Not Alone Series: Thanksgiving

In what ways are we thankful?! Write about anything you want under this theme! Do you have any family traditions that help you to be mindful of the blessings in your life?

I LOVE holidays. Good food, good smells, dressing up. It's all good.

But the best part? The family time.

I don't know about you, but the older I've grown, the more I appreciate the quality time I get with my family. With 3 younger siblings, each in 3 different cities and 3 different states, we rarely see each other. So you can imagine my excitement as Thanksgiving has grown closer. It's something like this:

I LOVE Thanksgiving. Autumn in and of itself is delightful: scarves, dresses, tights, boots...AH! 

Throw in some turkey, stuffing, gravy, PUMPKIN PIE, sweet potatoes, and vegging out with the fam. 

Perfection.

My extended family always gets together for Thanksgiving, and while there have been some modifications to this year's plans - I'm doing my best to not be all "BUT TRADITION!" - we're still all getting together and that's what counts, right? Yep. 

This year's changes, while I've been annoyed and frustrated for some time, remind me of the need to be more flexible AND that I must be grateful regardless of the circumstances. Truth be told, I do not prefer to spend my extended-family-Thanksgiving extravaganza at a banquet hall/bowling alley. However, any family time is good time and I must be grateful for that. Rather than being grumpy about the changes, I need to enjoy the time with my loved ones and thank God that I have them.

In regards to other traditions, we usually do the customary everyone-say-something-they're-thankful-for thing, but I heard of a different spin on that this weekend which I might try to implement. A friend told of how his family goes around and each person has to say something they're thankful for about each person at the table. This might get lengthy, but it might be fun for my immediate family Thanksgiving celebration!

The Church does a great job of constantly reminding us to give thanks. In each Mass we are reminded to give thanks for what we have been blessed with and just to be thankful for the Lord's love and mercy. But Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for true reflection, and real reveling in the goodness of family time.

I'm always thankful for my family, but Thanksgiving is specifically a time when I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and companionship in my family. It's also a good time to reflect on the past year and realize that I have a pretty great life. A good job, a warm place to live, good friends...perhaps I should have more gratitude for these blessings in the day to day....

I pray that you have a blessed Thanksgiving and hope that you're able to spend it with loved ones!

How will you be spending your Thanksgiving? Share with us what you're thankful for in the comments or attach your post below!

PSA: If you emailed Jen and I about being paired up with a prayer partner, we will contact you later today!

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Next week's topic:

Preparing the Way! 

{NAS Advent post}

Happy Advent! How do you prepare your heart, home, etc. for the coming of the Lord? Are there specific recipes or traditions you partake in? Share with us how you are making way for our newborn King!

Not Alone Series: Surviving the Holidays and an ANNOUNCEMENT!

Before we get into the post....Jen and I have an announcement!

Did you watch the video?!



Don't keep reading until you've watched it!!!



Ok, did you watch it?






AHHHHH are you excited as I am?!?!

I CANNOT wait to spend a weekend with anyone and everyone who can make it! Jen and I have been crawling out of our skins waiting to tell y'all and now that its out....YAHOOO!!!

This trip has been a long time coming, we've been talking about the possibility of a get together like this for a couple of months and wanted to be able to tell you far enough in advance in order to make travel plans, ask off of work, etc.

Savannah, GA - July 18-20, 2014
Be there.
More details will be given to those who email BOTH me and Jen!
I hope you're able to make it!!!

Alrighty, back to the last NAS post of 2013! Can you believe that we've all be writing and getting to know one another for nearly SIX months?! Insane. What a blessing.

I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts about this weeks topic...I think it's a fun one! Here's the prompt as a reminder:

The holidays are coming up! Family parties, friend gatherings... and you're single. How do you "cope"? 

Any tips or tricks?

I LOVE the holidays. Mostly because my big, crazy family loves being together, which makes family gatherings all the more fun. Plus, there are more than a few nuts in the ol' family tree. We like to have a good time.

My extended family is unusually close. And while that's something that I love, it can also lead to everyone getting in each other's business and all that. Annoying.

Are you dating anyone?! Well why the heck not?! When I was your age, I had a different date every weekend!

And when are you planning on getting married? You know, you're the next kid in line for that, Morgan!

Ok, maybe cousin Bob is next, and you're after him, but he's got plenty of time! You need to get on that!

But Morgan, don't you want to have kids while you're young? Make sure you don't wait too long to find a man!

Hey, maybe you could date our neighbor's sister's son! He's single!

Ohhhh, but the only blind date that would work for you is someone who's actually blind! BAHAHAHA

...these are all nearly verbatim (the blind date joke is a direct quote).

So how the heck is one supposed to survive such events?

Wine. Lots and lots of wine.

Juuuuuust kidding.

First, I mentally prepare myself for this onslaught of questions and suggestions and wonderings.

When I've gone in, expecting everyone to be interested in the fact that I'm loving my job, or I've moved into my very own apartment, or that I'm able to have higher-level conversations about philosophy or religion.....those are the events when I'm completely unprepared for the relationship inquiries. 

And those are the events when I leave exhausted because I wasn't expecting them.

Second, I aim to respond in the most patient and charitable way possible.

Truth is, I'm 98% comfortable with the fact that I'm single. But if I allow myself to get flustered, I come across as defensive and occasionally rude.

I try to remember that most of my aunts and uncles got married when they were my age. They're only asking questions because they love me and are interested in the next big parts of my life.

Could they afford to be a bit less intrusive?

YES.

But I can still calmly respond and show them that "wow, maybe being single in your early-to-mid 20s isn't a catastrophic event..."

Maybe they need to experience someone who isn't fearful of the future and is hopeful for what may come.

Third, I know how to have a sense of humor.

It's very easy to get "prickly" when people bring up sensitive subjects. And let's be honest, what's more sensitive than the fact that you're single when you long to not be single?

However, more often than not, the teasing about "ending up as an old maid" or being a "cat lady" is meant to be all in good fun. Are those kinds of jokes insensitive? 

Um, yeah.

But I would bet that your Uncle Earl doesn't tease you out of malice. He thinks you can handle it.

And you can. Just make sure your wine glass is always full.

I kid, I kid. kinda

The holidays are fun! And we get to celebrate our Lord's birth with the people we love most! Dreading the holidays for fear of what people might ask or say, well that's just silly.

How do you "survive" the holidays when you're single? Write up a post and link up over at Jen's!

-------------------------

This is the last topic for 2013! 

We will resume the Not Alone Series on January 14, 2013.

If you are interested in joining us in Savannah, GA for our girls weekend, please email me at mvmcfar(at)gmail.com and email Jen at jennifercox.rn(at)gmail.com!

7 Quick Takes (28)

Linking up with Jen, et al.

oh hey there....I just realized that I haven't pounded one of these bad boys out since May.

MAY, people. I've gotta get this shiz together.

hopefully I remember how to do one of these things...

[1] Last weekend, my dear cousin Ryan was married and oh man, what a party. He and I were the ringbearer and flowergirl, respectively, in his parents' wedding....20 YEARS AGO.
And now he's married. 

So crazy.

I couldn't be happier for Ry....expect that now I'm "next in line" to be wed as the second oldest grandchild. Wahhhhh

[2] This article. A must read for EVERYONE. I don't care if you aren't single....read it. And if you ARE single, you better read it right now. Do it.

[3] My little baby cousin Mason Oliver was born on Wednesday! SOSOSO excited that the next round of baby-bearing years on this side of my family has begun! 

[4] Do you pray novenas? Do you want to pray novenas? Click here to discover an awesome tool to help you pray more novenas. The next one starts on Sunday to St. Therese!

[5] This:

[6] I love this interview with Fr. Rocky of Relevant Radio in Chicago and hope to write about my thoughts on Pope Francis's interview next week.

[7] Tonight I get to hangout with my very best friend doing one of my very favorite things.  Fo free.
I CANNOT WAIT.

Check out other 7QTs over at Jen's and have a splendid weekend!

xo, mo

#lynchvaca2013

Every year the entire extended family on my mom's side caravans up to NW Minnesota for a week in cabins nestled between two lakes during the week of the 4th of July. It's been a family tradition for more than 50 years and it's one that we anticipate with great enthusiasm for the entire year. Our family is extremely tight-knit and we always look forward to "cousining"...

tackling off the dock

intense games of volleyball

hanging out on the porch

tipping canoes

and I've gone up there every year of my life with the exception of the year Tommy and I only stayed for half a week took a 12 hr Greyhound from NW Minnesota to Chicago...

definitely NOT as exciting as it seems

...after not being able to go up last year, I'm treasuring this time with my family more than ever before.

so, #lynchvaca2013, here we come!

rest in peace, little one

After resolving to appreciate each and every day this year, I was hit with some heart-wrenching news this morning.

About a half an hour before we left for mass this morning, my mom received a call that our cousin - and my goddaughter - Veronica Mary, had passed away. She was barely a month old.

I ask for your prayers for our family, as we're falling apart at the seams. I have confidence that our Lord has a plan in the midst of this heartbreaking time, but it is very hard to accept that a beautiful and seemingly healthy baby could be taken from us so quickly.

Thank you in advance. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

so freakin' excited!

have you ever seen this video?

that's me.
that's me thinking about Thanksgiving.
that's me thinking about Thanksgiving this year in Pittsburgh.
that's me thinking about Thanksgiving this year in Pittsburgh with all of my siblings.

I'M SO FREAKIN' EXCITED.

it's funny how as we all get older, somehow the less time we spend together, the more we like one another.
I'm not saying that we didn't love each other back when we all lived permanently under the same roof, but I think once we all began to grow up and move out, we get along a lot better. Probably the whole maturity thing helps some too :]

for Thanksgiving this year, we're road-tripping it out to Pitt to spend a few days with my broja, Tommy. and the 4 of us have not spent more than 15 hours together since Tommy left for his summer internship in Germany in May. I graduated, moved back home, and about 3 days later, T left for Berlin...then when he came back in August, I was home visiting, but by the time his flight got into Chicago, we all had 15 hrs (8 of which were spent sleeping) before I headed back to CU. Bummer.

BUT from 11/21-11/24, we will all be together once again. Huzzah.

and I'm excited.

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

beautiful Belle

Can we just take a couple seconds (or minutes, or hours...) to revel at how incredibly gorgeous little Belle is?

SERIOUSLY.

just to clarify...I was right :)

Not much to report today...except that I got a hilarious email from my grandma today. For those of you who don't know her, she is the sweetest, most grandma-like person ever. And she's also hilarious. Which is probably where I get that from ;)

So I'm not going to post the whole email (she practically wrote a novel) but since she said that she "would have been a little happier if there had been some broccoli or some other veggie on that plate", I am including a picture of my dinner from tonight....

***all food items pictured were purchased at Aldi***

and of course, no healthy meal is complete without a tall glass of milk...

Granny, I know that Busch is your favorite, but this was the only Grandma-esqe glass that I could find...sorry! ;)

While we're on the topic of family, I seem to remember a certain conversation I had with my mother and sister regarding a certain skirt that I loved and they called "frumpy"... believe I proved them wrong....

complete with my "I'm right and you know it" face ;)

*sigh* feels so good to be right :)

well, I best be off...there's a movie calling my name...anyone ever heard of Blood Money? I haven't seen it but expect it to be good...I'll let you know! Love all around!

I'm hilarious.

True story. Or at least, I think I'm hilarious.

Just put my bid in for baby names for the little girl my cousins J & A are having on Monday...here are my top pics:

Philomena
Perpetua
Priscilla
Paprika
Pepper
Porsche
Pocahontas
Parabola
Pebbles
Princess
Persephone

Yes, they all begin with "P".

For those of you who know the story of how J gave me the nickname "Master P", you'll also understand why I intend to call his daughter my Mini P.

For those of you who are confused, I apologize. However, I refuse to explain the story...ask me in person and I might just oblige.

Mini P is set to be born this Monday, 6/11 viz C-Section...please pray for her and Mommy for a safe delivery!

Papa

I miss my Grandpa so much sometimes it hurts.

I was only 8 when he died, but it hit me really hard even at such a young age...although I'm convinced that before you're in your teens or later, you can't really fully go through the grieving process.

me and Papa in MN

I don't know what it was specifically that made me so keenly aware of the fact that I hadn't fully grieved his death, but it started sometime around freshman year of college. And as time has gone on, I'm more and more aware of how much I really miss him. How much I really wish he was here. How much I desire to make him proud.

Lynch reunion :)

And I'm so sad that he won't be here to see me graduate.

...to see me fall in love.

...to see me get married.

...to see me have children.

He won't meet my husband until we [hopefully] reunite in Heaven, and the same goes for my children. And that makes me so immensely sad. 

But I'm holding onto a tiny shred of hope that he's watching over me, praying for me, possibly even helping me along the way to get to where I need to be. He might even know where my husband is...I hope he's helping him be the best he can be. And the same goes for me...

I love him so much and I so wish that he was here so that I could give him a hug like I never gave him when he was alive.

I love you, Grandpa, and I cannot wait to see your smiling face and twinkling eyes once again.

P.S. did I mention that he took a movie star to her prom? 

Dolores Hart, such a natural beauty

yup, that's Elvis.

and that she was the first actress to kiss Elvis on screen?

smooch!

and that she later became Mother Dolores? 

my Grandpa's such a stud!

baby steps

I feel that I can now attempt to put this down on paper...or text...whatever...now that I've mentioned it to my mom....

I, like most young adults my age, have been struggling lately attempting to figure out what it is that I am meant to do in this life. Now, unlike others my age, I have been trying to listen to the big man upstairs to see what His take on the situation is...which is actually a new thing for me in this particular area. Sure, I've included Him in my day to day proceedings, but when it comes to the bigger picture, for whatever reason, it never really clicked that I should be inquiring as to what God has planned for my life.

These past 3 years, I have been slowly trying to led the Lord lead my life. It hasn't been easy, but gradually, I am loosening the hold (or death grip?) I have on my future. I want to give Him my all, my life, my heart, my EVERYTHING. But the one thing that I haven't been allowing Him to have was my career. For whatever reason, I was keeping that for myself. Shame on me.

I have dreams. BIG dreams. Dreams beyond the cookie-cutter life that society has placed before me. Sure, our nation today screams "Be who you are no matter the cost!!! Do what YOU love! Do what makes YOU happy, no matter the cost!", and yet, they look down upon those who follow the faith and the Church. I have always dreamed of being a motivational speaker of some sort. Even straight out of high school, that is what I said that my dream job was...and as I have grown as a person and as a young adult in the Church, my dream has evolved into desiring to evangelize the whole world, speaking at conferences for youth and parishes alike, starting a revolution. THAT is my dream.

So then, one may ask, why am I not pursing this dream? Why am I a Psychology major instead of studying Theology at some prestigious Catholic university? Believe me, I too have asked that question. MANY times. But the only explanation I can come up with is that the Lord was forming me. He has me here for a reason and I will finish whatever He has planned for me here and then move on to the next part of the plan.

But one thing I AM going to do is not give up on my dream. So many people these days settle.
They settle for mediocre lifestyles.
They settle for "meh" lives.
They settle for less than what they were made for.
And I was made for greatness. I was made for more than what society expects of me.

I refuse to sit by and allow others to stir up a revolution in our culture and bring others to Christ...I want to be a soldier for Christ! And that's what I'm going to do. :]

As I am writing this I'm aware that some parts of this sound like I'm saying that I'm quitting school (in my 2nd to last semester before graduation?!) and joining a convent. Not at this moment, no...I truly feel called to married life, however, I desire the Lord's will more than my own, so whatever He wants for me is what I will do...I guess the point of this rant is that I am, for once, content; excited; looking forward to my future.

St. Gianna, pray for me!

caught.

I just said goodbye to two of my best friends. And the likeliness is that I won't see them for the whole 3 weeks we're off for break.

It's funny...I never thought I would feel this way. Caught.
When I'm here, I miss home. But when I'm home, I'm itching to come back here.
When I'm here, I miss my family. But when I'm home, I miss my family.
It's not that I don't feel like I have a home, the problem is that I have two homes.

Who knew that the people you're with pretty much 24/7 would become vital parts of you.
Kate was gone for 5 days last week due to some unfortunate events and I missed her like crazy.
When Ry isn't around for 2 days, the next time I see him, I feel like it's been forever.
Liz and I share a brain.
Karen is just as crazy as I am, maybe more...
Carol and I live 15 minutes from one another, but NEVER get together over breaks.

I don't know. I've done it before, so I can do it again, and of course God's on my side and He's the only thing I need, yaddah yaddah...but He put these people, my family, in my life, and it's really hard to say goodbye.

Iron Mike

Michael is the 3rd child in our family, used to be this cute little blonde-haired boy, but he's grown into a handsome, TALL, funny young man. And I love him a whole lot.

Mike and I have always gotten along pretty well, or at least I'm really good at blocking out all the times we weren't getting along. But especially in these past couple years, since I left for school, we've grown closer. Some of this may be due to me moving away to school, but regardless, our relationship is much better than it was when I was in high school.

He has always been a really sweet, genuine child. From the time when he was very young, Michael was the most sincere and adorable little kid you'd ever met. On Sunday mornings, my mom would come down the stairs and he would be in the kitchen waiting to get in the car and he would look up at our mom with those big blue eyes and say "Oh, Mommy...you're beautiful!" Such a sweetheart! And now, if I call home to talk to everyone, he is guaranteed to say how much he misses me and can't wait for me to come home. Adorable!

He came down with my parents this weekend for the dedication mass of the center [AMAZING! post to follow] and oh my goodness. I swear, that kid has grown about a foot since I last saw him! He has to be close to 6'4'' now! He's at least 6'3'', but he seems to be growing by the minute! And he's as fit and slim as a pole. AND so cute. Like really, I'm not biased because he's my brother...he's just a really good looking young man.

And he's funny. Sometimes Mike'll just say something, not meaning for it to be funny, but it's just hilarious. And he's so darn cute that he's just funny in the ways he says things sometimes. Dang I love my biggest little brother.

t-bird

This post is dedicated entirely to my youngest sibling, and only sister, which is why I can say that she is my favorite sister :]

T-Beara. T-bird. little T. Terrorizer. little bit. my sister.

Tara has a special place in my heart, not just because she's the little kid and I love her to death, but because I so desperately wanted a little sister after living the first 6 years of my life with 2 brothers. Don't get me wrong, I love my brothers, but c'mon! Everyone wants a sister! :]

My parents told us that they were pregnant and I remember being so excited. I was FINALLY going to get my baby sister! From a very young age I always loved babies and when Tommy and Michael were born, I was so excited and loved them so very much, but at that age, couldn't really retain those memories, but NOW I was going to have a little sister and I could dress her, play with her and love her a whole lot!

Now, you need to understand that my parents never found out the sex of the baby before he/she was born. They figured that there are so little surprises left in this day and age, that waiting in anticipation for the birth of a child and not knowing what you'll end up with, just praying that it is healthy, is one of the GOOD surprises in life. Yet, no matter how many times they told me throughout the pregnancy, I was convinced that I was going to get my baby sister.

My mom went in to be induced a few days after the due date, and us kids went to stay with a family friend for the day. The whole day I was practicing my cartwheel so that when we got the call that I had a baby sister, I could do one in excitement. And yet, the day came and went, and no baby. I was SO mad. I wanted my baby sister! A week or so later goes by and my mom goes into labor and what do you know! A girl! Told 'em.

So from the very beginning, I've loved Tara. And as she grows older [now a 14 year old freshman in high school!], it's becoming more and more fun to hangout with her and become more than sisters, but friends also.

Let me tell you, this kid is funny. She cracks me up. When she was little, Tara used to give us "smoochie kisses" before bed. She would hold onto your face with two hands and give you a long, wet smooch right on the lips. Complete with sound effects. And this was when she was about 3 years old...hilarious. Now, she's over that stage, thank God, but she's still as funny as ever.

I haven't been home since the summer [Thanksgiving will be the first time being home] but I've heard that not only does she miss me a whole lot, but she's stepped in my shoes as terrorizer of the household, making sure to keep our dad in line by teasing him a whole lot. I've taught her well.

And she shares my love for babies, which is awesome. I love her a lot and can't wait to see her so soon!!!

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!

I get to see my family in tminus 9 hours.

Getting pumped up.

Oh, and a sidenote, at the dedication mass tomorrow, I will be serving as a vimp, AKA personal attendant to Bishop Jenky. holla!

I love being Catholic. And my fam. :]

my little docker



born to be wild!



Tommy. Where to begin...



I am the oldest of four, but at one time, it was just Tommy and I. He was such a cute little kid, but I'm not going to pretend like I remember that from when I was one and a half years old. 



But regardless, that hasn't changed. He was and still is a cute kid. Adult. Young adult? Strange. He's 18 now, soon to be 19, so I suppose that qualifies him as a young adult.

Anyways, Tommy is a genius. Literally. Like, he loves math and science, and that may make him sound like a total nerd, but in reality, he's really "normal". Get him going on a rant about why something causes something else, and good luck to you, but other than that, he's just a regular 18 year old guy. I honestly am so proud to be his sister. He can pump out numbers, etc but in addition, he's HILARIOUS. I swear. No one can make me laugh like my little brother. He's a crack up. Like, he'll send me these texts sometimes that will make me laugh in the middle of class or wherever I am. Now, they're usually inappropriate, but funny nonetheless. lol

Tommy is also one of the only people [or maybe THE only] person who will tell things to me straight. Especially when it comes to guy stuff. I have the tendency to get wrapped up in my emotions and delusions [like most women], and he'll always bring me back to planet Earth if need be. I have other friends who will sugar coat things to me in order to not hurt my feelings, but he knows that at the end of the day, it is better that I know the truth rather than live in a fantasy world of what I think is going on with a guy I like.



Tommy and I with our cousin Rebecca

 Also, this just came to my mind, but Tommy is going to be a great father. Obviously, he's going to have to graduate and get his masters and doctorate before getting married, but THEN he'll be a great dad. He loves kids and it's really funny to watch him interact with little kids. I think that's the best way to see how a guy is going to be as a father. Most men can figure it out and be good dads with practice, but then there are the men who are just naturals. Tommy is one of those guys. Just sayin.


Also, we survived a 12 hour Greyhound trip from Alexandria, MN to Chicago, IL. Two siblings can become really close over that amount of time. Not to mention the week following when we lived by ourselves together at home while the rest of our family was still on vacation.
Ok, and now I really miss him. Maybe this was a bad idea, but whatever, it's done now. By the way, these are just surface reasons why I love Tommy. He is much more than a funny, smart, straightforward, wonderful future-dad. MUCH more. But these are the things that come to mind right now.

I can't wait until break when he and I can have our getting-ready-for-bed-in-the-bathroom chats.

Can't. Wait. :]

you make me smile :]

Watch this movie.

I'm actually not in a really happy mood, contary to this post's title, but looking towards the future does make me smile.

I realized today that these school breaks are going to be very different for a couple of reasons:

1. I have not been home this entire semester, and while I always appreciate being home with my family, more than ever am I really, truly homesick. Sometimes when talking about going home, I get choked up and really miss my family a whole lot.

2. Now that Tommy is in college too, we'll be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas break together...Thanksgiving will be a big deal, but he's only going to be home for Wednesday thru Saturday. But then for Christmas break, he's not going to be in school while I'm home, like the past 2 years! We can hang out and talk and be friends. I'm really excited.

This just inspired me to start a series of blogs devoted entirely to my siblings. Maybe I'll start tonight? Yes.