ten quick things! i am....

1. happily resuming these silly little interlude posts that I used to do last spring.  It's fun to go back and look at those and see what little things we were up to - a new recipe we were trying, what music we listened to, what twists and turns life took, that kind of thing.  Call it my measly attempt at starting a type of weekly journal.  
2. Dogsitting for my aunt and uncle this weekend.  They are in La Isla del Encanto for a friend's daughter's wedding and we are here watching their two cocker spaniels (and serving as a bit of an adult presence for their teenagers - who don't really need us here, but we're happy to be here regardless!).  It's been really fun - I'm pretty sure we're a bit uncool to my teenage cousins, but it's still be enjoyable to see what their everyday life is like (at least to an extent).  And might I add that the dogs are hilarious?  Cheap entertainment at its best.  :-)    
3. Celebrating my sister's birthday tomorrow.  My sister doesn't like to drive in "the big city" where we live (although my Texan husband would argue that our city is more like a town, compared to where he grew up), so when she comes to visit we either meet her halfway and drive her car the rest of the way, or my mom brings her halfway.  This time, it didn't work out to do either, so B graciously offered to drive there and back (total travel time: 4 hours) to go get her so we could celebrate her birthday here tomorrow.  (Rumor is that all she wants to do to ring in the birthday is eat appetizers and watch the Academy Awards.)  They are on their way back now, hopefully back by 6:30 so we can all head to Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner.  :-)  On the docket for tomorrow: Mass, Banana Cream Pie (her request), a dog birthday party (my cousin's Labrador Retriever is turning one tomorrow too), and the big awards show.  It should be quite the day.  :)  
4. anxiously awaiting word on a potential job offer.  Not much I want to say here, in case it wouldn't work out, but I am extremely excited at the possibility.  Word is that they were checking in with my references this past week.  It is a particularly unique opportunity with a non-profit organization here in town.  At this point, I just want to hear back - it has become a month-long application and interview process and, if I'm the right candidate for them, I can't wait to get started!  :)
5. scouring the internet for reasonable airline fare.  We are due to travel ourselves to La Isla del Encanto in just under five weeks, for B's sister's wedding.  We are (hopefully) going to stay for ten days - that is, if this job works out and I am able to secure that amount of time off.  (In any event, B would stay for ten days and I would potentially come home early.)  Our nephew will be baptized the following weekend, so staying through the first two weekends in April would be wonderful, but I am more than content with having to come home in the event that the organization would need me to be back earlier.  This has been a particular challenge for us - money is still extremely tight as our payday schedule has adjusted with B's new job (and our savings has been significantly depleted during B's month of unemployment in December), so we are definitely going to have to rely on assistance from our parents to secure the airfare.  And if the airfare was cheaper, it would be that much easier to pay for!  Right now, tickets for that window are about $500 apiece.  Repeatedly in this process of looking for airfare, we have laughed and thought to ourselves, "this wedding just had to be in Puerto Rico" - meaning, it just had to be in a location where the airfare was going to be particularly expensive.  Despite our own selfish ideas about where the location of the wedding should have been, we will do our best to be there, to be supportive, and to do whatever we can to make the day go smoothly and wonderfully for B's sister.   
6. rejoicing in the births of new babies, and the anticipated arrivals of many others.  I would probably need three hands to be able to count the amount of couples we know who are expecting children between now and September.  


......and Blogger had an error while saving (probably because of my temperamental internet connection) and I basically lost 6-10.  RATS!  To be continued tomorrow, because I am not particularly wanting to re-type everything.  


For my own reference, 7-10 is:
7. already planning out our summer. 
8. anxiously awaiting the return of baseball.  
9. continuing to follow the political heatedness that has taken over our fair city.  
10. watching Taken!  


a presto, tutti, a presto :)

humility

It is no surprise that there are disagreements among the faithful of the Catholic Church.  Day in and day out there appear to be dozens of teachings, doctrines, and precepts of the Catholic faith that are controversial and difficult for her members.  (For example: the Church's teachings on homosexuality, the Church's teachings on birth control, the Church's understanding of faithful citizenship, etc.  The list really could go on and on and on.) A particularly difficult teaching for some of the faithful is the Church's traditional teaching that She is only able to ordain men to the priesthood of Jesus Christ.  The Holy Father, Venerable (but soon to be Blessed!) John Paul II, went so far as to promulgate an Apostolic Letter concerning this very topic.  

In the 1994 Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, John Paul writes (emphasis my own): 

Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.  

John Paul makes it perfectly clear: there is no ability whatsoever for the Catholic Church to ordain women to the priesthood.  Period.  

Despite this Apostolic Letter, there has been dissent - sometimes particularly vocal dissent at that.  There is even an organization brazenly referring to itself as "Roman Catholic Womenpriests."  On its website (the link I will not provide, for fear of potentially causing my small readership to be scandalized), there are, in living color, photos of "ordinations," female "bishops," and female "priests".  There are even photographs of "Masses" and "liturgies" which these "priests" purport to have celebrated!  Needless to say, the Church does not recognize these "priests," these "Masses," or these "ordinations."  And sadly, these "ceremonies" still occur, and cause scandal for more and more of the faithful.  

Yet today, I read a beautiful story of humility regarding Norma Jean Coon, one of the purported "Womenpriests."  Her humility is completely inspiring.  

I wish to renounce the alleged ordination and publicly state that I did not act as a deacon as a part of this group except on two occasions, when I read the gospel once at mass and distributed communion once at this same mass. I withdrew from the program within two weeks of the ceremony because I realized that I had made a mistake in studying for the priesthood. I confess to the truth of Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis . I confess the authority of the Holy Father on these issues of ordination and recognize that Christ founded the ordination only for men.

Formally, I relinquish all connection to the program of Roman Catholic Women Priests and I disclaim the alleged ordination publicly with apologies to those whose lives I have offended or scandalized by my actions. I ask God's blessings upon each of these folks and their families.

She proceeds to close her remarks with a beautiful, humble prayer to our Lord.  Read her remarks in their entirety here.  

What a blessed example, that those souls who appear to be the most lost, can still find their way back to our good God.  And what's more, no matter how lost a soul may be, our Lord, in His infinite mercy, will forgive the repentant sinner.  How often do I need these reminders!  However cloudy my own conscience might be and however sinful I (and humanity) may be, our Lord is always waiting, with open arms, to welcome back the repentant sinner.  He is always ready to bestow His mercy - it is our weakness, our pride, and sometimes our fear that keep us from asking for that mercy, particularly in the Sacrament of Confession.  What love!  What mercy!   And.....what strength of will it takes us to return to receive His open invitation to sanctifying grace. 


a presto

surreal

The last few days in my fair state have been completely surreal.  Thousands at the capitol, the whole world watching this saga, and no end in sight, at least for now.  It is just incredible!  I've spent the last few days just marveling at what is transpiring just minutes from where I reside.  

In other news....the Litany of Humility.  It is awesome, and I need to remember it.  So often I'm caught up in a social scene and wondering and worrying about making a good impression when really, the goal of my life is anything but impressing those around me.  I'll leave you with it tonight.....I'm pretty sure it's going one of my regular prayers for the next few days.  

The Litany of Humility
Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val

 O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should....

a presto.

can't we all just get along?

While I know that the readership of my somewhat ridiculous ramblings is slim to none, I've very much enjoyed seeing from where my (albeit small) readership comes from.  (I'm talking about you, Denmark!  Hello!)  It's always interesting to log on to post something and to see from what corners of the globe people may be checking in to my humble cyberhome.  (Keep visiting, Denmark, happy to have you here!)  

There is a mess of things happening in my fair city right now, where I've lived for almost seven years, where, ultimately, my husband and I would like to settle down in the long run, someday (after we discern and sort through our graduate school aspirations).  

If you are unaware of the protests that have descended upon my fair city, a quick glance at the following link, from the most recent article from our daily newspaper about the current protests, should bring you up to speed at least a bit.  From the little I know of the current situation (I tend to remove myself from the political climate of this town for various reasons), our dear state is downright broke, and our newly-elected governor is attempting to repair our (possibly crippling) budget deficit.  From what I can deduce, his hope is not to have to declare bankruptcy eventually, and curtail this shortfall sooner rather than later.  Part of this has been asking public employees to increase the amount they pay for health and retirement benefits.  Concurrently, there are measures in his proposal that would strip the ability of public employees (through their unions) to collectively bargain with the government in all things except salary.  (The link above can route anyone interested to further [hopefully nonpartisan] articles, explaining the ramifications of the governor's proposal.) 

Needless to say, this proposal has created a virtual firestorm of dissent that has reverberated throughout my fair state.  My facebook feed is daily packed with rallying cries - call your legislators!  Kill this bill!  Come to the capitol!  Recall (Governor) Walker!  Unfortunately, with these rallying cries also often comes a good amount of vitriol being tossed around.  In various photo galleries from the protests this week, I have seen our governor paralleled to a dictator, with names such as Hitler and the recently-ousted Mubarak as the choice comparisons.  It is at that moment in a political discourse that most often I attempt to tune myself out.  I relish good political discourse - as a former student of political science, I am proud to see my fellow citizens exercising their right to assemble and make their voices heard.  To exercise our rights as enumerated in the Constitution is something in which to take pride - we have a unique ability that not all citizens of the world possess.  However, when the discourse turns ugly, and becomes a campaign of name-calling and hyperbole (and often hysteria, and sometimes downright hatred), I often take a step back and try to evaluate just how this political discourse became an arena of such vitriol. 

I do sympathize with the protesters.  I agree that the haste in passing this bill is likely inappropriate - something that affects this many people is not something to be legislated quickly and compromises should be made to effectively take into account the ramifications of this bill on the working families of Wisconsin.  I acknowledge the historical ability of public employees to unionize and to collectively bargain.  I do not, however, find it necessary or appropriate to launch such vitriolic and outlandish comparisons about the governor and Republican lawmakers of our state.  Since when did we become a state that sinks to name-calling?  To comparing our governor to a dictator?  To portraying our governor as the one who is hanged in a game of hangman?  The hyperbole of these smears is childish and juvenile; it could ultimately hurt and hinder the goals of the protesters. 

Lately, in the midst of these protests, I have thought a lot about our Founding Fathers.  It also helps that I'm reading John Adams, David McCulloch's masterpiece about our second president.  I wonder what our forefathers would have thought about these protests.  I can say with some degree of certainty that they would likely applaud the protests as a laudable exercise of a constitutional right.  I am fairly certain, however, that they would also find the vitriol unhelpful and detrimental to the effectiveness of the protesting.  For as much as John Adams fought to amend the grievances of the colonies before King George, I don't think he would have ever sunk to a level of outwardly and publicly attacking the character of that same king.  For as much as the king caused serious grievances in the colonies, the Founding Fathers would not have called names - not then, not now, not ever. 

Maybe I'm an idealist, and this idea of constructive and amicable dialogue between two political groups is something that just doesn't happen anymore.  Yet I watch and read the news coverage of these protests, and I am saddened - saddened by the haste with which this bill will likely be passed, saddened by the lack of discussion between lawmakers and the protesters, and saddened more than anything by the vitriol. 

Come on, Wisconsin.  We are better than this. 

pensando d'italia

 I can't sleep.  This is sometimes a problem for me - I'll find myself nodding off during the afternoon every once in awhile, and then a 20-minute catnap in the middle of the afternoon becomes a couple extra hours of awake time at night.  Ay me!  

Thinking a lot about il bel paese tonight - missing it especially for some reason.  I think a few weeks ago I realized that this summer will mark five whole years since I went there.  And I think a part of me hoped I would have returned by now, to experience bell'Italia in all of her beauty yet again.  Yet, in the midst of my selfishness and my needy desire to be back there, I remain so thankful that I was even able to be there in the first place.

"You may have the universe, if I may have Italy."

~ Giuseppe Verdi

 Admittedly, there are times Verdi and I are definitely of like minds.  

a presto

pinch me, i'm dreaming

Seventeen years ago, my team went to and won the Granddaddy of them All.  Among the hundreds of thousands of spectators were my parents, who attended the festivities with my dad's side of the family.  Upon their return to the heart of the Midwest, my sister and I were regaled with stories of the famous parade and the amazing game in which our boys prevailed against the hometown Bruins of UCLA.  We were gifted with teal and yellow UCLA pompoms and enjoyed immensely the entertainment that they provided for the next several days.  The game and the ensuing victory were a big deal - it had been decades since their last Rose Bowl appearance, and it was the very first win by our alma mater.  

Looking back on the week following my parents' return from Southern California, I am certain that I felt a bit left out of all the hoopla surrounding the bowl game.  My sister and I were very young and understandably, too young to attend the festivities and instead stayed home with my aunt and uncle.  I'm fairly certain that this "left out" feeling contributed to the conversation my father and I had not long after they arrived back in Wisconsin.  

"Do you think they'll [the team] ever go back to the Rose Bowl?  And do you think that we'll get to see them there?" I said.  


"I tell you what," my father began.  "If they ever go back to the Rose Bowl, I'll take you there with me."  


Little did my father know that our team would go back just six years later.  Little did he also know that our team would go back the following year as well!  And as I recall those incredible back-to-back Rose Bowl runs, I know that I was much too young to have appreciated the experience at that time.  Our boys played in Pasadena on New Year's Day 1999 and 2000, and, understandably, we were not there to root for them.  It was, quite simply, not the right time.  


Fast-forward to fall of 2010, when perhaps the best football team our alma mater has ever had enjoys a thrilling run to the conference title.  Over the course of a few short weeks, we witnessed our boys upset the #1 team in the country, score 70+ points on more than one occasion, and be gifted with bright red roses following their final victory of the season.  A week later, it was decided: they would return to Pasadena, to the Granddaddy of them All.  


And now, more than ever, I wanted desperately to be there.  Sometimes there come these unique opportunities in life, where one wonders, "will this ever happen again?"  I know that those types of thoughts were running through my head as tickets went on sale, travel packages sold out, and it appeared as though every person in my fair state was headed to California without me and B.  I remember the night after our boys formally accepted the invitation to play in the Rose Bowl that I fell asleep with tears in my eyes, afraid that once again my team would go to Pasadena and I would be in Wisconsin instead, rooting them on from afar.  (I realize all of this probably sounds insanely self-centered, and I'm not quite sure I can word this in a way that won't sound remarkably selfish.  Bear with me.....)  


The next day, my dad called me.  He inadvertently secured four tickets to the Rose Bowl, two more (obviously) than he and my mom needed.  He phoned that night to call in his chips on the promise he had made 17 years earlier.  It was time to go to Pasadena.  B and I had to promise a whole host of things: a victory and our firstborn son, for starters.  After we scoured the internet for reasonable airfare out of Chicago and a cheap hotel in the greater LA area, it was decided: we were going to Pasadena!  

And 24 days later, a lifelong dream came true, and we went to Pasadena to cheer on our boys, who fought valiantly against the Horned Frogs but were unable to return victorious.  It was a gift, borne out of the incredible generosity of my parents, for which I was and remain exceedingly grateful.  Regardless of the outcome and despite the score not being in our favor, it was an amazing 36 hours, and an experience I won't soon forget.  

When we received these during our family Christmas, it all became amazingly real: we were actually going to Pasadena!  

We're HERE!

 On New Year's Eve, after a four-hour bus trip to Chicago, a four-hour wait in the airport, and a four-hour flight, we arrived in the City of Angels, around 11:30 local time.  After we rented a car, drove 40 minutes northwest to our hotel, needless to say, we passed out.  Fast-forward to Saturday, when we rose bright and early, grabbed breakfast, and sped off due east to Pasadena, cruising the Ventura Highway and giving the thumbs-up to fellow Badger fans on the road around us.  In the picture above, we're at the Rose Bowl official tailgate - about four hours before kickoff, soaking it all in.  

 The view from my parents' seats, about 45 minutes before kickoff.  Exceedingly surreal.  

The best band in the land!  

 Traditionally one of my favorite parts of the Rose Bowl - the sun setting late in the game, paired with the view of the San Gabriel Mountains to the north of the stadium.  

 Sad, sad, sad Badger.  We were bummed about the outcome (they came so close!), but dancing around to the Fifth Quarter songs with the band was a welcome consolation and a great way to leave the stadium!  One of my favorite memories was of the student section chanting "Go Pack Go!" as the Fifth Quarter ended - Green Bay was to play Chicago the next day for the right to be in the playoffs.  Looking back on it, it was a great rallying cry to an amazing playoff run by the Green and Gold!  :-)

 The iconic south facade, all aglow as we departed the stadium.  Miraculously, after a 20-minute walk around the bowl and a quick intercessory prayer to St. Anthony to help us locate our car, we found it, with little searching involved!  

 Fast-forward to about 26 hours later: following the game, we located our car, crawled with the rest of traffic on Linda Vista Drive toward the Ventura Highway, and then battled that crazy Los Angeles traffic back 40 minutes due west to "our" suburb for the night.  After a glorious stop at Red Robin (we were RAVENOUS), and a quick stop at a grocery store for a few breakfasty items for the airport the next morning, we arrived back at the hotel and passed out, only to wake around 3:00 local time, fill up with gas, and drive the 40 miles back to LAX.  After a 6:00AM flight back to Chicago, a four-hour return bus ride home, Holy Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany, and dinner, B all but passed out on our couch as we waited for my parents' plane to land at the local airport.  

And, as quickly as it began, our whirlwind 36-hour trip to "Wisconsin West" - the Granddaddy of them All - had come and gone.  

On Wisconsin :)

grandfatherly wisdom.

"Do not be afraid!"

"Do not be afraid.  Do not be satisfied with mediocrity.  Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

"Open wide the doors to Christ!"

"Do not forget that true love sets no conditions; it does not calculate or complain, but simply loves."

"Love of Christ does not distract us from interest in others, but rather invites us to responsibility for them, to the exclusion of no one."  

Venerable (but soon to be Blessed) John Paul II, I beg your prayers.  

attempting trust

“Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us." 
~ Blessed John Henry Newman 

Blessed John Henry Newman, pray for me, 

that I might always trust Him as you did!  

 A great meditation on this saint by His Excellency David Zubik, 
Bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, found here.

long time coming

Photo: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

The last time this happened, I was in fifth grade, Brett Favre was quarterback, the price of a gallon of gas was $1.26, Bill Clinton was president, and "Un-break My Heart" by Toni Braxton was atop the Billboard Hot 100.  

My, how times have changed....

but funny how the excitement of winning the big one remains the same.  

Go Pack!

ogni giorno della mia vita.

There has been an extended hiatus to this blog, to say the least.  It really does remain my fervent hope that I can post a little more regularly here.  Much of the problem is that the seemingly incessant ramblings in my head are so deeply personal, there is little at the moment that I feel comfortable sharing with this anonymous blogosphere.  While I am close to certain the readership of this blog is slim to none, these whisperings of my head and more importantly, of my heart, are truly things to be prayed through between me and Him - my Lord and my Love.  In the meantime, I'll continue to post meaningful (albeit not very personal) ramblings that I want to archive here: quotes, pictures, news articles, and the like.  

I am reminded every day, while our small microcosm of the world seems to spin about with uncertainties about the future, graduate school, raising a family, it seems as though everyone around us is "moving on", so to speak - by building families, securing long-term jobs and housing, and establishing themselves among us.  There are days where this realization, the realization that we're just not there yet, is perfectly and entirely painful, and I have to will my entire being to nail my heart to His Cross.  Yet, in the midst of the frenzy, and the uncertainty, and the seemingly endless storm of life I'm in, there is one truth that I cling to with all of my might.  

I am a child of God.  

No matter what goes right, no matter what goes wrong, no matter what the circumstances of my life at this very moment.....I am His.  

Let this be the reason I live every moment of every day.  


a presto.