when the dog was finally ready to move on I went on my way, but I found myself wondering what this man's story was. Even now as I am typing this out I can't help but be curious about it....
Every person has a story, and sometimes I enjoy listening to older people's stories when I have the time to. It's like opening up a new book... each person's life is filled with frustrations, first crushes, heartbreak, action, adventure, love, overcoming obstacles, all sorts of things. Maybe it's the romantic in me that finds listening to how they left their mark on the world enjoyable for me.
It makes me sad when young people today seem to try to avoid elderly people, as though they are some sort of plague. There's a term for that; gerontophobia: the fear of old people. I think it's a very silly to fear a person because they are old. They are people just like us, and they have feelings just like we do, and soon enough everyone ends up being old.... maybe not in the mind, but physically. I am sure they notice it when young people are very short with them and are ready to bolt at the very first chance they get. I try not to do that myself, because when I get old I really hope no one treats me like I'm almost invisible. It would make me very sad.... Ok, now I am done rambling....

My friends are amazing. I am one very lucky girl! :)

"What is a friend? I will tell you...it is someone with whom you dare to be yourself."
~ Frank Crane

"Your friends will know you better in the first minute they meet you than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years."
~ Richard Bach

"A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life."
~ Lee Iacocca

Today was gorgeous here in my home town. The weather was amazing for a late November day... didn't need to wear my winter coat at all. It was wonderful! Tonight was a lot of fun for me as well. I went out ice skating with a large group of friends, one of whom I haven't been able to really talk to and see since the semester started because he's been out of town. It is always nice to talk to this guy. Whenever I am frustrated I really can go to him and know that whatever I say he won't judge and it's a nice place to fall. I have a few friends that are like that for me, and they hold a very special place in my heart. I consider myself very lucky to have more then one, since some people don't have any. I do not know what I would do without them, they are my like my life savers, in a way, for whenever I feel like reality is pulling me in. I feel like I can breath whenever they are near and that I will be ok. Half the time I don't really need to say anything when something is bothering me, they can just look at me and tell something is on my mind. It's a comfort to have that... Maybe I am an open book... I don't really know. I try hard not to whine about my problems all the time, not that I have too many to whine about. Most of the time I try to hide being upset, but these people can tell when I am faking it and try to figure out what is the matter with me, and it's nice.
I guess the older I get (not that I am old... I refuse to consider myself old....) the more I really do appreciate my really good friends. Sometimes it amazes me that God placed them in my life... it makes me wonder if he was thinking about each one of us as he was making us, if that makes any sense. I guess long story short... tonight I was again reminded how lucky I am with the friends I have and to not take them for granted. I hope I never do take them for granted, because you never know... they could be gone in a second. So to those people (I am pretty sure you know who you are) I just want to say thank-you for being there for me whenever I need to talk and praying for me. I appreciate it more then you could ever know. Ya'll are stuck with me for life!!!!!!!

"When You Believe"

This past few weeks I have been on an "Prince of Egypt" kick. I blame it on some of the people in the Bible study I attend. Once we started talking about Exodus everyone kept referring back to this movie. I have always enjoyed watching it, myself, and when they all started talking about it, it made me want to go pull it out and watch it again. I hadn't been able to watch it until this week-end because of my busy schedule. It's one of the things I put on my "to-do" list and finally got around to doing some of those things. My favorite song in that film has to be "When You Believe" because it is so true. It's amazing the strength a person gets by just believing and having faith that God will find a way to take care of us. I have a feeling I would be ten times more stressed out with my crazy life if I didn't have faith. I put the lyrics below in case someone wanted to read them.....

When You Believe

(Performed by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston)

Many nights we've prayed
With no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understood
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear
We were moving mountains
Long before we knew we could

Chorus:
There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe

In this time of fear
When prayer so often proves in vain
Hope seemed like the summer birds
Too swiftly flown away
Yet now I'm standing here
My heart's so full, I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words
I never thought I'd say

Chorus

They don't always happen when you ask
And it's easy to give in to your fears
But when you're blinded by your pain
Can't see your way clear through the rain
A small, but still, resilient voice
Says help is very near

Chorus

Top 10 things I am grateful for

Seeing as how tomorrow I will be busy with Thanksgiving preparations and Dinner at my Aunt's house I do not know if I will get the chance to really blog tomorrow so I have decided to write this particular one out tonight. Now, obviously I believe that Thanksgiving shouldn't be the only time I remember to say thanks to God for the good things in my life, but I figured I would do this in honor of the holiday and all....

Top 10 Things I Am Grateful For This Past Year....

1.) My faith! I will always be grateful for that. I can't choose one particular thing about it over another that I love the most except for the sacraments. Where would I be without them? I am eternally grateful for the whole shebang....:)

2.)My family. I am very grateful that God chose this family for me to be a part of. Sure they may drive me crazy sometimes, and they may just be a little too crazy for me at times, but they are my family and I love them all dearly! They have given me the foundation of my faith and what a great foundation they laid out for me. Ya'll rock!!!

3.) My friends. I have the best friends a girl could ask for. I wake up everyday and thank God for these special people He has sent into my life. They have helped shape and mold me into the person I am today. I have learned something from each and every one of them, and I hope that I have helped touch their lives as much as they have for me. I love them so much!

4) I am grateful I was born in the country I am... now it is not always the best as far as politics go, but considering some of the other places in the world I am very lucky to be born an American. I have the freedom to go to church whenever I want. I have the freedom as a female to not be considered another man's property.... Not everybody can say those things so I don't want to take being an American for granted.

5.) I am thankful for having a job this year. My job has got to be the most fun job ever! I love it dearly, and am just grateful that I have it for right now. I don't know about the next few years, so I am not going to take it for granted because it could be gone...

6.) I am thankful for my education. Not everyone is able to receive a college degree... so I am grateful that I have the means to achieve that goal. :)

7.) I am grateful for being healthy. Health is something I tend to take for granted until I get sick, but luckily I am not sick for long. Just having the swine flu for almost a week made me very grateful for being healthy again.

8.) I am thankful for shelter/clothing/food/clean water... all those basic needs that help keep me alive and healthy. Again it is something I tend to take for granted.....

9.) I am grateful for good memories I have gotten to make over the past year... There are way to many to even begin to type here.

10.) I am grateful for my newest little member of my family who I haven't even been able to meet yet, but I can't wait until I do in January... I am very grateful for my older sister being ok since she has had a more difficult pregnancy this time around. Hopefully she will stay ok and not have a complicated delivery.

Boy am I lucky....

Last night I was reading a blog post from a friend's blog which you can go to and read if you click here. At first while reading it I was somewhat divided on what he was trying to say, as you can tell if you read the comment I left him. As I was typing out that comment though something slapped me in the face pretty much....

You see as I mentioned in that comment I happen to have always considered myself a pretty forgiving person. There has been one person in particular I have had a hard time dealing with. He will come around every so often and tell me he's sorry for treating me as a crappy friend and he asks me to forgive him, and it has gotten to the point where I tell him I'll forgive him, but he's got to prove that he is really ready to change... As I was typing my comment my point of view kind of switched. At first I was trying to say that I think that forgiving people should be warranted... if a person really means they are sorry they'll change and try to prove they are sorry....
I realized though, that I am just like the friend I was complaining about. Every time I go to confession I tell God I am sorry for screwing up. There are always those certain sins that I tend to fall back into so easily and I end up bringing them back to confession over and over again. I realized that if God were judging me the way I judge my friend, then I would be pretty screwed.... I am so grateful that I can go to confession to a person that is totally understanding and ready to be my friend even though He knows that being human I will probably fall and mess up that relationship again, and yet He doesn't worry about that... He is just happy that I have come to Him in the first place.
I also realized that if I am really trying to follow God then I have to try and follow His lead, which means I need to be as forgiving to my friend as He is to me. Just a random reflection I had right there....

Fun random game I did while being bored....

if your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?
So, here's how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool

Opening credits
Leave (Get Out) by Jo Jo

Waking up
Five Minutes to Midnight by Boys Like Girls

First day of school
Mad by NeYo

Falling in Love
Our Time is Now by Plain White T’s

Fight Song
Waterfalls by T.L.C.

Breaking Up
Another Try by Josh Turner feat. Trisha Yearwood

Prom
Hella Good by No Doubt

Life
I Loved Her First by Heartland

Regret
Hero by Enrique Inglasias

Driving
Everything is Fine by Josh Turner

Flashback
I Love Your Love the Most by Eric Church

Getting back together
Got Whatever It Is by the Zac Brown Band

Wedding
Home by Blake Shelton

Party
Wait For You by Eliot Yamin

Birth of a Child
1,2,3,4 by Plain White T’s

Drunk Hook-up
Flake by Jack Johnson

Death scene
Photograph by Nickelback

Funeral song
Come Away With Me by Nora Jones

Ending credits
Lady Mermalade from Moulon Rouge soundtrack

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Only Hope by Mandy Moore

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Moments by Emerson Drive

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Born To Fly by Sara Evans

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Damaged by Danity kane

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Thunder by Boys Like Girls

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Underneath It All by No Doubt

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
No One by Alicia Keys

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Disease by Matchbox 20

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
All-Star by Smash Mouth

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Pop by N’SYNC

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Never Gone by Backstreet Boys

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Crash & Burn by Savage Garden

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
3 a.m. by Matchbox 20

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Suds in the Bucket by Sara Evans

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
So Long Self by Mercy Me

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Your Man by Josh Turner

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
More Like Her by Miranda Lambert

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Crawling Back To You by Backstreet Boys

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
God Must Be Busy by Brooks & Dunn

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Picture to Burn by Taylor Swift

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Single by Natasha Bedingfield

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Here’s to the Night by Eve 6

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Letter to Me by Brad Paisley

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
No Scrubs by T.L.C.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carleton

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Use Somebody by Kings of Leon

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
New Strings by Miranda Lambert

Some of these fit disturbingly well.

My cute little pilgrims. :)

This is a picture of me with part of my class performing one of their songs for their parents... quite a few of them got stage fright and made a bee line for their parents so they are not in the picture...

We're here because God has a purpose for us

Recently since my retreat last week-end I have been reflecting a lot more on God's purpose for me... I mentioned in one of my posts below how a friend of mine said the words;

"Every morning you wake up it is because God has a purpose for you to fulfill. If He didn't have a purpose for you then He wouldn't have need for you to be alive."

Ever since she said that it really did hit me. I feel like 90% of the time from when I wake up to when I go back to bed I am so used to my normal daily routine that I lose the excitement of figuring out what God's plan is for me that day. I don't even think about it until right before I go back to sleep for the night. I think that is just really a sad thing that I don't even think about that concept more often, because what she said is just too true. Why else am I living if God doesn't have something for me to accomplish each day. The more I think about it the more I realize that maybe God's purpose for me right now is to be a listening ear for a friend who just needs to vent about something instead of keeping it pent up inside. Or maybe he has me here for the purpose of taking care of kids at work when they are missing their parents. Maybe I am here to keep people laughing with some of the silly things I do at work like break-out in random Disney songs and joke around to lighten the more serious and frustrated mood that has been slowly taking over my workplace... Basically, some of the things I may find really small and insignificant at the time may be just what God has me here for, and they are not insignificant to him. Realizing these things has actually helped me keep my patience a lot longer at work then normal.

Really, none of us will ever really know how much our smile or kind word, or enthusiasm for an unexciting task can help change another person's outlook on life. The only one who does know that is God, which is why he has us all wake-up and face the day. He knows all of our needs and how to help fix them, and if he uses us to get those things fixed then so be it. That's what we're here for after all.

What I've been up to....

I have been very bad with blogging these past few weeks, but I have a very busy schedule so I work it in where I can....
Other then my lovely retreat dilemma that I mentioned below, my life has been somewhat boring the past few days. Not totally boring I should say, but nothing much out of the ordinary. Saturday I went tailgating. Now I have never gone tailgating before, but in my mind I had this vision of drinking and being around drunk people... however the group I tailgated with did not drink at all. The majority of them were under 21 and were not interested in drinking... Instead we played apples to apples... which is not something I would have considered a "tailgating" kind of game, but what do I know.... It was a gorgeous day for it though!
I helped out with Confirmation class on Sunday and the topic was on how to defend the faith. It was a good class for the kids. They had a few good questions, but for the most part I have some really great kids who know their faith pretty well for their age. I am proud of my small group! :)
Yesterday I went to work and then my Psychology class... I just didn't have time to come home and type out another blog entry.
Today was a fun day at work. We had our Thanksgiving Day feast for all the families to attend. My kids sang two songs for the parents and the older class did a poem. They were all so cute! I loved it! It is always fun to see the kids faces after they do something in front of a large audience... they can't stop smiling. :)
Speaking of work... one of the kid's were really cute today. His name is Andras. Andras' primary language happens to be Hungarian so he has had a harder time speaking in English. He has been in my class for about a year now and has finally been able to say my name. He calls me "Aresa." It's just too cute how he says it. Anyway, this morning he was playing with my hair, and then he looked me in the eyes and said, "There... I like that Aresa. Pretty." It was cute. It made my day. :)

So that's been my life in the past few days. I am so happy for Thanksgiving break because I will have a little bit more time to write on here then I have had.

Being served, or serving... decisions decisions....

Tonight I came to the realization that I have overbooked myself... I was sitting at Bible study with some friends from both St. Charles and St. Paul's. My friends from St. Charles were inviting those from St. Paul's to help out the the youth group. It was when they told them the date of the retreat that I realized that I promised to be part of two different retreats that happen to be over the same week-end. How I did that, I have no idea. As soon as I made that connection and reacted to it was when both groups of my friends all of a sudden kind of fought over which retreat they thought I should go on. I felt like a rope in the middle of a tug-of-war game. It was not too much fun.

You see with one retreat I would be chaperoning and the other I would actually just be attending. I guess it comes down to me serving other people's needs and helping feed their relationship with Christ, or being somewhat selfish and focusing on my own relationship with Christ. I know whichever one I attend I will get something out of it, but I also realized that I am going to be disappointing someone over which one I choose to attend.

I feel as though I am always on the go and ready to help lead retreats for high schoolers. I love to do it, it's not that I don't. I was just kind of looking forward to sitting back and going on the ride and not worry about what needs to be done or how my talk will go over or making sure that everyone gets something out of the retreat. I kind of want to be the one worried about for a change of pace, but I know it is selfish when I could be out there helping bring someone closer to God. I know that there will be one other girl chaperone on the youthgroup retreat, so it is not as though my presence is really needed for the girls to be able to attend, but the girl chaperoning it, I can tell, really does not want to be the only girl doing that.

It would be me that ends up worrying over retreats... A friend of mine, after hearing my little predicament, looked at me and told me I should become a youth minister. I kind of laughed at her because I am quite happy working where I am, but she is onto something. I do love helping out with the youth and putting on retreats and chaperoning for retreats. I love it so much. It's what I do with the little free-time I have. Infact, that was a contender when it came to me deciding what my major would be for college. There's just something special about working with high schoolers when it comes to their Catholic faith. I guess there could be way worse things I could worry about than which retreat to attend, but for me this is not an easy choice to make. I figure I need to pray about where God wants me to be, and that's where I will go.

These are just a few reasons why I love this guy....

Matt Maher, that is. He music is just awesome!!! These two songs were used for the retreat I went on last week-end, and I they are some of my very favorite songs to use for retreats. They are just great. I want to put them on my blog play list, but they don't have these two songs of his on the website I use... :(

Kids Help Keep You Young At Heart

Tonight was a fun night for me, other then studying for a test I have to take tomorrow.....
This week-end happens to be another very big "party" week-end here in my hometown. The huge college rival football game is tomorrow; I.U. vs. Purdue, and it happens to be held here at home this year. While a lot of my friends were getting an early start on being drunk, I on the other hand decided to help out at a "Parent's Night Out" event held by a local group to help support the Crisis Pregnancy Center. There were a few other college kids who also opted to help out with this event and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I was able to hang out with some of the kids that are no longer at the daycare I work at anymore and even played a little Sorry with a few of the other college students. We were all having fun acting like little kids. There was even a huge "dance" party, where we all did do the Chicken Dance. I haven't danced the chicken dance in so long. It was simple kid fun tonight, and the best part about it is I will not have a hang-over tomorrow.
There is something about spending time with kids. Their enthusiasm for the simplest things just rubs off to those around them. That is why I love being around kids so much. They help keep me young at heart. I don't think I'd be as excited about some things as I am if I didn't hang around them as much as I do. I wouldn't have traded tonight for anything. Some people may think I am crazy for that statement, but it's true.
I am somewhat excited about tomorrow's game only because I have decided to do a little tailgating. This will be my first tailgating experience. I've never gone the whole time I've been in college. It will hopefully be fun. I am praying that the weather stays like it was this afternoon for tomorrow, otherwise I might chicken out and stay somewhere warm. Who knows.

Guys vs. Girls

I have come to the realization that I get along much better with guys then girls... Not that I don't get along with girls, but I deal better with guys... Girls and boys deal with confrontations in very different ways.

Girls, in general, tend to be way more emotional and overreact way more then they should in some situations. They tend to act nice to a person's face, and then talk about them behind their back as soon as the person walks away. If they have a problem with someone they hardly ever will tell it to your face. It's so aggravating to think about. I am not at all in that category. If I have a problem with someone, I will tell it to their face. It may take me a little bit to do it, but I will let you know if there is something that is bothering me so that it can be fixed. It makes more sense to me. If someone has a problem with me I prefer it if they tell me so that I know what I need to do to change whatever it is.

Guys, in general, tell it like it is. If they have a problem or if they don't like something, they'll tell someone and get it over with. End of story. They don't worry about it after it's been discussed. They move on from whatever the problem is very quickly. I think that's why I get along better with them. That and I think it also has to do with the fact that I had a whole lot more guy friends growing up then girl friends... The majority of the kids around my age in my homeschool group growing up were boys. The kids I hung out with on my street were mostly boys. It's a huge part of why I am still kind of a "tom-boy" I suppose you could say. I grew up dealing with things in a "guy" mentallity, and that's probably why girls frustrate me so much.

I think that the reason I am now writing this blog post up is that after my retreat I have been feeling almost unstoppable. At work though I can slowly feel myself falling back into the "oh let's complain about our boss" routine. Yes, my boss is frustrating to work with, but the whole venting thing about him has now gotten a little old. It has gotten so bad with my boss that I hardly ever speak to him. He and I have had a few conversations about why I am a little frustrated with him, so it's not as though he doesn't know how I am feeling about things. It's just that I wish more people I worked with told him how they felt about certain things he's done. If they did maybe something would change. Venting and complaining to one another won't fix anything. It will just cause people to be more frustrated and annoyed. That's just my take on it...

I feel much more relaxed now after typing this up... now I am going to go eat some dinner.

"All You Need is Love"

I have been recently thinking about how our society has no problem misusing the world "love" for all the wrong things, and has such a hard time using in the right context. Why is it that we all have such a hard time telling people we love them and how much they mean to us? Is it because we are just so vulnerable and feel so scared of rejection that we deny telling people how we feel about them? I think by hiding that part of us we just build up a wall and very few people make us feel comfortable enough to let down that wall. There is a lyric from a Keith Urban song that says "The truest friends can be counted on one hand." Is that because it is so hard to let people in that that statement is so true? Is it our own personal fault?
I know that I myself have been hurt by people I thought were close friends... people who I did let down that wall to just to be left behind like a piece of litter on the road... I am not going to lie. Having that happen to me a few times really has made it harder and harder to let down that wall to people in fear that I will be rejected. I am afraid that once people do see that part of me eventually they will just be like, "Oh, that's all there is in there?" and then decide to walk away. It's happened enough times to me, and so I can see why it is scary to tell people how I really feel about them.
I had a very emotional time over my retreat week-end. I allowed myself to open up and talk about things and feelings that I did not talk about too much before, because I was afraid people would not want to listen to me. I have been afraid in the past about how my friends would react if I did breakdown when I needed to. Take my father's accident a few years back. When I needed to breakdown I didn't allow myself too. I held it in because I didn't want my friends to think I was weak or being silly... and yet at the same time I was frustrated with my friends for not checking up on me. I shouldn't have been frustrated with them because I was telling them I was ok. I am sure that if I told them I wasn't ok and I was really freaking out then they would have been there for me. That's just one silly example of me being afraid to open up... (Random side note: I think us girls in general can be so overemotional about some things, and we can't ever make up our minds about what we want. I can't even explain why that is, and I am a girl...)
I learned on this retreat that it really is ok for me to lean on my friends when I need them. That's why God gave them to us afterall. I am going to keep working on that part of me.

Abraham and Isaac..... God and Jesus

Tonight at Bible study we focused on a lot of Exodus.... we also talked about Abraham and Isaac...
I happened to be the one reading the story of Abraham's sacrifice. After I read it some people mentioned how hard it must of been for Abraham to have to sacrifice his son whom he had been waiting for for such a long time.... while they said this I had a though... I looked at them and told them that really God wasn't asking Abraham something He wasn't going to do Himself... after all God did in fact sacrifice His only son for us. They looked at me as though a light bulb went on in their heads. After I said that we re-read that story again and realized that just like Jesus, Abraham had Isaac carry his own wood that he'd be sacrificed on... and just like Jesus, Isaac trusted Abraham and did not question him once. So really this relationship between Abraham and Isaac kind of symbolizes God's own relationship with His Son. I never looked at that story in that way before. It just was very interesting. Oh the things I learn at Bible study....

Too much emphasis on titles......

I mentioned before in a post how I believe that God always brings the people he wants to a retreat for a reason. Well it wasn't until today that I got a part of the reason I was meant to be there. You see I have been having a hard time struggling with not knowing about what will happen with my future next year... if I will be where I am now or if I will have to go and find another place to work... there have been some other things I have been frustrated over and not really totally understanding about why God let certain things play-out the way they did. Anyway in the very last talk I finally got something I needed to get.

The man who gave this particular talk spoke about how he dealt with being let-go from his own job. Apparently he was working at this company and truly thought his job was secure and safe from being lost. Well one day he went into work like normal when his boss came to him and told him that he needed to talk to him and to come into the conference room. He went in and was then told he was being let-go do to cuts they had to make because of money issues. They gave him a severance package, but took back his cell phone and lap top. He felt as though they pretty much stripped him of what he worked for and he didn't know what he was going to do... he spent the next few months not only looking for a job, but he ended up also volunteering for other charities. Through that process he did a lot of soul searching. He eventually did find another job.

I think that hearing his story made me realize that we put a lot of emphasis on giving ourselves titles.... "I'm a lawyer" or "I am an engineer," or"I'm a teacher." Sometimes I think we lose who we are when we do that so when we all of a sudden lose our jobs for whatever reason we no longer know who we are. When really being a teacher or lawyer or engineer isn't the only thing we are...it's not really the most important part of who we are either. What's really important is how we try to live our day to day lives... trying to share Christ with others by the way we act... not just a job title. After hearing his talk and his story I realized that yes, I may lose my position, but it's not going to change the heart of who I am. I will work until I find another job, and I will be ok. It's just the unknown of what will happen is what is so terrifying, but I know that it only means God has another job for me to do. He's got my back... Now I feel so much more relaxed and relieved about the future....

Day 2

Saturday.....

I don't think I can go through this whole day, but I will talk about the main highlights I had on this day....

The girls/guys chastity groups: I don't know why, but I always really enjoy having girl time. We talked a lot about dating... dating in high school.... dating in college... what dating is really for. We talked about how dating is made for finding your potential husband/wife. In high school most of the time when you're in a relationship you go into it knowing that you will not marry that person. I think that dating in high school... seriously dating in high school is not always the best of ideas. I think that people give up so much of themselves emotionally and physically way to early when they date very seriously in high school. I mentioned Jason Everett and how he reminded me that if you're dating someone and you know you're not going to marry them you still have to remember that that other person is most likely going to end up being someone else's husband. I told the girls that it is not right to give up something that should be your future husband's to someone because it just feels right at the time... and so it is important to guard their hearts, and not only their own hearts are they protecting, but they need to help guard the other person's hearts. They both need to work together to make sure that what is rightfully their future spouses is kept for only they're future spouse, if that makes any sense. It made more sense actually talking that through then writing it out.

There was one talk that day, the confession talk, which I wanted to hear so badly, but sadly I was assigned to go to the chapel and pray for the speaker of this particular talk as he was giving it so I ended up not hearing it. At first I was really upset that I was going to miss his talk, and I even told him that I wished I could hear it, but as I was sitting up in that chapel and praying that whatever would come out of his mouth was the right thing to say, I realized that the job I had was more important that listening to his talk. Maybe even moreso sense I was praying to the Holy Spirit to touch him. I really thought more about the power of prayer after I was done praying for him. Throughout the rest of the retreat I heard comments from people saying how great his talk was, and as much as I am sad to miss it, I know that there was a reason I was assigned to pray for that particular talk.

That night was a huge confession night, and I can tell you that there were many hearts changed after that night. It would take a lot more than a blog to even come close to telling the way those two and a half hours went, but it was awesome to watch and participate in....

T.G.I.F.....

Ok... so Friday.....

Friday evening started off for me in a nerveracking sort of way. I had to give my talk that night and I am not gonna lie, I was actually more nervous than I've ever been over giving this talk. I think it is because I knew that to give this talk in an effective way I was going to have to open up and talk about some emotional stories that would be hard for me to talk about, especially since I never really talked about these stories to anyone else before.... I knew what I needed to do and I wasn't quite ready to do it.
After awhile though that feeling kind of lightened up and so I did enjoy most of that evening. The first talk came around and was given by a friend of mine. I never heard her "story" before, and I have to say there is something special about retreats. You learn so much more about a person because it is a safe place and you know no one is there to judge you, just to learn something from you. Anyway she told us how she had gotten in a huge car crash when she was in high school, and it is a miracle she even made it out alive. The main thing I took from her talk is something that I have heard before, but kind of not really paid much attention to it....she said, "Every morning you wake up it is because God has a purpose for you to fulfill. If He didn't have a purpose for you then He wouldn't have need for you to be alive." That is so true, and so easily overlooked. I have to pay more attention to what my mission is for that day... maybe it's something simple, but it's of significant importance to God otherwise why am I here????
After her talk we had small groups and the interesting thing this year is that everyone that came to this particular retreat last year and was in my group last year happened to be placed in my group again this year. It was nice because it was much easier to open up to this group of people sense we already knew a lot about eachother from last year. We were able to go into the next level of opening up. It's one experience I have never gotten to have before, and it was something special.
We immediately went into my talk afterwords, which I mentioned in the post below, so I won't go much into that, but I do want to say thank-you to those who did pray for me. I appreciate it very much!!!
We had adoration that night, and I was pleasently surprised by how they did it this year. At this particular parish they are not so great when it comes to protocol for adoration, but this year not only did we have an exposition (which we have never done, but I fought hard for it), and a reposition (which again I fought for). That was one of my favorite parts of the week-end... after that we had free-time and then time for bed! It was a great way to start off the week-end!

My "Prayer" Talk Outline

And I'm back!!! As you know if you read my last post I have been away on a retreat this week-end. I don't think that it could have come at a better time in my life... I am always so used to hearing on every retreat I go to that I am there because God wants me there for a special reason. Maybe it's because it will help bring others closer to Him, or maybe it is because there is a message that I would only receive by going there, but whatever the reason He brings the ones He wants to each retreat. I know that it very true, but I especially felt that after this week-end... I don't know if I will even be able to write down what I experienced on this particular retreat in one posting so maybe I shall break it down into days.... but before I really go into that I thought that I would post my outline for my retreat on this post. The subject was all about prayer...
Funny little story about this, because as I have put the original outline of what I planned to say I realized that really this is only part of what I said... some of these things didn't get mentioned and some things were more in depth than I planned on being... You see, right before giving my talk I put this outline on the podium. I walked away from it to go press play on the cd player and the outline fell onto the ground. I came back to pick it up and jokingly said, "Maybe that's a sign God doesn't want me to follow this outline..." I meant it as a joke, but the truth is as I was talking the Holy Spirit took over and I really didn't follow all the way through. Kinda funny..... enjoy!

Open with “Anyway” by Martina McBride
I. The Need and Challenge of Prayer
A. Hunger and closeness to God
1. How God calls us - God calls each of us in a very personal way to a relationship
with Him.
2. My own personal experience of wanting to feel close to Him
a. A little bit about my freshman year of college and my dad’s accident….
B. Things that get in the way
1. Making the time
2. Getting easily distracted during prayer (phone calls, etc)
3. Not really feeling as though God is even listening to us
4. How our own minds tend to wander off (plans for the day, how to get the cute
boy to notice me, homework that needs to be done, party that week-end….)
C. My own personal attitude
1. Time
2. Feeling as though God does not hear what I am asking
3. Impatience
4.
II. What Prayer Is
A. Definition
1. Define relationships… what is needed for a good relationship (communication)
B. four types of prayer
1. Thanksgiving
2. Petition
3. Adoration
4. Reparation
C. How we pray
1. Open dialogue (talking to God)
2. Listening to Him
3. Telling Him needs
4. Writing letters to Him
5. Singing worship songs
6. Formal prayers (Our Father, the Rosary, etc…)
D. How our mindset should be while praying
1. We should be fully present
2. We need to be honest about our most personal and intimate feelings…
3. We must be fully open to whatever result God will give to the prayer… it may
not come out the way we feel it should, but later on the reason why will become
clear. (mention an example from my own life…)
4. We also need to be fair to God and spend time listening to Him… not just
talking.
III. Private and Communal Prayer
A. Talk about the value of each
B. My experiences with communal prayer (“Holy Hour,”)
IV. How I Pray
A. How I first began praying more
B. Daily Mass
C. In the car on the way to class…
D. Worship songs
E. Prayer/letter Journal
F. On my random drives when I need to vent
G. Eucharistic Adoration
H. Daily Mass (whenever I can go)
I. “God Calling” book
J. Mention a “close moment”
V. Prayer This Week-end
A. Mention how the chapel is open all week-end
B. Mention how there will also be time to pray in our small-groups
C. Remind them that every good relationship must have communication and
Our relationship with God should be the most important one we will ever have
So we must keep it nourished with daily prayer… He will always be there ready to
Listen to us when we need him. What we put into our relationship with God is what
we will get out of it.

Close with “I Lay It Down” by Matt Maher

Gone on Retreat

I just wanted to apologize for the fact that there will be a lack of posting for the next few days. I will be away on a retreat. It is the one that I have been helping to plan for the past few months now. Please keep all of us in your prayers because I am sure we will all need it! I myself am giving a talk on prayer tomorrow night, so if you'd like I'd greatly appreciate prayers for it to go smoothly and the right message gets across to the youth coming if anyone thinks about it. There will be posting about this retreat sometime when I get back!!!

"Everything I am. Everything I long to be I lay it down at Your feet..."

Tonight at "holy hour" (I hyphenate the name because what people would consider a holy hour is not what this particular group does sadly....) we reflected on one of my favorite songs, "I Lay It Down" by Matt Mahar, which I have mentioned before, and if you want to read the lyrics you can click here. While listening to this song I couldn't help but be reminded that everything I am was given to me by God in the first place. I am so used to thinking "my" a lot without really thinking about who gave all those things that make up who I am to me in the first place. God has planned my life from the beginning of time. He's picked the people who would raise me. He's picked the people who would be my family. He's picked every person out that I have considered a close friend for me. He planned the exact time and place I would live. Every single interaction between someone, God knew would happen because He planned it out. It's kind of overwhelming to really think about.
The line "Everything I long to be, I lay it down at Your feet." is the line that always gets to me the most. Everything a person should long to be is someone that is doing what serves God in the best possible way for that person. There are so many things I long for, and I have to remember that what I want is not always what God wants... I mentioned to a friend that I was frustrated with God because I prayed to him about something I really wanted and I told her he did not answer me, and she looked at me and said,"Yes He did. He said no." I only wished I figured that on my own, but God uses people to help send messages to us, and I think that is one time He did it....
Another thing that was kind of funny hearing that song tonight is that for my own retreat talk this week-end I have chosen that particular song as a reflection piece... Out of all the songs this girl could have chosen she chose that one. It kind of made me feel even more relieved that I chose the right song. We shall see.....

So much to do and so little time.....

I am typing this out mainly for myself to help me keep on track with all the things I have to get done by Friday...

Things to get done this week before my retreat...
1.) Pray!!!!!!!
2.) study cards for Psychology test on Monday need to be made out before Friday morning
3.) Parent literacy project must be done tonight
4.) Discussion question for emerging literacy needs to be done tonight
5.) Work on observation for E.C.E. class... needs to be done by Friday morning
6.) Work on librarian interview for emerging literacy class... needs to be done by Friday morning
7.) Read English chapter for class on Wed.
8.) Begin revisions for creative writing portfolio
9.) clean room
10.) finish up my prayer talk
11.) burn cd with the music I am going to use for the talk
12.) Make sure laundry gets done
13.) Go to work everyday
14.) English class on Wed. night
15.) Go to Confirmation facilitator's meeting on Thursday night.
16.) Pack
17.) Pray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that's all, but I am pretty sure I've forgotten something in there that I will remember too late. That always happens with me.....

Who Woulda Thought.....

As I have mentioned in previous posts about my Psychology professor, which you can read if you click here, likes to make it known how he dislikes the Catholic Church in general...
Well tonight my teacher apparently had to go out of town so we had a sub come in for him. I have to say I was so happy after class with the things this woman, Mrs. Frost, said. Tonight we covered a lot of the theories of the different stages people mentally and psychologically develop throughout life. When we came to the part about the stages of the the baby in the womb I was somewhat nervous about what this woman would say. Thankfully though, I found out I should not have been worried. While talking about the stages of pregnancy this woman kept emphasizing how life does begin at the moment of conception. I think she repeated that at least five times during class, and each time I could not help but smile at her for it. Not only that, but she also pulled up a number of pictures that showed the way the baby looks inside the womb as it develops, and they were very cool pictures.
There was one part of class where she did show a video that was easily skewed by the pro-abortion agenda. It was an interview about how parents should make sure they know that if they find out their baby may be born with a birth-defect (such as down's syndrome) that terminating the pregnancy is their best option... which obviously to me is so not the right advice... After she showed the video she did tell the class that the tests that are out there to tell whether a fetus may have a birth defect are not always accurate (bingo), and just because the tests may say there is a chance that a birth defect will appear in the child does not mean it will. She went on to say that she happened to know a number of couples that were told to terminate their children because the child would most likely be born with a birth defect. Each of those couples ended up deciding to have their baby and not one of them ended up being born with any sort of defect whatsoever. She told us to really think about what we are doing before deciding on aborting a child because a test and doctor say it's in the best interest... I think after she said that my mouth partially dropped open because I am not used to having a teacher telling the students not to "abort a child."
After class I went up to her and told her thank-you for what she said, and then left class. It was such a nice contrast to my regular Psychology professor who is so obviously anti-Catholic and anti-whatever the Church stands for. It was a breath of fresh air. I was very pleased....

The Importance of Melchizedek

Tonight during the college Bible study I have been attending on Sunday evenings we came to the reading in Genesis 14 where it talks about Melchizedek. We were all kind of stumped about this person. He kind of comes out of no where in the Bible and then he is not really mentioned to much after words, and yet in Hebrews and Psalms he is spoken of as though he is a household name. We even talk about him during our liturgy today. We just wanted to know why he was such an important guy. Finally a few of us decided to pull out the cell phones and call whoever we could think of that would know the answer. One person ended up getting hold of Fr. Mike and another one got to talk to Dr. Ken Howell. Basically what both of these two men told us was that the importance of Melchizedek is the fact that there really isn't much facts about his life that we know about. During the times of Abraham priests were always decided through lineage and not a calling, whereas Melchizedek did not come from a lineage of priests whatsoever. He was this higher up person that was supposed to kind of help portray how Christ would be. Another thing about this passage is that it mentions how Melchizedek offered Abram whatever he needed, but Abram had enough respect for this man that instead he gave him 1/10 of his belongings and did not take a thing. That passage is where we now get the whole tithing thing. It was very interesting to learn about!

I love my friends!!!

Today was an amazingly beautiful and wonderful day for me. The majority of it was spent helping out with the Confirmation I retreat. I loved hearing the difference between how the kids perspectives of what they thought the retreat would be like before they came and how they thought about it once they were on it. I heard a lot of the say they thought it would be boring and spent mostly just sitting and listening to talks and nothing else really. I was glad to hear that a lot of their opinions about the retreat changed from that while on it. In fact towards the end of the day a few girls came up to me and told me they wished the retreat went on longer, and I also heard some other kids talking amongst themselves also wanting to stay longer. I was glad to hear them telling each other that. It was very nice.

At one point during the retreat we split of into guy/girl groups for a chastity talk. I personally think in a way the girls group focused more on the aspect of modesty. We talked a lot about how the way a girl dresses helps imply in a way the kind of man she is looking to receive attention from. If a girl wants to really be respected then she has to portray that through the way she dresses and carries herself. We mentioned how men/boys will respect a girl who dresses modestly way more then a girl who dresses immodestly; yes, a girl dressing immodestly may seem to get more attention from the opposite sex, but it is not really the right kind of attention....

One thing I liked about this particular retreat was that there were only two girls helping out with facilitating it, all the rest were guys. I don't know what it is with the retreats I've been helping plan this year, but that seems to be popular this year with guys. The retreat team I've been working with for a retreat next week is also made up with mostly guys. I am not gonna lie. I think it is really cool to see that and for the high school youth to see it as well.

After the retreat the majority of the facilitators said evening prayer together up in the chapel. It was a nice way to end my time at church for the day. After that we all went to eat dinner together. It was a great time and I think it was the highlight of my day, other then the girl's chastity group talk.

While in the car with a dear friend of mine on the way to dinner we entered into a discussion about how incredibly lucky we are to have the great guy friends that we do. These guys really are amazing men who do know how to treat a lady with respect and that is sometimes very hard to find in today's society. She mentioned how she felt guilty about not remembering to tell them all thank-you for being the men they are, and I had to agree. I probably don't tell them thank-you enough either. I figure if I want more men like these friends of mine to continue to be the way they are towards women then I need to do my part and remember to let them know how much I appreciate them. I am very blessed to have them in my life!

Tonight I spent the evening with another group of friends for a birthday celebration. We spent a lot of time playing euchre and apples to apples. After that we all went over to The Upstairs for a few drinks and then I called it a night. I am now very tired from a busy day and am ready for a good night's sleep so until the next time....

The Heart of Who I Am....

Right now I am sitting in my house alone and the only thing I hear other then the clicking sound of the keys as I am typing this out is the sound of the washing machine in the basement. Every now and then I get a chance when I am home alone and I have nothing to do and so I tend to either read a book or watch tv or mess around on the computer. I relish these times. It is pretty much the second best thing to Eucharistic Adoration for me, a time when I tend to just let my thoughts go on their own and relax and just breath. God must think I need this time because not only did he give it to me tonight at home, but I will was able to go to Eucharistic Adoration after I got off of work for first Friday.
Lately there tends to be a lot of things going on in my life and I get bombarded with something else new at least once a week, whether it's with schoolwork, or with work, or family issues, and slowly it is starting to just bring me down. I wouldn't be surprised if my family has noticed it because I really am not always in the best of moods when I get home at night because I am tired and drained from not only running from one place to another, but dealing with all these different changes uses up even more energy.
I was reading the book of Job this past month, and even though I know that my life is no where near how his was going, I can't help but relate a little bit to the way he talked with God and his friends. It was a lot of venting and frustration going on there, and I feel as though that is how my prayer life has been for a couple of months now. While reading it I came to the realization that whatever life throws my way I won't let it cause me to lose faith... Because when I look down deep and into the heart of who I am and what I love the most, it would be my faith. It gives me hope, and if I ever gave up hope then I am afraid of what I would become, so I refuse to give up on it. In fact that is one of the most important things I pray about each night and I am sure that God will not let me lose it.
I think that there is a book that is calling my name to go read it (not literally of course), and since I am done rambling on I am gonna go lose myself in it's storyline. :)

Simple ways to fast.

I borrowed this from a friend today... I hope she doesn't mind. :)

Fast from judging others; discover that Christ lives in them.
Fast from hurtful words; let your mouth overflow with words of healing.
Fast from discontentment; be full of gratitude!
Fast from anger; fill yourself with patience.
Fast from pessimism; fill yourself with Christian hope.
Fast from worries; fill yourself with trust in God alone.
Fast from complaining; be full of appreciation for this marvelous life.
Fast from the pressures that just never seem to stop; instead, fill yourself with a prayer that doesn't end.
Fast from bitterness; fill yourself with forgiveness.
Fast from thinking of only yourself; be full of compassion for everyone else.
Fast from anxiety over things; commit yourself to the spreading of God's kingdom here on earth.
Fast from discouragement; fill yourself with enthusiasm of the Faith.
Fast from mundane thoughts; be full of the truths based in holiness.
Fast from all that separates you from Jesus; be full of anything that will make you closer to Him!

Thoughts on the movie "Law Abiding Citizen"

I just got home from watching the new movie, "Law Abiding Citizen," and boy was that one crazy ride. It really made me think about how our justice system does work and the flaws that it has. I think that it is crazy how some people walk away after five years or so in prison for some horrible crime they committed just because of a plea bargain... I know there is not much room to keep prisoners, or at least that is one of the major arguments I hear, but to let a guy who is not really sorry for what he has done to just walk after a few years in prison makes no sense to me. It's not fair for the victims involved... I would not recommend this movie to people with weak stomachs because there are quite a few gruesome scenes in it that caused me to lose my appetite... I found this quick overview from a website that tells a little bit more about the movie in a way that makes more sense then I could. If anything it did keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out where this guy's mind was going and what he was going to do next and how he was going to do it.

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die. Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton’s high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton’s crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.

"Kid's Say the Darndest Things" #6

Some more reasons why I love my job. Ha ha!

---------------------------------------
The other day we found an extremely long worm inside the daycare. We never have figured out how this thing got in there. I believe it was like at least six inches long. Anyway one of the kids had an interesting conversation with me over this worm....

Jack S.: Miss Teresa, Miss Ellie found a worm in the kitchen this long ( he used his hands to show me the length of the worm, only it was exaggerated a bit...)
Me: Really, Jack? That long? No way!
Jack S: uh huh, Miss Teresa..... I just don't know how God mace that big worm. Do you know how God made it?
Me: Good question, Jack....I think it must be one of God's secrets. I don't think we'll ever find out about that one, Jack.
Jack S.: Ohhh! Secrets. I like secrets!

-----------------------------------------

As Becky was washing her hands three of the kids were all crowding around her... You see, Becky is very picky about her personal space... it's kind of funny actually, but anyway...

Miss Becky: Ok, I need my space guys. back up. Where is my bubble? I need my bubble!
Callum: Uh, it's gone!
Miss Becky: Yes it is Cal. you are so right. It is gone!

Callum is about three years old. It was kind of cool that he understood the concept of Miss Becky's bubble. I was impressed.

-----------------------------------------

(after one of the kids came back from going potty)
Miss Ellie: So, did you go potty?
Miriam: Yes, I went with the little boy.
(both Ellie and I look at each other with a confused look."
Miss Ellie: You went with a little boy?
Miriam: Yes, with the little boy.
Miss Ellie: Well, which boy did you go potty with, Miriam?
Miriam: The little boy!
Miss Ellie: Can you show me which boy you went potty with?
Miriam: Come on, Miss Ellie.
(Miriam takes Ellie to the bathroom stall and points to a picture hanging on the wall of a little boy."
Miriam: See the little boy?

------------------------------------------

(It was time to change diapers....)
Me: Cal! Come on. I gotta change your diaper now!
Callum: I'm dry Miss Teresa. I don't need to change my diaper!
Me: Well, let me just take you in and check. If you're dry I'll bring you right back outside.
Callum: Alright....
(We go inside and I check his diaper which was soaking wet...)
Me; Cal! You are very very wet boy. You're not dry!
Callum (with a big smile on his face.) I know.
Me:You little stinker!
Callum: But, I'm cute!

------------------------------------------

Callum happened to have a very vivid bad dream today during nap time. I don't always find that situation very funny, but the way Callum acted about it was hilarious.

Callum: I had a bad dream. I had a really bad dream Miss Teresa. (He looked over at Marva who was trying really hard not to laugh...) Miss Marva, I had a bad ghost dream.
Me: You had a bad ghost dream?
Callum: Yes. And the ghost said (his voice in a "scary" tone) "Come with me" and I didn't want to go with him so I, I, I bit the ghost.
Me: You bit the ghost? Good for you, Cal, but where did you bite him?
Callum: I bit him on the finger. I bit him hard!!!
Me: Well now, what did the ghost taste like????
Callum: It tasted like an orange, and I HATE oranges!!!!!

Latin Mass so totally rocks!!!

Tonight I was blessed to have my first ever experience at a Latin Mass. I have never felt more at peace and relaxed and amazed at how much more reverent the whole Mass was. The choir did amazing. After going through it once it is hard for me to understand why so many people were ready to get rid of it... I sat with a group of friends from both St. Charles' and St. Paul's, which in and of itself is somewhat amazing to me. You see there has always been a sense of friction (although that is not really the right word I am looking for, but it will have to do for now) between St. Paul's and the rest of the Catholic churches in my area because they tend to be more liberal at St. Paul's. With all the new things they have been doing at that church this year, that image of being more liberal is starting to lessen a little bit, not too much, but a little, for me. It shows that there are obviously enough conservative people attending that Church to help change it which makes me very happy to see.
Anyway, one of the highlights from tonight other then the Mass (which was my favorite part obviously) was being able to see a dear friend of mine. I haven't seen him for a good three months now. The best part about seeing him was the fact that he never once told me he was coming because he said he wanted to see the shocked look on my face when I recognized him, and boy did he get his wish!
I was talking to my mom and told her how after attending the Latin Mass I would love to see it used more often in all the churches... not that that would happen, but it would be nice to see maybe on Holy Days of Obligation. that's just wishful thinking on my part.
Now I am off to finish up some homework and then head off to bed...

I'm Alive

Sorry for the lack of posting these past few days. I have been very busy all day Sunday running around from Mass to meeting friends in between going to different meetings, and then coming home and catching up on homework that I put off all week-end for Halloween parties... I don't have much time to write at the moment, but I will leave with some quick thoughts for the day...

"God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow into them."
-Unknown

"Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C s. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy."
-Walt Disney