Hold Me Like Holy Water

Hi ho, hi ho. Yes, it's back to work I go. Yesterday I put in an 8 hour day, and today I opened and closed the store. Oh yes, I love working.

Actually, it's been pretty fun lately. I have been organizing the bookshelves. I don't think anyone can understand what joy organizing books brings me. It's like...I don't even know. But when I look at a bookshelf that has been organized according to the way I like it, and it's perfectly alphabetized, and categorized, and ah...I am about as happy as a pig in mud. I just love it. So, I've spent the past two days doing nothing but playing with books. I'm nearly done, and it's kind of sad. I wish someone would mess them up, just so I can fix them again.
Yes, I do need help. ;)

And I've also been putting together the game plan for the summer reading session I'm doing with the pre-K through 3rd grade kids at the store. Should be fun. We're reading saint stories, which I am all about. However, the books we have either give a one-page story, or are like 30+ pages, so we'll have to see how that turns out. So far I'm working with St. Therese, St. Peter, St. Dominic and St. Francis, St. Patrick, St. Cecilia, St. Bernadette, and then All Saints. We'll do an activity at each one. I've planned for the All Saints day to be the last session, so hopefully I'll have a kind of steady crowd by that time, and they'll all be excited to come dressed as their favorite saint. As everybody knows, saints and kids are always a winning combination. :) Hooray.

Other than that, it's been pretty low-key around here. I met Mindy last night for a beer (the message on my cell phone went a little something like, "You, me, MGD.") Haha. How can a girl turn down a message like that?? :)

And the pictures from Nashville are still on their way. The word on the streets is that my family is getting a wireless router tomorrow, so if that's the case, they should be up in no time, since I'll be able to use my own computer at home! Hoo hoo!

Okay, y'all, time for bed. And remember: It's five o'clock somewhere. ;)

Having just finished watching Pride and Prejudice, I must report this, because I find it much to my amusement.

My company during the watching of Pride and Prejudice was my parents. My mom slept through most of it (she's not one for culture, really), but my dad was completely into the entire movie, even asking me to rewind it so that he could hear something that he had missed. Usually he's the one who falls asleep during movies. However, Jane Austen captured my old man this evening.

My heart smiles. He's my own personal Mr. Bennet. :)

The graduation party is over. Great-grandma didn't come. Darn. But it was quite the time. I sometimes forget how interesting and diverse my family is. There's the teenage, preppy, Abercrombie-wearing cousins, and the socially-awkward, brilliant, all-I-want-in-life-is-to-be-successful-and-gain-knowledge 5th grader (yes, she did say that to me today), and the fatalistic drama queen aunt, and the football-playing comedic brother, and eh, it's amazing.

I had fun with them - even though being around them does make me wonder (still) where the heck I'm from. :) I guess I'll probably always wonder that. No one is quite like me. Heh.

Annnnd it's 9:00 on Saturday night and I'm bored. So goes summer. I'd give my left arm for some random times and rum with the roomies.

The pictures from Nashville are still on their way. I haven't used my computer in a while - the family computer works quite well now that we've got broadband (yes, I know, we're technological-losers). Woot for a computer that finally works!

I guess I'll go watch Pride and Prejudice. It just seems right.

A line for laughing:
Elizabeth Bennet- "He's been most inconvenient since I swore to loathe him for eternity."

And a line that makes you lose your breath and wish you had someone to say it to you:
Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet: "You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on."

::sigh:: Ahhh, Mr. Darcy... ;)

Okay, so this whole alarm clock thing has been failing me too much lately. I need to figure it out.
Last night we must have lost power, because I woke up with my alarm clock flashing the wrong time at me. Dang it. Yes, that means I missed Mass, and saying goodbye to my best friend.
Double dang it.
Anyway, c'est la vie.

I also got my pictures back from Nashville, so they will be posted soon. You will enjoy them. Guaranteed.

My little brother graduated from high school today. I will admit I teared up a bit during the whole "Pomp and Circumstance" procession. We're only three years apart, but he's still my little brother. :) I'm so proud of him, though. He's such a good kid. He'll make one hell of a police officer some day. Go get 'em, Bri.

And along with graduation comes the graduation party. Which is tomorrow. Should be interesting. My grandparents are coming. Yes, my real grandparents. The ones I only see on Christmas Eve, even though we live about 15 minutes away from each other. And, get this...my great-grandma is coming too! Holy cats! My brother told my dad to be sure to introduce her to him. I don't know if I'll recognize her - I think the last time I saw her was probably four years ago, at Christmas.
If you're wondering why I can't identify my great-grandma...well, so am I. The only thing I've come up with is:
My family is filled with crazies.

Well, I'm off to watch the CMT awards and try to sleep. Sleeping is not working so well for me lately...

Live like you mean it.

Another theme song for summer session:

Bad Day by Daniel Powter. Now, I have been all about this song for quite some time (really since I heard it on American Idol, and fell in love.). It's so perfect. And I iTunes'd the music video, which, if you have not seen it, is super-cute. It's a great music video. I watch it often. :)

Anyway, lyrics time:

Where is the moment when we need it the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue sky's faded to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carrying on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces every time
And I don't need no carrying on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carrying on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back
And you know that you could be oh well that strong
And I'm not wrong

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Repeat chorus


Ah, it's a great song! It's so amazing to turn up as loud as your stereo will allow and sing it at the top of your lungs while driving down the road. I loove it.

Anyway, another crazy day. I slept late, went out with Elizabeth for the day (she leaves tomorrow for the whole summer!) , went out to dinner with my family for my brother's 18th birthday, went to his baccalaureate Mass (which was pretty weak), and then out for drinks with the girls. Hooray for that.

Anyway, summer's starting off strangely, with lots of busyness and hustle-and-bustle. It'll be nice when things get settled a bit. Probably just in time for school to start back up.
Dear me.

Well, I need to get to sleep. Actually, I need to stop mooching Elizabeth's internet so that she can get to sleep. :)

And the best song EVER (by Kansas):

Carry on, my wayward son.
There'll be peace when you are done.
Lay your weary head to rest.
Don't you cry no more.

Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming, I can hear them say

Carry on, my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about like I'm a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune, but I hear the voices say

Carry on, my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you

Carry on, my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Ah, I love that song. Such wisdom. They just don't write songs like that anymore.
Mmmm....70's music. :)

The anthem to begin the summer with is, of course, another Josh Groban song. I wish I knew someone who would sing sad songs to me, like Josh does. He's amazing.

Josh Groban
"Remember When it Rained"

Wash away the thoughts inside
That keep my mind away from you.
No more love and no more pride
And thoughts are all I have to do.

Oooohhhh remember when it rained.
Felt the ground and looked up high
And called your name.
Oooohhhh remember when it rained.
In the darkness I remain.

Tears of hope run down my skin.
Tears for you that will not dry.
They magnify the one within.
And let the outside slowly die.

Oooohhh remember when it rained.
Felt the ground and looked up high
And called your name.
Oooohhh remember when it rained.
In the water I remain.
Running down.
Running down.
Running down.
Running down.
Running down.
Running down.
Running down.

Sing it, Josh. Sing it.

The other anthem of the beginning of the summer comes from the beautiful Australian man - Keith Urban.
"I've never been the kind to let my feelings show
And I thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self-control
But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
To hell with this pride, let it fall like rain
From my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry."


On a much lighter note-
I had a great time in Nashville with Rusty. We walked around downtown, and went nearly everywhere. The Country Music Hall of Fame, Music Row, the Wildhorse Saloon (where we listened to the above Keith Urban song and drank a beer to start the night), then back down to Music Row to listen to a band and drink a Grateful Dead (which was amazing). We saw the river, and laughed a lot. It was a good time. The next day Sister took us to the Opryland hotel, and we walked around there for a bit, then over to the Grand Ole Opry, then to the Opry Mills Mall, where we ate at the Aquarium (and had some delicious Captain's Punch...nothing like a little Captain Morgan at noon!), and then we shopped a bit. We took a lot of pictures, and I'll be sure to post some once I get them back (I don't have a fancy shmancy digital camera, so it'll be a day to process them)...

I'm off to a meeting at work now - God bless y'all.

Let passion drive you. Love life.

How sweet is today?


First off, it's Our Lady of Fatima. Hoorah for that. I mean, come on. That rocks.

For that, I think the lyrics from the "OurLady of Fatima" song (which I love) are fitting:


Dear Lady of Fatima
We come on bended knee
To beg your intercession
For peace and unity.
Dear Mary, won't you show to us
The right and shining way.
We pledge our love and offer you
A Rosary each day.
You promised at Fatima
Each time that you appeared
To help us if we pray to you
To banish war and fear
Dear Mary, on First Saturdays
We ask your guiding hand
For grace and guidance
Here on earth
And protection for our land.

Yay Our Lady of Fatima!


And on the same day:

One of my favorite saints (or at least one of my favorite saint stories to tell)-

Blessed Imelda Lambertini

If I ever teach 2nd grade, I will be all about Bl. Imelda come time for First Communion prep. She'll be hooking my students up with some mad graces! Yess!


Bl. Imelda's incorrupt body. Sweetness.










On a bittersweet note: Today I move back home (to Rockford). Sooo you can expect less posting (b/c of time, not having my computer as readily-accessible, a slower internet connection, and what-have-you). But I will try to keep it up as much as I can / see fit. You can keep these things in mind over the summer:

1. I will be in Nashville with the sisters May 18-22, so a few prayers sent my direction would be hugely appreciated.
2. I will be in Rockford all summer, so if any of you plan on being around there, be sure to find me and we'll hang out.
3. I will be at the Rockford vocation camp, so if you are at all able, you should definitely come to that.
4. This is my last summer as a college student. I don't know what that means for you, but if you figure out what it means for me, go on ahead and let me know. ;)

With that, I hope everyone out there in blogland has a wonderful summer.
Enjoy the weather. Read good books. Play games outside. Talk with your dog. Rollerblade. Play basketball late at night with a glow-in-the-dark basketball. Eat Dreamsicles. Barbecue random things (like pizza). Smile at strangers. Wave at people when you're driving down the road. Put your bare feet on the dashboard (if you're the passenger only!). Sing country music really loudly. Wear a superhero cape to the grocery store, and have a cart race down an aisle. Do lots of random stuff, and tell everyone about it.
Basically....enjoy life. :)

Adios, y'all.

From our friendly blogger over at Disputations...

People get their water in all sorts of ways...

A cistern is a storage tank for water. You put water in, then you draw water out. A well draws water up from the water underground. A spring releases water pretty much on its own.

Now let water stand for charity and water sources for Christians.

Some Christians are cisterns of charity. They store up a certain amount, but without regular refills will soon go empty.

Others are wells, tapped into deep and hidden reservoirs. They won't run dry, but they do require maintenance to stay in good working order and continue to offer charity to others.

And some are springs of charity. Not only do they not run dry, their charity comes forth unbidden and inexhaustible.

The metaphor could be extended to include fountains, those whose charity is extravagant, even prodigal, a wonder to behold, and visible from afar.


Which are you?

"He who has charity is far from all sin."
-St. Polycarp of Smyrna

"I define charity as a motion of the soul whose purpose is to enjoy God for His own sake and oneself and one's neighbor for the sake of God."
-St. Augustine of Hippo

"Charity is the form, mover, mother, and root of all virtues."
-St. Thomas Aquinas

"Charity is that with which no one is lost, and without which no one is saved."
-St. Robert Bellarmine

"The school of Christ is the school of charity. On the last day, when the general examination takes place, there will be no question at all on the text of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or the paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus."
-St. Robert Bellarmine

"True virtue has no limits, but goes on and on, and especially holy charity, which is the virtue of virtues, and which, having an infinite object, would become infinite if it could meet with a heart capable of infinity."
-St. Francis de Sales

Finished with Finals. Finally. :)

It's nice to be done with those classes. Actually, this is one of the first semesters I can remember where I did not have a class I absolutely dreaded. It seems I've been stuck with one every semester previously. But this semester, things were pretty peachy. Nonetheless, I'm still not heartbroken that it's all over. Hoorah.

And funny moment of tonight:
Rusty, Jon and I are sitting at the Ground Round, when the TV station switches over from the Cubs game (we won!) to the show "Inside Poker."
Rusty didn't see the words, so when the announcer started talking with her thick British accent, it sounded rather like "Pokah."
Then they started talking about the special features of tonight's episode of "Inside Poker," and Rusty looked up, saw the word "Poker" and said: "I thought she said polka...now that would be fun. But poker?"

At which point, my brain automatically started up with a song from my childhood (my mom sings it all the time)
"Ohhhh, I don't want her, you can have her, she's too fat for me, she's too fat for me..."
Ah, polka.

Haha. Good times.

One order of shenanigans, coming right up.

Tonight was absolutely the silliest night I've had in probably...a week. :)

Our friend (and recent graduate...) Mark came over. We were sitting around, watching the Food Network's Chefography on Giada De Laurentiis, when Mark decided to get Beth's guitar out. Then he proceded to make up random songs and play along with them. It was really very hilarious. Then we saw a commerical on TV with two cops sitting in their patrol car having a cream-licking contest with their Double Stuf Oreos. So, the natural thing to do is to want a Double Stuf Oreo, stat. (I love consumerism) So, we threw around the idea for a while (none of us really wanted to actually get up and go to the store for some Oreos), then finally I suggested we all go, and Mark can play the guitar and sing while we're driving down the street. It was decided upon, and we marched out of our apartment complex, Mark still strumming and singing. We drove on down to Hy-Vee to get our Oreos, and we decided we'd really go all out, and have Mark serenade through the aisles of Hy-Vee. So Mark brought the guitar in, singing about the Double Stuf Oreos, naming random products on the shelves. (He put together a nice little diddy about Guinness, too) People generally ignored us, thinking we were a bunch of loons. But some people thought we were fun. One old guy was like "Wait up, honey! This guy is going to serenade us!" Haha. Oh man. And then there was a fun-hating old lady in the liquor aisle, whose husband smiled at us very inconspicuously, so as to not let the old lady see. Haha. Oh, and the guys who were around our age thought we were hilarious too. Then we left Hy-Vee, and drove back, and watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail and had some more good times.

It was hilarious.

I just wish I had the lyrics to the song about Nietzsche that Mark made up. The basic gist was something about my Polishness kicking Nietzsche's loser post-modern duff, then me raising a glass to truth...or something. It was a hoot, though. I can definitely tell you that much. :)

Oh random times at Loras College - what will I do this summer without thee?

Let's start today with a hilarious quote.
"Never argue with an idiot. He'll bring you down to his level and beat you with experience."
Ba ha ha haha! Ah, that one kills me.

The end of the year is always the funniest time.

We come up with some pretty crazy and random things that always sound like a good idea.

Freshman year, we played at the playground after-hours (we were sure we'd get in serious trouble!), with Brother Anthony Joseph (who was Jason then) wearing a sombrero, and took silly pictures next to the Loras College sign...

Sophomore year, we did random things though I can't remember anything particularly within the school year. The best part of that year was the trip to the St. Isaac of Syria Skete. Oh memories...
That trip should have taken an hour...not three. I don't know what kind of directions we were following...

And this year the fun has just begun. Last night, the roommates and I decided it was a stay-in night, a.k.a. sit around in our pajamas, eat food and watch movies. So we put our pajamas on, then remembered we needed to go the grocery store. So we went to Hy-Vee in our pajamas. Dear me. (Pajamas=sweatshirt and flannel pants) We looked like fools in there, singing along with the radio, me carrying around the Malibu, looking everywhere for pretzels....oh man. And then Beth saw a trailer that had the word "Disco" written on it. So we got out and took pictures with it. Then we were like "Hey...picture-taking is fun...let's do more!" Off to the Old Jail we went. We took pictures with the inmate cut-outs, and then with the funny tourist guy. That was hilarious. Then Beth decided to take a picture of her kissing the tourist guy. As she's puckering up, and I'm ready to take the picture, some guys drive by and whistle. The funniest part is that the jail is directly across the street from the police station. We are gutsy. Anyway, we took the drive-by whistling as a sign that we really ought to move along. Then we went over to Graham's, the men's clothing store, and took a picture with the mannequin. Oh yeah, Victoria and Beth were kissing the mannequin. Haha. What shenanigans.
Then we went back to our apartment and made some delicious libations, ate Sour Patch Kids cotton candy and pretzels, and watched "The Family Stone" and "Lord of the Beans."
Crazy times, indeed.

This morning was First Saturday, so of course we went to Nativity, where they do the Mary procession and sing the Our Lady of Fatima song (which just might be the best Marian song ever). Then we tried to go out to breakfast, but I forgot how to get to the restaurant. We probably drove around downtown Dubuque for a good 20 minutes. I'm an idiot. We stopped off at the bank, and that was a circus in and of itself. I don't know how I managed to lose the check I wanted to deposit while driving up to the ATM, but the guy in the car behind me wasn't happy about it. Haha. Then we went to breakfast, which was delish. Next came the Farmer's Market, where I bought delicious jam and bread from a nice Amish lady. And we bought kitchen towels from an old deaf man for our moms. :) And we went to the St. Vincent dePaul store and bought random random things. We played with the kids toys, too. People must just look at us and wonder. We got some awesome records (everything from Tammy Wynette to the St. Louis Jesuits...haha). And now we're headed to a BBQ out at Swiss Valley Park with the FOCUS friends.

More craziness to come, you can be sure of it.

And on a "That is suhhhweeeet" note (from St. Faustina's diary, #589):
"Love casts our fear. Since I came to love God with my whole being and with all the strength of my heart, fear has left me. Even if I were to hear the most terrifying things about God's justice, I would not fear Him at all, because I have come to know Him well. God is love, and His Spirit is peace. I see now that my deeds which have flowed from love are more perfect than those which I have done out of fear. I have placed my trust in God and fear nothing. I have given myself over to His holy will; let Him do with me as He wishes, and I will still love Him." (emphasis mine)

Ah, Josh.

This song really describes how I've felt these past few weeks.
Amazing what a few lyrics can do to sum up an entire week's worth of emotion...
I love music.

"Let Me Fall" by Josh Groban
Let me fall
Let me climb
There's a moment when fear
And dreams must collide

Someone I am
Is waiting for courage
The one I want
The one I will become
Will catch me

So let me fall
If I must fall
I won't heed your warnings
I won't hear them

Let me fall
If I fall
Though the phoenix may
Or may not rise

I will dance so freely
Holding onto no one
You can hold me only
If you too will fall
Away from all these
Useless fears and chains

Someone I am
Is waiting for my courage
The one I want
The one I will become
Will catch me

So let me fall
If I must fall
I won't heed your warnings
I won't hear

Let me fall
If I fall
There's no reason
To miss this one chance
This perfect moment
Just let me fall

Ahh...it's beautiful! It's perfect.

"Well, my dream is to have Pope Benedict come and say Mass at Loras College. And Chuck Norris would be the server."
-an unnamed Loras student, in tonight's meeting

Oh the randomness. It's simply stunning.