California Love

Enjoying our week with my family... and so excited for Christmas to be here!!

Lovely Weekend

In the midst of the chaos of this season, I had a lovely day on Saturday. I told my hubby I needed a few hours to myself and went to the Shrine for the morning. It is one of the most beautiful places in DC and when I am there I get nostalgic for my grad school days. I was able to go to Confession, Mass and do a little shopping in the gift shop. I also prayed especially for my prayer buddy. It was exactly what I needed.

I love this statue of the Holy Family

I lit a candle for my prayer buddy at the chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes (the one way at the bottom left.)

Some books that looked good, and I didn't want to forget the titles. :)


Saturday night my hubby and I had a date night. We had a babysitter lined up, but hadn't decided what we were going to do. I was so excited when he told me that he found tickets for that night's performance of Handel's Messiah at the Kennedy Center (another special place because it's where we got engaged!) It was so wonderful to get dressed up and enjoy the gorgeous music. The entire text of this famous work is from Scripture and I was blown away to think that it has been performed every year since it was written.
Inside the beautiful concert hall.

On the rooftop, where we got engaged over seven years ago - you can see the monuments behind us. (sorry for the bad quality, it was with my phone.)


Things are so busy and crazy this time of year. I am grateful for such a lovely day to stop and reflect on the true meaning of the season. I will teach my last class this morning, and tonight we fly to California for Christmas!

Quick Takes

(1) I'm alive. I'm still here. Maybe you didn't notice that I was "gone" but it feels like forever since I blogged. And for some reason it's harder for me to post once it's been awhile, I guess I feel to pressure to make it a good one... or maybe I think it has to be long since I'm catching up. I love the convenience of Quick Takes!

(2) Things have been busy over here - two long plane trips less than a week apart (California for my reunion and then Nebraska for Thanksgiving) - and it doesn't help that Tommy got sick as soon as we returned. Thankfully he's on the mend now, but it lasted for almost a week and unfortunately, today I'm starting to feel sick. And of course we are busy getting everything together for Christmas. We always travel to see our families, so I feel the pressure of getting everything done even earlier because we usually leave town a week or so before Christmas. The good news is I think I'm almost done with everything on my to do list.

(3) Advent is one of my favorite seasons and I'm trying my hardest to stay focused on the true reason for the season. Participating in prayer buddies really helps. It's easier for me to be diligent about praying when I know it's for someone else. Especially when I'm praying specifically for thier intentions.

(4) I was nominated by two bloggers for the Liebster Award! Thank you to E from Finding Joy in Every Journey and C from Always Giving Thanks.
(5) I am taking a Beginners Knitting class and it's so much fun! I learned a long time ago from a friend, but I definitely needed to re-learn. I'm hoping to make a hat as my first project.

(6) I have left three messages at Dr. S's office this week and haven't heard back from them. My HCG prescription has run out and I really need them to fax it in so they can ship my order. Hopefully I hear back from them soon.

(7) Santa came a little early at our house... my hubby and I decided to get a new camera as our gift to ourselves. I have admired my friends' cameras for awhile now (coveted perhaps?) and we decided on the Nikon D3100 digital SLR. I'm so excited!! Any advice from those of you with a similar camera?

Go Big Red!

I married into the Nebraska Cornhusker family and it's been fun to have another team to cheer for. My brother in law gave us his tickets and watched Tommy for us to we could go to the game on Friday. The game started at 11:00am, so we were actually at a bar at 9:30am for some pre-game fun. The balloons in the air are from the first score. It was a great game and the Huskers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes!

Thanksgiving in Nebraska

We arrived in Nebraska on Monday night and have been enjoying our time here. Looking forward to attending the Nebraska-Iowa game tomorrow. Go Big Red!

Trying pickles for the first time.

Meeting our friends' two-week-old baby girl Clara.

Enjoying drinks and a smoke on the deck.

Catching Up

I went to my 10-year college reunion last weekend and it was so much fun! Tommy and I were in California from Thursday to Tuesday. The reunion took place during Homecoming weekend - so we also went to the football game. Thankfully Tommy continues to be a very good traveler. I have been blessed with nice neighbors and empty seats around me for all my flights with him. It's still exhausting to do it without my husband, but it's worth it for some time at home with my family. It's been a busy couple of days here at home since we returned and we leave town again on Monday evening to spend Thanksgiving week with my husband's family in Nebraska. Whew! Here are a few pictures from our trip...

On campus before the game.


Tommy meets "Tommy Trojan"


Before kickoff with Grandpa and Grandma


Tommy actually napped for 45 minutes during the game!


Having fun in the backyard


Tommy is still in love with flags!


It was warm enough to go swimming


Story time with my brother and sister-in-law


Checking out the geese at the park


With my BFF at the reunion

Mommy and Me

Tommy and I have been going to a Mommy and Me class lately. While the timing isn't great - Tommy still takes a morning nap - it has been fun to get out and play with other kids. It's hosted by a Montessori school and I've enjoyed watching Tommy in a "school" setting. He even came home with his first art project. That being said, I can't believe how many of my friends are already making pre-school plans for their toddlers. That just seems crazy to me!

Happy Halloween (Moo!)

Happy Halloween from our little cow. He had so much fun trick-or-treating tonight!

Homestudy Approved

Hallelujah!! We are (finally) homestudy approved!! We got the paperwork this week. Once we turn in our photo album and letter, we will officially be on the waiting list. Now the praying and waiting can begin. :)

St. Jude, pray for us.

Fabulous Weekend

I had a fabulous birthday weekend, thanks to my sweet husband who really spoiled me. He ran out Saturday morning to pick up some yummy Panera treats and also came back with a bouquet of beautiful flowers. When I woke up I found a card with a very sweet note from him. Am I the only one who keeps every single card/note/letter from their hubby?? It's pretty clear that "Words of Affirmation" is one of my primary love languages. (If you haven't read this book about love languages, you definitely should get it!!) My hubby made sure that I had a relaxing day by taking care of the dishes and diapers all day long. I was in heaven. :)

My gift this year is the new iPhone 4S - it should be arriving very soon. I'm so excited!

My dear friend/college roommate happened to be in town from North Carolina. She treated me to lunch and it was so wonderful to catch up with her. My hubby and I spent the evening watching the USC vs. Notre Dame game and I'm happy to report that I got my birthday wish (a USC victory!) My hubby had picked up my favorite dessert - Coldstone Ice Cream Cupcakes - so we celebrated with those.

We continued to have a lovely and relaxing day on Sunday. We had PF Changs for dinner that night. It was so wonderful to not do any cooking, cleaning or grocery shopping all weekend long. We also got to taste my husband's home-brewed beer for the first time. It was delicious!

Don't worry, we didn't let Tommy drink any:


Tommy wearing his USC jersey:

Quick Takes

(1) I made these Apple Bars yesterday and they were super yummy! Extra bonus, it made my house smell delicious. Just one of the many joys of fall.

(2) Tomorrow is my birthday! I've already received some sweet cards and gifts in the mail which is fun. I love hearing from all my friends and family. (Thank you Facebook for reminding everyone - ha ha.) While I don't have any big party plans like I did when I turned 30, I'm looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend at home.

(3) Two other big events are taking place tomorrow. As I already mentioned, it's the first ever Feast of Blessed John Paul II. Secondly - and perhaps not as important - it is the USC vs. Notre Dame game. For the first time in awhile ND is predicted to win, so it should be a good game. My parents, brother and sister-in-law all traveled to South Bend for the game. I wish I could be there with them!

(4) One of the trips I'm taking next month is for my 10-year college reunion. I'm on the planning committee and I'm really looking forward to seeing some old friends. It's taking place during Homecoming weekend, so I'm also excited about going to the football game.

(5) Nothing new to report with my cycles. I am still taking post-peak HCG injections each month and I will see Dr. S again in January. At this point, I don't know what else to do regarding my fertility, so I mostly try not to think about it. I trust that it's all in the Lord's hands, but it's starting to feel like we will never conceive.

(6) We are still waiting on our adoption agency to send us the completed Homestudy report. I feel like this has been the slowest process ever! Granted, I am probably the most impatient person ever. Apparently the woman in charge is on maternity leave (ironic?) so someone else is taking over her duties. It's been a week since I last heard from the SW and I gave in and emailed her yesterday. Once we approve of the completed report, we will turn in our letter and photo album and officially be back on the waiting list.

(7) Has anyone started their Christmas shopping? I would like to get a jump-start so that I am not overwhelmed during the holidays. We will be traveling quite a bit in November and December, and we'll be shipping most of our gifts. Any tips for shopping online and finding good deals?

October 22

I couldn't believe it when I learned this week that Blessed John Paul II's feast day is October 22 - my birthday!! I guess this decision was made in April around the time of his beatification, but I never heard or read about it. That date was chosen because it is the date he became Pope (in 1978.)

As you might have noticed, I'm a huge nerd when it comes to saints, feast days and the liturgical calendar. I love praying novenas that lead up to saint's feast days - especially the ones I admire most or have a strong devotion to. JP2 is no exception.

For most of my life, JP2 was the only pope I knew. I took for granted just how special he was - his intelligence, holiness and charisma. It was in grad school that I really learned more about him and truly fell in love with him. Most especially his teachings on the Theology of the Body.

I studied theology at the Pope John Paul II Institute - founded by the pope himself. In 1980 JP2 decided to establish theological centers devoted to the study of the Church's teachings on marriage and family. He was going to announce this during his Wednesday audience on May 13, 1981 - but that was the fateful day of the assassination attempt. Thankfully he survived that famous shooting and was able to establish the Institute the following year. There are twelve locations around the world that are dedicated to this mission, including one here in DC. You can follow this link for more information if you are interested.

It just so happens that I was studying at the Institute in 2005 when Blessed John Paul II died. I will never forget that day or the day when Pope Benedict was elected. It was such a joy to experience these momentous occasions with my professors and classmates. If you've ever spent time at Catholic University (where we took classes) you know that it feels like a mini-Vatican around there.

During our pilgrimage to Lourdes/Rome in the spring of 2010 we visited JP2's tomb and I was completely overwhelmed. My hubby and I were able to stay and pray at his grave for awhile. It was such a powerful experience.

I still can't believe that his feast day is on my birthday! I feel honored (which is silly) but in some way I feel a more special connection to him because of it.

Blessed John Paul II - pray for us.

By the way, I know a special little guy who shares my same birthday... GIMH's sweet boy Ethan who turns two this weekend! :)

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday was a gorgeous fall day around here and we had a lovely time at the pumpkin patch!








Hard to believe this is what our little pumpkin looked like last year. I love that we are starting to have annual traditions.

New Park

The park near our house has been renovating the playground all summer long and it finally opened last weekend. Tommy and I checked it out today and it's amazing! It's mostly geared towards older kids, but they also have a nice tots area. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon on a gorgeous fall day.