The End of a Family Filled Summer

This summer has been filled with times with family and I wanted to dedicate a post to all of them, from immediate to extended, I love you all and am so grateful for having each of you in my life. God has blessed me so abundantly! It's been amazing to see almost everyone in my extended family over the course of this summer and I am so thankful for the opportunity to travel so much in order to do so.

The first major trip of the summer was to Arizona in May, where I was able to see much of my extended family, even if only for a short time. I was, sadly, sick with a 24 hour bug during part of the time I was there, shortening my time with much of them. But it was still good to see so many of them and visit with my Tias, cousins, and see my Nana.

The next trip of the summer was with my family to Oregon for my cousin's wedding, where my aunts and uncles and a few cousins were able to join the fun celebrations. It was great to do some sight seeing and meet the new family!

 

  

Within a week, Mom and I were off to Minnesota where I saw a friend from BC, and a whole lot of family! From cousins I hadn't seen in years, to my Grandpa and Aunts and Uncles, it was wonderful to sit around a campfire or at Pizza Ranch talking and enjoying everyone's company. It was a beautiful opportunity to see my cousin's newborn twins as well! They are so incredibly adorable and I can't believe how tiny babies are!

 

 

 

Tonight, I wrapped up my summer spending the evening with my immediate family. We enjoyed a wonderful homecooked meal, angel food cake, and fun. It was so fun, I never even took out my camera.


At the posting of this, I will be disabling all comments on my blog and will not be posting anymore... as we leave tomorrow to head to Lincoln! We'll arrive at the Motherhouse and Guesthouse tomorrow night after spending the afternoon with some BC friends in Lincoln. Then Sunday after Mass and Brunch, I will wave goodbye to my parents and head into Sunday's Holy Hour.

"Leaving a place is easy.  But leaving the people who have shaped me with their friendship, opened their homes to me,  and welcomed me into the happiness and sorrows of their lives – that’s very, very hard.  All I can say to them is thank you." -Archbishop Charles Chaput

I will see you in the Eucharist.





May Christ always reign in your heart and in the hearts of all those you meet this day.


In Christ through Mary.

Friendship and Simplicity

I recently visited the International Forest of Friendship with, you guessed it, some friends.

We kicked the evening off with some time at the lake, grilling and eating out of the back of the car since it was too windy to set things out on the picnic tables. Once almost everyone had left, four of us went for a drive around the lake and to the "forest."

It was beautiful. Okay. Not necessarily the trees (most were not in full bloom yet... if they ever are. Half the trees there are not meant to be growing in the middle of the midwest). The time there with friends was beautiful though. It's got me thinking though... how simple of a time it was. We sat on picnic tables at a lake, grilling, and talking for over two hours. No need for games, or movies, or computers. The most technology was an occasional phone call or text and my camera. Then the walk through the "forest"--how wonderful! The simplicity of the afternoon was great--it allowed for conversation, stories, jokes, laughter. Despite the 38mph winds, we enjoyed the geese, the lake, and most importantly each other.

I can't thank God enough for these wonderful friends I've made here at BC and for all the people He's placed in my life. Whether it's the check-out clerk at Wal-mart or a classmate or a FOCUS Missionary, they've all been placed in my life for a reason for a given amount of time--and I praise the Lord the time I've been given with them!

 

I once read this quote somewhere, and it's so true. Feeling the love of the people around us, and the Lord's love especially, is what feeds my life and keeps me going.

"To feel the love of people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life." -Pablo Neruda

What feeds your fire?



In Christ through Mary.

The Light Meets the Dark Tour

Last night I had the amazing opportunity to go to Kansas City with a number of BC students to see Matt Maher, Addison Road, and Tenth Avenue North live in concert. Yes, we were the loud, obnoxious ones to the far left singing the fight song and screaming for Matt.