Phenomenal Christmas

I know it's only the third day of Christmas, but so far it has been a phenomenal one. I was actually dreading this Christmas a ton, but it actually ended up being the best Christmas (eve and day and all in between) that I can remember (and I have a darn good memory, especially when it comes to good stuff :D). It would take too long to relive all the things that made it so great, so I will try to sum-up. (PS. this is the updated version, with pictures, finally)

Here is Kateri's "Top Ten Reasons Christmas ROCKED" list:

10. The Fort: Even though it took place the day after Christmas, Mike and I still had fun being young again, and we made a huge fort in our living room, and camped out in it all night. It was crazy, and goofy, and made him so happy - as weird as it is for a 29 year old, I still loved it!


9. Mari & Kelly: Mari's partner Kelly was able to join us for the holidays, and it was great having hir! It was especially great seeing how cute and happy they are together!


8. The White Christmas: I loved all the snow! And it was a blast trudging through the snow to Kristie's place to sleep, and watching as my uncles plowed every driveway in the neighborhood so everyone could make it to Christmas Day (not to mention everyone being safe during their travels despite the white-ness)

7. Spanish Bedtime Story: Dad gave me a few of my favorite kids books in Spanish, and Mari read one to me Christmas Eve night - it was really fun, especially since I haven't been read a bedtime story in ages!

6. AMAZING gifts: I had lots of fun giving gifts this year, and feel like we gave things people really enjoyed (I love thinking about what people will want and putting together the 'perfect' gift). Plus, I got incredible gifts myself, many unexpectedly overly-incredible....from the Spanish books, to the new camera, to the knife set that Mike wanted (and can't stop playing with....it's really quite scary, but still cute). We've already got half our Christmas lists (now we don't know what to spend our Christmas money on - what we want is already here!). We are so very blessed!


5. BIG family! We had 63 people gathered on Christmas Day...and that was small, considering quite a few people couldn't make it because of the weather or schedules. I love my big family, and the fact that I'm close to them all! Not to mention how much fun it is having a huge game of telephone pictionary going!


4. Isaac: My nephew is so absolutely adorable (just ask Mike - he couldn't stop cooing and talking about how cute he was....and I thought my mother is bad! :D). Isaac was sick Christmas week :( But even not feeling the greatest he was still happy and cute and playful on Christmas. He had SO much fun opening his presents with his teeth, playing with ribbons, and he even joined in the traditional wrapping paper fight! I love him!


3. My immediate family: My whole immediate family made it, despite the weather, for a beautiful evening together. My Godmother from Ohio even made it in, and Grandma joined us as always too. It was a low-key, yet ton of fun, time together. And as opposed to most years, this year felt less chaotic than usual, which made it even more enjoyable. I give it a 12 on a scale of 10!!


2. Laughter: With my family, 'nough said :)


And...the number one reason this Christmas rocked....

1. THE BABY: That's right, Mike and I are finally sharing the news that we're expecting!

Our little one at 6 weeks, the size of a grain of rice...now he/she's the size of an apple - 4 1/2 inches long. We'll have our next ultrasound in a few weeks to see how cute our apple is then :)

We're four months along, due the beginning of June, and excited beyond belief! We told my family (and a few others) at Christmas, and now are working on sharing the news with everyone else. Pray for us, as we've already had several complications and still have a long ways to go. It's scary, as this is our second pregnancy and we lost the first baby (her name was Esperanza, and not having her with us for what would have been her first Christmas is a huge reason why this Christmas was such a dreaded one for me). But we're hopeful that this little one is going to stick with us to the end. We love them so much already (especially since they didn't give mommy any morning sickness :D), and we hope the rest of you will all be able to come to love them too! Thanks in advance for the prayers for us and our growing family!

And with that said, I wish all of you and your families a very blessed Christmas, and a great start to your new year. I hope you are all as blessed as I am feeling! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Difficult Day

Today's a very tough day for me. It's the day I remember someone who I've lost; someone who I love very much and miss constantly! There aren't a lot of words to explain loss or how I'm feeling. But I do offer one of my favorite poems which I have always felt sums up how I feel when I'm mourning. W.H. Auden's poem "Stop all the Clocks:"

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.


Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.


He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.


The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

And a poem I wrote last summer during a very difficult time of grief, entitled "Losing Hope:"

I'm losing Hope.
The joy is gone;
I can't stop crying.
I feel empty and alone,
even in a room full of people.
Home isn't home anymore,
and friends don't feel like friends.
Nothing is the same,
now that things aren't changing.

I'm scared.
I don't know what to do.
I don't want to do anything.
Nothing feels good anymore,
now that I'm feeling better.

My GOD is different to me,
no longer one secure.
Everything I thought I knew,
I now question constantly.
I feel so confused.
I'm tired of asking 'why?'
I'm exhausted.
Nothing helps my heartache,
now that hers stopped beating.

I've lost my Hope.
She's gone to GOD forever.
Both of us now broken.
Nothing makes my heart feel less weighted,
now that my arms are empty.

Nothing is the same,
now that things aren't changing!

Say some prayers for me on this difficult day.
And Happy Birthday Esperanza!

Tradition

I've been thinking lately about traditions. It all started with a conversation the beginning of this month about my family's 2nd annual Girls Night, and whether or not it was already a tradition. I'm still pondering the question of what makes something a tradition - is it the length of time it's been going on? Is it the amount of emotional value placed in it? Is it the amount of people who view it as tradition? Is it something that's passed down (after-all, the word comes from the Latin traditio which means handing or passing on)? Or is it, as Tevye says in "Fiddler," something that helps us know who we are and what is expected?


I still haven't come up with any brilliant insights or decisions for myself on this topic. But what I have determined is regardless of what makes something a tradition, I love them! For a long time I've known I hold onto traditions and have a hard time letting go or changing them. I'm not sure why that is - because I'm such a sentimental person, because of my anxiety which makes me not like change/the unknown, or just because my family has so many traditions that it's hard not to like them (well, at least I think we have a lot....but again that could be because I'm such a fan that I think of things that others don't consider traditions as traditions). Regardless, I think every family should have special traditions, and am so grateful for ours!


And no time reminds me more of this than around the holidays. So, this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my family's Thanksgiving traditions:
- Gathering together as an immediate family
- Making a meal where EVERYONE makes something to contribute to the meal (makes for some interesting meals at times...and always for an interesting kitchen before-hand, but I wouldn't have it any other way!)
- Everyone taking turns saying what they're grateful for during our before-meal prayer
- and even the more recent "cheating" on one of our other family traditions (not listening to Christmas music, watching movies, decorating, etc... until the day after Thanksgiving), by "sneaking" a Christmas movie in late Thanksgiving night :)

Thank you GOD for my beautiful family, for our traditions, for Mike and the chance to start family traditions of our own, and for Thanksgiving and the reminder to tell you how much I am grateful for these and so many other blessings!

GOD bless you all this Thanksgiving - I hope you have as much as I do to be grateful for!

Halloween Heaven

Mike and I hosted our second annual Halloween party - and it was a blast! Check out some of this year's guests...

The bow-hunter

The elderly couple (our contest "best couple" winners....who also made the best dip...yummm!!)

Hannah Montana & Billy Rae

Little Red Riding Hood (our contest "best individual" winner, even without the hood)

The Cat & Mouse (despite the intoxicating noses)

The Princess Bride & Dread Pirate Roberts (and their R.O.U.S)

And last-but-not-least, the (however inappropriate) "Smart-ass" & "Dumb-ass"

In addition to laughing at our creative & CrAzY friends, we also had lots of fun bobbing for apples...

And you're never too old for....TWISTER!!

Thanks to everyone who came & made it a fun (and at times scary) Halloween night! Can't wait until next year!!

Catch-Up

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I've tried, but was having some trouble with my password, and then I just sort of gave up. But I'm back! And now it's time to catch-up. Let's see, here's the top 12 happenings of the last 2 months.....

1. Mike and I got all moved into our new place the end of August, and it definitely feels like home now!

2. We celebrated Grandma's 80th birthday with a big party! (and Mari discovered the joy of potato salad sandwiches) 3. Kristie & Jim celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary (congratulations!) It's hard to believe 25 years ago I was that cute little girl who had to be dragged up the aisle because I was afraid of all those people looking at me (some things never change - even if the cute littleness does) 4. Grandma had her hip replacement surgery, and although she's still homebound, she is recovering nicely (regardless of how much help and attention she pretends she still needs)

5. I took a WONDERFUL vacation with Lisa & Wendy to the North Shore. It was the best weekend I'd had in a long time! And the view wasn't bad either! (you can see all these trip pics at our Kodak gallery) 6. Work's been very busy this fall - with our celebration of International Day of Peace, our 11th annual Harvest for Hope celebration, our 3rd annual World Mission Rosary Day, and TWO delegations from our partner diocese of Maracay, Venezuela (the second of which is here right now). But I love my ministry! (even if my "job" leaves a lot to be desired at times) I also turned in my Lay Ecclesial Ministry portfolio for certification - I've been working on it for nearly two years now, so it felt good to turn it in to the review board, but at the same time is sad - it's like turning over a piece of my heart and soul! 7. Mike had his birthday (and now thinks he's "old" - if complaining about your age makes you old, then I guess he definitely is!) Happy birthday Mi Miguelito!

8. My high school 10 year class reunion took place, although I didn't go to the official one (since I was never officially invited since I'm not on Facebook....just another reason to despise the social/communal damage I believe it does :D). I did, however, spend the night before hanging out with some of our friends from high school, and it was great seeing folks again.

9. We saw "Willy Wonka," the first play that Jesi has helped costume in her new job with GREAT Theatre in St. Cloud. She did a fantastic job!! (and so did the actors - it was a fun show)

10. I finally got Mike to watch "Into the Woods," one of my favorite musicals that I've been telling him about (and singing/quoting from) for the past 4 years. I don't even care if he liked it or not at this point, I'm just so glad for the milestone of getting him to watch it finally!

11. We went to see the Titanic exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. It was very interesting! But the pizza at Monticello's Pizza Factory on the way home was probably my favorite part (it apparently doesn't take a lot to impress me....well, unless you count a lot of cheesy-yumminess!)


And last, but certainly not least,
12. I had my birthday (and am back to being older than Mike....those 17 days are tough having to share my age). Happy birthday to me!

Can't wait to see what the next few months bring!

Moving

This past week and a half has been spent moving. And I'm exhausted! Not only from the physical work: all the packing, hauling, cleaning the old place, unpacking, arranging & re-arranging, transferring utilities, etc, etc, etc.... But it's also been emotionally draining. The apartment we just left was Mike and I's first home together, even though it started out as just mine. It's where we had our first date, our first kiss, where we first said "I love you," our first place to come home to after getting married, hosting our first Christmas and Mother's Day celebrations, our first "Mr. Twisty's" :) and so much more! It's hard to let go of all of that!

But at the same time it's exciting - now we're in our first home that is BOTH of ours TOGETHER right from the start! It's got a long ways to go before it feels as much like a home as our old place did (not to mention before I remember to drive the right way home!), but I think we'll get there.


In fact I'm giving a reflection at the Masses for a parish cluster in our diocese this weekend, and it focuses on the theme of Christ breaking bread (a.k.a. sharing life & community together) and breaking traditions (in order for that community and life to thrive). I didn't even realize it until today that that's what I've been doing these past several days - breaking away from the "tradition" of our old home, yet preparing to break bread and break the many possibilities of our life wide open together in new ways for our years to come!

So here's to the OLD - the amazing memories and a love that was begun.

Our old apartment (we were the two windows to the right of the door on the bottom)

Our old living room (hidden somewhere under the mess of boxes)

Our old (tiny) kitchen and dining room

Us in our empty apartment on our last day - good bye Auburn Cove!

And here's to the NEW- the anticipation of new memories and love growing ever stronger!

Our new living room - complete with patio, lots of natural light, and a welcome balloon from our new property managers!

Our new kitchen/dining room - look at all that space, all those cupboards, that fancy chandelier, the breakfast bar....and even the closet that hiding our own washer and dryer - wahoo!

More counter and cupboard (and mirror) space than we know what to do with in a bathroom!

And our bedroom, with a window that Mike loves because it lets in a cool breeze on his side of the bed for a change, and Lexi loves because she can do her kittie spying on whatever lurks outside :)


PS. Thank you to everyone who helped us with all the moving and cleaning this past week - we're so blessed to have the community of support we have! Thank you!!

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Today is my Goddaughter Lucy's birthday. I still remember when she was a baby - she's growing up too fast I say, but she's still adorable & a ton of fun!

I got to have a picnic lunch with her and her family today, and it was the perfect break in my work day. Thanks for the invitation, and great birthday celebration Lucy!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Camping

Mike and I went camping this past weekend at Savanna Portage State Park near McGregor, MN. It was wonderful!! Here are a few highlights:

We went canoeing on Wolf Lake. We had the entire lake all to ourselves!! Not a cabin or resort in site, no other boaters, nothing but us and the lake plants!!

Until the wind and waves picked up and the sky turned gray....

We did lots of walking/hiking on the various trails and around the different lakes. Including the interpretive bog walk...

And around Beaver Pond (where we saw some beavers heading home!)

Our campsite had a view of, and private trail down to, Lake Shumway...and lovely sunsets

And on our way home we stopped at Sagamore Mine Lake in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. It was beautiful, with crystal-clear water

Overall it was a great weekend, and the best part was just relaxing with Mike for three whole days!!!

To see all our camping pictures, view our 2009 Photo Gallery (the camping pics are at the end of the slideshow).