What's Up with Us

All kinds of anticipatory things going on round here ...

• Rose starts school on the 15th. That sent her into overdrive finishing the book she had assigned herself for summer reading: Crime and Punishment. She loved it. "Wow, what a great book. You'd hate it, Mom, so depressing until the very last page ... but so good." Now she is plodding through her summer homework. I still think it's wrong to assign work over the summer.


• Hannah is off to Fish Camp this morning. That took us most of the weekend to accomplish. (Fish Camp: a four day A&M freshman camp for learning traditions and making new friends. Higly recommended by one and all.) She left this morning, driving with a friend, at 4:45 (yes 4:45, which meant we were up at 4:00!). Thinking about Fish Camp sent her into a spiral of hard reality about being separated from boyfriend for the school year ... which was not helped by a discussion with boyfriend during which he thought that maybe they should break up but then left it in the air until "after Fish Camp." Thanks so much, boyfriend. There's nothing like dealing with that fallout especially when Hannah's already freaking about leaving home in general. So that took most of my extra time and energy this weekend.


• Beyond Cana (marriage enrichment retreat) ... any couples who attended the retreat are welcome to be part of the ongoing retreat teams, whether on a support or core team. Since we have three couples who are getting it started in our parish, more are essential to being able to pull this off, especially when considering that two of the couples have small children. A gratifying number of them liked it so much that they want to help bring it to others. We're pumped about it! There was a party on Saturday for everyone to get together and just hang out. These people have some of the most adorable little ones I've ever seen.


• Knitting ... I really am hating knitting with the Lion Brand self striping yarn but am only halfway through one sock and Rose loves the colors so ... must ... push ... through. Luckily I am loving the Plymouth yarn I am using for the afghan so that makes a nice break. What I really have my eye on for a pair of socks is Bunny Hop ... there is just something so soft sounding about this angora blend yarn. I'd like to make these socks with it.


• I'm beginning Week 3 of the 34-week On-line Retreat along with a couple of friends. So far it is really going well. Working hand-in-hand with this is the fact that I'm also reading The Ignatian Workout: Daily Spiritual Exercises for a Healthy Faith and using the Pray-As-You-Go prayer podcast. As both are based in Ignatian spirituality, it is all working together to make this a very fruitful beginning.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity