Isn't it apropos...

I think that it is a good thing that the Church celebrates the feast of Mary, Mother of God on New Year's Day. At a time in the year when we make resolutions to better ourselves, we need look no further than the Mother of God for an example of how to better live our faith. Mary was the first believer in her Son, and she was there when He rose from the grave. She believed in Him when He was not ready to begin (the wedding at Cana) and she always had faith in Him. She is the ultimate example of trusting God and saying yes to Him when everything is shrouded in doubt. At the close of this year I am questioning where God is leading me. I feel I am in the right major, but what I am supposed to do with that is what I am asking for God to shed some light on. My only resolution (and I hesitate to call it that..I never keep them) is to make prayer THE priority of my life. I look to Mary for her inspiration to keeping this resolution as much as possible. May my yes echo her yes. May I trust in God completly as she trusted in God. I might not know what is coming (for Mary did not know what was ahead for her with her divine Son), but let me trust that God will lead me down the right path.

My faith makes me happy

It hasn't felt like Christmas this year. Maybe it's because a Christmas Eve blizzard kept me from seeing most of my family and we barely made it to Mass on Christmas Day. And even Mass was different, the church was nearly empty rather than being stuffed full.Maybe it's because I didn't get an internship I thought I would get and I am thinking about the track I'm on and if that's what God want for me, if I am meant to work with teenagers or if I should continue on and get my advanced degree. Maybe it's because this year more than any other people have been commenting about December not being the actual month of Christ's birth and one friend even rejoicing in a movie because it bashes religion. Most of these comments have not been directed to me (though some were). Most were just facebook status updates and other similar things. I don't know if those people even know how much their  comments bothered me.

Here's the thing: say for one second that I am wrong and there is no God (I'm not saying I am wrong, I still fully believe in God, but let us go with this hypothetical situation). If what all those people who do not believe in God say is correct, when I die, I will just fall asleep and nothing else will happen. I will go into nothingness. So, if God doesn't exist, my faith was for nothing in the sense of life after death. But what did it bring me in this life? Only happiness, a sense of fulfillment, and a purpose to drive me towards the good. It gives me morals and it is the reason I treat people so kindly. I wouldn't be who I am today without my faith. So, if all that happens to me after death is I sleep for eternity, why try and deny me happiness in this one? But, my intelligence exists. I will respect your right to believe or not believe in whatever. Please, respect mine.

What do you think? Why is contemporary Atheism so determined to take away our happiness and make all of us unbelievers?

Since When Has God Required Political Correctness?

I'm not really sure when using "God" and Godself" instead of "He/Him" came into use, but I first heard it when I came to Creighton. My question is when did God fall into our long list of political correctness. God is neither a he or a she, so we must not use pronouns. Yet, Christ Himself taught us to call him Father (see Mt 6:9-13, Lk 11:2-4). Even though I have grown up using the pronoun "He" for God, I have outgrown that idea of God as a big man with a white beard and a robe who sits up in the sky. To me, He is a being that surrounds me, that hears me, though I do identify with Christ more (I guess that is just the human being in me). I don't even really like the term "politically correct." God is not involved in our politics, He transcends them. I don't know how you feel, but I will continue to say "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of His name, for our good, and the good of all His Church." and not feel guilty, at least not a guilty as I do when I say "man" rather than "human." (Can you tell I am not a fan of our overly pc world?)

What do you think?

another fun friday adventure...

Shopping at Old Navy
Pizza
Cookie-dough ice cream
and
Notting Hill.

Not so shabby, huh?

Not All College Kids Drink...In Fact, Most Don't! (aka random weekend adventures)

So, my friends and I (well, most of them) don't drink. We do some interesting things instead. I thought it would be fun to comment on some of those on here.

Friday, Oct 30, 2009

My friends and I went to Mystery Manor, a haunted house by our school. I was scared and yes, I screamed like a little girl! Then, we went exploring on campus. One of my favorite things to do it climb up the fire escape at the Old Gym and look out over the city. It is so beautiful up there: you can see the city light and the Missouri River.

Saturday, October 21, 2009

We put on our Halloween costumes and went to Arby's. Now I am watching OSU (hopefully) beat Texas. Boring? Maybe. Fun? Yes. Going to remember college? HELL YES!

Creighton Fall Semester 2009

This has been a tough one...I missed home a lot more than I expected to this year. School work was tougher than I expected and I ended up dropping a class. :-( I am now more confused than ever about my major, yet I think I now know where I am headed in life. Besides all of this I feel really blessed at this point. I have family and friends here and back home that really love me. I am blessed enough to even be at Creighton. This school might not have the most majors or be the best in the country, but I am a proud bluejay. This school works to hard to make a difference in the community around it. This is all I really want to do. I want to make a difference at least in one person's life in this world. I am itching to get out there and live my vocation and live my life for God. I don't really know where life is taking me in all of this, but I am putting my trust in God that it will all work out.

It's that time of year

back to school time. It's weird because everyone else I know is getting ready to start school and I haven't even moved yet.
I was really excited to go back just a few days ago, but now as it is only a week away I am reminded that all this awesome time I've spent with my family is going away. Don't get me wrong, I love where I've chosen to go to school, and I love my friends there, and I love being there. The thing that sucks is that I'm so far away from everyone else. I don't even know if it's my friends that I miss. A hand full really want to see me again and we hang out, but the rest just don't seem to care. Why should I put in a great effort if they won't reciprocate? Maybe I just don't get why why don't care....we had so much fun in high school, why not now?
But then I am reminded how blessed I am. I have amazing friends back in Omaha who just can't wait to see me again. It's going to be weird, not being in Gallagher, but I think this year is going to be great.
And as I was reminded the other day...we already have friends, so the year is going to start off better!

The Beginnings of My Very Own Bucket List

(italic = accomplished)

1. go skydiving
2. go scuba diving
3. visit the pope in Rome
4. go on a mission to the third world
5. graduate college
6. get my Ph.D.
7. go on a photography vacation
8. work for the Church
9. learn conversational Czech
10. learn to play the guitar
11. learn to play the piano
12. learn to waltz
13. learn to polka
14. enter the czech royalty pagent
15. go para sailing
16. swim with the sharks
17. go bungee jumping
18. go to Jerusalem
19. visit all 50 U.S. states
20. be a vegetarian for a Lent
21. see Olympic swimming
22. meet the Pope
23. learn CPR
24. take a cooking course
25. learn the: sign of the cross, our father, hail mary in french and latin
26. run a 6 minute mile
27. be complaint free
28. run a 5k
29. go on a silent retreat
30. take up yoga
31. go without tv for a week
32. take my dad to prague and austria
33. throw a fancy dinner party
34. learn how to invest wisely
35. buy a house
36. have a library in my home
37. fall completely, unconditionally, uncontrollably in love with God
38. fall in love
39. work for CHWC
40. be kissed in St. Mark's Square
41. become a youth minister
42. see the pope
43. go on a mission trip
44. go to WYD
45. complete freshman year of college
46. have a job where I have to dress professionally everyday
47. have a job i can do in my pjs
48. read all of St. Paul's letters (cover-to-cover)
49. have a conversation with Matt Maher
50. save all of my change for a year (and donate it to a good cause)
51. learn the Bill of Rights
52. move to a different state
53. work at a summer camp
54. graduate from high school
55. snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef

Thinking can be a dangerous thing

I am been thinking recently about why I live my life the way I do. I know that the path I choose isn't a popular, especially in today's world. Why isn't a Christian lifestyle popular? Why do people live Sundays for the Lord and the rest of the week for themselves? Why isn't every Christian out there in the world setting the world on fire with their love for God? I think it's because most of us have never and will never have that really exciting conversion story that you will always read about, always hear about. It seems that if you haven't had this great experience then you can't really follow in their footsteps and live how the live after their conversion. I think that this is a shame. I've had my conversion experience, but it was nowhere near exciting enough to have published. Heck, I don't even share it with too many people because it is just that boring. I grew up Catholic, I decided to stay Catholic. While boring, it is very important to me. It was a time in my life when I was very uncertain and chose God instead of this world. Now, I am pretty sure that most people out there have had a similar experience to mine, humdrum and not much to share. Why do these things stop us from showing God's love for us to the world? Those really important stories that make it onto the news and get book deals are few and far between. Way more of us change just a small way because of a friend, but we think that it's not important enough for God. Well, it is. I am by no means perfect, and I struggle with living for Him every single day of my life, and, despite my hopes, this will never change. But I am going to challenge myself to remember that my story is just as important as Mother Teresa's or someone similar, at least to God it is. I am going to let my story help me set the world ablaze.

So...It's been awhile.

I'm just not that good at this whole blog thing. Anyways. Since last time, I have moved home to Oklahoma for the summer and I am terribly missing school. I have just been sitting around all summer because I can't get a job. Grr....with the economy bad people who have been working other jobs got laid off and and are now forced to work full-time in the jobs that I am apply for. They have experience, I don't. I would hire them over me too. Mr. President, Where are my jobs you promised me? Anyways...

I'm leaving on a mission trip on Friday and I am sooo excited. This is my 5th year to go, and I love it. My church goes to a camp call Catholic H.E.A.R.T. Workcamp. They are all over the country. You work on people's homes, painting, light repair work, etc. but then you come back and it is basically a giant youth rally. Awesome. The first year we went to Louisville, KY and it changed my faith life. I began to see what it means to live like Jesus lived. I learned that you shouldn't live life asking "What Would Jesus Do" but ask "What Did Jesus Do?" (Maybe I should make my own braclets!) Then we went to Orlando, the Rockford, IL. Last summer we went to New Orleans which I had beeen begging Joe (my youth minister) to go to since Katrina. This was the first year it was open to people under 18, so we packed our bags and went. I was cool becuase since we were helping Cathiolic Charaties with Katrina clean-up you really felt a part of something bigger. My group hung dry-wall in a home and now the woman who lived there is one step closer to being out of a hotel and back in her home. I hope this year God will use me to just make the life of one person just a little bit easier. No big miracles needed, I'm not that kind of girl. "I pray that You will use my life, In whatever way Your name is glorified." Please keep our youth group of Yukon, OK in your prayers and all the campers that particiapte in CHWC.

The Motions

This might hurt
It’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care
If I break
At least I’ll be feeling something
‘Cause just ok
Is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

No regrets
Not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love
Make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something

Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Take me all the way


I really want to live my life this way. Too often people sleep walk through their faith, only going through the motions, not living the way they should as Christians. I want Christ to be proud of me, proud of the way I live my life.

Hmm...Not a big fan of that whole love thing.

Boy/Girl non-platonic relationships are so hard. You have to figure out if you really like the person or not. Then you have to figure out if they like you. Then throw in a really good friend who likes the same person and you have my life right now, except I am still on step one. Any advice? I could use some. How do you go from friends to more than friends?

A couple more, please!

Planet Beautiful Brickfish

Seeing Things in Black and White Brickfish

Please, if anyone reads this vote for me!

Best of the Best 2008 Brickfish

I am going to miss 2008

It was actually really good to me. I graduated high school, went to New Orleans and did Katrina clean up, went to Sydney, Australia, saw the Pope, went to World Youth Day, moved 500 miles from home, started college, met amazing people, and made straight A's in my first semester in school. Life was pretty good. I hope 2009 can be just as good, if not better. Here's to you, 2009.