So after this post, I was very hopeful that St. Catherine's would be my perfect home. Last weekend, I went to mass there and I had very high hopes. I had built it up in my head that I'd walk into the church and would hear the choir singing 'Hallelujah!'
It wasn't quite as wonderful as I'd hoped. There wasn't anything really wrong with it. I just felt a little let down. I was very impressed with the choir, who instead of being up the choir loft at the back of the church for no one to see, has a section at the front of the church. They all wear white choir robes and they are quite good. The best choir of all three churches that I attended. Although, based on the description of the music ministry on their website, I don't know if they are accepting new members?
The pews are far more comfortable than St. Mary's. It's also much smaller than St. Mary's. But it is VERY dark. Everything is made of dark brown brick. The stained glass windows are small and a bit abstract.
Another downside - I was bored by the priest's homily, who I would like to mention is very young. Couldn't be much older than I am. That would be nice...To be involved in a parish with at least one young priest. Someone who recognizes the importance of not only the older, more wealthy parishioners, but also the younger ones. The parishioners of the future. So, I guess Father Whatshisname Young-Guy is both a positive and a negative.
I don't know...When I consider all three churches, I think I liked St. Mary's the best. This surprises me. I've always liked to be a part of smaller communities and St. Mary's is far from small. But the things that draw me to St. Mary's is the opportunity to be active with youth ministry; the choir which wasn't awe-inspiring, but wasn't intimidating either; the quality of the homily; and the friendliness of the parishioners.
I do intend to give St. Catherine's another try this weekend. Maybe I just had it too built up in my mind to see that I really could make it my home. I was feeling let down, but that was my own fault.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Feeling a bit Meme-ish today...
Check out the Friday 5!
1. When did you last feel you were required to jump through meaningless hoops to get something you wanted?
I'm sure there've been other things since this, but the thing that pops out in my head is the refi of my mortgage. Took 6 months to get that damn thing completed!
2. What kinds of hula hoop memories do you have?
Not very good ones...I'm rather uncoordinated and just couldn't get the movement down. Either that, or I just didn't care enough to try harder ...Or maybe a little of both.
3. How do you feel about basketball?
Used to be fun to watch when the Bulls were in their hey day. I can remember getting teary eyed when they won their umpteenth championship.
4. What do you think of hoop earrings?
LOVE THEM! I'm a big fun of obnoxiously large earrings. My grandmother told me last weekend that I like to wear chandeliers on my ears...And?
5. What’s your favorite Whoopi Goldberg movie?
Well, the only one that really comes to mind is Ghost. So, I'll go with that.
1. When did you last feel you were required to jump through meaningless hoops to get something you wanted?
I'm sure there've been other things since this, but the thing that pops out in my head is the refi of my mortgage. Took 6 months to get that damn thing completed!
2. What kinds of hula hoop memories do you have?
Not very good ones...I'm rather uncoordinated and just couldn't get the movement down. Either that, or I just didn't care enough to try harder ...Or maybe a little of both.
3. How do you feel about basketball?
Used to be fun to watch when the Bulls were in their hey day. I can remember getting teary eyed when they won their umpteenth championship.
4. What do you think of hoop earrings?
LOVE THEM! I'm a big fun of obnoxiously large earrings. My grandmother told me last weekend that I like to wear chandeliers on my ears...And?
5. What’s your favorite Whoopi Goldberg movie?
Well, the only one that really comes to mind is Ghost. So, I'll go with that.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
I'm at about 50%...
I always end up all over the place in these posts...I have so much to say, and just want to tell you everything! Perhaps if I posted more than once every two weeks, I wouldn't feel the need to jam it all into one post. Oh well. I do. Get over it. :-)
In one of my more recent posts, I discussed resolutions. I've been doing quite well with the church one. I've gone to mass every weekend since the beginning of the year. Granted, that's only three weeks, but it's 2 more weeks than the last time I thought I was ready to go back. And frankly, I don't see myself slacking on this one. I feel really good about it. That first Sunday, I went back to St. Charles Borromeo (SCB), the church that sort of reminds me of my old "home." It's about the same size and probably about the same age. They've got a choir (which is very important to me - I NEED to get back singing) and it's the closest. But I wanted to check out some of the other churches in the area, to make sure that I find the one that is right for me.
So, for the last two weeks, I attended mass at St. Mary's. I don't think I've ever seen a Catholic church this big. When I pulled into the parking lot, I literally out-loud, to myself, exclaimed 'Holy Crap!' It looked enormous to me. Inside is beautiful. Very, very large. It was built in 2001, so it has these modern-ish features. I don't know if I'd ever be comfortable in a parish that is so enormous. I've always enjoyed being a part of small things - small church, small(ish) high school, small colleges, small company. It does seem like St. Mary's has a lot to offer, including a choir (and a youth group that is looking for adult volunteers!). But I have to admit, I feel a bit overwhelmed there. And to be perfectly honest, the pews are really uncomfortable. lol They're low to the ground, and I find it near impossible to kneel on the kneelers. Maybe a silly con, but a con still.
This coming weekend and the week after, I'm planning on going to St. Catherine's, which a bit further (maybe 15 or 20 minutes from home), but I've heard a lot of good things about it. My aunt/uncle/cousins live in the area, so I asked for some suggestions. My aunt and cousin highly suggested this one, saying that they have a nice choir, youth programs, and while it's not a small church by any stretch, it's not as gigantic as St. Mary's. One of my coworkers told me that this is the church that she grew up going to and says that she likes it much more than SCB, where she had her children baptized. I'm really excited to go to mass at St. Catherine's on Sunday. I'm hoping that this one will be the perfect fit for me.
My second resolution - keeping better track of my sugar levels - is going okay. I'm testing at least once a day (supposed to do twice a day). I'm often surprised to see how high it is. Especially in the morning. I guess knowing is part of the battle, though. If I know it's high, I can be better prepared to combat it.
My final resolution - the same one that I have had every year since I was probably 9 - is stagnant. I just don't have motivation. I'm not hashing this out again. I'm just sayin...1.5 out of 3 isn't too bad, right? :-/
In other news, my birthday was a week ago today. It was really a fantabulous birthday! Seriously, best birthday in years. I must have gotten about 200 emails/facebook posts/blogs wishing me a happy birthday. I spent some extra time that morning and curled my hair, wore my favorite sweater and was ready for a happy day. Hubby texted me and told me to get home by 4, so that we could go to dinner. I got to work and my coworkers had decorated my desk (it's a tradition to do this, and usually I'm the one in charge of remembering bdays and buying a card & balloon). They got me the COOLEST balloon! It's bigger than your standard mylar balloon and it's clear! (I used to collect balloons in high school...Yeah, I'm an oddity of sorts...) I got to leave work a bit early, so I did a bit of shopping. Then went to dinner at Olive Garden with the Hubs. It was really a great day. It doesn't take much.
I spent a good part of Saturday working on my resume. I've finally decided to stop being passive about the whole situation and hoping that it gets better. I sent it to my dad, who gave me some suggestions on improving it, so I'm intending to update it later this week and perhaps start applying for some job openings next week. I'm nervous about it, but I need to at least see what's out there.
Today is 4 months since Opa passed. I still get choked up (and usually in tears) on a pretty regular basis. Songs do it for me a lot of the time. My birthday was kinda tough. But I guess I'm doing better. I talk to him a lot. Especially when I got teary eyed. I do feel his presence and I know he's always listening. So I take those moments to tell him how much I miss him and love him.
Hubby asked to go back to 2nd shift yesterday. He thinks his 1st shift boss is out to get him. I don't know what to think. He has a bad track record with authority figures (as in he pisses off his boss for some stupid shit and gets fired...), so if he thinks the boss might be heading down that road, then I'm supportive of the 2nd shift. I was really liking him on 1st, though. It's nice to spend time with him before bed. And to actually sleep with him at night. And to wake up together. I told him that I would've liked him to stay on 1st, but not if it means that he's going to end up without a job!
I think that's all I've got on news...I may be posting a meme next...We'll see. I really should be working right now. But I'm at a bit of a standstill with work tasks, so meme-ing sounds a lot more interesting. :-)
In one of my more recent posts, I discussed resolutions. I've been doing quite well with the church one. I've gone to mass every weekend since the beginning of the year. Granted, that's only three weeks, but it's 2 more weeks than the last time I thought I was ready to go back. And frankly, I don't see myself slacking on this one. I feel really good about it. That first Sunday, I went back to St. Charles Borromeo (SCB), the church that sort of reminds me of my old "home." It's about the same size and probably about the same age. They've got a choir (which is very important to me - I NEED to get back singing) and it's the closest. But I wanted to check out some of the other churches in the area, to make sure that I find the one that is right for me.
So, for the last two weeks, I attended mass at St. Mary's. I don't think I've ever seen a Catholic church this big. When I pulled into the parking lot, I literally out-loud, to myself, exclaimed 'Holy Crap!' It looked enormous to me. Inside is beautiful. Very, very large. It was built in 2001, so it has these modern-ish features. I don't know if I'd ever be comfortable in a parish that is so enormous. I've always enjoyed being a part of small things - small church, small(ish) high school, small colleges, small company. It does seem like St. Mary's has a lot to offer, including a choir (and a youth group that is looking for adult volunteers!). But I have to admit, I feel a bit overwhelmed there. And to be perfectly honest, the pews are really uncomfortable. lol They're low to the ground, and I find it near impossible to kneel on the kneelers. Maybe a silly con, but a con still.
This coming weekend and the week after, I'm planning on going to St. Catherine's, which a bit further (maybe 15 or 20 minutes from home), but I've heard a lot of good things about it. My aunt/uncle/cousins live in the area, so I asked for some suggestions. My aunt and cousin highly suggested this one, saying that they have a nice choir, youth programs, and while it's not a small church by any stretch, it's not as gigantic as St. Mary's. One of my coworkers told me that this is the church that she grew up going to and says that she likes it much more than SCB, where she had her children baptized. I'm really excited to go to mass at St. Catherine's on Sunday. I'm hoping that this one will be the perfect fit for me.
My second resolution - keeping better track of my sugar levels - is going okay. I'm testing at least once a day (supposed to do twice a day). I'm often surprised to see how high it is. Especially in the morning. I guess knowing is part of the battle, though. If I know it's high, I can be better prepared to combat it.
My final resolution - the same one that I have had every year since I was probably 9 - is stagnant. I just don't have motivation. I'm not hashing this out again. I'm just sayin...1.5 out of 3 isn't too bad, right? :-/
In other news, my birthday was a week ago today. It was really a fantabulous birthday! Seriously, best birthday in years. I must have gotten about 200 emails/facebook posts/blogs wishing me a happy birthday. I spent some extra time that morning and curled my hair, wore my favorite sweater and was ready for a happy day. Hubby texted me and told me to get home by 4, so that we could go to dinner. I got to work and my coworkers had decorated my desk (it's a tradition to do this, and usually I'm the one in charge of remembering bdays and buying a card & balloon). They got me the COOLEST balloon! It's bigger than your standard mylar balloon and it's clear! (I used to collect balloons in high school...Yeah, I'm an oddity of sorts...) I got to leave work a bit early, so I did a bit of shopping. Then went to dinner at Olive Garden with the Hubs. It was really a great day. It doesn't take much.
I spent a good part of Saturday working on my resume. I've finally decided to stop being passive about the whole situation and hoping that it gets better. I sent it to my dad, who gave me some suggestions on improving it, so I'm intending to update it later this week and perhaps start applying for some job openings next week. I'm nervous about it, but I need to at least see what's out there.
Today is 4 months since Opa passed. I still get choked up (and usually in tears) on a pretty regular basis. Songs do it for me a lot of the time. My birthday was kinda tough. But I guess I'm doing better. I talk to him a lot. Especially when I got teary eyed. I do feel his presence and I know he's always listening. So I take those moments to tell him how much I miss him and love him.
Hubby asked to go back to 2nd shift yesterday. He thinks his 1st shift boss is out to get him. I don't know what to think. He has a bad track record with authority figures (as in he pisses off his boss for some stupid shit and gets fired...), so if he thinks the boss might be heading down that road, then I'm supportive of the 2nd shift. I was really liking him on 1st, though. It's nice to spend time with him before bed. And to actually sleep with him at night. And to wake up together. I told him that I would've liked him to stay on 1st, but not if it means that he's going to end up without a job!
I think that's all I've got on news...I may be posting a meme next...We'll see. I really should be working right now. But I'm at a bit of a standstill with work tasks, so meme-ing sounds a lot more interesting. :-)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sunday Stealing
So, I've been sorta slacking on the "Meme a day" idea that I had like two months ago. What else is new...? I get these great ideas and then within a week or two, they've been forgotten. Whatev. I'm killing time and what better way to do that than with one of the original memes I'd planned to participate in?
1. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?
Wow...What a question. I don't know that I would blow anyone up. I guess I don't dislike anyone enough for that.
2. You can flip a switch that will wipe any band or musical artist out of existence. Which one will it be?
Wow, again...There aren't any musical entities that I dislike that much.
3. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?
Okay, now punching in the face is a lot different than blowing up or wiping out of existence. And as hard as I tried to come up with someone to punch in the face, I can't think of any one specific person. Maybe the morons that are on the road when I'm trying to drive to work. But yeah, no one in particular.
4. What is your favorite cheese?
I'm rather partial to Havarti...Mmmm...Cheese...
5. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your immediate disposal. What kind will you make?
A meatball sub with provalone and parmesan cheese.
6. You have the opportunity to sleep with the movie celebrity of your choice. We are talking no-strings-attached sex and it can only happen once. Who is the lucky celebrity of your choice?
My first reaction was Josh Holloway. I heart Sawyer. Bad boy with a heart of gold. And so absolutely delicious.
7. You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who do you pick?
Mmmm...I think I'm going to go with Toby Keith. Do you see a pattern in my choice of celebs?
8. Now that you’ve slept with two different people in a row, you seem to be having an excellent day because you just came across a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk. Holy shit, a hundred bucks! How are you gonna spend it?
I'ma get my hurr did. I need some color and I seriously do not remember the last time I got it cut.
9. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
Italy. Absolutely.
10. Upon arrival to the aforementioned location, you get off the plane and discover another hundred-dollar bill. Shit! Now that you are in the new location, what are you gonna do?
I'm in Italy! What the hell do you think I'm going to do??? I'm finding myself some pasta.
11. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. It is…?
lol...Um, I guess it'd be Grey Goose. The vodka is starting to grow on me.
12. Rufus appears out of nowhere with a time-traveling phone booth. You can go anytime in the PAST. What time are you traveling to and what are you going to do when you get there?
Who the hell is Rufus? Assuming he's for real and so is his time-travelling phone booth, I'd go back to the seventies, and I'd find my mom in college. I'd just like to be friends with her before she got sick. See what she was like back then.
13. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?
You must respect those around you. Treat others how you wish to be treated.
14. You have been given the opportunity to create the half-hour TV show of your own design. What is it called and what’s the premise?
15.What is your favorite curse word?
16.One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?
17. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the item?
18. The Angel of Death has descended upon you. Fortunately, the Angel of Death is pretty cool and in a good mood, and it offers you a half-hour to do whatever you want before you bite it. Whatcha gonna do in that half-hour?
19. You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What’s it gonna be?
20. You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?
21.You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?
22. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world! Bitchin’! What country are you going to live in now?
23. This question still counts, even for those of you who are under age. Check it out. You have been eternally banned from every single bar in the world except for ONE. Which one is it gonna be?
24. Hopefully you didn’t mention this in the super-powers question…. If you did, then we’ll just expand on that. Check it out… Suddenly, you have gained the ability to FLOAT!!! Whose house are you going to float to first, and be like “Dude, check it out…I can FLOAT!”?
25. The constant absorption of magical moonbeams mixed with the radioactive vegetables you consumed earlier has given you the ability to resurrect the dead famous-person of your choice. So which celebrity will you bring back to life?
26. The Celestial Gates of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person, etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back?
27. What’s your theme song?
Sunday Funday!
Well, today, I'm starting in on those resolutions. I'm planning to go to mass today. I thought it was at 9:30, when it's actually at 10:30. If I'd realized this 20 minutes earlier than I did, I could've gone to the 8am mass. But I didn't and that's that. So, while I wait for 10 am to roll around, I've decided to share some love with you! :-)
Yesterday, we went to my mother-in-law's house for Christmas brunch. She made biscuits and sausage gravy and then we opened presents with her and her longtime boyfriend. I got a cast iron skillet set! A large one and a smaller one. Both of which are so much heavier than I thought they'd be. lol Hubby got the new keyboard (for his computer) that he's been wanting for some time. We hung out and watched a little tv with her and then hit the road in the early afternoon. She had to work last night, so we didn't want to overstay our welcome. On the way home, Hubby told me that he actually liked MY gravy better than his mom's. OH EM GEE!! That's one of the nicest things he's ever said to me!
I'm going to test out my new skillet tonight. BFF is coming over for dinner tonight. I always feel kinda lame when she comes over. I make dinner and then we just hang out watching tv. I don't have anything really exciting to do, but she doesn't complain. She seems to be happy to just hang out. And hell, a free steak out of the deal, I mean - who's going to bitch about that???
While we're talking about BFF here...I have a question/situation with her, maybe someone reading can help me out. Whenever BFF and I have plans to do something (Go shopping downtown, come over for dinner, go out to the bar, go to the aquarium), she is ALWAYS inviting other people to join us. Tonight, for example, I invited her to come over yesterday. She says cool. I text her three hours later, asking when she's going to come and if she's going to stay for dinner. She says she doesn't know what time she'll be coming, but yes for dinner. Oh, and BTW, the Bulgarian might be coming, too. The Bulgarian is another girl that we went to college with, who I get along with, but isn't #1 on my list of favorite people - I put up with her because BFF likes her and also because I'm too nice for my own good. BFF does this all the time. She invites other people to join us when I think it's just going to be the two of us. I had four tickets to get into one of the museums downtown. We had plans for four people and then all of a sudden, she's bringing two more. Dude, what?
Hubby tells me that I should say something to her about this - Stop inviting people to do things with us when we make plans! And I don't want to do that. But I really would appreciate it if she would ask me first, rather than just telling me 'Hey, so and so is coming too.' Should I say something? Or just continue to let her make all the rules?
Yesterday, we went to my mother-in-law's house for Christmas brunch. She made biscuits and sausage gravy and then we opened presents with her and her longtime boyfriend. I got a cast iron skillet set! A large one and a smaller one. Both of which are so much heavier than I thought they'd be. lol Hubby got the new keyboard (for his computer) that he's been wanting for some time. We hung out and watched a little tv with her and then hit the road in the early afternoon. She had to work last night, so we didn't want to overstay our welcome. On the way home, Hubby told me that he actually liked MY gravy better than his mom's. OH EM GEE!! That's one of the nicest things he's ever said to me!
I'm going to test out my new skillet tonight. BFF is coming over for dinner tonight. I always feel kinda lame when she comes over. I make dinner and then we just hang out watching tv. I don't have anything really exciting to do, but she doesn't complain. She seems to be happy to just hang out. And hell, a free steak out of the deal, I mean - who's going to bitch about that???
While we're talking about BFF here...I have a question/situation with her, maybe someone reading can help me out. Whenever BFF and I have plans to do something (Go shopping downtown, come over for dinner, go out to the bar, go to the aquarium), she is ALWAYS inviting other people to join us. Tonight, for example, I invited her to come over yesterday. She says cool. I text her three hours later, asking when she's going to come and if she's going to stay for dinner. She says she doesn't know what time she'll be coming, but yes for dinner. Oh, and BTW, the Bulgarian might be coming, too. The Bulgarian is another girl that we went to college with, who I get along with, but isn't #1 on my list of favorite people - I put up with her because BFF likes her and also because I'm too nice for my own good. BFF does this all the time. She invites other people to join us when I think it's just going to be the two of us. I had four tickets to get into one of the museums downtown. We had plans for four people and then all of a sudden, she's bringing two more. Dude, what?
Hubby tells me that I should say something to her about this - Stop inviting people to do things with us when we make plans! And I don't want to do that. But I really would appreciate it if she would ask me first, rather than just telling me 'Hey, so and so is coming too.' Should I say something? Or just continue to let her make all the rules?
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