There's No Place Like Home

"There's no place like home.  There's no place like home.  There's no place like home."
-Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz

If you didn't recognize this quote right away please go watch The Wizard of Oz directly after reading this post.  You are seriously missing out on an incredible part of culture and you need to see!!!
Now that we have that out of the way I want to talk about home. There are many definitions of home in the dictionary, from a place where one lives to a place where elderly are cared for.  In all these definitions home is a physical place where a person or group of people resides.  My definition of home goes beyond a building.  Home is the place where our hearts find unconditional love and acceptance.  Home isn't just a house or building but is rather tied to a group of people that show us this love and acceptance.  
I personally have many homes.  There are so many places in this world that will always hold a piece of my heart and will always be places I consider home.  Delvin, Co. Westmeath in Ireland is a place I will always consider home.  Its where I spent a year of my life and formed bonds that molded the person I am today and will continually affect my life.  Even Panajachel, Guatemala is a place I consider home even though I was only there a week.  Part of my heart will always be with the people I met in that beautiful country.  The home I want to talk about tonight however is Laramie.
Laramie is the place I was born, the place I grew up, the place I made the best friends a girl could ask for.  Almost my whole family on my dad's side lives in Laramie.  I grew up with many cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents around, even an adopt-a-grandma as I affectionately call her.  I was always spending time playing with my cousins and learning from my grandparents.  I am so incredibly blessed that I was able to see my family all the time and have that growing up.  It is one of the things I am most grateful for in life. Because of my experience growing up I value family above pretty much everything else.  My family taught me about love and acceptance and set the tone for the rest of my life
When I got to college I found myself back in Laramie after a year of missionary work and to be honest I was a little nervous about being back home.  I was afraid everything would be different and I wouldn't fit in at home any more.  I should have know that if it is truly home you will always have a place there.  The place I found a new group of friends and an extended family was at St. Paul's Newman Center.  This parish welcoming me home with open arms and is the place I met the ladies of 1823 Garfield.  Part of the Newman's Center's ministry is to rent out houses behind the church to college students in the community.  My first senior year (yes I was one of those students who took a victory lap!) is when I found a home in one of these houses.   I lived in the house for women with 7 of the most amazing women I have met.  We also adopted a couple others that we called room mates even though they never lived in the house.  During my five years of college, and particularly the 2 years I lived in that house, I was able to build relationships with these women that I believe will last a lifetime.  We shared everything from joys to sorrows to failures to great successes.  

Some of my beautiful roommates!!!

1823 Garfield is my home but not because the house was anything special.  The house was actually nothing special at all, in fact one room mate and I often argued over whether the microwave was a death trap or vintage.  The reason that place is home is because we shared our hearts with one another and found unconditional love and acceptance in that house.  I consider those women sisters.  Our relationship is so much stronger than just friendship.  We are truly sisters with a connection that is rooted in our relationship with the Lord.  Faith and a love of the Lord helped 8 seemingly very different women build a family.  
Now that we are all graduated from college we have spread all over Wyoming and Colorado.  This does not mean we are not still a family and there for one another.  Our love of one another spreads across the states and we continue to bound together through faith and the Eucharistic.  We come together each week at the Eucharistic table and in our prayers as we hold one another up in prayer.  We still have a home with each other in our hearts.  The house is not what made the home.  I recently went back to the house and without the traces of my room mates it was just a house.  Out home is not tied to the house but rather to our love for one another.  As long as we continue to love one another and work to develop our relationships our hearts will always have a home, no matter how far apart we may be.
I have been blessed with so many places I can call home.  I pray for each one of you that you have places you call home.  To have a place where you are loved unconditionally is the greatest gift anyone of us can be given.  If you have not been blessed to have a place like this pray that God gives you a home because He will.  If you are blessed to have a place to call home continue to develop those relationships and build on those because home is the most important thing we can foster.  

The Bucket List: Straight No Chaser

One of my favorite groups ever since their YouTube video of the 12 Days of Christmas went viral 7 years ago has been Straight No Chaser.  For those of you who don't know who they are, they are an acappella group that was formed in the late 90's at Indiana University.  I know some of you may be thinking acappella is lame and cheesy.  To you I respond that you must not have heard these guys!
Straight No Chaser is a group of friends that sing covers of any type of music you could imagine.  On their latest album they sing a little bit of everything for Jolene with Dolly Parton to Signed Sealed Delivered with Stevie Wonder to Adele to Lego House by Ed Sheeran and tons of other styles.  Not only do they make incredible music but they also put on a great show.
Some of you may have noticed many of my bucket list have something to do with music.  One of these happens to be to see Straight No Chaser live.  Well, I can now cross that off my list!!
On Saturday October 26th I celebrated with my mom her birthday at a Straight No Chaser concert.  We of course went shopping and had a nice dinner before the show but the guys were the main attraction.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see this group.  This night was something I had been counting down to and dreaming of for so long!  They were definitely worth the wait.
The show was amazing.  The music was as wonderful as I imagined.  The guys were more beautiful than their pictures and funny to add a cherry on top.  The show met all my expectations and I even got meet the guys and get their autographs after the show.(Yes I was that girl who stood in line to get their autographs like a 13 year old girl and no I was not ashamed of it!!!)
While all that was amazing I have to say the best part about the night was spending it with my mom.  I love my mom very must.  She is the best mother a girl could ask for.  She loves and supports my brother and I without being afraid to tell us when she thinks we're being dumb.  Although she always lets us make our own decisions, even the dumb ones.  Whether our decisions lead to a fall or happiness she is there to support us and rejoice with us.  She is one of the most selfless people I know.  I mean, for her birthday she went to see one of my favorite groups  She likes them but I know she went for me.  Being able to experience that show with my mom made it so much more special.  
Living your dreams isn't all about the things you do o the places you go but the people with whom you share those experiences.  I think I've said it before and I'll say it again, living a full life includes other people who you  love and who love you in return.  What's that line in Moulin Rough, "The greatest thing you'll ever love is to love and be loved in return."  That has always been one of my favorite lines in that movie because I think it is so true.  Love is at the heart of all we do and if we can understand that basic principle our lives will be full, rich and happy. 

Check out the original 12 Days of Christmas! 

... and one of the songs off their new album.

Ways My Life is Not Like the Movies...and Why its OK!!!!

So, this post is coming after a night of eating coconut creme pie, knitting and watching The Lucky One alone in my living room.  I know you are all jealous of my Friday nights!!!  But anyways, I finished watching the movie and automatically the first thought I had was, "I wish my life was like that!"  Then I started to think about how often I say or think that after watching a movie and how much time I spend wishing my life were something else, like something I'd seen in a movie.  Then I started to think about how unrealistic this was and all the ways my life is not like a movie (don't worry, I won't list them all!).  I know a lot of people have commented on the unrealistic expectations movies and TV shows give us but I decided I wanted to put my two cents in as well. I don't think my thoughts are that original but if you are struggling with self-esteem or feeling unfulfilled in your life I hope this helps a little bit.
Now, my life is definitely not like a movie in many many ways and for a very long time I was disappointed with this.  I was disappointed that my life wasn't a Disney fairy tale or like a cute and funny Romantic Comedy.  I built up this ideal of what life should be like in my head that modeled the movies I loved to watch.  I'm sure you girls know what I'm talking about.  I wanted to be like Belle, sing like Ariel, have a love story like The Notebook and if I could kick butt like a Charlie's Angel that would just be icing on the cake!  But turns out life isn't exactly like this.
First of all, I am an incredibly awkward person.  I tend to be super awkward in group settings.  I may be that girl who busts out really bad dance moves at really inappropriate times.  When that awkward silence happens where nobody really knows what to say I either dance or sing, which isn't much better.  So given my awkwardness, you can imagine the easy, witty banter and flirting that happens in those romantic comedies doesn't exactly happen for me.  In fact, I often run away from cute guys like a junior high girl, despite the fact that I am 25.  I know, its awesome!!!  Don't even get me started on the kissing scenes.  That's a whole other level of awkward.
The second thing I blame for my feelings of an unfulfilled life at 18 is Disney Princess movies. I love the Disney Princesses as much as the next girl but please, if there is a girl out there who can honestly tell me those movies didn't give her unreal expectations about love I would love to meet her!  I mean, they all get married at like 16 so you when I hit 21 and was still single I was pretty convinced I was an old maid and was doomed to a life as a spinster.  Plus, no guy had slayed a dragon for me or kissed me out a spell, literally or metaphorically, so therefore no guy was ever going to love me.  I do love to read so at least I had that going for me.  I knew there was a reason I loved Belle.  She gave me hope!
Finally, I will never be a Charlie's Angel.  I consider it a good day when I make it through without falling down, running into something or dropping my lunch down the front of my shirt.  Hand eye coordination was never really my thing.  Plus, I bruise like a peach and people would definitely start to ask questions.  I mean, concealer can only do so much after all.
So, its safe to say my life doesn't look anything like a movie.  My hair never looks that good!  But in all seriousness this is something I have struggled with for a long time and still struggle with.  I know many girls out there share in this struggle with self-esteem and unreal expectations about life that is so often fed by the media and images that surround us.  I also know this isn't just something women face.  I know men face similar issues, maybe not wanting to be a Disney Princess or be kissed by Ryan Gossling but I know there are other things.  Perhaps those struggles are self image or what it means to be a man.  So, even though I am a girl and can't exactly understand wanting to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger  I speak to you too.
It's OK that our lives are not like the movies! Movies aren't real life.  It take hours of hair and make-up and multiple takes to create what we expect to happen in our daily lives with no professional stylist or beauty team and no extra takes.  We can't expect our lives to be like the movies because while the movies are meant to portray real life it isn't realistic to expect the same results in our own daily lives.  Sure, we may have those moments of life that look like a movie but most of the time life is awkward and messy and there are no dragons or magic spells.  In real life we are awkward and make fools of ourselves and its totally OK! Its totally OK because most movies in our culture today are missing the most important aspect of the real world.  They are missing something that is even better than the "perfect" love scene.  They are missing the perfect love of God.
See, the reason its OK our lives aren't like movies is because  we have a God who loves us unconditionally, even if we can't master beach waves or kung fu!  Even if we aren't a size zero and totally geek out about classical music God loves us.  We are created in God's image and likeness and He loves us unconditionally.  No matter how awkward I may be or how many times I fail I know God loves me and that is so much better than the movies.
So rather than striving for a life like the "perfect" ones we see on television let's embrace the life God has given us, awkward dance moves and all.  It is a daily struggle to put away all those expectations that build up over the years.  I know.  I still struggle with it.  But rather than trying to over come them ourselves let's give them up to God and let Him transform our vision and expectations for the life He has given us.  Then call your best friend and go embrace the life you have been given.  We are called to walk together.  Christ never said we had to do it alone, so don't.  Gather around yourself a community that will build you up and support you in embracing your life.
Above all, remember God loves you and will help you live your dream life!

The Bucket List: Do Something Spontaneous

I'm by nature a planner.  I'm not very spontaneous.  I like to have a plan and when there is a plan it stresses me out to deviate from it.  In spite of this in my new mission to live out my bucket list of new dreams and a full life I added, Do Something Spontaneous to the list.  I wanted to add things to my bucket list that would challenge me and this was definitely one of those things.
Going back a bit, 6 weeks to be exact, I moved to Cheyenne to start a new job.  I didn't really know many people so I decided that if people asked me to do something I would say yes.  So the few people I knew started asking me to do things and I started saying yes.  I was a little like Jim Carey in that movie Yes Man although not quite to that extreme.  I didn't go sky diving or anything, just to a rodeo, which if you know me you know that isn't exactly my scene.
I happened to move to Cheyenne the week of Cheyenne Frontier Days, which just happens to be one of the biggest rodeos around.  The Daddy of 'Em All takes over the town for about 2 weeks and for some reason the town always seems to think the week of the rodeo is a great time to start construction so you can't get anywhere between traffic and traffic cones.  Although it can be hassle it does provide a lot to do and for the first time in my life I took full advantage of the festivities the rodeo provided.  I said yes to opportunities that gave me an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone in an attempt to build a sense of community in my new town.  I went to bull riding, rodeos, and a Toby Keith concert.  I had a great week at the rodeo and was so glad that I said yes to those things.
So, a week after CFD when a friend asked me to go down to Denver with her for a Brad Paisley concert that night I said yes.  I definitely did not wake up planning on attending a concert that night.  My day was not going to go according to plan.  In fact, I was planning on playing in a softball game and heading to bed early given how tired I was and the early morning I had the next day.  All of these things were going through my head and I almost said no but then I thought of my bucket list and the dream I had to live life to the full and said yes.  I knew I may not get another chance to see one of my favorite artists and knew I couldn't say no.  Two people said no going to the concert and it was like God was giving me this amazing gift and all I had to say was yes.
Saying yes led to one of the coolest experiences of my life.  I had a great chat with my friend as we drove down to Denver and the openers were really good.  Then it was Brad's turn and from the first chord I knew I had made the right choice.  The concert started with the song, Southern Comfort Zone and as I sang along I was reminded of home and how much I love my home state, even if it isn't in the south.  After being away so long I am happy to be home and near all those I love.  This song and most of Brad's songs remind me of things I love and speak to my heart.  This wasn't just about entertainment but an experience of love and really God reminding me of what an amazing life He has given me.
The bow that wrapped up this beautiful gift God gave me came about halfway through the concert.  Brad's band looked to be leaving and he began making his way through the crowd and everyone, including myself, began craning their necks to see him and asking the question, "Where is he going?" Then we got an answer and all I could say was, "I can't believe this is happening!"  See, Brad stopped at the end of my row where a secondary stage was set up and so began the "unplugged" portion of the concert.  Brad Paisley, one of my favorite singers, was 10 feet away singing I'm Still a Guy which just happens to be one of my dad and I's favorite songs.  A love of Brad Paisley is something my dad and I share so hearing one of his favorite songs just reminded of that bond we share and once again Brad's concert was about more than just entertainment.  Brad sang about 3 songs on the secondary stage before heading back to the main stage to finish his concert.
The concert ended and we headed home with a firm love for Brad Paisley.  His concert was one of graciousness, humility and love.  From giving a signed guitar to a little girl to bringing  his openers back on stage Brad displayed a love for others and a great humility.  That's what made the concert so great.  Plus he's just an amazing musician.
So, I have checked do something spontaneous off my list and it was an amazing experience but I definitely don't think it will be the last spontaneous thing I do.  I want to continue to embrace the experiences that come my way to live life to the full and I encourage you to do the same.  I can't guarantee every experience will be great.  I don't expect all spontaneous choices to be good but I know I can learn and grow from them which is why I will continue to choose them.  Choosing a life and Living a Dream is about embracing those opportunities in life that help us to grow.  So, do something spontaneous and embrace the gifts of experiences God want to give you.

The Bucket List

I've always thought about my bucket list and talked about things I wanted to do before I died.  This was only a thought and an abstract concept in my jumbled up brain for a long time however, until about 6 months ago when my bucket list was born.  I was hanging out with my friend and we couldn't decide what to do for the afternoon.  See, we lived in a tiny town of about 400 people in the middle of farming country in Ireland where there wasn't a whole lot to do so I decided we should make bucket lists.  So, crayons in hand we set about writing our bucket lists.  There were some things I had dreams about my whole life and some things I found on other bucket lists and internet research that made the list.  I think there is something so important about writing out your dreams and making them something tangible.  Writing down that bucket list somehow made it more real and has given me the drive to actually start achieving some of those dreams.
Why am I telling you all of this you might ask?  Well, just like I believe putting that list down in writing made it more real I believe telling others about my dreams will make me more accountable to those and I'm hoping by telling you all about my dreams you can help me achieve them.  See, accomplishing things on a bucket list is as much about the people you accomplish them with as the actual event.  I want to give you the chance to share in my dreams and grow with me.  I want your help in achieving these goals.  So, I am going to write my bucket list here and as I finish things I will write about them and bring you into the adventure.

THE LIST!
Visit All 7 Marian Apparition Sites
Go on Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Go to Christ the Redeemer in Rio
Bring Others to Christ
Go to Where St. Gianna Lived
Read the Whole Bible
Run a Marathon
Go Bungee Jumping
Walk the Wicklow Way
Climb One of the World's Seven Summits
Sing at a Karaoke Bar
Play an Open Mic Night
Read the New York Time Bestseller List
Hike an Active Volcano
Learn to Water Ski
Become Fluent in Another Language
Go Cliff Jumping
Play in a Band
Learn to Sew
Learn to Beatbox
Do Something Spontaneous
Work in an African Orphanage
Complete Five Random Acts of Kindness
Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen
Volunteer in India
Grow Out and Donate My Hair
Visit Every State
Visit All US National Parks
Go Geo-caching
See All American Baseball Fields
Hike the Appalachian Trail
Go to Nashville
Drive Route 66 From Start to Finish
Go to Washington D.C.
Go Wine Tasting in Napa Valley
Go to Disney World
Break a Plate on Purpose
Ride an Elephant
Go on a Cruise
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
Swim with Dolphins
Ride in a Helicopter
Go to the World Series
Take a Photography Class
Attend an Olympic Games
See the Northern Lights
Go Paint-balling
Watch Sea Turtles Hatch and Make for the Sea
Watch a Sun Rise and Set in One Day
Witness a Solar and Lunar Eclipse
See Ground Zero
Go Whale Watching
Ride a Jet-Ski
Take Ballroom Dance Lessons
Ride the Ten Largest Roller Coasters in the US
Watch 100 Greatest Movies to Date (2013)
Meet Someone Famous
Go to a World Cup
Catch a Fly Ball at a Major League Baseball Game
Ride in a Horse-Drawn Carriage
Eat Breakfast in Bed
Take a Cooking Class
Go to Canvas and Cocktails
Adopt Children
Get Married
Become a Keynote Speaker
Be Environmentally Conscious
Be Financially Stable
Maintain a High Level of Fitness
Let God Love Me
Love Myself
Be a Godmother
Learn to Trust
Live Life to the Full
Get a Master's Degree
Set Foot on Every Continent
Scuba Dive Off the Great Barrier Reef
Ride the Rocky Mountaineer
Visit Machu Pichu
See the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World
See the Seven Modern Wonders of the World
Go to Italy
Kayak in the Bio-luminescent Bay of Fijardo, Puerto Rico
Go to the Amazon Rainforest
See Niagra Falls in US and Canada
Go to a World Expo
Attend a Lantern Festival in Taiwan
Go on an African Safari
Walk the Great Wall of China
Throw a Dart at a Map and Go Where it Lands
See the Terra Cotta Warriors
Go to New Zealand
Go to Harry Potter World
Go to Rio Celeste, Coast Rica
Go to Scotland
Attend the Grand Ole Opry
See an Opera at the Met
See a Performance at the Sydney Opera House
Visit a "Real" Blues Bar in Chicago
Watch an Orchestral Performance in Vienna
Learn to Play Many Instruments
Go to a Jazz Club in New Orleans
See Straight No Chaser Live
See Michael Buble Live
See Once

So that's the list!  I know its long but I've got a lot of dreams!  Making this list has been an amazing opportunity for me to think about what is important to me and to dream big.  Most of my life I've been too afraid to dream big.  Its scary to admit those goals but I've actually found it freeing to identify what is important to help me.  It has also been healing in a lot of ways.  For most of my life I never dreamed big because I didn't believe I was special enough to do anything extraordinary.  Through writing this list I have started to believe I am worth enough to have big dreams.  This list isn't just about things I want to do but who I want to be.  I don't want to be the girl who is afraid to take risks or dream big because she doesn't think she is worth it.  I want to believe because I am a daughter of God I deserve big dreams and a life full of life, love and joy!  So, believe in yourself and make your own list because you deserve a life lived to the full!

New Dreams

A year ago I embarked on what I thought was the greatest adventure of my life.  Maybe it was but I think there are many more adventures ahead of me.  See, if you haven't read my previous blog posts let me fill you in a little bit about myself.  Last August I left the comfort of my home town Laramie, Wyoming to head to Ireland for a year to serve as a Catholic missionary with a group called NET Ministries.  NET stands for National Evangelization Teams and is a ministry that began in Minnesota over 30 years and has spread to Australia, Canada, Uganda and Ireland since.  The mission of NET is to challenge young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church.  NET gathers young people ages 18-30 from all over the world to spend nine months traveling around spreading the good news of the gospel.  So, this is what I traveled to Ireland to do and it was amazing!
This blog was born from that adventure.  I wanted to have a way for others to share in the craziest adventure of my life to date.  I was sort of hit or miss with posting but am hopeful that this blog in some way allowed others to share in my adventure.  Now that I am back I have embarked on yet another adventure, even if it wasn't the one I expected.
See, since I've been home I've come to realize that living your dreams isn't always about doing crazy outrageous things living your dreams is about doing things you love and sharing them with people you care about. I still have crazy dreams that I want to pursue but I also know Living a Dream is a choice we make everyday.  I heard a quote from a friend this weekend that goes something like this, "You don't live a life, you choose one."  I am choosing a life and pursuing my dreams everyday. So, now I want to share my new dreams with anyone who wants to share in them.  I don't know what God has in store for my life but through this blog I hope to share some insights and adventures from my own life and hopefully will inspire others to think about their dreams and pursue them with abandon.

A Time To Be Renewed

For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and time to refrain from embraces;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to rend, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

This has always been one of my favorite passages in the Bible, no matter how cliché it may be!  Ever since High School this idea of different seasons in our lives has spoken to my heart.  I know my life has gone through various stages and has probably included pretty much all of the seasons mentioned above (although I don’t remember ever killing anyone).  Life is anything but stagnant and like the four seasons we experience from fall to summer we experience different seasons in our own lives.  We experience times of extreme joy to times of true pain and

loss and everything in between.  Even in eight months here on NET I have experienced many seasons of life, including a time for renewal in the mountains of Wicklow.

The weekend after our team went to Cork we received an invitation to attend a weekend long retreat at Avoca Manor retreat center located in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains. This two day retreat was based on the book The Essential Jesus. This book contains 100 readings from the Bible that go through Jesus’ life and teaching to help us discover who Jesus is in a deeper way.  We were blessed to receive this invitation because the director is friends with Fr. Seamus, our parish priest, and wanted us to experience the ministry they do at Avoca Manor.  Avoca Manor has been around for many years and is doing great work with the youth of Ireland.  We had met Jim, the director, and another member of their staff when they came to our parish to see how they might be able to help the Delvin youth when there is not a NET team here.  After this they invited to come experience their ministry so that we might be able to see how our ministries could work together.

It was refreshing to spend time with another ministry focused on helping the youth of Ireland.  Some days it feels like we are on our own and it can be very daunting so to see others devoting time and energy into youth ministry is so reassuring.  To know there are others out there encouraging youth in their faith encourages me in my faith and ministry.  It gives me hope and zeal to continue this work God has tasked me with. 

The retreat itself was also a real time of renewal.  When doing ministry full time it can be really nice to go on retreat and just be ministered to for a weekend.  It was absolutely amazing to sit in small group and just share my thoughts without the pressure of trying to remember all the youth’s names and favorite candy bars while trying to come up with thought provoking questions for discussion.  It helped that I had an amazing small group that was open to sharing and hearing ideas.  I also enjoyed going through Jesus’ life in the Bible and developing a greater love for scripture.  A greater love for scripture is something I’ve always wanted in my life but just haven’t been able to foster on my own.  This weekend was a good start in that.  I still don’t pick up the Bible as often as I should I am getting better.

The retreat was great and I was really renewed through that time but I have to say the greatest moment for me came before we actually got to the retreat site.  Since we were already heading to Co. Wicklow and didn’t have to be at the retreat site until late Friday night we decided to head out early and spend Friday afternoon exploring Wickow Mountains National Park.  The Wicklow Mountains are home to Glendalough, an abandoned monastic city built in the 5^th and 6^th Centuries.  This place is home to tons of ruins and beautiful scenery.  There are many walking trails around the area that allow you to take in the beauty of God’s creation in these amazing mountains.

I don’t know if I can adequately describe how excited I was to spend some time hiking in the mountains.  See, as a Wyoming girl, used to mountains everywhere, coming to Ireland, a very flat country, I have been missing the mountains…a lot!  It’s funny how much we take for granted those things we are surrounded with every day, like mountains.  I’ve always loved the mountains.  When I see a mountain I see a billboard from God exclaiming I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!  Mountains are just so majestic and beautiful and are one the best ways God shows his love for me.   So, as we reached the mountains my heart began to fill.  I can’t describe the joy I felt getting out of the car and standing at the foot a beautiful mountain. 

For our afternoon of exploring our team chose a path to hike that went up and around a beautiful waterfall.  As we hiked around all tiredness and stress was washed away by the healing powers of the mountains.   I felt so much joy during that hike and was really renewed.  I hadn’t realized how much I missed the mountains and being out in nature until I was there and was filled once again in a way I hadn’t been in months.  Nature, particularly the beauty found in the mountains, truly refreshes my soul and fills me until I’m overflowing with God’s love.  I could have spent months exploring the mountains and various paths in Wicklow.  They were so different from the Rocky Mountains and Tetons I grew up around but held their own breathtaking beauty with the trees, plant life, wildlife and random ruins that were nothing like anything I experience in Wyoming or Colorado. I am so grateful our team was given that chance to be in the mountains and be renewed in that way.  It was amazing gift from God.

                      God Bless,

                          Amy

    

An Itty Bitty Baby Torch

Hi friends.  So I would like to begin this post by apologizing for being an epic fail at this whole blog thing.  I clearly am not good at keeping up to date posts and letting you all know what is happening in my life.  I am very sorry and hope you will all forgive me.  Thanks for sticking with me if you are still reading this and I am now going to spend some time writing a few posts to catch you up on all that has been happening in my life as best I can.

God is so good and has been doing so much in my life.  He is constantly calling me deeper into my relationship with him and in my faith.  I was reading my journals from the beginning of my NET year and reflecting on all the ways I have grown this year and all God has done in my heart and I am amazed, partly because I still seem to have the same struggles a lot of days and get frustrated that I just don’t seem to get it.   But even when I don’t think I am growing at all and nothing is changing in my life I know that is not true because God is ever faithful and I know he is always with me and helping me grow daily.  I may stumble, a lot, but he never leaves my side and continues to guide me on my journey.  I gave a talk a couple of weeks ago on faith and I discovered how I view my life and my faith and I think it applies very much to this idea.

See, I picture my life as basically this great black void.  The black void isn't nothingness but rather it’s like someone just turned out the lights on my life so I can’t see anything.  But I’m not completely in the dark; I have an itty bitty baby torch.  This torch brings some comfort but really is only enough light to show the ground at my feet and not much else.   I know there is a path for my life out there somewhere in the darkness of my future I just can’t see it!  It is so frustrating.  But as I walk along this path with great trepidation and fear I know I am not alone.  Jesus is walking right beside me and because he is God of course he can see in the dark and knows the path that lies ahead.  As I walk with him I just want desperately for someone to turn on the floodlights or give me night vision goggles but of course that doesn't happen.  The only choice I have is to grab hold of Jesus’ hand and let him guide me. 

For those of you who have ever done a trust activity with me you know how hard this is for me.  I remember at camp one time having to do a trust activity where everyone held their hands out at eye level to create the most terrifying tunnel in existence.  See, we were expected to run through this tunnel and as we came everyone would raise their arms leaving us free from the black eye I was convinced could be the only outcome of this little experiment.  The first time I ran through this form of torture I crouched down into a little ball, closed my eyes and ran under the arms because there was no way I was running headlong into that!  Needless to say they made me do it over and over again until I could run, very slowly, through this tunnel upright.  Every time I ran through the tunnel I was terrified but the more I watched everyone else do it and get through unscathed I started to believe maybe I would survive as well.  I slowly learned to trust the people in the tunnel and although this particularly activity is still not my idea of fun I can say that I am able to run through the tunnel upright with eyes open most of the way.

Trusting in God’s plan for my life has always been a struggle 

for me.  I am naturally a planner and therefore want a game plan for my life and as I've stated in other posts I like to have a plan for what my life will look like in the future.  I don’t do the whole itty bitty baby torch that lights the ground I’m on and that’s it thing.  This year and really my whole life is a great long lesson in trusting in God and his plan for my life.  All I have is my itty bitty baby torch and Jesus by my side to get through the darkness and since the torch is mostly worthless I have to trust Jesus to guide me.  I often try to wander on my own and end up in some ditch covered in mud. However, Jesus is always with me and although he may laugh with me about being covered in mud and yet another failed attempt to do things on my own he always loves me and is there to pick me up, clean the mud off and keep going. 

I am currently in the midst of the great job hunt of 2013 and most days I’m terrified because I have no idea where God is going to take me.  I've applied for many jobs, some close to home, some not so much, and I have no idea what the next step in my life will be but I’m trying to take my itty bitty baby torch and Jesus’ hand and trust he will guide me.  He knows where I am supposed to be next year and if I can just continue to trust in him and listen to him I know it will all work out.  I found this great quote that has really inspired me in this and it goes like this, “Faith isn't the ability to believe long and far into the misty future. It’s simply taking God at His Word and taking the next step.”  I don’t have to have all the answers for my future; I don’t have to know the path.  I just need to keep taking steps and letting the Lord lead me.

So, that is just one of the things God is doing in my life right now.  I will write more letting you know of the adventures I have been on and the ministry and much more,  I promise!

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life, a set on Flickr.

Here are some pics of my life

The Gift of Gab

I am now blessed with the gift of gab!!!!!!!!!!  I can now be counted among the thousands who have perilously hung from the top of Blarney Castle to kiss the infamous Blarney Stone.  It was a slightly terrifying experience but it was so much fun and totally worth the minor heart attack. 

This week was a crazy busy week culminating with our adventures in Cork.  We had a lot of ministry this week which was great but definitely kept us busy. We had our weekly jam session on Tuesday which was a ton of fun.  We have a group of about 5 youth who come each week and we just sit around and play guitar and have fun.  Jam sessions are definitely something I look forward to each week.  On Wednesday we were back in Clonmellon for another 4 week series with them.  We didn’t have a big a turn out this time because many of them forgot or were busy but we still had a lot of fun. We ate a massive amount of pizza and played some really fun games.  We had an early morning Thursday because we had an all-day retreat with all the 5^th class students in Delvin.  It was our first retreat since training and it was a blast!  It was definitely crazy with so many all the 5^th class students in Delvin.  It was our first retreat since training and it was a blast!  It was definitely crazy with so many kids running around but it was great.  That night we had our senior youth group as usual.  Our group was extremely small this week because all the 3^rd year students and 6^th year students have mocks coming up.  In 3^rd year and 6^th year in Ireland students must take a sort of exit exam calling junior and leaving cert.  A couple months before the students have mocks which are a sort of pretest that help them prepare for the real thing at the end of the year.  Those are coming up in just a few weeks so our students are busy studying away for those.  It was still a nice night despite the small numbers.  We talked about Jesus and how he works in our lives.  I gave a talk and talked about my relationship with Jesus.  I think it went really well despite the small numbers.  After and exhausting week we still got up early to start our weekend.

Early in the week Fr. Seamus told us about a daylong conference on the YouCat in Cork on Saturday.  Because it started early Saturday morning and it’s about a 3 ½ hour drive down to Cork we decided to head down Friday.  And since we were already going down early we decided to just make a weekend out of it.  We left around noon Friday and drove down to Cork Co. Tim and Becca were planning the team time and took us to Blarney to kiss the Blarney Stone as I said earlier.  Blarney Castle was amazing. We had so much fun exploring the grounds and castle.  

A lot has been done with the grounds so that they are beautiful and a joy to spend time exploring.  The castle is  also super cool. It sits on top of this massive wall of bed rock that make for an impressive sight when walking up to it.  We crawled around some caves under the castle that were the old dungeons.  We climbed up a serious set of spiral stairs to get to the top to kiss the stone and witness the amazing view at the top.  We got to see a beautiful sunset and spent some time in a poison garden.  It was just like Harry Potter, complete with Mandrake! 

The NET team that is normally stationed in Co. Cavan is spending a couple of weeks down in Cork because they didn’t have any retreats booked in Cavan. So, we spent the night with them at a camp in Knockadoon right on the coast.  The camp owned by the Benedictines and is absolutely beautiful.  There was a gorgeous sunrise Saturday morning! 

We spent Saturday in Cork city.  We spent a large portion of the day at the YouCat conference. For those of you who are unaware of what the YouCat is let me explain.  The YouCat is a book put out by Pope Benedict XVI at the World Youth Day in Spain 2011.  This book is a resource for youth to be able to better understand the teachings of the church.  This book was written to take the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and break them down and explain them in ways youth could understand.  It is a great resource written in question/answer format that really is youth friendly.   Little promotion for the YouCat, if you are a youth minister or just a young Catholic I would highly recommend you purchase one.  They are a wonderful resource.  After the conference we spent a few hours exploring Cork city and then headed home. 

Yesterday we had our first AWAKE, our junior youth group, since we’ve been back in Delvin.  We only had a few kids come out, the theme of our week apparently, but it was still good.  There was some sort of quiz happening last night that kept many of our youth away.  We were going to do a survivor night with the youth but with so few we had to change our plans a little bit.  Instead of doing the survivor thing we just played some games and spent time getting to know the youth better.  It was a nice time despite the small numbers.  We have a retreat with the 6^th class this week that will hopefully encourage more youth to come out this week. 

Overall it was a busy but fabulous week.  I am still thoroughly enjoying my time here in Ireland and am so happy to have so many amazing experiences.  I was thinking about my week and how crazy it is that I can just go see the Blarney Castle over the weekend like it’s no big deal.  I am seriously blessed and am so thankful to God for bringing me here and all of you who support me in this journey.   Know that I am still praying for you and if you have any specific prayer requests please let me know!  Also, check out facebook for more photos and a video of me kissing the stone!

God Bless,

Amy

Rain Rain Go Away

It’s yet another gloomy rainy day here in Ireland.  I am sitting by the fire in our living room watching the rain come down with a hot cup of coffee writing you all. You know how in movies when the main character is doing something similar to what I am doing today it often leads to some great epiphany by that character as they contemplate the greater meaning of life.  Well, I can't guarantee any major epiphanies but I am feeling rather reflective today so we'll see how this goes.  

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my life and the direction God has taken me. Can I just say it is not exactly what I expected!  I never in a million years would have guessed I would head to Ireland to do another year of NET after I graduated college.  My life plans went something like this... After graduation I would find a job doing youth or music ministry in a Catholic parish somewhere close to home, probably in Wyoming or Colorado.  I would love my job and eventually meet a nice guy who would love Jesus and we would fall in love and get married.  We would then spend some time traveling the world together before settling down and starting a family.  From there you can guess where this is going. The typical movie theme, we live happily ever after with tons of family and friends around until we die at a nice old age after a life spent with loved ones.  Now, most of that could still happen, just not in the timing I expected.  However, this is yet another time God has proven to me that his plans are always way better than mine!

I may not have planned this 9 month adventure in Ireland but it has been one of the best experiences of my life.  God is teaching me so many lessons and helping me grow so much and I just know he has so much more for me. 

One area my family and team are very grateful I have grown is staying calm while driving.  Before this year I would often get nervous and freak out when driving, especially when lost.  Now, I still struggle with this at times (especially in big cities) but I think my little brother and team can testify that I freak out much less.  I have also learned that my body, gluten and dairy don’t mix and am learning to change my diet to take care of myself.  It is hard to change a lifetime of eating habits and I have definitely had my struggles. Saying no to ice cream is still one of the hardest things I have to do.  It may be hard but through this challenge I am growing in self-discipline and a new respect for my body.  I am learning to appreciate how important it is to take care of myself and eat foods that fuel my body and keep me healthy rather than empty fats and sugars.  Next, is overcoming my lifelong habit of hitting snooze in the morning!

I am also learning this year to trust in the Lord’s plan for my life (again!).  I have always had plans for my life and sometimes they are in line with God’s and sometimes they are not.  God has always provided for me and I have had an incredibly blessed life because of it.  They say hindsight is 20/20 and that is definitely the case with me and my life.  I tend to freak out about not knowing my next move and then God reveals it and sometimes we argue about it because I don’t always want to go where He wants me to but eventually I concede and realize He was right along, just like every other time we had the same argument.  I am now trying to trust from the start to avoid the struggle that always comes with trying to fight God’s plan.

I currently have no plan for my life and although it terrifies me I have a strange sort of peace about it that is a rather new concept in my life.  I have no idea where I am going in June.  I don’t know what I want to do with my life as far as finding a job and career goes.  I have no clue where I will live and how I will afford to live there when I get there.  I have $10,000 of student loans to come home to, plus sponsorship yet to raise for my year here on NET and currently make 100 euro a month.  I have no car (I sold mine to come to Ireland). I don’t even own a bike!  Not to mention I am often reminded of my lack of direction by friends who have careers, are getting married and having babies.  I love my friends and family and am incredibly happy for all of them and the joys life has brought them.  I would never wish ill on them and pray for their continued happiness every day.  It can just be hard to feel like I’m being left behind in my life at times.  Granted, most of them are not living in foreign countries on this crazy adventure but lately I’ve been sitting around just wondering when my life is going to begin.  I keep thinking someday I’ll have the life all my friends and family are living and then my real life will begin.  The other day my supervisor Kristen reminded me however that I have to stop waiting for my life to begin because it’s happening now and I’m just letting it slip by.  She asked me, “If you’re life hasn’t begun then who’s life are you living?”  It may seem silly but I had never thought about it like that.  Through that conversation and others and lots of prayer I am starting to accept that my life isn’t like my friends and that’s ok.  It’s great actually!  While I would still like a life like my friends and family someday I am learning to be grateful and thank God for this amazing journey I am on.  It isn’t what I had planned but that is because God always knows best!

Thank you all for your support of me and helping me on this amazing journey.  I am incredibly grateful for you love and support.  Know that I am praying for everyone reading this blog and supporting me.

God Bless,

Amy

Back in the Village

After a wonderful Christmas break I found myself in Co. Donegal at the beautiful Capuchin Friary in Ards.  This was the site of our January Training.  We spent about a week up there getting ourselves readjusted to the NET life and making a game plan for the second half of the year.  We heard some great talks and had great craic. The friary was right on the coast with a beach just a 10 minutes walk away.  The last day we were at Ards we went down to the beach to play sport and after jumped in the frigid ocean.  It was absolutely freezing but so much fun.  Being soaking wet I didn't want to put my shoes on since I didn't want them to get wet and unwearable for the next day so we made that 10 minute walk back barefoot.  It definitely took more than 10 minutes and was quite painful as the path was not exactly paved.  We made it though and it is well worth it!

Sport right before we jumped in the freezing ocean!

We returned to our house on January 7th to find it just as we had left it, minus the temperature which was significantly lower.  Although we haven't been here long we have already had many adventures and are enjoying our time back so far.  For our senior youth group we had a scavenger hunt around the town which had the youth performing all sorts of crazy tasks, including singing happy birthday to our parish priest Fr. Seamus.  It was a cold night but running around kept us warm and we now have some great stories to tell.
Our first Saturday back we drove into Mullingar and saw Les Miserable.  I had been counting down the days until the movie came out so I was incredibly grateful to my team for the chance to see it.  It was amazing and the rest of my team enjoyed it as well which made it that much better.  It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

The keep at Trim Castle

 This last Saturday we had a day off that we spent as a team.  We started the day by heading to Trim Castle.  Trim Castle is the same castle that can be found in the movie Braveheart.  Every castle shown in the movie was filmed at Trim Castle.  We even saw the piece of wood Mel Gibson was tortured on in front of the castle.  It was a bitterly cold morning that left my toes numb but I had wellies so at least they were dry, if cold.  That was more than others on my team could say.

Hill of Slane

After a cold but good morning at Trim Castle we drove up to Slane where we accidentally visited Slane Castle and intentionally visited the Hill of Slane.  We just came upon the castle and tried to get in but the doors were locked, despite Becca and Marie's best efforts to open the door.  After that slight detour we drove to the hill.  The Hill of Slane is where St. Patrick lit the pascal fire that angered the pagan king sitting on the Hill of Tara when he saw it.  There are ruins of a castle that was really fun to climb around on and a ruined church and cemetery.  It was pretty incredible to stand on a place with such history and think about all that had happened there.
After immersing ourselves in events of the past we stepped forward in time to make history!  That same night the pro-life movement here in Ireland was holding a pro-life rally called Unite For Life in Dublin.  Over 30,000 people gathered at Marrion Square to send a message to the Irish government.  I've talked before about the issue of abortion here in Ireland before and the battle continues.  The situation is beginning to look bleak for the pro-life side. So, the pro-life movement organized this rally to let the government know where people stand and show them they should not make the choice to allow abortion in the country. It was absolutely incredible to stand among a crowd of over 30,000 people all fighting for the same cause.  It was a blessing to be a part of history in the making in this country.  We also got to see all the other teams and staff from NET as they all were present.
Ministry is still slow right now but we have many things we are looking forward to in the next few months that will keep us plenty busy.  We are holding a rally for our youth groups and youth groups in the neighboring area that will be a lot of work but should be wonderful.  We also have a lot to plan with Lent coming us as it is such a big liturgical season.  Along with all those things we have our usual 3 youth groups, school sessions and retreats, youth masses, weekly jam sessions, and other random events to plan for.  All a days work for a NET team.  We will definitely not be bored in the next few months!
Oh yeah, and we had our first snow Wednesday!!!!  It made my day!!!