He thinks He's funny

I'm convinced that God thinks He's funny.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think it's entirely possible that He chuckles up there when some of the things that He orchestrates in my life occur.
Especially the events that I am completely not expecting.
And when things align and fall into place and I realize "ohhh so THAT'S why that happened..."

This is all very vague, as it should be because this happens all.the.time.

Take my life at the moment for example.
Had you asked me 4 years ago where I thought I'd be in August 2012 I would have told you searching (and hopefully landing) a position as a high school biology teacher with plans to go on for my masters and become a guidance counselor.
I would have said that I would likely be either in a serious relationship leading to marriage or even perhaps engaged.
Had you asked me if I thought I would ever move to Champaign, IL, I would have laughed.
Had you asked me if I thought I would ever change my major one semester in to Psychology, I would have thought you were crazy.
Had you asked me if I thought I would ever work full-time in Pro-Life ministry, you probably would have gotten a blank stare.

But God has funny, tricky ways.

"You sneaky Mom!"

And what's even more flabbergasting to me is that He's had this plan all along, but He would never force it upon me. Sure, He definitely intervened at times by placing people in my life to influence me in one way or another or even making it so that certain plans I had just didn't work out, but at the end of the day, my fate is up to me.

I get to choose whether or not I want to follow the plan He has laid out for me.

I get to choose if I listen to His call or not.

I get to choose His will over my own.

And so when I'm finally able to look back and laugh because it all makes sense now, I have to think that He also must be laughing. 

Just the fact that I can already see the puzzle pieces beginning to come together makes me hopeful for the future, that perhaps someday I'll understand where He's taking me and why.

just call me "grandma"

...actually, call me something older than "grandma" because even my own grandmother goes to bed later than me....

it's 9:30pm and I'm ready for bed.
aka I'm in my PJs, my face is washed, teeth are brushed and I'm about to snuggle in for a couple chapters of my book (Pierced by a Sword...highly recommend it)

Why you ask? Am I not a 20something who should be out with friends and living it up every night of the week?
Why yes, yes I am. And that's the problem.

This weekend was a ball of insanity.
Fun insanity, but insanity nonetheless.

Friday was nothing but an ordinary workday, and I went to a local brewery with my roommate KJ. It was really nice to spend some time just the two of us out of the house.

Saturday was the beginning of the insanity.
Let me walk you through it.
There was a Salesian workshop for student leaders at Newman that all of the staff was invited to attend and it was actually really great. We left the house for that at 9:45am. It began at 10am.
The workshop went until 4pm at which time I spent an hour before 5pm mass in the chapel. Very nice.
Mass finished at 6:15pm and my roommates and I (along with one of the FOCUS men) headed to the Urbana Sweet Corn  Festival. Delicious.
I left the festival at about 7:50 to go to Newman for an Illini Collegians for Life meeting.
The ICFL meeting ended at 9pm and I left Newman to go to the "Fever" house (an all male Catholic men's house) for a beginning-of-the-new-school-year party.
We left Fever around 10:30 and went home.

Today was another day of insanity for it was the epic Quad Day.
Long story short, was at Newman by 9am, Quad Day began at noon, ended at 4pm.
BBQ at 5pm. Was there until 7:45pm.
Came home.
Here I am.

So I'm going to bed.
Judge all you like.
Call me an old woman.
I don't care.

My book and my bed are calling to me.
I must go.

Buenos noches

AMDG

I (and many other family members) received this email from my Grandma on Tuesday:

Dear Family & Friends,

I visited my oncologist yesterday and got a clean bill of health.  That makes 11 years of being cancer free--PRAISE THE LORD!!  Thank you for caring.  It is the love, prayers and concern from all of you that has helped make this sometime scary journey an easier road to travel.  I am going to offer a special mass of thanksgiving for all of you.

Love & hugs,   Kay

#happiness

life is pretty good.

so after the dilemma that was my bike, it feels so great to have a mode of transportation once again!

for those of you who aren't in the loop with what's been going on with my bike, here's the low-down:

I bought the bike online.

wait...Best Buy sells bikes...?

They delivered the bike.

hey UPS, thanks for being morons. seriously?!

I assembled the bike.

"hope that's a fully assembled bicycle..."
it wasn't.

One week later I finished assembling and filling the tires so I could ride it to work. (this was a Tuesday)

A couple days later, the left pedal was loose. 

I tightened it.

The next day, the left pedal was loose again.

I tightened it.

I rode it all weekend and continuously had to keep tightening my loose pedal.

On Tuesday, I left after work and after riding 5 blocks, my pedal fell off.

Fell off.

All of the threads on the pedal and inside the crank were stripped.

Oiy vey.

Clearly, something went wrong.

Either I put it together incorrectly or I received defective parts.

Regardless, I have a warranty and dang it, I need new parts!

So, I called Customer Service, the lady I spoke to was super nice and one week later I got the parts in the mail. Well, let's just say that replacing the crank on a bike is a lot more difficult than one might think. I tried to do it on my own...ok, so I only tried for like 3 minutes...and realized that there was no way that I would be able to do it on my own.

Good thing one of my very dear friends and self-proclaimed big brother, Patrick, lives literally a couple blocks from me. (which is very exciting since he is marrying one of my other dear friends, Lori, next weekend!)

I texted him asking if he might have the tools to repair said bicycle and of course, he did.

I then may or may not have asked if he would fix it for me...and he obliged.

Though, I don't think he knew what he was getting into because he fixed it dressed in what looked like work-type clothes :)

BUT IT'S FIXED!

All thanks to nice customer service people and Pwood.

thanks big bro!

Until next time....

Quick takes - supa late vers.

[1/7]

PEACHES!!!! The peach tree in our backyard has been harvested and they are delicious!

[2/7]

One of my favorite things to do when I'm home is try out all of the hairstyles on my sister that won't work with my too-short-newly-trimmed hair. Unfortunately, with her kinky locks, some hairstyles...such as this one...just end up looking like a bad 80s attempt.

[3/7]

This is America.

I love the country.

[4/5]

No pic...but I am going back the CU on Sunday. Boo.

[5/7]

Apparently I can't count...see #4.

[6/7]

A few of these flew over my house last night!!! I stopped eating my dinner to go look at them. And ran through the streets like a child. It was magical.

[7/7]

Sour cream rhubarb pie with meringue :) love love loooooove

I'm getting way too cool

I'm seriously way too cool. Face backspace no I want to erase that that's not right I think morgan is a fart head and she's cute and she know a race that

all of this technology has gotten a little crazy. I can now write an entire blog post by simply talking into a computer. Ridiculous.

-----

Too much for me. Seriously. Maybe someday when I'm feeling uber lazy, I'll allow my tablet butler compose my blog posts. We'll see. 

Anyway, my week fundraising at home is almost over, but I think its definitely been successful....lots of interest and support from everyone I've spoken with as well as from my home parish which was a pleasant surprise. And most exciting is that I'll be making my way to Warren, IL tomorrow morning to meet with one of our former pastors who was extremely influential in my pro-life involvement. All exciting stuff :)

That's all for now, I best be off to bed but for your viewing pleasure, my very first instagram photo...enjoy :)

http://web.stagram.com/p/259676252599529786_209134907

yeahhh not sure I like that so much....

I love country music.
haven't always been a fan, but I don't expect to ever stop loving it.

Some may argue that it's the worst...but for me, I love it because it's more than about the beat....
With so many pop songs today, I hear people saying (and I say this all the time):

"Well, the lyrics don't make sense/are dumb/aren't good, but the beat is just so catchy!"

But with country music, it's about the story behind "the beat"...it's about more than just having a catchy tune.
And I like that.

Not all country music is "good"...think Keith Anderson's Pickin' Wildflowers or Big and Rich's Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy
...and some are just silly...think Red Solo Cup (which I honestly can't get enough of)

but for the most part, I've been really proud of liking country music, because I feel that most of it is pretty wholesome.

One of my favorite country bands is Lady Antebellum and I have yet to be disappointed with their music.

Well, sadly...that day has come.

Lady A's song We Owned The Night disappoints me. Most of the song is great...it's catchy and just feel-good...but then you get near the end of the song and the lyrics are as follows:

"We woke under a blanket / All tangled up in skin / Not knowing in that moment / We'd never speak again / but it was perfect / I never will forget"

Really? REALLY?
"It was perfect"?! Even though "we'd never speak again"?!

I guess maybe this upsets me because it's just another reminder of how our society is so accepting of doing "whatever feels good". And that when you "think" that this is forever, then just go for it.

I don't like it.

But I do like Gloriana's (Kissed You) Good Night

Title: how do I make a title?

Faithful followers never fear! I have found a new way to keep my blog updated while my roommates and I figure out our internet situation.

Technology today is something else, yes? Apparently, blogging can be as simple as sending a text message, which is how I'm writing this post today. Insanity!

Not totally sure how this works, but I'll figure out out I suppose....nothing else to report...I'm still home this week fundraising so sometime next week I'll post an update full of pictures and obnoxious narratives...my favorite!

Until then....enjoy this pic of my cutest little cousin Lilly Jean :)

ohhhh Juliet....

Have you seen Letters to Juliet?
It's great.
You should watch it.

However, if you haven't seen it and intend to/don't want me to ruin the plot for you...stop reading.

Major spoilers ahead.

In the movie, there is a common theme of the "leading lady", Sophie, struggling with her current relationship.
This theme is even apparent in the trailers...and of course, she gets swept away in an adventure and meets another man blah blah blah.
But while Sophie is with this initial man, you can tell that there is an inner struggle between what she EXPECTS her relationship to be, what she WANTS her relationship to be, and what her relationship ACTUALLY IS.

The writers make it very clear that while Sophie longs to have a different type of relationship with her fiance, she doesn't want to push him, doesn't want to request a change, and simply wants him to be happy...and in the meantime, these actions (or inactions) cause her unhappiness. And as much as I think that we can all sit back and watch the movie and say to ourselves (or in my case, outloud to everyone in the room)

"What is she doing?! She LOVES him but he's not a mind-reader! She should be more vocal about what it is that she truly wants!"

...easier said than done, yes?

Now, I don't claim to be an expert on relationships, especially given that I have limited experience in that area. However, having a degree in Psychology, I do think that I am somewhat of an expert on humans and human social interactions.

[[[ I would even argue that we ALL are experts on humans, given that we are humans, but I digress... ]]]

And throughout my 22 years of living on this planet and observing human behavior, it's easy and somewhat elementary to state that men and women have different styles of communication. 

Truth. Plain and simple.

But in these differences in communication styles and perceptions of others and how they are receiving our communication, I believe that women tend to over think...especially in romantic relationships.

There are definitely exceptions to [nearly] every rule, but this is a common one that I've seen.

Women often desire something in a relationship, but when presented with an option for that thing that they desire, they will often say that they actually do not want that...whether the reason behind that reaction is for fear of being too demanding or needy, or for fear of upsetting their husband/BF because maybe that's not what HE wants...women often submit, even when they're just submitting to their own internal fears.

Did that make sense? Let me give an example:

In the movie, Sophie clearly feels neglected and so obviously desires to spend more time with her fiance. Yet, while vacationing in Italy, her fiance wants to be touring vineyards and meeting with prospective vendors for his upcoming restaurant opening. This could be fun, I guess...but that's not what Sophie wants to do. Not exactly a romantic vacation. BUT when she gives her fiance the hint that maybe all of this isn't what she wants to do...and he says "nevermind, we don't have to do this...we can just do something else", she says "no no no, it's ok...just leave me here in Verona (the most romantic city in the world) by myself and have fun at a wine auction" because she doesn't want to force him to do what she wants to do.

[[[paraphrasing above if you didn't notice...]]] 

What the heck.

I mean, how is the guy (who's not super perceptive to begin with) supposed to know that you ACTUALLY want to hang out with him if you don't tell him?! I'm not saying that, as women, we should have to spell everything out to our husbands/boyfriends/fiances, BUT if you want something to be different, you can't just sit and wait for it to change. COMMUNICATION people! It's pretty simple.

Not really sure what the purpose of me writing about this is, but I just watched this movie again and it made me realize how many times I've seen this happen in the real world...so yeah.

that's all I have to say about that.

why yes, I would like some cheese with my whine...and also some wine, please.

Hello!

I have been absent.
SUPER absent.

this is all totally and completely due to the stupid fact that my house STILL has no internet.
no es bueno.
no me gusta.

and I seriously cannot believe that we've only been in the new house for a week...this past week went suuuper looonggg.

[[[Get ready for some exaggerations....]]]

I think that this is due to:

• it takes foreverrrr to get anywhereeee [aka biking] 
• reality: only a 15 min ride to work from my house
• another reality: I like biking
• yet another reality: my body HATES biking

• until yesterday, I couldn't find ANYTHING in my house
• reality: I could find things, it just took factoring in an extra 5 minutes to rummage for clothing in the morning
• another reality: I HATE getting up any earlier than I have to in the morning
• yet another reality: whenever my room or surroundings are messy, all I seem to want to do is sleep...strange...

I think that's all.

all of that being said, I'm tired of complaining (did I mention that my knees hurt? I think I'm getting arthritis...) so I'll be done.

for now.

have a happy monday and I hope to be posting more frequently in the future!

Paroxysmic Gluteus Maximus

Black Betty can kiss my lily white A-ETH-ETH because we've got a new sheriff in town

(that doesn't make sense...just roll with it...)

Introducing.......my bike.

No, there's no picture.

And no, she doesn't have a name.

Why?

1. my phone is dead and I forgot my charger at home home

2. my creative juices have dried up this week

But if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know...she's vintage/hipster looking, orangey and cute.

TMI ALERT

my butt hurts.

like ow.

and this whole exercise thing isn't my favorite.

my knees hurt.

my thighs hurt.

my arms hurt.

my BUTT hurts.

And I'm tired.

BUT! I moved! And our new house is cute...suuuuper crammed with crap we have to organize but cute.

And again, no pictures because my phone is le dead.

More later...I'm going home.

I'm sick of the lib.

I'm sorry...

....for being absent.
....for moving to a new house without internet connection.
....for writing this post which really isn't much of anything.

For your blog-reading needs, please please PLEASE go check out www.camppatton.com
You will laugh your wigs off (because only old ladies read my blog...)

xo