Thanks Michael!

Lovely Pesto Mushroom Pasta from Michael! He was one of my CORE leaders at SMM, now he's in VA doing air traffic controlling! Michael says to use the brands listed as it will taste bettah!

What you need:
2 boxes of wheat spaghetti noodles approx 13oz each box
1 jar 16oz of Alfredo sauce
1 jar 8oz of Bertolli pesto sauce. (they only sell 1 size)
two to three big portabello mushrooms chopped (be very picky)
1 medium size onion
Light cooking oil (to cover the bottom of the pan)
Balsamic vinegar (do not use regular vinegar, only balsamic)
sugar
mozzarella cheese (how ever much you desire.)
optional: crushed walnuts.

1 large pot
1 large sauce pan

what to do:

1. Boil 1 1/2 boxes of noodles.

2. Slice the onion into bit size pieces and place on low heat with the cooking oil.
Add a few small pinches of sugar to help caramelize the onion pieces. Flip the onion pieces until the onion is translucent (caramelized.) Then place in a bowl on the side.

3. Using same pan, cook the portabellos in a little oil with a slightly higher heat. When they shrink and before they shrivel, add the onions and a generous splash of the balsamic vinegar. Add the full jar of Alfredo and pesto.

4. Mix carefully (it should be a full pan.) Hopefully, by now the pasta is ready and you can add the sauce to the whole pot of spaghetti.

5. Mix until every noodle is lightly covered. any extra sauce, if any, should be allowed to settle to the bottom of the pot. Serve.

The mozzarella cheese is sprinkled on top of the individual serving. The optional crushed walnuts are also added at this point. Goes great with a Caeser salad, garlic bread, and red wine.

This will serve 6 very well or 8 at moderate portions

Merry Christmas!!!!


THANKS Michael!

Muffins for Jesus

Ok, I have found a new cause for everyone ---- Muffins for Jesus...seriously...no really...







ok, actually, that is just a present that PB's son is getting for Jesus' birthday...actually JB said he's giving Jesus a prayer and muffins.

So, ya'll, go get some Muffins for Jesus.

And, remember, Christmas isn't over on December 25th, its just BEGUN!

Simple Youth Ministry post

this is an article I found through someone else's blog...it really brings home Youth Ministry...hope you enjoy it...now, maybe some of you will get what I talk about sooooooo much!


Fact: This article is made up of short sentences.


Fact: Volunteers are the key to this whole thing.
Fact: Time management probably isn't your strong suit, is it?
Fact: Success in youth ministry is way, way more than increased attendance.
Fact: It will never all be "done" when you go to sleep at night.
Fact: Email is dead. Consider texting . . . for now.
Fact: Your capacity increases when you delegate the important things to your volunteer team.
Fact: Your video game console misses you.
Fact: So does your spouse.
Fact: You have very little to do with your youth ministry's success.
Fact: Relying on the power of God is the most important.
Fact: You will always want a larger youth ministry budget.
Fact: The church you envy down the road is full of challenges, too.
Fact: You are a minister to adult volunteers as much as you are a minister to students.
Fact: You always pad your numbers when talking about your group to other youth pastors.
Fact: Humility always wins.





for the rest of this post click on the title of my post "Simple Youth Ministry post"

utter disbelief that there are still people who don't know I have come home!

I just have to brag on the teens here. They are utterly a-MAZING! Their faith in Jesus makes me utterly speechless. And, for those that know me personally, you know that is a WOW moment! I am just bursting with JOY at how much LOVE they've shown me these first four months as their YM. I am stoked to see what else Jesus as in store for us as we grow as a program and most importantly as a FAMILY!

I have been seriously busy. hopefully more fun posting next week.

Stats updates:

168 page uploads last week.

8 Polish Foods post most popular page (next to main of course)

Top 5 Countries (other than US): Canada, UK, Switzerland, Poland, Australia

Top 5 Cities (other than unknown): Fort Wayne, IN; Bellmore, NY; Odenton, MD; West Orange, NJ; Ottawa, ON

Blogs people visit the most:

Crazy Catholic
Delusions of Grandeur
The Word

NCCYM 2008 - Cleveland

thought a video collage would suffice. Music is "Forgetting to Remember" by Ruth.

alright, yesterday, was VERY eventful...and not really in a good way.

as always, as in for the last 6 years or so, my car broke down...every year on Thanksgiving weekend...but this time I didn't have to walk 3 miles to someone's house...yippeee....I only had to pray no one would hit me as I wasn't exactly on the side of the road....thankfully, the man who lived in the house my vehicle was sitting by called the police...and a very nice uniformed officer who had to be dang cold sat behind me with his blue lights on as we waited for the tow truck...and my fantabulous friend Lil' PB came and brought me a sandwich as well as a ride home...

the car rolled over on the 2nd crank but the engine was making a very loud BUZZ and also clicking over and over...I only had about 1.5 miles to go when everything went dead...even my hazard lights, hence the reason for me being a road hazard...

this was about 11 am...I was on my way to my parent's house to change as the shirt I was wearing had Indian yellow curry all over it...ooops! :)

so, Seth, in his uber love for his sister dropped everything and came to the rescue...only to find out 5 hours later that indeed it was not the battery but indeed the starter...

so, now its at the dealership getting a new starter. BUT...

I am contemplating trading it in for a new car...lots of prayer and figuring out a budget! but, I am approved for a car loan, so hurrah!

so thats me, but I have a treat for you!

a video

Happy Turkey Day and I found them

Thank YOU anonymous. I did indeed find them both this morning and have ordered them. And, bought them for less than I paid three years ago, including shipping.

I will try allbookstores.com in the future.


HAPPY TURKEY DAY to everyone! May your day be filled with JOY and LOVE and LAUGHTER.

I am headed over to mom and dad's in an hour or so. And then we'll eat around 2 pm. And then eat again 30 minutes later.

Then I'll return to my house-sitting perch.

Do ya'll have any Turkey Day traditions at your house?

Vine and Branches Vol 1 and Vol 2

I went to Amazon.com the other day to buy a few retreat resources. And, imagine my surprise when I found out one of my favorites is now out of print. ACK!

I bought it when I was the YM at SMM. That was only 3 years ago.

So, now, I ask you faithful readers:

Does anyone have Vine and Branches by Maryann Hakowski? Vol 1 or Vol 2 or both? I do not have a need for Vol 3.

I will gladly pay you for what you paid for them, or what I would've paid if they were still in print.

Please, pretty please with sugar on top!!

Stats update

alright different kind of stats watching:

Top 5 Internet companies and ISP:
(you can find out your ISP by going to whatismyisp.com

Verizon Internet Services - 177 hits - (71.255.82.163) Orange, NJ
Comcast Cable - 88 hits - (71.229.74.106) Benton Harbor, MI
Sbc Internet Services - 9 hits - (76.193.69.7) West Hartford, CT
The Art Institutes International - 4 hits - (161.38.221.240) outside DC [I know this person]
Charter Communications - 13 hits - (75.132.44.12) St Louis, Missouri

my stats show where the company is based out of and then if I click on the ISP's I can see where people are. I get my stats from StatCounter - its free



Verizon -





fabulous ring tone maker...you can make them from your own music.

Defend Life, Do Not Be Afraid

I was supposed to bake last night. But, when I went in the kitchen to start, I realized we didn't have eggs. :(

so, I had to wait til tonight to complete the project. But I did get to use my new mixer - 6 qt from Kitchen Aid. Cinnamon color. Gorgeous gift from my mom.

Treasure Bars.
Christmas Treasure Bars.

And, today, I also got to hang with Amy and Jeff. 2nd week in a row.

I am still on the look-out for a really cool apron. I'll probably just make a few. Glad I know how to sew.

NCCYM is in two weeks. Am so excited to hang out with 2000 YM's from all over. Should be a blast. And, it looks like we'll have another person share our room. I like sharing, means the parish pays less for the room.

ok, found this video from 2005. CHWC Nashville. Re-enacting bending the rebar for the new stairs we put in. But, of course, it didn't go as planned (the re-enactment that is). hope you get a laugh. I know I do.

aprons

I like some aprons for Christmas...people have been asking and now I am telling.

Now, its off to make Treasure Bars, Christmas style.

Seignadou Lip Balm

I have to plug this lip balm. It really is the best eveh. My lips have never been softer.

I would have to say I am a lip balm conoisseur (sp?). Or at least, I have tried just about everything (Chapstick, Carmex, Vaseline, SoftLips, Lip Smacker, Burt's Bees etc.)

And, I am not just saying this because I used to live there. :)

This Lip Balm is amazing!! It smells fantastic - yummy mint. It goes on smooth. It doesn't dry out my lips like others. And, the best part, I go through less than I did with Carmex. Perhaps it could be that you get a bit more! ;) And, its made from all-natural ingredients. Seriously!

I do have to also say that when they first started making it, it would melt in my pocket, or at least get really soft. But, they have obviously tweaked the recipe, and now it doesn't get ooey-gooey in my pocket. It stays solid.

This Seignadou Lip Balm is really inexpensive - $2 each. Burt's Bees is easily $3.

So, stock up. Give it away as stocking stuffers. Get addicted. And, support the Dominican Nuns' way of life.

INFJ

Hop on over to www.humanmetrics.com to take the Meyers-Briggs personality test.

I decided to take it as Candied Ginger took one recently.

I find being an INFJ very interesting. Who knew? It matches me very well, don't you think?

Taken from Keirsey.com:

Counselors have an exceptionally strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others, and find great personal fulfillment interacting with people, nurturing their personal development, guiding them to realize their human potential. Although they are happy working at jobs (such as writing) that require solitude and close attention, Counselors do quite well with individuals or groups of people, provided that the personal interactions are not superficial, and that they find some quiet, private time every now and then to recharge their batteries. Counselors are both kind and positive in their handling of others; they are great listeners and seem naturally interested in helping people with their personal problems. Not usually visible leaders, Counselors prefer to work intensely with those close to them, especially on a one-to-one basis, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes.

Counselors are scarce, little more than one percent of the population, and can be hard to get to know, since they tend not to share their innermost thoughts or their powerful emotional reactions except with their loved ones. They are highly private people, with an unusually rich, complicated inner life. Friends or colleagues who have known them for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that Counselors are flighty or scattered; they value their integrity a great deal, but they have mysterious, intricately woven personalities which sometimes puzzle even them.

Counselors tend to work effectively in organizations. They value staff harmony and make every effort to help an organization run smoothly and pleasantly. They understand and use human systems creatively, and are good at consulting and cooperating with others. As employees or employers, Counselors are concerned with people's feelings and are able to act as a barometer of the feelings within the organization.

Blessed with vivid imaginations, Counselors are often seen as the most poetical of all the types, and in fact they use a lot of poetic imagery in their everyday language. Their great talent for language-both written and spoken-is usually directed toward communicating with people in a personalized way. Counselors are highly intuitive and can recognize another's emotions or intentions - good or evil - even before that person is aware of them. Counselors themselves can seldom tell how they came to read others' feelings so keenly. This extreme sensitivity to others could very well be the basis of the Counselor's remarkable ability to experience a whole array of psychic phenomena.

Mohandas Gandhi, Sidney Poitier, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Goodall, Emily Bronte, Sir Alec Guiness, Carl Jung, Mary Baker Eddy, Queen Noor are examples of the Counselor Idealist (INFJ).

i have been busy...this week feel as if it has flown by.

we now only have 8 teens spots for MSC...i have found out Missionaries of the Poor also has a teen mission trip and it is cheaper...that'll be saved for next year.

and I believe I am getting a cold. I am about, I think, to have no voice. that'll be scary. does anyone have a bull horn I can use?

and my LN is on the 30th. I am almost finished. Its Dante's Inferno. Just as I=N-F=E-R=N-O as at SMM.

Ok, ya'll, now here are the stats for this week:

Top 5 Countries/States:
Switzerland
Indiana
Texas
Alberta, Canada
New York

and it looks like everyone is enjoying exit linking over to www.delusionsofgrandeur.org!

I just found a new Blog: The King of Coupons. Thanks Amy! Its in the Blogroll on the right.

Away we go a googling!

I think it rather odd that a bunch of people find my blog because they are googling "8 polish Christmas foods"...is that rather odd to you too?

Yes, I sang a line or two in the monastery...and then in July, I googled for the Veggie Tales song lyrics...

its just weird, that that is what comes up...currently it is # 5 on the list...THAT izzzzzzzzz weird!

I am so seriously goofy. I love life. Even through the curve balls. That's what makes it so interesting.

Oh, and its official, NET has been approved to come to the Atlanta archdiocese. I had an interest meeting last week (b/c I volunteered to be the DCP) and there are 6 parishes that want a team to come to their church. So, I am in the midst of putting an interest packet together for all the YM's in the archdiocese so we can get some dates together for the 2009-2010 school year. HURRAH!!!!!

I was loading music onto my Sansa Fuze yesterday and listening to new playlists when THIS song came on. It really explains a lot to what's happening in my life right now.

Update

Movies viewed this week:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Happening
Get Smart
Indiana Jones
The Secret Life of Bees
Jesse James
Blood Diamond

Top 5 Countries outside the US to visit the blog this week:
Switzerland
Canada
UK
Guam
Australia


Top 5 Cities to visit the blog this week:
Hinsdale, IL
Atlanta, GA
Ft Wayne, IN
San Diego, CA
Dallas, TX

And tomorrow I have service Saturday at the church with the teens. And also my last few hours cat and dog sitting for the week.

In August 2009, I hope to be on a Western Caribbean cruise for 7 days...let's hope I can keep saving for it!

Bread and Kings

this excerpt says it all about how I feel about this election...thanks Lisa for typing it up!

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

Bread and Kings

People talk most about their health when they are sick, and most about liberty when they are in danger of losing it. Despite all the pleas for liberty, it must be remembered that every flight from responsibility is a flight from liberty and every denial of personal guilt is also a denial of freedom. Cabbages cannot do wrong, though they have heads, calculators cannot commit sin, thought they can do many things which seem to emulate human thought. Perhaps it is the very burden of responsibility which flows from free choice that makes so many human beings ready to surrender their great gift of freedom. This also explains the search for someone to whom they can commit their choice, who will do their thinking for them and relieve them of the awful burden of the consequences of their free decisions. This search for someone to whom neurotic minds can commit themselves explains the comparatively facile surrender of so many to totalitarianism in our day and age.

Two Russian writers of the nineteenth century foretold that this state of affairs would come to pass in the twentieth century; one of them predicted that the leaders of whom free minds would surrender themselves would come from Russia. Soloviev said that the leader who would captivate souls in our generation would be the author of a book on “Peace and Security for the World.” Millions would submit to him as the supreme authority in the political and economic sphere for no other reason than because he promised bread. Dostoievski also foretold that Russia and the world would fall to the “temptation of bread and power.”

One cannot help but contrast this search for a dictator or an economic king with Our Blessed Lord when He fed the bread to the multitude in the desert. Having fed the hungry masses, they “sought to make Him king” (Jn 6:15). It is ever in the human heart, when it loses its love of the spiritual, to worship those who promise full stomachs or economic power. They wished to make Jesus king in opposition to all the kings of the earth; instead of surrendering themselves to Him and His sublime doctrine about sin and redemption, they willed to have Him submit to them. They did not want to be drawn up to Him, but to draw Him down to them. However sincerely and enthusiastic they were, they were, nevertheless, bent on pulling Divinity down to the level of the human.

Though He Who was rich became poor for our sake, yet He would not be an earthly king by force. A poor blind man could stop Him on the roadway to be cured of his blindness, but not all the masses with their universal acclaim and suffrage could make Him king. Then He laid His finger on their error: “You seek Me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were satisfied: (Jn 6:26). They sought Him not for the higher part of their being, but for their stomachs; not for His morality, but for the economics; not for His saving grace, but because of the dormancy of the spiritual in their souls.

When loaves are more valued than the Divine Power which multiplied them; when streams are more admired than the fountains that produced them, the world will accept any kind of a king who promises bread and plenty. Nor let it be forgotten that He Who promised the spiritual did not deny bread to the poor. Our hopes and liberties are sold cheap when they are bartered away to him who feeds the body and leaves the soul unsatisfied. This is the problem: The whole world is dying of hunger – the Eastern world is dying of hunger of the body; the Western world is dying of hunger of the soul. The first will be fed, but not by those who hate liberty when they give them flour; the Western world will be saved by feeding the East while recognizing their own hunger of the Spirit and by seeking again the true King of Hearts Who alone gives “The Bread of Life.”

Taken from “Way to Inner Peace” by Fulton Sheen (pgs. 72-74)


To gain more guidance from our Church, please read more from Fulton Sheen, who was an amazingly inspirational church leader and media giant. He has many books to choose from and any of them would be great for what we are going through in our country.

Esther

The presidential election is upon us. I am appalled to find out people I know and are friends with are voting for someone who is pro-abortion. HOWEVER... I am pro-life and I know the candidate that is going to protect the life of the unborn child is McCain and his VP Sarah Palin.

And, I know that the most powerful tool we have is prayer and fasting. So, I am asking all of you to do that - FAST for the babies. PRAY for the babies.

Esther (Old Testament) did just that before she went to talk to the king. Her husband. Who in those days if she was not summoned and went and stood before the king, she would be put to death. (For a good rendition, watch "One Night with the King"). She took courage and had hope in the King of Kings. She placed ALL her trust in Him. She praised and thanked Him for all He had blessed her and her people with, and begged for mercy for their sins. She prayed for deliverance from the enemy and strength and to be delivered from fear. And she FASTs and PRAYs for THREE days before pleading her case against the king.

I begin my fast as like Esther did: 3 days before. Beginning Sunday, Nov 2nd and ending at midnight on Nov 4. Will you join me? I plan on taking off from work on Tuesday and just praying ALL DAY for the pro-life cause. Will you join me?

We have worked very hard this election letting everyone around us know what's at stake. Don't give up now that we're in the final stretch. Don't believe what the MSM is telling us, that we've lost. Its not over. Pray for deliverance. Pray for strength. Pray for hope. Pray for courage.

Little ones, DO NOT BE AFRAID!!!

I ask you to read Esther 4:8-16, C:11 - D:5. She will give you courage.

Alone we can do very little. But, together we can move mountains!

To Jesus through Mary,
Deepa

Ephesians 6:10

I am currently on retreat at Covecrest with other Youth Ministers from Atlanta. The camp has WiFi...so I am able to put my thoughts down.

This blog has become a sort of journal for me. Not so much one of sharing deep personal thoughts, but one of just sharing insights.

During our holy hour, I was led the Holy Spirit to read:

It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me. ~~ Colossians 1:28-29.


How great is the Word, and how He speaks to us.

I labor and I struggle within youth ministry. I want to have each of my teens experience Christ, fall madly in love with Him, and allow Jesus to transform their lives. And, I want this to happen to each and every one of them every time they're at Mass and/or Life Teen. And, how shallow that is. Jesus works in His own time. And, for each one of us, His plan is different and unique. For some it might just be in high school. For others, after, or even way on down the road. And, definitely for all of us, conversion is a life long journey, not just one occurrence.

It really does not matter if I see fruits. I am just a laborer in His vineyard. I till the soil. Jesus waters. Jesus is the nutrients. Jesus is the Son. Jesus is the one who goes and talks to each vine encouraging them. He does all the work. I am just one of the many tools he uses.

My job/calling/vocation on earth, right now is to be His daughter. To be in relationship with Him. And, if I struggle, if I have challenges or difficulties, I draw from the strength of the Lord and His power (Ephesians 6:10). All that matters is that I rejoice in the path He has me on right now. The path that is leading me back to Him.

One True Media

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Brrr It's Cold Out There

This is my new winter jacket Lands' End 3 in 1 Parka...I love that its PINK....we are in a freeze warning for tonight....its really windy outside....and...brrr....its cold...ok, you're right, 45 is not really cold...but for my southern bones, it is...


Ok, also, you should head on over to PhatMass.com b/c they are having a sale on NEW Hoodies...go on, just scoot!

Legal Sounds

I just signed up for a new service - www.LegalSounds.com...my friend T, who's also a YM, told me about it. 9 cents a song. LOVELY...you know how I hate and point out to people that LimeWire and copying friends CDs is STEALING....this website is paying royalities (is that the right word)...and so now I have to go through my songs from Rhapsody and get them through LegalSounds.com...

Movies this week: Iron Man, Lars and the Real Girl, Cloverfield, Sahara, The Italian Job, The Long Gray Line

Countries that frequent this blog: USA, UK, Canada, Malta

Top 5 Cities: Millbury, MA ~~ St Louis, MO ~~ Ft Wayne, IN ~~ Wrightstown, NJ ~~ Dallas, TX

The last 5 states to visit here: MA ~ VA ~ WA ~ NJ ~ MD


alright, I am tired and spent...but its been a holy day...I LOVE my TEENS!!! They never cease to amaze and astound me every day!!! GOD is GOOD! All the TIME!

We are sold out of the pocket calendars, hallelujah! though I will buy one more box 2mrw and pray it comes in by Friday...okay maybe 2.

You Can Adopt

a Life now at OneBabyOneVote.com

The site is fully up. Please forward this info to all of your friends and family.

Quirky Meme

I was tagged by Candied Ginger to tell six quirks about myself:

1. I have an obsession with checking my email. I usually check it at least 7 times a day. Knowing that people are not writing me, but in the hopes that some long lost friend will have emailed.

2. I am an abnormal sweater. Meaning I sweat more than most people. To counteract this occurrence, I live for the A/C. So, that means unless I am working out OR doing an activity that other people are also sweating doing, then I am doing my best to keep myself cold. Even if that means having the windows down in January during a snowstorm.

3. I love to watch movies. Something about going into another time/place just enthralls me. Mostly I love action/suspense movies. But, I will watch on average 6 DVD's a week. I have a subscription to Blockbuster. As of this writing, in the last 3 months, I have watched 221 movies. I know!

4. I love love Hip-Hop and Rap music. I love the beats. Not necessarily the words. And, I could never just throw down some rhyme (only if the Holy Spirit moved me), but I love hearing people rhyme the Word. My favorite at the moment is KJ-52's "Do Yo Thang".

5. I am obsessed with t-shirts. I am truly a t-shirt and jeans kind of gal. I wear what I believe. Before I entered the monastery, I had over 150 t-shirts. And, I didn't want to give them to Goodwill so I made them into t-shirt quilts. I miss them all now. I have only 5 t-shirts. But, I am sure, I will begin collecting them all once again.

6. I love to eat my food goulash style - all mixed together. I LOVE casseroles. I love 7-layer dip. I love to play with my food, mix it around until its unintelligible as food, and then eat it.

I tag:
1. Julia
2. Martha
3. Anne
4. Alison
5. Matt
6. Carla

One Baby One Vote

www.OneBabyOneVote.com

Vote LIFE ‘08

Please join us in our efforts to get Americans to Vote for Life on Election Day ’08!

The game isn’t over yet! If you believe that Human Life is sacred and should be defended, we need you to join us and dig into the fight like your life depended on it – because millions of your fellow Americans lives do! We are recruiting a “virtual” community of defenders of the unborn who will spend these last few days of the presidential campaign working to help people understand the vital importance of VOTING for LIFE. And we can’t do this without YOU!

The 3 Part “Hail Mary Pass” Plan:

1. WEB - 49 Million Americans have been aborted since 1973 and 20 million of those would now be eligible to vote! Go to www.onebabyonevote.com and give one of those babies a name and pledge to cast your vote for LIFE in their honor!

2. WORDS – Read our Q & A email and send it to as many people as you can! The last election was won by 3 million voters – the truth needs to be told!

3. WITNESS – 50 Vote LIFE Rallies across the nation November 2nd (All Souls Day) at 3 pm in each of the 50 states with the intention of consecrating our nation to God.


WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. PRAY and intercede that walls will be knocked down, doors will be opened and hearts will be changed! This is a spiritual battle so put on the armor of God!

2. Become a Vision Carrier and help us spread the message by researching and contacting groups, websites, blogs, email lists to make them aware of our plans

a. Direct people to the website to spiritually adopt an aborted baby. Even if they can’t vote, people can adopt a baby, give it a name and ask them to intercede for us.

b. Forward the persuasive email to as many people as possible – friend, foe, and family! Copy our Contact Coordinator so we map our outreach.

c. Spread the word Tell everyone you know, contact the media, write our website in comments or on blogs, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

3. Host or attend a Vote LIFE Prayer Rally; Help get the people out in your area. Remember - “For where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:20. We’ll provide an Operation Consecration planning packet to walk you through the planning.

4. Travel to a swing state (FL, NC, OH, Nevada, Colorado, etc) Campaign and host the rally!

• Building a team for LIFE: We need a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 20 million people to make this work! Will you join our team?

Contact us - info@onebabyonevote.com


2 Chronicles 7:14 -16 “If my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land. Now my eyes shall be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place. And now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever; my eyes and my heart also shall be there always.

Our US Tax System

Borrowed from Delusions of Grandeur

I did not write this, it came to me in an email, but I thought it fitting!

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

• The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
• The fifth would pay $1.
• The sixth would pay $3.
• The seventh would pay $7.
• The eighth would pay $12.
• The ninth would pay $18.
• The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

“Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.” Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men? The paying customers?

How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings)

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).

The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 ( 22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $ 20,”declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,” but he got $10!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a Dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I!”

“That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, this is how our tax system works.
The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.

Professor of Economics

University of Georgia

Four, 4, Cuatro, 4

Four places that I go to over and over:

Youth Office, Home, Wal-Mart, Old Navy

Four people who e-mail me (regularly):

Lisa, Work, Teens, Amazon.com

Four of my favorite places to eat:

Chili's, Johnny's NY Style Pizza, Los Reyes, Chick-Fil-A

Four places I would rather be right now:

Heaven, Home, On Vacation, Adoration

Four people I think will respond

Stinky Pete, Candied Ginger, Cowboy Greg, Combustible Mark

Four TV shows I watch over and over:

Lost, Jon and Kate plus Eight, Food Network, Law and Order: SVU

Wouldn't you say SNL is for McCain/Palin 2008?

A Nice Cold Sweat

I am ill...sick for the last 7 days...confined mostly to the bed...I am awake for about 3 hours and then sleep for about 7...thought I was cured on Friday/Saturday...then was kicked into reality with a splitting headache Saturday night...and a nice cold sweat...bummer...stupid virus...or whatever it is...hopefully tomorrow, the doctor can let me know...we shall see...

Its getting closer...15 days... and our prayer needs to be stronger and more intense... coming soon - One Baby One Vote ... more on that later... a new prayer campaign... consecrating our nation, one state at a time... saving the babies, one vote at a time...praying that God has mercy on our country although we don't deserve it... will you endorse this campaign? Will you do all you can for lives in the future and those we have lost in the last 35 years...

Fr's Response

Hey Ya'll! Someone sent this to me...I think that it explains very clearly who the better Pro-Life candidate is (John McCain)....please please please, if you are batting for the other side, please keep say a prayer and keep an open mind...God might just be using this email to reach you...

This is really a response from a Catholic priest (Fr Larry Neise). A Catholic priest who is not afraid to speak the truth from the pulpit, who is not afraid to speak the truth of the Eucharist and who holds the sacrament of Reconciliation in high esteem...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Dear Father Larry,

I am a Catholic and am struggling with this upcoming election. My conscience tells me that the war in Iraq is wrong, and I am strongly pro-life. One candidate promises to get us out of the war, but is not pro-life, while the other one supports the war, but says he is pro-life. I am confused. Can you help me sort out the church teaching on these issues as they pertain to an election?

Thank, L.

Dear L.,

First of all, in this election, it seems to me that we must choose between the lesser of two evils. If you want to look at the war in Iraq , you must look at the war on the unborn. In our country we have 4000 casualties daily. I mean every day! So just by shear numbers, the war on the innocent unborn is by far a greater evil. The bishops have said when you have two candidates whose positions are not totally pro-life, you are to choose the lesser of the two evils. John McCain is not totally pro-life. For example, he is for embryonic stem cell research, which is the destruction of human life when taken from newly conceived embryos. Barack Obama, however makes it abundantly clear that he is pro-abortion all the way.

However, John McCain said he will appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court, which may help us overturn Roe vs. Wade. Now whether or not he does, that is another story. But Barack Obama is clear that he will appoint pro-abortion judges. He has made that perfectly clear! The most important role the President has is appointing Supreme Court Justices, because they are judges for life. We are one judge away from overturning Roe v Wade. If Barack is elected, for sure the war on the unborn will continue for a number of years. Take 4000 babies killed daily in our country and that amount most certainly dwarfs the number of casualties in the war in Iraq.

Now some may not see it that way, because they do not see it as a war on the unborn. When any segment of society is being killed in mass numbers we would consider that war. Look at 9/11 where almost 3000 people were killed, and we considered that an attack on the American people. The Church is very clear and so is science that life begins at conception. If you think about it and reflect for a moment, ask yourself when did your life begin. It began at a certain point in time.

In Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul said that the politicians are in a large part responsible for the killing of the unborn, but who puts them in office? It's you and I!

Father Larry Niese

We had an awesome holy retreat this past weekend! We took about 100 teens on retreat and learned:

Jesus can call us at any time any where and all we have to do is say yes!
God does not use my past to determine my future.
We are supported in our walk to Christ by those around us.
Be consumed by God's grace.
Be UNSTOPPABLE by living LOVE.

Pray for an outpouring of God's grace upon my teens. I am seeing more and more as to why He has brought me to STA.

STAND for something or fall for anything!

Don't just be "present."

Top and Bottom 5

i am sick as a doggggggg and am about to go back to bed....i just really needed to check email b/c of this weekend's activities...

the top 5 visitors to this blog today are
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Wantagh, New York
Philadelphia, Pennylsvania
St. Louis, Missouri
Pittsburgh, Pennylsvania

and the bottom 5 are

Montclair, NJ
South Orange, NJ
Tunkhannock, PA
Cardiff by the Sea, CA
Essex Fells, NJ

Thanks for visiting, and I'll update when I feel better.

It tis no longer...I removed the nose ring tonight...yeah I know, I paid a pretty penny for it, but its just a "fad" as my mom would say...and its just money...

also, I am putting a plug in for Seignadou soap, as I am buying some more tonight...I am out and in need of more as well as a few friends so we are stocking up...it makes great gifts at any time of the year...the sisters in Summit also make lotion and lip balm....so go get u some!!!

There it is, my pretty lil nose ring for all to see...its pretty discreet, wouldn't you say.... :)

Well, its almost time for the retreat, and we are full...I know, I can't believe it myself...that we are at capactiy...its amazing... tomorrow brings us to putting everything we're taking in the middle of the youth room and cutting items and making sure we've printed off everything...also printing name tags...awesome!

We're doing things a wee bit different than other retreats, but it shore is gonna be a blast getting to know the teens and Jesus some more.

I can wait to see the t-shirts on Thursday! whoo-hoo.

oh, yeah, I've got to empty my trunk of all the snacks before the tootsie pops melt into oblivion...

movies watched this week: Drillbit Taylor, Highschool Musical 2, The Astronaut Farmer, National Treasure 2, The Namesake...

book read this week: Kristen Heitzmann's "Sweet Boundless"

It is done....my nose has been pierced.

I watched Max (the professional piercer) mark my nose with a sharpie...and when he picked up the needle, I closed my eyes...one tear came out and stayed on my cheek as he pierced my skin once and then twice to put the nose-ring in...don't worry ya'll, its just a stud...a cute little glittery cubic zirconia...I would post a picture but I am on a Mac and my teens have dibs first...so the blogging world will have to wait...

it didn't really hurt until about 30 minutes later when we were at Chik-Fil-A...then it became a slow dull ache...kinda of like a headache...so I took some tylenol and I was great...

To clean: soap and water once a day....and turn it around....that's it folks...and I have to do that for 4 - 6 months!!!! that's crazy....

I wonder now if I decide to remove it one day, how will I go about doing that? will I have to go back to the tattoo parlor....how embarrassing...whatever....

other than a weird thing being in my nose, its cool...and the inside is like a tiny corkscrew...and no, my parents haven't seen it yet....well, my dad is clueless, so he might not notice until Christmas...

other than that, I went to Six Flags for Fright Fest with SR, CC, and JC....twas awesome!!! not hardly anyone in the park...no lines...really cool!

Poor pumpkins...why didn't someone set a limit for them?

hehehe!

Renovation Video

The sisters at Summit are in the middle of fundraising for a new kitchen and refectory (dining room) and a new wing. As you watch, you can see what a pressing need this really is.

Please consider donating. They offer their lives in Radical Love for our salvation. They offer up our prayer requests day and night.

Thanks!

I am off tomorrow...glorious...I get to sleep in past 8 am...HURRAH!!!

God heals us in a-m-a-zing ways....I compare today to a similar one several years ago when I re-connected with AR (who used to be AH)...That day I was feeling different...as I feel today...Jesus works mighty wonders upon us. He delivers healing just when you least expect it. Doesn't He?

at any rate, dear blog readers, the said nose piercing did not happen today...
but, it will happen on Friday @ approximately 2pm...the piercer was in another location today, so I got to take my seriously nervous and shaking all over self back out to the car...

so, please pray I don't get an infection...that would be good...

but, I am feeling rebellious...b/c I almost said out loud to the tattooed employee: "well, then, I'll just have to get a tattoo." but don't worry, it didn't come out and I won't be inking my body at any point in my life.

as for hip deep in retreat planning:
retreat shirts: check
affirmation sheets: check
journal: check
supplies: check
snacks: check
retreat center: check
priests: semi-check
small group nametags: semi-check
small groups:
ppt slideshow:
ppt songs: semi-check


MSC info meeting stuff: check

off to work out...toodles!

Courage and Nose Piercings

I finally got up the courage to read my journals from "inside the walls"...slogging through, I re-lived those moments...I am working backward...the most current journal only goes back to April 2008...once I'm done with this one, then I'll venture to the bulk of my year "inside the walls"...

other news: I told the teens at the parish that if they brought in at least 500 pounds of clothes, I would pierce my nose...I was already feeling a bit rebellious and wanted a nose piercing (just a stud)...so, what an easy way to get one...well, my teens, like Our God, exceeded my expectations and brought in 1300 pounds of clothes...

so, said piercing will be taking place on Wednesday by a professional...I'm getting excited! :)

WHOOP!!!

Calling all Catholics!!

Today marks exactly 40 days until the Presidential election. 40 days for us to FAST. That's something we understand: Catholics fasting for 40 days, our very own personal Lent in October, a private time with God alone to beg for His will to be done and the devil's plans to be thwarted. There isn't much else the average American can do at this point. There are enough bloggers, TV personalities, and radio hosts, all doing a fine job at verbalizing the fears and frustrations of this election. Most people feel helpless in doing their part, BUT, if you're Catholic, you know you have a purpose right in the privacy of your own home, car and office: to fast and pray, hold an October Lent between you and God. Fasting is a powerful weapon, used by the greatest and most humble saints to turn things around for the glory of God.

Let's band together in our common goal for a 40 days that we understand all too well, as a time for self-sacrifice and prayer. We are fighting for our freedom in this election, and the freedom of those who are more innocent than ourselves. We are fasting for a President who truly lives the Christian life, a life which we know takes more than going to church on Sunday. If you live the Christian life, you know that it requires making those tough decisions to honor all those around you with dignity, love and the expressed value of each human life, from conception to natural death. Without valuing each and every human life residing at the core of who you are, nothing else really matters, because it is from this virtue that all other decisions stem.


Let's pray for an Easter Tuesday!!! A Victory in the White House!!! A Resurrection of the American principles in which this country was founded!!! Those men and women would be sad to see our state of affairs. Let's pray this election honors their hard work, and often times death . Let's pray to keep this country a free nation founded on God. There are more Christians in this country than we realize. Many people say that God is disgusted with us and our behavior and we deserve punishment. How many nations have gone before us and deserved the same? Yet, by the prayers and fasting of the few, God showered his mercy upon all the people. Do all of the people deserve his mercy? No, and neither do we. We have all sinned and need God's salvation. We need His intervention right now. We need His hand to come in and save us. Fasting puts us in this place of dependency. In God We Trust.

_________________--------------____________

I want to be clear, I did not write the aforementioned. A friend did...but its good...really good...and what a fantastic idea...so get crackin...

This is Candied Ginger's fault

This is my easy way out of posting...I've been extremely busy...how can I get it all done? my office is a mess...so here you have it.

Here goes:
1. What time did you get up this morning? 10:50 , 3 hours AFTER my alarm went off
2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw? The Waterhorse
4. What is your favorite TV show? Jon and Kate plus 8
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? yogurt and bagel with cream cheese and COFFEE
6. What is your middle name? Karen
7. What food do you dislike? sushi
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? my mp3 playlist: Country
9. What kind of car do you drive? Toyota Camry
10. Favorite sandwich? Reuben
11. What characteristic do you despise? Rudeness and snobbery
12. Favorite item of clothing? t-shirts and jeans that fit (of which I don't own any yet)
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Rome and the Holy Land
14. Favorite brand of clothing? not really anything currently, I am still trying to find a brand that fits
15. Where would you retire to? on a farm or just a lot of land away from suburbia
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?My 18th
18. Furthest place you are sending this? the blogosphere
19. Person you expect to send it back first? who cares
20. When is your birthday? August
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? definitely a night person...
22. What is your shoe size? 8.5
23. Pets? nope but in the future: a lab/beagle mix
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? nada
25. What did you want to be when you were little? a teacher
26. How are you today? exhausted and in knee pain
27. What is your favorite candy? riesens and gummy things and See's lollipops
28. What is your favorite flower? Roses
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Thursday's (my sabbath)
30. What is your favorite pastime? reading good books and baking
31. What are you listening to right now? silence :)
32. What was the last thing you ate? stale Cheetos
33. Do you wish on stars? not ever
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? macaroni and cheese
35. How is the weather right now? cool, not like Sept in GA is supposed to be
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Lisa
37. Favorite soft drink? Dr Pepper
38. Favorite restaurant? Buckhead Burrito or Johnny's Pizza
39. Real hair color? black
40. What was your favorite toy as a child? Hot Wheels Car Wash
41. Summer or winter? Fall!
42. Hugs or kisses? hugs
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate
44. Coffee or tea? Starbucks
45. Do you want your friends to email you back? who cares about this
46. When was the last time you cried? in Adoration on Saturday night
47. What is under your bed? an empty trundel unit
48. What did you do last night? Mass, Life Night, phone call, passed out exhausted on my bed
49. What are you afraid of? bees, birds, heights
50. Salty or sweet? salty
51. How many keys on your key ring? personal - 3 , office - 8
52. How many years at your current job? less than 1
53. Favorite day of the week? Thursday
54. How many towns have you lived in? this one is hard: Kennesaw, Dahlonega, Newnan, Peachtree City, Summit, St Paul
55. Do you make friends easily? I'd say so
56. How many people will you send this to? n/a
57. How many will respond? whatever
OK, TAG you are it. If you post it on your blog leave me a link

I am reading a fantastic book - The Rose Legacy by Kristen Heitzmann. The author is Catholic and this book is definitely Catholic.

My favorite time period for fiction or non-fiction historical is the 1800's. On the western frontier. Think Little House on the Prairie. I love this kind of stuff. hint hint.

And, this weekend. I am going on retreat! Hurrah! I miss those retreat days at the monastery. The peace. The quiet. There's supposedly about 110 participants including me. And the best thing is I get to just be me. Not the YM. Not the one in charge. Just me.

And, last nights CORE meeting, very productive which reminds me, I need to get the word out to them who's signed up for what on the retreat in October.

Also, I don't know if I said or not, but I am going to NCCYM in Cleveland. I am sooooooo very excited to be given this opportunity. To network. To hear awesome speakers. To hang out with friends. AWESOME! I am booked for Wed-Mon. I figured I could a get a decent sleep on Sunday night even if everyone went home.

I have a prayer request: we are in need of some more CORE leaders...we are blessed to have 15 but our Life Teen continues to grow...and in order to have a deep prayer life and awesome relational ministry, we need an additional 5 male and 6 female CORE....CORE = adult volunteers who give of their time and LOVE for our teens at STA...one needs to be committed and not just on Sunday's. Life Teen is a relational ministry. We build relationships with each other and most importantly with Christ. A constant and consistent prayer and sacramental life is key. You can't give what you don't have! Preach it.


Thank you for your prayers in advance. As a CORE team, we are saying a 54 day novena:


Spirit of Truth, who came to us at Pentecost in order to form us in the school of the Divine Word, fulfill in us the mission for which the Son has sent you.


Fill every heart; give many people a yearning for the authentically good and beautiful in life, a desire for evangelical perfection, a passion for the salvation of souls.


Sustain the "laborers in the harvest" and grant that their efforts may bear much spiritual fruit.


Make our hearts completely open and pure, and help us to follow Christ more fully, so that we may receive your last and greatest gift: the joy which will never end.


-- JPII (thanks Summit sisters for teaching me this prayer)

I asked the CORE team to pray this prayer thru Oct 14, 2008 and if they could, to offer up a Rosary daily for the same intention.


On another note, I am attending NCCYM in Cleveland in December...so those of you out there who are also attending, let me know and we can hang out. I plan on arriving on Wed afternoon and leaving on Monday morning.

the elliptical machine is AWESOME...I am achieving the "burn" daily...and gaining muscle and abs...

also, I got a bible study from Dr Brant Pitre: "The Apostle Paul: Unlocking the Mysteries" and "Mary, Mother of the Messiah" . You can go over to Catholic Productions and procur yourself one or another one of his CD/DVD sets on various topics. This guy is my age! and He knows his scripture!

the elliptical machine got delivered today...it is a big box...evidentally, there was only ONE delivery man, so my dad had to help (I was at a friend's house.) and evidentally dad had to take a pain killer...the box is heavy, i pushed it around the room...and I had to flip it over b/c the bottom was up...and i did that one my own...go ab muscles...

it should be interesting putting it together...2mrw...I will try and remember to take some pictures!

update on my wardrobe:

as I dwell on the fact again that I gave everything away and yet kept my clothes...but only to return 40# lighter...I did not have any clothing that fit...it actually fell off...yeah, that was interesting...

so, I am in midst of slowly but surely building back up my wardrobe..

As of today, I own:

4 solid color tee's
1 print dress shirt
1 dressy skirt
1 pair of jeans
1 pair of capris
2 pair shorts
5 hand-me-down t-shirts
unmentionables

that's it...really...and I am really picky when it comes to clothes shopping...so please pray that I can find some decent modest clothing...especially for winter...thankfully, I kept about 4 hoodies...so at least in that department, I am good...but I need to start looking for winter jackets...

I am dang proud to be a REPUBLICAN...I love that our VP Nominee, Sarah Palin, is not afraid!

She speaks the truth even when some people don't want to hear it, and as Jill Reiswig says, "Hear me now, believe me later."

BOO-YAH!

ok, just a little rant...

I really do not like MACs...I don't think I ever have. My dad loves them.

My mom has a PC, thank goodness...or I really would go crazy in this house.

At midnight every night, Dad gets off his Mac and goes to bed. So, that act sends me in here to blog or surf on the MAC...

The mouse sometimes, ok alot of the time doesn't want to work...and don't even get me started on AbiWord...yeck!

so, to all you Mac users...sorry, I just like PC...I can't help it...its easier for me to use...its what I am used to...

now, wait, I will say this...the cpu is 100 times smaller than a pc...and you can play DVD's...so I guess the MAC is not that bad...but, I still LOVE the PC.

Not too much here...just usual YM stuff...getting ready for our kick-off...

teen info cards - Check
nametags - printing on Sun.
Parent Info sheet - to be finished on friday
CORE slideshow - Check
Food - Check (its a potluck)

I am seriously low stress...I have the most amazing ministry position...I know I keep saying that, but its true.

I found "In the Footsteps of St Paul" by HV Morton...the package went missing..but today found that our Adult RE Director had it...it accidentally got placed in her pile of mail...

I ask for your prayers for Sunday - 5:00 - 9:00 pm...thanks!

ps...my delivery window of time 2mrw is 2:45-4:45 pm for my mattresses and Elliptical... HURRAH!!

so a few items I splurged on for my birthday:

a Sansa Fuze









Elliptical Machine









and a new mattress, we know how I feel about sleep






overall, my birthday was fantastic...
my teens gave me a bunch of items from the dollar store...the highlight - a rubber chicken!!! i LOVE rubber chickens...gah, I miss my NET years...

then I went over to LF's for fun, pizza, and carrot cake...literally 5 minutes after consuming one piece of cake, her younguns' were bouncing off furniture...J asked if he could get on the treadmill...uh, YEAH! J ran on said treadmill for a good 10 minutes...wow, what white sugar can do to 3 children...

I am looking forward to D and J eating LF and JF out of house and home in a few years...

Gosh, I love being HOME!

now, its off to take apart a CARGO bed and haul it downstairs so that there's room when SEARS delivers the mattresses and Elliptical.

tonight...ok earlier this evening...

let's start off and say I have had extremely productive days at work. I love my ministry position. there are a few things that I have not started, but I am not worried...I still have a few weeks before its crunch time on those projects...

tonight was our first Confirmation class for YEAR ONE...that concept is difficult to explain...the parish switched to 2 years of actual sacramental prep for Confirmation...meaning the teens attend 10 Confirmation classes their FIRST year and 10 Life Nights...and 15 service hours....AND then 8-9 YEAR TWO Confirmation classes and 10 Life NIghts and 15 service hours...

you would think that would not be that difficult to understand...but we are just in our 2nd year of this 2 year sacramental prep....so we have parents coming up and calling to say they have a 10th grader who is going to be confirmed this year...BUT was not in Confirmation class last year...AND who they want to be Confirmed this year...

so, because this is my first year at the parish, I am giving TWO choices to these 10th graders: go to ALL 1st and 2nd year sacramental prep classes and do your service hours and attend 10 Life Nights, and you can be confirmed in March...but starting next year, they won't have that option, they'll be in FIRST YEAR sacramental prep their 10th grade year and receive the sacrament as a junior...sorry, ya'll just need to get with the program...

its no longer 9th grade class and 10th grade class...its YEAR ONE and YEAR TWO...I think we need new names so as not to be confusing...I'll work on that for next year...

ok, on to what happened earlier tonight.

after class, I went to Starbucks with a few teens and a parent. Driving on my way home (a few miles away), I get a phonecall from AB who says they have left their wallet in the youth room...

so I gently laugh, cuz its funny, and don't tell me you have never left your wallet somewhere...I then turn around and head back to the parish...its now close to 11pm...after a few phone calls about alarm systems, I unlock the front door and retrieve said wallet...

then off to drop AS off so that AB doesn't get in even more trouble...

and I phone a friend to help keep me awake who also tells me the most direct route home...


Movies this week: 27 Dresses and Enchanted.


oh, and I had a great birthday...I am now the proud owner of a rubber chicken. I have missed it since my NET days...

oh, yeah, please pray for Fr. Joseph who is in the hospital battling an infection; he has leukemia.

babysitting today...but then!!!

their cat got scratched by something, so I got to accompany LF to the Emergency Vet Clinic

that's right, folks, I didn't even know these places actually exist...and it was just like a human hospital...we got our very own room!

then, LF had to fill in some patient paperwork, just like at the ER where they ask you all sorts of interesting questions:

when's the last time your animal appeared normal?
when did the symptoms start to occur?
what kind of symptoms?
is your pet sexually active?

ok, that last one isn't on the paperwork, but really, don't you think it should be? :)

hahahahaha!

I am still laughing...

For $200 and 20 minutes of face time, LF took the kitty home along with anti-biotics and blood serum that she has to administer every two hours!!!

they also had a few pet insurance brochures, and thankfully LF's hubby understands pets the way I do, and said pet insurance is a bullet...my apologies to those animal lovers out there...but really, come on! animals do not have souls. ..they do NOT need chemo for their leukemia...I am sorry. DUH!

If I am to lose blog readers after this...oh well...

ok, i do have to admit something -- i really do not like cats...i volunteered to go with LF because I'd never been to an Emergency Vet...but I don't like cats...and her kitty didn't have a carrier...so it was just loose in the van...not good for me...i didn't have a panic attack but i did use my land's end tote for protection...i think it was more stressful to have me in the car than the kitty...so sorry again LF; next time I will take my own car if the kitty is taken for a ride again...






movies I have watched this week that were good: Juno, Dan In Real Life, Transformers, Bella

who's visiting my blog from Germany? I'm racking my brain with that one. Hmmm...Care to identify yourself?

nothing new...

I am getting into the swing of things at work. Today I wrote up the Fall schedule for the CORE...RB assisted me with the Confirmation class postcards - they'll be going out tomorrow...

also wrote up a scripture reflection for the Mighty CORE on Saturday...as well as a novena for more CORE leaders.

tomorrow - babysitting, dinner with parents, and shopping for groceries for CORE for Saturday...friday brings me in the kitchen cooking teriyaki tofu and my Enchilada casserole...as well as cleaning up the youth room as much as possible...

i have to think of a few more activities for the CORE on Saturday.

Opossum! in my yard! walked right next to my car! scared the pee out of me, but not literally...on the phone in my driveway tonight and I am looking under our porch and I'm like "what is that?"

its totally an opossum...I have NEVER seen one in person ALIVE and walking...they truly are ugly creatures...scared me so bad...I had to back out of the driveway and pull back in....yeck!


moving on...

The retreat was so spirit-led. Thank You for your prayers! I kept telling the teens they were working in a vineyard and tonight at Ignite, the gospel was the workers in the vineyard and the just wage...AWESOME!!! and the teens totally remembered and thought it was cool how a "vineyard" kept coming up in scripture...

Yes, Lord, you are stupendous!

tomorrow, I print and address the Confirmation class postcards and work on the CORE's fall semester Life Night schedule...and of course finishing touches on the day of reflection...

today I was able to meet up with a NETTER for lunch. CDO is a seminarian for the Diocese of Savannah but he hails from Baldwin Park, CA. It was fantastic. Hadn't seen him in about 5 years. Email really keeps people in touch. Pray for Chris during his formation; God-willing he will be ordained a priest in 2011.

Designed the affirmation paper for the retreat today. And sent in the list for t-shirt sizes. Will call tomorrow to make sure they received it.

Called a priest friend who is Southside to see if he's available to hear confessions on Saturday b/c it seems that only one priest from the parish is available. ahhh! please pray for more confessors. We should have about 70 teens on retreat! I am praying for at least 4 priests.

Need some more sleep, but also need a NEW mattress. It is my only birthday wish. Alas mattresses are expensive, so we shall see.

I have a chest cold and have to watch how much I talk because after awhile I start hacking away!

I am attempting to start a side biz in t-shirt quilting. I signed up with Flickr and below is a gallery of quilts I have made.

Quilts I have made

$10 a square. Cost includes all sewing, fabric, batting, and backing. Either you or I decide where to place the shirts and what fabric to use. Also, 30% is due at start of project; 70% at completion. I am very inexpensive compared to other quilters.

I forgot to mention that HS gave me a fantastic gift - a guitar...a Fender...I could not have been more surprised! I started crying I was so happy.

THANK YOU HS!

exhausted...and we're just getting started...wowza!
lots to do tomorrow...PRAY and put God first...take shirt design over to Sportsprint...clean out a few buckets at work...figure out sound and pa system...ask about payroll...skit practice...order crosses for retreat...further organization...

and mail a box of goodies up to Summit for August 8th - St Dominic.

also create a birthday present for LF!

been busy this week...

Wednesday went down to Newnan for a 'slumber party'...had my first taco since before entering...YUMMY!!! had 2 more...will be eating a lot of TACOs...as Mexican is my favorite food group...

Thursday, they wanted to get their toes done, and they offered to pay for mine...hadn't had a pedi since the last wedding, so about 10 years ago...very cute toes...

saw how everything has developed down there...wow! its a bit insane...

and realize that traffic has gotten a lot worse...a whole bunch...but we won't talk about it cuz i am sure ya'll know what i mean...

house-sitting again...the puppies drive me a bit mad in the early morning and evening as they get their 'caffeine' fix and are chasing each other around...mostly around my feet...but they are both sweet...

8 Polish Foods of Christmas

Veggie Tales song...I would sing parts of it in the monastery. And, today, I found the lyrics.

The first Polish Christmas dish I bring to the party,
A boiled potato topped with dill weed.

The second Polish Christmas dish I bring to the party,

Two steamed pierogies
What's a pierogy?
It's dough, wrapped around meat

And a boiled potato topped with dill weed

The third Polish Christmas dish I bring to the party
Three simmered gwumpkies
What's a gwupmky?
It's cabbage, wrapped around meat.

Two steamed pierogies
And a boiled potato topped with dill weed.

The fourth Polish Christmas dish I bring to the party,
Four baked paprikas
What's a paprika?
It's a bell pepper, stuffed with meat.

Three simmered gwumpkies
Two steamed pierogies
And a boiled potato topped with dill weed

The fifth Polish Christmas dish I bring to the party,
Five smoked kielbasas
What's a kielbasa?
It's pretty much just meat.

Four baked paprikas
Three simmered gwumpkies
Two steamed pierogies
And a boiled potato topped with dill weed

The sixth Polish Christmas dish I bring to the party,
Six fried chruschikis
Let me guess, something from the meat family?
Actually, it a delightful pastry with a thin, flaky crust!
Ooh, mmmm!

Five smoked kielbasas
Four baked paprikas
Three simmered gwumpkies
Two steamed pierogies
And a boiled potato topped with dill weed

The seventh Polish Christmas dish I bring to the party,
Seven pitted prunes
But I don't like prunes!
With this food, you'll need 'em, son.

Six fried chruschikis
Five smoked kielbasas
Four baked paprikas
Three simmered gwumpkies
Two steamed pierogies
And a boiled potato topped with dill weed

The eight Polish Christmas dish I bring to the party,
Eight poppy seed cakes
Poppies! Poppies!
Oh, I'm so sleepy!
There's no place like home!

Seven pitted prunes
Six fried chruschikis
Five smoked kielbasas
Four baked paprikas
Three simmered gwumpkies
Two steamed pierogies
And a boiled potato topped with dill weed

ok its late...really late...but b4 i go off to snooze land i wanted to punch out what a blessed day I've had.

Went to 7:30am Mass with Mom n Dad at SMA....LOVE LOVE LOVE the pastor - FrLN...he is not afraid to speak the TRUTH...he talked about the Pearl of Great Price and Humanae Vitae....LOVED IT...pray for conversions...

Marinated some porkchops with Momz homemade BBQ sauce...

STA Life Teen Mass and then a GAME night

another AWESOME homily - Deal or No Deal...our choice on whether or not we accept the challenge to live for Christ...the Pearl of Great Price again...

called up to say HI to the congregation...

hung out and played Bunko with about 30 teens and 10 CORE...






Let the good times ROLL!

7-27-07 almost

i have sent the mass email...well, about 5 bounced back...and i really just have a condensed list of people...i might have to ask around for other people's email...and yet, there is still a few who won't be back in town for a few days and do not own cell phones...hopefully they will not find out from someone else.

tomorrow, i start un-officially...a game night - Bunko (sp)...

yesterday, i went to get glasses and contacts...2 pair (with lenses) and a set of contacts for only $270....that's $130 less than what i paid for the ones i have on my head currently...the new ones won't be in for a week or so...

and then after, i went to Holy Family's Life Teen Trash n Treasure Sale and got stuff...North American atlas, Atlanta map...Reader's Digest book on gardening (trying to convince mom to grow a fruit tree)...two cookbooks - 1980 Southern Living and 1954 Betty Crocker...also picked up some books and movies for the kids...which they watched Mulan after they went through everything...

and i haven't really watched any tv...unless you count catching up on Season 4 of Lost online...

i offered to cook meals and go grocery shopping for mom and dad...and they said Yes! so i will be able to eat. Hurrah!

my hair is growing...its about 1/4 inch longer now...only 10 more inches to go b4 i have decent hair length...but i really don't notice that i have short hair unless i see myself in the mirror...

i am starting a special project...more on that later!

the family is back

no more house-sitting...the family is back! bye-bye sleep number bed and pool...
but tis cool, cuz i am really close friends with the mom...and will be over later today...

as soon as i take a shower and get myself out of here...

start at STA officially on Aug 1....un-officially on Sunday for GAME night and then early next week learning the ropes (ie, the way YM is run at STA)...and then my first thing is the Confirmation retreat (Aug 15-17)...PRAYERS requested...

oh, and yesterday, i went thrift store shopping...bought 6 skirts, 2 pants, and one dress for $30...wow!

July 22 2008

accepted the YM job yesterday and going tonight to Ignite, a parish monthly program...also will meet the pastor (whom I've already spoken to) and some other important people...

got a new bathing suit as the former is a bit big on me...yay! for losing weight and being healthy!

still house-sitting...for the rest of the week...

nothing exciting really...

just catching up with friends and hanging out...

finished my budget for the next 2 years, and will adjust accordingly...

Trust in Him

house-sitting until at least 2mrw afternoon...been here since Thursday evening...my time is spent in daily prayer, lounging by the pool, feeding the pets...exercising...dancing like a rockstar!

oh, yeah, and I have a job offer with the parish I interviewed with on Thursday...WHOO-HOO...I am taking some time to think about it, and I'll give the DRE a call on Monday...it is also contingent on my reference letters and a call to the parish I worked at before...

so, you can say that I am stoked!

the transition really hasn't been hard...I know that Jesus is leading me...and I am following...I will follow Him wherever He may go!

Swimmer

swimming for the first time in over a year...and first sunburn...

have a job interview 2mrw, so please pray...its for a YM position...WHOO-HOO!

found my photo cds finally and rearranged the bedroom...
also today was 2nd day of many days to come in which i will be making dinner for the parents...

Wednesday - Teriyaki Chicken, Ramen and Tomatoes, and Sugar Peas
Tuesday - Marinated Pork Chops, Zucchini and Tomatoes and Okra

Trusting in God's will.

Holy Life

Wall-E

My dad and I went to see Wall-E. Nothing like daughter-father bonding. I found out he drives with both feet. He must miss having a clutch.

The movie was REALLY good! its a MUST-SEE.

Also, before we left, I emailed my resume for a youth ministry position here. Pray for me!

weight loss

Inside the city walls I lost a little over 35 pounds and gained some muscle mass too. Its something I want to keep up and keep losing. I am less than 10 pounds from my goal and another 20 from an ideal weight. Though some of you might think my ideal weight might make me look a bit like a skeleton. But I'll be all muscle.

So, this morning after Mass at St Michael's, I went to Old Navy to see what size I am now. Because for a while I will be thrift store and garage sale clothes' shopping.

Before entering the city walls, I wore either an 18 or 20 depending on brand. Upon leaving Old Navy, I am a size 14! :) Two whole sizes! Wow!

first of firsts

I am back to blogging, hurrah! :)

Reflect upon and contemplate Song of Songs 3:2-4..

more to be up later, gator!

what's going on

I discerned that religious life is not my vocation. The very short version is: I realized I had entered because it was other people's dream for me, but not my own. I stuck it out for a year to discern whether it was God's will or a spiritual temptation. When I finally made the decision, it brought much peace ("In your will, O Lord, is our peace" - St Augustine) and happiness. I was finally happy after a year of struggling.

thats about it. and so I came home to my parents and applying for ym positions...and just be with Jesus, FREE to be finally His outside the city walls (Song of Songs 3:2-4)