Natural Blue Glasses

A Good Friend Is A Treasure

2011-04-12T16:47:00.000-04:00

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, he who finds one finds a treasure." - Sirach 6:14

I often take comfort in certain Bible verses, and a few find their way back into my mind over and over again. The one that I have mentioned above is one of those repeating sounds in my head. It is also a favorite verse for me and my long-time friend, M.

However, this verse actually applies to all my friends. It popped into my head after a wonderful surprise chat this morning with my dear friend, Louise, from the best ever blog: Coffee and A Cardigan. If you have not visited it yet, hop on over there now and explore the funky fashion of an amazing woman!

Dear readers......you must forgive, and simultaneously realize, that I digress a lot throughout my posts. Which, if I remember, I'll try to remedy and ask forgiveness. =)

The point of this whole post was just to share with you how wonderful and true that Bible verse is! Lou and I have been on opposite sides of the continent for the past (forever!) years, and are therefore hardly ever able to chat due to time zones, and yet this morning we chatted over Gchat for just a few moments and it was as if all the years just dissolved into air and we were back together again at college, talking face to face over tea. *blissful sigh*

People often ask me why or how I spend so much time on FB(can't wait for Lent to be over!) and I always answer simply, "Because I can connect with most, if not all, of my friends." They look on it as a chore, and it is a bit of work, but would not you work to upkeep a shelter to keep it sturdy? To keep jewels polished so that you may wear them proudly? to work well for good wages?

I'm not trying to say I'm so great. I'm just saying I don't look on it as taxing to my strength. Rather the opposite! I get such an energy from people being happy around me that I yearn for time and conversation with friends. And let's be honest......I have the best friends. Sorry all you who are not me or do not know my friends. They are the most amazing and unique bunch of people. I am so blessed. Thank you all for your friendship!

It is also sunny today, which ALWAYS adds to my enjoyment of life. I never used to like Spring all that much, but in later years it has opened up to me quite a few different aspects that I find charming, that I never realized before, or maybe just took for granted. I love the bright, crisp sunshine, not quite as hot as summer, or brisk as fall, or glaring as winter......just bright and happy and new. And, while I may bemoan it most days, I do find the changeable wind that can go from soft breeze to tyrant storm in a few short hours to be quite fascinating. And throughout all of that, everything NEW. New flowers, baby animals, leaves, plants.....everything seems to get a new outfit or rebirth in Spring.

And so dear readers, I will leave you for today. For the sun is beginning it's descent and I still want to go enjoy a bit of it! Thank you for reading (and especially for commenting!)!!!

The Sunny Side of Life

2011-04-08T15:30:00.001-04:00

Hi dear ones! (I may not even know all of you who read this, but dear you are for reading!)

It is a very GREY day here, with dreary rain this morning, and listless nothing this afternoon. However, since I promised that this post would be lighter and happier than my previous post, and I am in a foul disposition, I shall have to defer to others' comedy to brighten your day. Below are some of my very favorite YouTube videos, which I cannot, and will not, ever get sick of watching. =) I hope they brighten your day as much as they always brighten mine!

On Bad Days

On Sibling Rivalry

On The Battle Of The Sexes and Why Men Just Don't Understand.....Or Do They?

On How To Communicate To Men When They Won't Listen

In closing (I already feel much better!) I will say......TGIF!!!! Tomorrow is another day, with no mistakes in it. <3

Requiescat in Pace

2011-04-05T09:26:00.000-04:00

Today, dear readers, is a more solemn post. My great aunt, Helen, on my mother's side, died last week. She was on the Greek side of my family and I barely knew her, but I ask your prayers for her soul and for my mom's family, especially my grandfather. Thank you, and I will write a later post on a much more happy or "natural blue" note later on.

One thing I love about the Greek language is how they express things. My great aunt Helen was honored in her church's Sunday bulletin and above her they wrote the words "May her memory be eternal", which somehow has a different meaning to me than "May she rest in peace". Am I alone in this? The Greek seems much more personal and a reminder to us still here on earth that we are to glean the good from others and live by that goodness. I'm not saying this the way it's sounding in my head, but when I hear "May her memory be eternal", I feel like it is a request for us here on earth to make her proud through our lives well lived, and so on for generations. Does that make sense?

At any rate......may she rest with God for eternity and may her life be an example to all who knew her. Thank you for your prayers!

~ Dorie

A Cornucopia of Color

2011-03-29T17:10:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed, dear readers/fellow bloggers, that I almost *HAVE* to start my blog posts with an opener similar to a letter? I just realized this today, hence the different opener/beginning of this post. And after further thinking, I believe I do that because, subconsciously, this is my way of writing a letter to all of you at one time. A sort of communal epistle, as it were.

At any rate, I digress.

What I wanted to talk to you today was about COLORS. If you know me in the slightest, you know that I simply cannot get enough color in my life. If my sisters would let me, I would leave the house in a veritable rainbow of hues. Thank God for sisters. =)

But on to the point of this post. My friend and dear ex-roomie over at Stained Glass wrote a post a few weeks back that really got me thinking: What if people viewed other people by color? Now, there ARE some people who believe in "auras", a certain color haze or halo surrounding each person indicative of their energy. I don't believe in that, but certain people, by their disposition and personality, do remind me of certain colors.

For example: My friend, whom I shall call Writtle Bear to protect their anonymity, reminds me of a deep purple hue. Now, purple just happens to be one of Bear's favorite colors, but the shade of purple I see when I look at W.B. really does suit them. When I think of that shade of purple, almost aubergine, I immediately see subtlety, a sort of regal air, a slightly veiled but strong warmth, and a sophistication and complexity that is more interesting than stuffy; a color that runs deep, wears well, and is not for the timid. Now, if you know this Writtle Bear of whom I speak, do not you think that suits them rather well?

Take, for example, another friend, whom I shall call K.S, the acronyms for the kind of friend she is. KS reminds me of a deep, true blue color. When I think of this color, I automatically start calming down. =) This color is straightforward, simply beautiful with no pretenses, but deep and full, frank but not "loud". Not quite a Dorie blue. =)

For myself, I identify with these shades of orange and yellow. Sorry about the hands in the former, but isn't that dress in the latter divine?!?
Also......would you agree with my interpretation of myself? Self-portraits intrigue me and I often wonder if we think the same of ourselves as others think of us. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE COMMENT!!!!

Paid In Full

2011-03-25T16:17:00.000-04:00

The most beautiful words I could hear today would be: Paid. In. Full.

Allow me to explain. Due to the nature of my various educational ventures, I have quite a few loans racked up in my name and my mother's name. This doesn't even touch the black hole that is my shopping addiction.

However, today is SUPER blessed as I received my tax refunds this past week and today have paid off the Sallie Mae loan in my mom's name(I'm sure I have increased in love in her eyes for this gesture) AND my remaining balance due to the University of St. Catherine. I have also paid off my Banana Republic card balance, which is pittance when compared to the other two payments made today, but nevertheless adds to the adrenaline coursing through my body and making my heart soar!

If you have so blessed that you have never had to deal with payments and bills and such, YAY for you! If you're like the rest of us Americans who will most probably be straddled with debt until the year 3010.....you know how I feel. I intend to keep this motivation up and continue to pay off a loan each month until I only have my Ave loan left.

I apologize if any of you reading this hate speaking about money. I hate discussing finances too, and usually make it a point not to speak about this, but I also make a point of spreading good news, and this is VERY VERY good news and a long time comin'!

Happy Feast of the Annunciation!!!!:
"Existing before time began, He [Jesus] began to exist at a moment in time." – St. Leo the Great

+ FIAT MIHI +

A Yiddish Proverb with Graphics to Explain!

2011-03-23T10:07:00.000-04:00

It is a perhaps unknown or widely held Yiddish proverb that explains "When brains are needed, brawn won't help".

My friend, Thom Peters from American Papist and Catholic Vote
offered this link on his Gmail Buzz.

I promise: If you click on this link, you will be entertained. =) If not, I promise to dedicate a whole post to you. (You will have to comment to tell me who you are. hehe)

हैप्पी रेअदिंग! (That means Happy Reading in some foreign language. =)

http://www.simoleonsense.com/infographic-how-to-have-a-rational-discussion/

This One's For The Girls

2011-03-18T11:07:00.000-04:00

Dear readers,
I found this while sorting through my old email account and, as I don't have current emails for all of you, decided to post this on here. As with all good passages, this still holds true 6 years after I first received it. So for all of you females reading this.....Thank you!

This says it All:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Love waxes and wanes.
Hearts break.
Careers end.
Jobs come and go.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Men don't call when they say they will.

BUT...........

Girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.

A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it for yourself, your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you. Or come in and carry you out.

Daughters, Daughter-in-laws, sisters, sisters-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, aunties, nieces, cousins, extended family, and friends bless our life!
The world wouldn't be the same without them, and neither would I.
When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.

Pass this on to the women who help make your life work.
I just did.
Friends are like fat thighs, they keep in touch.( I loved this part!)

To all my dear girls......you have kept me sane and kept me going! Please know that you are all in my prayers. May you have a blessed Lent!

xoxo,
Mona

REAL Estates - A Link or Two

2011-03-15T10:54:00.002-04:00

I am going to live here one day. It is ugly as sin on the outside (although oddly enticing.....) but just read all about it: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=5

Or I could live here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=7

This is just weird, and odd, but cool? Yes: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=8

A house that lets you cheat death?....or not: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=10

This would just be neat to walk through, although perhaps to creepy to own: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=11

When you think about it.....these are surprisingly inexpensive for the novelty and awesomeness they hold!

Happy 7th day of Lent!

"Let's Snort Some Vitamin C!"

2011-03-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

Bonjour ma peeps!

Ok, so I don't snort anything, but the title was in honor of my brother, Stevo, coming home. He has bronchitis, and so was taking powdered Vitamin C and, being the goof that he is, starts going all Gollum on the Vita-C and proclaimed "Let's snort some vitamin C!" in a creepy tone that ended up being hilarious to me.

And then I found $20....... aka That-Story-Is-Not-As-Funny-Written-Down-As-It-Was-In-My-Head.

But truly....I love my little brother. He and I share a similar sense of humor and we "get" each other. I'm just sad that I only just got to see him this evening and found out that he has to leave for school tomorrow. Which leaves not nearly enough time to hang out. =( But I'm happy I got to at least see him! I am always laughing when he is home, even if I am annoyed with him. Gotta love siblings!

Lenten Thoughts

2011-03-10T15:15:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

Wow. Being off Facebook is HARD. But what surprised me about the whole thing is WHY it was so hard. It was hardest for me not knowing what everyone else is doing and what's happening everywhere. THE SUSPENSE is KILLING ME (softly. with it's song. ......)

Which then brought me to the thought....."am I really that addicted to being in the center of things? Being a busybody knowing everything about everyone else? Or annoyed if people find out about things before me?"

It was kind of like knowing there's a huge party going on but your mom grounded you so you can't go. SO LAME. (Side note: my mom grounded me constantly but would often forget so I don't *really* know what this feels like as I haven't really been in that position before. GAH. I hate learning through experience sometimes....)

I have decided therefore, that my blog posts will be reminiscent of my activity on FB, so prepare yourselves to what at first might seem TOTALLY random.
So tell me people (I.E. LEAVE COMMENTS*!): are you finding your Lenten resolutions harder to keep than you had figured on?

*My love language is physical touch and words of affirmation. I crave both, so if I cannot get one, please indulge me with the other! It makes me feel connected and not so alone-screaming-into-a-black-hole. Thanks!

Euphemize Me

2011-03-05T13:12:00.000-05:00

Hi lovely people who read my blog (or who will *start* reading my blog)!

Ok, so I stayed up late last night, and had early adoration this morning, which is where this blogpost is coming from, so I apologize for any skips in my train of thought. But there is something about the wee small hours of the morning that catches us off-guard and allows us to dig into our brains for what we're REALLY thinking about.

Now.....that being said, you may expect something profound to follow. If so, you clearly have not seen Finding Nemo and are CLEARLY not associated with how Dorie works. Random thoughts, yes. Profound, rarely.

But my thought is this: We have so many lovely euphemisms for unsightly or awful things in our language. If someone dies, we soften the blow by saying "they passed on". That euphemism gives the illusion of one's death as a sort of floaty passage into a better world. No pain, no suffering. While that can be annoying, it IS the point of euphemisms to make something unpleasant, pleasant. My point of aggravation comes with the word "fart". I know, I know.....it's one of "those" hush-hush, pre-teen-awkward words that, let me say, is just plain awkward. Now, you could argue that I only think it's an awkward word because of the way I was brought up. And to some extent that plays a part. But there is nothing redemptive or un-awkward about the actual word "fart". It rolls off your tongue through your lips in a very unattractive way. Even saying it leaves an unpleasant sensation in your mouth. And the oddity of it all, is that the euphemisms for this word that I have heard are almost more awkward and unpleasant than the word itself!

To date, here are some of the keepers: "To pass gas" (Eww.....), "To 'poot'" (really?), "To putt" (Now I can't go golfing anymore) and......that's it. I'm sure I've heard more, but none come to mind besides those three.

Here's where it gets interesting for you, dear readers. I am challenging YOU all to save our everyday language (because, let's be real....everyone farts at least once a day, or should) by coming up with a word that can serve as a correct euphemism: referring to an unpleasant word by replacing it with a pleasant word.

So as not to taint my adoration hour.....I will put my musings from that in a separate post. Have a happy and joyous Saturday!

- Mona

Musings from a Sleep Deprived PTA student....

2009-09-19T15:45:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! At least, I'm assuming that the only people who are reading this are friends or at least friendly in nature. =) Beware, I am in a particularly emotional mood right now, which i'm hoping is due to mere hormones and nothing more serious. However, this past week was still crazy, trying to get everything(classes, finances, new city, etc.) in order and still failing. well, at least failing to get them written down in order. ha-ha. I'm not trying to have any sort of that order here, so this post will be more along the lines of Dorie, than anything else. Right now i'm listening to a CD my sister Chribber made me ages ago, and the current track is Maria Maria by Santana....a personal favorite that somehow always reminds me of Torie Wyant nee Zmuda. Speaking of which.....HAPPY 1st ANNIVERSARY, WYANTS!!! But the real question(and the reason why i started this post) is to ask you all what might be a purely hypothetical question, unable to be fully answered objectively: What makes a "home"?? Is it merely the sentiment/familiarity that a certain place holds?? is it ONLY "Where the heart is"?? At some point after one moves, they stop clarifying which home they're talking about when they say "home". When does that happen?? and when pushed....do you ever stop referring to the place you grew up as "Home"?? Is it love or familiarity that makes a place "Home"?? AGGHH!!! do you see my dilemma?? Let's put it into a physical setting for you visual people(you know who you are =P):

I grew up in Ann Arbor, MI. I consider myself lucky in that most of my childhood was spent in one house....we didn't move alot after I was born. hmmm....that might be food for another post. At any rate....I will say that for the most part my childhood was happy, with normal ups and downs. But I will say in the same vein that it wasn't SUPER happy(at least in my memory). That being said.....I've moved around alot, especially in the past few years, and with this move....i feel like i could set up camp here in St. Paul. So what is it that makes me unable to think of St. Paul as home?? I definitely love it more than Ann Arbor as far as the actual cities goes. And it is and has been a much more positive environment for me, with a good group of friends who support me 100%; a fantastic school where a positive learning atmosphere is promoted; and a good base of support for my spiritual needs, with good churches within a mile of my apt in either direction; and a good variety of social events and interesting places to hang out. So I have many different loves present here, not to mention that I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be. Finally. So what IS it that pulls my heartstrings towards Ann Arbor?? Is it a certain kind of love that makes a home, "Home"??? and if so.....why isn't it "Home is Where a Certain Love Is?? WHY DAMMIT??? That would certainly clear things up for me and not pose such problems. I guess my conclusion is: Don't Trust Proverbs Or Life Sayings. THEY LIE/DECEIVE.

Ok, i have to go actually start my day and get on with my life. PLEASE COMMENT!! I really want to know what you all think!! As always I remain,

Missing You From St. Paul.

Ok, God, Ok.

2009-08-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

Ever have those Meg Ryan days?? More specifically, those Meg-Ryan-in-You've-Got-Mail days? Well, in case you are completely flabbergasted by this idea and have NO IDEA what I'm talking about.....allow me to explain:

To be Meg Ryan, you must have an optimistic view on life and be somewhat happy-go-lucky and cutesy. To be Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail, you must be the above with a little something extra: having your parade rained on. A specific scene comes to mind: Meg Ryan is in bed with an extreme cold, while her store is being crushed by a corporate giant. When she thinks life can't get any worse, who shows up on her doorstep but the one man who has single-handedly taken her down.

I don't know how that really applies to me, except that my allergies are acting up, making me all sniffle-y and sneeze-y and that just makes me think of Meg Ryan in that scene. That, and the fact that I wasn't able to rent a car today, a fact which supplied the necessary depression. Also like Ms. Ryan.....I came out on top. Not *quite* with the guy, the love, and all that jazz.....but at least with a way to continue on to St. Paul and with my sanity intact. =) Enter my GODSEND: My sister, Christina. She has been my angel of mercy and without her, I would be.....a disaster, alone in Chicago. But who really thinks this post is about anyone else but me?? So back to yours truly and my pathetic attempt at a move.

NEWSFLASH! THIS JUST IN:
I'M OFFICIALLY OFF THE WAITLIST AND CAN START MY PROGRAM THIS FALL!!! I am BEYOND ecstatic!! Apparently God just wanted to see if I was truly serious about this PTA business or what.

So, Chribber's computer is about to die so I have to sign off for now. Cheers faithful readers!!! May God bless you wherever you might be and in whatever you are doing!

25 things of random.

2009-01-29T19:27:00.000-05:00

Dear readers,

I realize that most of you who used to be faithful readers, after almost two years, don't even check this anymore. However, lack of an audience never daunted other authors before, nor should I be the one to break that tradition. Not to mention it has always been my disposition that things are better left said than unsaid, if one has alot to say.

Now.....do not be alarmed that I have alot to say and so therefore you should fetch your favorite slippers and get comfortable. Nay nay......I doubt what I have to say will take more than a few short paragraphs. But perhaps if I can add bullcrap as I have been able to do in this introduction alone, it might end up being a bit more.

*deep breath*......here goes:

Well, ALOT has happened in the past year and a half. I DID in fact quit my job down in Texas, but for better reasons than my previous rant would suggest. In fact, I find that I owe the Reads and Texas a huge favor, if only in the discovery through them of what I do NOT want. But I must also add that it WAS while working with Ruthie, taking her to Physical Therapy, that I decided that PT was my destiny. "Haha.....destiny? come now, be real!", you might say. However, I truly believe that I was made to practice physical therapy. And seeing as this is the first thing in my life that I am TRULY convicted about and from which NOTHING would deter me, I think I can say that I am honestly destined to be a PTA. So.....hence there was alot of entreaties on the Reads end for me to stay, but I was firm and booked my flight home. I appreciate leaving now so much, because I've realized that the more I leave, the nicer it is to come home and be with my family. Not that my family and I don't get along.....it's just that I am able to appreciate them much more, having been away. That being said, I tend to stay too long and that lovely forgiving view fades away with time.

Skip forward a year. I am now finished with prerequisites and have decided that Chicago, while lovely, is *not* where I am supposed to be. Not to mention, I picked the worst time to not be in school and search for a temporary job that will pay enough for me to save. A novel idea for me, I know, but a necessary reality with the prospect of moving, a car, and more school in my future. Enter Starbucks. I know I know, they support everything bad and are well-versed in extortion. However, they are pretty much the only company in Ann Arbor who hire for temporary positions while offering insurance if one works more than 20 hours a week. which is what one was planning on doing anyways. So in July of 2008, I joined the multimillion dollar corporation and became known as a fullfledged "barista".....a modern term for "slave". It's true, with a smile and a joy that most Starbucks managers have yet to come across in a "newbie", I entered ranks. It is.....truly AMAZING....how detailed people can be about a simple cup of coffee. It also amazes me that anyone would be rude to, complain about to their face, or disrespect someone who is MAKING YOUR DRINK. I shudder to think of the number of people who have unknowingly drunk someone else's spit. That's right, I said SPIT. because let me tell you......it is only through my AMAZING self control, that I haven't spit in anyone's drink. The thought of throwing their hot drink in their face has also crossed my mind. In case you've never thought about this, and have on occasion been a bitch, I give you this advice......just don't. Your baristas/servers/whoever CAN and WILL get you back for every jab or rudeness. What do you think we think about in between customer lines or on our days off?? OUR JOB CONSUMES US IN A VERY NASTY WAY. on the bright side however, I really love interacting with the people, especially if they're nice. Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but talking to tons of people throughout the day is like crack to me. I get a high from it. Honestly. And it has been a TON of fun learning how to make all the million different kinds of coffee drinks, and make them well. I never thought I would see the day when I would get so excited about "good foam". trust me....there is a HUGE difference between good foam and bad foam, looks AND taste.

But enough about Starbucks. I'm in California for the first time in my LIFE!!! Let me just say right now so I can get it off my chest: No trip is ever free. And I mean that in so many different ways. But for the past three days I've been in Heaven, staying @ Mary Twaddle's(a good friend from school) condo in Laguna Beach. Yeah.....you heard me right.....I said LAGUNA BEACH! and no, I don't watch those silly shows, but it's exciting nevertheless! I am very easily entertained and amused and yes, my mom was amazing at teaching me to never lose my sense of wonder. Not only that, but my brother is on his way to pick me up and show me LA!!! The funny thing is, is that I'll be excited to come home. California is a beautiful place, but I don't want to live here, oddly enough. My sister Christina, on the other hand, NEEDS to move here. "Well, it'll be nice then for you to be home soon.", you say. Not so......I go home a day and a half from now, only to be home for a few days, then off again on another adventure! This time, however, I'm staying in the midwest and visiting MN. Good friends, awesome city, and a meeting with a fantastic school await me there.

Oh goodness, there are just times when my heart swells and it's SO GOOD to be alive!!! those moments come and go, but they happen enough to where it makes the other times more endurable. I spend my days wavering between the view that life is this scheduled, monotonous daily regime and all I have to do is get through it and the view that life is this crazy exciting winding road with new adventures just brimming over with fun are around every bend. So right now, I'm going to let you all go and I'm going to savor the sweetness of this moment and thank God for it, for I think we don't ever just stop to thank Him enough. Goodnight, and who knows?? perhaps this is a good start to a more regular posting habit.

......we'll see. =)

Ps. because I think that every author should always have a postscript about something, here's mine: I just realized that I didn't tell you why I chose the title I did. Let's see if you can figure it out......=P

"When In The Course Of Human Events...."

2007-07-04T14:36:00.001-04:00

Dear Readers....

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!

i hope all of you experience great fun, great food, and great FIREWORKS today!!!! and may we all just take a minute and thank the dear Lord for our freedom and country.

Even with all of our screwed up ways.....there's still greatness to be tapped into here, and hopefully it will shine through in the years to come!

I, for one, am HAPPY to be an American!

here's an excerpt from an online site that i found about the meaning of our COLORS.....

In the language of the Continental Congress, which defined the symbolic meanings of the colors red, white, and blue, as used in the flag, “White signifies Purity and Innocence; Red, Hardiness and Valor; and Blue, Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.”

May we do all in our power to bring those meanings back to representing our country.

Truly.....may God bless the USA!!! =) =) =)

ANGRY RANT: Be Forewarned....

2007-06-27T20:12:00.000-04:00

I am upset.

no....that would be putting it VERY lightly indeed, and that wouldn't work because the WHOLE FREAKIN' POINT of this blog is to eXpReSs yourself truly, so i am SCALDING HOT MAD!!!!!! and not even just MAD.....i'm ANGRY, HURT, DISAPPOINTED, DISALLUSIONED, IN PAIN, and CONFUSED.

why does life have to be so FREAKIN' INSANE??? that's IT! i feel like i'm going BLOODY INSANE....as in, losing my grip on reality. i mean....what is Reality??? who even gives a shit?

i'm in Texas. and it only goes downhill from there.
i'm alone.
i'm on my period which means that i'm losing blood as we speak for NO DAMN REASON!!!
.....this also does NOT help with my rationale or emotions!
and....i feel like using ALOT OF EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it has been raining, no...POURING for the last THREE DAYS and i haven't been out of this DAMN house for JUST as long!
the Reads are having family problems and i'm being pushed and shoved into the middle of it!!! and, quite frankly....i am THIS CLOSE to just quitting this DAMN job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and ALL i want is to be able to buy things and have some self respect and KNOW what the HELL i'm supposed to do with this life that God , rather ridiculously, left in my care!

i miss everyone. i miss my dad, my family, my friends, my "ex" friends, and being a kid!
i've never felt so alone in my ENTIRE life. i have dozens of friends and i feel like none of them REALLY know who i really am.

i can't even get a FLIPPIN' haircut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
and they always say that writing things out helps you cope. well.....i'm only getting MORE ANGRY with every word i type!

i feel stifled. angry. unhealthy(oh, yeah....i just found out i have LOW blood pressure and i can't find out why or what to do because i'm currently without insurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

so......to sum it up: i am obese, alone, unhealthy with no way to fix it, confused as to what i'm supposed to do next, being taken advantage of, and just plain unhappy!

No More.

2007-04-20T14:04:00.000-04:00

what's the point of this thing?
i mean....i rarely ever write on it (sorry everyone!) and when i do....Brendon's the only one who cares. (thanks brendon!!!) and what i write is not really that interesting. at least....not as interesting as the stuff i come up with in the middle of the night. but who gets up in the middle of the night to write a blog post and waste precious sleeping time?? NO ONE. Ergo.....i just probably won't be writing that much on this blog anymore. however, as my closing note, i would like to say a few things.

first, these last two weeks after Easter have been fabulous! in so far as the making of new wonderful friends go.....it was top-notch. =) It's kinda making me sad to leave! or at least....it's making it more difficult. and confusing. well....at least i have one more month with them!

secondly, i am disappointed yet again. maybe my standards are too high? perhaps i am too spoiled by the riches of REAL Catholicism? or maybe i'm just too contrary for TX? whatever the root may be....the fact remains that i am disappointed. "In what?" you say. well, allow me to explain: So, yesterday was Thursday so i prepared to go to adoration at St. Rita's as they have weekly adoration and i was trying to make a habit of it. I got all excited and ended up, through various reasons, being a little bit late. and the way they do it is to have the first 1/2 hour be a reading, a responsorial psalm, the gospel, and a homily; with the last 1/2 hour being silent meditation and then ending with benediction. so i showed up as the lady was finishing the reading. that's when it all happened.
after the reading, this lady got up and instead of reading a psalm, she ended up reading some "love the earth" letter or something. as if that wasn't enough to make me start questioning...the deacon got up and instead of reading the gospel and THEN giving his homily....he went straight to the homily and started talking about how we need to take better care of the earth. now, i'm not saying that that is necessarily a bad thing, i think we SHOULD take better care of it, but why was it a homily/meditation in ADORATION??? couldn't they just write a notice in the bulletin? now, you might think that that was it. WRONG! it got worse. after his "homily"....he had everyone follow him in chanting, almost like a responsorial psalm, "we join with the earth, and with each other". what the HECK??????? is anyone else gettin' red flags going up?? well, at that point i just got up and left. i'm sorry....if they're gonna turn adoration into some sort of hippie commune, feel-good, join-with-the-earth field day, then i'm out.

so much for St. Rita's.

in other better news....Theo Ferrant is down visiting us this weekend.....YAY!!!! i didn't realize until i saw her, how much i miss having her around. i love the Ave community. you guys(and girls) ROCK!!!

Short Post: more later....

2007-03-28T22:34:00.000-04:00

hi my dear readers!

well.....i'm now in my second day, coming off of a splendid high of a great weekend. (that will be an entirely DIFFERENT and SEPARATE post). and now in my reflection i can better understand why people get hooked on drugs. i mean.....the high once experienced, is only craved more and more! my life has been recently categorized as a life of sedentry, with the occasional(sometimes monthly) high of a trip to see family or friends. which then leaves me only the more unsatisfied. WHY???? why can't i just be normal and accept that i'm not in college surrounded by my nearest and dearest? and that i'm not only NOT there anymore, but we're ALL scattered and in different places??? what is SO bad about that???
and yet, every few days or so.....i end up getting in this complete funk of reminiscing and self-pity. when in all reality.....i have it pretty good! i have a good job (albeit a stressful one) that pays for pretty much ALL my expenses, which i'm quickly learning, is not really teaching me the best saving skills.

argh. anywho, the point of all this is merely to have it flow from a muddled mess in my head to a muddled mess NOT in my head. on a side note, it's actually getting a little pretty here with all the trees and grass growing green. almost normal. however.....the ginormous bugs prevail and bring me back to reality of this being NOT normal. i believe that oversized and really dangerous bugs are the direct result of original sin.

whatever. i'm in a funk now, so i'm gonna watch some tv to unwind and then go to bed early.......hopefully. cheers.

Prayers!!!

2007-03-18T23:22:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,
please pray for the soul of Mary Jacuith and the Jacuith family. Mary is Dave's little sister, and was thrown from her horse on St. Patrick's day. She sustained multiple injuries to her brain and passed from this life around 1pm today, March 18th, 2007. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her.

ARGHHH: Complaining

2007-03-13T18:29:00.000-04:00

Lettori cari,

in case you were wondering....that means "dear readers" in Italian.
i apologize for not updating sooner, or as frequent as i used to update. although....i have said time and time again......i'm not a writer. so for me, i usually don't feel like there's anything TO write about! also, i'm noticing the slightly disturbing and slightly more annoying trend that i only have writing revelations between 11pm- 1am as i'm trying to desperately go to sleep. i guess, as rationale for such an annoyance, that that is my quiet time at the end of the day when i think over the day's happenings, and when everything turns off and my mind is set free.
now, don't(or do, i don't really care) think me odd, but i *almost* enjoy it. it's almost my juicy time of day/night to let my imagination loose and concieve of all the possible good things that could or should happen to me. on the right night, i take delight in those hours and relish in all my fancies. however, there's always the catch of a bad night, when all your fears and insecurities combine to create the most unfathomable nightmares. quite hideous, in fact.
but when they're good.....they're really good.
and, of course, it's always the time of night that you hit on exactly the right wording for what's going through your mind. i'm telling ya....one of these nights i'm going to just get up(regardless of the time) and jot my ideas down. the gain of having said something perfectly-- in this world where i am so often misunderstood-- might be enough to triumph over the loss of sleep that would incur from having gotten up. we shall see.

on an entirely different note.....
i had a simply great weekend. we didn't do anything in particular, but what we did....we did well. it was, simply put: very fun. Angel has become a source of almost endless amusement to me. the weekend included, but was not limited to: the movie "300"(which was good, but more nudity than was required or needed), shopping for much needed clothes for Sean and Meghan, Mass, sleeping in, playing cards, and eating cake. all in all.....quite exactly what i needed. the weather was sublime, the alcohol = top-notch, and the company: desirable.

ok mes amies. i'm tired and finished for today.

What's New?

2007-02-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,
LOVE. i realized that i'm totally in love with the idea of love. in all it's forms, i love LOVE. i also realized that i have a habit of living vicariously through my friends happiness. is it supreme desire for that in my life? or is it true empathy? or perhaps a little of both?
oh, and by the way....i apologize for the randomness of this post: i've just had a lot of thoughts and emotions running, swimming and erupting in my mind these past few weeks, so here's the result.
the one thing i LOVE about Texas(and it IS the only thing so far) is it's open sky. i know it's the same sky and all, but you can see so much more of it down here! and i know you all think i'm some sort of sky freak, but it's amazing how free it can make you feel!
- i think Lent this year is going to be REALLY good. i'm really pumped for it, and i only hope that this pumped feeling lasts longer than tomorrow. =) my goal is to get in shape this Lent: spiritually and physically.
- i decided i'm gonna try and take charge a little more. more for myself than anyone else, but who knows? i'm gonna really try and take life by the horns and really LIVE. i want people to say at my funeral, "gee....that woman really knew how to enjoy life!"
- i'm sitting in on a Jane Austen class at UD and i am LOVING it!!! Jane Austen really is much more clever than most people give her credit for these days. plus, my teacher is like the Dr. Izzo of Jane Austen and she just makes it a joy to be in her class.
- i'm also thinking of taking cosmotology classes and calligraphy classes(with Ruthie) too. to expand my horizons and also to keep us busy. =)
- today is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! i know most of you will hate me when i say this, but it MUST be said: it's about 70 degrees and wonderfullly breezy today!!! truly a day meant to be spent outside!

ok, i'm outtie and out!

my love to you all and gratitude for the prayers!

True Love RIP

2007-02-15T01:36:00.000-05:00

Dear readers,

I don't mean to be depressing or anything, but i would like to take this post and honor my hero, my superman/batman/spiderman/robin hood/any other super hero: my dad. I'm doing this today for two reasons: first, because it was on this day last year that my dad disappeared. and second....because i can think of no one man who has exemplified pure and simple love more to me in his life than him. i think he is the best example of St. Therese's Little Way(other than herself, of course). He was a walking contradiction of stubbornness and humility that....just....worked. He wasn't a big social butterfly, but he was the kind of man who made you feel special and really good inside, just by saying "Hello". He was a perfectionist, and as such....only laughed at his own jokes. =) but when he laughed.....well, let's just say that's where my laugh comes from. =) he was the epitome of a childlike faith, so innocent, so trusting, and yet....so firm. i don't think a day passed where i didn't see him with his rosary in hand, praying. not to mention daily mass. he took GREAT pride in his work, and considered it not only a job, but an art form. for him it was work AND a release of creativity. he was one of those rare people who still have a twinkle in their eye. he knew most everyone in the Ann Arbor area, and even if he didn't know you, he still would say hi to everyone he crossed paths with.
my one regret is that i didn't get to say goodbye. so.....here's my attempt now:
I love you Dad, and i miss you so much.

PicturesPicturesPictures

2007-02-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

and there you have it. my Christmas break in pictures. I'll try and find something to update about soon. hopefully it won't take too long. =P

Christmas Break:Best Friends EVER: Memories

2007-01-04T20:23:00.000-05:00

Dear readers,

while i could possibly attempt to explain the total and complete awesomeness that was my break and are my friends......it wouldn't even come close to the truth. the truth is....that on New Year's Eve, as we celebrated the entrance into a brand new year....i found myself almost as if i were looking in through a window at my friends celebrating, and the thought of how blessed i was to have such friends and to actually welcome in the new year with PRAYER, led me to tears of joy and thanksgiving. so much so that i had to remove myself for a few moments to recollect. so, now hopefully you can see how i am utterly unable to recount such a trip in a narrative, and must only post these pics that come as close as possible to capturing it all. to all of you, my friends and family: i love you dearly. enjoy.

ok. so my computer is being stupid. pictures will follow. i promise.

GOOOOOOOOOOD Movie!!!!

2006-12-28T01:32:00.000-05:00

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.

2006-12-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-12-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

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....

2006-12-14T18:02:00.000-05:00

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!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-12-14T01:10:00.000-05:00

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.

2006-12-11T21:12:00.000-05:00

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 =)

2006-12-08T22:17:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-12-06T14:53:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-12-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

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".....

2006-12-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

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.

2006-11-30T14:09:00.000-05:00

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....

2006-11-28T16:31:00.000-05:00

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!!!

2006-11-27T20:05:00.000-05:00

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....

2006-11-19T23:47:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-10-31T15:03:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-19T20:43:00.000-04:00

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

WOTD: Propaedeutic

2006-10-19T18:11:00.000-04:00

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.

2006-10-04T14:53:00.000-04:00

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..."

2006-09-30T12:24:00.000-04:00

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!!!

2006-09-28T09:34:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-24T01:02:00.000-04:00

*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?

2006-09-16T16:34:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-23T23:34:00.000-04:00

*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...

2006-08-20T14:23:00.000-04:00

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"

2006-08-18T15:35:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-08-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

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

2006-07-16T09:50:00.000-04:00

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

2006-07-10T15:07:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-05-25T13:29:00.000-04:00

The University of Blogging

Presents to
Mona Williams

An Honorary
Bachelor of
Color Bars

Majoring in
Self Deprication

Signed
Dr. GoQuiz.com

BACK . to the FUTURE???

2006-05-25T13:18:00.000-04:00

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?

2006-04-26T15:19:00.000-04:00

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

2006-04-20T15:27:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-04-07T13:01:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-03-17T12:16:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-03-12T00:48:00.000-05:00

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

2006-03-04T14:03:00.000-05:00

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

2006-02-19T23:29:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-02-17T11:21:00.000-05:00

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

2006-02-15T16:16:00.000-05:00

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

2006-02-09T16:47:00.000-05:00

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

2006-02-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

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

2006-02-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-25T16:14:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-19T12:04:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-18T19:46:00.000-05:00

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

Monarchianism

Adoptionist

Docetism

Donatism

Albigensianism

Modalism

Gnosticism

Socinianism

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!

2006-01-18T16:32:00.000-05:00

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:-)