GOOOOOOOOOOD Movie!!!!

ok, so my computer is being stupid and won't let me post pictures.....but anyways.....

You all MUST SEE "Pursuit of Happyness".


it's awesomeness cannot be denied or ignored.

it was freakin' AMAZING!!!!

i completely sobbed through most of it and Will Smith and his son, Jaden, did SUCH a good job!

man, if he doesn't win an Academy Award this year......someone's gonna die and it ain't gonna be pretty.

haha. but seriously guys......SEE IT. then tell all your friends. then see it again.

Home.

Dear Readers.....

First let me say that.......NO ONE COMMENTS ON MY BLOG ANYMORE!!!!! *sobs*

ok, now that i'm done with that......on to the real post:

I love being home. The most beautiful, weird, annoying and wonderful thing about home is that so much can change and yet.....everything that is important stays the same. i mean, my brothers are yards taller, my niece is TALKING all over the place, my nephew is a cyclone, my sisters actually WANT to talk to me, and my mom now listens. but....the house is still crazy and a mess(c'mon....ya really think that's gonna change?) my younger brother and i still argue like there's no tomorrow, MI still has crappy weather, that- let's be honest-..... one can at least count on, and Dominoes still has daily 5:00 mass. the Sharps still call a million times a day(i've calculated it....at least every 2.6 minutes) we still only have ONE bathroom for ALL of us, i still sleep on the couch, and the refrigerator is still empty. you know....the essentials. =)

and yet......i love being here. maybe it took a cross-country move to wake me up, but when it comes down to it.....there really IS no place like home. no matter how awful or boring or gross life at home can be.....it always was, still is, and will be forevermore.....your comfort zone. there will always be that one or two things that you ONLY do while at home.

and for me, myself, and i......i hope it never changes.

A Reflection...

Hokay....so...

i was told the other day that i am hard to read. yeah..... blunt, right?

anywho, not that it was a bad thing at all, but it really took me by surprise, and i had no idea that i was or whatever, and now i'm curious to know if others agree or disagree with that.

your thoughts appreciated.

that's all! Happy Advent dear readers!

The Internet is so interesting at times....

Dear Readers.....

first off......ONLY 6 MORE DAYS UNTIL I GO HOME!!!!!
that being said....on to my other news. well, it's not really "news" per se, but you get the jist.
here are some of my favorite internet clips from today's MSN highlights:

On the Holiday Blues:
- "Make a payback visit where you go to someone who helped you a lot and give them a thank-you gift. Research shows that these steps help create happiness."--- well, if research shows it, it MUST be true....thanks Einsteins.

- " 'It has been scientifically documented that exercise stimulates the endorphins, which send a calming effect throughout our bodies.' Plus, you might meet someone cute and available at the gym."
---- the P.S. is the one that just kills me...."now kids, do not, under any circumstances, go to the gym unless there is a possibility of meeting someone cute and available. make SURE about the last part because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, now do we?"....haha. what a scream! to say nothing of the "scientifically documented" part.


and last, but not least.....this Christmas, make sure that your travel plans are made complete with your new and improved.....*drum roll please*.......Find sexy bartenders in 20 major cities Guide!!!

see? the internet is proof that if one looks hard enough, one doesn't need Mastercard to have fun. =)

Merry Christmas!!!

HOME!!!!!!!!!!!

dearest readers.....

well, i don't have much to say about my last post. that was just overall really....weird.

however, on a VERY positive note.......

I'M GOING HOME IN ONLY ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now, to some that may not sound like a big deal.....but believe me when i say: it IS.
not only am i going home to wonderful CATHOLIC traditions and fun parties/celebrations, but i am also going to enjoy a mini reunion at Corie's and Joe's wedding!!!!!

needless to say.....my Stoke-tation has gone WAAAAAAAY beyond the legal limits. =)

and now i leave you with this pleasant thought : Norah Jones rocks my socks off. seriously.....she's just about the most underrated great artist of today. i'm completely head-over-heels in love with her first CD. timeless.

ok. goodnight. oh, and Happy Feast of Saint Lucy!

So...I Flipped Out Today....Again.

Dear all,
as i realized that my last post was QUITE long, i'm going to try and be better with this one. i don't know about you....but long posts generally discourage me. so.....here's to a hopefully short post: Cheers!

hmmm....how to begin.....hmm. well, it was such a shocker that i guess i'll just come right out and say it. Today i was completely startled when, this morning at breakfast, Ruthie(the lady i take care of, not my sister) asked me if my mom had a boyfriend. the comment and my subsequent short burst of "NO! of COURSE NOT!!" made me stop and think about that scene. it was NOT pleasant in the least, let me assure you. but then again.....i had literally NEVER thought about it. the idea that my mom COULD even date and marry again was just never an option. at least to me. it never even occured to me that it was even possible. and now i find that i can't stop thinking about that possibility and what i would do if it ever happened. which, for the record, i don't think it will. i mean....it hasn't even been a year since my dad passed away, and yet to someone like Ruthie, that wasn't a problem. i mean.....she acted like it was so matter of fact and feasible. of course....when i was thinking about it later, i felt bad because i really DID flip out on her. and she was only asking a question that was very natural to her.

this is SO surreal.

i mean...when she said that, not only was i startled, but i then found myself upset by the very idea that it COULD possibly happen! and then i found myself wondering what the heck i would ever do if that DID happen, and if i would EVER be ok with it! *WHEW!* what a load of stress!

i just don't know what to make of it. my MOM dating again??? being married to someone other than my dad??? HAVING another "dad"?? no WONDER kids are SO screwed up in today's society!!!! man, having to deal with this on an consistant basis would drive me NUTS!!

anywho.....that's really all i have to say. i'm just so flustered. and i apologize for this random post, but i needed to get it out of my system. hmmm....

I Love Catholic Decembers =)

Dear All....

i love....i simply LOVE being Catholic in December. it is such a RICH month for feasts!! i don't know about all "ya'll" (haha...HAD to throw that in.= )), but for my family we have special traditions for most all of them. We start out with the Eve of St. Nicholas, which for my family was almost as exciting as waiting for Christmas! i mean, not really, but....you know what i mean. it was exciting. and we would all make sure that we were home that night(at least when we were younger) because "St. Nick" (a family friend) would visit us and read off our names from this LOOOONNG list and then give us a tiny present(nothing special, really....it was just the thought, mostly) and a little bag of those wonderful gold chocolate coins. and that was just the beginning! then when we were ready for bed, we would put our shoes out on our stairs(of course we would always try to find the BIGGEST shoe we had!) =) and the next morning it would be filled with MORE chocolate coins and other candy and usually a book(that's my mom for ya!). And of course this feast day always coincided with my dad and sibling's birthday! Andrew's is on the 5th, and then Ruthie's and Dad's are on the 6th. so those two days were just FILLED with celebrating! =)

then.....right when we catch our breath from St. Nicholas day.....POW! we're hit with another feast day: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception! now, my family always went to Mass(because we HAVE to....=) ) but other than that, we never really did anything special as celebration of this day, and yet i've always felt really special on this day. i can't really explain it, but i love it just the same! =)

following that feast day we're hit only FOUR days later with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! i remember in college (especially my first two years) we would do something really pro-life that day and commemorate it specially with that. i love the story behind this feast day. my mom has different story versions and i would just sit and read them all and it still fascinates me to this day!

now, i don't know if any of you celebrate St. Lucy's feast day(which is the day after Guadalupe), but i had the American Girl doll, Kirstin, and in one of her books it tells how they would celebrate this feast with the eldest daughter dressing in a white gown with a wreath of candles on her head, and she would get up really early and bake hot cross buns and serve the rest of the family in bed. so....my mom decided to start doing that and it started with my oldest sister, and then it went to me! and my first few years doing it, i remember getting so excited! i would get up around 3 or 4am, and start the dough.....let it rise....and then bake it and serve it to everyone in bed! i loved it....and i felt so honored to have such a job! of course, with us....it was cinnamon rolls(man, i would LOVE some right now) and after a while i lost interest, which kinda bothers me now. i wish i had kept it up. *sigh*.....ce la vie!

and throughout it all we're in Advent preparing for the birth of our LORD!!!! i mean, how amazing....when you just sit down and think about it...we are SO blessed!

of course, my family being my family....we ALWAYS wait until Christmas Eve, or the day before Christmas Eve to get our tree. and then we put it up and the whole family decorates it and the rest of our house, and we put up our stockings and the presents under the tree.....and when our fireplace worked, my dad would build a fire and we would turn all the lights in the house off, except the ones on the tree, and just sit and look at it all. maybe drink some hot chocolate. usually the 22nd is the baking day, while the 23rd is the cleaning day. the 24th is decorating and getting ready for Midnight Mass, and the 25th is CELEBRATION!!! gosh, i simply LOVE this time of year!

and it doesn't even end there! the 26th is St. Stephen's day(my brother's feast day) so we usually have a nice dinner for that and before we know it there's still New Year's Eve and Day and then Epiphany to top it off!

yep. i LOVE being Catholic in December....=)

ps. what are some of YOUR family traditions for this time of year?

Which Jane Austen Heroine are you?

Dear Female Readers....ENJOY!!
i took this quiz that my sister sent me and here are my results! it was lots of fun, i recommend it for procrastinating! =) unfortunately, the blogger thing wouldn't let me copy and paste it all, so here's what i could get. see below for the link if you want to take it yourselves!

You scored as Elizabeth Bennet.

You're Elizabeth Bennet! Witty, intelligent, and cynical, you're the heroine most people want to be like.
Elinor Dashwood
70%
Elizabeth Bennet
70%
Anne Elliot
70%
Catherine Morland
65%
Emma Woodhouse
65%
Marianne Dashwood
55%
Fanny Price
45%


Which Jane Austen heroine are you?

Are Liberal Arts Degrees Better?

dear readers.....

so, just to give you a little of my morning routine....

i usually wake up around 7:30 or 8am, depending on whether Ruth has therapy or not. and on non-therapy days i get the luxury of checking my email first thing, after i get her breakfast. i know, i know, i'm so blessed.=)

but anywho, the point is that my opening page is msn.com. and normally there is nothing interesting so i scroll down to the entertainment part. because that's ALWAYS entertaining. i mean, that's the whole point, right?

but today was different. today they actually had something worth reading! REJOICE, ALL YE MSN READERS!!! and Ave Alumni!!! for today they had an article about liberal arts degrees, which was, in my opinion, pretty good. so, for those of you whom i've now gotten interested and curious......go here: http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Departments/elearning/?article=liberalarts&GT1=8847

your time won't be wasted.=)
more later.......perhaps.

So much for "Snow".....

hello dear ones.....
ok, so today is better, but there is no snow. pooh. however, i got really excited because i discovered the Galleria in Dallas. not only is this one of the most GINORMOUS malls i've ever seen(i'm talking NIIICE stores), but it also boasts an ice-skating rink in the middle of it with a HUGE tree right in the center!!!!! cool, no? so, now i am finding hope in the midst of such....sniff.....trash.=) it's not even that far away, which makes it that much more appealing. however, considering my history with ice-skating...i am a little wary still. but who cares??? let us throw caution to the winds!

so anyways....i'm spending the weekend at UD. and today is good. i LOVE just waking up with nothing to do and taking my time to wake up. i guess that's ONE good thing about graduating.=)


i'm so excited to come home. really i am.

it's COLD. here. NOW.

wow....i never thought i would have such mixed feelings about cold weather!!
it is now currently snowing down here and we're in the middle of what the weather people keep referring to as an "Arctic Blast". stupid texans. whatever. anywho, the point is, is that in the last 24 hours we have gone from 79 degrees and balmy to 38 degrees and raining, which then turned into ice and sleet, which has now ended up as snow. SNOW, PEOPLE!!!!! that was a guaranteed NO down here!!! and in ONE day?? man, i thought MI was bad, but it is lookin' like a paradise compared to *this* place. (please note my disdain). well, i guess now my disgust with this place is COMPLETE. shooot, if this is the way it's gonna be, i might has well move back home. but then i would be out of a job. a sweet job at that. hmmm.....ok, FINE. i'll stay this one out and be a trooper. but that does NOT alter my disgust with this Spanish-speaking, hot-to-FREEZING, BORING state that is Flat and Ugly. and i mean, C'MON.....does anyone REALLY care that it's big? yep, that's what i thought. i hear nothing. well, at least the land is Flat and Ugly. the sky is the only pretty thing here. and that's nothing special because we share it with everyone else.

man, i'm so disillusioned.

i can't wait for Christmas.....at least i'll know what to expect!

Thanksgiving Memories....

ok, so it's a little in the reverse order. but enjoy!! and read below for the whole story.=)
as always....i'm thankful for all of you!!

Oh BOY am I Thankful!!!

Hey all!
first off, i would like to extend a VERY belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I hope everyone was with family or good friends and that you were all able to stuff your faces with good food. =)
now to get down to MY world....seeing as most of you are half a nation away, and the life up there is VASTLY (and that's in a good way) different from down here.
for example.....my thanksgiving was spent in Houston, where the whole weekend it was in the 70's and sunny! we actually spent the night after thanksgiving in the Syversen's hot tub. with wine. and good music, games and friends. and then we roasted marshmallows over a fire. i mean, really.....can you get any better than that? "I submit that it CANNOT!"

but i'm getting ahead of myself. allow me to backtrack.

Wednesday was a crazy day, with us trying to leave right after Sean's class at 6pm. it was also Meghan's birthday(HAPPY 23rd, O old one!) so i sneaked in a cake to take down with us(unbeknownst to her, and which no one really ate once we got there) and we picked up dinner and were on the highway by 7pm. Luckily for us, it was a straight shot down I-45 S, so we didn't get lost. *phew!* so, la-de-da....down the highway we roamed. we had to sidetrack a little to pick up John Fox from the airport, and it was soo good to see him again!! i didn't realize how much i actually missed him!

*a moment for everyone to appreciate John Fox's awesomeness*

anywho, so by the time we got to the Syversens' house it was around midnight. and then we had so much talking to do that we didn't get to bed until around 2:30 or 3am. and God bless them, the Syversens got up to go to 9AM Mass the next day (as was their tradition)....and we all slept in. it was funny because i had every intention of going to Mass with them, but my body quickly smacked some sense into me. i didn't wake up until 11am. which was early compared to everyone else.

Thanksgiving Day: the actual day was amazing. Dagny did most of the cooking because her mom had to take care of a cousin(whatever, long story). so i helped her make pies and mash potatoes and it was SOOOOO nice!!!! we had such a good time, just hanging out and talking over the food. believe me....there is NO better way to catch up.=) anywho, we ended up eating around 4:30/5pm and it was amazing. i wish you could have heard Brigid and Meghan and Sean. they were all so not used to real cooking that they were limitless in their praises. then came Scrabble and dessert. all in all.....a very amazing day!
the rest of the weekend was incredible too....it was one of those awesomely relaxing weekends that just kept getting better instead of slowing down. and on Saturday night after Mass(because we were leaving Sunday morning) Meghan and I went to visit my Aunt Celine and Uncle Mark and the rest of the kids went to the movies. it was by far the BEST weekend down here. (it might've passed even our girl's night!) anywho....my picture uploader is being really stupid so you guys will just have to wait. or check Facebook. whichever you prefer!

So...I've Been Thinking....

i know....quite the shocker, huh? but i have, so here ya go.

1). in spite of all the advances i've made(and we all know they've been "SOOOOO" many [insert sarcastic eye roll here]) i've found that there is still a very DAUNTING amount for me to learn.
2). i've been watching ALOT of movies and tv....i think i need to read more, any suggestions?
3). i never knew i could miss my family so much.
4). i am SO thankful that i'm Catholic and actually have traditions.
5). i wish i had taken more advantage of my dad when i had the chance.
6). good chats with friends are HIGHLY overrated too much and shouldn't be at all.
7). the shame of this Saturday's game is unbearable at times....especially with no kindred spirit to lean on.
8). has it already been 6 MONTHS since i graduated? wow.....tempus really does fugit.
9). go here: http://www.endofworld.net/ . it is a bit crass, but HYSTERICAL.
10). i think i think too much at times. and then not enough at times. *sigh* is there ever a medium that i can agree on with myself?

ok. i'm done. and way too emotional to be awake still. so good night.

"I like them FRESH."- Nov. 4th weekend

haha. i laugh just looking at the title. :-) anywho, you're all probably wondering why. well, i'll tell you and yes, you can consider this "special information". =)
Friday: friday was good. and i mean chillaxin-to-the-max good. probably the best good i've had in TX. (mind you, OK is not TX). anywho, it was all on account of a certain wittle bear who needed to celebrate a certain wonderful special birthday. so we did. oh boy, did we.
i picked up the girls(Meggie and Bwiggy) and we headed to downtown Dallas to the *POSH*(or at least, POSH-by-our-standards) Magnolia Hotel. since we had only gotten one room, megs and brigid went in first while i drove around. once they were settled in they called me and we got valet(!) service. oh man.....the luxury. at any rate....we snuck(or is it sneaked?) me inside and enjoyed our room for a few minutes and then set out to find some food. sidetracked in our search by the AWESOME plaza area, we took a break and shot some photos. gorgeous of course.
i had seen a bar and grill close by, so we walked over to it only to find out it was CLOSED. at 8PM ON A FRIDAY!!! who does that??!?!?!? needless to say....angry, frustrated, cold and annoyed we walked a little further on and discovered a quaint italian place. it was so charming! and the prices were right, so in we walked. i only wish the whole world could experience our waiter, Michael. he was definitely an enigma. as in a completely fascinating and hilarious riddle. he was just too.....him. you'll just have to go there when you come visit me. ;-) anywho, Michael was NOTHING compared to our crazy, Albanian owner guy. please see above. i think he was just VERY Albanian, which might include being intoxicated, or Albanian AND intoxicated. at any rate, he was very nice(poor Brigid, he kept touching her shoulder and crossing all of the brigid-boundaries) and gave her a free dessert. as you can see though.....both girls were a little more than uncomfortable. ;-)
after dinner we walked back to our hotel and then put on our bathrobes---and here i must digress to explain the title. our room was only for two people so to explain the need for 3 robes, Meghan told room service that she needed another one because she "likes them fresh". HAHA. oh my gosh, when i heard that she actually said that to them i just about died laughing. anywho, on to the rest of the story--- and proceeded to the sauna/workout room. now, we were kinda forced to use the sauna because our original plan was to relax in their hot tub. but alas....it closed at the stupid hour of 10pm. i mean, seriously....who does that? but whatever, the exercise room was fun and the sauna can only be explained as below:
Meghan and Brigid: "Mona, come on in!"
Mona: "ummm....guys, i'm a little claustrophobic"
*tries anyways* 30 seconds later....
Mona: *rushes out* "Ok, i can't breathe....i can't breathe." -tries to breathe deeply-
Meghan and Brigid: "oh c'mon....you get used to it if you'd only stay a little longer."
Mona: *big breathe* "ok, i'll try it for a little longer."
Inside the sauna...
Mona: *panting* "ummm...guys? i still can't breathe and i'm really hot and slightly hysterical because i can't see the door." -rushes out-
Mona: "ok.....i'm done."
Meghan and Brigid: -coming out- "ok....we're done too."

i seriously went in and out of that sauna about 4 or 5 times trying to give it a try. *sigh* sometimes people should just listen to me when i say i'm claustrophobic. that's the whole idea of phobias......they are NOT rational by any means, so there's no use trying to reason with someone who has one. nonetheless....the experience was fun overall.

anywho, it was fun and then we went back to our room and watched part of "Sin City".
*note to readers : DO NOT EVER, EVER watch that movie. there is NOTHING good about it and it's really ridiculously gross. and i mean RIDICULOUSLY grotesque. sick, actually. anywho, after we decided that it wasn't indeed EVER going to get better, we turned it off and i was so desperate to rid my mind of those images that i bought a movie from the hotel services and we watched "Step Up".....a much better movie in my opinion. and then we drifted off to sleep. hotel beds are nice. but not nearly as nice when you have disturbing images STILL dancing through your head. i dunno. ccchhh. whatever.
anywho.....the next morning we went down in our pajamas and bathrobes(heck YES we were gonna get ALL the wear outta those things!) and enjoyed our continental breakfast by the fire. *long and deep sigh*.....why doesn't EVERY hotel offer a warm fire? i mean, C'MON! they would probably double their guests in a heartbeat! it was glorious. and i mean glorious in a snuggle-into-your-robe-with-your-hot-coffee-and-muffins-in-front-of-a-fire glorious. alas......all good things must come to an end. and so we went out with a bang! woah....calm down. i didn't mean literally....we had valeted(can that be used in verb form?) our car the night before, so we had to wait in the sitting room or whatever you call it for the valet to drive our car up to the door! it was so.....POSH. i think we all drove away feeling like a million dollars and feeling like we had been there a week! by far one of the best weekends down here.
oh....and P.S. .......: Sorry this is SO overdue!!! Mea Culpa.

A Request; An Answer; Reprimanded?

Dear "blue view" readers.... *insert princess wave*
Alas. if only it were so. Today finds me more of a Cinderella back at her workplace after the ball, than a Princess. *sigh* life's funny quirks. To stop beating around the bush....here's the scoop: this past wednesday thru sunday were amazing.

no, i'm serious.....AMAZING.

first, on wednesday, my dear friend Marissa Mayo(whom i haven't really hung out with in 2 years!!) flew into Dallas. she arrived around 9pm, which promptly became 4AM before either of us were in bed. totally worth it, btw. anywho, then on thursday night, my darling friend Catherine Graveline(whom i couldn't do without) flew in and we spent yet another late night catching up. AGGHHH!!!! the catastrophe of graduating college and moving on with your life is that there is just SO MUCH to catch up on when you DO actually get to see your friends! you go from telling them all the minute details of your humdrum daily routine to overall big events that have formed your life thus far. not cool.....not cool. but necessary, unfortunately. however, i digress.
The whole reason that both girls flew in was for miss Katherine Bugos, now Fugikawa, 's wedding!!! we drove up early friday morning and picked up Jacob and Mary Blanchard on the way. WHAT A DAY! we arrived in Oklahoma(and yes, the winds really do SWEEP down the plains) at Bugos' house just in time to catch the end of the Greased Hog contest. i have no idea, so don't ask. we stayed there for a little while, while also meeting up with even more Ave people, old and new. or should i say MI and FL? whatever....

anywho, from there we progressed to our hotel where we were all pleasantly surprised that it was ALOT nicer than we were anticipating. and now i can truly boast that i stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. *hehe* then it was time for the bridal party and family to go to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner while us non-bridal guests did whatever we wanted. i think i napped.;-P
Friday evening was the girls-only, "intimate apparel" party. and that's all i'm gonna say about that one. another late night and then it was the BIG DAY!!! the cool thing was that the wedding ceremony wasn't until 7pm, so we had literally all day to chill and get ready in a very relaxed way. i did Katherine's nails and ended up doing 4 of the 6 bridesmaids' hair. which turned out very nicely if i do say so myself. everyone thought i should go into cosmotology....who knows? it might just happen....i really do have so much fun doing hair. alas...i digress yet again.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful and everyone just looked lovely and sooo happy! and i had an amazing new dress which, can make any event more fun!(see facebook.com for pictures) the wedding was small but it didn't seem small because the majority of people there were Ave-ites. just like old times. the DJ was very good, quite possibly one of the best i've seen at weddings. the reception ended at midnight and we then took the party to the hotel conference room(it was more like a small party room) and ended there somewhere around 2:30 or 3am. when all's said and done i had more wine than i've ever had, followed by about 3 mixed drinks and my body was so thoroughly exhausted from dancing and the previous sleep-little nights that i didn't even make it into my bed. our room had a couch where i collapsed and didn't wake up until early the next morning just in time to get my stuff together, say hurried goodbyes, brush my teeth and take off. needless to say, my liver was screaming at me because i had forgotten to drink water before i collapsed. not a good idea. but at any rate....it was amazing. i got to see so many faces that i haven't seen in 2 or 3 years! it was just like a mini my-class reunion....*sigh*..... fantabulous.

anywho, that's not where the story ends. it is, rather, just the beginning....

the real story was when i woke up this morning(Tuesday) and was reprimanded. oh the shame. not that it was my fault in particular....but nonetheless...i was ashamed.
Wednesday day, before Marissa came in, Ruthie(the lady i take care of) wanted to change the dining room tablecloth and put on a nice asian runner for our guests. so we did. well, yesterday morning(monday) Ruthie choked a little on her cereal and ended up spitting it out. all over her runner. which, i was informed today, cost them $1,000 and is pure silk imported from Asia, directly. oops? yeah. i felt so... little. i mean, i couldn't know that she would choke and spit out her food(she's rarely choked that much), but i should have had the sense to move the runner out of her eating area. dyoi! i'm so oblivious. then they have these non-stick pots and pans that can't be stacked upon each other and guess who stacked them without knowing that? yessir....that would be yours truly. so at this point i am feeling VERY humbled and a little worse for the wear...when he stops. *phew!* boy, was i glad to have that over with! i mean, he wasn't blaming me, but he was just letting me know for future reference. i, with my oversensitive guilt complex, just felt really bad. anywho, the request was from Emily Herbel for an Update....the answer is above, and now you have the Reprimand. my time is finished.
in other news.....life is good. although i could always use some prayers. and pray for Megs and Brigid too because this week is their hardest week in their Junior Poets class and they're pretty much going crazy.
and to all of you who have my cell number.....feel free to call!!! i usually have lots of down time and would LOVE to hear what's going on with you! i miss you all dearly and can't wait to see you again! with much love....i'm outtie!

Picture Fest

My Mom andBrothers....
The divas...
my goofy niece...
tooo much '80s i'd say....
it's called the princess wave, people.

WOTD: Propaedeutic

hello all!
the Word Of The Day: propaedeutic • \proh-pih-DOO-tik\ • noun : preparatory study or instruction.
i thought this was SO suitable seeing as my job is a propaedeutic to marriage and raising kids. "How?" one might ask....well, i spend my days catering to the whims(and they most often are whims) of a woman. don't get me wrong....i absolutely LOVE my job and what i do. it's just that i was thinking about it and, because of circumstances being what they are, Ruthie has become alot more childlike in her needs, thus putting me as her caregiver into role of mother.
Not that i mind.
However, it has given me so much more respect and admiration for the role of mothers. Readers: you need to call your mother right after you read this and thank her for all that she has done. i mean, just think about it good and hard.....what exactly has your mother given up, gone out of her way for you?
this past week has been a doozie. it never rains, but pours.
how true.
On Monday, Charles messed up his knee(or rather, his knee is messed up from something that happened 40 years ago in the military). at any rate, it started acting up again. On Tuesday, it was Charles' and Ruth's 36th wedding anniversary(WHOOHOOO!!) and Charles' knee was worse. which ended up making me the chauffeur for the evening. and it's not that it was awkward or anything....i had just woken up that morning with a sore throat and just frankly didn't want to go out to dinner with them. now, here comes the mother part: i did anyways because they needed me to, and i knew how much Ruthie wanted to go. and let me tell you.....sacrifice is HARD, dang it! but it ended up being fun and they really appreciated it, so i guess it was worth it. well, Wednesday my sore throat had turned into a full-fledged cold, and today, Thursday, Charles went and had an MRI done on his knee and my regular cold turned into a head cold. and so i leave you with one question:
If you HAD to pick one or the other....which would you choose: runny or stuffy nose?

my AMAZINGLY ADORABLE neice...Evelyn.

my ridiculously goodlooking neice, Evelyn, and nephew, Josh. what more can i say? good genes must run in the family. :-)





enough said? i think so. she's a keeper, i think. :-) that last one is quite possibly my absolute FAVORITE.

"You Were Bought With A Price..."

So.....thanks to Brigid who is hot and awesome, i now recieve the daily reading, psalm, and gospel by email. it's called The Daily Gospel and it's awesome!!! you should all get it. i highly recommend it. anywho, it also has a commentary by a saint on either the readings or the gospel and today's commentary was by St. Thomas Aquinas. (apparently he actually said something worthwhile) :-) anywho....it struck me alot so i'm now passing it on to you! Enjoy:

- Saint Paul said: “May I never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Gal 6:14) See, says Saint Augustine, where the wise according to the world believed he had found shame, the apostle Paul discovered a treasure; what to the other seemed folly, for him became wisdom (1 Cor 1:17f.) and a title of glory.
For each person draws glory from what makes him great in his own eyes. If he believes that he is a great person because he is wealthy, he glories in his goods. The person who sees greatness for himself only in Jesus Christ, places his glory in Jesus alone. That is the case for the apostle Paul: “The life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me.” (Gal 2:20) Also, he glories only in Christ, and above all in the cross of Christ. That is because all the motives for glory that a person might have are gathered together in the cross.
There are people who glory in the friendship of the great and powerful. Paul needed only the cross of Christ to discover there the most obvious sign of God’s friendship. “It is precisely in this that God proves his love for us: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) No, there is nothing that shows better God’s love for us than the death of Christ. Saint Gregory exclaimed: “Oh inestimable testimony of love! In order to redeem the slave, you handed over the Son.”

WOW, huh? talk about food for thought.

She did it!!!

ok everyone.....BIG NEWS: Ruthie got into her bed by herself!!! i know to many that doesn't seem like a big deal, but when your whole right half of your body doesn't work....than it takes ALOT to heave it into bed. we've only been going to therapy at this new place for about a month now, so this is HUGE. i am SO geeked. it's such a good feeling to know that one's hard work is really paying off. and she got so excited!!! it was adorable. by the way.....Ruthie is the lady i take care of, down here in Texas(just in case you forgot and were wondering who the heck i was talking about). ok, that's all for now.......i'll post more later today i promise!!! ciao!

Sunsets: Confession: Shopping: WONDER

*BIG SIGH*. today was wonderful. and i mean, WONDER-FULL and WONDERFUL. it was just one of those fabulous days where you're just happy to be alive. almost to the point where you get an adrenaline rush just thinking about it. Last night was Michael's(Sean's roommate) birthday party. his friends were sad, to say the least, but that's another post, another day. The point is that i didn't go to sleep until 4:30AM, and thus didn't wake up until about 12:30pm today. it was marvelous. i felt so slept-in....even though it ended up only being 8 hours. and then i was able to watch an episode of "What Not To Wear".....and frankly, that makes my day. it's probably a little pathetic, but very true. i'm a very simple person....it doesn't take much to make me happy. (right, Brigid?) ;-)
At any rate, after my show, i proceeded to get ready and then headed to UD for confession. the drive was magnificent. i was cruising down the highway, with the sun shining, the windows down, and Michael Buble in the CD player. I ask you....can life get any better than that? Confession was wonderful. it was the kind of confession where you actually feel washed new and so clean and makes you tear up. it was amazing. After confession, Brigid, Megs and I went to TJ Maxx to go purse/bag shopping. We stopped at Potbelly and got sandwiches for lunch and then went to the Maxx and Megs and i both found fabulous purses!!! well, i found two, and they were so worth it! anywho, on our way back we stopped at Starbucks and then Sean's apt, which was on the way home, and hung out with him for a bit. i let brigid drive back from shopping and i think that pretty much made her month. ;-) at any rate....i dropped the girls off so they could start studying, and then on my way home i stopped at this scrapbooking warehouse and got some scrapbooking stuff. this place was AWESOME!!! one could very easily spend hundreds of dollars there, no problem. but i was a good girl and restrained myself.:-) although i did sign up for a beginner's class that's free. i figured...."Hey! why not?" it couldn't hurt, right? and then i came home. it was just.....perfect. i'll post pictures on my next post so you can see what i'm talking about with the sky and whatnot. they really have completely different clouds here. i've NEVER seen such amazing clouds!!! i've come to the conclusion that Texas would be the perfect place to be in love, because the days are spectacular(VERY conducive for picnics and whatnot) and the nights are AMAZING(perfect for an evening stroll), that make you want to be with someone just so you can experience it together. and it's so wide open that you feel like you can soar! yep. Dallas is the place to be in love. ok, that's enough for now. it's getting late and i have a pretty full day tomorrow. i miss you all so very dearly(i only wish you knew how much!), i think about each of you daily and reminisce with a smile. God has truly blessed me WAY beyond my comprehension when He gave me all of you for friends. He is truly AWEsome and Good. God bless you all in all that you're doing, and have a wonderful night!

Oblivion or Just Plain Ignorance?

Oh dear dear.....not even a whole month here and i've already displayed my very "blue" obliviousness. I do wish that sometimes my blonde, white side wouldn't venture out until i was in places for at least a month. Do let me explain....
It all started with that dang, not-quite-so-young adult group that i attended and got lured into. This past Saturday(9th) they had a End-of-Summer dance, and so I thought, "well, i can't lose anything and i love to dance, so why not check it out?". Little did i know what was in store for me. I knew that the members of the group that i had met weren't exactly my age or even close to it, but i thought that they might be more successful in recruiting for a dance, and maybe i would get lucky and find some actual young adults there. Oh. My. GOSH. I walked in there that night, all prettied up, and i felt like i was walking into a Senior Citizen Reunion!!!! MOST of the people there, besides the male population being WAY understated, were WELL(and i mean WELL) over the age of 40. I would say that the average age was late 4o's to early 60's. Believe me, had i not signed up to volunteer the food table, i wouldn't even have stayed. and then, i would have left right after my slot was over, but i figured, "hey, i spent $10 gettin' in here, i love to dance anyways.....might as well try and have some fun". and there were a FEW people there who were around my age. so i stayed. Not such a bright idea. the first guy that asked me to dance was probably one of the nicest older men i've met down here, and he was the kind of guy that asks all the ladies to dance. nothing there romantically, thank God. but when he came up and asked me to dance, he was literally DRENCHED(and i mean...DRENCHED) in sweat. GROSS!!!!! i mean, he knew it and apologized accordingly, but still!! so i barely touched his shoulder with the tips of my fingers as we danced, and even then i came away with a whole forearm covered. it was REPULSIVE. but that was only the beginning:
The REAL Story.
after Mr. Drenched finished dancing with me, i went and sat down for a rest. and then it happened. Mr. Russian guy came over and asked me to dance. again, he was a really nice guy, but he was WELL into his 40's and had a really heavy Russian accent that made it really hard for me to understand what he was saying. at any rate, we danced and he told me that i was an amazing dancer and really had a gift. which was really nice, and i thanked him for it. and while we were dancing he asked me how old i was and i told him that i was 22. to which he replied, "Oh good, you're legal." "hmm, that's an odd remark.", i thought, but just brushed it off. i just thought maybe he was making sure it was ok for me to be there(b/c they were serving alcohol, you had to be 21 to attend). so....whatever. and then we proceed to dance a few more songs together and then i told him i needed a break and went and sat down and drank my coke. (Note: i didn't want to drink alcohol, because i needed to be able to drive home, otherwise i would have, believe me!) a few minutes later he comes over and we start chatting. nothing much, just mostly small talk, and he asks me if i like to salsa. to which I replied that i love ALL kinds of dance. so he told me about this place where they have salsa dancing every once in awhile. Now, the way he said it did NOT sound like he was asking me to go with him, it just sounded like he was just letting me know. Enter, obliviousness. anywho, he proceeded to give me the card for the salsa place and then he gave me his card. Oh dear. i was beginning to see it all. how dreadful. and i had already given him my number!!!(he had asked for it so that he could let me know when the salsa was going on.....stupid me). now i was stuck and i didn't know how to get away!!! so i started frantically searching my brain for an excuse to get up and GET OUT. so i told him i was gonna go put the cards in my purse. so i went back, got my purse, put the cards in it and went back to where he was sitting and got my shoes(dumb me, i had taken them off earlier on and left them there). with my shoes now back on my feet, i told him that i had to get going but it was nice to meet him. i held out my hand to give him a handshake and he took it, drew me closer and KISSED me THREE TIMES on the cheek!!!!! AAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!! HELLLO!!!! there is such a thing as personal space and he had just WAY overstepped his boundaries!!!! oh my GOSH it was SO awkward! after that, as i was walking away JUST AS FAST AS I COULD, he called out and said we should have lunch sometime, and i said, "sorry! i work during the day!" so he changed it to dinner and i just shrugged and left QUICKLY.
WHY? WHY do these things happen to me???? it boggles my mind. at any rate....it makes for a good story, i guess. although even at the mere memory of it all i get nauseous. SICK.
in other news, there was an Oktoberfest in Addison(right outside of Dallas) so i went to that yesterday with the mcnallys, meghs, and sean's roommate, michael. it was SPLENDID and exactly what we ALL needed!!! it was this sort of carnival with beer and rides and vendors, and it was FABULOUS!!! and there you have it folks! an update in the life of ME. (which is why we're all here, right?) ;-P

Deep Sigh of Contentment

*deep breath*.....wow. life is so much better when once you've found a normal (and i mean that in the strictest sense) parish to attend. normal parishes really make the idea of "universality" true. normal is good. so.....after my appalling experience of a "mass"(see below), i had to go to a later one and so ended up at St. Rita's in Dallas. it is one of the more popular churches in my area and i can see why! it only makes sense that the one normal church that is surrounded by kooks is the most popular! at any rate, the whole experience was SO(i cannot emphasize that enough) refreshing that i just went through that Mass with the biggest sense of relief. yay for St. Rita's!!! now mind you, it wasn't Assumption Grotto by any means.....but at least it was valid. and licit. life is very good at the moment.
in other news.....i am VERY excited because in a few days i will be united with my roomie, megs, and the mcnally siblings!!!! megs comes in on friday and the mcnally duo joins us on saturday. it will be SO awesome to have familiar faces around me again. i cannot wait!!!! and then on sunday i get to go home and see my family!!! very very cool and very excited. ok, gotta go to bed. tomorrow's a full day with P.T and O.T in the morning and then lunch with Mari, Ruth and Charles' daughter. cheerio!

WOW. and i thought it couldn't get worse...

hello dear readers!!!
i know you must all be so surprised that i've written so much right after the other, but things need to get off my chest and this is the best way to do it, short of yelling and screaming to my wall. needless to say, i think you would appreciate it and sympathize with me more than my wall. AGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEVER in my ENTIRE life have i been subjected to such an AWFUL experience! i thought St. Mark's was bad, but THis!!!! St. Philip's definitely takes the cake!!! it wasn't even MASS! it was completely illegitimate, illicit, and disgusting!! AGGGHHHH!!!!!!! *Deep Breath* ok, i'm going to calm down. *another DEEP BREATH*. so, this morning i decided to try another church, St. Philip's, because St. Mark's just didn't cut it for me.(see previous post). so, i walk in and start to get a little nervous when i see signs, not for "CHURCH", but for "WORSHIP CENTER". bad feelings arise..... and then i see the inside. oh dear. it was one of those circle churches that couldn't decide on a center focal point and so decided to make the seats go all around. and there were no kneelers.....again. the seating was in a sort of stadium setting, so i guess it would be good if a concert or game were going on. so i, deciding to be calm until absolutely pushed, went in and got a seat. i didn't genuflect because there wasn't a tabernacle of ANY sorts IN SIGHT!!!! i couldn't find ANYTHING!!!! whatever. so then i decided to kneel and say my prayers before mass. that was the beginning and the end of any good experience for me at that church. the opening of the mass(if you could call it that) was confusing and all over the place. but then it got familiar as the readings started. and that part of the mass was fine. then came the homily. i couldn't decide if it was when the priest said "we don't come to mass primarily to adore Christ, but to nourish ourselves" or when he said "people who do not try and sing, or who kneel when the rest of the community stands during the eucharistic prayer, are not simple people(taken from the 1st reading about lady wisdom who calls those who are simple)", that did it for me. i think i would have to go with the first quote. correct me if i'm wrong, but i thought that adoration of Christ should be our PRIMARY goal and focus of EVERY action and thought throughout our day!!!! ESPECIALLY the Mass, which is His gift of Himself to us!!!!! how could not our Primary point in attending BE but to adore Him!?!?!?!?!! GOSH! C'mon!!! well, i thought it couldn't get any worse. until i saw the white wine and the thick tortillas that they used for the consecration. which i didn't see until after they had consecrated it. "WOW." i thought, "it can't get any worse than that!" and you might agree with me. but then came what i guess you would have to call "child eucharistic ministers". ENOUGH is ENOUGH!!!! so that was the block that broke the camel's back. i got up and, for the first time in my life..... i left.
ok, i'm done. thanks for bearing with me and hopefully my next experience will be better as i try to find a glimmer of faith in this God-forsaken state. you know.....excluding my run-ins with the churches.....everything else has been WONDERFUL! God-willing, i'll find a church that is at least reasonable, if not awesome. but we'll shoot for the awesome. ciao!

"NEW"

ok, so, you move and all of a sudden there is only NEW. new people, new experiences, new bedroom, new food(which is VERY good, i might add), new feelings, new confidence.....someone should be BANKing on this stuff!! :-) anywho, I've been in Dallas now for about a week and i'm LOVING it. Charles and Ruth, the couple that i work for(ruth is the lady i take care of), are so generous and fun to be around. ruthie is so easy to take care of, and so accepting and loving....it's AWESOME. last saturday she and i went to the new dance movie, Step Up, and we both loved it! she, surprisingly enough, loved the music and the dancing!!!!(she is really hilarious when it comes to that) :-). she owns the movie Chicago, which should give you a good idea.:-) and last night i had my first night out and went to this young adults group dinner and discussion thing. which, in all reality, is a not-so-young adult group getting together to discuss certain topics. i don't know if it was desperation for anyone younger than 50 to talk to that made me like it, or whether it was just good, but at any rate.....i had fun. i met this other woman who was semi-new to the group too and we ended up talking about whatever things for about 1 1/2- 2 hours after the discussion was over. and i found out that she takes ballroom lessons at this place really similar to the dance revolution studio(where we had Moni's dance party) so i'm gonna start going to that, and i was SOOOO excited to learn about that, because i've been wanting to get really started in lessons for AWHILE now!!! so YAY!!!! and the group is having a pool party this saturday that i think i'm gonna go to, so we'll see what happens! which leaves me having to find a new church for this sunday.....last week's experience shall NOT be recreated.
The Church Experience: yes, i actually need a new paragraph to describe this. this past sunday i went to St. Mark's Church in Denton and it was AWFUL. not as bad as other "masses" i've been to, but it was pretty bad. first, i walk in and there are no kneelers. there aren't even any pews!! there's just chairs set up like a freakin' AA meeting. actually, i don't really know what an AA meeting looks like, but at any rate.....oh, and i couldn't see the tabernacle ANYWHERE. i didn't know where to genuflect or what i was genuflecting To!!!! and then the "band" was right up there on the altar. the visiting priest took the cake though. he was just so LAX about everything! it was ridiculous! and his homily(which was mostly stories....i really don't like that) didn't really say anything strictly wrong, but the way he said things made it seem like they could've easily been taken the wrong way. i left there so much more confused about what he thought, than enlightened as to my faith. and then of course he had to ask everyone to hold hands during the our father(which i didn't do), and then there was the typical "greet your neighbor" deal, which, quite frankly....WHY can't that wait until the social afterwards??? oh, that's right! everyone leaves after communion! or right after the blessing! it was just awful. so, it's on to a new experience(let's hope for a good one!) at a new church. i got REALLY(and i mean REALLY) excited because i found that they have a byzantine church not too far away that has divine liturgy!!! God bless the kartause for giving me that experience! ok. i'm done writing. now you can start reading! i miss you all SOOO much and i think about you every day. Keep me updated to your happenings!

BIG move....More Prayers!

Dear Readers, whoever you may still be,
I'm MOVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm moving to Dallas for a job as a home aide to this woman who had a stroke about a year ago. i will be taking care of her while her husband is at work. i am possibly the most excited i've been since highschool graduation! i will be living in their house in my own suite and i would have a car as well. VERY excited about that. and i probably won't have to be buying food either, unless it's special stuff that they wouldn't normally buy, so i'll basically be banking the money that i earn that doesn't go towards loan payments. anywho, i'm very nervous and i won't know any young people down there for a few weeks so if you could all say a prayer for me that would be much appreciated! i'll try and be good about posting all my adventures in my new city! peace out!

Prayer Request

ok....for all you who read this forsaken little blog.....Please pray as hard as possible for John Klobe's dad. They just found out that he does in fact have Lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymph nodes. So.....we need to storm Heaven, and get everyone we know to help us intercede for John and his dad and family. Thanks so much and i'll try and update again soon!

the Uber Uber update

hey everyone! sorry that i haven't posted in awhile. good excuse: i don't have internet! so....every once in awhile i get to use my mom's computer, so here i am!
just so you know what's been going on.....here's the last few months in retrospect:
May: crazy fun living in my very own apt. with megs and waiting for tree to come home.
June: mom's b-day, Jacob and Mary's wedding, my other friend's wedding, Asia's b-day, tons of running around, got a job as a tutor teaching random rules of English and writing to our friend's kids.
July: started out on a very good note going to the wadle's for the 4th! it was....*sigh* Incrediblimissime!!!! sublime awesomeness. got to see old and new ave friends for a few days. will be going to NY for family vacation the day after my birthday....will be 22 in 5 days!!!! weird. and hopefully i'll be going to the Art Fair and a concert when i come back.
For the Fall: i'm looking into nanny or personal assistant jobs in L.A. for a year or two, just for a change of pace and scenery.....so please pray hard and come visit!!!!
ok, gotta run! hope everyone's summers are going well!!!

One More Thing....

The University of Blogging Presents to Mona Williams An Honorary Bachelor of Color Bars Majoring in Self Deprication Signed Dr. GoQuiz.com ®

Username:http://www.go-quiz.com/degree/degree.php">Username:%20name="uname">

Degree
From Go-Quiz.com

BACK . to the FUTURE???

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EVERYONE!!! yes! I"m BACK! and i'm only allowed to speak with exclamation points!!!! this is SO FUN!!!!!! i'm so excited to be back!!!! but, oh NO!!!! i can't update anymore today because i'm already about 3 hours late for cleaning crew!!!!!! GASP!!!!! But DON'T WORRY!!!!! i'll be bACK SOON, I PROMISE!!!!!!!!!! with pictures and a real update of my NEW "Simple Life with Meghan"!!!! goodbye and i'll miss you until tomorrow!!!!!

Overwhelmed?

Are you kidding? I go to Ave Maria College! One does not get overwhelmed there. What? you haven't heard of it??? well....you're not really alone. see those other people over there in darkness? they haven't heard about it either. why am i rambling on?? well, SOMEONE has to do the dirty work......"whatever, I went to college"....

A Tribute, Part 1: Ave

Dear readers, in the past few weeks a subject constantly on my mind has been my beloved Ave. clarification: NOT the hellhole that i reside in currently. No, the REAL Ave Maria College. that wonderful institution that brought so many awesome people together and crammed them into the fishbowl of Ypsitucky. that beloved place where endless good times, laughter, insanity, smokers, and freaks all combined to make it what it was. maybe it was just an ideal, a figment of all of our imaginations. yep, i think i'll go with that. it's easier.:-) anywho, just so that i don't get too serious on you, i'm gonna stop now and let you enjoy the visual feast below.

these are the GOOD times to remember....speaking of which....i had a dream. i know i know....you're excited and of course i'm gonna tell you ALL about it. it was wonderful. it started out with me going to EMU's cafeteria (ohh...the memories!) and all of a sudden i saw the 2 Nicas that i was in Austria with, so i got really excited and went to go say Hi and catch up with them. and then all of a sudden i was looking into the gym and there was all the Ave people who have gone down to florida over the years and they were playing Red Rover. (my favorite childhood game) and i got REALLY excited then and ran to say hi to Dags and Abigail and Marissa and Ann Gagnier and everyone! it was AWESOME!!!! and then, all of a sudden it was like i was surrounded by Ave: Past and Present....everyone who had ever gone to Ave before was surrounding me and i was SO...... Content. and then i woke up to a full day of classes and a paper that's due tomorrow night and not nearly even started. but the memory of that dream.....MAN! is gonna carry a long time in me. anywho, it was very weird, but completely awesome. Good Luck on your papers!!!!

Just call me Joanie!

well, so i know i haven't updated in awhile.....oops. ya'll just need to get used to it though, but thanks for the "friendly" threats. :-) anywho....let's see what i've been up to since i last wrote....oh yes, THE FORMAL!!! (please see above) more pictures soon, i promise, as soon as ms. laina gets them uploaded to her webpage. oh my word!!! what can i say to describe how marvelous it was??? let's just say that it was very worthy of a senior formal....i LOVED it!
anywho, on to other news.....life after the formal is blissfully stressful. but at least it's the right kind of stress(school) rather than the wrong kind(everything else). ok, so i'm completely having a brain fart right now and can't think of anything interesting to say!!! arrghh!! how frustrating! fun news....matt ryan is back in town for the weekend and joe bambenek just had a birthday yesterday and easter is only a week and 2 days away and i get to see Les Miserables on Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gee, i hope that's enough excitement for you. "i'm hysterical! i'm hysterical!.....I'M WET! i'm wet and hysterical!"- for those of you who know what i'm talking about. for the rest of you....too bad. you should watch more TV. ok, i'm outie! actually one more thing.....could you all send HUGE prayers my way?? the next few weeks promise to be HIGHLY stressful school and life-wise. gee thanks!

FINE. HERE YOU GO!

There you go. Happy St. Patty's Day to ye all!!! May the Luck O' the Irish be with all of ye!
Craic! ~ mona:-)

A Moment...

Dear world,
on behalf of me, a sort of copycat-wannabe-A-xi-s member, this happy land of Blue Glasses will devote a moment of Silence to our Dearly Departed: Slobadon Milosovich, who died today at the Age of 64. *tear tear* All i can say is......may God bless him!

Please see this for more info on his life and death.:-) :-) :-)

Coming up: a REAL LIFE POST about me!(what else were you expecting??) and all the happenings in my life thus far since the last post (i know, it can't get any better than this!) So...the moral of the story is---------------------------->>>>>> KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED!!!

outie!!-me

Spring Break: Good Friends: Laughter: Sunny Days

I love laughing. and yes....i'm starting to copycat corwin with the title format because he's just so cool. anywho, this is the first REAL official starting day of Spring Break. (GYIOOO!!!!) i get so excited!!! The Weez came over last night and so did the little Tree, and we had a blast and stayed up WAAAY too late. i think it was close to 5:30am before Weez and i said goodnight, and then it was about 6 or 6:30 when i was finally able to drift off into oblivion. however, today was WONDERMUS!!!! we woke up when we felt like it and then hung around, worked out, showered and went to lunch at Cadys. (btw, they have *excellent* burgers....highly recommend)

some thoughts i had this week and weekend....

1). no matter how bad things can get in your mind....friends, real laughter, and good times can show you that it's only that bad....in your mind.

2). even though there has been ALOT of shit that i've had to experience in the last 4 years, and especially in the last year.....i wouldn't trade this experience for a palace. and, if i had the option, i would do it all over the same way, because of who i am today. So thank you to all for your help getting me here!

3). in the last week i've learned: that it doesn't matter what you're GPA is, or if someone's life appears to be better than yours, or the incessant squabbling over insignificant pennies....but ultimately what matters is, at the end of the day, if you are right with God. and sure, there will be things that you could've done differently, better, or whatever, but you just need to sum it all up and move on from there and learn from it.

4). and now for a lighter note....laughter really is the best medicine. and...."whoever said money can't buy happiness....doesn't know where to shop."

I LOVE SUNNY DAYS!!!! you just feel like you're on top of the world!

so, the moral of the story is....laugh really hard and you might be blessed with nice abs, if you're having a bad day, go into the bathroom and look in the mirror and say...."GYIOOOOO!!!" - trust me, you'll feel better. and whatever you do.....DO NOT LET ANYONE PICK. YOUR. NOSE. it really is not pleasant.* :-)

*uhh....this example is purely such....just an example....the author has absolutely no experience with it, and is going on solely what she hears on the weez-a-radio.

Thank you

Dear all,
I would like to take this post and dedicate it to you, to everyone who has been offering their prayers, support, and comfort. You all(especially at AMC) have shown me the true meaning of friendship and love and i am SO grateful to you all. Thank you also too on behalf of my family, especially the soul of my dad. he only got to meet a few of you, but he always remembered those he had met and he always approved. :-) all of your friendship and prayers have meant the world to me, and i know that i would not have been able to go through this without you all. So again.....Thank you.

Turkey: defined...

Let me explain.....
In the history of my life, in the numerous times that i have gone bowling, i have NEVER been able to achieve a "turkey". A turkey is a HUGE accomplishment in bowling because it means that you had enough skill, or in my case, luck, to get 3 strikes in a row. now mind you, i've gotten quite close before....but it always eluded me. until now. *sinister chuckle*. last night we went out for a random night of bowling(only for about an hour, or 2 games) and, *drumroll please* I DID IT!!!! our first game was crap, but by the second game we were all warmed up and i actually got a TURKEY!!!! people, if you don't understand my elation....i feel sorry for you, because that means that you don't bowl and cannot therefore enjoy the ecstasy of that feeling. it is the feeling of absolute VICTORY. and nothing can top it. anywho, i just wanted to share.

in other news, there is still no word on my dad, so if you could all keep praying that would be awesome! with everyone praying for him, i feel sure that wherever he is, God is holding him in the palm of His hand. So please....keep praying and please ask whomever you know to pray as well! Thanks so much!!!! and to all of my friends who have offered such amazing support and comfort.....I wish i could tell you how much it helps and how much i appreciate it. but for now....a simple thank you from the bottom of my heart will have to suffice. Thank you.

well, there really isn't anymore to tell or say, but i have a crapload of school to catch up on so i might be out of the loop for a week or two. but know that i'll be back!!!*another sinister chuckle*....

Practic what you Preach...i guess

well, i decided that since i've been yelling at everyone else and their mom to update so that i can be appeased....i should do the same. so here it is! in new news....i am asking everyone to pray REALLY HARD for my dad. he's been missing for over 24 hours now and we're all really worried about him. we have the police searching for him and our neighborhood has been notified, but i think what we need most of all right now is TONS of PRAYERS. So if you could storm some pleas heavenward for us to find him, that would awesome and VERY much appreciated. His favorite saints are St. Therese the little Flower and St. Joseph(the big guy).
So yeah....anywho, in other news not too much has been going on. our wonderful RAs went all out and put on a fantabulous St. Valentine's girl's night for all us girls and it was really nice. and our wonderful JV guys went all out and bought us all ROSES and delivered them each with a separate bible verse with them!!!!! needless to say we were all very surprised and delighted!!! i mean, c'mon....what girl doesn't like to get flowers??? especially if the love behind it is so brotherly and platonic?;-) the thought i leave you with is a great quote from a god movie(of course) and it is: " i know you can be overwhelmed, and i know you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be 'whelmed'?" do YOU know?..........

An Ode to Joe

First, I would like to say......HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BON ANNIVERSAIRE, to my really great friend JOE GATES, who is 22 today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On that note, I was thinking about Joe today and hoping that his day was going splendidly and it got me thinking about friendship: his in particular and everyone else's in general. And thus....what follows is a random, yet pertinent, collection of quotes that I think describe friendship well. Enjoy!
"there is nothing on this earth more prized than that of true friendship"- St. Thomas Aquinas

"What is friendship? a single soul dwelling in two bodies"- Aristotle (more on HIM later)

"I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar."- Robert Brault

"It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter."- Marlene Dietrich

"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down."- Arnold H. Glasow

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand."- Henri Nouwen

For Ave: "As we go on.. We remember... All the times we've had together... As our lives change...come whatever, We will still be friends forever " -Vitamin C.

and last but not least, this last one goes out to Joe on his Birthday: "People never know how special someone is until they leave, but maybe sometimes its important to leave, so they are given that chance to see how special that someone really is!"

ok, so i'm kind of done with that now. in other news i had my Philosophy presentation today on De Anima (ALL i'm gonna say is that Aristotle is a moron and a very longwinded one at that and i really dislike him intensely.) (i'm trying not to use the word 'hate' too much)and i think it went well! one can never be too sure in Muller's class because he tries to be nice to you so he'll tell you that you did a good job and you get whatever it was back with a B- or some sort of "acceptable" grade. we shall see....at any rate the presentation isn't that much of the final grade. thank whatever gods for that. and i'm exhausted but we're gonna have an espresso night(compliments of SL) tonight so i'll be able to get some caffeine in my body. ciao!

A so-so week

well, i have been disallusioned yet again. my bubble has been burst. *BIG sigh* and the truth of the matter is.... : no one likes me. but now i feel special because a wittle wamb wikes me and showed me how to be cool so that people can't help but comment on my blog. i have found the secret that opens me up to a whole new world. yay. anywho, way too busy to comment on anything more. i find it funny that people on campus need more things to do. in other news....i have been talking with alot of people and we all have been hit by a million memories of people in our lives that we haven't seen or talked to in awhile.....so, while we don't know exactly why this happens, we decided that the best thing would be to pray for them. and if we have time....call or write them. Anywho, the whole point of this little story was to tell all of you out there that i haven't seen in awhile....i'm praying for you!

Laughter and REALLY Good days

hello peoples! so i know its been awhile since i last wrote, but when you hear the last few weeks i've had, you'll understand. last week, was uneventful and even getting to a really bad low(thursday), but which was consequently followed by a general lifting up mood(friday). Friday, my dear friend, awesome classmate, and wonder-fullest roomie, miss maureen*Moe* hanley surprised me for the weekend!!!! well folks, the hyperactivity that ensued has not been seen since last spring and has yet to meet its match.;-)
here i was, really tired but already having a great day due to my amazing women's group and alot of 'captivating' discussion, which was followed by work in student life(which is enjoyable, if nothing else;-)) and my night had just been topped off by an enlightening discussion of Deus Caritas Est (GREAT encycylical, everyone should read it) at the Fedorykas. So here i was asking myself in the words of Brian Regan,"Can life get any better? i submit that it cannot!" when, simultaneously, chris wadle calls my phone and moe walks in. *aaagghh!* so my joy of the day, my surprise at moe walking in and chris calling me, all collide into one fast-rising mount of hysterical frenzy and confusion!!!! while i was shortly relieved of the confusion part, the hysterical frenzy and joy continued for the next 48 hours! in short, God is stupefying in His goodness to us and i LOVE it!!! So after a wonderful weekend i said goodbye to maureen and said hello to schoolwork(which, needless to say, was neglected upon her arrival *totally worth it*). VanSlyke's class was the highlight of my monday with such quotes as "those poor shmucks who are damned"(in reference to what the gnostics thought) and the like. whatever else his class is.....it is not boring in the least. even when he doesn't say anything particularly intelligent, his delivery is priceless. and i even managed to get ALL the crapload of reading he assigned us finished in time for class! gold star for me! next on my list of fear: my presentation on De Anima for Muller's class next tuesday. i think this would be an instance of me hating philosophy. ce la vie.
last night. last night was one of those nights that just makes you happy. meghan, nattie, a few other girls, and i decided to forego all schoolwork and proceeded to NOT watch the state of the union address as we watched a movie, sewed, and i decided to begin to finish Tree's birthday present( 5 months late is ok, right?). anywho, it was awesomely relaxing and just a great night. gotta love it! Can't wait until this weekend! it promises much. Ciao!

Reflection

Are good days really good days or only good days in comparison to the crappy days leading up to them? your thoughts please. i mean, it really could go both ways, right? your good day might be a totally unexpected good day that had nothing to do with anything else, other than it being a good day. OR it could be a good day because you have been having crappy days and your day is the first step upwards. in other words....i'm having a great day. :-) the sun is shining wonderfully and today is starting on the right foot. Alas....West. Theo. Trad reading is looming like a dark cloud on my day, screaming at me to finish it FINALLY and just get it over with! But, as with every new relationship( i haven't read steadily in awhile) , i'm taking it a bit slowly at first and hopefully(if all goes well) accelerate it later on. God willing. I'm out!

Bon-Jor

well, here i am again. just in time to say that philsophy isn't all that bad....i just don't like it. or maybe its more like i just don't understand it. but JPII is pretty much amazing. he's one of those authors that you want to underline every sentence you read. speaking of the March for Life....i actually got to go this year and it was AWESOME!!! i was able to see a TON of people that i haven't seen in awhile(you know who you are) and it really made me stop and think. because most of these people were Ave-ites(or kindred spirits of an Ave nature) it made me stop and praise God for Ave-ish people. We truly are a breed rare and amazing to find. *preens for a bit* the cool thing about us is that no matter where we leave off, or how long it has been, we can still come back and have the same connection. i love it! so....i guess what i'm trying to say is Thank you to all you Ave people (and Ave-ish people) for your friendship and community.....you are amazing and i'm so much the better for having known you! well, now that that's out of the way......who's excited about the WEEKEND????? here at wonderful old ypsitucky (or afrolanti, whichever you prefer) we are gearing up for quite a packed weekend. nothing but fun here is good ol' grey MI. cheers and i'm outtie!

Time is short

time is short, so all i'm going to say is that my new Philosophy class is making me appreciate oh-so-much that i'm a classics major!!! i HATE philosophy. it's absolutely retarded....i mean, seriously folks....who wants to define ALL day??? that's what i thought. cheers!

a quiz to build a dream on

soo.....the question these days on and off campus is...."are YOU a heretic?" i'm not.

You scored as Chalcedon compliant. You are Chalcedon compliant. Congratulations, you're not a heretic. You believe that Jesus is truly God and truly man and like us in every respect, apart from sin. Officially approved in 451. Chalcedon compliant 100% Pelagianism 100% Nestorianism 67% Apollanarian 58% Monophysitism 33% Arianism 0% Monarchianism 0% Adoptionist 0% Docetism 0% Donatism 0% Albigensianism 0% Modalism 0% Gnosticism 0% Socinianism 0% Are you a heretic? created with QuizFarm.com

*phew!* i was a little worried there for a minute. the quiz can be quite frustrating, but stay with it and the satisfaction will make it all worth it.;-)

Welcome to my blog!

dear readers....enjoy! i know that i am WAYY behind in actually getting this blog, but i cannot long stand up against the force of peer pressure. "gosh!" anywho, i hope that everyone has tons of laughter, joy and smiles! oh, the whole point of this blog is so that people can get a glimpse of the world through my eyes...."yes, i'm a natural blue" kind. cheerio! ~ mona:-)