Not Alone Series: friendly love

This week the topic is "Love within Friendship".

We talk a lot about romantic love, so it's a nice change of pace :)

I will be the first to say that love within friendship is different from romantic love. But regardless of the type of relationship, this love should be present.

Why? Well, because Jesus told us....

"This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:12,13

Guess what, people? Loving your friends can be hard - no, scratch that, it WILL be hard. But look at what Jesus says! We're meant to lay down our lives for our friends! 

Laying down our lives - whether that be in the form of holding them accountable, or in sacrificing your "free time" to invest in your relationship, or in learning to stretch and grow into a new "season" of you friendship after one of you gets married or has a baby.

Being a good friend...and LOVING your friends isn't always easy. It takes effort.

One of my favorite and least favorite ways to love my friends is through accountability.

It's my least favorite because it's hard and sometimes awkward and potentially hurtful.

But it's my favorite because it's true love. Accountability helps build my friends up in an eternal way.

A good friend doesn't just sit idly by and watch their friend live their life in a way that isn't building them up.

No.

A good friend challenges them to be better. THAT is how we love them! Real love of a friend isn't appeasing them or "accepting" them no matter what. A good, loving friend is one who seeks to constantly help his/her friend get closer to heaven. 

And I know that not saying anything when my friend is nearing alcoholism is not loving them.

Not saying anything when my friend is in a relationship that isn't good for her soul is not loving her.

Not saying anything when my friend has stopped attending mass on a regular basis is not loving them.

Not saying anything when my friend decides to live with his girlfriend before marriage is not loving him.

These conversations might definitely will be awkward. 

Someone might walk away hurt or angry. But in doing everything with love, I've found that those who are hurt or angry eventually see that you were only trying to love them in the most authentic way you could.

Calling a friend to something higher than what they're living isn't judgmental, it's LOVE.

I hope this makes sense....and if not, maybe I can clarify in a later post. Or, if you disagree with me, leave me a comment! This week has already left my brain feeling fried and it's only Tuesday when you're reading this and only Monday when I wrote this...

Link up below with your perspective on love in friendship!

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Next week's topic:

Survey!

Answer the following questions so we can get to know one another a bit better!

1. Age

2. Area of country (be as specific or vague as your comfort levels allow :)
3. # of previous relationships (....as in, at least "FB official")
4. What do you do with your life? School? Work? Both? Neither?
5. What's your family like? (let's see some pics!)
6. How did your parents meet? (tell us the story!)
7. Confirmation saint name and why (if you were Catholic at that point in your journey)
8. Favorite Gospel?
9. What are the top three qualities you're looking for in a husband? (who knows, maybe one of us has a cousin or friend to connect you with! ;)
10. If you've done online dating, do you have any advice or experiences to share?
11. Tweetable single-lady advice (140 characters or less of what you'd say to other single ladies)
12. What is your favorite thing to do outside of blogging and work/school?

8/6: Peace
Where do you find it and how do you keep it?
(inspired by Jen's Follow the Peace post)

8/13: Should/can women pursue men?
What do you think? Any and all perspectives welcome!!!

TAG!

Amanda tagged me in this game of...whatever we're calling it...tag, mayhaps?
Well, I can't resist a good Q&A, so here goes nothing!

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1.) The first rule is to post these rules.
2.) Post a photo of yourself then write 11 things about you/your life.
3.) Answer the questions for you set in the original post.
4.) Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5.) Go to their blog/twitter to tell them you have tagged them.

I like chips.

11 things about me:

1. ....ok, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be....usually when people ask for me to say something that they wouldn't know, I'd say that I have a blog....but....duh.

2. OH! Here's something people might find interesting....Marc Cardaronella is the DRE at my parish! How awesome is that?! I didn't know he was a big deal until a couple weeks ago. Pretty sweet, yeah?

3. I wish life was a musical or at least had a background soundtrack playing constantly....I just really love music!

4. Umm.....oh, I can sing. Pretty well, I hear. (pun not intended ;) On my way back from NC this weekend, we were belting Defying Gravity. I was impressed by my skillz.

5. I think I'm really funny. Like, I laugh at the funny things I say. It's quite amusing.

6. So, I'm the oldest of 4 kids....I have two brothers and a sister....and according to my family, I'm the one who starts the most trouble. They call me the "pot stirrer" because I come home, stir everything up and then back away to watch the crazy ensue. 

7. My family and I are really close...and we're all really close with our extended family which is a huge blessing. I was the maid-of-honor in my cousin's wedding this June and gave a BA toast....the best pictures are below:

isn't she a beautiful bride?!

8. Sorry...that last one turned into a photo-dump. Whoops. Well, I live about 4 hours from my family (minus my brother out at PITT), so it's a good thing that I have friends right here in town....and more than are moving here this month! My favorite, by far is this little monkey:

9. And going off of that last one, I love babies. A LOT. It's a joke in my family that I have a baby radar that can sense a baby from miles away. That might be only a slight exaggeration.

10. I've never been out of the U.S. Not even to Canada. It's kind of sad, but I've seen a lot of our nation, so that's a plus :)

11. My first name is both Irish Gaelic (meaning rocky crag) and German (Morgen = morning), my middle name is Catholic (Veronica), and my last name is Irish (it's a "Mc" :)....and I'm half Irish, half German, and 100% Catholic :)

Questions Amanda asked of me:

1. What is your favorite thing to blog about, or which post of yours is your favorite?

hmmm well, I obviously really like talking about single-people topics, seeing that that's pretty much all I post these days but I mostly enjoy writing about things around me, things I've observed or experienced that interest me...yeah. And I'll cheat....this is one of my favorite posts :)

2. Who is your favorite band at the moment?

agghhh Amanda! Don't do this to me! I love music. Like, ALL music. Even head-banging metal music* but right now I love me some Mumford and Sons....and Jack Johnson.....and Lady Antebellum....and The Band Perry....and Lorde....and....I'll stop now.

*in specific settings

3. If you were going to die tomorrow and you could go anywhere before you died, where would you spend your last day on earth?

Millerville, MN - my family has been going up there every year since before I was born for vacation in the summer and it's my favorite place in the world. My best friends are up there and I just love it. Just a few cabins smack dab in between two lakes surrounded by soybean and corn fields.

Heaven.

4. What is your favorite prayer (outside of the Mass)?

I really love the Salve Regina. English and Latin. Sung or recited. I love it all.

5. What song or movie do you turn on at the end of bad day?

ooooo...I don't really have one that I turn to currently, but Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin was my jam back in HS. Used to play that bad boy on repeat.

6. Which season of the year is your favorite and why?

I truly and honestly love them all, but if I had to choose, I would say Spring. New life beginning and the smell of spring in the air after dry, cold winters is the best.

7. Which liturgical season is your favorite and why?

Triduum. Hands down. I fell in love with the Triduum season during college when it felt like we were basically living at the Cathedral. The best year was when after the Easter Vigil mass, Bishop Jenky invited all college students into his home for a party. Best. Day. Ever.

8. Would you rather be taking pictures or be in the pictures?

Can I choose both? Lately, I'm in more pictures than I take myself, but I don't really have a preference. 

But I'm definitely not one of those "no no no I don't want to be in the picture!" kind of people :)

9. What is the best deal you ever got on a piece of clothing and what did you buy?

I've been lucky multiple times, but usually when I'm on vacation somewhere....but I think the best deal I ever got was at White House | Black Market at an outlet mall in Gulf Shores, AL. 

I bought a silk skirt for $9.99....I'm not sure what original retail was but their skirts usually range from $50-$100. 

So yeah. Awesome.

10. What is the best piece of advice/or wisdom you ever heard from your mother?

Whatever's meant to be will be - no sense in worrying about what you can't control.

11. If you could go back in time five years and tell yourself one thing, what would you tell your younger self?

Chill the heck out. Stop freaking out about your future....planning ahead isn't a bad thing, but you have to expect that changes will occur. Life is a lot easier if you learn to adapt and thrive during transition.


Questions for those tagged:

1. What is the longest roadtrip you've ever taken?
2. Where was your favorite vacation destination you've ever been?
3. Favorite frugal-ish place to clothing shop? (need some help over here! :)
4. Easiest I-worked-all-day-but-don't-want-McDonalds-AGAIN recipe? (link-up if you can!)
5. What did you want to be when you were younger?
6. Any books you're currently reading?
7. What is your favorite TV show at the moment? (or coming back in the Fall!)
8. True or False: ice cream makes most bad days better?
9. Do you journal? If so, where and what time of day?
10. What are your favorite fruits and veggies?
11. Do you thrift? What was your best find?


And I'll tag:

Jordan @ Occasional Humor
Katy @ Young American Catholic
Katrina @ Cedars & Tiny Flowers
Stephanie @ Captive the Heart
Lauren @ Focus on the Fiat
Stacey @ The Girl with the Lily Tattoo

Amanda tagged pretty much everyone I would have initially thought of, but I'm excited to have the chance to introduce y'all to some newbie bloggers....and hopefully this will give some of them (*ahem*JORDAN*) the kick in the pants they need to get back into the blogging world ;)

xo, mo

Not Alone Series: challenge ACCEPTED!

Hello hello!

This week we are talking about what challenge we...challenged....ourselves to complete.

So when this was first presented, I really had no idea what I was going to do. A couple of suggestions were to join Catholic Match or if you feel called to religious life, talk to a sister....something to help you along the road to your vocation.

Well, as you likely already know, I feel very strongly called to married life. And I'm single, so at first I thought of maybe joining Catholic Match. Seemed like an easy option.
I'll be honest, there was a time when I thought that joining a dating website was really desperate. Or something that I would only consider if I was 45 and single.
While I no longer have that attitude and see online dating as a perfectly fine option (and am actually open to it), I had this feeling of hesitation.
It no longer came from the "ahh no way am I doing that, that's tooootally desperate" feeling, but rather a "oh my gosh I don't want to do that. what if someone actually wants to take me on a date?! I don't want that right now!!!"

Woah.
Never had those thoughts before.

So, following what my heart was telling me, I decided to choose a challenge that would help me to prepare for my vocation. After all, we should always be aiming to prepare for the future, yeah? Good habits don't come along with a marriage certificate.

I'm not sure how much I've talked about this, but I really hate exercise. And I also really love food.
Neither of those traits are death-sentences, but I've been trying to get myself to live a healthier lifestyle. Plus I know that when I get married and have kids that I want to already have that in place so that my family will be healthy.
So, I decided that my challenge would be to workout more.
Super vague, I know, and honesty hour: I failed.
Like big time. Like, I worked out once.
BUT like Britt, I'm resolving to do these this from now on.
AND since you all know about it now, I feel more pressure to follow through :)

So, I'm challenging myself to exercise every day.
Even if all that means is that I take a walk around my neighborhood after work.
OR maybe I get up a half hour earlier than usual to hang out with Jillian Michaels.
It's going to take determination and discipline, but I know I can do it....I just have to do it, ya know?

Soooooo what did you challenge yourself to do? Or what are you challenging yourself to do in the future?
Link-up over at Jen's!

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Next week's topic:

What is Love in Friendship?

What is Love? More specifically, what is Love within Friendship?

How do you Love your friends? How is this different from a romantic relationship? Is it different?

Interpret as you will....

Thank you to everyone who sent us topic suggestions! Here are the next few topics!

8/27: Survey of Sorts - let's get to know one another better!

Britt had the idea to do an email-chain type of survey to get to know one another better! Below are the questions to answer...we might add more, so stay tuned next week for edits! :)

1. Age

2. Area of country (be as specific or vague as your comfort levels allow :)

3. # of previous relationships (....as in, at least "FB official")

4. What do you do with your life? School? Work? Both? Neither?

5. What's your family like? (let's see some pics!)

6. Confirmation saint name and why (if you were Catholic at that point in your journey)

7. Favorite Gospel?

8. What are the top three qualities you're looking for in a husband? (who knows, maybe one of us has a cousin or friend to connect you with! ;)

9. If you've done online dating, do you have any advice or experiences to share?

10. Tweetable single-lady advice (140 characters or less of what you'd say to other single ladies)

8/6: Peace

Where do you find it and how do you keep it?

(inspired by Jen's Follow the Peace post)

8/13: Should/can women pursue men?
What do you think? Any and all perspectives welcome!!!

Please email Jen or email me with your topic suggestions, questions, comments, etc.

Not Alone Series: envy and singlehood

Aaaaaand we're back for another topic in the Not Alone Series!

This week the topic is Envy and Singlehood...and this week I remembered that it's Tuesday!

However, I just moved and don't have wifi in my apartment yet, which is why I'm a tad bit late :)

We asked this week that everyone interpret the topic "Envy and Singlehood" however you wish, so I'm really excited to read all of the different perspectives/interpretations!

When I think about envy and how it relates to my current "status" as a single woman, I immediately recall moments (or days, weeks, months, etc.) when all I could think about was what others had that I wanted and why I didn't have that. I've talked before about how patience in the wait for "my future" to begin is a struggle. 

Well, I think envy is something that makes having that patience a very difficult feat.

It's so easy to be envious of your friends who are married when you so desire marriage.

It's so easy to be envious of the couple you see while people-watching at a coffeeshop when you so desire to have someone hold your hand and make you feel special.

It's so easy to be envious of the friend who seems to have it all together as a single person when you really do want to be "okay" with your single status.

So, ok, it's one thing to recognize that you have an issue with these things, it's another to take steps toward overcoming these vices. So what am I doing to overcoming this situation I have with envy?

Well, for one, I'm making a daily effort to recognize the GOOD in my life: as it is right now.

My life is pretty good right now. 

I just moved into my very own apartment and am now living by myself for the first time in my life.

A few of my friends from college are moving to town this month and I'm super excited to spend time with them!

This weekend, I'm travelling to Charlotte, NC for my boss's wedding!

These are all GREAT things about my life as it is right now.

Now, that's not to say that I don't have my own struggles...like spending my entire summer raising support.

BUT with all of the travelling I've been doing, it makes me wonder if I could even juggle a relationship and all that I have going on right now. I honestly think being single throughout this fundraising-my-salary time period is best.

Also, prayer is really great. If you can get into (or in my case, back into) a good prayer routine, things just seem to be a lot easier...I think that's what they call grace. ;)

But the envy is always there....no matter how hard you try, when you're vulnerable and feeling weak, it creeps in. And I really believe that the only way to truly combat it is to acknowledge that this is something you are dealing with it and just make the effort to push past it every day. 

Denial ain't getting us nowhere.

If we are aware and prepared for these feelings of envy, hopefully we can deal with them head on and hopefully in the most productive way possible.

I can't wait to read all of the other thoughts on envy and singlehood over at Jen's!

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Next week's topic:

CHALLENGE TIME!

what did you do to take a step toward your vocation? we're excited to share and learn about your experiences!

Thank you to everyone who emailed us about your topic ideas! Jen and I are working on making up a new schedule and getting that out to y'all ASAP! But in the meantime, please don't hesitate to continue to send us what YOU would like to talk about!

Please email Jen or email me with your topic suggestions, questions, comments, etc.

Not Alone Series: favorite resources!

Welcome back to another week of the Not Alone Series!

Thanks to everyone for putting up with my tardiness...I was half-way through this week's episode of The Bachelorette during my lunch break when I realized that today was Tuesday. Oiy vey. I blame it on my move this week and this weekend's baptism festivities.

Hokay. Now onto the good stuff. This week we're talking about our favorite resources!

I love music more than most things in this beautiful world and so it should come as no surprise that most of my favorite resources are songs.

The first song I LOVE is Beloved by Tenth Avenue North. This song played a huge part in my discernment story and it has helped me so much to understand the love of our Lord for us...as well as how that relates into marital love.





I've always been a fan of Matt Maher, and especially when I found out that he's indeed Catholic! I saw him in a small concert the local Christian radio station had last year and he told the story of his song My Only Love...he wrote it when he was single and was longing for his future wife, but just recorded it now. I think it's so beautiful and really encompasses the love I feel for my husband, wherever he is...





As Long as our Hearts are Beating by Jenny and Tyler gives me chills. It's very lovely and passionate. I also saw them in a small concert during college and they're as sweet as can be...and have a brand new baby girl! Stephanie from Captive the Heart talked about this song in one of her posts and I couldn't agree more with her review of this song:

"...so wondrously expresses the pure love between a bride and bridegroom. It's about really seeing the person you love, not just in body but in entirety. I ache."




And this last one is just fun. I'm a Keeper by The Band Perry describes my life right now. I LOVE rocking out to it. The free-ness it embodies is something I can totally relate to.




Ok, so as far as other resources go, I really loved the book Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge. While I can't say that I agree or enjoy everything about this book, overall, I found it to be very lovely and encouraging.

Among many others, I really love this part:

(in speaking about beauty) "There is a radiance hidden in your heart that the world desperately needs."

Yes.

And while I felt awkward reading it at first, Christopher West's Good News About Sex and Marriage is faaabulous. It really broke down a lot of my walls and preconceived notions about chastity as well as sex within marriage.

But one of my FAVORITE favorites is a book I got about a year ago to deal with all of those pesky FOCUS missionaries doing summer training here. So. difficult. It's a book called The Dating Fast by Katherine Becker. It's an amazing book to help you "reclaim your heart, body, and soul". I love it. A lot.
And you can buy it here!

Alrighty, well that's all I've got for now...I feel like I'm forgetting something but if so I guess I'll just have to write another post! :) Link up your favorite resources post below!

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next week's topic:

Envy and Singlehood

Interpret as you like...

August 13: Challenge week!!!
Write about whatever you challenged yourself to do in order to take a step toward your vocation whether it be marriage or religious life! Can't wait to read what y'all did!

We're running out of topics, people!

Email us your ideas!!!

Guest Post at The Veil of Chastity

Happy Monday, y'all!

Sooooo I hesitated about even saying anything because I really don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm also really excited....today I'm guest blogging/posting/whatever-ing over at The Veil of Chastity!
Talking about chastity and living it out in the real world.

If that peaks your interest, take a gander!

If not, here're some bonus baby pics from this weekend's baptism festivities.
Because if little Lincoln doesn't make you squeal, well, why are you even here? ;)

"heeheehee I'm so funny!"

"mmkay I'm smiling...can you stop now, Auntie Morgana?"

"ooo something kinda smells..."

SUCH a cutie pie!!!

xo, mo