A day of preparation

Not preparation for the baby yet! That will come soon enough.

Today Mike and I spent a day doing various tasks preparing for the next few weeks: Mike worked on cars and I worked on packing camping equipment for our trip starting on Thursday! It was work but also areas that we enjoy: Mike likes cars and I like camping.

Mike cleaned up the Honda and took it to a dealership to see what we could possibly get for it. The time has come to look for....a minivan. Sigh. Big sigh. I am just not a fan of minivans. At all. Mike has been 'working' on me for, well, probably a few years now since he planted the seed awhile ago! ;) But I guess it will make sense with 2 kids and a need for more space. We are not in a big hurry which is nice, so we can take our time and look for a good deal. The Lord blessed us last year when we were able to sell our truck (which we LOVED) and found a good deal on this Honda.

I set up tents, tested the whisper light stove, gathered sleeping bags, thermorests, pots, pans, etc. for camping. I absolutely love camping. I love the fires, stars, waking up in a tent, sleeping on the ground, cooking over a tiny little gas stove on the dirt, reading a good book with a headlamp on your head, seeing more animals, exploring places I've never been. Even the smell of the tents bring me back to all the different trips I've been on. Since my two oldest brothers, John and Travis, went to college in California and my Dad had summers off being a teacher, our family took MANY roadtrips out there and they all involved camping. I am sure that is where I first came to love camping. Call me crazy or corny, I can't help but love it. Definitely many of my favorite memories growing up and in my young adult life have been camping. So I am excited to see how it goes with having a little baby along! She will certainly add a new twist!

Post on Peru trip...

I haven't written anything about Peru yet, so here goes.

I went on the trip as part of my job at the Department of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas (same dept. where I am getting my master's degree). I assisted Fr. Keating this past year on administrative duties pertaining to the department's men's and women's houses as well as the Leadership Interns. Each year the interns go on a Spring Institute trip: 2007 France, 2008 Washington D.C., 2009 Peru. This year's theme was investigating Latino culture and history in the context of our Catholic faith; the idea is that these outstanding students will have leadership roles in the future in various fields and will need to encounter and have a working knowledge of the ever increasing Latino population in this country. I personally learned a lot on this trip about the history of the Americas (not just the USA), and the vast differences between the colonization of the North as opposed to the central and south. Despite popular history, the colonization of the central and south Americas (as well as Mexico, of course) was much better than the north. In fact, the cultures were able to co-mingle under the auspices of the Catholic faith. In the north, the native Americans were simply pushed aside with the only inculturation between the French (still somewhat Catholic despite the bloody secularist revolution). Mexico and Peru are unique to the story because they bear the only two very ancient cultures of the "new world": the Aztecs and Mayans in Mexico, and the Incas and their ancestors in Peru. So, what happened and happens in these two countries often greatly affected the rest of the continent. There is much more to say, and I would have to tell you in person...

We were hosted by a community called the Christian Life Movement. This is a Catholic group founded by the Sodalitium, a group of consecrated laymen. They have been around for about 25 or so years and they are doing amazing work. They have nuns, priests, consecrated men and women, and married families. Their work touches just about every part of society: hospitals, schools, news agencies, centers for disabled children, a rec center, and a host of other works. Their "charism" is authentically living out the teaching of the Second Vatican Council - in other words, fidelity to the faith and everyone, lay or religious, living out their faith actively as an apostle: one who is sent to work. This occurs in many ways, but they avoid the sectarian mentality where community life is about "us" and towing the thought of the group. There is a lot of freedom in this group as one looks at their work yet they are completely united under the Church. They do not see themselves as a group that serves to simply foster community life; the purpose is to join, be formed well in the faith, and discern what the Lord is doing in one's life to go out and serve: in one's parish, at work, in the family, in the neighborhood, etc. - it's not about getting comfortable in the group and being exclusive: it's all about going out and being a witness as a Catholic. Very impressive.

We, unfortunately, did not go to Machu Picchu or Caracas which are the most famous sites in Peru. We only stayed in Lima and Arequipa. Some highlights: seeing Pachacamac (an ancient Incan ruin - huge!); St. Rose of Lima's shrine and relics; seeing the shanty towns of Lima and Arequipa; visiting the Siervas del Plan de Dios nuns; visiting a CLM hospital/school for disabled children; seeing the CLM's University of San Pablo; going to the Incan market; eating great Peruvian food; buying hand painted religious artwork (gorgeous stuff); playing soccer; visiting the U.S. Embassy and Lima's immigration office because a student lost his passport; talking with native Peruvians about their history and culture; learning a lot about the history of the Americas; learning a lot about colonization and the uniting of cultures possible only with the Catholic faith.

A fascinating and fun trip, despite having to take care of the "behind the scenes" work.

Below are some paintings I purchased at the Inca Market.

New baby cousin: Mary-Frances Pauline

Born today, Friday, June 19th, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
A great feast day indeed! Tomorrow, Saturday, is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In the news...

"She did it again....!"

Faustina has gotten into the habit of tearing off her diaper if it is not secured under a onesie... this time it had a lump in it and she was in bed. N-A-S-T-Y.
Fecal matter all over the place!






ALL CLEANED UP!

We have a dishwasher...

It finally works!

Trinity ties

On Tuesday I was privileged to have my former student and soccer player Mary Reinhardt come over and hang out with me and the kids for the morning. Although I keep fairly up to date on Trinity events through Mike teaching there, it is altogether another feat to keep tabs on how students and alumni are doing. I ran into Mary last weekend at Trinity and she said she'd like to stop by and say hello. Of course, I was thrilled!

Mary is now in the nursing program at the U of M, she lives in a household in dinkytown with around 30-40 (!) other young Christians, is involved in many different activities, and comes from a large family to keep up with. Ah, yes, college is such a unique time in life - certainly a busy and fun one.

One of the main aspects of teaching at Trinity I loved so much was forming good relationships with the girls. The Trinity lot of students is an intelligent, bright, and energetic group of kids and I was lucky to teach freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. As these highschool kids graduate and move on from Trinity, it is a blessing to form more of an 'adult' relationship with them as we become peers and often have a great deal in common.

Unfortunately, Isaac was having an unusually difficult day while Mary was here. She, however, is absolutely wonderful with kids and it didn't faze her.

Cheers to Trinity ties!

Isaac's Last Day Today!

Not 'too much' anymore

Right now we have a 5 foot crucifix against the wall in our basement. This absolutely beautiful crucifix has been in and out of our house over the years and will eventually go back to the Catholic Studies Department at St. Thomas. It is a large piece of art and can easily become a conversation piece when someone sees it in our small little house. People asked, "What are you going to do with it?", someone joked, "You should put it above your bed!", someone exclaimed, "That is huge!".

I am growing a special attachment to this crucifix. When Mike was gone and I was unable to go to our midnight hour of adoration, I made a mini little 'chapel' in our basement as I set up a kneeler in front of this crucifix. Years ago, maybe even one year ago, I would have said or thought, "Come on. This is too much. I don't need to kneel in front of a cross to pray. God is everywhere. This is overboard, too pious, too extreme. This is a bit silly for me to kneel in front of a 5 foot tall crucifix - it is almost bigger than me!"

Well, my thinking has changed. Images are important. Art is important. There is a grace present in these icons. Praying before this crucifix gives me the humble image of Jesus on the cross dying for my sins. He is real - here is his presence. When Mike and I were married, I was hesitant to let him decorate our house with icons, Catholic symbols, and other such religious art; now I love it. I realized that I was being a Christian...but I shyed away from a Christian culture. And this is a key realization for me: one ought not try to separate Christianity from culture. We are a Christian family, so naturally our house will reflect who we are and what we hold important. Of course we want visuals on our walls of the Lord, Mary, and the saints to be reminders for us to live good and holy lives as we strive for the kingdom of heaven.

I love going to the Cathedral because I sit in Church and marvel at the beautiful artwork and can say "Yes, this is who we are. This is a little taste of heaven.". I had the same feeling when I lived in Rome for a semester and visited the churches there. They truly have culture.