The Great Adventure

I realized that I miss writing. Even if it's not something I'm particularly good at, I enjoy it, and I think I'm going to try to do more of it, even if it is just journaling and blogging.

This afternoon, during free time on our retreat, we headed out to the frozen pond, where the boys had played hockey earlier in the week. We were content to slide around in our shoes, although I'm proud to say that my shoes were by far the slickest, and I did win the contest to see how far we could slide after being slingshotted (is that a word?) across the ice. I also managed to fall unintentionally far more than anyone else, though maybe that has little to do with my slippery shoes. We were joined on the ice by Petrus, a Bernese mountain dog who lives at St. Malo, wanders the grounds without a collar (though has to be locked up during Mass or I'm told he's quite disruptive), and plays a mean game of tug-o-war. After our ice time, we hiked the John Paul II Trail, so named because the late pope hiked that path during his retreat to St. Malo during his stay in Colorado for WYD 1993 (btw, we held our meetings in the room he stayed in, and it was awesome to reflect on the amazing man that he was and how much he affected our whole generation, as well as each of us individually). Petrus led the way, stopping occasionally to make sure we were following him, using the break to veer from the trail to eat fresh snow. On the way back, he bounded ahead of us like a little puppy, stick in his mouth, begging us to chase him. Of course we obliged.

There were many other great moments this weekend, laughing hysterically at meals to stories of sleep-walking and marathons ("Tell the girls downtown..."), learning about the start of Marian groups in Denver, hiding in laundry hampers and scaring the crap out of Rachelle and Laura...you know, the usual stuff.

We also had plenty of time for prayer, sharing, reflection, and learning about ourselves and each other. I don't know that I made concrete steps in any direction this weekend, at least as far as my faith goes, but I know that God just wants me to stop worrying and love Him, because in the end, that's the only thing that matters, and nothing I can do is big enough to screw up His plans if He doesn't want it to. So I rest knowing that I am surrounded by holy, loving, funny, profound women of Christ and that I am never alone in my walk with Him.

A sad commentary

I wasn't expecting great moral theology to come from today's lecture on sexual dysfunction, don't get me wrong. But I certainly was dealt a blow when our lecturer said, and I quote to the best of my memory, "The whole point of sex is to use each other for your own pleasure." What? Yup, that's what he said. Reiterated it a few times just in case we missed it, too. And here I thought the whole purpose of sex was to so give of yourself as to become one and to share in the procreative work of the Creator. I was just disgusted and saddened, especially after the Life-Giving Freedom conference last weekend. Not only was it ignoring the truth that man can only be found in a sincere gift of himself (GS), but it was the complete opposite. I don't think it's any wonder that we are coming up on 35 years of legal abortion in our country, that divorce rates are so high, that so many children grow up with single parents, and that so many people are still so unhappy. It's because our society (and apparently our doctors!) tell us that other people are there for us to use for our own pleasure. Which inevitably permits other people to use us for their purposes. Twisted. I can't imagine anyone sits around thinking, "You know, I'd rather be used as an object than loved as a subject." But that's what our world tells us to settle for. You guys, we've got a long way to go in spreading the GOOD news. I just hope we're strong enough and convincing enough to do it.

Today's Secret Ingredient...

I've discovered I'm not the only one who can be put in a good mood by eating of sushi. Spur of the moment (for me) trip to Japon for Ann's birthday tonight. Nothing quite like edamame and avocado to put a smile on your face. I think there were 15 of us girls crammed back there in the red room, wielding chopsticks like nobody's business. I think the highlight of the night (besides the amazing cake that Ann--not the birthday girl--made--holy cow was that amazing!) was the quail egg tasting. It started as more of a joke, but I'll take any chance to feel like I'm on Iron Chef America. On 3, pour it on your caterpillar roll and try to stuff it in your mouth without 1) breaking the yolk or 2) letting it roll off the side onto the floor. It's so much fun checking things off my list of things to do before I die, especially things that I never knew were on the list. I'm still not quite ready for caviar. One step at a time.

The other real highlight was just being among so many wonderful Catholic women, a frequent occurrence for me in Denver. When Ann--again, not the birthday girl--gave the toast, I almost cried. Yay for those kinds of friends. The kind that you know you will keep even if they do decide to move to Kansas City. :)

NEW and exciting!

So today was the first day back to class. A big deal. New campus, new library, new lecture halls (so new they weren't ready, so we had to change location), new light switches (with plates that fall off when touched), new water bottles for all of us (complete with Tootsie Rolls and pedometers to walk it off--I'm not even to 3,000 steps and it's 7:30...I think I maybe shouldn't have eaten the Tootsie Rolls), and a news crew to document the whole thing. But we've since failed to find any news with us on it. I like the new campus. Got in a full 8 hour day and still home for dinner. And still can't get any work done at my apartment, which is why it's good that I stayed on campus.

Also in exciting news--I have 3 friends that are expecting babies this year! Woohoo. I'm super excited to see new little babies! Of course, 2 live out of state, so I'm super excited to see new little baby! Nonetheless, it's awesome.

And hooray for a super exciting FOCUS conference that I'm missing. There's are definitely a handful of talks and Third Day concerts I wouldn't have minded going to. But alas, no rest for the future doctors of America.

A stamp in my passport, and it says...

Well, not Italy. It says Mexico. The customs guy scared the crap out of me. I felt like a criminal, and even though I did have jewelry and said I didn't (it was $10, not the Diamonds International kinds of stuff), and even though I lied about touching livestock (do pet goats count?), I didn't really have anything to feel guilty about. It wasn't like I was smuggling in knives (cause money can't buy knives). At least I managed to state my name correctly (if I ever take a lie detector, I'm going to fail because they won't be able to get a baseline, I'll be so nervous).

Okay, so customs aside, here's a whirlwind tour of my whirlwind tour of Mexico.

Sailing in Puerto Vallarta--it just doesn't get any better than lying in the sun on a sailboat with a pina colada watching a half dozen dolphins swim alongside while listening to Jimmy Buffett. Unless of course, you add in humpback whales, fresh fruit and sushi, a hysterical tour guide, and a chance to drive said sailboat. Yup, pretty awesome.

Mazatlan--too many highlights. We skipped a tour in favor of letting Elise and her family show us around. We started at a local shrine, frequented by hundreds of thousands of Mexican pilgrims, seeking healing miracles from "ninito Jesus," a statue of the child Jesus blessed by Pius XII. The house is full of gifts for the ninito in thanksgiving for miracles--holy cards, rosaries, pictures, and of course, because it's the child Jesus, toys. Then we celebrated Mass at the cathedral after a quick stop to see the famous cliff divers, hit up the huge downtown market (freshest produce, fish, and meat in the city), had a traditional Mexican lunch of tortillas (the good kind that you get fresh everyday), beans, rice, guac, shrimp, and smoked marlin, and finished the afternoon with a game of soccer on the beach. Heck yes!

What we saw of Cabo San Lucas was from the driver's seat of a Yamaha Rhino, the latest craze in 4-wheeling. Picture a stripped Cherokee crossed with a typical ATV. Add miles of cactus-filled deserts, gorgeous beaches, helmet and goggles, and tons of dirt. It was yet another of my attempts to be James Bond. Total blast, except for the fact that we ran late and they literally had to hold the ship for us as we caught a tender boat back on board 20 minutes after we were supposed to sail.

Not to mention of course, our glorious digs aboard the Carnival Pride. Dancing shows, buffets, gourmet meals, live music, Mary's lucky penny slots, sun decks, mini golf, 24-hour pizza and ice cream (which I controlled myself to one use each), and plenty of Euchre games (more a function of my family than the ship). Michelle and I even attended an art auction, and surprised ourselves by buying a piece each. It was a riot.

I would say the only downside, though it is a fairly significant one, was the lack of Mass onboard, even for Christmas. I think being in the middle of the Pacific qualifies as a travel dispensation, but I missed the Eucharist, and was thrilled to get back tonight for Mass. It's comforting in a way to know that no matter how much fun I'm having, I still miss the ability to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I'm blessed to be so drawn to it.

So that's the bare bones version, kids. I can't believe we're about to start another year, a year in which I am going to be trying to grow in trust, in many ways. It's an appropriate follow-up to everything I've done this past year and considering everything that's coming my way in the next few months. As always, your prayers are appreciated.

Blessings.

Classic(al)

I am sitting on my couch in my slippers, listening to classical music, which is just wonderful (except for the fact that I should be listening to board review lectures, but I'm not going to let the fact that I should be studying ruin every enjoyable moment from now until April 4th--I set my date today--so hopefully, you won't hear me qualify everything from now on). I love Canon in D. I love that I love it, too, because it makes me feel sophisticated, like riding in on Andrew's shuttle every morning. The classical radio station somehow made college seem more noble and enlightening than it felt at the time, like we were warming up our brains to go conquer the intellectual world. I also laugh at Canon in D because of the YouTube "Pachelbel's Rant" and I did notice that the same 8 quarter notes were played over and over again by the presumably very bored cellists. But it's still beautiful. And I still want to walk down the aisle to it someday.

I saw "The Ultimate Gift" last weekend. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Not going to lie, I thought it would be one of those cheesy, Hallmark movies, but it was surprisingly well-acted, fairly well-written, and very touching. Made me grateful that I wasn't raised by money, that I already have the gifts of friends, hard work, and family, though I wasn't immune from examining my own life either. I recommend it. And now, in other classic film news, I'm off to watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on my parents' home theater system.

I'll be writing next after a little jaunt up the Mexican coast. Merry Christmas everyone.

Tidings of joy

"Snowflakes fall and decorate these ordered, pristine streets..."

I felt like I was in a movie, driving home last night, snowflakes falling softly on the warmly-lit streets, Christmas music floating out from my car speakers. I love it when my life feels like a movie. Of course, movies never show when you get home and have stacks of board books to page through because your NBSE came back with abysmal results. The thought of my schedule for the next 4 months (not including my glorious Mexican cruise) pretty much depresses me. At least the snow is still beautiful.

"Seems to me you could give the Man upstairs the same benefit of the doubt as you do an invisible fungus."

My favorite episode of Bones was on tonight. Christmas miracles for all. I just smiled through the whole thing...and laughed out loud...by myself...at the tv. Yup. So nerdy.