On Dec. 8 I posted on this blog about that day's special feast day in the Catholic Church: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (see post below). A wonderful friend of mine posted some comments and based on what she said, I thought a new post was warranted to give this topic the attention it deserves.
Mary is an important figure in Christianity. Catholics especially give her a place of honor that is often misunderstood by other Christians. For example, one misunderstanding is that Catholics pray to Mary. This isn't true, but we do ask for her intersession. After all, if you are seeking help from someone (God) why not ask his mother? Remember the wedding feast at Cana? Jesus wasn't ready to start His public ministry, but at his mother's insistence, He did. This is just one of many things that we could discuss, but moving back to the topic at hand ...
The Bible verses referred to in the comments from the post below are actually addressed in a tract (or article) I found (well, okay, Chris found it) on the Catholic Answers website. So for a much better overview of the Immaculate Conception than I could ever give, I point you to this wonderful page. This article goes into some detail on why we believe what we do about the Immaculate Conception and it also talks about the Assumption, which is another topic.
One thing I really like about this article is the analogy of the two people falling into the pit and being saved. One falls in and is pulled out, thus he is saved from further mudding up himself; the second is, at the very last moment, pulled away from the pit and is saved from even falling in and thus avoids all the mud completely. This is to illustrate Mary's need for a Savior (Luke 1:47). Yes, she needed a Savior, we all do. She was just blessed with his saving grace at the moment of conception. What a wonderful thing to do for your mother!! Also in the article, note the discussion of Luke 1:28 when the angel Gabriel addresses Mary. Very cool!
There is a lot more on the entire Catholic Answers website that may be of interest to anyone wanting to know why Catholics believe certain things. One thing that was also implied, though not explicitly stated, in the comments on the previous post was about Scripture being the only source we have. The Catholic Church teaches Scripture in everything we do and it informs all of our practices and doctrines. But we also rely on tradition and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent out his disciples to teach the world under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26 and 16:13). There are articles on this same website under the topic of Scripture and Tradition that may also be of interest to anyone wanting to know why Catholics not only use the Bible, but also have the Catechism and all these doctrines from the Popes, etc.
I'm sure this doesn't answer everything in regard to the topic of the Immaculate Conception, but I hope it's a good start. Another person to check our for more information on all sorts of topics is Scott Hahn. He was a minister of some kind and admits to once being anti-Catholic. He and his entire family converted to Catholicism years ago and now both he and his wife (who also trained in the Protestant seminary with her husband) write and speak about matters of Catholic faith and he teaches theology classes at a Catholic college in Ohio. In his conversion story he talks about how Mary was the last huge stumbling block before he could really accept the Catholic faith. Scott Hahn does such a great job explaining Catholic teachings! I suggest checking out his books for more information on Mary or any other Catholic teaching that seems strange to other Christians.
With that I will conclude this post. This reminds me that I need to start trying to do more of those "Catholic Topics of the Week" that I tried to start some time ago. I'll meditate on that a bit for the New Year. I hope everyone has a wonderful and joyful Christmas! Merry Christmas to all!!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
The Immaculate Conception of Mary
Today in the church calendar we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This is the time when we remember Mary as one who was conceived without sin and who would become the Mother of God. Mary has a very important role in our faith and this is one of the many ways in which we remember her.
Chris and I attended the vigil Mass for this feast day. So we met at Church Friday night after work and then went out to eat after Mass. We also managed to do a little Christmas shopping last night too.
Today I had rehearsal for a concert I'm playing in tomorrow. Actually, this is the reason we went to a vigil mass rather than the 8am mass Saturday morning.
This evening after dinner we read part of a book we picked up at Church at the beginning of Advent. The book has readings and commentaries for each day from the First Sunday of Advent through Epiphany. So each night after dinner we read that days page. Today's, of course, talked about the Immaculate Conception. It made us both think a bit and it sparked a little bit of discussion. I suppose that is probably the intent of the book! :)
So the book asked if we thought Mary knew she was sinless. I said no, how could she know that. But Chris said that she probably knew something even if maybe she didn't know exactly what it was. And we were specifically thinking of Mary as a young girl, before the angel came to visit her. So we discussed this more and I think I do have to agree that she probably knew that she was different somehow. Chris pointed out that although she was conceived without sin she still had free will as we all do. Thus she always had to make the decision to not sin whenever she was faced with any kind of decision like that. But he also agrees that she probably wouldn't have been able to vocalize that she was sinless because she also had humility. Humility kind of goes hand in hand with the sinlessness. So, she might never have admitted she was sinless, she had free will, and she had to make decisions to always do right.
It was a really great discussion and I'm glad it made us think. I also feel that my respect for the person of Mary is so much greater now just thinking about what we talked about tonight. She is definitely a role model to always have in front of you.
Chris and I attended the vigil Mass for this feast day. So we met at Church Friday night after work and then went out to eat after Mass. We also managed to do a little Christmas shopping last night too.
Today I had rehearsal for a concert I'm playing in tomorrow. Actually, this is the reason we went to a vigil mass rather than the 8am mass Saturday morning.
This evening after dinner we read part of a book we picked up at Church at the beginning of Advent. The book has readings and commentaries for each day from the First Sunday of Advent through Epiphany. So each night after dinner we read that days page. Today's, of course, talked about the Immaculate Conception. It made us both think a bit and it sparked a little bit of discussion. I suppose that is probably the intent of the book! :)
So the book asked if we thought Mary knew she was sinless. I said no, how could she know that. But Chris said that she probably knew something even if maybe she didn't know exactly what it was. And we were specifically thinking of Mary as a young girl, before the angel came to visit her. So we discussed this more and I think I do have to agree that she probably knew that she was different somehow. Chris pointed out that although she was conceived without sin she still had free will as we all do. Thus she always had to make the decision to not sin whenever she was faced with any kind of decision like that. But he also agrees that she probably wouldn't have been able to vocalize that she was sinless because she also had humility. Humility kind of goes hand in hand with the sinlessness. So, she might never have admitted she was sinless, she had free will, and she had to make decisions to always do right.
It was a really great discussion and I'm glad it made us think. I also feel that my respect for the person of Mary is so much greater now just thinking about what we talked about tonight. She is definitely a role model to always have in front of you.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Some thoughts on Advent
First, as I mentioned in my previous post, I added an Advent wreath to the blog in honor of the season. I failed, however, to mention where I got the wreath. Through another Catholic blog I was pointed to The Curt Jester who provided the Advent wreath for any blog. So thanks to the Curt Jester for the wonderful Advent wreath!!
Second, I have noticed a lot of talk this year about the importance of Advent. Along with this there is a lot of talk about how tired people are of the commercialization of Christmas and everyone's amazement of how early it starts. I saw Christmas stuff out along with the Halloween stuff during "Back to School" shopping. It is crazy!! I am hearing on the radio and reading on blogs about how people want to take back Christmas, away from the retailers, and bring it back to what it is really about--the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our King.
Our Christmas stuff went up this past weekend. It still seems too early to me and I am considering some different things for next year. But convincing my husband will be interesting. This was a topic on many blogs who participated in this week's Catholic Carnival. Check it out here: Catholic Carnival 148: For Life.
Two of my favorite postings in this week's Carnival have to do exactly with the idea of recognizing the season of Advent, things to do during Advent, and placing Christmas properly where it belongs. These posts are great!! Go read them. The first is at the blog Catholic Fire called: Ten Tips to a Better Advent Season. The second is from A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars and she presents a beautiful view of the holidays from the end of Thanksgiving all the way to Epiphany in January. Check out her post What Would Celebrating Christmas correctly look like?. Her view is exactly what I have been looking for. So I'm getting ideas for next year and I love it!
Those are just two of my favorites from the Carnival. If you like those, go check out the others as well. I highly recommend them!
Second, I have noticed a lot of talk this year about the importance of Advent. Along with this there is a lot of talk about how tired people are of the commercialization of Christmas and everyone's amazement of how early it starts. I saw Christmas stuff out along with the Halloween stuff during "Back to School" shopping. It is crazy!! I am hearing on the radio and reading on blogs about how people want to take back Christmas, away from the retailers, and bring it back to what it is really about--the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our King.
Our Christmas stuff went up this past weekend. It still seems too early to me and I am considering some different things for next year. But convincing my husband will be interesting. This was a topic on many blogs who participated in this week's Catholic Carnival. Check it out here: Catholic Carnival 148: For Life.
Two of my favorite postings in this week's Carnival have to do exactly with the idea of recognizing the season of Advent, things to do during Advent, and placing Christmas properly where it belongs. These posts are great!! Go read them. The first is at the blog Catholic Fire called: Ten Tips to a Better Advent Season. The second is from A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars and she presents a beautiful view of the holidays from the end of Thanksgiving all the way to Epiphany in January. Check out her post What Would Celebrating Christmas correctly look like?. Her view is exactly what I have been looking for. So I'm getting ideas for next year and I love it!
Those are just two of my favorites from the Carnival. If you like those, go check out the others as well. I highly recommend them!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Happy 1st Sunday of Advent
Advent has begun. I have added an advent wreath to my blog. Isn't it cool!!
We also took out all the Christmas decorations this weekend and Chris finished putting all that stuff up. There isn't room for my tree, but we did get al my ornaments on his tree. His tree no longer looks so "designed"! I counted 9 wreathes around the house, inside and out! Quite amazing, I think.
Enjoy the countdown to Christmas!! Happy Advent season!
We also took out all the Christmas decorations this weekend and Chris finished putting all that stuff up. There isn't room for my tree, but we did get al my ornaments on his tree. His tree no longer looks so "designed"! I counted 9 wreathes around the house, inside and out! Quite amazing, I think.
Enjoy the countdown to Christmas!! Happy Advent season!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Finally: An Update
There has been so much going on since the wedding and time is just flying by. I will try to make things as brief as possible here.
The Honeymoon: We had so much fun. We went to the Pocono Mountains and stayed at an all-inclusive resort. That was definitely the way to go, no need to pay for your breakfast or dinner every day, it's all included. It rained a lot, but we did manage to go horseback riding one day and while at the resort we had lots of good food, a beautiful view of the lake, very tame deer always around, and we played indoor mini-golf, air hockey, indoor archery, and went ice skating!
The House: We've been very busy with the house. We decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house, so we've been busy trying to find a home for all my stuff and hanging up pictures and so forth. We're slowly making progress. As for the townhouse, it still has some things in it, but we hope to get rid of those things soon. We hope to fix it up some and rent it out by the new year. At this point that seems like an optimistic goal.
Changing my Name: Not a fun activity. Got my new Social Security card, got my new driver's license (but they didn't change the renewal so I need to still go again next year), and we ran a credit report so I can close some credit lines and change my name on the others. We also changed both our bank accounts to make them both joint and put my name on his and change my name on mine. I still have to deal with my credit cards, all the paperwork for the townhouse, my work stuff (benefits, etc.), another bank account, AAA, my Delta Skymiles card (have to do that soon so I can buy a plane ticket for February), and my stocks. There are probably other things as well, but I'll take it all one step at a time. It may be our first anniversary before I get everything squared away.
My Birthday!! My birthday was Sunday (yesterday). Chris took me to dinner Saturday night and while we were at dinner he suprised me with tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for that night! It was a great show. Lots of lights, strobes, and lasers; very loud music; and lots of fun!! As a classical musician I did find parts of the show amusing, but I eventually got into it and just enjoyed it. I've always wanted to see this show, so I'm glad I finally got to.
Go See this movie: Sunday we went to see Bella. It was an excellent movie with a great message. If you can find it playing in a theater near you, please go see it. Hollywood needs to know that we want more movies like this to watch, not the sex and violence most movies rely on to draw in an audience. Also, if you're anything like me, bring a box of kleenex!!
Work: Slowly getting back into the swing of things here. The good news is that my open position was approved and posted and closes today!! I can't believe how fast this was done; last time my position was open it was 9 months before I was able to fill the position, at this point it's only been two! It must be a record for a position in technical services; public services positions usually go this quickly, but not the tech services ones! I'm considering myself very lucky right now!! I hope to start interviewing next week. In the meantime, I continue to do my job and a good part of the other position's job as well. I can't keep up with my student assistants on my own, but I'm doing the best I can.
Thanksgiving: I mentioned above that we're hosting Thanksgiving. Our first holiday as a married couple and we're doing most of the cooking and having everyone to our house. The best part is that we couldn't procrastinate on getting the house in order, so that's almost done! Yeah!! I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing holiday and a chance to visit with family without much stress.
I think that is about all I have for the moment. I hope to get back to normal postings very soon. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Take the time to think about all you are thankful for and to enjoy this wonderful American holiday. Don't let the way-too-early Christmas rush get to you, just enjoy this holiday. I'll rant more on starting Christmas too early in a later post. :)
The Honeymoon: We had so much fun. We went to the Pocono Mountains and stayed at an all-inclusive resort. That was definitely the way to go, no need to pay for your breakfast or dinner every day, it's all included. It rained a lot, but we did manage to go horseback riding one day and while at the resort we had lots of good food, a beautiful view of the lake, very tame deer always around, and we played indoor mini-golf, air hockey, indoor archery, and went ice skating!
The House: We've been very busy with the house. We decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house, so we've been busy trying to find a home for all my stuff and hanging up pictures and so forth. We're slowly making progress. As for the townhouse, it still has some things in it, but we hope to get rid of those things soon. We hope to fix it up some and rent it out by the new year. At this point that seems like an optimistic goal.
Changing my Name: Not a fun activity. Got my new Social Security card, got my new driver's license (but they didn't change the renewal so I need to still go again next year), and we ran a credit report so I can close some credit lines and change my name on the others. We also changed both our bank accounts to make them both joint and put my name on his and change my name on mine. I still have to deal with my credit cards, all the paperwork for the townhouse, my work stuff (benefits, etc.), another bank account, AAA, my Delta Skymiles card (have to do that soon so I can buy a plane ticket for February), and my stocks. There are probably other things as well, but I'll take it all one step at a time. It may be our first anniversary before I get everything squared away.
My Birthday!! My birthday was Sunday (yesterday). Chris took me to dinner Saturday night and while we were at dinner he suprised me with tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for that night! It was a great show. Lots of lights, strobes, and lasers; very loud music; and lots of fun!! As a classical musician I did find parts of the show amusing, but I eventually got into it and just enjoyed it. I've always wanted to see this show, so I'm glad I finally got to.
Go See this movie: Sunday we went to see Bella. It was an excellent movie with a great message. If you can find it playing in a theater near you, please go see it. Hollywood needs to know that we want more movies like this to watch, not the sex and violence most movies rely on to draw in an audience. Also, if you're anything like me, bring a box of kleenex!!
Work: Slowly getting back into the swing of things here. The good news is that my open position was approved and posted and closes today!! I can't believe how fast this was done; last time my position was open it was 9 months before I was able to fill the position, at this point it's only been two! It must be a record for a position in technical services; public services positions usually go this quickly, but not the tech services ones! I'm considering myself very lucky right now!! I hope to start interviewing next week. In the meantime, I continue to do my job and a good part of the other position's job as well. I can't keep up with my student assistants on my own, but I'm doing the best I can.
Thanksgiving: I mentioned above that we're hosting Thanksgiving. Our first holiday as a married couple and we're doing most of the cooking and having everyone to our house. The best part is that we couldn't procrastinate on getting the house in order, so that's almost done! Yeah!! I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing holiday and a chance to visit with family without much stress.
I think that is about all I have for the moment. I hope to get back to normal postings very soon. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Take the time to think about all you are thankful for and to enjoy this wonderful American holiday. Don't let the way-too-early Christmas rush get to you, just enjoy this holiday. I'll rant more on starting Christmas too early in a later post. :)
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The Wedding
Chris and I got married on October 20!! Most of you already knew that and many of you were probably there!! Thanks for coming if you came!!
If you weren't there, it was a wonderful day. We had been having rainy weather in Lexington during the week before the wedding, but the day of it cleared out and was clear and nice, not too hot, not too cold.
The ceremony was beautiful and Fr. Frank's homily was wonderful. It definitely makes a difference when you know the priest and he knows you. I think it is funny that the afternoon of the night Chris proposed he and I had had lunch with Fr. Frank. Then a year later he married us! Anyway, everything was lovely and it was such a joy to stand in front of everyone we love and profess our committment and love to each other for the rest of our lives.
Following the ceremony the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour at the reception site where we had a bluegrass band playing. We were taking pictures during that time, so we missed it, but I've seen some pictures and it looks like everyone was enjoying themselves. The reception itself started after that. The food was great, the company was great, and the music was great. Everything was so much fun. If you're a baseball fan you may know that that night was also game 6 of the Red Sox/Indians series for a trip to the World Series. Two of my aunts showed up late during the partying with Red Sox t-shirts on over their dresses and we had some fun on the dance floor with some favorite Boston songs (not the group, but songs Boston-related). One of the best parts was going around and visiting with everyone. My first chance to really see who was at the wedding was when we went visiting all the tables to say hello to our guests. That was great fun!!
That's all for now. I'll post more about the events of that weekend very soon. Eventually I'll also put up a link or two to some pictures. Check back here again soon!!
If you weren't there, it was a wonderful day. We had been having rainy weather in Lexington during the week before the wedding, but the day of it cleared out and was clear and nice, not too hot, not too cold.
The ceremony was beautiful and Fr. Frank's homily was wonderful. It definitely makes a difference when you know the priest and he knows you. I think it is funny that the afternoon of the night Chris proposed he and I had had lunch with Fr. Frank. Then a year later he married us! Anyway, everything was lovely and it was such a joy to stand in front of everyone we love and profess our committment and love to each other for the rest of our lives.
Following the ceremony the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour at the reception site where we had a bluegrass band playing. We were taking pictures during that time, so we missed it, but I've seen some pictures and it looks like everyone was enjoying themselves. The reception itself started after that. The food was great, the company was great, and the music was great. Everything was so much fun. If you're a baseball fan you may know that that night was also game 6 of the Red Sox/Indians series for a trip to the World Series. Two of my aunts showed up late during the partying with Red Sox t-shirts on over their dresses and we had some fun on the dance floor with some favorite Boston songs (not the group, but songs Boston-related). One of the best parts was going around and visiting with everyone. My first chance to really see who was at the wedding was when we went visiting all the tables to say hello to our guests. That was great fun!!
That's all for now. I'll post more about the events of that weekend very soon. Eventually I'll also put up a link or two to some pictures. Check back here again soon!!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
We're back!!
We're back from the honeymoon!! We had a great time; it was fun and relaxing.
The wedding was wonderful; everything went well and it was so much fun to see so many family and friends together!!
I still have lots of emails to respond to and thank you notes to write. Plus we're still moving things from my old house to Chris' house and trying to find a place for it all. This is all to say that I may be on a bit more of a break from the blog while I accomplish all of that.
I go back to work tomorrow and will start trying to catch up there as well. Now I have to remember to drive to the right part of town when I leave work tomorrow evening!!
I'll be in touch with everyone soon!!
The wedding was wonderful; everything went well and it was so much fun to see so many family and friends together!!
I still have lots of emails to respond to and thank you notes to write. Plus we're still moving things from my old house to Chris' house and trying to find a place for it all. This is all to say that I may be on a bit more of a break from the blog while I accomplish all of that.
I go back to work tomorrow and will start trying to catch up there as well. Now I have to remember to drive to the right part of town when I leave work tomorrow evening!!
I'll be in touch with everyone soon!!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Four Days!!
Only four days left until the wedding. Things are starting to get wrapped up and plans finalized. I'm happy to report that I have turned most everything over to my wedding coordinator and the contact person at the hotel and I can now just sit back and wait for things to happen.
Today is my last full day in the office. Tomorrow I'm coming in for a half day, but will be spending it in the main library's administration office reading contract renewal files. After that I'm gone for a while!! Yay!!
At the moment, Saturday is shaping up to be a beautiful day. High of 72, low of 53, mostly sunny, and only a 20% chance of rain. A little warm for this time of year, but it'll be beautiful!!
So far I've also thought of four games that guests at this wedding will be interested in scores for during the day. At least one of those might not happen, but if it does, I know a lot of people who are going to want to know the score. So far I have: Vandy vs. USC at 12:30, Florida vs. UK at 3:30, and UT vs. Alabama at 4:30. Then there is the Red Sox and the Indians. If that game happens, it'll be game 6 of the series and could be a very important one. I don't keep up with baseball so I actually have no idea how that series is currently going.
I think that covers everything for now! Wow, four days!! I can't believe it!!
Today is my last full day in the office. Tomorrow I'm coming in for a half day, but will be spending it in the main library's administration office reading contract renewal files. After that I'm gone for a while!! Yay!!
At the moment, Saturday is shaping up to be a beautiful day. High of 72, low of 53, mostly sunny, and only a 20% chance of rain. A little warm for this time of year, but it'll be beautiful!!
So far I've also thought of four games that guests at this wedding will be interested in scores for during the day. At least one of those might not happen, but if it does, I know a lot of people who are going to want to know the score. So far I have: Vandy vs. USC at 12:30, Florida vs. UK at 3:30, and UT vs. Alabama at 4:30. Then there is the Red Sox and the Indians. If that game happens, it'll be game 6 of the series and could be a very important one. I don't keep up with baseball so I actually have no idea how that series is currently going.
I think that covers everything for now! Wow, four days!! I can't believe it!!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Wow--One Week
Only one week left!!!
We met with the wedding coordinator today and squared away a lot of things with her. I also saw my photographer briefly and got my bridal portrait--it looks awesome!!
I have a meeting Tuesday at the Marriott to meet the banquet captain and after that there really isn't much to do.
My family gets to town on Thursday and extended family starts coming in that day and Friday. It's so exciting!
Everything we do these days is "the last time as single people"!! It's been fun!
We met with the wedding coordinator today and squared away a lot of things with her. I also saw my photographer briefly and got my bridal portrait--it looks awesome!!
I have a meeting Tuesday at the Marriott to meet the banquet captain and after that there really isn't much to do.
My family gets to town on Thursday and extended family starts coming in that day and Friday. It's so exciting!
Everything we do these days is "the last time as single people"!! It's been fun!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Lots of Stuff--Briefly
It's been a very long time since I posted anything here. Hopefully I haven't lost my readers, however small a group you might be.
Last weekend we moved my furniture to Chris' house. There is now furniture in every room of the house, while my house just has the bare minimum for me for the next two weeks! Wow!! The wedding is sooooo close!!!!
This week I'm wrapping up plans on my end and by Saturday I should be able to turn everything over to the wedding coordinator. Looking forward to that.
Work is busy, nothing new there. I was asked today by our Library Faculty Council to chair a new working group on Faculty Mentoring. I'm a sucker for punishment ... I said yes. Luckily, they anticipate most of the work to be during the spring semester.
I have one last wedding question. For those of you familiar with Christ the King and have seen the church when we have the banners up over the altar (usually at Pentacost, red, or Easter, white I think, or other special occasions): should I call to have the white banners put up for the wedding or not? I was at the church yesterday afternoon and I don't think they necessarily add anything to the look of the church, but they might possibly add to the sense of celebration for the wedding. Any opinions? I probably need to call soon if I'm going to have them done. Chris likes the idea, so I may put him in charge of calling if he really wants them.
What does everyone else think? Post your opinion at the link below. Thanks!
Have a great week and I'll try to put more news up this weekend. After that this blog might be dry for a while. :)
Last weekend we moved my furniture to Chris' house. There is now furniture in every room of the house, while my house just has the bare minimum for me for the next two weeks! Wow!! The wedding is sooooo close!!!!
This week I'm wrapping up plans on my end and by Saturday I should be able to turn everything over to the wedding coordinator. Looking forward to that.
Work is busy, nothing new there. I was asked today by our Library Faculty Council to chair a new working group on Faculty Mentoring. I'm a sucker for punishment ... I said yes. Luckily, they anticipate most of the work to be during the spring semester.
I have one last wedding question. For those of you familiar with Christ the King and have seen the church when we have the banners up over the altar (usually at Pentacost, red, or Easter, white I think, or other special occasions): should I call to have the white banners put up for the wedding or not? I was at the church yesterday afternoon and I don't think they necessarily add anything to the look of the church, but they might possibly add to the sense of celebration for the wedding. Any opinions? I probably need to call soon if I'm going to have them done. Chris likes the idea, so I may put him in charge of calling if he really wants them.
What does everyone else think? Post your opinion at the link below. Thanks!
Have a great week and I'll try to put more news up this weekend. After that this blog might be dry for a while. :)
Monday, October 01, 2007
Our Busy Weekend: Friends and Painting
Good morning to everyone!!
We had a great weekend and I hope you did too. First we drove over to Louisville on Saturday morning and met up with a friend of mine for breakfast. We drove over to an IHOP on the Indiana side of the river. It was so much fun to catch up with her and I can't believe that I get to see her three times in five months!! She was in Louisville for a conference and she'll be back in KY in three weeks for our wedding.
Once we got back to Lexington we started in on our painting project. We managed to paint the whole master bedroom in about 2 hours, 3 if you count prep and cleanup time. I love the color!! And I'm so glad we have some more color in that house!
Sunday we went to Mass, had breakfast at Chris' house, read the paper a bit, and then headed off to multiple stores to run some errands. It was a good productive day. We also heard from Chris' brother who told us that he proposed to his girlfriend on Saturday evening! We're very excited for them and looking forward to another wedding now, possibly next September.
Have a great week!!
We had a great weekend and I hope you did too. First we drove over to Louisville on Saturday morning and met up with a friend of mine for breakfast. We drove over to an IHOP on the Indiana side of the river. It was so much fun to catch up with her and I can't believe that I get to see her three times in five months!! She was in Louisville for a conference and she'll be back in KY in three weeks for our wedding.
Once we got back to Lexington we started in on our painting project. We managed to paint the whole master bedroom in about 2 hours, 3 if you count prep and cleanup time. I love the color!! And I'm so glad we have some more color in that house!
Sunday we went to Mass, had breakfast at Chris' house, read the paper a bit, and then headed off to multiple stores to run some errands. It was a good productive day. We also heard from Chris' brother who told us that he proposed to his girlfriend on Saturday evening! We're very excited for them and looking forward to another wedding now, possibly next September.
Have a great week!!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
And the answer is ...
Not to audition!
I couldn't sleep last night, at all! I think I got two hours of sleep, maybe three. I managed to get to work by 8:30 somehow, I actually have no idea how I managed that.
The presentation/demo I went to at 9 was horrible. The product was actually good, although from what the sales guy said, it won't work on our sound recordings or specialized DVDs. He told me that CDs had ISBN numbers and was very insistant that more and more CDs had ISBNs. I guess he doesn't know what ISBN means: International Standard Book Number!! I definitely made sure to correct him and told him that I spent most of my day looking at CDs and I know they do not have ISBN numbers! Anyway, despite the product actually being pretty decent the presentation itself was pretty awful to sit through. Before a company sends someone out to a group of librarians to sell a product they should make sure the guy knows the lingo, knows what ISBN stands for, and make sure he knows how to use a web browser. Thankfully it lasted only an hour instead of the two hours it was slated for.
I spent the rest of the day trying to get some work done, but I was way too tired. Finally it was 5 and I left. I was afraid to sit for too long once I got home, I thought I might fall asleep and sleep right through rehearsal. So I ate, talked to my dad for a while then talked to my mom and then headed off for rehearsal. By the time we finished the first half of rehearsal and broke for auditions I knew I couldn't stay. So I left and didn't do the audition. I'm not worried. I also haven't told the director that I might not make the February concert.
So since I was out of rehearsal early, I went to Chris' house. Yes, I should have gone home and gone to bed, but I wanted to see my fiance. We talked some, prayed a rosary together, and I finally headed home. Now it's time to head to bed! Good night!!
I couldn't sleep last night, at all! I think I got two hours of sleep, maybe three. I managed to get to work by 8:30 somehow, I actually have no idea how I managed that.
The presentation/demo I went to at 9 was horrible. The product was actually good, although from what the sales guy said, it won't work on our sound recordings or specialized DVDs. He told me that CDs had ISBN numbers and was very insistant that more and more CDs had ISBNs. I guess he doesn't know what ISBN means: International Standard Book Number!! I definitely made sure to correct him and told him that I spent most of my day looking at CDs and I know they do not have ISBN numbers! Anyway, despite the product actually being pretty decent the presentation itself was pretty awful to sit through. Before a company sends someone out to a group of librarians to sell a product they should make sure the guy knows the lingo, knows what ISBN stands for, and make sure he knows how to use a web browser. Thankfully it lasted only an hour instead of the two hours it was slated for.
I spent the rest of the day trying to get some work done, but I was way too tired. Finally it was 5 and I left. I was afraid to sit for too long once I got home, I thought I might fall asleep and sleep right through rehearsal. So I ate, talked to my dad for a while then talked to my mom and then headed off for rehearsal. By the time we finished the first half of rehearsal and broke for auditions I knew I couldn't stay. So I left and didn't do the audition. I'm not worried. I also haven't told the director that I might not make the February concert.
So since I was out of rehearsal early, I went to Chris' house. Yes, I should have gone home and gone to bed, but I wanted to see my fiance. We talked some, prayed a rosary together, and I finally headed home. Now it's time to head to bed! Good night!!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
To audition, or not to audition ... that is the question!
I've had a very busy week. Work is a bit more stressful these days and wedding stuff is a little stressful as well. I'm working through a lot of challenges right now, but I know that I will pull through them all, just like I always have. I managed to almost entirely write a master's thesis in about two months. That was quite a feat!
Anyway, so on top of all that I am also debating on auditioning for my spot in the band I play with. Thursday night is rehearsal, but only a half rehearsal and then the director is doing auditions for only the new members. But on the audition list he listed a part for "solo clarinet consideration," which is my curent position. I'm not worried, but I do like to be sure. Only problem, I haven't really had a chance to practice in months and all my reeds are terrible. I need to order new reeds--none of the music stores here keep the kind I use in stock.
So I played through the excerpt tonight and the scales he wants are easy enough. I just can't determine the tempo of the excerpt and I can't find a recording. I work in a music library and we don't have a recording anywhere of the piece, even through our streaming audio databases. But I think I'm close to the tempo, I hope.
I'm tempted to just go in and play for fun. Someone told me it might actually be a good stress releaver. She might be right! And auditions never hurt. Any other opinions? Will I be making a fool out of myself by auditioning or is it good to do to at least show that I don't want to lose my current spot?
Lots to think about. In the meantime, I have to get to bed so I can get to work by 8, read through several long documents and then sit in meetings from 9-12:30!! Wish me luck, I need it!!
Anyway, so on top of all that I am also debating on auditioning for my spot in the band I play with. Thursday night is rehearsal, but only a half rehearsal and then the director is doing auditions for only the new members. But on the audition list he listed a part for "solo clarinet consideration," which is my curent position. I'm not worried, but I do like to be sure. Only problem, I haven't really had a chance to practice in months and all my reeds are terrible. I need to order new reeds--none of the music stores here keep the kind I use in stock.
So I played through the excerpt tonight and the scales he wants are easy enough. I just can't determine the tempo of the excerpt and I can't find a recording. I work in a music library and we don't have a recording anywhere of the piece, even through our streaming audio databases. But I think I'm close to the tempo, I hope.
I'm tempted to just go in and play for fun. Someone told me it might actually be a good stress releaver. She might be right! And auditions never hurt. Any other opinions? Will I be making a fool out of myself by auditioning or is it good to do to at least show that I don't want to lose my current spot?
Lots to think about. In the meantime, I have to get to bed so I can get to work by 8, read through several long documents and then sit in meetings from 9-12:30!! Wish me luck, I need it!!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Preparing for the Move
Monday night I went to Chris' house to start moving his stuff around. We moved all his furniture from the master bedroom into the guest bedroom, vacuumed the master bedroom, and then started painting one wall. Oh, yeah, we picked out paint on Sunday for that room! I'm so excited!
So now the master is empty and Chris is sleeping in his guest room. This weekend we're painting and then the following weekend we're moving my bedroom furniture and some other pieces of furniture that I'm keeping into his house. Then I'll be sleeping in my guest room.
By the way, anyone want to come help us move things on October 6? We'll feed you!
I'm leaving work soon to go back to his house and I'll see what the paint looks like once it's dried. I think it is exactly what we're looking for!
Side note: I heard that the bachelor party went well. Chris had the least to drink and ended up being the designated driver; he was kind of the lightweight of the group!! And from the sound of it they all had a great time!
So now the master is empty and Chris is sleeping in his guest room. This weekend we're painting and then the following weekend we're moving my bedroom furniture and some other pieces of furniture that I'm keeping into his house. Then I'll be sleeping in my guest room.
By the way, anyone want to come help us move things on October 6? We'll feed you!
I'm leaving work soon to go back to his house and I'll see what the paint looks like once it's dried. I think it is exactly what we're looking for!
Side note: I heard that the bachelor party went well. Chris had the least to drink and ended up being the designated driver; he was kind of the lightweight of the group!! And from the sound of it they all had a great time!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
What does the bride do during the bachelor party?
Answer: Shopping, football, and pizza and ice cream!!
Shopping: I went to the mall this morning and bought a new outfit for the rehearsal dinner, plus a few other things. I had several Macy's coupons, plus a lot of there stuff was on sale. I had a good time! Then I went to Hamburg and bought some shoes to go with my new stuff. It was a productive day!!
Football: #12 LSU vs. #12 S. Carolina!! South Carolina scored the first touchdown!! Unfortunately LSU did most of the scoring after that. We finally got a field goal and then in the fourth quarter we manged to get a second touchdown, but they tried for the two point conversion and didn't make it. Oh well!
Pizza and ice cream!! That's my dinner for tonight, or rather it was. Although I am eating the ice cream now. Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, right out of the container!! It's so great!! And who knows when I may ever do this again. So I'm enjoying myself!! :)
Hope you all are having a good night. I'll find out how the bachelor party went tomorrow. I hope the guys are having fun.
Shopping: I went to the mall this morning and bought a new outfit for the rehearsal dinner, plus a few other things. I had several Macy's coupons, plus a lot of there stuff was on sale. I had a good time! Then I went to Hamburg and bought some shoes to go with my new stuff. It was a productive day!!
Football: #12 LSU vs. #12 S. Carolina!! South Carolina scored the first touchdown!! Unfortunately LSU did most of the scoring after that. We finally got a field goal and then in the fourth quarter we manged to get a second touchdown, but they tried for the two point conversion and didn't make it. Oh well!
Pizza and ice cream!! That's my dinner for tonight, or rather it was. Although I am eating the ice cream now. Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, right out of the container!! It's so great!! And who knows when I may ever do this again. So I'm enjoying myself!! :)
Hope you all are having a good night. I'll find out how the bachelor party went tomorrow. I hope the guys are having fun.
What Instrument Should you Play??
| You Should Play the Violin |
 You are highly intelligent, and mastering difficult subjects never intimidates you. And while you may not be musical yet, you have a good ear - and you're sensitive to subtle differences in music. You are dedicated and studious. You have a great work ethic. You study well under a teacher, and you don't mind repeating tasks or following instructions. Expressive and moody, you are very likely to convey a variety of rich emotions through your music. You are definitely a passionate person... passionate enough to truly love the violin. Your dominant personality characteristic: your high intelligence Your secondary personality characteristic: your sensitivity |
I may not play the violin, but I think the desciption is pretty good for me. What do you think?
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Catching Up After a Week
It's been a week since I last posted here. Needless to say, I've been pretty busy.
Work, of course, is very busy, but that's no surprise. There's a ton of stuff going on there and it's only going to get busier over the next few weeks or more. But there's no point in writing about the details, that would only be boring.
Last weekend is much more interesting to share. On Saturday my two sisters and my youngest sister's boyfriend drove up from Atlanta for a very brief visit. But first, my friend RM and I went to see my photographer on Saturday morning to view my bridal portraits from the previous Friday. They were very good and it took a while to decide on one. But we finally did and picked out a frame for it as well. We then spent a good portion of the rest of the morning running errands.
My visitors arrived around 2:30 that afternoon. My youngest sister and her boyfriend were heading out to Louisville for a wedding, so we left them keys to the house and then left to find something to do during the afternoon. RM, my sister, and I decided to go out to the Woodford Reserve Distillery, but the last tour had already started. But we enjoyed some free samples and then took the scenic drive back to Lexington.
That night we went off to a Bachelorette Party and Personal Shower that RM organized for me with many of my friends. It was fun to have a girl's night out with a group of friends. It was also the first time that some of my friends had met each other. I think everyone had a great time. I also got some nice little gifts. After dinner we headed over to a nearby restaurant and bar where we got to watch the last five minutes of the Louisville vs. UK football game and had a drink. I had a Mint Chocolate Chip Martini which was VERY good. It smelled like ice cream, and the taste was very good, the alcohol wasn't very strong and the chocolate syrup in it was an awesome touch.
That was basically the weekend. Monday at work was also fun. My co-workers had a shower for me over a potluck lunch. It was so nice of them to arrange something like this for me. Everyone brought a dish to share and we enjoyed lunch together. We got some very nice gifts!
I've been touched by the many showers that people have had for me. It was fun to have one with my bridesmaids in Atlanta, another one with Chris' side of the family in Bardstown, one with co-workers, and the personal shower with my close friends. It's such a special way to celebrate our upcoming marriage.
This coming weekend is the Bachelor party. That means I have a free Saturday night. More later on how I'll be spending my upcoming free weekend!
Work, of course, is very busy, but that's no surprise. There's a ton of stuff going on there and it's only going to get busier over the next few weeks or more. But there's no point in writing about the details, that would only be boring.
Last weekend is much more interesting to share. On Saturday my two sisters and my youngest sister's boyfriend drove up from Atlanta for a very brief visit. But first, my friend RM and I went to see my photographer on Saturday morning to view my bridal portraits from the previous Friday. They were very good and it took a while to decide on one. But we finally did and picked out a frame for it as well. We then spent a good portion of the rest of the morning running errands.
My visitors arrived around 2:30 that afternoon. My youngest sister and her boyfriend were heading out to Louisville for a wedding, so we left them keys to the house and then left to find something to do during the afternoon. RM, my sister, and I decided to go out to the Woodford Reserve Distillery, but the last tour had already started. But we enjoyed some free samples and then took the scenic drive back to Lexington.
That night we went off to a Bachelorette Party and Personal Shower that RM organized for me with many of my friends. It was fun to have a girl's night out with a group of friends. It was also the first time that some of my friends had met each other. I think everyone had a great time. I also got some nice little gifts. After dinner we headed over to a nearby restaurant and bar where we got to watch the last five minutes of the Louisville vs. UK football game and had a drink. I had a Mint Chocolate Chip Martini which was VERY good. It smelled like ice cream, and the taste was very good, the alcohol wasn't very strong and the chocolate syrup in it was an awesome touch.
That was basically the weekend. Monday at work was also fun. My co-workers had a shower for me over a potluck lunch. It was so nice of them to arrange something like this for me. Everyone brought a dish to share and we enjoyed lunch together. We got some very nice gifts!
I've been touched by the many showers that people have had for me. It was fun to have one with my bridesmaids in Atlanta, another one with Chris' side of the family in Bardstown, one with co-workers, and the personal shower with my close friends. It's such a special way to celebrate our upcoming marriage.
This coming weekend is the Bachelor party. That means I have a free Saturday night. More later on how I'll be spending my upcoming free weekend!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Finished Book on Reconciliation
If you want to learn more about the Sacraments I highly recommend a series of books by Sister Patricia Proctor. I've read 3 of the books so far and I always learn something from them. They are also good to refer to later and they offer a lot of inspiration.
The one I just finished was 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Like the other books in the series (I've read the one on the Rosary and the Eucharist, I also have the one on the Priesthood which is on my to-read list), the book is almost entirely stories submitted by various people, both lay and religious. In addition to the stories about people's experiences with the Sacrament of Reconciliation there were also short articles about various aspects of the Sacarment. The back of the book includes appendices on making a good confession, a review of the ten commandments, and more.
The book was good and very inspiring. I always find the stories in these books uplifting and this book was just as uplifting as the others, if not more so. I'm looking forward to reading the book on the Priesthood. I highly recommend any of these books, just type the author's name into Amazon and they should all come up.
The one I just finished was 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Like the other books in the series (I've read the one on the Rosary and the Eucharist, I also have the one on the Priesthood which is on my to-read list), the book is almost entirely stories submitted by various people, both lay and religious. In addition to the stories about people's experiences with the Sacrament of Reconciliation there were also short articles about various aspects of the Sacarment. The back of the book includes appendices on making a good confession, a review of the ten commandments, and more.
The book was good and very inspiring. I always find the stories in these books uplifting and this book was just as uplifting as the others, if not more so. I'm looking forward to reading the book on the Priesthood. I highly recommend any of these books, just type the author's name into Amazon and they should all come up.
My Dress and the Dry Run
I hope everyone had a great weekend!! We did here. My mother came up last Thursday and brought my wedding dress. Friday we had a dry run of the wedding day morning.
The dress is so beautiful!! It was so great to put it on with the right shoes, the jewelry, and the veil. Okay, my excitement is making me get a little ahead of the story here.
Friday I had my bridal portrait done. We went to the hair salon and had my hair and make-up done like it'll be done at the wedding. We got there at 9 and left around 10:30. I'm hoping it won't take that long the day of the wedding; another good reason for doing a dry run. We got to the Marriott at 11 and the photographer was all set up and waiting for us. It was so cool to put my dress on and the shoes and the jewelry that I'll be wearing. I think the pictures came out really well, but I'll know more when I can see actual prints. I have a meeting with the photographer on Friday. We took most of the pics inside the Mansion (the free-standing restaurant at the hotel) but we did take a few outside. it was a gorgeous day, just a little windy. It was fun to take pictures and feel a little like a model. My mother had fun too and it was fun to have her there. She got to play photographer's assistant for a little while.
The rest of the weekend was fun too. We went to a diocesan young adult mass and potluck on Friday night. The Bishop presided and had a wonderful homily, as he usually does. Saturday Mom and I took a drive and ended up checking out some model homes for fun. That night Chris made dinner and made a birthday cake for my mom (see previous post). Sunday mom and I went to Bardstown for a bridal shower. That was a lot of fun!! My future sister-in-law did such a wonderful job setting everything up for an afternoon tea and the company was great. I met a few more friends of the family and I think everyone had a good time. The afternoon was so much fun!!
That was the whole weekend. I'm so excited to have my dress here; it certainly makes the wedding seem so much closer now!! I can't wait to see the pictures on Friday. I have a feeling I'm going to find a nice one and maybe even one or two that I can have put in the wedding album later. But I should wait until I actually see the pictures before making plans. I can't wait for Chris to see the portrait at the wedding; hopefully it'll be a great gift for him!!
Hope everyone else had great weekends!! Have a wonderful week!
The dress is so beautiful!! It was so great to put it on with the right shoes, the jewelry, and the veil. Okay, my excitement is making me get a little ahead of the story here.
Friday I had my bridal portrait done. We went to the hair salon and had my hair and make-up done like it'll be done at the wedding. We got there at 9 and left around 10:30. I'm hoping it won't take that long the day of the wedding; another good reason for doing a dry run. We got to the Marriott at 11 and the photographer was all set up and waiting for us. It was so cool to put my dress on and the shoes and the jewelry that I'll be wearing. I think the pictures came out really well, but I'll know more when I can see actual prints. I have a meeting with the photographer on Friday. We took most of the pics inside the Mansion (the free-standing restaurant at the hotel) but we did take a few outside. it was a gorgeous day, just a little windy. It was fun to take pictures and feel a little like a model. My mother had fun too and it was fun to have her there. She got to play photographer's assistant for a little while.
The rest of the weekend was fun too. We went to a diocesan young adult mass and potluck on Friday night. The Bishop presided and had a wonderful homily, as he usually does. Saturday Mom and I took a drive and ended up checking out some model homes for fun. That night Chris made dinner and made a birthday cake for my mom (see previous post). Sunday mom and I went to Bardstown for a bridal shower. That was a lot of fun!! My future sister-in-law did such a wonderful job setting everything up for an afternoon tea and the company was great. I met a few more friends of the family and I think everyone had a good time. The afternoon was so much fun!!
That was the whole weekend. I'm so excited to have my dress here; it certainly makes the wedding seem so much closer now!! I can't wait to see the pictures on Friday. I have a feeling I'm going to find a nice one and maybe even one or two that I can have put in the wedding album later. But I should wait until I actually see the pictures before making plans. I can't wait for Chris to see the portrait at the wedding; hopefully it'll be a great gift for him!!
Hope everyone else had great weekends!! Have a wonderful week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)