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.

seriously, I'm so blessed to be Catholic

I feel like the title says it all...and I really don't have much else to add.

God is good.

Might seem super obvious, but really, when was the last time you sat and thought about all the ways that He is SO good to us? I tend to do this a lot, but tonight He really revealed to me how immense His love is for us. And we should be bowing down before Him constantly.

Maybe that isn't feasible, since we do have other responsibilities to attend to, but for real. If we really believe that what we believe is really real, that's all we would be able to do. Nothing would be able to keep us from leaving that chapel.

But yeah, God is great. He's really good at leading you, if you only trust in Him to take care of you. And let me tell you, it's a really good feeling once you allow Him to have complete control over your life. It's definitely not easy, but once you get to that point, it's simply amazing.

And it's really late. I should go to bed. Prudence. :/

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. :]