The End of an Era

"Having fired the imagination of a generation, a ship like no other, it's place in history secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time. It's voyage, at an end."

Not going to lie, I cried while watching this today. You never realize how much you treasure something until it is taken from you. I have dreamed of being an astronaut and flying the space shuttle since I was little. It was a dream I had abandoned for my greater desire of being a wife and mother. Yet, somehow today it felt like my dreams were being stripped from me. I guess I always held on to that hope that maybe, someday, God's plans for my life would lead me in that direction. So today as the space shuttle is laid to rest, so too are my hidden dreams of piloting that same shuttle.

I think the words of the Commander Ferguson and Mission Control capture the mood and feelings of so many around the world, including myself.

Commander Ferguson: "Mission complete, Houston. After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle found it's place in history. It's come to a final stop."

Mission Control: "We copy your wheel stop and we'll take this opportunity to congratulate you, Atlantis, as well as the thousands of passionate individuals across this great space-faring nation who truly empowered this incredible spacecraft which for three decades has inspired millions across the globe. Job well done America."

Commander Ferguson: "Hey, thanks. Great words. Great words. You know the space shuttle has changed the way we view the world and has changed the way we view our universe. There's a lot of emotion today but one thing's indisputable, America is not going to stop exploring. Thank you Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endevour, and our ship Atlantis. Thank you for protecting us and bringing this program to such a fitting end. God Bless all of you. God Bless the United States of America."

 I mourn the loss of such a wonderful and iconic program but I also look forward to what the next generation of space exploration will bring.

Life Updates

Well hello there! It has been a while..
In my absence from the blogospehere many things have happened so enjoy the updates. :)

1) My internship at Bellicopter (as my friends like to call it) is now half way done. The saying is absolutely true. Time flies (no pun intended) when you are having fun!! I am thoroughly enjoying my internship. I won't go into the nitty gritty details of what I am working on for sake of your mental clarity, just know that I am being challenged and I am loving it. I have a project that is pretty much my own and looks like it is going to take up the entirety of the summer. This is almost unheard of when you are an intern. Thanks to this project assignment I am being treated like a full time employee and I am making some great connections that will benefit me in the future. I am even getting to tell some full timers what to do!! As an intern! :D I LOVE IT!

2) I had the privilege of witnessing the beautiful wedding of Stephanie and Christopher Lafitte. These two are a wonderful example of what it means to live out Christ's love in the world. They inspire me.


3) This past weekend will now be summarized in pictures - because it is more fun that way! :)

HP7 Part 2 Premeire - The whole gang.

The House of Black

Sibling Pic!

Aggie Awakening 92 Rocked! It was flawless.

I finally stopped at the Aggie barn on Highway 6 and took pictures. I have always wanted to and this was probably my last opportunity. Yay!

Class of 2011 W1-1OOP!

God blessed our drive home with an absolutely beautiful sunset. :)

Gob Bless you!

Pride check

I think this article speaks for itself....  WOW.

As I've watched college students graduate recently, I've noticed a distressing trend. Campus ministries are becoming better, teaching orthodoxy without hesitation. Genuinely Catholic colleges are brimming over with zealous young people

And yet.

There is a harshness, a sort of snobbery happening. I watch in not a little horror and listen to what they are saying, as they measure other people by their overt acts of piety, while they size people up and discard them like the stuff of yesterday's recycling bin because they don't fit the new collegiate image of perfect holiness.

And I can just imagine that several years hence, they will go together with their young children to a playdate. They will meet another young mom at the park. They will inquire as to how many children she has. And when they discover that she has two, four years apart, they will say something sanctimonious about how they are open to God's plan for having children and has she ever heard of NFP? She will sit and wonder briefly whether she should tell them about the two years of cancer between the first birth and the second, about how desperately she prayed for this second child, about what a miracle he is. That young mom, with the two children widely spaced, will have just learned how some people of faith can judge one another. Litmus tests. Checklists. As she raises a family in the real world, she will see that attitude given voice over and over and over again, while Jesus weeps for his Church, broken and divided.

What's the opposite of gentleness? Harshness. Hard lines. Brittle rules. 

So there you are, you all grown up and graduated and out in the real world! You've come so far. You've left behind the safety of campus life, the happy campus ministry, the structure of academia. You've gone and gotten yourself a real job in the real world. With a real cubicle and a good excuse to shop at that very fine career wear store. Good for you!

You have a zeal for the faith that can be spotted a mile away. You wear it proudly splashed across your chest on more than a dozen t-shirts collected over the years of vibrant Catholic education. And you've come to embrace all those devotions of our faith as you've learned of them in your coming-of-age. You are on fire for your faith and you are eager to go out there into the real world and tell everyone just how Catholic you are.

May I whisper a word or two to you? CONTINUE READING.

Precious Jesus, grant me the grace to be gentle and humble. Amen.

Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was perfect! I did pretty much nothing and it was exactly what I needed. Saturday evening found my entire family relaxing at the pool. We had a great time playing "dibble dabble" and just laughing with each other. Sunday we went to Mass where Deacon Bill completely blew the church away with his homily about The Blessed Body and Blood of Jesus. It was one of the best homilies I have heard in a really long time - no joke! After Mass the family went out to lunch with another family from church and we had a wonderful time cracking jokes and hanging out.

First for me: I gave blood for the first time ever this weekend. I have never had high enough iron but this time I did. YAY! It was not nearly as traumatic an experience as I thought it was going to be. Of course, my perception was probably a little bit tainted since my wonderful brother decided to tell me blood donation horror stories for the entire hour leading up to the event. Things like nurses jabbing the needle completely through the vein and shredding it...Thanks bro! Top it off with me being a person who has to run out of the room at the sight of someone bleeding.... I can't even handle loose teethe. I mean really? why was I giving blood again? It could have ended badly. But, VERY surprisingly, all went well. I now have a small hole in my arm to prove it. :)

A wonderful weekend was continued today when after work the family went out to eat to celebrate my dad's birthday. Then back home for cake and presents. I just love family time!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! You are an amazing role model and I love you so much! :)

Friday Photo Favorites

My new cousin Mary Colette with her big brothers Paul Thomas and Avery Robert!!! Born June 24, 2011 11:58 am.

God is good!

Vessels

I am reminded today about the importance of continually educating ourselves in the practice of our faith. During my lunch break today I was having a very casual conversation about life outside of work with the coworker who shares a cube with me. I mentioned that I was Catholic and that I try to go to church as close to every day as possible. He commented on how nice that was and the conversation moved on. I thought nothing of it.

Well 2pm rolls around and my coworker (let's call him Joe) approaches me pretty randomly and starts asking me all about confession and the Catholic beliefs behind it. It caught me completely of guard. I tried my best to explain it and the conversation continued from there. We covered everything!! Mary, the saints, confession, the priesthood, the trinity (specifically the Holy Spirit and the charismatic gifts of the Spirit), marriage, the bible, forgiveness, salvation, and the Eucharist.  AND...For the majority of the conversation he was whole-heatedly agreeing with me. How beautiful the truth is!

The Lord is truly magnificent and the Holy Spirit can work wonders. All we have to do is be open to Him moving in our lives. I was totally unexpecting and totally unprepared for the conversation I had this evening. He chose me to be a vessel for His work anyways. Not only myself but Joe as well. There were times in the conversation that I didn't have all the answers and God chose to use Joe to stretch me also.

This conversation also solidifies in me the fact that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ meant to be united in the one Body of Christ. It is not natural for there to be so many factions and splits within His children. I think it is so important for all of us to be open to listening to others beliefs because it is only through listening that we can have a peaceful dialog with other faiths. And it is only through dialog that people will be open to hearing the wonderful truth we have to share with them.

Praise Jesus for amazing opportunities to be vessels of His love!! :)

Summer Reading

So one of my goals this summer is to read more. I am usually so busy with classes and life in general that I rarely have the time to sit down with a good book. When I do find the time, I often try to read educational books on some aspect of Catholicism. I love these kind of books but they tend to be more challenging than relaxing.

This summer I am reading fun books that will allow me to RELAX! It is so nice to be able to escape reality sometimes and delve into the lives of the characters on the pages. So far I have conquered two very good books and have started my third. I had forgotten how much I love reading!! The first book I read was Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley.

This book is the sequel to Gone with the Wind  and is just as wonderful. I was left with so many questions when I turned the last page of Gone with the Wind and this book ties up all the loose ends. It is a great read! Thank you Alexandra Ripley.

 The second book I finished was Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo.

This book tells one of the coolest stories I have ever heard. Basically this little boy (seen on the cover) goes through a near death experience and lives to tell of his experience in heaven during that time. I read this so fast! I could not put the book down. It is the smallest little glimpse of what our eternal life in heaven will be like and it is captivating. I highly suggest it! You will be amazed by what this little boy has to say.

So on to the third book I am in the middle of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have tried to read this book so many times and have never gotten past the first few chapters. Well, I actually have the time to commit to this book this go round and I am determined to finish. I am 12 chapters in so far and I am loving it so this is looking good. :)

Does anyone have any good books they would suggest I read? I would love your input!