Recently in family chit chat Category

It's been a wonderful bday so far and I can't help but be filled with gratitude for all the blessings God has given me! We've had a fun day but now Andrew is asleep in my arms so I have a little computer free time. I noticed that over at Faith and Family Live, the ladies were playing at Year Book Yourself.com. I went to check it out and it is hilarious. Here is a picture of me had I been in the class of '64. Pretty funny!

Hey, the last few days have been busy and I haven't had a chance to stop by here. We're all doing fine - Andrew is loving life and obsessed with playing with all my pots and pans in the kitchen. Bella is excited about starting first grade in a couple weeks and is busy getting school supplies ready. Brian is still shocked that Brett Favre is now wearing a Jets uniform. (Figure out that one!) And I am really happy that my first round of tests came out ok and everything was benign. (Thanks for the prayers - I have one more round of tests on Fri.) Other than that, life as usual.

Also, I didn't get to do my usual Friday Fun quiz yesterday but I had to at least answer one of the fill-ins because I just experienced it this week.

You know you are old when ________________.

I know I am old because instead of asking Bella, "Please hand me my ipod on the table," I said, "Please hand me my walkman on the table." Talk about flash back! Haha!

Have a great weekend!

Yesterday I had an appointment to see a dermatologist about a small mole on my back. I have been hearing so much about the danger of skin cancer and I didn't realize that it could show up on parts of your skin that isn't exposed to sun directly (ie. through a t-shirt.) I thought it would be a good idea to get it checked out, just in case. As I was sitting in the waiting room, I could hear one of the ladies on the phone calling people back with the results of their tests. It was the same thing - "The biopsy shows it is cancerous." She then went on to explain to the patient the three types of skin cancer (basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas, which aren't as bad, and melanoma, the worst kind) and what kind they had.

After hearing this same speech numerous times, my stomach was tied up in knots by the time they called my name. Luckily, the doc knew my father-in-law and he was very friendly and able to put my nerves at ease. In the end, he took two samples for biopsies of spots I wasn't even concerned about; they just looked like dark freckles to me. He said I'd get the results next week. Now I just dread getting a call from that lady saying, "The biopsy shows it is cancerous..." Ugh. Say a prayer for me, please!

I miss having my family around but I am thankful that most of us are only separated by a 6 ½ -7 hour drive. (For EL, that would be a plane trip, not a drive.) Since it is so hot where they live in So Cal, we usually let my family do the traveling in the summer. (A few days of Carmel fog usually has them wanting to go back to their sunny homes!) Last month my parents were here and this month my brother Rob and his girlfriend Maria came to visit for a few days. After the business of cleaning and finding separate quarters for them, we were able to enjoy a great visit. It was sooo nice having Rob around to joke with and to spend late night hours talking. Plus, we were able to spend more time with Maria, whom Bella just adores! (Bella told me she reminds her of one of the princesses at Disneyland - just incredibly sweet.) Maria is also an amazing artist! I was looking through her portfolio and was really impressed. (Check out some of her work at Rangel Studios.) I can't wait to see who is coming to visit next month...

Instead of the Friday 5, today I'll fill out this One Word Meme that has been passing around from blog to blog. I don't know where it originated, but I caught it from Fructus Ventris. Join the fun and answer it in the comment box or on your blog. Have a blessed weekend!

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Your significant other? brian
3. Your hair? curly
4. Your mother? strong
5. Your father? daddy
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? sweet
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? heaven
10. The room you're in? front
11. Your church? mission
12. Your fear? seperation
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? fit
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? glamorous
16. Muffins? toast
17. One of your wish list items? road-trip
18. Where you grew up? so cal
19. The last thing you did? kiss
20. What are you wearing? andrew
21. Your TV? nightly
22. Your pets? inanimate
23. Your computer? frequently
24. Your life? grateful
25. Your mood? affectionate
26. Missing someone? often
27. Your car? late
28. Something you're not wearing? shoes
29. Favorite store? target
30. Your summer? foggy
31. Like(love) someone? immensely
32. Your favorite color? crimson
33. Last time you laughed? morning
34. Last time you cried? fortnight
35. Who will re post this? e

Originally, this blog was supposed to be for both Brian and myself but it slowly evolved into my own outlet to post thoughts. That being the case, Brian started his own blog called Beggar for Christ. He said he doesn't have much free time to post but it's nice for him to have a place of his own. Check out his first post Forty Years with Humane Vitae.

It's Monday again and I'm still amazed that the weekends can pass so quickly. Brian is off at work and the kids are still snug in their beds so I thought I'd make a post. This morning I can't stop thinking about a conversation I had with a dear friend of mine who has a serious illness. It has made me really think about the brevity of our lives in comparison to eternity. It reminded me of a promise I made to God that I wouldn't just settle for being comfortable in life, but instead, I'd try to make a difference. I promised to love God with all my heart and to do whatever He asked of me to help others come to a greater love for Christ. It made me reevaluate how I have been living this promise.

I know we all need a little relaxing "downtime," but I think we can get caught up in a lot of frivolous things that, although not bad in themselves, can keep us from doing what we are called to do as Christians - to love God with all our heart, mind and strength and to evangelize the world so others may do the same. So I challenge you to join me in asking God this question: "Lord, is there something in my life that is taking up too much of my time and energy? And if so, please give me the wisdom and strength to correct it."

Me: Bella, you need to straighten up your room and help Mommy get the house cleaned.

Bella: Who’s coming over?

Me: Just because we’re cleaning the house doesn’t mean that someone is coming over.

Bella: (Keeps looking at me.)

Me: (Thinking to self, “Dang, she is right. If it wasn’t for the steady stream of visitors we’d never dust or vacuum.� So I admit…) Well, actually, Ms. T is coming to visit us but that’s not the point. We’d have to clean the house anyway. (Note to self: Next time we’re cleaning when someone really isn’t coming over.)

My mind has been in a fog today. I was on my way to taking Andrew for his one year check up and I kept zoning out while I was driving and then having to think, “Wait, where am I going again? Swimming lessons? Dentist? Target? Oh, yeah, pediatrician.� Scary.

I’m happy to report that Andrew is fine and healthy although just a little peanut compared to other babies. However, Bella was the same way and he began life on the small side, clocking in at 5 lb, 12 oz, so I’m not worried about it. I must say he was also a trooper since he was due for his next round of shots. In fact, my sis EL was just asking me about my views on vaccinations. (Did I ever email you back?) I have friends in both camps and I respect both sides. Personally, I am pro-vaccine with reservations.

We go to a pediatrician who is more holistic and into organics and keeping things as natural as you can. He does give vaccines but he doesn’t follow the standard procedure and timing. He does the bare minimum and spreads out the timing of the shots so the kids’ little bodies aren’t inundated with them all at once. It requires me going to the office more often but in this case, I don’t mind. So far we haven’t had any problems or side effects and today Andrew whimpered a little when he got his shot but he was smiling again within minutes. So yeah, EL, we did have the kids vaccinated. Another factor to consider is that regular schools require vaccines but if you’re homeschooling, it’s not as big an issue.

A belated happy birthday (6/17) to my sweetheart, Brian. It is funny that this morning I was reading the headlines of my Yahoo homepage and one of the articles was about celebs that were voted as the sexiest bachelors. Some of these guys are pretty handsome and some are a little too Ken Doll for my taste, but it got me to thinking about how subjective attractiveness can be. I don’t know what others see when they take a look at Brian , but I have to admit that there are times when he looks over at me and I still swoon like a crazy schoolgirl. But it is far more than his good looks that get to me. He is one of the most incredible men I’ve met – loving, hardworking, funny and an example of finding the holy in the everyday. It is one thing to be married to someone you love but to be married to someone you like so darn much, yeah! And I know that no guy is perfect but it is safe to say he is MY perfect match, bringing out the best in me and I in him. I love you, Sweetie!

Congrats to Bella – now a first grader!

Well, we finally survived the last week of school but I have to admit that Friday was crazy! I had an early dentist appointment at 7:50 am. The doc checked things out and said I needed a root canal and asked if he should do it right then. I wanted to get it over with so I asked him to take care of it. Thankfully it went fine and afterwards a couple advil took care of the discomfort.

An hour later I was rushing back home so Brian could get to work and I could get to the Carmel Mission for Bella’s last school Mass. I was late, but I got there. After school we drove to the airport to pick up my mom who is visiting for a few days. Then we got ready for my father-in-law's surprise birthday party this weekend. I never would have survived it all without my mom being here to help me out! (She just finished washing and ironing all my laundry! And then she babysat the kids so Brian and I could go out to eat. How awesome is that! Thanks, Mom!)

All the activity has been fun but I am looking forward to when the dust settles and we can just sit back and relax and enjoy our summer vacation!

Well, he is not actually the Papi (Daddy) of the family but the nickname stuck since he is our little man. It is hard to believe that just a year ago today he entered into the word! I still remember how the doc and all the nurses were amazed at how quiet he was after his birth. He stood there with his huge, dark eyes observing everyone and everything. He has plenty of spunk at home but outside the house he reverts to his quiet observation. Happy 1st Bday and may you be blessed with many more to come!

Being green is certainly not my priority in life but it plays a part in being a steward of God's earth, so for Earth Day I purchased these cool recyclable bags from greenconceptonline.com. I liked the one with the Scripture quote but I preferred the look of the dark brown one with flowers. Plus, it had to be wider for my groceries so dark brown it is.

Hey there, it has been ages since I've stopped by and said hello. I don't know how the other busy moms are able to blog so frequently! I never seem to have the time! Life here is going well. Our Andrew is already 9 months now, although he is still a peanut! He's normally a happy and playful little guy but right now he's fighting a cold bug along with teething. We have had some cranky, sleepless nights so I look forward to passing this stage!

Bella is 6 yrs old now and in her last months of kindergarten. She relishes her role as big sis and Andrew adores her. (He'll roam the house on all fours until he finds her!) Bella also recently joined the Little Flowers Girls Club (It's sort of a Catholic girl scouts that teaches Christian virtue through the lives of the saints.) Bella loves it and it gives us the opportunity to work on something together.

Brian and I are plugging away, busy with married life and work/apostolates. He's away on a men's retreat/spiritual exercises this weekend (I had my turn last month) so the kids and I are riding solo. (I miss him already!) Anyway, we'll see how often I'm able to stop by. Have a blessed Holy Week!

PS- For those who have been asking, here's a recent photo.

We haven't been around for a long time since life at home has been really busy with the birth of our little Andrew. But we've finally updated RoL and will be around a bit more frequently! You can check out the updates here: http://www.revolutionoflove.com/index.html.

The other day my in-laws were coming to dinner for a BBQ and I wanted to make a corn salsa. However, they don't like spicy food so I was looking for something without chilis. I found this recipe on the Food Network website and it is delicious. Try it for your Memorial Day BBQ! (For 6 people I multiplied everything by 4, except for the tomatoes; I only doubled those. I wanted mostly corn w/touch of tomato.)

Corn Salsa:

12 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
1/2 cup cooked fresh corn or thawed frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons olive oil
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the salsa: Toss the tomatoes with the salt and drain in a colander for 15 minutes. Combine the tomatoes, corn, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss well.

Hmmm, that's a lot of posts in one day for me. It's nice luxury when I actually have a full 30 minutes to myself to read the news and check out a few blogs. I was running late this morning (that's a shocker) and debated whether I should skip 7AM Mass and go to 12PM instead. I decided to hussle it to 7AM so I could start off this beautiful Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima with Mass. Now, for another reason, I'm glad I did. Sitting in front of me was an old friend I haven't seen in nine years! She still lives in So Cal but was in Carmel visiting a friend and stopped at the Mission for Mass. It's strange, too, since I was just thinking about her the other day and wondering how she was doing. Funny how those things work!

A friend was sharing with me her experience of miscarrying her child. She was troubled that even Catholic friends couldn't understand her desire to see her unborn child as part of the family, but residing with Our Lord in Heaven. I assured her that she was not wrong in loving and grieving over her little one, no matter how short his/her life was.

Keeping that in mind I went ahead and added my latest baby journal to the list of Baby Stories at RoL. We weren't able to celebrate a birth but we were able to celebrate a new life. Blessed Be God. -- Good bye, My Little One: The Story of a Miscarriage.

Thanks for the prayers and well wishes for Brian. His sprained back is doing better and he is off all the heavy drugs. Now it will just take time. Unfortunately that means at least another week off work, especially since he still can't sit, but he is able to get out of bed and walk around to stretch his muscles. Thank God it's nothing more serious. But I am worn out by the end of the day. I never realized how much Brian did around here until he was no longer able to do it! Although, in bed, I'm just happy to have him around. :)

The Lord has really been testing us this Lent! Just as Brian and I felt pretty much recovered from the miscarriage another cross arrived. On Friday, Brian hurt his back at work. He couldn't move and had to be taken to the emergency by ambulance. He took some tests and although his spine seems okay, he still has acute lower back pain. The doctor said it will be about six weeks (!) until he is back to normal. He was heavily medicated and able to come home for now but has to return for more tests. Currently he is stuck in bed and relatively okay unless he tries to move - otherwise the pain overtakes him. So your prayers would be very much appreciated - for Brian�s recovery and my patience. Thank you!

Well we returned from our trip to So. Calif in the nick of time. The weather has been crazy and the drive out of CA left my nerves frazzled. We left early in the morning before the strongest part of the storm was to hit, taking it slow on the freeway. (As slow as possible in So Cal.)

I knew we were in for it when not ten minutes had passed and I saw a car spin out, hit a semi in the next lane and jump up in the air. (I was driving and Brian was in the back seat with Bella.) Brian noticed that I slowed down and he looked up to see flashing lights. He thought it was thunder and lightening. Actually it was the headlights of the flying car. My mind raced as I worried about the driver and our own safety if we became a part of the accident. Then the car twisted in the air a few times until it landed upright at the side of the road. I was going to stop but a number or truckers and other cars stopped to help the driver. We passed the car and saw inside a woman. She was looking down but I couldn't tell if she was knocked out or reaching for something.

We pulled out the rosary and prayed for her and the safety of all the other drivers on the road. Later the radio announced that it was an injury accident and we were just thankful that she had on her seatbelt and hadn't died. We continued our route listening to the traffic news hearing of numerous accidents that took place just after we passed the cities. Thank God for getting us home safely!

I only have a few minutes before I have to go but I wanted to make a quick post. There was a comment from Shy One regarding my last Mama Diaries post. It reads:

I feel very badly for your loss, but another part of me sees it quite differently. Perhaps these babies that were never destined to walk the earth are in fact destined to become intercessors for their families from heaven. We won't know this until we reach heaven ourselves and all is revealed, but in God's economy of grace, there may be more than meets the eye. I shall remember you and your family in my prayers, and wish you His peace in your heart.

I think Shy One hit the nail on the head. When I wrote that last post I was blowing off steam because I was upset. But as as the smoke settled and I got it off my chest one thing still remained the same - my heart still believes in God's goodness and that all things happen for a reason. We can only see one small moment in time but God sees the grand scheme of things. He knows precisely why things happen the way they do. When our trust and love is placed in God, we will find that all our sufferings can be transformed into blessings. There will still be moments when we are down but God�s peace is ready to comfort us and give us strength.

I must also say that Lent is the perfect time to truly ponder the mystery of the passion and our union with Christ on the cross. It is such a comfort to know that there is no suffering or pain we go through that Christ has not already endured for us. We are never alone. Christ dries our tears and lifts us up; his love and mercy washes over us and renews our hearts so we can carry on and live out our vocation to the fullest.

With that thought, I�ve got to go! Have a blessed weekend.

Yesterday was a difficult day for me. People at the market or post office would smile at me and say, "Good Morning." I'd smile back but inside I'd be remarking, "What the heck do you know?!" I was feeling particularly down since yesterday I was supposed to have my first prenatal and my first glimpse of our little baby. It was the day we were to share the news with our family and friends. Instead I had to take tests to see if our baby has completely left my body. I had a blood test a few days ago but my pregnancy levels were still too high and there was fear of an ectopic pregnancy. However, it seems that everything's been clearing out the last few days and my new results came in today showing that everything looks fine. Thank God for one less worry.

Last night I told Brian that we need to name our little child. We both felt strongly that our baby was a boy and I had already been calling him a junior - "Baby Brian" - in my mind. Brian, however, liked the name "Victor" which is his middle name (and a name with a history in his family.) So we compromised and named our little saint Victor Brian.

I was thinking last night about my baby Brian and out of habit I was praying for him during my night prayers. Then it hit me that I do not need to pray for him anymore. Now I can ask him to pray for me. A rather strange idea to think of our baby watching over us and praying for his mama and daddy and sister. It's still hard to get used to but it brings comfort to my heart. I never thought a miscarriage could take such a toll on my body and my heart but I'm slowly feeling back to normal. And I'm happy to say that today when someone wished me a good morning I was genuinely able to offer the greetings back.

Hey there. Thanks to all who've sent prayers and kind words. We're doing better although right now I just feel emotionally and physically exhausted but I guess that can be expected. It's been so nice having Brian home with me these last few days, I'm going to hate seeing him leave for work tomorrow. I will say that this has brought our little family closer together and our love of God stronger and that is a blessing in itself. Anyway, thanks again. Take care.

Your Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, we have been praying for a long time that God would bless us with another child. Our prayers were finally answered and a new life was granted to our family. For a number of weeks we were overjoyed with the prospect of a new baby.

However, this past week we suspected that God may be calling our baby to Himself. Yesterday, it was finalized. Our baby left my body and is now with God in heaven. It has been an unbelievably difficult time, particularly since Tuesday was to be our first prenatal appointment, followed by our plans to surprise the perspective grandparents with the news.

I first read this prayer years ago but it has since become a favorite. :)

Dear God,

So far today, I've done all right! I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper,
I haven't cheated, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or
overindulgent. I am thankful for that. But, in a few minutes Lord, I'm going to
get out of bed...and from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot more help!

Amen.

Hello! It's been a long time! Thanks for being so patient with us and for the emails of well wishes! We are finally in our new home and getting settled. I forgot just how much work it is to move! Packing is not so bad compared to unpacking and finding a place for everything! All I know is that we have a huge pile of things going to the local charity center. It's amazing how much stuff one can accumulate in a few short years! Anyway, we hope to soon be back online posting and updating the website. (And I have weeks of unread st. blogs to peruse!) Thanks for being so patient! Love, b.

This whole house ordeal has been pretty stressful the last few weeks but things are finally falling into place! As you may know, we are moving into the home of Brian�s grandma (who passed away a few years ago.) Currently his aunt (�AL�) lives there but she has been trying to move into a local senior citizen community. However, the waiting list is incredibly long and the wait takes years. Last month we finally thought there was an opening but it fell through at the last minute. Things didn�t look good and AL was really bummed.

Two weeks ago Brian and I made a novena to Saints Ann and Joachim to end on their feast day (July 26). We had two intentions in mind � namely that we�d be blessed with another child and as a secondary prayer, that everything with the house would work out as God wills. The last day of the novena we received the call that there was a surprise vacancy and AL was next on the list but she had to move in immediately. Thank you, Ann & Joachim! (Now we�re just waiting for our bambino!)

This week I�ve been packing/reducing 30+ years worth of AL�s stuff and we�ll have her moved incompletely by Saturday. I must say that I checked out her new place the other day and it is so beautiful. And there are so many activities for them on the site there�s no chance of AL being bored or lonely! She is really happy � something I was worried about. I wouldn�t have felt comfortable in our new place unless I knew AL was happy in her new home. So hopefully we will have her settled in by the end of this week then we can work on making repairs on the house before we move in. Needless to say, this will keep us very busy so I may be more absent than usual! I�ll pop in when I get tired of boxes and cleaning and need a quick break! Take care and have a blessed week. b.

Man, I love visiting my family for these week trips but I hate all the packing and unpacking. Brian can always manage to put all his stuff in one small suitcase and Bella and I have loads of bags of things we "need" to take with us! I tell you if God answers our prayers for another child soon we'd better add "and a mini-van" to the prayer because I don't know how I'm going to fit another human being in our car on these 400 miles long trips! But I guess that's another story.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, really touching. (Except for the fact that my sister Elena was missing - sniff, sniff. But we'll ALL be together during our Christmas visit. :)

Oh, my gosh, then the day after thanksgiving we girls hit the malls for all those insane bargains you'll get if you arrive at 3am and stand on your head while reciting "Twas the Night before Christmas" in Spanish. I refused to stand on my head but I did manage to get $100 worth of savings before making morning Mass. But that's not the story I'm meaning to tell...

At the end of the day my two sisters and I were tired and hungry. We stopped at a fast food place to grab a quick bite for the drive home (which would take an hour). We're sitting in the parking lot passing out the food and straws when a cop circles around us. My sister jokingly says, hey that cop thinks we're suspicious; he's checking us out. I told my other sister to hold up her pepsi so he can see we're just eating. They laugh until the cop parks behind us and gets out of the car. He walks slowly over to us and shines his flashlight into the backseat where I was sitting (it was not yet dusk but the windows are tinted) and asks where we're headed. My sister tells him and he just looks suspiciously at us. He also looked a little nervous so I told him, "We're just eatting our dinner, officer." Obviously he has nothing to worry about unless we decide to attack him with the pair of pajamas and slippers we just got on sale.

Well in the meantime, we hadn't noticed that there was a whole gang of policemen driving up and surrounding our car. We were blocked in making it impossible for us to "escape". Finally the cop realized that we were not dangerous (I should have offered him one of our tacos). He apologized and explained that someone just called in that there was a silver truck (same as ours) with some guys and a girl (so now I look like a guy?) and they had a gun. (okay, no wonder he looked a little freaked.) My sister then let him know that we had just seen the truck and kids he was talking about. They took off when we entered the parking lot a few minutes ago. The cop thanked us and he and all his buddies removed their cars so we could leave in peace. (Thanks be to God. )

When we got home and told our family the story my mom just shook her head and half-jokingly said, "You see what happens when you take Bobbi with you. She always has a way of being invloved in some kind of shinanigan!"

Hmmm, I prefer to think of it as more like adding a little spice to life. haha!

I always wondered how Pansy and Peony of Two Sleepy Mommies blog got their Hobbit names and today I finally found out. Not only that, I'm happy to see that I am of Hobbit heritage myself! My full hobbit name is Rosie Sackville-Baggins, my husband is Todo Sackville- Baggins and our daughter is Belladonna. Too cool!

Well, my Belladonna wants lunch so I better go! Have a beautiful day! Love, b. (AKA. Rosie!)

Hey guys. I feel like such a slacker because I haven't been making regular posts but darn it there's just not enough hours in the day! Plus I think you'll agree that some priorities are more important than my rambling here! ha! Well, I have 10 free minutes to ramble before I start packing, so here it goes.

Veggies Anyone?

Someone suggested to me that since Bella likes the Wiggles songs I check out some Veggie tales. That sounds like a great idea. I vaguely remember watching them with my younger brother before I was married but that's about it. If your kids like Veggie Tales please let me know which is the best "intro" one. There's so many of them I don't know where to start. Thanks!

Bon Voyage!

Brian, Bella and I are packing up for a trip tomorrow to Southern California to visit mi familia. (Don't ask me questions in spanish...that's all I know - besides "tacos" and "enchilladas". Yes I'm ashamed.) I can't wait!! Although I am not too keen on leaving the beautiful weather and beaches of Carmel for the dry hot desert (where most of my family currently lives) it is worth it just to be near them again. I am so close to all of them and it hurts quite a bit not to see them more frequently. But it is a small cross I must bear in exchange for my wonderful husband and daughter whom I couldn't live without. BUT one week I get the best of both worlds since we'll all be together. Woohoo!

But I have to say good bye now since I haven't started packing and we leave in 24 hours. (What? I'm late? Shocking, I know! haha) Packing is always fun. Isn't it? Do you remember that I Love Lucy episode when the Ricardos where going to California? While Ricky and Fred was trying to fit a few suitcases in the trunk, Lucy was piling tons of stuff on the sidewalk to bring as well. That's me, baby! I always have to bring everything but the kitchen sink "just in case". When Brian looks at the pile of suitcases and things piled by the frontdoor he says, "Sweetie, we'll never get all that in the car." I tell him not to worry and let "Fred" take care of it. I'll get it in there! (Although it usually means me sitting in a space tighter than an economy flight on Budget Airlines.) But who cares, we're going! And if on the way we are in need of a rain coat, bath mat or a years supply of fishy crackers, don't worry - I've got you covered!

Say a prayer that we have a safe trip. Talk to you soon. Love, b.

Hello All. It�s been a busy morning so I haven�t been able to post until now. Today�s saint is St. Louis de Montford. Whenever I hear his name I think of my old parish priest and spiritual director Fr. Louis Marx. I met Fr. Marx in my early 20�s after my conversion and he was immensely instrumental in my deepening faith and spirituality. I vividly remember on one New Year�s Eve service, I took his advice and made a general confession of all my sins (and there were plenty from when I was far from God.) I was so ashamed I could barely get the words out in the confessional but he was kind, understanding and gave me the hope I needed to live my life anew. His deep faith and incredible reverence during the Mass spoke volumes without saying a word. I recall his counsel when I considered a religious vocation and just as he thought, it was not my vocation. Later he gave private classes to Brian and me as we prepared for our marriage. It has been a few years since I�ve talked to Fr. Marx, having moved after I was married, yet he is still so close to my heart. I owe him so much. He has been a true spiritual father to me and I love him like a spiritual daughter. It make me wonder if he knows how much he�s touched my life� I think this afternoon I will write him and tell him just that. Let�s all say a prayer of thanksgiving for the wonderful priests in our lives that have made our lives richer and faith more alive! That�s it for now. Love, b.

What's the difference between This Rock and Envoy? Pat asks the question...join the fun and add your answer!