Merry Christmas

Last night was awesome! I went to the 5:30 Children's Mass (it started at 5:15 with the Christmas play which Sean was in) and sat with Patti and her family. After Mass I walked with Patti to her car and we gave each other the presents we bought. She got me Mistletoe Penguins (which are so adorable)! The card she got me and what she wrote inside really touched me! I'm thankful for such wonderful friends and people God has brought in my life! :)

I then went home for dinner and had to leave again for choir practice at 11 pm because we sang for Christmas Lessons and Carols & then the midnight Mass. Before practice Esther got in my car when she arrived and then we exchanged gifts. She got me a book called "Only One You".


My parents and brother went to the midnight Mass (my mom ended up getting a few pictures afterwards) so I introduced my brother to Diane and Esther...he also met Ruth (finally). :)

After Mass (1)


After Mass (2)


After Mass (3)


Today was a great Christmas -nice and relaxing with my parents and Luke. Here are some pictures:

I got a dachshund puppy calender


I got Dad this coffee maker


Luke and Dad talking

Mom and Luke (don't ask)


This is what Luke got for Mom


Last night Leslie and Kayla came over for dinner and then we watched a movie together (Fred Clause). It was so nice to see them both! I hadn't seen them in so long. (It's hard to believe Kayla is already 17...seems like yesterday my mom was babysitting her at 4 yrs. old).

Me and Kayla


Me, Leslie, and Kayla


Me, Kayla, Mom, and Leslie

Me, Kayla, Dad, and Leslie

Now I leave you with this fun picture of me and my dad (dad was an elf and I'm a reindeer)

Christmas Decorations at Q of P

Yesterday I helped Carol, Patti, Cathy, and Cathy's daughter prepare meals for some homebound people in our parish.Today was a busy day for me too! Carol, Patti, and I finished the preparation of the meals and organized them to deliver to the homes. Sean and I went with Carol to deliver to three homes while Patti went to deliver on her own since she was heading to finish Christmas shopping for Sean after.After delivering the meals, Carol dropped us off at the church. Since I had Sean with me still (since Patti wasn't done yet) I decided to take him to Walmart with me so I could get my dad's present. After going to Walmart we headed back to the Church where Patti met up with us. Since it was after 6 and we were late for starting the Christmas decorating Patti asked me to take Sean with me to their house to take the dogs out and pick up the ribbon, bows, and a few other items. When we got back we helped finish the decorating.

Here is how the Church looks


Wreath (Patti made the bow)


Manger Scene

Weekend and Lights

So this weekend was quite fun and interesting.
On Friday Ruth and I met at the church to pick Sean up from school. Our original plans were to take him to his house to get sweat pants and let the dogs out before we headed to his game.
Sean met us when he got out of school and Ruth told us just to go to his house and she'd finish up what she was doing in the church library. She also mentioned that she wasn't feeling so great (poor thing) and that she'd probably just drop us off and head back home.
Our plans changed after that. Patti called when we were heading back to the church and Sean told her that Ruth wasn't feeling good and was just going to drop us off so Patti told us to tell Ruth she didn't have to take us and that instead I'd go to her office and she'd drive there.
On our way back from the game we saw a bunch of lights at Newton Park and thought maybe it was like a trail of lights to drive through. We ended up parking in the parking lot and walking around. There was a concession stand so we went up to where we saw people in there - we got free hot chocolate which was yummy =)
They told us to follow the path and it would lead us to Santa's Cabin. I gotta say it was quite an adventurous night!Saturday I went to Sean's game and went to Martins with Patti and Sean afterwards. Then we came back to the church so Patti could arrange the flowers in a vase. While she was doing that I played a couple songs on the piano and then Sean and I played some b-ball. After that we went to their house and I helped decorate the tree.
Last night Ruth and I went to Vespers at 5 and then went to pick Patti and Sean up so we could go to Windingbrook and see the lights - that was pretty fun. After seeing the lights we went to eat and talked until 10:15ish. It was fun tho!

Here is the tree - pretty cool if you ask me

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the eleventh century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the eighteenth century it became a feast of the universal Church.
In 1854 Pius IX gave the infallible statement: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”

It took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard and Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching.

Two Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the theology. They point out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset.In Luke 1:28 the angel Gabriel, speaking on God’s behalf, addresses Mary as “full of grace” (or “highly favored”). In that context this phrase means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for the task ahead. However, the Church grows in understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led the Church, especially non-theologians, to the insight that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. Or rather, Mary’s intimate association with the Incarnation called for the special involvement of God in Mary’s whole life. The logic of piety helped God’s people to believe that Mary was full of grace and free of sin from the first moment of her existence. Moreover, this great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all that God has done in Jesus. Rightly understood, the incomparable holiness of Mary shows forth the incomparable goodness of God.

“[Mary] gave to the world the Life that renews all things, and she was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role. “It is no wonder, then, that the usage prevailed among the holy Fathers whereby they called the mother of God entirely holy and free from all stain of sin, fashioned by the Holy Spirit into a kind of new substance and new creature. Adorned from the first instant of her conception with the splendors of an entirely unique holiness, the Virgin of Nazareth is, on God’s command, greeted by an angel messenger as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, bit done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38)” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

Free Will

Have you ever been asked or asked the following question yourself - "Why would God let all this bad stuff happen on earth if He is loving?"

Often times it's hard to understand but ya gotta have the faith that this is why. God gave us all free will to choose what we do in life. It's like when a parent lets their child/teen make their own decisions. Even though the choice may not be the best (and the parent knows), the reason the parent lets them proceed with that choice is so the child/teen will learn from their mistake and see that each decision in life has some sort of consequence, whether it be good or bad (depending on what the choice was).God does that for us too - He loves us so much that He let us be free to make our own decisions and grow on our own. He knows that we will come to learn that when we do something bad/wrong there are negative consequences and when we do something good there will be positive consequences. He also knows that eventually we will all come to rely on Him sometime or another but He is patient because time to us isn't the same as God's timing.z

We just have to have Faith that He is always there with open arms waiting for us to call and fall on Him.

Ministry Fair Weekend

Yesterday and today have been busy but fun overall. Yesterday I got to Q of P around 9:30 and made caramel corn for a few hours and then Ruth and I took a two hour break from making caramel corn to help Carol put together 200 of the handbooks. This consisted of folding 200 covers in half, making 200 copies of all the inside pages plus 200 copies of the blue insert page. After all those copies were made we had to sort through and make sure all the pages were together for one booklet, fold them and insert them inside the folded cover and include the blue sheet. I did all the folding and handed Ruth each booklet so she could staple them together. Laurie stopped in to say something to Carol but Carol had left to go to a book signing. We noticed Laurie had Morgan and Sophia (Aaron's daughters with her) and Ruth asked if we could watch Sophia for a bit so Laurie handed her over and told Aaron we had her. Sophia is such a doll and a happy baby (she looks so much like Aaron it's not even funny)!

Me and Sophia


This morning I got to Q of P at 9:00. Ruth and I helped Carol put together all of her boards for the ministry fair (which started after Mass tonight). Ruth had to leave at noon so I stayed and helped put together the rest of them. We worked on those for a bit and while Carol was printing out information to put on the board and some more brochures for me to fold I counted pulled 200 tickets off the roll of tickets. We didn't get done until shortly before the ministry fair began and then of course I was scheduled to be at the St. Vincent De Paul Society table after the 5:30 Mass.After the Ministry Fair I 3-hole punched, numbered, and stamped some music for Aaron and then went to Martins with Carol to get some items for tomorrow morning. I got home tonight at 8:30.Like I said...it was a fun but busy day and tomorrow will be another one

First snowfall of the year

Tonight was the St. Vincent DePaul society meeting. Dale, Ruth, Angie, and I stayed after to get our board for the Ministry Fair done.
It looks pretty nifty:


I have to close by posting these pictures of the first snowfall of the year

One Year

It's hard to believe that it's been one year already =[

Little Things With Great Love

On this wonderful feast of All Saints Day I'd like to share something that happened.
After brunch this morning I talked with Father Dan about a few things: 1) About the dream with my grandma in it, 2) about the comment I got from someone at church, and 3) about the song I heard on the radio with the line "Sometimes Your calling comes in dream "When I told this to him he mentioned that he notices I think about what kind of huge responsbilities I will have in my life and the expections of others.
He said I remind him of St. Therese of Lisieux (a.k.a. "The Little Flower) and how she did little things with great love. Then Father Dan said, "Katie, what if all God is asking you to do is little things with great love?" That got me thinking about all the hearts and maybe that's why God shows me the hearts to point out that's all he's asking me to do. In everything do it with love! Here is an example of the hearts I see: I went to confession one day and my pennance was to go outside and appreciate God's beauty. When I looked up in the sky I saw this:

All Saints Day

Today is the feast of All Saints Day!


I went to Mass this morning and the brunch afterwards. Some of the children, along with Mr. and Mrs. Martin, dressed up as saints. Here they are with Father Dan

Break Down

Have you ever had one of those times when you just break down and scream/cry?
I had that moment last night after choir practice.
To start off I should mention that a couple of months ago a guy from church was having a conversation with me. During that conversatition he told me I'm going to have an impact on people and do great things in this world - that I'm going to be like another Fr. Dan.
Then a few nights ago I had a dream that my grandma was in.
In the dream my mom was in it and there were people in the background (not sure if they were members of my family but maybe). The setting of my dream was sort of like at a viewing where a picture board is set up with the person who passed away. My mom happened to point out a picture of me on my Grandma's lap.
She also pointed out that it was the only picture of her and a grandchild up there. Then my mom walked out of the room and my grandma appeared (as she looked before she was sick and in the hospital) and had something important to tell me. She said, "A grandmother knows her grandchildren the instant they are born. She made sure to emphasize the word "knows". Then she said "You are destined to do many great things." And my dream was over.
I got up the next morning and happened to look in all my alubms because the picture looked familiar. I found it in the last one I flipped thru:


I was talking to one of the women in choir and asked her if she thinks dreams have meanings and she said yes that some do but it's up to you to figure out which ones do and what the meaning is.

Well when I got in my car to leave after practice I had the radio on to 96.9 pulse fm and the song that was playing was a new one to me but the first line in it was Sometimes Your calling comes in dream. The rest of the song tied in with everything too but when I heard that first line I felt God was speaking to me.



After that song I heard this song (only the Rebecca St James version). When my grandma was in the hospital I played this song for her (it was on my phone). She looked so relaxed and calm even though she was hooked up to different machines. All we could hear was the "drip, drip" of the liquid that was in these bags (i have no idea what it was for) and it sort of sounded like the holy water font at St. Pius.



After hearing both those songs in a row I just completely lost it and had a panic attack. At first I just started yelling as if I were in pain and mad at something and then I completely broke down and cried - that lasted for an hour (and yes I just sat in my car at the church parking lot). I finally called my mom's cousin, Penny, which extremely helped! She talked me thru it and prayed over the phone (Thanks again!).

--> I know I'm gonna need to get it out again because the one year anniversary is coming up soon.

Father Bob's 1 year

Today is Father Bob's 1 year anniversary as a priest - Congrats!!!
We need more awesome, energetic, reverent priests like him. =]

Life has changed

I was just reflecting on where I was a year ago! Things sure have changed - mostly for the good. To start off -- I saw how the mistakes I made really had an affect on important people in my life! We went though a process of finding ourselves which included 10 months of not speaking to each other.

This was how I felt at the beginning:



This is how I started feeling after getting to know the wonderful and inspirational people from work (at University Outfitters who by the way all happened to be Catholic), RCIA, and choir. After talking and spending time with my friend (Ruth) I learned a few things and got some awesome advice.
One of the best things to happen for me was making the choice to join Queen of Peace (things just kept falling into place for me and I felt that I belonged there).
I realized I wanted/needed to change my ways to live close to Jesus and really appreciate what I have/had.My experience of being around friends who really cared about my soul (as in the song) who are genuine, good people, strong in the Catholic faith was and is very uplifting. I know I'm not on this journey in life alone!



I'm thankful for all my wonderful family and friends - those from the Philly and those from Church! You truly never know what blessings God has given you until it's gone and I'm thankful for the gift of friendship I was able to receive again. I'm also sorry for the mistakes I made that hurt that one person I care about

Lasagna Dinner and Hockey Game

Tonight was the Lasagna Dinner (which I think went pretty well). Bethany and Tom ended up coming towards the end so I sat with them while they ate. Then the three of us went to the hockey game (fyi ND won) - here are pictures:

Tom decided to put bread over his nose


Goofy picture of Bethany and Tom


Goofy picture of Bethany and me


Tom and Bethany


Bethany and me


Tom's attempt to get all three of us in

Divine Intervention

I just had something happen that I think was meant to happen for a reason --> talk about Divine Intervention!
I had a conversation with someone on AIM and her words really helped me and were what I needed to know to help give some closure.
What she said touched and comforted me in ways I don't think she will ever know!

Stormer Family's visit

This weekend was fun! My cousin Amber , her husband Chris, and their girls came for a visit. It was fun having them over!
Saturday morning my mom and I went on the walk for Breast Cancer Awareness. While we did that my dad took Chris, Amber, and the girls to Notre Dame and to see where Great Grandpa Robertson lived.
Amber and Marisa came to Mass with my mom on Sunday to see me in the choir. Pretty cool! Here are pictures from their visit:

Chris, Julia, and Marisa


Marisa and her Caillou doll


Amber and Julia


Julia


Chris and Amber


Marisa, me, and Dad eating ice cream

Julia crawling (1)


Julia crawling (2)


Chris, Marisa, Amber, and Julia


Marisa at our house


Chris, Julia, and Dad eating breakfast


Me and Marisa


Mom, Marisa, and Amber