Summer Time Flicks

What would a summer be without at least one drive-in movie? We thoroughly enjoyed watching "The Dark Knight" on Monday night in Cottage Grove; it was an absolutely perfect evening to watch a movie outside!

Friend and author, Liz Kelly

Also at the Catholic Studies 'end of the summer session' picnic yesterday was my classmate and friend, Liz Kelly. Liz is a very talented writer and has recently landed a new position as managing editor of Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought & Culture. Very cool. Here she is with little Faustina at the picnic.

Check out a couple of Liz's other works:

May Crowning, Mass, and Merton and Other Reasons I Love Being Catholic


and The Rosary: A Path into Prayer

Sister Act 3?

Sorry for the stupid title...

I had two courses in the Catholic Studies department this summer at the University of St. Thomas: Philosophical Foundations of Theology and The Natural Law.

In both classes I had the pleasure of studying with these wonderful Dominican sisters. They absolutely loved Faustina! Here are some pictures from the closing picnic for the summer session...


[from left to right: Sister Kathleen Marie, Sister Vincent Marie, Sister Mary Seton (holding Faustina), Sister Maria Frasatti, and Sister Mary Albert.]





Cynthia and I think Faustina looks good in white... who knows!?
We pray that the Lord will guide little Faustina to the right vocation, whether it be marriage or religious life; as long as we are faithful, God is happy with however we choose to serve Him and His Church.

The Nashville Dominican Sisters' webpage:
http://www.nashvilledominican.org/Main.htm

Junebug

Uncle Travis came over to say hello and played a special song for Faustina: Junebug by B52. Faustina was fan of the song Travis dedicated to her; she especially enjoyed 'dancing' with Uncle Travis and listening him sing to her!

Faustina Smooches?

....or we're not quite sure what she is doing...!

Our Little Nature Girl

Whatever Works [UPDATED]

Currently, Faustina's favorite place is.....her changing table! We get the most smiles out of her here and at times can even strap here in here to buy a few minutes to get something done. Sometimes a few minutes is all you need!

--------------UPDATED BY DAD---------------

For immediate press release:

I just want to officially state that we do not run an insane asylum! Looking at the picture of Faustina above, with the yellow wall, her in stripes, and strapped down... no, we don't torture her! The look on her face is priceless too! Also, we don't leave her on the changing table locked down for more than a few moments! I just wanted to calm all your fears!
Maybe we should have a caption contest for this photo!
-Dad

Sleeping Beauty

This child truly is amazing. She is 2 months old and last night she slept through the entire night from 10pm to 7am. What more could parents of a newborn ask for?! From what I hear in talking to parents, we are very blessed with such a peaceful baby. People often assume we are suffering from lack of shut eye when actually Mike and I have experienced little/no sleep deprivation in caring for this baby girl. Do not be fooled, when she wants something - she REALLY wants something and she lets people know. In general, however, she is very good natured and is a quite easy (so far!). Last night she sat - just like in the picture except she was awake - for an hour and half as Travis and I sat on the couch and chatted. She sat in her blue chair without a peep for an hour this evening while Mike and I had his professor over for dinner. And she just chilled out on the couch for the past hour while I cleaned the kitchen. She is a great sleeper, but even when she is awake she is a superstar. Good work Faustina, keep it up!

This week for Dad... "Ancient Times Camp"!

Dad is teaching about the ancient world at "Ancient Times Camp" at Trinity.
You can check out what he's doing at:
http://ancienttimes2008.blogspot.com/

Annie Adventures

My wonderful friend Annie Jesperson was in town this weekend from Portland with her boyfriend Eric. It is always fun to get the Gustavus college bunch of 'graceland girls' together to hang out. On Thursday Rhiannon, Anna, Annie and I (& of course Faustina!) chatted at the new Beckendorf pad. It is crazy to see how we are all in SUCH different places from 5 years ago in our college days - Boyfriends, homes, babies, jobs, husbands and many other changes. That is, after all, what is suppose to happen I suppose!

On Sunday as a few of us gathered here on Morgan Avenue and walked to get Sebastian Joe's ice cream on a hot day, Annie spiced up her last few hours in MN as she locked the keys in the trunk by accident! To make matters even MORE exciting, Eric and Annie's plane was leaving in an hour and half. After many attempts of unlocking the car using a coat hanger, soccer corner post, sticks, tape, along with car alarms going off, neighbors helping, Triple A called, and the car being torn apart, Nick Lovas (assisted by Rhi) came to the rescue and retrieved the keys in the trunk. Rhiannon was the taxi driver and raced Eric and Annie off to the airport and they made it - thank goodness! There is never a dull moment when the Gustavus gals get together.

Grandpa Lee is making me a crib... and it's almost done!

People, gather 'round. This is an amazing piece of woodwork. Grandpa Lee has fashioned this completely from scratch; he even planed his own wood down. No kit here.

He has poured in many, many hours for little Faustina, and this crib will be a priceless heirloom in our family for generations (God willing!) to come. We are all spoiled for receiving such a work of art; and Faustina gets to sleep in it!

We thank Grandpa Lee and all his hard work. There is literally no way we could repay him for all the dedication, time, and love poured into this work of craftsmanship.

It is inspiring to watch Gramps create things out of wood, and it is just another example of how the Lord gives us, His creation, the potential to partake in His own nature- namely, to create and fashion. Of course, we can't totally share in His nature, for God creates ex nihilo!

Producing a work of art like this is truly an act of love- the highest form of art.

Thanks, Grandpa Lee!!!!!

Mama & baby sleeping

Can't quite sit up yet

Please pray for this little babe...

This is little Thomas. This poor little guy was born at around 25 weeks. He is fighting for his little life. Please pray for him. I was astonished and heart-broken when I read about him. Life is really so fragile. When I see Faustina, I now know how gratuitously blessed we are by the Lord. This little fellow is so innocent, and just wants to live; he should still be in the comfortable warmth of his mother's womb. Please pray that he grow quickly and live a normal, healthy life, if that is what the Lord will for him. "Non mea sed tua voluntas fiat."

Although there is a profound element of sadness here, we can also see how the Lord works through Thomas' (and his faith-filled family's) suffering to bring over 600 unique visitors together to witness his struggle, see his parents' unshakable faith, and pray for his recovery. His struggle ought to cause us all to think about the 4 Final Things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. It is a reminder that in the end, all that will matter is how we "turned toward the Lord" (in St. Augustine's words) and the relationships that we fostered and cultivated in life. Thomas reminds us of our end, namely God, and how to get there: love.

I'm reading The Brother's Karamazov, and this passage struck me:
[context: the Elder or head of the monastery is comforting a mourning mother]

"Listen, mother," said the elder. "Once in olden times a holy saint saw in the Temple a mother like you weeping for her little one, her only one, whom God had taken. 'Knowest though not,' said the saint to her, 'how bold these little ones are before the throne of God? Verily there are none bolder than they in the Kingdom of Heaven. "Thou didst give us life, oh Lord," they say, "and scarcely had we looked upon it when Thou didst take it back again." And so boldly they ask and ask again that God gives them at once the rank of angels. Therefore,' said the saint, 'thou too, oh mother, rejoice and weep not, for thy little one is with the Lord in the fellowship of the angels.' That's what the saint said to the weeping mother of old."

Read about little Thomas here.

Again, please pray for this sweet, little boy, Thomas.

Bath time!

Faustina's a little hesitant about the water, but she's gotten a lot better. See the pics below of her first bath in the hospital and at home!




At hospital...

at home.

"All American Girl"

We checked out the St. Paul fireworks from the Cathedral steps this year.
We met some new friends there, Pat and Krystal (baby Charles), who are from good ol' Michigan. We hope to connect with them again sometime soon.

Faustina wore her "All American Girl" outfit that our neighbors Roy and Doris gave her. She looks very cute in it!






We always enjoy seeing the Cathedral because it reminds us of our wedding day... and Faustina's baptism!

Prayer for the USA

Pictured: The seal of Archbishop John Carroll.

Thanks to Fr. Z. for this prayer...

He writes:

The following prayer was composed by John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, in 1791. He was the first bishop appointed for the United States in 1789 by Pope Pius VI. He was made the first archbishop when his see of Baltimore was elevated to the status of an archdiocese.

John was a cousin of Charles Carroll of Maryland, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Americans among the readership might print it and bring it to your parish priests and ask them to use it after Mass on national holidays.

This needs no translation for Catholics who love their country!

PRAYER FOR GOVERNMENT

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name. We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation. We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty. We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state , for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

4th of July, 2008

Today, Mom and Dad got up early and went kayaking(sp?). We borrowed a friends kayak and hit Lake Calhoon. It was very serene. Dad also enjoyed how Mom made him a mocha prior to the trip.




We spent the afternoon at Wabun Park just over in Minneapolis near the Ford Plant. Grandpa grilled some baby-back ribs for us, and Uncle Travis, Granny, Betina, and Lizzia (both close, family friends) hung out.



Let me explain why I posted the photo of "Eazy-E"... We were rudely interrupted by a group near us blaring some serious hip-hop (I realize that serious is not a great adjective for hip-hop music). Grandpa asked them to turn it down, but they replied with thuggery. "Lord, purify my ears, so that I may listen to what is pure."



We spent the rest of the afternoon busy napping...
[more to come]