Hooray For Field-Trips!

Yesterday at work we took a field trip up to the Children's Museum up in Indy. The kids has a ball looking at the Dinosaurs, hanging-out with Dora the Explorer, learning about life for families in Egypt, and going on a train ride, and just exploring. They were able to get up-close and personal with fossils, and were even allowed to touch a real t-rex leg bone fossil. The staff was very nice and added to the fun the children had. Everything in this museum was hands-on, even more so than when I was a kid from what I can remember. It was a great day for them. I know I had a ball until towards the end of the day.

I had a very frustrating encounter with a random parent while playing in the pre-school area of the museum. This woman's daughter had been getting pushed around by some older kids, and since I was the closest adult near-by her she took her frustration out on me. I don't really need to go into detail about how rude she was with me, but I must say I have never wanted to call someone out as much as I wanted to let her have it. Instead, I held my tongue and I was very polite with her. I guess that must have annoyed her more as she became even more angrier with me. The thing is I really don't know anything about this woman. Maybe she was having a hard day, or week, or maybe she had something not quite right going on with her mind. I don't know. So even though she kind of ended my day on a sour note I do not wish anything bad on her. Even though that did happen, at the end of the day when I thought back on that encounter I said a prayer for that woman because I know people have bad days and sometimes react in random strange ways. I am no saint and make mistakes just like the next person. It's part of being human.

It's "My Kinda Party"

Sorry for my lack of posting this past week. It was my birthday on Saturday and I went like an energizer bunny all week-end long. One of my VERY favorite parts of my birthday was attending the Jason Aldean concert up in Indy. I happen to be a huge fan of his music and the fact that I was able to see him on my birthday was a very exciting way to spend my birthday. One of the people that opened for him, Eric Church, is also someone I enjoy listening to and it was a nice surprise to be able to hear him as well. :) It was an insane crazy concert as it was completely sold-out. There were 25,000 Jason Aldean fans which is a whole lot of people for a concert. It was a party.... :) The two girls below are very good friends of mine who went along with me to see this concert. I have known these girls since I was ten years old and it was a lot of fun to hang-out with them for the week-end... :)

Pro-Life Victory!

It was a wonderful day yesterday in the pro-life world. This is a HUGE victory!!! Many thanks to Mike for posting this, as I stole it from him.

Check this is out:
Indiana Right to Life is applauding Governor Mitch Daniels for signing into law today the most sweeping pro-life initiatives in Indiana since the Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand with the Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton decisions in 1973.

HEA 1210 contains provisions to end all state-directed funding for businesses that do abortions, to establish Indiana's compelling interest in protecting pain-capable unborn children beginning at 20 weeks, to opt-out of abortion coverage in any state health exchanges required under the new federal health law, to require that women considering abortion be given full, factual information in writing, and to require doctors who do abortions, or their designees, to maintain local hospital admitting privileges in order to streamline access to emergency care for women injured by abortion.

"This legislation places Indiana on the vanguard of efforts to protect the unborn, to deny public funds to businesses that profit from abortion, and to ensure that women considering abortion have full and factual information about such issues as fetal development and alternatives to abortion," states Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter. "Governor Daniels has now established Indiana as one of the leading pro-life states in the nation."

Fichter also called Planned Parenthood of Indiana's move to secure an injunction against the defunding provision a delay tactic to keep public funding flowing as long as possible. "We are confident that Indiana will successfully defend this new law and that abortion businesses will be denied access to all state-directed public funds."

Life Is Good, My Friends. Yes, Life Is Good.

Today has been a bitter-sweet day for me. It was bitter because today was the last confirmation class with my small group. It is crazy that two years have already gone by since the first class when we all started our journey. I must say I felt like a proud mamma hen today as my whole group, without me even prompting them, were excited to share with me about the saint they chose and why they chose that specific saint. It made me happy to know that they really did their own research and did not just choose a saint because their name sounded cool. I have become pretty close with these kids and am proud of how they grew in these past two years and I cannot wait to be able to watch them as they are confirmed next week-end. St. Michael the Arch Angel, St. Sebastian, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Catherine of Sienna, and St. Francis of Assisi please pray for these kids and watch over them as they journey through the rest of their life! :)

It was a sweet day as today is Mother's Day and who could have asked for better weather than what we had in my hometown? It was gorgeous and even more appreciated as in the majority of the past few weeks all we have seen are thunderstorms and rain. My whole family gathered together for a wonderful Mother's Day meal of grilled-out steak, baked potatoes, salad, and stuffed eggs. I must say it was all delicious, but I could not finish my plate. I felt so stuffed. My stomach really must have shrunk over the past few months because before I would have been able to eat it all. I was also blessed to see two of my three god-children today, which was a pleasant surprise.

Part of me is very surprised at how fast my week-end has flown by, but the other part is actually very excited to know that in six days it will be my birthday. I am even more excited about it this year as I will be spending part of my birthday at a Jason Aldean concert with two of my friends. I happen to be a HUGE Jason Aldean fan and own all of his albums except his newest one (which is the next cd I will be adding to my collection of music) and so to know I will be seeing him on my birthday is so cool. Along with that, the night before my birthday I will be going out with friends to celebrate, so I won't be getting much rest next week-end either. Go figure!

"Advice From Somewhere"

Advice from Somewhere

ONE.

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO.

Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE.

Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR.

When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE.

When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX.

Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN.

Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT.

Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE.

Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.

In disagreements, fight fairly. Please No name calling.

ELEVEN.

Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE.

Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN.

When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN.

Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN.

Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN.

When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN.

Remember the three R's:
Respect for self;
Respect for others;
Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN.

Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN.

When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY.

Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE.

Spend some time alone.

Healthy Living

It is interesting to me how being sick for only a couple of weeks can make me change my perspective on things. Really, two weeks is short compared to those who have serious health issues. Mine only was a bout of strep throat immediately followed by a sinus infection. I can tell you though that now that I am finally feeling better I am so very thankful for it. There were things I missed while being sick like being able to swallow without feeling as though my throat was on fire, or being able to breath through my nose, sleeping or sitting in church without fighting the urge to cough every few minutes (nyquil became a friend of mine for awhile there...). Then there was the issue of not really being able to get up and move much without paying for it dearly. I missed being able to sing, even now my voice is not at all ready to push for that.

Before I got sick this last time I exercised six days out of the week mainly because I was doing it for lent. It was more of a chore for me... After being sick I am so excited and grateful that I am able to get up and move my body around. It is a relief to know that I can sit in Mass without worrying if I will have the sudden urge to cough. I am happy to know that tonight I will most likely not have to take more medicine to get to sleep, as I really do not like to take any unless I am really desperate. It is things like this that get taken for granted, but let me tell you at the moment this girl is enjoying being healthy again. :)

Pope/Obama Joke... Too Funny To Not Pass On

The Pope and Obama are on the same stage in Yankee Stadium in front of a huge crowd.

The Pope leans towards Mr. Obama and said, "Do you know that with one little wave of my hand I can make every person in this crowd go wild with joy? This joy will not be a momentary display, but will go deep into their hearts and they'll forever speak of this day and rejoice!"

Obama replied, "I seriously doubt that! With one little wave of your hand....Show me!" So the Pope backhanded him and knocked him off the stage!

AND THE CROWD ROARED & CHEERED WILDLY!

"Kid's Say The Darndest Things" #13

Andras: (upset about not getting his way) Ellie! I am going to eat you! My mommy said I am going to eat you!
Ellie: (Trying not to laugh) Well do you want me to get you some ketchup or mayo or lettuce and tomatoes to eat with me?
Andras: That is not funny, Ellie! Not funny!
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This past Summer we finally were given something we have needed for quite a while now. New wood chips for our playground... With all the rain we have had it has washed a good 2/3's of them away and what we have been left with is a whole lot of dirt... Anyway while we were out on the playground a truck came to dump the last of the wood chips off and the kids were very excited about it....

Josh L. (Yelling at the top of his lungs to the truck driver): Thank-you SO much for the new wood chips you brought for my playground! (After the truck driver drives off Josh comes running up to me) That man is SUCH a nice guy for bringing us new wood chips, Miss Teresa.
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Me: Gracie, I need a hug good-bye, Missy! I have not gotten it yet, and I won't see you all week-end! Where is my hug!
Gracie (While hugging me): It's in my heart, Miss Teresa.

How cute is that?!?!
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I was sitting by Jacob's cot during naptime as he was not wanting to sleep. He was talking nonstop pretty quietly, but I was not really exactly paying much attention to him because it was "quiet" time... that is until he said...

Jacob: I want you to come to my party

Me: Your party? What kind of party?

Jacob: My wedding...

Me (in a joking kind of way): Awww Jacob. Are you wanting me to marry you?

Jacob: YES!

Me: Well... Where will you take me for our honeymoon?

Jacob: To a party

Me: Where will the party be?

Jacob: In my bedroom

MY FAVORITE QUOTE OF THE DAY!!!!

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Josh L. was painting and decided to pick up the yellow paint bottle and sniff it...

Josh L: Wow. This smells like.... like women.

HA HA HA!!! I didn't know us women smelled like the color yellow.

"Bin Lauden's Death: Cause For Reflection, Not Rejoicing"

A friend pointed this article out to me today. With all the news surrounding the death of Bin Lauden what I find the most disturbing is the fact of how so many young elementary school kids here in America are rejoicing the death of a person, even if that person is Bin Laden. I think it is sickeneing to know we have taught them to be joyous over the blood of a human being. The Church seems to be in agreement of how I am feeling over this.... Just because this man's life is now ended does not mean there will be peace anytime soon. I have a feeling it will be even more tumultuous for awhile longer. Let us pray that whatever happens now is the will of God.

Vatican says bin Laden's death cause for reflection, not rejoicing

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican said the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, a man who sowed division and hatred and who caused "innumerable" deaths, should prompt serious reflection about one's responsibility before God, not rejoicing.

The Vatican statement May 2 came the day after President Barack Obama announced that U.S. forces had killed bin Laden in an attack on his hideout in northwest Pakistan. In several U.S. cities, the news prompted street demonstrations and expressions of jubilation.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, released a brief written statement reacting to the news.

"Osama bin Laden, as we all know, bore the most serious responsibility for spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions to this end," Father Lombardi said.

"In the face of a man's death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred," the spokesman said.

The Vatican missionary news agency, Fides, reported that Christian schools and other institutes were closed and churches put on guard in Pakistan's main cities out of fear of possible repercussions on the Christian minorities there. Pakistani Christians are often identified in extremist literature with the West and the United States.

Paul Bhatti, a government adviser for religious minorities in Pakistan, told Fides that "the situation is tense."

"In fact, there are strong fears of reactions -- senseless reactions -- against the Christian minorities. The government is giving the maximum attention to prevention measures," he said.

Father Mario Rodrigues, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Pakistan, said after a meeting with government officials May 2: "They put us on alert, requesting the closure of our institutes and making available additional police personnel around the churches. The Christians of Pakistan are innocent victims in this and other situations. Any pretext is used to threaten them or launch an attack."

Rodrigues said some experts predicted that bin Laden's killing would weaken the Taliban and their ideologies, which could help diminish anti-Christian persecution in the long term. But he said radical Islamic groups were flourishing in Pakistan, and other extremist leaders could arise.

What is needed, he said, is a serious policy of interreligious tolerance at every level -- cultural, social, political and legislative.

END

Beatification of John Paul II. :)

What a happy Sunday it is today! Today is even more special as Pope John Paul II was officially beatified early this morning, which brings him one step closer to sainthood. :)

For those of you who do not know the steps that are taken before a person is considered a saint then let me clue you in on them.

The process must begin five years after the candidate's death. (Pope John Paul II waived this requirement in Mother Teresa's case and Pope Benedict XVI waived this in Pope John Paul II's case as well.)

Local bishops investigate the life of the candidate and the findings are sent to the Vatican.

After approval by a panel of theologians and cardinals, the pope proclaims the candidate is "venerable," meaning a role model of Roman Catholic virtues.

The next step is beatification if it is determined by the church that the candidate is responsible for a miracle after his or her death.

Finally, for the designation of saint, the church must certify proof of a second miracle. Once they approve of the miracle then the Pope must declare the person a saint by canonizing them.