No Rest for the Wicked

Well, hello!

It's a quarter to 9 PM, as I begin to write this and I can finally sit down and unwind. I haven't had a day quite this packed (with multiple obligations) in a long time. It actually reminded me very much of my college days, when I was taking 20 credit hours and working 10-15 hours a week and was attending rehearsals for a play we were putting on...!

My day started at 6 AM. I got up and showered and went to 7:30 Mass. Dad had planned on going with me, but hadn't slept well at all so he tried to sleep a bit longer than usual to make up for it. I had just a bit after Mass to visit with Mom before Dad and I left for Topeka a little after 9.

We went to Dillon's and completed a mega shopping trip for the "pantry" downstairs. That took until about 11:30.
We got gas and then sat down for lunch at Boss Hawg's, while we went over what was priority for the afternoon.
After lunch, we went to Burlington Coat Factory in the mall and I looked for a new dress coat (mine is six years old and is getting pretty worn)... Not having had any luck, we went to Macy's where Dad picked up some new brown slacks for 40% off. We looked for their women's winter coats, but couldn't even find them!
From the Mall, then, we went to Dick's, where we looked for a face mask for Rose (who is living in the Minnesotan tundra :)) - once again without luck! We also looked for sweats for Joey, but weren't sure exactly of what he wanted, so didn't get those either. I did, however, luck out in the way of a new casual/everyday type coat (which I also need, in order to give my dress coat a break and make it last longer). Joey has been so happy with the Columbia jacket(s) he has had that I decided to try one for myself. It's a really pretty blue, and it was on sale, so I'm happy about it! :)
Our final stop in Topeka was Swims and Sweeps downtown, where we got new fire irons, a trivet, a steamer/humidifier, and a thermometer.

We got home about 2:30 in the afternoon. I was toast by that point, so I sat down for a quick recharge by way of a cup of coffee.
By 3 o'clock, I was on my way to work... to help a new employee/trainee wrap up the day there. I thought that would take until 4:30, or maybe 5. I got home about 6:40. And, even at that, we left a lot undone that will have to be finished tomorrow. There was simply more to do than we expected and it took quite a bit longer than it really should have, complicated by a number of interruptions and unexpected things. Bummer.
I got home to a homemade bread bowl with homemade soup in it, waiting for me. (Thank you, Mom!!) I ate quickly, still in the must-get-this-done-efficiently mode. :) In an attempt to slow down a little and in the hopes of acquiring a third wind, I made myself a cup of black tea and had some m&m's. :)

A few minutes later, I was out the door again to my 7:30 Holy Hour. I had only been back a few minutes when I sat down to write this update, so that brings you up to speed! :)

It's nice to be busy... it's somehow fulfilling. But for some reason, today was a little stressful all around. Not any one thing... just mentally fatiguing and rather trying. (Oh well - I've had worse days! :) Not to complain...!)

.....Have I mentioned being mentally drained? ;) My apologies for a most unimaginative post. That's just all there is for the time being.

Until the next time~
God bless and good night!

Nostalgia

I'm "only" 22 years old, but I'm beginning to realize that I like to reminisce, which seems to me more typical of older people. I suppose that's a melancholic thing. (It's probably also a melancholic thing to classify and categorize people according to their traits. LOL!)

Point in case:
Night before last, I wrote a post about "ten months ago today." This morning, unrelated to that, I decided to look back and see what had been going on in my life this time three years ago (I picked three years ago, just because I hadn't quite yet started blogging this time four years ago). Lo and behold! Three years ago today, I was taking a trip down Memory Lane! :)

I guess some things never change...

Chloe, 10 Months Ago Today! :)

Chloe is six weeks away from one year old!! Just for grins (and gasps ["wow! was she ever really THAT tiny?!?"]), I'm sharing a few pictures that I took of her on March 12, 2008, when she was two weeks old.

*y-a-a-a-a-w-n!*
"Life's rough!" *growl* ;)
modeling her Easter dress... and that's a preemie size! (She wasn't preemie at birth and in the picture she's two weeks old. A tiny 6+ pounds.)
Look at those chicken legs...! And that sweet and precious baby girl!!! :)

And just recently, at 10 months old...!
Love her to pieces!! :)

Hard Times

Reading His Excellency's recent words is sobering, in the healthiest of ways. Nonetheless, these words of insight and wisdom, which are so timely, lead one such as I (a relatively deep-thinker and relatively young in age) to wonder just what the future holds. It would be easy to give in to fear, but that is without benefit as well as opposed to the theological virtue of Hope. Yet human prudence still begs to know what to do in such a situation. Being without a great deal of experience, I don't know. (I would imagine that even those with a great deal of experience are somewhat at a "wait and see" junction themselves.)
The bottom line is that there is no guarantee of any kind, no surefire way to hold onto security. There's no field of work that will be left untouched. It would be prudent to have a backup plan for one's profession, life work, or job. Should things go sour (and they will), it would be reassuring to be able to switch, say, from being a store manager to plumbing. It would be wise to have something (different) to fall back on, should your field of specialty fail. That way, you'd still have an income, a means of support, something! But it's impossible to tell which fields will be the most promising in times to come. What will be indispensable? What skill would be useful, to trade for goods and other services? Doctoring, undoubtedly, is one. But beyond that? I wish I knew with more certainty.
I don't, however. Therefore, this is a prime opportunity to rely on God to see us through!

I wonder how long these necessary trials will last? Five years? Thirty?
Oh well! As long as we have the Faith (and the freedom to practice, which isn't guaranteed either!) and our family (and preferably something to eat and a place to sleep :)), we'll be okay. It is at a time such as this that I'm especially and unspeakably glad to be living where I am. Deo gratias!

Let's hope and pray that the triumph of the Immaculate Heart will come sooner than later...! And in the meantime, let's do the best we can in every aspect of our lives, with the intention of restoring the Kingship of Christ to society!

Updated to add: I found one concept in particular from His Excellency extremely fascinating and very well put. That is, "People are overfed, yet undernourished." Wow. Exactly.

Goodbye, Joey

My bubba left this morning. He set out with three other seminarians to drive back to Winona... When we see him next, it will be for the occasion of the taking of the cassock in less than a month! I'm still in denial that this was essentially the last time (God willing) he would be hanging around the house in lay clothes.

I said goodbye to him before I left for work this morning, necessitating a somewhat matter-of-fact departure, which is just as well. Poor Mom saw him off to the last minute and parting was painful indeed.
Anyway, after I said goodbye, Mom gave me a ride to work in the Blazer (the white van is still in the shop and I haven't been behind the wheel in almost three weeks!)... I worked until 12:30, when she picked me up again. From 2 to 3, I went over to a friend's house to do some macro photography for her (to use on Etsy). Then, this evening, I had another friend over and we watched Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

Without further ado, here's a picture from this morning...

And, for good measure, one from last night. :)

Sick

How appropriate to my life that I should spend the first days of a new year sick! Every time I reach a certain level of sleep deprivation - bam! - I get a sinus infection. It hasn't failed yet... And although the past couple of weeks were great, I'm paying for them now. Bleck. :(

I've been taking some Mucinex and some Trimox every morning, but I learned this afternoon that I was only taking about 1/4 of the dose of Trimox that I need to get well... and about 1/2 the dose of Mucinex that would be therapeutic. Good to know! (Better late than never, I guess.)

Am I one to learn from experience? In many cases, yes. In this case, for some reason, decidedly no. Case in point: Sleep deprivation caused this very bug and yet, here I am, at 11:30 PM, blogging about sleep deprivation!

I'm just too much of a night owl.

My headache and I are going to bed now.

(Graphic courtesy of John Rydholm, Jr.)

A New Year!

Five days into the year of Our Lord, 2009!! Almost a decade into this new millenium. It goes so fast!!

Life finds me working only a few hours per week for Dad, living in a small town that gradually grows more beloved to me all the time, courting a very good man that I never dreamed I'd be courting, trying to hold my own in a society that is daily less Godly and hourly more evil...

I had a wonderful two-week stretch over the Christmas holidays! We had a full house, with five house guests (all family) and a couple of big dogs. There was lots of noise, lots of laughter, lots of love... and a little of the frustration that is bound to come of too many nights with too little sleep. But it was lovely and well-worth it. The house is quiet now, but the residual companionship and joy still hovers. It's sunny and just at freezing today, and even though I am very tired and battling a head cold/sinus infection, I'm in good spirits.

Hopefully this year will be a good one!! :) Everyone seems to have been slammed with crosses right at the start, but that's - in some ways - such a consolation!

At the moment, as I look ahead, these are what come to mind:
In three weeks, I'll be flying with Dad to Texas to meet Lindsey and Chloe there, for a five generation reunion!
In four weeks, I'll be flying with Dad to Minnesota from Texas to spend a couple of days with the DeLallos and a couple of days in Winona, for the taking of the cassock.
In mid-February, the St. Mary's vs. La Salette basketball match will take place here in St. Mary's. I may even attend. :)
Unconfirmed as of yet, but possibly in the works, in late March, Mom and I may go with AB to visit his family in Georgia.
Sometime thereafter, a possible professional "adjustment" may occur for Dad. Also unconfirmed as of yet.
In June, I plan to attend the Ordinations of several deacons in Winona...

Thereafter, it's fairly "hazy" as to what I'll be up to... And with so much economic uncertainty and the probability of social and possibly political unrest, any and all of these things are subject to change. But such is life! It's in God's hands... And hopefully, someday, with 20/20 hindsight, we will see the picture that He has woven with the events in our lives.

Here's to 2009! :) Best wishes and God bless!

Dominic Gerard - my new godson

Yesterday morning, in a flurry of unforgettable activity, I helped with the post-delivery hours of a friend of mine at the clinic. Her total labor time was about one hour!!! Things happened extremely quickly, but all's well that ends well... Her second-born child was her first-born son. He was born at 5:05 AM, 3 1/2 weeks early, and weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. They asked me to be his godmother and I accepted with pleasure.

So little Dominic Gerard was baptized by Fr. Sulzen this evening, 36 hours after birth... He is my second godchild and first godson.

Fabulous Quote from C.S. Lewis' "Four Loves"

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

(Emphasis added.)

Chloe's Genetics :)

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Genalogy - Familytree