"When it rains, it pours...."

There's that one saying "When it rains, it pours," well I think that describes the past few days for me. As you already know, my interent connection is not working at home, that is kind of old news. This week-end though, I ended up in a fender bender as well. I am thankfully ok, and my car did not get too damaged, but the whole ordeal was a pain to go through. I was on my way to Saturday evening Mass when I got hit by another truck. I ended up having to walk over to the police station, because neither of us drivers own a cell phone. Luckily the police station was a block away. What I was really annoyed with though was how we could walk over and tell the police about our accident we still had to wait about thirty minutes for a police officer to show up, and then we also had to wait for him to get all the paperwork done. All in all, I was outside for about an hour just sitting there, and I was really mad because I missed Mass.
Good news though, I was blessed to be able to go with a few friends to the Farm earlier that morning and I spent some time with Jesus in adoration, and I got to go to confession. Apparently there are two plenary indulgences I am able to receive from going to that one confession. I mean I have to do the other things that go along with that, which luckily I have already done for one, but the same confession counts for both indulgences, so that made my day a little better.
Saturday evening I was able to spend some time with a friend of mine for her birthday party. It was fun even though I only knew maybe four of the people beforehand. We played volley ball, and some people went swimming, and then we went out for a few drinks. It was a nice time that helped me get over the car accident easier. My friends were nice enough to let me vent about it and get my aggressions out, and I love them dearly for that!
Sunday was nice. I went to Mass with my younger sister, and ate lunch afterwards. I got to lay out for a little bit, which hardly ever happens, but doing so, I ended up with a sun burn.... Later I met up with my older sister for dinner. Bible study was interesting on Sunday night. The weekly Bible studies that St. Charles Youth Group is leading, are all on apologetics. This past week we talked about confession. Afterwards we played a good game of ultimate. It was a fun way for me to get my work out done.
Nothing is better to end a week-end off then going to a friends pool and swimming and catching up when you haven't seen them for awhile. So that was my crazy week-end. I will try and post something again soon, but I am not so sure when that will happen.

Internet Update...

I am sitting here at the library because the interent connection is still down at my home. Whatever the storm did, it really messed up our phone lines at home... It is kind of funny because we are able to dial out on our phone, but if you call us it won't go through for whatever reason. The phone company told us they won't be able to come fix it for about a week, so until then my blog posting will not be very frequent at all... I know I will probably go crazy for a few days without the internet, but I am sure that won't last to long... or atleast I hope it won't.

Internet Down

Because of the crazy storm that happened last night, the power went out. It came back on this morning, but there was still something wrong with our internet connection. Seeing as how I do not know how long it will take for it to be back up, I will not be posting on here. I am on break at work right now, and that is why I am able to write all ya'll this message. Hopefully it won't take to long to fix, but you never know with those things...

"World on Fire"

"Jesus Take the Wheel"

I was very excited this evening to be able to go back to "holy hour." Fr. Stan realized that there were quite a few of us who are staying in town over the Summer and decided that we should start them back again. One of my good friends led it tonight. We read the Gospel for this upcoming week-end which you can read if you click here. In the Gospel the major theme seems to be all about trusting God and letting go of control of your life because God has it all under His control. Reflecting on this gospel reminded me of this "Bumper Sticker" I found on face book, and that is why I put it on this blog. It is kind of funny to me because I have a feeling God has been trying to send me signals about this whole control thing. You see, I tend to be someone that likes to have things planned. I am not a fan of huge surprises whatsoever. When I have a huge task to undertake I like to break it down into stages and plan exactly how and when things need to be done, and if I somehow get thrown off of the agenda I can get a little flustered. As I sat reflecting on the whole control issue and how I do not like not knowing what will happen I was reminded of Carrie Underwood's song, "Jesus, Take the Wheel," (the lyrics to that song are posted below). I also came to the realization that God gave me this life and how He knew exactly what He was doing when He gave me the family and friends I have. Just like that quote I found, God has this plan for me and I know that if I am going to be happiest in this life that He gave me, I need to let Him be in control and follow the "Master Plan" to the best of my abilities. As I sat there and wrote all this stuff down I then sat back and I felt this sense of peace.
I am somewhat nervous about next week's "holy hour" though because my friend and I are "co-leading" it, I guess you could say, and we still do not know exactly what we are going to do. I'm sure whatever we figure out will be good though.
Now I am off to bed to get some well-earned sleep.

Jesus Take The Wheel lyrics
by Carrie Underwood

She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy
With the baby in the backseat

Fifty miles to go and she was running low
On faith and gasoline
It'd been a long hard year

She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention
She was going way too fast
Before she knew it she was spinning
On a thin black sheet of glass

She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didn't even have time to cry
She was so scared
She threw her hands up in the air

Jesus, take the wheel
Take it from my hands
?Cause I can't do this on my own

I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on
Jesus, take the wheel

It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder
And the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat
Sleeping like a rock

And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray
She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been living my life

I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight

Jesus, take the wheel
Take it from my hands
?Cause I can't do this on my own

I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on

Oh Jesus, take the wheel
Oh, I'm letting go

So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
From this road I'm on
Jesus, take the wheel
Oh, take it, take it from me
Oh, why, ooh

"Kids Say the Darndest Things" #4

More funny stories from my job. I love these kids.


Josh: Hey Molly, come play dinosaurs with me.

Molly (as she is running over to Josh): Yeah, but I'm the meat eater!!!!!

Grady (Walks over to Molly and puts his arm around her neck): Sorry Josh, but Molly is my girlfriend, and she can't play with you because she's my girlfriend, and I said so....

Yeah, the relationship thing, it starts early.
----------------------------------------------

James: what are those spots on your arm?
Lisa: Those are my freckles James
James: Hey, Miss Lisa has pickles!!!
James: (after walking over to me) Do you have pickles too?
---------------------------------------------

Grady: Hey, Mr. Bob. Where's you're car?
Bob: My wife has the car.
Grady: Why does your wife have your car?

Bob: Well you see, my wife says that the car is her car and the truck is mine.
Grady: (after a little bit). Mr. Bob, I think that maybe...maybe, you should give her some flowers.
Bob: You know what? That is something I probably should do buddy.
---------------------------------------------

Grady: Miss Emily, you sound like an angel. (he yells across the room) Miss Teresa, you sound like an angel too!!!!

I think he has learned the art of sweet talking a lady at the young age of 3 years old. That's what happens when you're the youngest in the family....
---------------------------------------------

Grady: Miss Emily, I have to tell you what my cracker did!
Emily: What did your cracker do?
Grady: Well when I was putting peanut butter on it, my cracker stuck to my knife!
Emily: That's pretty funny, Grady.
Grady: No, not funny, Miss Emily, it was AWESOME!!!
---------------------------------------------

Chelsie: Miss Ellie, my little brother drinks whole milk. That's a different kind of milk then mommy and I drink though....
Miss Ellie: Well, what kind of milk do you drink?
Chelsie: Skin milk. I don't know why mommy and I drink it and my brother drink something else...but I drink skin milk.

"If Jesus Came to Your House.."

The other day I heard about a homily a priest gave at our church on the Eucharist. He talked about how people usually think of how we are supposed to bring Jesus to others throughout our time after we have received Jesus, but he also brought a different perspective to my attention. He said that, yes, we should try to be good people and hopefully by our example we can help bring others to the faith, but we should also remember we are bring Jesus into our own lives and carrying Him everywhere we are. He becomes a part of us and we should act accordingly... I found this poem and it made me think of that homily, which I am sad to have not heard myself...

"If Jesus Came to Your House"

Oh, I know you'd give your nicest Room to such an honored Guest
And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best,

And you'd keep assuring Him you're glad to have Him there-
That serving Him in your home is joy beyond compare

But when you saw Him coming would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your Heavnly Visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in
Or hide some magazines and put the Bibles where they'd been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard
And wish you hadn't uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

Would you hide your wordly music And put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in,or would you rush about?

And I wonder - if the Saviour spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you keep right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation keep up it's usual pace,
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the words you sing and read the books you read
And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go?
Or would you maybe change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends,
Or would you hope they'd stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on,
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.

"Dear God"

I found this little prayer while searching for more good quotes to put in my quote book, and it is so true....

Dear God

So far today I have done all right.
I haven't gossiped.
I haven't lost my temper.
I haven't been greedy, grumpy,
nasty, selfish or overindulgent.

I am very thankful for that!

But in a few minutes, Lord,
I am going to get out of this bed,
And from then on,
I'm probably going to need a lot more help.

Amen

For My Daddy...

The guy in the picture, if you have not guessed yet, is my Daddy. It was taken a few months after my dad's big accident at work. That was a scary time for my family for awhile there....
In honor of Father's Day.... The first quote came from a card which my older sister found... I am somewhat jealous she was the one that found it because it says all the things that both of us feel about him. It was the perfect card...

"Thanks Dad,

For being a family man.
For setting aside those sunny afternoons
to play ball or steady a bike
or make runs for ice-cream cones.
Thanks for trading in
some dreams you must have had
for the "family" car
and the house full of kid's stuff.
Thanks for listening so patiently
to radio stations
you'd never choose,
showing up to cheer on a kid
even after a long day at work.
Thanks for doing
all those important little things
that said you cared.
You may think what you did went unnoticed,
but it was those very things
that have always made me feel
so incredibly loved and grateful
to be your daughter."

"Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad."
~Philip Whitmore Snr.~

"A father is someone that
holds your hand at the fair
makes sure you do what your mother says
holds back your hair when you are sick
brushes that hair when it is tangled because mother is too busy
lets you eat ice cream for breakfast
but only when mother is away
he walks you down the aisle
and tells you everything's gonna be ok"
~Anonymous~

So, What Is "Success" Anyway????

Last month was the time for all my friends in high school to graduate. I do happen to have a few of them, and I had a hard time figuring out what to get them as a graduation present. I happened to find this one book, "The Secrets of Success" in the Hallmark store my mom works at. I liked this book because it had a lot of helpful hints about how to keep the real important stuff in line. The introduction to the book was really interesting to me, and since a friend of mine and I were talking about the meaning of "real success" today, it made me think of that intro. So what is success? I think the quote below answers that question pretty well....

“Success. We read books about it, watch infomercials, work really hard to get it, and keep it, and maybe show it off a little. But what is it exactly? The world tells us it’s getting a good job. Making a lot of money. Driving a new car. It’s getting somewhere fast. Knowing someone important. Making something happen. It’s being stylish. Being popular. Being in charge. Or is it something else altogether? Something you can’t quite put your finger on. Something almost impossible to describe. Something different for everyone, depending on who you are, where you are, and when. Poet Matthew Arnold said, ’Life is not a having and a giving, but a being and becoming.’ This is no secret, but it’s something we’re likely to forget from time to time, especially when the going gets rough, tough, or tiresome. One thing they say is true: Success is a journey. You are on your way.”
~The Secrets of Success~

Addictions

Today, I came to the conclusion that everyone has an addiction to something. That addiction could be to a person, or place or thing. It may be big like being an alcoholic or sex addict or porn addict or addicted to drugs, or those "on again, off again" relationships people put themselves into. Of course there are also the "silly" addictions, like to certain foods, or drinks, or things like that. My addiction, I have come to realize is to music. My mother pointed this out to me today, and I never really thought of me listening to music a lot as an addiction, but I guess if I had to say what I was addicted to, I would have to say music. I listen to it in the car, at work sometimes, whenever I work-out, clean, work on the computer, as I am falling asleep. I even watch music videos when I am bored. I play on the piano a lot, and whenever it's quiet I get annoyed and end up turning on the radio. I guess now that I know for sure I'm addicted to music, I need to work on being ok with silence. Don't get me wrong, I do like it, but I can't seem to take it for long. My mom said to me, "Teresa, have you ever thought that maybe the reason why you can get so confused about what God wants of you is because He can't talk over all the music you have playing constantly around you?" So for the first step of my "getting over music" addiction I have decided to turn off the music when I go to bed. I figure, for me, one step at a time will help.

The prayer above, I have always liked, and since I was talking about addictions in this blog posting, I figure why not put up something with the Serenity Prayer.

Random K. F. C. Fact

I am a huge chicken fan. I mean, I also like eating an occasional delicious rare steak, but usually when I go out to eat somewhere, I always tend to pick chicken over beef about 75% of the time. One of my favorite fried chicken places, K.F.C., I have just found out actually uses beef flavoring and beef fat in their recipe... I found that very interesting. Although, apparently my mom just told me when she makes soups with chicken she likes to use beef flavoring too, so I guess it is not so uncommon. I just was not really expecting that from a place that is known for it's fried chicken. You can read more about it if you like. Just click here.

First Impressions

Sometimes I really think that my family should be on a reality television show. I know that if I were watching my family back on t.v. as an outside observer I would probably be very amused. I mean, a lot of people claim to have strange families, but sometimes I think mine would "take the cake" as the old saying goes. I can't decided if having some cousins who have shot at each other because they were both being stupid and instead of calling the police for a situation, they decided to duke it out with guns because they did not want to get caught with the drugs that they had been doing all week, or if it's another little second cousin of mine who looks sweet, but is not at all as sweet as she looks, and can be a little terror, or another cousin who has been in prison for the majority of my life, and even I still do not understand really WHAT it was that he did that got him there. Why am I typing all of this somewhat embarrassing family history on a blog which only God will know who will read it? It is because I am actually about to go meet the said cousin that has been in prison for so long. He finally got out, and is back home. Technically he still has time to pay for here in Indiana, and so he will have to hand himself back in by the end of this month. I am not gonna lie. I am somewhat nervous to meet him, and I say meet because the last time I saw him was when I was like 5 or 6 years old, and I barely remember him, and so I will be kind of meeting him again. I can't help but wonder how this meeting will go, and maybe I am over thinking it, but that's me. I tend to over think things, I think. For example, tonight when I was trying to figure out what I would wear to my Aunt's, I was like should I look nice, or like I normally do, and then in my head I kind of got onto myself and said, "Teresa, he is your cousin for crying out loud, who just got out of jail. Is he really gonna care about how nice you look? NO!!!!" Why is it that the majority of us people always put so much pressure on first impressions anyway? I mean, I know that first impressions are really important, so because of that shouldn't we just act how we normally would, ourselves, instead of trying to over dress and be a little superficial? I don't know, that's just my thought process for the night. I think I've rambled on long enough. I better get off of here now.

"You're Gonna Miss This"

There is a country song made popular this past year by Trace Atkins. It is called "You're Gonna Miss This." It is such a great song because it really helps to remind me, which I tend to need help with a lot, that it is important to stay in the present and be patient and enjoy the moment for what it is, and not wish it away so I can get to my future faster. I have to keep reminding myself that, once I am old, if I want to remember more of the good things in my life than I need to really focus more on what's happening in the moment right then, not worry about how my life will be five years from now. When I do focus too much on my future, I tend to miss the important little things in life, and that's what this song is kind of all about. It's quickly becoming one of my very favorite songs Trace Atkins has ever done.

You're Gonna Miss This
Trace Atkins

She was staring out that window, of that SUV
Complaining, saying I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said I was just like you

-Chorus-
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her It's a nice place
She says It'll do for now
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says Baby, just slow down

-Chorus-
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizin'
He says They don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but ...

-Chorus-
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna miss this
Yeah, you're gonna miss this

"If You Promise Yourself to Someone, That's for Life."

This is such a cute story that was highlighted on yahoo today.... I especially like what the woman said in the last line of the story, "If you promise yourself to someone, that's for life." In this day in age when divorce seems to be rampant and an "easy way out" for some people, that line reminds us how important and sacred marriage really is. The picture is of the couple that is spoken about in the story below.

The grass around the bus stop bench was thick and overgrown, the long blades scratching Mary Marzec's legs. So with one brisk motion, the 88-year-old woman swatted the grass away from her knees — and accidentally flung her wedding ring into the field along Embassy Boulevard. The diamond-studded gold ring, which Mrs. Marzec had worn for nearly 60 years, had loosened as her fingers shrank with age. Now she was on her knees, patting the earth, praying to find her ring. She went into a nearby Chevron station and borrowed a pair of scissors. Then she got back on her knees and chopped away at the grass, crying, hoping. But she couldn't find it.

"My husband said, 'Come on, let's go home. I'll buy you another one,' " Mrs. Marzec recalled. "I said, 'I'm not going until I find my ring!' "

Mary and Ed Marzec led parallel lives for years before they'd met.

Both were born in Detroit to Polish parents. Both went back to the old country as small children. Both returned to America in 1937, two years before Hitler invaded Poland.

Mary was 19, living with her sister in New York City, when a mutual friend introduced her to Ed, a laborer who was four years her senior.

Four months later they married.

"My sister said, 'What are you doing? You don't know how to cook. You don't know how to do anything,' " Mrs. Marzec said. "But I said, 'Don't worry, Ed knows how to cook.' "

Life together was simple and frugal. Two years into the marriage, when Mary was pregnant with her first son, Ed's weekly pay got bumped up from $29 to $31.

"He carried me up two flights of stairs" to the apartment, Mrs. Marzec remembered. "We were so happy with $2."

In time the couple had two sons: Richard and Bob. Ed cut their hair and pulled their teeth. Mary made their clothes.

"We never felt poor," she said. "The boys went to Catholic school. The rent was paid. We always had food on the table."

For 12 years, Mary wore the plain gold band that Ed had given her on their wedding day. But when she got a job as a seamstress working alongside other women with flashier rings, she wanted a nicer ring for herself. And why not?

"I was working," she said. They could afford it.

So they bought a double-gold band that framed 15 small diamonds in diamond-shaped settings. It was pretty, not showy.

And that ring stayed on her finger over the years — as she fed countless bolts of material through the sewing machines for famed New York designer Adolfo, as she sewed the red coat and hat that Nancy Reagan wore at her husband's first inauguration, as she knitted blankets and welcomed grandchildren and great-grandchildren and buried a son — until it sailed off her finger a few months ago at the Embassy Boulevard bus stop just east of U.S. 19.

• • •

A sheriff's deputy happened by the gas station that afternoon and saw Mrs. Marzec frantically searching for her ring. In his pocket was the business card for George Kollmer, a treasure hunting enthusiast who owns a couple of metal detectors.

Kollmer, 75, came out to the field with his trusty Teknetics 7700B coin computer. A dial on the metal detector indicates whether the item below is, say, a dime, a quarter — or a ring.

"It's 99 percent right," said Kollmer, a retired auto mechanic who lives in Port Richey. "It's never failed me."

The Marzecs had already left — they had to catch their bus back to their Port Richey home — when Kollmer arrived. He asked the gas station clerk where the ring had been lost, and the attendant waved out toward the bus stop bench.

In a patch of overgrown grass between the sidewalk and a utilities box, Kollmer's detector got a hit for a ring.

"Within 10 minutes," he said, "I had it in my hand."

He called Mrs. Marzec, then drove straight to their house with the ring.

Mrs. Marzec was in tears, and pressed $50 into Kollmer's hand.

The ring from her finger belonged with her heart.

"If you promise yourself to someone," she said, "that's for life."

Another Way of Looking at the Poem, "Footprints"

I received this in the -email and thought it
was very good and decided I would put it on
here.



FOOTPRINTS...A New Version 

Imagine you and the Lord are walking down
the road together. For much of the way,
the Lord's footprints go along steadily,
consistently, rarely varying the pace. But
your footprints are a disorganized stream
of zigzags, starts, stops,turnarounds,
circles, departures, and returns. For much
of the way, it seems to go like this, but
gradually your footprints come more in
line with the Lord's, soon paralleling,
His consistently. You and HE are walking
as true friends! This seems perfect, but
then an interesting thing happens: Your
footprints that once etched the sand next
to HIS are now walking precisely in His
steps. Inside His larger footprints are
your smaller ones, you and HE are becoming
one. This goes on for many miles, but
gradually you notice another change. The
footprints inside the large footprints
seem to grow larger. Eventually they
disappear altogether. There is only one
set of footprints. They have become one.
This goes on for a long time, but suddenly
the second set of footprints is back. This
time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over
the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the
sand. A variable mess of prints. You are
amazed and shocked. Your dream ends. Now
you pray: 'Lord, I understand the first
scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new
Christian; I was just learning. But You
walked on through the storm and helped me
learn to walk with You.'
'That is correct.'
'And when the smaller footprints were inside
of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in
Your steps, following You very closely.'
'Very good.. You have understood everything
so far.' When the smaller footprints grew
and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was
becoming like You in every way.'
'Precisely.'
'So, Lord, was there a regression or
something? The footprints separated, and
this time it was worse than at first.'
There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a
smile in His voice. 'You didn't know? It was
then that we danced!' 

Thank-you Again, St. Anthony!!!

I am kind of excited because today happens to be my very favorite male saint's feast day, St. Anthony of Padua. I love him dearly, and he is a very very good friend of mine. I talk to him daily. So in honor of his day I put down some of my very favorite quotes of his below, along with a favorite prayer of mine. I also have a neat St. Anthony story for ya'll in honor of this day. Just today my sister, a friend of mine, and I jumped in the car and went for a random drive. We had no real destination, just kind of got in the car and left. We drove way out past the lake and on back country roads. At one point we got very lost and without our cell phones to call and ask someone for help we drove even longer than we anticipated. If it weren't for me praying to St. Anthony at the time I did I probably would have driven by the little sign that pointed to where the main highway was. Needless to say, next time I go on a random drive I will make sure whoever I go with does not forget their cell phone, since I don't own one...

"The saints are like the stars. In his providence Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so. Yet they are always ready to exchange the quiet of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive in their heart the invitation of Christ."

~St. Anthony

"The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit."

~St. Anthony

"Christ acts like a loving mother. To induce us to follow Him, He gives us Himself as an example and promises us a reward in His kingdom."

- Saint Anthony Quote

"The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God."

- St Anthony

Prayer to Saint Anthony the Wonder-Worker

Saint Anthony, you are glorious for your miracles and for the condescension of Jesus who came as a little child to lie in your arms. Obtain for me from His bounty the grace which I ardently desire. You were so compassionate toward sinners, do not regard my unworthiness. Let the glory of God Jesus loved and honored so much, pray for me. Amen. be magnified by you in connection with the particular request that I earnestly present to you. {mention your petition} As a pledge of my gratitude, I promise to live more faithfully in accordance with the teachings of the church, and to be devoted to the service of the poor whom you loved and still love so greatly. Bless this resolution of mine that I may be faithful to it until death. Saint Anthony, consoler of all the afflicted, pray for me. Saint Anthony, helper of all who invoke you, pray for me.

Getting Healthier

In the past year I have been really working on getting into better shape and just trying to live a more healthy lifestyle... but I've noticed this past month I have slowly kind of stopped my workout routine along with my healthy food thing... and in some ways have become kind of lazy. So today I have decided to kind of start over and pretend that I have never lost those 35 lbs. this year, and pretend like it's day one. We'll see how this goes. So why am I sharing this, I bet some of you are wondering, and the answer is that this one blog is mostly for me. Usually when I type or write something down after thinking about it for awhile it tends to stick with me more than if I just keep it in my head. Here I go....

My healthy diet:
For breakfast:
I will only eat some fruit, or some yogurt, or a slim fast shake. Only one of those, not more than that.
For lunch: I will eat at least one or two salads for lunch, and I am thinking that for a month I might do what I did for lent... on Fridays I might just go with having a slim fast shake. It worked well for me during lent. I still haven't totally decided on if I want to do that second part though.
If I go out to eat for lunch, I will only go to places like Subway, and not chick-fil-a, which will be really hard, cause I love that place....
For dinner: I will have a smaller portions on the fattier stuff and larger portions on the veggies....and I won't have seconds.....
Snacks: Will be something healthy like fresh fruit and veggies...
(Oh and a side note, I'm giving up ice cream for a month...)

For my exercising regime:
I will do one day my tae-bo tape,
one day jogging/walking (mostly jogging with a little walking because I don't have that much endurance built up, sadly."
and one day my hip-hop dancing thing on tv, just for fun along with my abbs workout and a few push-ups.

After writing this all out I will be able to go back and look on it when I feel lazy, and usually (like 95% of the time) it helps me get in the mood to work-out and lose weight. I'll see how this goes.

Wise words from Jon Voight

The great actor who played in the most recent life
story of Pope John Paul II, Jon Voight, had an
outstanding speech the other night. 





And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity
that the people of the land called America,
having lost their morals, their initiative,
and their will to defend their liberties,
chose as their Supreme Leader that person
known as "The One".

He emerged from the vapors with a message
that had no meaning; but He hypnotized the
people telling them, "I am sent to save
you. My lack of experience, my questionable
ethics, my monstrous ego, and my association
with evildoers are of no consequence. For I
shall save you with Hope and Change.

Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the
land that he who preceded me is evil, that
he has defiled the nation, and that all he
has built must be destroyed." And the people
rejoiced, for even though they knew not what
"The One "would do, he had promised that it
was good; and they believed. And "The One"
said "We live in the greatest country in the
world. Help me change everything about it!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah! Change is
good!"

Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich
fat-cats." And the people said "Sock it to
them!"

"And redistribute their wealth."

And the people said, "Show us the money!"

And then He said, "Redistribution of wealth
is good for everybody"

And Joe the plumber asked, "Are you kidding
me? You're going to steal my money and give
it to the deadbeats??" And "The One" ridiculed
and taunted him, and Joe's personal records
were hacked and publicized.

One lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist
policy?" And she was banished from the
kingdom!

Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign
relations experience and having zero military
experience or knowledge, how will you deal
with radical terrorists?"

And "The One" said, "Simple. I shall sit with
them and talk with them and show them how nice
we really are; and they will forget that they
ever wanted to kill us all!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah!! We are safe
at last, and we can beat our weapons into free
cars for the people!"

Then "The One" said, "I shall give 95% of you
lower taxes."

And one, lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't
pay ANY taxes."

So "The One" said, "Then I shall give you some
of the taxes the fat-cats pay!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah!! Show us the
money!"

Then "The One" said, "I shall tax your Capital
Gains when you sell your homes!"

And the people yawned and the slumping housing
market collapsed.

And He said, "I shall mandate employer- funded
health care for EVERY worker and raise the
minimum wage. And I shall give every
person unlimited health care and medicine and
transportation to the clinics."

And the people said, "Give me some of that!"

Then he said, "I shall penalize employers who
ship jobs overseas."

And the people said, "Where's my rebate
check?"

Then "The One" said, "I shall bankrupt the
coal industry and electricity rates will
skyrocket!"

And the people said, "Coal is dirty, coal is
evil, no more coal! But we don't care for
that part about higher electric rates."

So "The One" said, "Not to worry. If your
rebate isn't enough to cover your expenses,
we shall bail you out. Just sign up with
ACORN and your troubles are over!"

Then He said, "Illegal immigrants feel scorned
and slighted. Let's grant them amnesty, Social
Security, free education, free lunches, free
medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed
housing..."

And the people said, "Hallelujah!!" And they
made him King!

And so it came to pass that employers, facing
spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised
their prices and laid off workers. Others
simply gave up and went out of business and
the economy sank like unto a rock dropped from
a cliff. The banking industry was destroyed.
Manufacturing slowed to a crawl. And more of
the people were without a means of support.

Then "The One" said, "I am the "The One" - The
Messiah - and I'm here to save you! We shall
just print more money so everyone will have
enough!"

But our foreign trading partners said unto Him,
"Wait a minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile
of camel dung! You will have to pay more.”

And the people said, "Wait a minute. That is
unfair!!" and the world said, "Neither are
these other idiotic programs you have
embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist
state and second-rate power. Now you shall
play by our rules!"

And the people cried out, "Alas, alas!! What
have we done?"

But yea verily, it was too late. The people
set upon "The One" and spat upon him and
stoned him, and his name was dung. And the
once mighty nation was no more; and the once
proud people were without sustenance or
shelter or hope. And the Change "The One"
had given them was as like unto a poison that
had destroyed them and like a whirlwind that
consumed all that they had built.

And the people beat their chests in despair
and cried out in anguish, "Give us back our
nation and our pride and our hope!!" But it
was too late, and their homeland was no more.

You may think this is a fairy tale, but it's
not. It's happening RIGHT NOW !!!

"Our democracy will cease to exist when you
take away from those who are willing to work
and give to those who would not."

I'm A "Helper"

Last night a few friends of mine were telling me about the enneagram test, and I was curious what "number" I would be, so I ended up taking the test tonight. If ya'll are at all curious what you are, you can find it here. I ended up being a 2, like my other two friends are who told me about the test. It's funny how accurate this is about my personality though....

Type Two Overview
We have named personality type Two The Helper because people of this type are either the most genuinely helpful to other people or, when they are less healthy they are the most highly invested in seeing themselves as helpful. Being generous and going out of their way for others makes Twos feel that theirs is the richest, most meaningful way to live. The love and concern they feel—and the genuine good they do—warms their hearts and makes them feel worthwhile. Twos are most interested in what they feel to be the “really, really good” things in life—love, closeness, sharing, family, and friendship.

When Twos are healthy and in balance, they really are loving, helpful, generous, and considerate. People are drawn to them like bees to honey. Healthy Twos warm others in the glow of their hearts. They enliven others with their appreciation and attention, helping people to see positive qualities in themselves that they had not previously recognized. In short, healthy Twos are the embodiment of “the good parent” that everyone wishes they had: someone who sees them as they are, understands them with immense compassion, helps and encourages with infinite patience, and is always willing to lend a hand—while knowing precisely how and when to let go. Healthy Twos open our hearts because theirs are already so open and they show us the way to be more deeply and richly human.

However, Twos’ inner development may be limited by their “shadow side”—pride, self-deception, the tendency to become over-involved in the lives of others, and the tendency to manipulate others to get their own emotional needs met. Transformational work entails going into dark places in ourselves, and this very much goes against the grain of the Two’s personality structure, which prefers to see itself in only the most positive, glowing terms.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle facing Twos, Threes, and Fours in their inner work is having to face their underlying Center fear of worthlessness. Beneath the surface, all three types fear that they are without value in themselves, and so they must be or do something extraordinary in order to win love and acceptance from others. In the average to unhealthy Levels, Twos present a false image of being completely generous and unselfish and of not wanting any kind of pay-off for themselves, when in fact, they can have enormous expectations and unacknowledged emotional needs.
Average to unhealthy Twos seek validation of their worth by obeying their superego’s demands to sacrifice themselves for others. They believe they must always put others first and be loving and unselfish if they want to get love. The problem is that “putting others first” makes Twos secretly angry and resentful, feelings they work hard to repress or deny. Nevertheless, they eventually erupt in various ways, disrupting Twos’ relationships and revealing the inauthenticity of many of the average to unhealthy Two’s claims about themselves and the depth of their “love.”

Steubenville Promo

"Are You Amazed?"

My little brother will be leaving my family this week-end
for his big trip to Steubenville, Ohio, (also known as
Steubie for short). He is lucky to be able to go to one
of their huge youth conferences. I would have been glad
to chaperone this event, but since I took so much time
off last week from work, I just could not afford too, and
I am a little bummed about it. Anyway, so the one and only
time I was blessed to be able to attend this AMAZING event,
I heard this song for the first time ever, and I fell in
love with it. Bob Rice, the man who wrote this song along
with countless others, sang it during the time of adoration,
and I remember I started to tear up a little bit while
listening to the lyrics. I put them below, and maybe they
will touch you as they did me...


Are you Amazed?



Are you amazed I love to look upon your face
So resplendent with amazing grace
Though at times you'll try to hide it in disgrace
I will always love you
Cause in your eyes I see a soul that longs to dance
I'm captivated by a single glance
And when you look my way I dont stand a chance
I will always love you

Like a mother to her child
Like a husband to his bride
I wanna...hold you in my arms
Like a father to his son
I wanna teach you when I'm done
I wanna...keep you safe from harm
Like an eagle with its wings
Teach you to soar, teach you to sing
So we can...sail out to the dawn

You've got such beauty inside
I cannot help but wonder why

Are you amazed I love to look upon your face
So resplendent with amazing grace
Though at times you'll try to hide it in disgrace
I will always love you
Cause in your eyes I see a soul that longs to dance
I'm captivated by a single glance
And when you look my way I don't stand a chance
I will always love you

Like a mother to her child
Like a husband to his bride
I wanna...hold you in my arms
Like a father to his son
I wanna teach you when I'm done
I wanna...keep you safe from harm
Like an eagle with its wings
Teach you to soar teach you to sing
So we can...sail out to the dawn

You've got such beauty inside
I cannot help but wonder why

Are you amazed I love to look upon your face
So resplendent with amazing grace
Though at times you'll try to hide it in disgrace
I will always love you

(instrumental)
I will always love you
(Instrumental)

I wanna sleep with you at night
You know I'm strong enough to fight
All the monsters beneath your bed
Be a shelter in the storm
A place to go when you're forlorn
Where you can rest your weary head

I wanna give to you my heart
And still you fear I will depart
Have you not heard a word I've said?

Because I do not change my mind
I know sometimes its hard to try

Cause in your eyes I see a soul that longs to dance
I'm captivated by a single glance
You know you're not taking that much of a chance
I have always loved you
Are you amazed I love to look upon your face
So resplendent with amazing grace
Though at times you'll try to hide it in disgrace
I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you

"Do you know that everyday is the first of the rest of your life?"

I love days when even though you are busy, it does not feel at all that tiring, and I was blessed to have one of those kinds of days today. This evening was a gorgeous one here in my home town. Earlier today, though it was very muggy feeling and kind of gross.... I love the Summer heat, but I am not a fan of the humidity that comes along with it. Anyway, today was a nice day at work. We've been working on learning all about the letter "M," and the theme for the week is all about animals, big and small. Yesterday we had the kids make mice and today we had them make monkey puppets. They turned out so cute! One girl, who is no longer in my class any longer, (she is in the older class now...) ended up following me around all afternoon outside. She was my own personal shadow. She wanted to give me a make-over and had me sit down while she "fixed" my hair and "did my make-up" and picked out my clothes. I think she had me sit there for at least 30 minutes. It was amusing because some of the other children would want my attention, and she would get a little jealous when I told her that I needed to spend time with them too.
This evening was spent in Mass, which always helps me get into a relaxing mood, and then hanging out with some friends of mine. We ate pancakes and bacon, afterwords we then went out to play volleyball. I am really really bad at volleyball, but I did not want to be a "party pooper" and so I played too. Let's just say, I just hope everyone got some enjoyment with my awkwardness while attempting to play the game. I don't plan on playing volleyball again for quite some time. After playing that "lovely" game we hung out by the pool and just talked. It was nice, except for the bugs that kept flying around. All in all, it was a pretty busy, but nice day.

Obama Reciting the Islamic Call to Prayer in Perfect Arabic

"To My Unborn Child..."

This is too precious. I found this poem while looking for good quotes to put in my quote book...

To My Unborn Child...
By Matthew

I'm writing down this letter, to my unborn son
Who before his first breath, my heart he's already won

I love you more then anyone can devise
From the tips of your toes, to the sparkle in your eyes

I hold your mother's hand, and we plan out your life
We can picture your white coat, and we can see your surgeon's knife

We know that you'll be great, at whatever it is you do
Just make sure your happy, and we'll be happy to

I love you my son, with all my heart and soul
I'm so very excited, that I barely have control

Your room is almost finished; it's the brightest shade of blue
With gold around the edges, it's only the best for you

I have some words of wisdom, which I feel I must impart
Remember these words always, and keep them in your heart

Dishonesty is bad; never use it to get by
Always tell the truth, even when you lie

Always love your woman, keep her first in your life
And she will always be there, to kiss away your strife

Always pull out chairs, and hold open every door
Kiss her on the forehead, and leave her wanting more

Enjoy this thing called life, don't live it cold and bland
Close your eyes and take a leap, never do things as you planned

Try not to lose your temper; it's really no big deal
But my son if you must fight, do it for something real

Take the time to listen, to what people have to say
And don't forget to smile; it could brighten someone's day

Try to live with patience, do it the best you can
Stand up for those who can't, and show the world that you're a man

Always be a leader, step forward never hide
Put yourself out there, and they'll stand by your side

These things I hope you learn, someday you'll come to find
But for now they're just a dream, tucked away inside my mind

My son I truly love you, though your face I've never seen
Now and forever, and everyday that comes between

"How Men See Me"

The other day I watched a movie, "Evan Almighty." There was a line in the movie that made me think.... in the movie there as a part where God and Evan's wife have a conversation and God says,

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

Well today I found a reading that talks about how men see God.... Just like the above quote made me think about how God answers our prayers when we ask for something, this made me think about others see God on a more personal level... The reading is below.

How Men See Me

I came to help a world. And according to the varying needs of each so does each man see Me.

It is not necessary that you see Me as others see Me - the world, even the Church, My disciples, My followers, but it is necessary that you see Me, each of you , as supplying all that you personally need.

The weak need My strength. The strong need My tenderness. The tempted and fallen need My Salvation. The righteous need My Pity for sinners. The lonely need a Friend. The fighters need a Leader.

No man could be all these to men - only a God could be. In each of these relations of Mine to man you must see the God. The God-Friend, the God- Leader, the God - Savior.

Why Not to Wear Skinny Jeans

I found this story off of yahoo.... Apparently wearing tight jeans really is not healthy for women... Interesting...

Many of us like the way skinny jeans look, but there's no debate about their comfort level. Looser fitting denim styles, trousers, or leggings are preferable, and if you were looking for an excuse to stash your tight jeans, here's a health reason: Doctors say increasing numbers of women are coming to them with meralgia paresthetica.

Do you ever feel a numb, pins-and-needles tingling feeling along your thigh? Do you get a weird burning or itching sensation down your upper leg? This condition is caused by constant pressure cutting off the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve.

According to this MSNBC story, one skinny jean wearer, Parmeeta Ghoman, went to her doctor because it felt like she was "floating" and she couldn't feel her legs. “It felt really strange — it felt like my leg had gone to sleep,” says Ghoman. Another woman from this CBS report said her jean pain was so bad that her doctor now has her taking anti-seizure medicine to control her symptoms.

While sufferers of this condition are typically construction workers, police officers who wear heavy belts, pregnant women, or obese people, experts say increasing levels of young, healthy women have experienced the symptoms because of their skinny jeans.

Luckily, the damage is usually not permanent. Chiropractic physician Dr. William Madosky told MSNBC, "The key is, you remove the pressure, and the nerve regenerates.” Also, he adds that you should avoid wearing these jeans with high heels, since it can make the situation worse by forcing you to tilt your pelvis forward and adding more pressure on the nerve.

And of course, if you're experiencing this kind of pain, you should consult your own doctor right away and stop wearing those tight trousers!

I'm in the home stretch!

This week has gone by so fast. It's amazing how time seems to go by when you are having fun. I feel as though I've been going like the energizer bunny all week long between teaching c.c.d. classes all week and working with my 2 yr. old kids in the afternoon, and then going home and planning the next day's work for classes... I am very pleased with the way my week has gone by. I am more amazed with just how intelligent the third graders that I am working with are. I feel as though I need to challenge them more than hold off on the lessons, and they seem to be having fun for the most part too. Today we talked all about how we are made in God's image and then I had them make a collage of different people on big poster boards to show how we all are different, but we are all very much the same when it comes to our faith. We also talked about our heritages and where our families have come from. I had the kids read and act out the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 people. The kids had a lot of fun with that. Some other major topics we happened to talk about were abortion and euthanasia and how life is to be kept and cherished from the moment they are in the mother's womb until death. We then read and acted out the parable of the Good Samaritan and talked about how everyone should be treated respectfully, whether the children get along with someone or not. I think my favorite part of the day, though, was when I had the kids sit in a circle and did a mini-affirmation activity.... I had them pull a name out of a box and asked them to say at least three things they liked and appreciated about the person who they ended up picking out of the box... It was nice to see the third graders take that activity seriously. I could tell they really liked it from the smiles on their faces. Even though I have been going non-stop this week, I am also some-what sad to see it end. Oh well.... life goes on.

"Pro-Life to End Abortion"

"Empty and Beautiful"

As I was sitting here trying to put together the "packet" for my class tomorrow, this song would not go out of my head. I think it has mostly to do with the fact that tomorrow the kids will have the chance to go to confession, so as I was putting the packet together I also was putting a lot of confession information in it. You know, the usual stuff, an examination of conscience, a short guide to confession, and the Act of Contrition.... Anyway, this song has a lot to do with confession and being saved through confession.... It's one of my very favorite Christian songs out there, and the artist happens to be Catholic. The lyrics are below if you care to read them....

Empty and Beautiful
by Matt Maher

My past won't stop haunting me
In this prison there's a fight between
Who I am and who I used to be

This thorn in my side is a grace
For because of it the flesh and blood of God
Was offered in my place, my place

You fought the fight in me
You chased me down and finished the race
I was blind but now I see
Jesus You kept the faith in me

Where did my best friends go?
In my defense they disappeared
Just like Your friends did to You, oh Lord

But You were there, You gave me strength
So this little one might come to know
The glory of Your name, Your name

You fought the fight in me
You chased me down and finished the race
I was blind but now I see
Jesus You kept the faith in me

Awaited, set apart like incense to Your heart
A libation I'm pouring out
Empty and beautiful, beautiful, beautiful

You fought the fight in me
You chased me down and finished the race
I was blind but now I see
Jesus You kept the faith in me

You fought the fight in me
You chased me down and finished the race
I was blind but now I see
Jesus You kept the faith in me
Jesus You kept the faith in me
Savior, You kept the faith in me

My Battery is Running on Empty...

After only a few hours of sleep last night, my energy level is now pretty much spent.

Day one out of five for my third grade religious education classes is over with. I think we had a lot of fun. We spent the day trying to "understand the need for God based on revelation and faith..." We worked on memorizing the Apostles' Creed and then spent a lot of time in the morning over the creation story. The children took turns reading the story from the Bible, and then I let them use their creativity to make props for our own creation play. They had a lot of fun putting that together. After which we used the Bible as our script for the play. I remember when I said that would be our script a few of the kids said in unison, "That's so cool..." We also spent some time in Eucharistic Adoration which I think the children did really well with. They were all separated from one another so that the distraction level was really low and I think they got a lot more out of it that way. We also talked about today's saint's feast day, St. Justin, which was fun. I had the children color pictures of their three very favorite people ever and then had them explain who they were and why they were so important to them. The very last "big" project I had them do was write their own thank-you letter to God. It was interesting to watch how serious the girls were about that project versus the boys. The girls letters, from what I could see, looked like they could have been turned into books while the boys were very short and not quite as serious. I had fun teaching them and tomorrow looks like it will be eventful too.
Since today's feast day is St. Justin's I decided to put a prayer to him on my bog, so that is why I put the picture on here.

Now I am off to get ready for bed because I am exhausted.

What a busy week-end I had...

Sorry about the lack of posting today... I have been so busy this week-end that it's been put on hold...

Speaking of this week-end... I spent my Saturday cleaning my room and car. Saturday morning tends to be my cleaning time. I get so busy during the week that the best time for me to clean up my mess is on Saturday. It's always nice after you clean and you look at the room you just picked up and you feel like you can breath in it again, if that makes any since whatsoever... After I picked up my room I did my work-out and was all ready to sit down and plan my classes for the week ahead. You see, this week happens to be the big week in our parish's c.c.d. program. All the classes meet everyday from 9 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon... Since I was not able to take the whole week off from work, I will be teaching the 3rd grade class in the mornings and then finishing up the afternoons at work... I am kind of excited about this week now that I have it all planned out and organized... It's interesting though, because usually I work with one of my parents, but this week I will be pretty much on my own most of the mornings. It should be interesting...
Saturday evening was spent at our annual parish pic-nic. The weather was so gorgeous that I did not mind staying there as late as I did. There was so much food there that I was stuffed. I enjoyed spending time with a family friend of mine, Elijah. That child is something else, let me tell you. I love him to death. He is 8 years old and full of life. He talked me into swinging on the swings, which I have not done in such a long time, and it was really fun. I also hung out with two of my other friends and enjoyed making s'mores with them... I love s'mores. They are sssooo good.
My night was visiting an open house for a good friend of mine. The "open house" was open to a slumber party, which I had initially wanted to do, but as the night wore on I was just wanting to sleep in my own bed because I knew I had another busy day ahead of me. It was kind of cool at my friend's house, because as we were roasting marshmallows over her bonfire, we looked up at the sky and to the northeast as well as the southwest of us we could see storms going on, but where we were the sky was perfectly clear and we could gaze up at the starts. It was pretty awesome.

The majority of my day today was kind of lazy in comparison to the day before. I did some finishing touches on my week long class and read some and played sudoku, which I am addicted to by the way.... The highlight of my day was actually the concert I was blessed to attend tonight. I got to see Eric Church, a country singer, at a local bar tonight with a good friend of mine. I was about 20 feet away from him and I was in a place where I could see him perfectly without being blocked, which for those of you who know me know that can sometimes be hard seeing as I am so short. He had such a great show, and he sang all of his songs exactly like on his cd. It was so packed in there that I was sweating bullets...but it was so much fun.

So that is what I have been doing all week-end and why I have not really done much blogging on here... I will do better this week, hopefully. :)