Spending a night with some crazy L&D loves:PRICELESS!
We "pre-gamed" [pun intended] at Anna's house with beer and hotdogs and chips and then jumped in the Mom van for a wild ride to the ballpark. Thanks for driving us, Jamie!
Let's go, Cards!!! :)
These are the best friends and co-workers a girl could ever ask for! We are so stoked for L&D night at the ballpark in August where we + 85 of our other co-workers bought out an entire section. "The Cards deliver............and so do we!!!"
How fun is it to sit in the back of a bar and watch your cousin's band rock the stage? ...So fun!
How sad is it to watch knowing that this is their last gig because your cousin is moving to Nashville? ...So sad!!! In the midst of lots of food, great friends, and Tommy's music, we bid Tommy and Chelsea farewell! We will miss them lots, but Nashville is already on our list of weekend get-aways! Good luck, guys! And expect two visitors soon! ;)
[Even Grandma came for the goodbye celebration! I love this picture of her and Uncle Mo dancing to Tommy's first song! 80-something years old, and she never misses a beat.]
To help raise some dolla-dolla bills to offset his medical expenses, Marti's co-workers organized a trivia night in Des Peres. I love how people come together in the face of adversity. Inspiring.
The night was a huge hit, and we had a great time!
Our awesome trivia team! Table 10: we rocked it!
Such a supportive family! We love you, Marti!!! :)
I've always hated saying goodbye. In college, I was notorious for hiding out in the student center's coffee shop at the end of every semester. [Oopsie.] I didn't like saying goodbye to the great friends who had become my family. It killed me slowly to see people separate with tears and watch everyone roll out of the dorms with their suitcases. So I escaped it. Because after all, it was never really "goodbye;" it was just "see you next semester!" [Yes, that's totally a true story. And my friends started to catch on by sophomore year and always knew where to find me if they really wanted to say goodbye before summer break. Humph.] I still hate saying goodbye. Last weekend, I said "goodbye" to a parish who has nurtured me and loved me and grown me for the past four years. I started song leading at this parish on Saturday afternoons during my junior year of college as a side job [a little extra cash never hurt a college student!]. And honestly, I had no clue how much I would become attached to them and their mission. Four years later, it's not at all considered just a "side job." With moving soon, Brian and I decided it was time to settle down and join a parish in our new hometown; and unfortunately, this means letting go of St. Vincent de Paul. I will miss this awesome parish and loving parishioners a lot! *sniff sniff* Fr. Ed, Dennis, Earle, and St. Vincent parishioners: I love you so very much and will always keep you close to my heart and high in my prayers! After lots of hugs and sad goodbyes [there was no coffee shop to escape to this time...], I promised I'd be back. Whether I'm a song leading sub or just a regular 'ole person in the congregation, there will be no quitting cold turkey at this place! :)
Because after all, it isn't really "goodbye;" it's just "see ya later!"
Other week highlights:
-- Brian's niece Chrissy made her confirmation this weekend! We celebrated afterwards with dinner at his parents' house.
-- When all else fails, we go to Fast Eddies! :) Brian's friends from work met here Friday night for food and drinks. Fun times.
It's pouring down rain today... ...but I've got a cuddly baby in my arm and a captivating book in my hand! I've been babysitting a few days a week for an unbelievably beautiful 3-week old kiddo. She is so sweet and snuggly and such an easy baby to take care of. I love hanging out with her and knocking some books off my reading list at the same time. Oh, did I mention I get PAID for this?! I know, it's pretty ridiculous.
These are EXACTLY the kind of bad weather days I'm talkin' about! #happygirl!
Other week highlights: -- Brian and I took a really long walk through Forest Park this weekend; we can't get enough of the suddenly warm weather! We came up on the bench where we got engaged 1.5 years ago, and Brian blew past it like nothing ever happened there!! ...Men. [His aunt suggested that maybe it was painted and he didn't recognize it? ;) ] -- Kirkwood Station Brewing hosted another Theology on Tap this week. Of course, we were there with a blackberry wheat in hand! I love having a night out where we are immersed in people who share our faith. It's so refreshing. And so is the cold beer. -- Tons of blogging to catch up on... I spent a morning at Einstein Bros. to sip coffee a little and blog a lot!
I'm a little bit of a creeper and I love babies, so it really isn't at all surprising that I am kind of stoked about the zoo's newest member. What? Added in with the convenience factor that our apartment is literally across the street, I visit the zoo regularly for two legit reasons: a) walking/exercising, and b) animal/people watching. After my mom finished her St. Louis errands today, we decided to meet up and go for a walk through Forest Park. Naturally, we diverted towards the zoo. Up the hills and in the middle of the Red Rocks, we came upon a crowd of awkwardly gawking tourists. What was everyone staring at? ...A new baby camel! The zookeeper standing by said this creature was born only about two hours ago. How awesome would it have been to see the birth live?! [...Super super awesome for an L&D nurse! Seriously, I would kill to see that.] While still being very protective, the momma camel was kicking and pushing her new baby to get up and walk. Tough encouragement, eh? Can you imagine being two hours old + trying to walk for the first time on those gangly, wobbly legs?!
[PS - How awesome is that HUGE fresh placenta to the left??! This one's for you, fellow L&D nurses!] After 10 minutes of wobbling and falling and standing back up and repeat x 3, the baby took some of its first steps. Totally awesome!! It won't be long before this humpless little guy is up and running... Witnessing this today made Mom and I laugh at how human babies are so pitiful and helpless for so long! I guess it's time we raise the bar and kick our kiddos around until they can walk home from the nursery, don't you think? ;)
We're only a month behind the crowd... Have you been watching this series on the History Channel? We caught up to episode 4 this week and are loving every second. It's a perfect [and quick] summary of the Bible and the great victories of God's chosen people. Here's to hearing the Good News from the couch... Can't complain! ;)
Other week highlights: -- House lighting is picked out and ordered! -- Laura presented her first successful Thirty-One party! Pat was a great hostess and a fun night was had by all. Thanks, girls!
"Everything that is and ever was and ever will be -- the galaxies beyond number and the microbes beyond notice -- everything is mysteriously entangled with what happened, with what happens, in these three days." -Fr. Richard John Neuhaus
See the previous post for some of my Easter week thoughts...
Happy happy Easter!!! :)
Other week highlights:
-- Our landlord showed the apartment to a few prospective tenants, and the first person who saw it has already signed on to rent! Woohooooo! :) We are planning to move out mid-May and are already counting down the days!
-- We spent 2 days/1 night in Schaumburg this week looking at lighting and other necessities for the house. Of course, we made a 5-hour pit stop at the beloved IKEA! It was quite depressing to come home empty-handed [seriously, who visits IKEA and leaves with nothing?], but at least we made a long list of "future possibilities." I guess this means I get a return trip in a few months?
-- Happy Easter! We spent the holiday laughing and feasting with both of our families. Hope your Easter was blessed, as well.
[A post steal-borrowed from my old blog ..... April 6, 2012]
I stumbled into this quote this morning: "Everything that is and ever was and ever will be -- the galaxies beyond number and the microbes beyond notice -- everything is mysteriously entangled with what happened, with what happens, in these three days." -Fr. Richard John Neuhaus
I love this. It's so true, isn't it? As I read it over and over again, my mind started spinning through the Holy Week traditions and the Paschal mystery in its culmination. Holy moly. We're Catholic... But what do these days and mysteries actually mean to us and our faiths? Do we know?
For an awesome two minute "scratch the surface" Holy Week blurb, check out this video!
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If that video left you aching to hear some of my early morning thoughts, join me with a cup of coffee and keep reading. ;)
Back to my beginning thought: we're Catholic. But the Catholic Church's education methods need to be flipped upside down and rejuvenated and started back at square one. Energy should come from the bottom-->up instead of the top-->down. Yeah? Our catechism isn't taught well, and confirmed adult Catholics are going out into the "real world" unsure of what kind of faith they actually profess. The Church's statistics tell us that, on an average weekend, 75% of people in the pews have no idea why we do what we do OR why is our Mass so traditional and meaningful. Is that the Church's fault, or is that our faults?
During the entire liturgical year, Easter should be the one thing we look forward to for weeks and weeks and then celebrate for even more weeks and weeks. Easter defines us. "We are an Easter people, and 'Alleluia!' is our song." But what do we look forward to during this holy season? Candy and eggs? :/ What is this Holy Week business all about?
On Holy Thursday, we wash the feet of others to serve as Jesus served. And in the Christian way, we celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover. In Exodus, the Israelites marked their door posts with the blood of a spring lamb. Upon seeing this, the Angel of Death would pass over their houses and spare their families. Get it? Passover? So after the lamb was killed every year in the Passover, the Jews had to eat it. Because, well, if you didn't eat the lamb, you died. Our Last Supper and Holy Thursday Mass is the institution of the Eucharist; at the Last Supper, Jesus said something like, "Eat this bread. Drink this cup. Do this in memory of me." Live in me forever, and you will not hunger or thirst. On Good Friday, Jesus goes to trial, is sentenced, and is crucified. When he says, "It is finished," as he hangs on the cross, he isn't talking about his work on earth. Say whaaa? Why not? Because he still has to rise! He's referring to the old covenant. Think back to the Old Testament. All of Israel's history is basically summed up in cups, and there are three:
first cup = passed in welcoming
second cup = passed with bitter herbs to remind the Jews of slavery
third cup = passed with bread (manna of the desert) to remind of union with God
But when Jesus comes to earth, he instates a fourth cup of consummation or blessing, and he doesn't drink this cup until he is on the cross. ...Wine on a hyssop branch in all the gospels, yeah no?! At the Passover, the Jews used hyssop branches to spread lamb's blood on the house. So many things from the Old Testament are entangled with the New Testament. And both Testaments are entangled with our modern day Masses. It makes sense in a mysterious way... Ok, so here's the New Testament thing: Jesus IS the lamb! [The "lamb" with a capital L.] Handed over for our offenses, crushed and sacrificed for our sins. So as this fourth cup of wine goes up to Jesus's mouth, he says he's the Lamb of the new covenant. (Matthew 26 – “…this is the blood which seals my covenant…”) The old supper of the old covenant has finally come to an end. Look back to the Holy Thursday paragraph: "...if you didn't eat the lamb, you died..." Jesus promises that participating in the Eucharist and eating the Paschal Lamb will give us everlasting life.
The Eucharist is the essence of Christianity, just as it is the new meal of Christianity. Holy Week initiates all of these things, but we celebrate them every week. I love that part of the video: "Every Sunday is an Easter. Every communion a Resurrection."
All of the Paschal mystery is quite a paradox if you think about it... In Jesus's ministry and most significantly on the cross, power is manifested by weakness. Ironic. God loved us so much that He became mocked and scourged. He loved us so much that He became death. "My perfection is yours and yours is mine." In 1 Corinthians, St. Paul says: "If Christ had not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." Christ died to free us from our bondage to sin, and he rose to give us salvation and new life. This is a huge gift and an amazing promise!
Back to Fr. Neuhaus's quote at the beginning... How are the aspects of your faith life entangled in these Holy Week mysteries? What do these symbols and sacrifices mean to you? :)
Happy Easter!!! Know of my many prayers for you during this Holy Week!
