Mmmmm you can find me in St. Louie

So I have this friend. 
His name is Drew. 
He has been bugging/harrassing me for months to be put in my blog.
He even sent me a flyer demanding he be put in it! 
Since you probably can't read the fine print let me recap it for you.

"© Drew 2011 Any reproduction without the express consent of Drew or his child company Drew majestic or his non-profit organization AAAHK- Americans Against the Allowance of Home, Kansas is strictly prohibited. Violator will be forced to spend 1 week in Home, Kansas. Sucks."

I may be forced to spend a week in Home, Kansas for sharing this but since I live there it shouldn't be too bad.

I've repeatedly told him that he couldn't be in the blog unless something happened that was blog-worthy and he happened to be involved. He's even been boycotting my blog until he gets in it! Well my friends/family/fellow bloggers, today is that day.

Kirsten, Brigid, Garett, Drew, Sarah, Me, Charlie, Kaitlynn, Lucas, Moe

10 of us from St.Lawrence recently took a little trip to St.Louis to hit up a Cardinals game. I love baseball and I've never been to a Cards game so I just couldn't resist the opportunity, especially the day after we won two intramural softball championships. We piled into the astrovan, 6 girls and 4 guys and hit the road. Our bag of peanuts and $2 tickets kept 5 of us very entertained and dry while it rained. The Cards ended up losing but I'm not actually a Cardinals fan so I wasn't too heartbroken.

Luker, Gare, Moe, Kait, Me, Sarah, Charlie, Drew, Brigid

The most memorable part of the trip happened on our way back to Lawrence. At this point it's important for you to know that of the four guys on the trip Charlie and Lucas are in relationships and Drew and Garett are both entering the seminary. Of the six girls on the trip; Maureen, Kirsten, Brigid, Sarah, Kaitlyn and myself are single. We made for a pretty unique group.

Anyways...there's a priest at St.Lawrence who has the gift of being able to tell some people their vocations. He actually just told one of the girls on the trip that she was called to marriage. Unfortunately this priest doesn't have the gift of matchmaking!

Drew, Gare, Me, Sarah, Kirst, Moe, Luker

Somehow it got brought up that none of us would be very comfortable with Drew, the #futuresem that he is, getting the matchmaking gift. He then proceeded to attempt to use his matchmaking gift on all of the girls. Some girls got matched with multiple guys, so I guess they can have their choice? One girl got the Dominicans while another one received God as her answer.

Fortunately Unfortunately for me I didn't get matched! Not once, not even with a religious community or with God. Drew just couldn't put his finger on that perfect match. What does this mean? Single for life? Young death? I'm not completely sure at this moment. I guess we'll see, but I don't think his gift is that finely tuned yet. 

It really got interesting when Drew became frustrated by not being able to match me and asked me to describe my dream man. Here's the spark notes version:

1. He has shoulders like Thomas Robinson.
2. Christian, preferably Catholic
3. Likes and is knowledgeable about sports
4. Is more outgoing that I am
5. A little bantering never hurt anyone either

Then we started going around the van and all of the girls had a few different things on their 'lists'. Some lists had about 20 things. (hey! we have high standards!) Some wanted runners, others blue eyes. Over 6ft tall was in high demand as well. But overwhelmingly the consensus was:

1. Chivalrous
2. Has a relationship with God
3. Gets along with the family

I'll be patiently looking forward to seeing who everyone does end up with. God has a beautiful life planned out for each of us. It will be interesting to see who ends up being a priest, a Dominican, marrying someone exactly like the person on their list and marrying someone who is the exact opposite of their list.

I'm still holding out for those shoulders though!

We’re just having fun
We don’t care who sees
So what we go out
That’s how its supposed to be
Living young and wild and free

Where my Pitches at?

University of Kansas Intramural Champs!

Co-ed Slowpitch Softball

(and Womens Slowpitch Softball)





Lucas, Charlie, Drew, Garett, Cory, Ben
Brigid, Shannon, Dani, Kaitlyn, Me, Melissa, Kirsten



 I'm really lucky to have met such great friends in college. Blessed actually. A lot of people don't get to have the kind of experiences I get to have simply because of the people in their lives. In my case it's the people from the St.Lawrence Community, especially our softball team.

Where my Pitches at? team huddle

We had a whole weekend full of fellowship and fun, giving thanks to God for allowing us to use the talents He gave us for His greater glory. To hit a knee after every game thanking Him and to be a witness to the other teams is a gift.

Our fan base! Even Sr.Elena came out to support us, 
we had some extra holiness on our side!

 What was even more powerful was the St.Lawrence Catholic Campus Center community that came out and supported us. We had a slew of friends/fans there starting cheers for us and just genuinely excited. One girl on the other team even told her teammates before the game that they were going to lose because we have God on our side! So funny!

Check out our fan tunnel after we won the championship!

Future roomies Megan, Dani, Me and Leslie 
plus future neighbor photobomber Curtis.

Future roomies plus Korbi and future seminarian photobomber Garett.

The backs of the shirts are pretty cool!

Ahhhhh....what a great weekend!

OneBillionStories

If you guys haven't checked out this website yet please please do so! The website's goal is to bring One Billion reversion and conversion stories to those of us in the digital world. You will be inspired, some of these stories you won't even believe they're so moving.

http://onebillionstories.com/

The story begins January 3rd, 2010, the day Seth DeMoor ‘cast into the deep’ on a 2,400-mile bicycle ride across the United States from Florida to Colorado. Armed with his video camera and laptop, Seth interviewed 300 Catholics along his pilgrimage route from anyone willing to share their personal story from within the Catholic faith. Every night, he would sit down and edit down the next day’s story to share on the ‘digital continent’, which has continued on to this present date.

The mission was conceived on the heels of Seth’s graduation from the University of Colorado, where a formative campus ministry at the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center challenged him to ‘get out of the boat’ and begin living radically for Jesus Christ and His Church. After four years of encounter with authentic Catholic ‘stories’ from friends and leaders in the parish, he knew that God was calling him to go start a ‘digital continent’ revolution for the Catholic faith by sharing ‘one billion Catholic stories’ with as many people (souls) as possible through the Internet. Fifteen months later, the mission marches onward into the open landscape of online Catholic evangelization in the twenty first century. - One Billion Stories

Easter Saturday

Today is the ninth and final day of the Novena to the Divine Mercy, that Christ asked us by way of St.Faustina to pray, which will lead up to the Feast of the Divine Mercy tomorrow. In speaking to St.Faustina Christ gave her a different intention to pray for on each day of the Novena.

In St.Faustina's diary she wrote that Jesus told her:
"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy...On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces of these souls."

Day 1 (Good Friday) - All mankind, especially sinners
Day 2 (Holy Saturday) - The souls of priests and religious
Day 3 (Easter Sunday) - All devout and faithful souls
Day 4 (Easter Monday) - Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him
Day 5 (Easter Tuesday) - The souls of separated brethren
Day 6 (Easter Wednesday) - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
Day 7 (Easter Thursday) - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy
Day 8 (Easter Friday) - The souls who are detained in purgatory
Day 9 (Easter Saturday) - The souls who have become lukewarm

"Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.


You can visit here to see all of the days at once.

The Sun Will Come Out _______

Ahh the sun came out yesterday! Wooohooo! 

Considering it's the end of April and March was supposed to leave like a lamb, it has been outlandishly dreary as of late. Both of my teachers let us out of class early, just enough time for me to bask in the sunny glory for 45 minutes before heading inside to work for 3 hours. I found a hill on campus with a couple friends from St.Lawrence, laid back, closed my eyes and absorbed as much sun as I could. It was fabulous. My only job during that time was to soak up as much sun as possible and to thank it so much for being out! I felt instantly happier just being in the sun's presence.

I carried the warmth I received from the sun into work for me that day. I even received a "it looks like you got some sun" comment, that was nice.

Then I thought about when I had gone to Eucharistic Adoration the night before.  Much like I can just be in the sun and praise it for being out, in Adoration I can just be with Christ the Son and adore Him for He is the Lord and Savior of all. I can sit in Christ's presence and close my eyes because the Son is so bright and while I think of Christ my soul is warmed from the inside. My job for that hour is to soak up as much of the Son as I can and to thank Him for letting me spend time with Him. And I feel instantly happier when I am in the Son's presence. 

I can carry the warmth that I received from the Son into the rest of my day. And if I can live out my vocational call to holiness than I just might receive a "it looks like you got some Son" comment, and that would be nice.

Easter Friday

Today is the eighth day of the Novena to the Divine Mercy, that Christ asked us by way of St.Faustina to pray, which will lead up to the Feast of the Divine Mercy next Sunday. In speaking to St.Faustina Christ gave her a different intention to pray for on each day of the Novena.

In St.Faustina's diary she wrote that Jesus told her:
"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy...On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces of these souls."

Day 1 (Good Friday) - All mankind, especially sinners
Day 2 (Holy Saturday) - The souls of priests and religious
Day 3 (Easter Sunday) - All devout and faithful souls
Day 4 (Easter Monday) - Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him
Day 5 (Easter Tuesday) - The souls of separated brethren
Day 6 (Easter Wednesday) - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
Day 7 (Easter Thursday) - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy
Day 8 (Easter Friday) - The souls who are detained in purgatory

"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Day 9 (Easter Saturday) - The souls who have become lukewarm

Feel free to come back tomorrow for the prayers of Day 9 or you can visit here to see all of the days at once.

Not Business as Usual

It's official! I met with an adviser yesterday to lay out my plan of attack for the next few semesters and filled out a change of school form.

 I am now a student of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as a

  pre-BUSINESS major!

Anxiety overcame me just thinking about the Accounting, Calculus, Econ and Statistics classes that loomed in my future. But I know that if it's God's will for me (I'm pretty sure it is) to be a business major than He will help me through it. 

I won't be able to graduate in four years, who knows if I'll even be able to graduate in five. I guess that's what I get for changing my major at the end of my sophomore year, but I'll survive.