Waiting for Patience

--- 1 --- Today is the last day of August!  That means it's my baby Brother's Birthday!!!  Happy 23rd Birthday to Nathan! Nathan is the man in the gray button down shirt! I can still remember when we were just kids.  I was 4 when he as born and in the first few years of his life I tortured him by pulling his shoulder out of the socket (a few times), facilitating a burn, a walker down the basement steps, and I'm sure more that I can't even remember!  We had a good childhood - a very blessed life!  Now he's working in New York City, living in Connecticut, for at least a few more months before moving to New Jersey or even San Francisco! --- 2 --- The Food for Thought today was very thought provoking - I'm sure Matthew Kelly's intention as he wrote them. There comes a time where things seem against you although they really aren't, when you don't feel appreciated although you really are, when the self appointed kings of non-existent ki...

--- 1 --- Well, I'm half-way through the 4th week of my 5K training (4th on the schedule although it is my 5th week running)...and I'll be continuing Wk#4 next week as well.  I'll be registering for my run this weekend...October 27th, here I come!!! --- 2 --- Saw this video yesterday and was so moved...take a moment & watch! --- 3 --- I'm so impressed with this one chef (Christine) on MasterChef 2012.  She is blind, but creates the most amazing tasting and looking dishes on the show!  I'm pulling for her to go all the way and become THE MasterChef!!! --- 4 --- I'm preparing for my youth group's Fall Dinner Theater, and one of my quests Wednesday was to find some good Catholic Pick-Up Lines! Top 5 finds: 5.  Is it hot in here or is that just the Holy Spirit burning inside of you? 4.  I went on a mission trip this summer, but I ended up just 'missing' you. 3.  You put the 'cute' in persecuted! 2.  What'...

So I overslept a little this morning.  Thought I pressed the snooze the first time and it was in fact the off button.  Thought that 10 minutes of extra sleep went by VERY slowly!  Anyway, I'm up now, eating my cereal breakfast, and then I'll be off to the gym to run - since I so gracefully skipped yesterday morning due to 'tiredness' and usually taking off on Wednesdays. Monday I did some "Runners Yoga" and it kicked my butt, literally - well, it actually kicked my back and shoulders if we are being literal.  Tuesday was a running day, but I was by myself at the gym and didn't have enough motivation.  This week's set is run  for 6 minutes, walk for 2 for 5 sets.  I did one full running set, and the other two were 3min run, 1 min walk because I just didn't have it in me - and I couldn't even complete all 5 sets. Feeling a little like a failure.  The other two girls who are running with me can run at least 1 straight mile without stopping, on...

A blogging friend I knew once did these "Monday Musings" on her blog ... after a terrible Wal*Mart experience this evening... Dear Wal*Mart, I love that you have $5 movies.  It's great for people like myself who don't have a lot of money and who love to own videos.  HOWEVER, after the 45 minute 'bonding session' I had with the 3 at my particular Wal*Mart, I am now morally opposed to the bin.  There is no way of knowing which movies are in there and how to find them.  The salesperson told me the 'might' have seen the movie I wanted - probably 5 months  ago!  Not today, salesperson, not today! A ym in distress ------- Dear Target, Thanks for having the movie I wanted without any 'bin diving'!!! An appreciative ym ------- Dear Planet Fitness, Today was hard, but thanks for being there for me today.  I'll do better tomorrow! A 5K wanna-be ------- Dear Griffin Brother's, I've been loyal, I've visited many...

--- 1 --- What a week!   I feel like I've been working every day for 3 weeks this coming weekend included.  We are going to our Deacon's Lake House for the weekend with the Core Team.  It should be fun with these 8 teens (just 2/3rds of our team): team building activities, hanging on the boat, games, team bonding, etc...  What an adventure we are going to have! --- 2 --- Life in a parish with a new pastor  have proven to be harder than I first imagined.  There's a lot of change and adaptation from all, mostly the parishioners.  I look forward to meeting with him next week to give him my vision for youth ministry and know his for this ministry and for our parish. --- 3 --- Who are we & where are we going?   That's the question of the hour for us and for our teens.  The theme of the first Confirmation III session we are doing for the new 9th grade Confirmation program.  I'm hoping and praying this goes amazingly! --- 4...

The past 15 days (well, really since February 24th) have been filled with more change than I ever thought I could handle.  I'm pretty close to a meltdown with only my senses keeping my wits about me.  In February our assistant priest informed us he would be transferred in 3 weeks to another parish in the Diocese.  One month later we were informed that the Capuchin Friars would be pulling out of our parish and we would become, once again, a Diocesan parish.  Finally, at the end of May we were informed of who our new pastor was going to be and that he would be coming on August 1st.  All of that time was filled with much stress and anticipation as to what this new change would loo like.  We knew that our new pastor had a different perspective of how to lead a parish and would also have another huge job for the Diocese in the Tribunal. All of this anticipation over the course of 128 days could never have prepared me for the changes that have occu...

--- 1 --- Completed an AWESOME DIY project this weekend!!!   Check it out! I'm going to put my t-shirts in here!  But ran into a small snag last night...when I took them out of the closet, this is what I got! All folded, I got this... YUPPER, that's a 58 there, I have 58 t-shirts!!!  Only about 11 of them are size Medium, which I actually wear.  The larges are pretty good for working out, but don't really LOVE them all!  And the XLs are just a flashback to a much bigger Katie...might make them into some grocery bags OR one of the other 250 DIY t-shirt reusing projects I pinned today !  Hopefully they will find a good home!  The only troubling thing is that I feel like I cleaned them out about 6 months ago when I took a TON of stuff to goodwill (3 garbage bags full)...WHERE are they coming from?  And if these are the ones I've decided to keep, what were the others like? --- 2 --- Finally got the photos from Cathol...

So I was reading my IKEA catalog last week and came across an awesome DIY project!  Buy a dresser (which I didn't have), buy awesome fabric, and cover said dresser with fabric to change the look! I decided I could take this task on!  So I asked around for a staple gun and got to work! First, I purchased this dresser for $34.99: Then, I cut off 2 1/2 yards of this fabric (probably only needed 1 1/2 yard, but extra is okay!) - $7.99 a yard, so $20: Finally the hard work began (unless you count shopping at IKEA on the Saturday of Tax-Free weekend, work, but hey - that was easy & BUSY).  My roommate helped me put the chest of drawers together, a simple task but not easy.  Then I covered the drawer fronts, the sides of the dresser, and the top with the fabric.  Cutting it to length and making sure the ends were folder underneath so it would be pretty and not tacky (I HATE tacky)! The hardest part was putting on the drawer pulls - I was NOT...

Every day I receive 3 words of encouragement in my inbox. 1.   K-Love Encouraging Word : a daily scripture verse...Today's was This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24 NLT 2.   Daily Blessing : a Saint Quote (usually whichever feast is that day)...Today's was If something irritating or troublesome happens, instead of loading with curses whatever is not going the way we want it to, it would be just as easy and a great deal more beneficial for us to say: ‘God bless it!’ Imitate the holy man Job, who blessed the name of the Lord in all the troubles which befell him, and you will receive the same graces as he did. - Saint John Vianney (1786-1859), Feast Day August 4  3.   Food for Thought: from Dynamic Catholic, an organization by Matthew Kelly - these are from the Mustard Seeds  devotional...Today's was Why is it that you so easily become a victim of your imagination? Perhaps it is because you allow...

Thanks to Jen for hosting!!!  Love sharing with y'all each week! --- 1 --- Missionaries of Charity - these sisters are amazing!  They have such a beautiful love for the Lord and are amazing servants!  Truly inspiring how they take on 120 children who need somewhere to go in the middle of the day and teach them about Jesus.  We go on field trips too! not our particular sisters, but from Charlotte a few years ago! --- 2 --- My teens are awesome!  They spent the whole week helping these women care for the children!  Take a look at this crew! --- 3 --- Then, we had some jams to sing along to in the car!  Some of the boys rocking out :) --- 4 --- Also, the coolest thing I saw last week!  It's a mustache bracelet - who knew you needed a mustache on your wrist, but I TOTALLY do!!! cutest little bracelet! --- 5 --- New pastor arrives today at my parish - not sure my full opinion yet, but we'll see.  I'm a little an...

Thanks to Julie over at PBFingers ! So this morning I set my alarm for 6:20 so I could go run, but when it went off, there was NO way I was getting out of bed to run...I could hardly muster the energy to change the alarm time to 7:20 so I could get up in enough time for work.  Then when it did go off at 7:20, I snoozed for 10 minutes and then STILL I couldn't get up...luckily I awoke again at 8.  In just the nick of time to shower, get ready, and even have time to go into my office before going into the Main Office (my Wednesday job) by 8:45!!! Wow, what a tired morning - and I'm still tired.  On my 3rd or 4th (depending on how you classify the LARGE cups I drink) of coffee.  Maybe I'll be awoken by Mass before we head off this afternoon to be with the hundred plus children and Sisters! But anyway - this graphic struck me when I was going through my GoogleReader feed.  If only I had had some determination earlier, I wouldn't regreat my bad training now!...