Mood:  chillin'

In a few minutes I'll be driving up to Dayton to join some women who are in various stages of formation in various religious communities.  I'm super excited that I'll be able to meet some people who are close to the same stage that I'm in.  I'd been feeling the lack of peers lately.  This will give me some good reflection time!

Please pray for me because I think I may have put my foot in my mouth during my last meeting with the vocation director.  I hope that God will be able to smooth this one out if this is where He wants me to be.

Pray also for my grandma.  She just had surgery on her eye.

 Well, going to close for now.   Work is going a whole lot better since I got up the nerve to talk a little with my boss.

Mood:  amorous

Today I went with some of the Sisters to a showing of The Sound of Music...preformed with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.  It was awesome to watch and I had the experience of bonding with some of the sisters.  I'm always glad for an opportunity like that!

I got to represent the community in a game of musical chairs (in which the vocation director was also playing) along with Sisters from different orders.  The winner got money for her congregation (500 dollars).  I didn't last very long, but I got to take home a chair (which I'm giving to my local community because they can use it more than me).  I was just happy to play the game.  One of the times one sister went to sit down in a chair but I was already in it...  (I was warned before I started not to knock any sisters over during the game).  I'm honored that the Sisters allowed me to represent the congregation in this way :-)

Mood:  amorous

Jesus is my Saviour.  I want to devote myself to living a life for Him. 

 Can one be in love with a religious congregation?  Every time I'm with the Sisters (during a big gathering), I feel as if I'm in love.  It's really strange, but I'm on cloud nine whenever there's a big gathering of the Sisters of Notre Dame that I'm allowed to participate in.  I realize that there'll be plenty of ups and downs in my time ahead, but I feel that I've finally found somewhere that I can be myself and be accepted for who I am...and it's in a community that has a link with Saint Julie Billiart!!!  What more could I ask for?

I feel as if I could throw my lot in with these women and I'd be the happier for it!  People are always telling me now that I look and seem alot happier since I've been living with the Sisters.

Mood:  hug me

I had an awesome end of the week.  Sunday I got to see my second Notre Dame  first profession of vows.  I also got to see my friend Sandy and meet her sister.  We also went up on top of the tower at the Heights.  That was one of the the most exciting things that I've done in awhile...I didn't even know people could go up there!  The sights were breath-taking! (I'm a little afraid of heights though).

 The vow ceremony was really nice.  The chapel was really well lit because the stained glass windows were not there because they are being revamped.  The sun was blindingly bright.  The brunch that followed was also nice.  I got to see alot of people that I normally wouldn't have gotten to see.

I love the feeling of being with community.  I really feel as though I belong.  We'll see if this is really where God wants me to be.

I'm having a little trouble at work.  Please keep me in your prayers.

Mood:  celebratory

Yay!  I survived the week that I spent with the two vocation directors from my province of the community.  I owe alot to the Sisters that I live with for "preparing" me for this event since last January (that's how long I've lived with them).  They have taught me how to take jokes and teasing and to dish it back out when the occasion calls for it...and it REALLY called for it this past week.

I was up in Dayton for the Stretch Your Heart service project with Srs JM and ML from this past Sunday until yesterday (Friday).  I helped out with the Bible school week.  I really wished that there was another young woman up there to balance it out, but it was only me.  Oh well..no biggie.  I'm going to need to get used to it because I think I'm the only one discerning with my province right now.  I did get in touch with some women discerning with other communities (or in formation with other communities).  They're going to have some meetings up in Dayton, so it should be awesome!  I'm thinking about going to the meetings, but it's about an hour drive for me.

We saw a Marian collection while we were in Dayton.  There were tons of statues of Mother Mary and also lots of paintings, etc.  We also saw lots of creches (spelling?).

Tomorrow is Sr MJ's first vow ceremony.  I am making her an angel.  I just need to paint it, but I am going to need some more acryllic paints...mine are drying out.  I've got a job to do at the ceremony.  I get to collect all of the gifts off the table and take them downstairs and place them on a table down there.  That sounds easy enough.  I will also get to see Sr SM and her blood sister!  I'm excited about that!

Guess what????  I got two more medals like the one that's hanging in my car!!!  I think I'll take the one out of my car and put in the one I got that's shinier.  Then I'll give the other two medals away.  Sr JM wanted me to give one to my friend Renee, but I don't know if I should or not.  I'm not sure why she mentioned it at all.  Renee's discerning with the Mercy Sisters, so I don't think she'd want a medal of the Sisters of Notre Dame.  Renee, if you're reading this, let me know if you'd like one or not.  Remember it was Sr JM's idea and she can be a nut sometimes...  LOL.

Peace!

Mood:  a-ok

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be gone for the next week or so on a service project with the Sisters of Notre Dame up in Dayton, OH.  We'll be working with the Hispanic population up there helping with Bible School.

I'll be with both of the vocation directors from the area.  That's going to be an interesting thing as I don't think I've stayed anywhere for a long period of time with them...It'll be a true test of my vocation to say the least.  I'm thinking about taking my roller skates.  That would be fun.  Hopefully there will be someplace flat that I can skate up there.

I had a job interview this past Tuesday.  I think it went well, but I'm not so sure I'd take it if it were offered to me.  The place was a daycare center for the children of the people who work for Toyota down here....the place was too big to be considered "homey".  That and the place is like out in the middle of nowhere.

I can't believe that my friend Renee will be leaving in a little bit to go on her year of service.  I'll miss her terribly.  She's been my partner in crime for the past couple of years.  I don't know anyone else who understands discernment of religious life like she does (who is near to my age).

The vocation director that I work with says she's going to talk with some of the Sisters from some of the other communities to see if there are any other candidates out there... I'm just wondering where my "peer" group is.  I can't go to the Intercommunity Discernment group because I've discerned that I want to be with the Sisters of Notre Dame...but I can't go to some of the things that the Sisters do because I'm not quite a Sister yet.  It's a little disheartening to be in between stages....EEK!  We'll see how God handles this one...not that I'm complaining...really, I'm not.

Mood:  happy

Well, a cousin of mine is getting married on Saturday and I'm driving up to Wisconsin.  I hope to see a friend of mine who is a Sister of Divine Saviour up there on my free time.  I really hope we HAVE free time...

Anyways, my mom's going crazy with last minute details.  I'm just ready to go to bed.

Peace!

Mood:  a-ok

Well, I managed to be the only one who signed up for Covington's Stretch Your Heart service week.  I went to Cleveland last year and helped out up there.  It was awesome from what I can remember, but the vocation director got a little camera-happy.  Glad to see that none of the pictures of me showed up on anything that I know of.  I'm shy about that...oh well, guess I'd better get used to it.

 Anyways, I'm in charge of learning the motions to the music provided and then trying to teach them to the two vocation directors who are running this thing.  We're going to help out with Bible School up in Dayton, OH.  So...do any of you know anyone who might want to come help?  Don't quote me on this, but I think the "Stretch Your Heart" program is one of the "vocations"-run programs.  Doesn't it defeat the purpose when someone who is a candidate signs up for it and no one else does?  I thought that they're trying to attract people... I'm already attracted...  LOL!

Tomorrow is my meeting with the vocation director.  Pray for me that it goes ok.  Last time didn't go too well because I was not prepared.  That and something else was going on at work.  I feel prepared this time around.

Sr J will be making her first vows in a few more weeks.  I'm excited to see that!  That would be the second SND vow ceremony that I've witnessed...the first being Sr SM's up in Chardon.  That was awesome in itself!  I hear that all of the women who were novices together will be coming down for Sr J's ceremony, so I can't wait to see them again!  Escpecially Sr SM.

God is good!

Mood:  silly

Well.  July 4th was our big celebration at the Heights.  I was alot of fun!  I got to work a couple of the booths.  First my friend Renee and I started out in the Club 13 booth, but all the tickets got sold out, so we went to the Fruit booth.  We then helped to close that one down as well.  We had a blast!

Then the provincial came over to the house for a game of dominoes.  I won that game!  I was sooo excited, but I didn't rub it in.  I also got something cleared up that I was a little concerned about.  I'm glad that's off my chest.

One of the Sisters up in Toledo (I think she's in Toledo?) sent me some recipes that I'm going to try out for my cooking... Today I just bought a pizza and cooked it.  (Cheating, I know...but oh well.).  Sr ML came over to eat and play dominoes with us.  Sr MN won, though.  Sr MSuz is out of town and I already miss her.

In a couple of weeks, I'll be going up to Dayton to help out with the Stretch Your Heart service opportunity that the Sisters are doing up there.  I'm looking forward to it, but so far, I'm the only one signed up for it.  I think that it defeats that purpose that I'm the only one signed up because I think it's a vocation thing...and I'm already a candidate...so it's not attracting me...  I wish there were someone else!

Well, going to close for now.  I can't seem to get into my blog at work anymore, so I might not be able to post as often.  Sad...

Mood:  chillin'

Well, cooking went well.  The hamburgers were good...as far as I know they were...that's what the vocation director told me.  I'm glad she liked my cooking.  I also served some leftovers from the week or so before.  That was good too!  Even reheated it was good.  It was a Greek pasta bowl dish.

I put out my new candle.  It's in a sunflower candle holder and smells like lavendar.  Most of the Sisters who smelled it said that they couldn't smell much at all.  I thought it smelled nice.  Oh well.  I still like it.  The light from the candle shines through the glass around it and the sunflowers are painted on the glass.  It's really pretty.

Well, I'm spending the weekend with my dad.  My mom's in Maryland, so my dad needs lots of help.  I miss my Sisters while I'm away.  Sr MN is the only one there right now because Sr MSuz is on retreat and Sr BC is at the Heights for the Summer.  It's just her and Prince (the dog).  Hope the dog survives...LOL...

We're having a July 4th celebration at the Heights from 2-7.  Please come if you're able.  It's a BIG fundraiser for the Sisters.  I might work in one of the booths..just don't know if I am going to or not, and which booth...  It'll be interesting to see if I've been signed up to work one or not.

Well, take care and God bless.