See the Lilies of the Field

  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

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

     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