I’m apologizing in advance… I’ve been really busy lately, so I haven’t really had any time for organized thought. However, whenever I have a minute I make sure to log what’s going on so that you, dear family, can see what’s going on… just know that this is a random, incoherent account of my last few weeks, which is pretty appropriate as I’m too busy to think anything but random and incoherent thoughts.
Coworking life: On the whole, I’m doing really well- it’s becoming a little easier and a lot more fun than the first few months. It’s still hard and there are still times I have to push through, but I really do love it and I love my team and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve learned so much and I know this is where I am supposed to be.
Visiting home last weekend was FANTASTIC. My freshman sister is the best cross country runner in the entire world and my youngest sister is the best movie-watching partner in the entire world. I can’t even express how simply magical it was to come home late at night after a big, happy Pinecrest event, put on some fuzzy socks, and collapse into my parents’ room to talk about what we were doing the next day… it was like I was a senior all over again. Other events that brought me back to high school life: I got to wake up at 6am and meet my mama downstairs for some Cuban Coffee before school, brunch with the best friends in the entire world (though we never brunched together in years past, we were just talking and laughing like old times and I couldn’t stop smiling), be a part of our famed student section, chant “We are PA!” and “RED HOT!” at the top of my lungs, and rush the field, walk into Mrs. Garcia’s Spanish room (and I really felt like I needed to go sit down in my seat behind where Julia Love should have been), go to Taco Mac and drive home with David, steal my sisters’ clothes (with permission, of course), go to the Carlisles for a party, participate in all 3 fire-drills on campus Friday because, like always, I just happened to be in each building at the right (or wrong, really) time, and sing “American Pie” with the alumni and seniors at the nonfire (because underclassmen are generally too engrossed in their conversations to sing along). I was even reprimanded by Dr. M like old times: he asked me to find an iPhone to look up “Hey There, Delilah” lyrics for the band… I didn’t feel comfortable asking people I don’t know very well to let Dr. Mulholland use their iPhone, so I started asking people for lyrics to the songs. He looks at me seriously and says “Yeah, that might be it… or you could just do what I asked and find me the iPhone.” In that moment I realized that nothing has changed with my graduation- he still has authority over my life even without 15 page papers, but now I just find it endearing instead of scary. I have no desire to relinquish that control- It’s nice to still have a Dr. M. keeping me in line. In fact, it’s nice that everyone still cares and keeps us in line. It was even great to be asked to leave the girls school on Thursday because we were disrupting classes… which has become sort of a rite of passage into alumni-hood. At the girls school fire drill, Kayce and I didn’t talk in the hallways or outside when everyone was standing in line… who were we kidding? We’re really still students, and I don’t think we’ll ever really graduate. I think we were subconsciously still worried we’d get slapped with a FISH.
I still teach my fifth graders CCE on Wednesdays. I was really confused with how to prepare a CCE meeting for 5th graders. I feel like they’re not little kids anymore, but they’re not exactly middle school. I could remember very clearly being in elementary school pre-5th grade and middle school, but couldn’t remember what it was like to be a fifth grader beyond 3 events- We painted inside our silhouette all the things we did and liked for an art project while we listened to “Testify to Love” over and over and over again (I think Mommy still has mine). I also remember working really hard to do well on Spelling because you could get bonus points for getting everything right. Finally, I remember meeting Molly Shinners. That’s it. That’s my recollection of the 5th grade. None of these things, however wonderful they were, helped me AT ALL to see how to teach 5th graders the faith. So what did I do my first class? I taught what I know and think on the topic we had (“Great is the Lord Our God”), let them share, and had them do skits with a bunch of CRAZY costumes I brought from home… SUCCESS!! The costumes made the class- they went WILD. The skits were “silly” to say the least and they didn’t make a ton of sense, but we had “Cineforums” afterward (discussions about what the skit was saying in relation to the topic and Gospel Passage) and they all found something that was really deep in their skits. It was AWESOME. SO good.
My kids are pretty average CCE kids- don’t know nearly anything about the Catholic Church beyond the names Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and that you should go to church every Sunday. The class is also split pretty much in half between kids who really want to learn and kids who come either because mom makes them or their friends go. The attentive kids surprised me- I wasn’t expecting to get a lot of them. One little boy came in looking like he didn’t care and thought himself FAR too cool for CCE class, but ended up being the most eager, excited, curious, prayerful 5th grade boy I’ve ever met in my entire life. He doesn’t know very much about his faith at all, but he wants to learn so badly I’m sorry that I only have an hour and a half a week telling him about it. Another boy is totally up to date and knowledgeable about his faith and couldn’t care less… I decided after meeting them both I’d much rather teach the first boy, even though he’s behind. I spent a few minutes a few classes ago telling them that God, the Creator of the Universe, REALLY IS in that little tabernacle in the Church next door, which is something absolutely breathtaking when it hits home, and his eyes just got wider and wider and his smile bigger and bigger. He was amazed that God was really there, even though he knew it in his head. It was a really great moment.
After our first few classes, I’m starting to remember what it’s like to be a 5th grader, which is helping me immeasurably. I know that when so-and-so won’t stop talking to her friend, she really thinks that what she’s saying is more important than what I’m saying, and no matter how many times I ask her to be quiet, she’ll never be attentive or internally quiet until she tells her friend. I know that that boy is only acting so distinctly silly because he wants attention and is insecure. I’m starting to know each kid, too, a little more personally. Who knows? I might be the only person in this girl’s entire life who talks to her about God right now, and she might remember one thing I said later in life that keeps her in the life of grace.
And it went especially well last Wednesday. It was on the Paschal Mystery with relation to the Exodus story. It went so well, in fact, that we ended up discussing everything from the human condition to the end of the world to purgatory to the value of suffering… with 5th graders. They now know why the Hypostatic Union was necessary for our salvation and the meaning of the term “concupiscence.” For kids who barely know the ‘Our Father,’ they’re incredibly fast learners. I mean, I have a tendency to expect too much out of other people, but these kids REALLY get it. One little girl summarized why God had to come down to save us and, yet, still retain his total humanity and I couldn’t believe how deep her understanding was. They all got it. Next week I had to get a sub for them, though, because we’re going to an integration event with the Prince of Peace team. This is probably good because I think I need to reevaluate the 5th grade CCE curriculum they’ve given me- somehow I think these kids are beyond “Noah’s Arc and the Rainbow Promise”.
But as far as the Northwoods retreat today, we’re doing a WORLD YOUTH DAY theme because the retreat is on Love for the Church. I brought a bunch of pictures from Australia back from home and made some slideshows to flip up throughout the day, and it made me miss it so much. That was, really, the best trip ever. I can never miss a World Youth Day again- it’s too powerful and amazing to miss. I’m still functioning off the apostolic encouragement I received two summers ago. One of our relays is REDICULOUS- they’re running through a day at WYD in 30 minutes. For example, they start by unpacking their stuff at the Church where they’re staying. They have a trivia question which can earn them points, and a challenge that has to do with the location they’re at. For this location, they have a sleeping bag race. Next is missions. They have another trivia question, and then they have a relay putting together lunches for the pilgrims (for example, the first girl in the relay has to balance a sandwich on her head and run it to the girl with the lunchbag at the end of the line, who has an apple she takes a bite of and throws into the bag. Then the girl with the juicebox has to shoot the juice out from a foot away into a cup, and throw the empty juicebox into the lunchbag… she then takes it to the girl with the bag of raisins, who is turned around. Raisin girl throws the raisins over her shoulder and juicebox girl has to catch them… etc. First team done with packing a lunch wins a certain number of points.) From there they go to the Pope’s Arrival, Opening Mass, Catechism, Stations of the Cross, and the final Rally and Mass. It’s gonna be INTENSE!! I’ll try to take some pictures.
Ok, it’s now two days later, and that relay failed MISERABLY. People always use the term “epic failure” to describe something that really wasn’t that epic of a failure, but this really was an epic failure. It had such potential for greatness… such a grand reproduction of World Youth Day… and everything failed spectacularly. We only got through 1½ stations before they just couldn’t concentrate anymore and we all gave up. We didn’t even try it on the second retreat- we just let it go. Note to self: never plan your really good activities right after the girls have a candy-bar/hot chocolate snack break. But it’s ok- the girls had a great retreat without the activity.
So it’s been a pretty good/average week. Yesterday I decided to drive to Sugarland without directions (ok… it was kind of decided for me. I realized when I got on 45 south that I didn’t have them.) So I made it there with VERY LITTLE trouble (made ONE wrong turn, figured it out within 5 minutes, and turned around.) but on the way back I wasn’t thinking and I took 59 South instead of 59 North. Basically, I was headed for Corpus Christi. We figured THAT out within 15 minutes… but it still was not that bad considering how lost we’ve gotten in the past. Lindsey gave me a GPS today and I almost cried with joy.
Speaking of Texas highways… here’s a joke Fr. Hugh told in Mass this morning (it’s funnier if you drive here.)
There was a van full of nuns driving down 45 really slowly. A policeman pulled them over and said to the nun driving, “Sister, you’re going too slow. That’s really dangerous and you need to get up to the speed of traffic.” The sister turned to him and said, “Officer, I’m driving the speed limit” and points to the sign that says “45”. He laughs and answers, “No, that’s the highway you’re on. The speed limit is 65.” Then, he noticed the sisters crammed in the back were white and shaking. “What’s wrong, sisters?” he asked them. One of them answered, shaking, “We just got off of 610.”
Anyway, Tonight Prince of Peace is having an integration/apostolic project we get to go to! We’re watching Juno, carving pumpkins, and making homemade pizzas… and I’m really excited. Sounds like something we would do back home. Lindsey and Angie left again this morning- Lindsey for Dallas and Angie to visit her family in RI… so it’s just the coworkers!
I LOVE YOU AND CANT WAIT FOR DECEMBER 18th!
Love,
Sarah
Friday, November 6, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
A Brief Account of the evening of October 21, 2009
I receive a postcard and a large package two days ago as I am stumbling in the door late at night after another day of Challenge meetings... I see that it is from the sister and the rest of the family, and my heart soars with love and gratitude. I imagine a nice account of Italy on the postcard and, within the package, perhaps some forgotten clothing, a nice letter, maybe some candy, and that is all.
I begin reading the postcard only to find a description of how I have been replaced as a sister for Emilio and his goats, depicted on the front of the postcard. The sister admits that she plans on firing Emilio if I call because he is only so good of a sister, especially because he is not a girl.
Then, I open the box with some scissors Paulina was using to cut the chapel flowers... I pull out a card and a great CD... and, then, between all the packing peanuts I see a small picture of a cartoon mole with extremely large eyes. As I brush the peanuts aside, I find a whole host of moles to be smiling up at me from a colorful box reading "whac-a-mole" (either pronounced "whack-a-mole" or "wok-a-moley"), ages 4+.
The directions? Hit the mole that lights up with the provided hammer squarely on the head for maximum points.
Conclusion from both postcard and mole-whacking-surprise? I have the best family in the world.
I begin reading the postcard only to find a description of how I have been replaced as a sister for Emilio and his goats, depicted on the front of the postcard. The sister admits that she plans on firing Emilio if I call because he is only so good of a sister, especially because he is not a girl.
Then, I open the box with some scissors Paulina was using to cut the chapel flowers... I pull out a card and a great CD... and, then, between all the packing peanuts I see a small picture of a cartoon mole with extremely large eyes. As I brush the peanuts aside, I find a whole host of moles to be smiling up at me from a colorful box reading "whac-a-mole" (either pronounced "whack-a-mole" or "wok-a-moley"), ages 4+.
The directions? Hit the mole that lights up with the provided hammer squarely on the head for maximum points.
Conclusion from both postcard and mole-whacking-surprise? I have the best family in the world.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
G-O-T T-O-B T-R-U
I have inexplicably had Steven Curtis Chapman rapping in my head for the past 24 hours.
But beyond this, we've had a pretty interesting week so far. (I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself for those I have talked to recently... I'm just giving the overview so that everyone's caught up.) The football game was deeply depressing- it was like being back at Pinecrest again back in the olden days when we lost everything. The popular, suave, blonde 8th grade quarterback twisted his ankle and cried. It was that bad.
Luckily, none of the girls at Northwoods who I work with know anything about football at all. Most of them are Hispanic, so they naturally think that the Americans are just barbaric and call tackling each other in the middle of a grassy field a sport. (Honestly, now that I think about it, if you don´t understand the game this is a logical assumption) This translates, however, to obliviously happy Challenge girls after the game, so I´m not complaining. The poor brothers have to deal with the football players.
Speaking of the game, I don’t know what’s happening to me. I think I’ve been so deprived of normalcy for too long. Either way, at the bonfire afterward they were playing country music and I had this insane urge to dance and sing along… to Taylor Swift. That’s how much I miss home. “Love Story” came on and I was so thrilled that I knew the words thanks to my friendship with Jenny and Kayce that I almost burst with the need to relive prom, jump around in wild abandon, whip out a good ole’ Georgia accent and sing along! WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHO AM I?!
I’m also really getting to know my challenge girls. At the bonfire yesterday I mentioned in passing that my friends discovered back home that if you lick someone’s elbow while they’re not looking, they won’t be able to feel it. Soon, all the middle school girls at Northwoods were running around licking everyone’s elbows. Paulina was scandalized that a coworker should suggest something like that and considered it beyond horrifying that the girls were experimenting on the theory, but I thought it was fantastic. They finally realized that night that we have a sense of humor. (I think our mini-dance party during “Love Story” I mentioned earlier helped… they love the song, I love the people it reminds me of, so we all danced and sang.)
I also got to know a few of the football players. Patty, Pau and I wanted to split a hotdog so we could call it dinner and not have to cook at home (this was AFTER the four s’mores) and it just so happened that a tall, lanky 8th grade football player and I asked for the last hotdog at the same time. I told him he could have it (poor kid, the least he can have after such a loss is a hotdog), but he said forget it because he didn’t feel like roasting it himself. So I roasted it, found him, and gave it to him (at the cost of my knuckles. They burned pretty badly) Only afterward did I realize that he was standing with all of his cool, 8th grade football friends and was probably really embarrassed that the girl coworker had to roast his hotdog for him. No good deed…
Patty was taking pictures the entire time, oohing and ahhing. “O my gosh, it’s just like A Cinderella Story!” “That’s what they do in Remember the Titans!” “Are those real cheerleaders?!” (the cheerleaders deserve their own paragraph later). She took a picture of everything and kept talking about how none of her friends were going to believe her that she actually ate a marshmallow she roasted on a stick, or how cheerleaders really do throw people up in the air, or how football players really do grunt when they hike the ball. Video after video after video… “No me dices! They really jump on top of each other like that!” “It’s JUST like the movies… I feel like I’m in a movie…” It was what Patty calls “gorgeous,” which is her way of saying it was cute. I once tried explaining to her the difference between the two (for example, we don’t call a cartoon tv show gorgeous, we call it cute.) but she resolutely stated that she likes her way of using it better.
As far as the cheerleaders (I have to include this because of Margot) there were only four of them, they were endearingly off-beat and badly formed, none of them over 5’, and all on my Monday night Challenge team. There were many cute things about this game from the football team’s attempts at manly battle-cries to the mums we made for everyone on campus, but this beat it all. These girls were trying so hard. Their halftime routine was to some new, cleaned-up hiphop remix (normal cheerleading music) but their routine was very, very elementary. So they do the whole thing and the four of them run off to the cheers of mom and dad sitting in the stands. Then the 30 something middle school cheerleaders from the other team roundoff-double-back-handspring-back-tuck-ariel on, dance to another cleaned-up hiphop remix a level of routine many large, public high schools haven’t reached, nonchalantly throw up four full basket tosses, a scorpion, and two extensions (not incredibly impressive until you throw in the fact that most of these girls are between the ages of 10 and 12) and tumble right off again. Luckily, the Northwoods cheerleaders have lots of self-confidence and love cheerleading enough not to care that the other squad, which had about 10 times their cheerleaders, totally showed them up at their homecoming, so they had a fabulous time.
Anyway, we talked to everyone from Northwoods and cheered our faces off (metaphorically) for the mighty Knights and did all the little chants the cheerleaders had us do.
On the topic of my beloved Challenge girls, Margot, It made me laugh when you wrote “the things I do for that boy,” about your adventure to go see Jed because I feel the same way about my little girls, however pathetic that may sound. They constantly occupy my mind and time, I call them at least once a day, I take every opportunity I can to go see them, they’re a heck of a lot of work and definitely not perfect, but I can’t help but love them and it’s more than worth it in the end.
Saturday was our first 1st-4th stage retreat. There were supposed to be over 40 girls coming so we could book the cool, new Lifeteen center for a weekend and use all their resources… but only 11 signed up, so we can´t afford the cool new Lifeteen center and used a neighborhood clubhouse. This is ridiculous considering how many girls are in the section. Again, I love them a lot.
But God knows, and I didn´t give him this year with the stipulation that there had better be more than a dozen Challenge girls at this retreat. He knows better than I do, and it was exhausting enough with eleven FOR SURE. It was also Patty’s birthday, so we celebrated with every group of people at the retreat. I’ve never eaten so much cake in my entire life, and I had had no legitimate food all day until dinner, so by the time I made it to the Mexican restaurant we were celebrating at, my legs were shaking and I could barely walk. It hurt to push down on the acceleration on the way there, my legs hurt so bad. I think the retreat went well… it just seemed so short (9 hours flies by). The eleven who signed up showed up and no more, but it was actually great that they were the only ones. Most of the girls were normally shy and introverted, and by the end of the retreat they were all talking and sharing together. I don’t think they would have spoken a word if there were more girls, so God really does know. I got to talk to and establish a real relationship with each and every girl, which is so important because now they know we don’t see them as Challenge Girl #335A.
I am now, officially, the 5th grade CCD teacher at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Spring, TX. I thought when I asked for this job that I was going to have to apply, interview, perhaps prove that I know what I’m talking about, etc. Instead, Paulina called the office asking if the job was still available (she’s teaching 3rd grade), the deacon asked if we were Virtus trained and told us to come in and pick up the teachers manuals. (Why can’t all job application processes be like this?) So tonight I will be in front of a large group of 5th graders explaining Chapter 5: How Great is Our God. I really love that I get to teach CCD at the parish. I think we’re finally achieving what Fr. Alvero has been begging of us for years- being at the service of the local church.
The consecrated are (SURPRISE!) still not home and said they're not sure when they're coming. Why have they been gone so long? First, they went to clean out the downtown Houston apartment for a consecrated who is coming from Spain for medical attention. Then, they went straight from there to their once-a-month Texas A&M visit in College Station. From there, they drove straight to the Houston airport and boarded a plane to Michigan for a week. Since their return, they have been back in the apartment with the consecrated from Spain and their Dallas Directress, Michelle. They dropped by Sunday for sports and recreation, and we went to the condo where they're staying for the day yesterday so that Michelle and Natalia could have the car to go to a doctor's appointment (Angie and Lindsey are in San Antonio... PRAY they bring back my organizer!). So we ate their food, swam in their pool, and prepared CCD for St. Edwards. Actually, Paulina was the only one who swam, because however much I planned on swimming, the water was FREEZING and Patty was telling me all about Venezuelan politics, which was really interesting. She said when she saw the 5th Harry Potter about the Ministry interfering at Hogwarts, she thought JK Rowling MUST have seen Venezuela, because that's exactly what's happening there.
It's been so nice outside lately... about 75 degrees and balmy. I was walking around trying to find one of the Challenge teams at Prince of Peace yesterday (about 20 minutes from our house) and I wanted to stay outside forever... it felt like getting to the beach at night. Warm, breezy, and calm. Too bad this is only temporary and it will be going back to normal for sure soon.
Tonight we are going to St. Anne's and then I'm teaching my first CCD class... so pray a lot for me, family!
I'm sorry this post is so scatterbrained... it reflects my mind right now. I can't wait to see you in 8 days (I've been counting down)! I love you all!
Love,
Sarah
But beyond this, we've had a pretty interesting week so far. (I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself for those I have talked to recently... I'm just giving the overview so that everyone's caught up.) The football game was deeply depressing- it was like being back at Pinecrest again back in the olden days when we lost everything. The popular, suave, blonde 8th grade quarterback twisted his ankle and cried. It was that bad.
Luckily, none of the girls at Northwoods who I work with know anything about football at all. Most of them are Hispanic, so they naturally think that the Americans are just barbaric and call tackling each other in the middle of a grassy field a sport. (Honestly, now that I think about it, if you don´t understand the game this is a logical assumption) This translates, however, to obliviously happy Challenge girls after the game, so I´m not complaining. The poor brothers have to deal with the football players.
Speaking of the game, I don’t know what’s happening to me. I think I’ve been so deprived of normalcy for too long. Either way, at the bonfire afterward they were playing country music and I had this insane urge to dance and sing along… to Taylor Swift. That’s how much I miss home. “Love Story” came on and I was so thrilled that I knew the words thanks to my friendship with Jenny and Kayce that I almost burst with the need to relive prom, jump around in wild abandon, whip out a good ole’ Georgia accent and sing along! WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHO AM I?!
I’m also really getting to know my challenge girls. At the bonfire yesterday I mentioned in passing that my friends discovered back home that if you lick someone’s elbow while they’re not looking, they won’t be able to feel it. Soon, all the middle school girls at Northwoods were running around licking everyone’s elbows. Paulina was scandalized that a coworker should suggest something like that and considered it beyond horrifying that the girls were experimenting on the theory, but I thought it was fantastic. They finally realized that night that we have a sense of humor. (I think our mini-dance party during “Love Story” I mentioned earlier helped… they love the song, I love the people it reminds me of, so we all danced and sang.)
I also got to know a few of the football players. Patty, Pau and I wanted to split a hotdog so we could call it dinner and not have to cook at home (this was AFTER the four s’mores) and it just so happened that a tall, lanky 8th grade football player and I asked for the last hotdog at the same time. I told him he could have it (poor kid, the least he can have after such a loss is a hotdog), but he said forget it because he didn’t feel like roasting it himself. So I roasted it, found him, and gave it to him (at the cost of my knuckles. They burned pretty badly) Only afterward did I realize that he was standing with all of his cool, 8th grade football friends and was probably really embarrassed that the girl coworker had to roast his hotdog for him. No good deed…
Patty was taking pictures the entire time, oohing and ahhing. “O my gosh, it’s just like A Cinderella Story!” “That’s what they do in Remember the Titans!” “Are those real cheerleaders?!” (the cheerleaders deserve their own paragraph later). She took a picture of everything and kept talking about how none of her friends were going to believe her that she actually ate a marshmallow she roasted on a stick, or how cheerleaders really do throw people up in the air, or how football players really do grunt when they hike the ball. Video after video after video… “No me dices! They really jump on top of each other like that!” “It’s JUST like the movies… I feel like I’m in a movie…” It was what Patty calls “gorgeous,” which is her way of saying it was cute. I once tried explaining to her the difference between the two (for example, we don’t call a cartoon tv show gorgeous, we call it cute.) but she resolutely stated that she likes her way of using it better.
As far as the cheerleaders (I have to include this because of Margot) there were only four of them, they were endearingly off-beat and badly formed, none of them over 5’, and all on my Monday night Challenge team. There were many cute things about this game from the football team’s attempts at manly battle-cries to the mums we made for everyone on campus, but this beat it all. These girls were trying so hard. Their halftime routine was to some new, cleaned-up hiphop remix (normal cheerleading music) but their routine was very, very elementary. So they do the whole thing and the four of them run off to the cheers of mom and dad sitting in the stands. Then the 30 something middle school cheerleaders from the other team roundoff-double-back-handspring-back-tuck-ariel on, dance to another cleaned-up hiphop remix a level of routine many large, public high schools haven’t reached, nonchalantly throw up four full basket tosses, a scorpion, and two extensions (not incredibly impressive until you throw in the fact that most of these girls are between the ages of 10 and 12) and tumble right off again. Luckily, the Northwoods cheerleaders have lots of self-confidence and love cheerleading enough not to care that the other squad, which had about 10 times their cheerleaders, totally showed them up at their homecoming, so they had a fabulous time.
Anyway, we talked to everyone from Northwoods and cheered our faces off (metaphorically) for the mighty Knights and did all the little chants the cheerleaders had us do.
On the topic of my beloved Challenge girls, Margot, It made me laugh when you wrote “the things I do for that boy,” about your adventure to go see Jed because I feel the same way about my little girls, however pathetic that may sound. They constantly occupy my mind and time, I call them at least once a day, I take every opportunity I can to go see them, they’re a heck of a lot of work and definitely not perfect, but I can’t help but love them and it’s more than worth it in the end.
Saturday was our first 1st-4th stage retreat. There were supposed to be over 40 girls coming so we could book the cool, new Lifeteen center for a weekend and use all their resources… but only 11 signed up, so we can´t afford the cool new Lifeteen center and used a neighborhood clubhouse. This is ridiculous considering how many girls are in the section. Again, I love them a lot.
But God knows, and I didn´t give him this year with the stipulation that there had better be more than a dozen Challenge girls at this retreat. He knows better than I do, and it was exhausting enough with eleven FOR SURE. It was also Patty’s birthday, so we celebrated with every group of people at the retreat. I’ve never eaten so much cake in my entire life, and I had had no legitimate food all day until dinner, so by the time I made it to the Mexican restaurant we were celebrating at, my legs were shaking and I could barely walk. It hurt to push down on the acceleration on the way there, my legs hurt so bad. I think the retreat went well… it just seemed so short (9 hours flies by). The eleven who signed up showed up and no more, but it was actually great that they were the only ones. Most of the girls were normally shy and introverted, and by the end of the retreat they were all talking and sharing together. I don’t think they would have spoken a word if there were more girls, so God really does know. I got to talk to and establish a real relationship with each and every girl, which is so important because now they know we don’t see them as Challenge Girl #335A.
I am now, officially, the 5th grade CCD teacher at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Spring, TX. I thought when I asked for this job that I was going to have to apply, interview, perhaps prove that I know what I’m talking about, etc. Instead, Paulina called the office asking if the job was still available (she’s teaching 3rd grade), the deacon asked if we were Virtus trained and told us to come in and pick up the teachers manuals. (Why can’t all job application processes be like this?) So tonight I will be in front of a large group of 5th graders explaining Chapter 5: How Great is Our God. I really love that I get to teach CCD at the parish. I think we’re finally achieving what Fr. Alvero has been begging of us for years- being at the service of the local church.
The consecrated are (SURPRISE!) still not home and said they're not sure when they're coming. Why have they been gone so long? First, they went to clean out the downtown Houston apartment for a consecrated who is coming from Spain for medical attention. Then, they went straight from there to their once-a-month Texas A&M visit in College Station. From there, they drove straight to the Houston airport and boarded a plane to Michigan for a week. Since their return, they have been back in the apartment with the consecrated from Spain and their Dallas Directress, Michelle. They dropped by Sunday for sports and recreation, and we went to the condo where they're staying for the day yesterday so that Michelle and Natalia could have the car to go to a doctor's appointment (Angie and Lindsey are in San Antonio... PRAY they bring back my organizer!). So we ate their food, swam in their pool, and prepared CCD for St. Edwards. Actually, Paulina was the only one who swam, because however much I planned on swimming, the water was FREEZING and Patty was telling me all about Venezuelan politics, which was really interesting. She said when she saw the 5th Harry Potter about the Ministry interfering at Hogwarts, she thought JK Rowling MUST have seen Venezuela, because that's exactly what's happening there.
It's been so nice outside lately... about 75 degrees and balmy. I was walking around trying to find one of the Challenge teams at Prince of Peace yesterday (about 20 minutes from our house) and I wanted to stay outside forever... it felt like getting to the beach at night. Warm, breezy, and calm. Too bad this is only temporary and it will be going back to normal for sure soon.
Tonight we are going to St. Anne's and then I'm teaching my first CCD class... so pray a lot for me, family!
I'm sorry this post is so scatterbrained... it reflects my mind right now. I can't wait to see you in 8 days (I've been counting down)! I love you all!
Love,
Sarah
Friday, October 16, 2009
Mums, Moms, and Meetings
these are the things October is made of.
It's homecoming week at Northwoods, so it's been a crazy, fun, and crazy-fun week.
Two days ago Mrs. Weatherford, one of the sweetest women I've ever met and a mom here at Northwoods (She has a seminarian my age and a precandidate a year older than Clare. What a generous lady.) invited us over to her house for dinner. So we went expecting a formal, curteous dinner like we've been going to with other families- the ones where you can feel the tension because the hosts are so worried about offending us... instead, we eat what she calls "Mama-food" and play bunny-dancing on Wii. I have pictures and videos I will HAVE to show the family when I come home. Just so you know, I rock at this game. I won the Jackson 5 round.
As we're leaving, she reminds us that it's crazy sock day on Thursday, so we borrow some socks from her and some really crazy tights from Patty and go to school for crazy sock day. Again, I took tons of pictures, it's just that this computer was made around 1996 or so, so loading pictures is a near impossibility. We also helped a bunch of Northwoods moms to make mums yesterday, which is a curious texan tradition. They are massive, tacky, spirited broaches everyone wears on the day of the game to show school spirit... and, because our football players are all in the 5th-8th grade, about half the team is falling over because mom made too big a mum. However, they would rather die than admit that they can't even carry around their mum, so the halls of Northwoods are full of tottering, struggling middle-school boys today. It's pretty adorable. I took pictures of them, too, when they weren't looking.
Today is the homecoming game, tailgate, and bonfire. We're going to try to make it to everything, but we've got our biannual retreat tomorrow for the ECYD girls to plan for so we might only make it to the game and tailgate.
We've been going back to Challenge meetings lately- a few days ago we went to Prince of Peace and yesterday we drove all the way to Sugarland (about an hour and a half). Family, this was a momentous occasion- I changed highways at least 4 times taking little exits with minimal signs pointing me in the right direction in rush hour traffic through downtown Houston in order to get to the opposite side of the city... and didn't get lost once or make one U-turn. If you have a chance, look at a map of Houston. I went from Spring to Sugarland. That is insanitiy. I literally got to St. Lawrence Catholic Church and sat in the car, flabberghasted at my own success for 5 minutes straight. Then, because God wanted to love me up even more, the Sugarland meeting was a cineforum on Father of the Bride.
It was a great day.
I'm going to try to upload some pictures so you can "meet" my team and see my house... we'll see how that goes.
LESS THAN 2 WEEKS!
Love,
Cedric
It's homecoming week at Northwoods, so it's been a crazy, fun, and crazy-fun week.
Two days ago Mrs. Weatherford, one of the sweetest women I've ever met and a mom here at Northwoods (She has a seminarian my age and a precandidate a year older than Clare. What a generous lady.) invited us over to her house for dinner. So we went expecting a formal, curteous dinner like we've been going to with other families- the ones where you can feel the tension because the hosts are so worried about offending us... instead, we eat what she calls "Mama-food" and play bunny-dancing on Wii. I have pictures and videos I will HAVE to show the family when I come home. Just so you know, I rock at this game. I won the Jackson 5 round.
As we're leaving, she reminds us that it's crazy sock day on Thursday, so we borrow some socks from her and some really crazy tights from Patty and go to school for crazy sock day. Again, I took tons of pictures, it's just that this computer was made around 1996 or so, so loading pictures is a near impossibility. We also helped a bunch of Northwoods moms to make mums yesterday, which is a curious texan tradition. They are massive, tacky, spirited broaches everyone wears on the day of the game to show school spirit... and, because our football players are all in the 5th-8th grade, about half the team is falling over because mom made too big a mum. However, they would rather die than admit that they can't even carry around their mum, so the halls of Northwoods are full of tottering, struggling middle-school boys today. It's pretty adorable. I took pictures of them, too, when they weren't looking.
Today is the homecoming game, tailgate, and bonfire. We're going to try to make it to everything, but we've got our biannual retreat tomorrow for the ECYD girls to plan for so we might only make it to the game and tailgate.
We've been going back to Challenge meetings lately- a few days ago we went to Prince of Peace and yesterday we drove all the way to Sugarland (about an hour and a half). Family, this was a momentous occasion- I changed highways at least 4 times taking little exits with minimal signs pointing me in the right direction in rush hour traffic through downtown Houston in order to get to the opposite side of the city... and didn't get lost once or make one U-turn. If you have a chance, look at a map of Houston. I went from Spring to Sugarland. That is insanitiy. I literally got to St. Lawrence Catholic Church and sat in the car, flabberghasted at my own success for 5 minutes straight. Then, because God wanted to love me up even more, the Sugarland meeting was a cineforum on Father of the Bride.
It was a great day.
I'm going to try to upload some pictures so you can "meet" my team and see my house... we'll see how that goes.
LESS THAN 2 WEEKS!
Love,
Cedric
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
My Profuse Apologies
for not posting, family. I talk to you every Sunday so you know generally what I'm up to, but I realized lately that I should be documenting my adventures in Texas for my own benefit anyway. Most of the time when I have time and permission to post something to you, I only have time to write events and dates without discussing them with you or giving my opinion. As you know, I have an opinion about everything.
SO here is my NEW PLAN: I am going to type out what I've been doing throughout the week AND THEN post it for you when I have time/permission.
Right now I'll give you the fastest overview I can, because I'm supposed to be done with lunch at home right now and I'm not even on my way there.
My house has been very sick lately and hasn't been able to actually go to meetings in a week. The consecrated fled the house last Sunday without warning (we found a note on the counter when we got home). They say that they needed to go to College Station and Michigan, but I think they really didn't want to get sick and decided to quarentine us.
However, we weren't complaining. We love our consecrated to pieces and back again, but living with 3rd degree members of Regnum Christi means that our norms change to fit theirs. For example, there is nothing in the coworker norms that dictates how many movies you can watch, but consecrated norms specify that those are granted only by permission from your Directress. So while the consecrated were gone, I took the liberty of educating myself on all the classics I missed out on for one reason or another during my youth. Surprisingly, they had quite a few good ones. So far we have watched: I am David, Braveheart, Sense and Sensibility (not my favorite, but it's a movie.), The Greatest Game Ever Played, and Yours, Mine, and Ours (the old version, not the new... with Lucille Ball. It made my day.) Tonight I think we're watching the Persuit of Happyness. Not a classic, but I've never seen it.
ALSO we've been listening to Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, and Elizabeth's mixes nonstop since they left. I've realized recently that music does marvelous things for my sanity and happiness. This is another thing that coworker norms allow but consecrated norms do not.
ON TOP of all of this, I have had the liberty of cooking practically anything I desire because Lindsey hasn't had time to look over my menu. I have been baking family recipes with wild abandon... delicious squash casserole, corn bread, and yes, my family, I even made some cheese grits. Paulina looked at it in her bowl and said, "How do you EAT it?". I didn't know how to answer that quesiton except, "with a spoon." Patty thought it looked funny. When they got over the realization that I dont even know what grits are made of, they both LOVED it and Patty made some the next day. I'm still eating the leftovers, but I don't mind. It's Waffle House food... something Texas just doesn't have.
We've also proposed a wonderful list of fun things for the section here, beginning with "Jazzercisin' for Jesus Day" for the young women as an RC promotion event. (I give all credit to Mommy, without whose 80s jazzercise tapes I would have never thought of this.) Hopefully it gets approved. There are a lot of things like this we're pushing for, and I'll let you know if it happens.
I've decided to wage war against my own ignorance and actually study politics. I figure it's something I need to know about whether or not I'm interested as a citizen of this country over the age of 18, and I know I shouldn't just take everyone else's opinions about it for granted as truth, regardless of how much I trust them on other matters. I find myself often in political discussions facing the sad reality that I'm ignorant about what's being discussed and, usually, the person discussing the issues is also ignorant, which makes the entire conversation an ignorant waste of my time. So though I have no interest in politics until about 100 years later, I'm going to get over my laziness and study it. I'm taking it one issue at a time (this week is economy... I'm starting with the least interesting.) and am going to understand by the time elections roll around.
I'm also studying Spanish. This is more interesting because I can just choose any book I like in Spanish and read it. Right now I'm reading about Mexican history... I forgot who it was (wow, this is already failing.) but someone right before the Cristero War hid inside a dead mule and escaped capture by having some friends take the mule outside the city. Crazy. I would have never thought of hiding inside a mule. I think I might prefer capture. The Trojans had the right idea with FAKE animals.
Well, I have to go "home" (or more "house"...) so I can eat lunch and go buy some groceries for the next week. Tonight we WERE going to have artichoke casserole, but then everyone in our house (meaning the two other coworkers with me and myself) decided to get better in time to go to the Prince of Peace meeting tonight, so no artichoke casserole :( Sandwiches and an apple, most likely. Elementary School never ends.
17 days!
Cedric
SO here is my NEW PLAN: I am going to type out what I've been doing throughout the week AND THEN post it for you when I have time/permission.
Right now I'll give you the fastest overview I can, because I'm supposed to be done with lunch at home right now and I'm not even on my way there.
My house has been very sick lately and hasn't been able to actually go to meetings in a week. The consecrated fled the house last Sunday without warning (we found a note on the counter when we got home). They say that they needed to go to College Station and Michigan, but I think they really didn't want to get sick and decided to quarentine us.
However, we weren't complaining. We love our consecrated to pieces and back again, but living with 3rd degree members of Regnum Christi means that our norms change to fit theirs. For example, there is nothing in the coworker norms that dictates how many movies you can watch, but consecrated norms specify that those are granted only by permission from your Directress. So while the consecrated were gone, I took the liberty of educating myself on all the classics I missed out on for one reason or another during my youth. Surprisingly, they had quite a few good ones. So far we have watched: I am David, Braveheart, Sense and Sensibility (not my favorite, but it's a movie.), The Greatest Game Ever Played, and Yours, Mine, and Ours (the old version, not the new... with Lucille Ball. It made my day.) Tonight I think we're watching the Persuit of Happyness. Not a classic, but I've never seen it.
ALSO we've been listening to Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, and Elizabeth's mixes nonstop since they left. I've realized recently that music does marvelous things for my sanity and happiness. This is another thing that coworker norms allow but consecrated norms do not.
ON TOP of all of this, I have had the liberty of cooking practically anything I desire because Lindsey hasn't had time to look over my menu. I have been baking family recipes with wild abandon... delicious squash casserole, corn bread, and yes, my family, I even made some cheese grits. Paulina looked at it in her bowl and said, "How do you EAT it?". I didn't know how to answer that quesiton except, "with a spoon." Patty thought it looked funny. When they got over the realization that I dont even know what grits are made of, they both LOVED it and Patty made some the next day. I'm still eating the leftovers, but I don't mind. It's Waffle House food... something Texas just doesn't have.
We've also proposed a wonderful list of fun things for the section here, beginning with "Jazzercisin' for Jesus Day" for the young women as an RC promotion event. (I give all credit to Mommy, without whose 80s jazzercise tapes I would have never thought of this.) Hopefully it gets approved. There are a lot of things like this we're pushing for, and I'll let you know if it happens.
I've decided to wage war against my own ignorance and actually study politics. I figure it's something I need to know about whether or not I'm interested as a citizen of this country over the age of 18, and I know I shouldn't just take everyone else's opinions about it for granted as truth, regardless of how much I trust them on other matters. I find myself often in political discussions facing the sad reality that I'm ignorant about what's being discussed and, usually, the person discussing the issues is also ignorant, which makes the entire conversation an ignorant waste of my time. So though I have no interest in politics until about 100 years later, I'm going to get over my laziness and study it. I'm taking it one issue at a time (this week is economy... I'm starting with the least interesting.) and am going to understand by the time elections roll around.
I'm also studying Spanish. This is more interesting because I can just choose any book I like in Spanish and read it. Right now I'm reading about Mexican history... I forgot who it was (wow, this is already failing.) but someone right before the Cristero War hid inside a dead mule and escaped capture by having some friends take the mule outside the city. Crazy. I would have never thought of hiding inside a mule. I think I might prefer capture. The Trojans had the right idea with FAKE animals.
Well, I have to go "home" (or more "house"...) so I can eat lunch and go buy some groceries for the next week. Tonight we WERE going to have artichoke casserole, but then everyone in our house (meaning the two other coworkers with me and myself) decided to get better in time to go to the Prince of Peace meeting tonight, so no artichoke casserole :( Sandwiches and an apple, most likely. Elementary School never ends.
17 days!
Cedric
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
One month from today...
I WILL BE HOME!
Patty arrived about 2 weeks ago (I'm not sure if I mentioned that before)... but she's everything I imagined her to be when we made up her personality at the program... very dry-witted and funny. AND she HAPPENS to be a Frank Sinatra fan, second in a family of four girls, and having gone to a Legionary school her entire life. Sound familiar?
Last week my team traveled to Dallas for a get-together weekend with the Dallas team... SO MUCH FUN. I love them.
Then we lead retreats for Rolling Hills Academy girls in San Antonio (about 6hrs from Dallas)
Since then, Lindsey's family came (also from ATL) and took her out for her 25th birthday. Angie, Paulina, Patty, and I partied (apostolically) by ourselves that weekend. Lindsey's parents bought us gardening stuff, so I'm really sore from digging in our back yard to plant our cactus-like flowers yesterday. But I really do like gardening- I didn't even notice it was hard until I woke up this morning.
We've just been working on pretty small things. The retreats in San Antonio took up a lot of time, so now we're just getting back into the Houston events: visiting Challenge meetings, finding dates for Young Women triduums, getting encounters started, coming up with a new campaign for Northwoods K4J... things like that.
COWORKER NORMS ALSO CHANGED! I can call home ONCE a week and email twice a week! Very exciting, though it sounds pathetic :D
1 month!
Love,
Sarah
Patty arrived about 2 weeks ago (I'm not sure if I mentioned that before)... but she's everything I imagined her to be when we made up her personality at the program... very dry-witted and funny. AND she HAPPENS to be a Frank Sinatra fan, second in a family of four girls, and having gone to a Legionary school her entire life. Sound familiar?
Last week my team traveled to Dallas for a get-together weekend with the Dallas team... SO MUCH FUN. I love them.
Then we lead retreats for Rolling Hills Academy girls in San Antonio (about 6hrs from Dallas)
Since then, Lindsey's family came (also from ATL) and took her out for her 25th birthday. Angie, Paulina, Patty, and I partied (apostolically) by ourselves that weekend. Lindsey's parents bought us gardening stuff, so I'm really sore from digging in our back yard to plant our cactus-like flowers yesterday. But I really do like gardening- I didn't even notice it was hard until I woke up this morning.
We've just been working on pretty small things. The retreats in San Antonio took up a lot of time, so now we're just getting back into the Houston events: visiting Challenge meetings, finding dates for Young Women triduums, getting encounters started, coming up with a new campaign for Northwoods K4J... things like that.
COWORKER NORMS ALSO CHANGED! I can call home ONCE a week and email twice a week! Very exciting, though it sounds pathetic :D
1 month!
Love,
Sarah
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