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Breaking Hearts

“Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them.” -Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen This year, this semester, has been a myriad of peaks, and valleys. I remember coming into the semester- getting my apartment set up after coming back from a retreat a week before classes began. Perhaps hindsight is glossing over whatever trifle I was dealing with at the time but the few weeks after that retreat were seamless, bright and promising. I had resolved that I would be intentional this year. I would take care of myself body, mind and spirit. I was regularly working out and eating well. I was watching what I put on and in my body- trying to get rid of harmful chemicals in my daily routine. I was cutting out binge- watching in favor of reading (not just for homework, but reading for pleasure too). My spiritual life was okay- it was good. But the retreat before school began had shed light on a struggle: I could not get over this feeling that something som
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Lessons in Nannying

This is not a post about me giving lessons (for I am hardly in a position to give advice given my relatively brief time as a nanny), rather it is a compilation of  my discoveries thus far. I have been a nanny for a over a month now. No, that is not a very long period of time, but it is significant enough that I have learned many things. For instance, I found out that I love crunchy peanut butter. Also, I have learned that I have more patience than I originally thought. I learned that diapers are not full-proof and leaks happen. A lot. I have learned that my toes and the legs of the baby bouncer do not get along... at all. I have learned how to multi-task much better than my abilities allowed before I started this job. I have learned that positive reinforcement works wonders. I have learned that even if the child in time-out seemingly has no toys nearby with which to occupy their time in "solitary",  3 minutes later they have somehow acquired 50 of them without moving
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Friendship, the ER, and Kidneys

  If I have learned anything recently, I have learned what love looks like through the actions of my friends.   If I could sum up the past two weeks in a word...well I probably shouldn't use that specific word... let's go with a more family friendly option: bonkers.  I got back to college after Thanksgiving feeling bad.  I had been having back pain for a few weeks and it hadn't gone away.  At first I thought it was muscle pain, but for the amount of time it lasted and the amount of pain and how deep it felt, I thought it might be something more.  I went to the Wellness Center the morning I got back and they thought it might be a UTI.  A few days later, the pain got really bad.  It was excruciating.  Something else was going on.  In the past week I have been to the ER twice.  They're thinking kidney stones. Last Thursday morning I woke up and couldn't move.  Between gasps of pain and tears I texted a close friend to come help.  We went to the ER where two other fri
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College Life

Am I really in college? Is this reality? I catch myself asking these questions a lot.  It still seems unreal to me at times.  I've dreamed about these days and now I am literally living those dreams.  I find that incredible to think about!   College has been even more amazing than I thought it would be.  Immediately, I felt at home and God has blessed me with some amazing friends who uplift me and keep me accountable with my faith. The prospect of spending the next four years plus with these people makes me smile and shake my head simultaneously.  I can't imagine the types of shenanigans we'll get into.  Since I've been here (its been about 3 months now), I've been able to join the student led choir, the ballroom/swing dancing club (which is an insane amount of fun), and various other different clubs/activities.  Some of my favorite places to be on campus, besides the coffee shop, are the Marian grotto and the adoration chapel. My roommate and I have a weekly
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New Things

     Well, hello there people of the internet.  Its been a long time.  I know, I'm sorry. Its just been crazy lately.  The entirety of April and May were reviewing, studying and exams.  Sooooo many exams.  Around 15 of them actually.  But good news, I got the IB diploma! Not that it really means much now, but its nice to know I got it. And then June was graduation and my birthday, in that order.  One was the day after the other. 18! My parents can legally kick me out now.  My bro got confirmed, my sister is off to high school, I've been up and around VA and PA visiting family and... what else? Oh yeah, COLLEGE. What? I know. Its crazy. I've only dreamed about this moment for the past four years of my life-thank you, public school system...  Suffice to say, thinking about college is what kept me going through my high school years. That and a whole lot of Jesus.  And coffee. Yes, I am FINALLY done with high school.  Now I am going to a place where monks roam campus, Mass is
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Old Friends

There are things I never thought I would go through, things I never thought I would experience, people I never thought I would lose from my life. But one can never know the future can they? Over the past month or so I have experienced a few losses. I've lost friends. But they weren't just friends to me, they felt like family.  The way our relationship was, I thought we would be friends forever. I believed our friendship was rooted and growing deeper and stronger all the time. I guess that was not God's plan. A keen loss. I feel it everyday.  These people were sisters to me and now we are strangers.  Its weird and unnatural.  We told each other everything.  Everything.  I went to them in my frustrations and they came to me in theirs. We were always asking each other for prayers. I sit sometimes and am so confused.  What happened? One day we were so close and the next it felt like our friendship had been severed with a knife. No explanation,  no goodbye, just dead silen
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Seasons of Change

Oh goodness. Its August.  I can't believe it's already August!  A few weeks ago I got my Senior pictures taken, and when I saw them it hit me. I thought, "Dang." Because it dawned on me all of the stuff I'm going to have to get done this year. School hasn't even started, and I am stressed out.  I'm searching far and wide for any and every scholarship, I feel like I'm swimming in summer assignments.  I'm studying for the SAT- again so that I can get a better score so that I can apply for more scholarships... I'm looking for a way to make money that won't take time away from my extracurricular activities- which will make me more well-rounded so I am more attractive to colleges...but I need the money from the job to help pay for college.  Oh and grades, once school starts I need to keep me GPA up- also for college... *Sigh* So anyways that's what has been going on lately. Its kinda scary you know? This year is going to be very differe
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