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Saturday, October 27, 2012
7 Quick Takes: Day Late and Dollars Short
I was off not bloggering yesterday, and I don't have any thoughts quick or otherwise currently that don't involve: football (Go Irish!), knitting, or Harry Potter, so in lieu of anything interesting, here are pretty snowy Colorado pictures.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Another Pollyanna Post
I'm in a really really good mood tonight. Why, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you.
For one reason, I watched How to Train Your Dragon with my roommates. I hadn't seen it before, but I've been wanting to because I always love the soundtrack when it comes on any of my movie scores stations. (Liking a soundtrack doesn't automatically make me want to see a movie, or make me like the movie - one of my favorite songs from a movie score is from a movie I've seen once but have no real desire ever to see again: The Ludlows from the Legends of the Fall soundtrack. But in this case, it did. Band of Brothers is another I want to see because I love the music from it.) Anyway. Thankfully, the movie was as good - or better! - than the music. I really loved it. A lot.
Another reason: it snowed today! Even seeing a single flake makes me irrationally excited. And seeing a lot of them? And some of them big ol' fat flakes? That's even better.
I just popped in a movie because I need to go to bed but find myself not tired enough, so I'm just watching a bit. But the two trailers at the beginning were both for Christmas movies (Polar Express - eh - and Elf!). I'm so excited for Christmas. Have I mentioned that before? Because I really, really am. Especially when it snows, like right now. :-)
I keep thinking about Poland. I still don't know how feasible it is (because I can't really see how it's feasible at all), but I just really, really want to do it.
I've been listening to audiobooks at work lately. I've often listened to music in the past, but lately I find myself skipping more songs than I listen to, it seems. (I think that really I'm just too anxious for it to be time for me to listen to Christmas music. Nothing else is quite as good anymore, right now.) So one day I decided to try a book. It's been great! I'm just listening to Harry Potter, since it's something I know pretty well and don't need to listen to that closely, but it's still entertaining while I'm doing basic, occasionally mind-numbing stuff. I've been more productive, actually, AND it helps keep me in a good mood, so pretty much win-win all around. It's pretty exciting. (I lead an very exciting life, clearly.)
But let me tell you the real reason I'm in such a good mood tonight.
Better yet, I'll show you.
These nights are my favorite. Absolutely and totally. These nights when the clouds are full of snow, the ground and trees and houses are covered in a layer of snow, and the world is just so wonderfully bright. I used to be terribly afraid of nighttime when I was younger, fearing what might happen at night, and who might break in. But these nights, nights when everything is beautifully illuminated? I was never scared on these nights. I lived for these nights. I still do.
And nights like this? They make me anxious to wake up early and get up to work early so I can do some picture-taking. It's really pretty up there on snowy mornings, let me tell you. And early mornings in general are pretty, though I'm not usually in a good frame of mind to enjoy them properly. Early mornings and I aren't always on the best of terms. Tomorrow, though? I think tomorrow might be different.
I'm really hoping, too, that I might see the elk and/or the buffalo tomorrow. The elk really seem to enjoy snowy/cold days, so I'm hopeful. Though I'm not sure I'll see this sight again anytime soon.
That's the upper parking lot where I work, which people rarely park in, and last week a herd of probably at least 30 elk decided to congregate there. It was awesome. I've seen elk at work before, but never that many all together at once! I want to be their friend.
They're just so CUTE. Well, the little ones. The big ones are fabulously beautiful. I just love them. So. Here's hoping for a sighting tomorrow! Even if not, though, at the very least I know it'll be pretty.
:-)
For one reason, I watched How to Train Your Dragon with my roommates. I hadn't seen it before, but I've been wanting to because I always love the soundtrack when it comes on any of my movie scores stations. (Liking a soundtrack doesn't automatically make me want to see a movie, or make me like the movie - one of my favorite songs from a movie score is from a movie I've seen once but have no real desire ever to see again: The Ludlows from the Legends of the Fall soundtrack. But in this case, it did. Band of Brothers is another I want to see because I love the music from it.) Anyway. Thankfully, the movie was as good - or better! - than the music. I really loved it. A lot.
Another reason: it snowed today! Even seeing a single flake makes me irrationally excited. And seeing a lot of them? And some of them big ol' fat flakes? That's even better.
I just popped in a movie because I need to go to bed but find myself not tired enough, so I'm just watching a bit. But the two trailers at the beginning were both for Christmas movies (Polar Express - eh - and Elf!). I'm so excited for Christmas. Have I mentioned that before? Because I really, really am. Especially when it snows, like right now. :-)
I keep thinking about Poland. I still don't know how feasible it is (because I can't really see how it's feasible at all), but I just really, really want to do it.
I've been listening to audiobooks at work lately. I've often listened to music in the past, but lately I find myself skipping more songs than I listen to, it seems. (I think that really I'm just too anxious for it to be time for me to listen to Christmas music. Nothing else is quite as good anymore, right now.) So one day I decided to try a book. It's been great! I'm just listening to Harry Potter, since it's something I know pretty well and don't need to listen to that closely, but it's still entertaining while I'm doing basic, occasionally mind-numbing stuff. I've been more productive, actually, AND it helps keep me in a good mood, so pretty much win-win all around. It's pretty exciting. (I lead an very exciting life, clearly.)
But let me tell you the real reason I'm in such a good mood tonight.
Better yet, I'll show you.
These nights are my favorite. Absolutely and totally. These nights when the clouds are full of snow, the ground and trees and houses are covered in a layer of snow, and the world is just so wonderfully bright. I used to be terribly afraid of nighttime when I was younger, fearing what might happen at night, and who might break in. But these nights, nights when everything is beautifully illuminated? I was never scared on these nights. I lived for these nights. I still do.
And nights like this? They make me anxious to wake up early and get up to work early so I can do some picture-taking. It's really pretty up there on snowy mornings, let me tell you. And early mornings in general are pretty, though I'm not usually in a good frame of mind to enjoy them properly. Early mornings and I aren't always on the best of terms. Tomorrow, though? I think tomorrow might be different.
I'm really hoping, too, that I might see the elk and/or the buffalo tomorrow. The elk really seem to enjoy snowy/cold days, so I'm hopeful. Though I'm not sure I'll see this sight again anytime soon.
That's the upper parking lot where I work, which people rarely park in, and last week a herd of probably at least 30 elk decided to congregate there. It was awesome. I've seen elk at work before, but never that many all together at once! I want to be their friend.
They're just so CUTE. Well, the little ones. The big ones are fabulously beautiful. I just love them. So. Here's hoping for a sighting tomorrow! Even if not, though, at the very least I know it'll be pretty.
:-)
Monday, October 22, 2012
Being not afraid!
Remember this post? Probably not because I only just published it. (I had written it, and then thought I might want to add to it, and never did and never actually posted it.)
Well. It's all about how influential JPII has been in my life and my journey as a mature Catholic. I always hear people talk about how connected they feel with St. Therese, and how they always see her working in their lives, and I've just never felt that about her and always feel kind of bad about it. But I just now realized that, hey, not everyone has that relationship with her. We all have different saints speak to us in different ways. And the way people talk about St. Therese, that's how I feel about John Paul II. Not that they're mutually exclusive, of course, and not that people can't have multiple saints clearly working in their lives, but there it is.
So what's the point? The point is this. Yesterday at Mass, during that awkward time when sometimes there are announcements and sometimes people don't know whether they should stay standing or sit down or how long it'll be or what, we did have an announcement. (Thankfully, though, our priest told us to sit. No questions there!) The announcement? My parish is hosting a pilgrimage to Poland next June. Led, in part, by our pastor, who is (have I mentioned?) from Poland. It's a pilgrimage that will include: venerating the relics of St. Faustina, seeing Auschwitz, visiting the birthplace of JPII, seeing Czestochowa, Lichen, Warsaw, Krakow, and other awesome things. I've never been out of the country. I've never been on a pilgrimage. I've long thought it would be amazing to visit Poland. And now, a trip with my parish and our awesome pastor? A trip that visits places where John Paul II lived and visited and prayed? My heart's yearning for this. It's kind of scary - it'll require a lot of penny-pinching, and more than a little apprehension and trepidation at the fact that I won't know anyone else on the trip, not to mention the fact that the idea of leaving the country is slightly intimidating, but I've never really done anything in my life. I have all these ideas of things I want to do, but I never follow through (and I'm starting to realize how mistaken in that I've been all these years). Sure, partly I tell myself it's for practical reasons that I don't do things I want to, don't pursue things I'm interested in, but it's also due a great deal to fear. I've let fear dictate too much in my life. And I don't want to do that anymore. John Paul II's whole papacy was centered on "Be not afraid." I need to start living that out.
And a pilgrimage to Poland might be the perfect start.
(It's not quite as simple as that, though, since it does cost quite a bit of money and I'm very much not at all rolling in the dough. But I'm pretty sure that if it's something God wants me to do, it'll happen. One way or another.)
Well. It's all about how influential JPII has been in my life and my journey as a mature Catholic. I always hear people talk about how connected they feel with St. Therese, and how they always see her working in their lives, and I've just never felt that about her and always feel kind of bad about it. But I just now realized that, hey, not everyone has that relationship with her. We all have different saints speak to us in different ways. And the way people talk about St. Therese, that's how I feel about John Paul II. Not that they're mutually exclusive, of course, and not that people can't have multiple saints clearly working in their lives, but there it is.
So what's the point? The point is this. Yesterday at Mass, during that awkward time when sometimes there are announcements and sometimes people don't know whether they should stay standing or sit down or how long it'll be or what, we did have an announcement. (Thankfully, though, our priest told us to sit. No questions there!) The announcement? My parish is hosting a pilgrimage to Poland next June. Led, in part, by our pastor, who is (have I mentioned?) from Poland. It's a pilgrimage that will include: venerating the relics of St. Faustina, seeing Auschwitz, visiting the birthplace of JPII, seeing Czestochowa, Lichen, Warsaw, Krakow, and other awesome things. I've never been out of the country. I've never been on a pilgrimage. I've long thought it would be amazing to visit Poland. And now, a trip with my parish and our awesome pastor? A trip that visits places where John Paul II lived and visited and prayed? My heart's yearning for this. It's kind of scary - it'll require a lot of penny-pinching, and more than a little apprehension and trepidation at the fact that I won't know anyone else on the trip, not to mention the fact that the idea of leaving the country is slightly intimidating, but I've never really done anything in my life. I have all these ideas of things I want to do, but I never follow through (and I'm starting to realize how mistaken in that I've been all these years). Sure, partly I tell myself it's for practical reasons that I don't do things I want to, don't pursue things I'm interested in, but it's also due a great deal to fear. I've let fear dictate too much in my life. And I don't want to do that anymore. John Paul II's whole papacy was centered on "Be not afraid." I need to start living that out.
And a pilgrimage to Poland might be the perfect start.
(It's not quite as simple as that, though, since it does cost quite a bit of money and I'm very much not at all rolling in the dough. But I'm pretty sure that if it's something God wants me to do, it'll happen. One way or another.)
Friday, October 19, 2012
7 Quick Takes: The Things I'm Looking Forward To Edition
In semi-chronological order:
1. Gospel of Life Conference. It's tomorrow. Keynote speaker Dr. Janet Smith. She's amazing, and I love listening to her, and I'm so excited. (Even if I couldn't get anyone to come with me. Maybe there'll be a nice single guy there by himself too, and we can be friends. Haha.)
2. Doing a puzzle next time I go home. I think this firmly puts me into the "lame" category, but last weekend my love for puzzles was rekindled. Aside from the 100 piece puzzles I've done with my nephews over the last couple of years (which has mostly consisted of one puzzle, a favorite from my own childhood), I hadn't done a real puzzle in years. And last weekend I was home, and decided we should do one. So my parents and I did (on Saturday night, no less, because I'm cool like that). It was super fun for me, even though it was frustrating at times. Something about it, though, I just love it. So I fully intend to do another one next time I'm home, since I lack both puzzles and a place to do a puzzle here.
3. In a few weeks, my younger brother is coming for a visit. He's in Kansas now, which is much closer than Florida (his previous assignment), so he can drive home for a long weekend. He was just out here a little over a month ago, so it hasn't really been that long, but I'm still excited to see him again. It's so fun having the whole family together. And I'm super excited that we get along now. Things were rocky there for a while; you know, from around the ages of 10-18. :-P Anyway, that'll be fun, and I'm hoping I can maybe take Friday off that weekend to go home earlier.
4. The week after that, I'm going to the east coast for a college friend's wedding. I'm a bridesmaid, which is fun - I haven't been a bridesmaid since fall of 2009! (For the record, this is number 5. Which I think is also the number of bouquets I've caught. Actually, that number might only be 4.) Last weekend I took it to get hemmed - I had to order it online, so I got the extra length option since most times the regular-length dresses are just a tad shorter than I'd prefer, and it was a few inches too long. Weird feeling for me. When I changed into it so she could mark where to hem it, she said "You're not supposed to look better than the bride!" I'm sure she says that kind of thing to everyone, but it still made my day a little bit. Anyway, I'm excited. It's in Annapolis, so I'm flying to DC and driving up with other friends (who are also in the wedding), and then wedding-ing and seeing even MORE friends there, and then flying out of DC again on Sunday. I saw a number of these friends last month when I flew out to ND and drove down with friends to Indianapolis for one of their weddings, and it was just so fun seeing them all again. So I can't wait for this wedding!
5. And then a couple weeks after that will be Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. Good food, good times, family, and then starts Christmas! I'm already itching to start listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies. But. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is lovely.
6. Christmas! Christmas is fabulous. Obviously. I just love it. The whole season. I love everything about it. Some people are very much into Advent and nothing Christmas until Advent is over. I love Advent too, but I definitely need my month of Christmas music/movies/earrings. Christmas earrings! I have practically more than I could wear in a month's time, but they all make me so happy. I can't wait to start wearing them soon! I even have a pair of jingly bell earrings that are lots of fun. Though it makes it hard to sneak up on people, if I ever get struck by a feeling to do that.
7. Snooooow. I hope this isn't actually the last thing to happen chronologically, because that would be sad. I hope we get a good blizzard this year. (Though...I fear a blizzard might knock out our power here. Wouldn't surprise me.) I just can't wait for the first good snowstorm. Last year it was late October. I doubt that'll happen this year, though. (With my luck it'll be the weekend I'm in Maryland.) But whenever it happens, it'll be fabulous. Even if I have to go up to work and am, just like last year, one of approximately seven people at the office, it's so gorgeous up at work when it snows. And I think the elk near work like coming out when it snows, too, so that's always fun. I'm so ready for cold weather. Mmmm. Yes.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
I now have The Byrds stuck in my head
I went home this weekend for my brother's birthday (and because I hadn't been down in a month, which is a long time for me considering I live 90 miles away. And considering my sweetie pie dog lives with my parents there). It was lovely, as usual, and I couldn't help but feel so...right when I was walking the dogs on Saturday evening. It was one of those perfectly autumn (and perfect autumn) walks - the air was crisp, cool, and clean, there were leaves on the ground to crunch, and still lots of pretty changing leaves on the trees. The air smelled delicious in the way it does during fall, and everything felt wonderful and cozy. It's a walk I love any time of the year (one of the things I dislike most about my current living situation is that our neighborhood isn't one I really feel a desire to walk around in. My parents' neighborhood, though? It's awesome), but in the fall it's just great. Granted, I'll say the same thing in winter (I do so love to go for walks on cold winter nights when it's snowing. One of my favorite things), and I say the same thing in spring and in summer. There's always a certain time of each season when that walk is just perfectly that season, and I can't get enough of it.
God is so generous to have given us such a place. (And I don't just mean Colorado, although I do happen to think Colorado is pretty up there on the fabulous meter of places to live.) I'm so glad for seasons. Every time a new season starts there's something amazingly exciting about it, and I can't get enough of the season. And then by the end of the season usually I'm ready for the next season to start, but also sad to see the current season go. (One exception: I'm rarely sad to see summer go. Summer is good for hiking - great for hiking - and being outside and all that kind of thing. In general, though, it's my least favorite season and I'm usually more than ready for fall to come by the time it does.) One thing is for sure, though - I wouldn't appreciate any of the seasons if we only had that one season. Winter comes before spring, but we can't have spring without winter. Or summer, for that matter. (Of course, there are some places that are perpetually summer or winter, or don't have much change in weather in general...I feel bad for those people. They don't get to experience the excitement of the first snow, or of a heartachingly beautiful summer day. Not to the same degree, at least. Or places without leaves that change! How sad for them! But they don't really know what they're missing. And they also don't necessarily know to appreciate what they have.)
What I'm saying is that life can't always be happy, or sad, or middling. There have to be ups to go with the downs, and downs to go with the ups, and those times in between when you're not really sure where you are. I need to work on being more grateful for the not-so-happy times in my life, because they really are necessary. Life's not going to be an endless summer (or, in my case, winter. I do so love the winter). It can't be. Well, it can be, but if it is, we don't appreciate what we have. Cliche and all, but it's true. I need to learn to appreciate and be happy with this season in my life, just like I appreciate and am happy for each season of the year when I'm in it. Sure, there are always times when I wish it would just hurry up and be winter already! But I know it's coming, and it'll be here eventually, so I should appreciate fall and all its yellow/orange/red loveliness.
(And man, I do appreciate fall and all the loveliness it brings.)
God is so generous to have given us such a place. (And I don't just mean Colorado, although I do happen to think Colorado is pretty up there on the fabulous meter of places to live.) I'm so glad for seasons. Every time a new season starts there's something amazingly exciting about it, and I can't get enough of the season. And then by the end of the season usually I'm ready for the next season to start, but also sad to see the current season go. (One exception: I'm rarely sad to see summer go. Summer is good for hiking - great for hiking - and being outside and all that kind of thing. In general, though, it's my least favorite season and I'm usually more than ready for fall to come by the time it does.) One thing is for sure, though - I wouldn't appreciate any of the seasons if we only had that one season. Winter comes before spring, but we can't have spring without winter. Or summer, for that matter. (Of course, there are some places that are perpetually summer or winter, or don't have much change in weather in general...I feel bad for those people. They don't get to experience the excitement of the first snow, or of a heartachingly beautiful summer day. Not to the same degree, at least. Or places without leaves that change! How sad for them! But they don't really know what they're missing. And they also don't necessarily know to appreciate what they have.)
What I'm saying is that life can't always be happy, or sad, or middling. There have to be ups to go with the downs, and downs to go with the ups, and those times in between when you're not really sure where you are. I need to work on being more grateful for the not-so-happy times in my life, because they really are necessary. Life's not going to be an endless summer (or, in my case, winter. I do so love the winter). It can't be. Well, it can be, but if it is, we don't appreciate what we have. Cliche and all, but it's true. I need to learn to appreciate and be happy with this season in my life, just like I appreciate and am happy for each season of the year when I'm in it. Sure, there are always times when I wish it would just hurry up and be winter already! But I know it's coming, and it'll be here eventually, so I should appreciate fall and all its yellow/orange/red loveliness.
(And man, I do appreciate fall and all the loveliness it brings.)
Friday, October 12, 2012
Seven Quick Takes - The "It's Been A While" Edition
I used to do these almost every week for a while, and then I didn't anymore. But today I am!
1. Cruise control is a beautiful thing. When I think of my younger self, the self who thought cruise control was dumb or lazy, I just have to shake my head and laugh. I just drove down to the Springs from Denver, and apparently if you're going to make that drive, 9pm on a Friday is a great time to do it. I hit my cruise control and didn't have to press a pedal for almost 2/3rds of the trip. It was great. And the beauty of cruise control is that you can set it for a speed where you're sure not to get pulled over (unless you happen to cross paths with a particularly annoying cop who'd pull someone over for going 2 over, let alone 6) and then not have to worry about it if you do happen to come across a cop! It's great.
2. I will be so incredibly glad when this election is over. Obviously I want a certain outcome to happen (or, to be more accurate, there's a certain outcome that I do not want and fear happening), but I really just want it to be over. All it does is cause a lot of negativity. There's absolutely nothing positive about it. It just causes arguments, anger, fear-mongering, lies, and soul-sucking sycophants. It's not supposed to be this way. I'm sure it's always been this way, but we've just brought things to such an awful level. We shouldn't be more looking forward to the election being over with than we should about what the results of the election might be, but I think a lot of people are just so tired of it that regardless of the outcome, we just want it done. I know I do. Of course, living in a swing state really doesn't help things. It might not be so bad if I were in, say, California or Texas. But even still. It's just become such an awful process.
3. I'm thinking about buying a camera. A nice camera, one that takes good pictures (not that I haven't gotten good ones from my little point-and-shoot). I really really love photography (nature, specifically), and I've thought about it for a while but I really want to start seeing if I can make at least a little bit of money from it. Might as well try, right? If I'm doing something I love, it wouldn't hurt to get a little bit of profit from it. But I think to do that I need to get a better camera. And maybe also some sort of photo editing software. Both of which cost, you guessed it, money. Of which I have very little expendable right now. I'm not sure how it'll work, but I really want to try to make it work. If I can't do it for a living, I might as well see if I can make a good hobby out of it. Plus it'd give me a reason to go up into the mountains more, and generally be outside more. I'd certainly like that.
4. I like elk.
These were from last Friday, the day I woke up to unexpected snow accumulation on the ground and then got to work and saw a large herd of elk on the hill past the parking lot. You'd better believe I was excited. So excited I just had to go outside again to look at them less than half an hour later, when they had migrated a bit past another parking lot. So excited I still get excited thinking about it now, a week later. A few weeks ago when I was up at Estes with my roommate and we were admiring a herd that were so close to the fence we could practically touch them, I wondered aloud if I would ever get bored with seeing elk if I lived up there. She immediately responded, "No, I don't think you would." Considering I see elk fairly frequently (more than the average Denverite at least, I'd reckon), since they live and wander around my office building, and I always always get excited when I see them, I think she's probably right. Heck, all winter I saw the buffalo herd most days, and never failed to be excited about it (nor to want to pull over and watch them for semi-ridiculous amounts of time). When I love something, I love it. And boy, do I love elk.
5. I keep getting sad when I look at the 10 day forecast because once I get a taste of winter, I become that person who doesn't like it to be above 50 (let alone 60s and 70s) for the next five months. It was great when I was living in Indiana, because Indiana has consistently cold winters. Colorado? Not so much. We'll have a week of 70s followed immediately by freezing temperatures for a few days. Then back up to mild 50s and 60s for a while, mostly sunny all the time, until the next cold front for a few days. This pattern doesn't always hold true, but it sure feels like it. Colorado - at least, the non-mountains - really doesn't have bad winters like everyone assumes. Although last December was consistently freezing for much of the month. (I remember, because it was one of my non-garage months, and I had to scrape frost off my car almost every morning.) But other than the defrosting issue, I loved it. Winter is my friend. I love bundling up, wearing cozy sweaters and wrapping myself in scarfs and hats, and piles of warm blankets at night. I realize that it's only October, so I have no right to be wanting super-cold yet...but I do. And right now, all I see is 60s and 70s. Alas. Ah, well, can't control the weather! And in the meantime, I should probably go enjoy being outside while it's still comfortable to do so. I do love me some cold-weather walks, though.
6. I've been re-reading, yet again, the Chronicles of Narnia. I cannot express just how much I love those books. And lately I've been noticing that I tend to reference them in a weird number of situations. But I suppose that's the wisdom of CS Lewis - it's a fantastic story, and also so applicable to so many things in life that we experience. It's just so good. I just finished The Silver Chair today (side note: Puddleglum the Marsh-Wiggle is my same Myers-Briggs personality type. I like him. ISTJs unite!). Next it's on to A Horse and His Boy! It's funny, the first time I tried to read through the series (beyond The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), I was reading them in "chronological" order as opposed to published order - so it was Magician's Nephew, LWW, A Horse and His Boy, and then I think Prince Caspian, Dawn Treader, Silver Chair, and Last Battle - and I just couldn't get into, or past, A Horse and His Boy. And I gave up. But then in college I took a CS Lewis class, partially to give me a firm reason to read the whole series, and we read them in published order - LWW, Prince Caspian, Dawn Treader, Silver Chair, A Horse and His Boy, Magician's Nephew, Last Battle - and by the time I got to A Horse and His Boy I absolutely loved it. It's one of my favorites now. I don't know if the order I read them in made a difference, but I think it did.
7. Lastly, this: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/contraception-the-election-and-the-new-evangelization1. Dr. Janet Smith is just so logical and brilliant. I'm extremely excited because she's going to be the speaker at the Gospel of Life conference next weekend (the 20th! In Denver! Everyone should come!). I happen to think that her talk "Contraception: Why Not?" should be required listening for everyone in high school, or whenever they do sex ed or whatever it's called these days. She just makes so much sense. That's what I love about Catholic teaching - it's so extremely logical. It may be difficult to hear/practice/live out/preach to others, but it's so cohesive and sensical. (Why isn't sensical a word? I suppose it'd mean the same as sensible. English is a weird language.) When I was in grad school, sometimes I would sit there in one of my classes, listening to my professor's lecture, and just be so blown away by how much sense it all makes. I always wished that some of my classes could be piped into some database where everyone could access it and hear it and be just as blown away by the obvious truth as I was. It's just so good. Anyway. Unfortunately, not all can hear what I heard there, so that means it's up to me to spread it around. Sorry for the people who have to hear it through me rather than through some of the awesome professors I had. (None of whom were, sadly, Dr. Janet Smith, because man that would have been AMAZING.)
I'm not very good at the "quick" part of these. Probably why I haven't done one in so long, though I've been wanting to get back into it. Once I get going sometimes it's hard for me to shut up. But now I will.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Trial By Fire
My favorite place is on fire.
Sorry to be a little dramatic, but there's a fire in Rocky Mountain right now which is pretty much one of my (mini) nightmares. It started yesterday, and they don't really have any containment as of tonight. You'd better believe it makes me upset. The thought of one of my favorite places (others including (the Basilica at) Notre Dame, Palmer Park, and somewhere historical in DC) being on fire? I dreaded it all summer when it seemed like fire was inevitable all over the state. It's October! I thought we were past this. Let me tell you, I am sick of seeing smoke hanging over the city. Too many days this year when I couldn't see the Denver skyline from my window. I don't like it at all. And I really don't like the fact that that beautiful place is being marred by fire right now, as I type (as you read). It hurts my heart more than I can say.
And yet.
I've had a lot of opportunity to think about fires this year. We do our best to stop them as soon as they start, because we like forests to look the way we want them to look (ie, not burned, charred, and blackened). And we've become people who live in the mountains, so we want to protect homes and buildings when those fires start to threaten them. But when I was up in Rocky Mountain a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but notice how brown the forest up there has become. So many beetle-killed trees, so much dry tinder. I couldn't help but think that the place needed a fire to help it start over, recover, get new life. I'm coming to appreciate how necessary fires are for a healthy forest. It seems counter-intuitive, but it's not. A lot of those trees, the pine cones need extreme heat in order to open and spread their seeds so that new trees will grow. Death is a part of life in any ecosystem, and the forest is no exception. It goes against everything we love and enjoy to accept fire as something necessary, and I'm not saying an out-of-controlled burn is a good thing so obviously there's a balance there to strike, but sometimes a forest needs to go through a little fire to have new life. Sometimes, forests get so clogged with dead trees that new life just can't find a place to grow, and something has to go through and make room for the new, healthy trees. There's not really a better way to do that than a fire (hence why there are sometimes proscribed burns in controlled areas).
It's just like us, isn't it? Some people say purgatory might be like walking through a wall of fire, fire that will utterly purify us and make us clean enough to look on the face of God. And sometimes going to confession feels like being burned - usually it's the anticipation that's worst, but something about the process is going to hurt. It needs to hurt. We need the "dead trees" in our lives to be burned away to make room for healthy habits, thoughts, relationships. It's like Eustace in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. One of my favorite scenes in that book is when he needs to be "un-dragoned". It requires pain, deep intense pain that almost feels good at the same time - and in the end, he's reborn a different boy, better than he was before. Sometimes we just need to go through that pain to become the people we're meant to be. Sometimes the best things are born out of the greatest pain. Eg, childbirth. (I hear that hurts a lot. But then there's a baby, and you immediately fall in love.) And, I guess, sometimes forests need to go through fire to become the healthy green forests they're supposed to be. (Personally, I'm hoping that the pain of long years of singledom will soon yield some great fruit and maybe me being born into a new role as a wife. God willing. Someday.)
It's hard. It's hard to see, to watch, to experience. It hurts in one way or another. But it's necessary. We can't have life without pain and, eventually, death. But even in death, we're reborn into heaven and we get something far greater.
So, yes, I'm really, really sad at the thought of that magnificent place being scorched and blackened even the slightest bit. It's inevitable, though. It's nature. It's necessary. And it will make it a better place, just like Waldo Canyon will be. It probably won't be that better place anytime soon, but it'll be better eventually. Even good pain takes time to heal.
(And I fully reserve the right to take back everything I just said if, the next time I'm up there, the place is no longer green and my heart breaks at the sight of it. I don't honestly expect it to be that bad, but I'm sure it'll still hurt to see.)
Sorry to be a little dramatic, but there's a fire in Rocky Mountain right now which is pretty much one of my (mini) nightmares. It started yesterday, and they don't really have any containment as of tonight. You'd better believe it makes me upset. The thought of one of my favorite places (others including (the Basilica at) Notre Dame, Palmer Park, and somewhere historical in DC) being on fire? I dreaded it all summer when it seemed like fire was inevitable all over the state. It's October! I thought we were past this. Let me tell you, I am sick of seeing smoke hanging over the city. Too many days this year when I couldn't see the Denver skyline from my window. I don't like it at all. And I really don't like the fact that that beautiful place is being marred by fire right now, as I type (as you read). It hurts my heart more than I can say.
And yet.
I've had a lot of opportunity to think about fires this year. We do our best to stop them as soon as they start, because we like forests to look the way we want them to look (ie, not burned, charred, and blackened). And we've become people who live in the mountains, so we want to protect homes and buildings when those fires start to threaten them. But when I was up in Rocky Mountain a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but notice how brown the forest up there has become. So many beetle-killed trees, so much dry tinder. I couldn't help but think that the place needed a fire to help it start over, recover, get new life. I'm coming to appreciate how necessary fires are for a healthy forest. It seems counter-intuitive, but it's not. A lot of those trees, the pine cones need extreme heat in order to open and spread their seeds so that new trees will grow. Death is a part of life in any ecosystem, and the forest is no exception. It goes against everything we love and enjoy to accept fire as something necessary, and I'm not saying an out-of-controlled burn is a good thing so obviously there's a balance there to strike, but sometimes a forest needs to go through a little fire to have new life. Sometimes, forests get so clogged with dead trees that new life just can't find a place to grow, and something has to go through and make room for the new, healthy trees. There's not really a better way to do that than a fire (hence why there are sometimes proscribed burns in controlled areas).
It's just like us, isn't it? Some people say purgatory might be like walking through a wall of fire, fire that will utterly purify us and make us clean enough to look on the face of God. And sometimes going to confession feels like being burned - usually it's the anticipation that's worst, but something about the process is going to hurt. It needs to hurt. We need the "dead trees" in our lives to be burned away to make room for healthy habits, thoughts, relationships. It's like Eustace in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. One of my favorite scenes in that book is when he needs to be "un-dragoned". It requires pain, deep intense pain that almost feels good at the same time - and in the end, he's reborn a different boy, better than he was before. Sometimes we just need to go through that pain to become the people we're meant to be. Sometimes the best things are born out of the greatest pain. Eg, childbirth. (I hear that hurts a lot. But then there's a baby, and you immediately fall in love.) And, I guess, sometimes forests need to go through fire to become the healthy green forests they're supposed to be. (Personally, I'm hoping that the pain of long years of singledom will soon yield some great fruit and maybe me being born into a new role as a wife. God willing. Someday.)
It's hard. It's hard to see, to watch, to experience. It hurts in one way or another. But it's necessary. We can't have life without pain and, eventually, death. But even in death, we're reborn into heaven and we get something far greater.
So, yes, I'm really, really sad at the thought of that magnificent place being scorched and blackened even the slightest bit. It's inevitable, though. It's nature. It's necessary. And it will make it a better place, just like Waldo Canyon will be. It probably won't be that better place anytime soon, but it'll be better eventually. Even good pain takes time to heal.
(And I fully reserve the right to take back everything I just said if, the next time I'm up there, the place is no longer green and my heart breaks at the sight of it. I don't honestly expect it to be that bad, but I'm sure it'll still hurt to see.)
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Gifted
Can I tell you something? You know what is just so great about being Catholic? Confession. (Among other things.) And you know what is just so great about confession? You can still feel those graces that always come from confession, even if it was sort of a...lackluster experience. I've been needing to go for a while, and things were just feeling so off in my life and I know (and knew) that's why, yet I still stayed away. It's so easy for me to talk myself out of going. Even when I really, really need to go. So finally, yesterday, I went. I left it so long in the day that the only one I could go to was the church that's actually closest to me, but I had never gone to confession there and it's always interesting when you don't know what you're going to get. I didn't even know where the confessional was. I did manage to find it once I got there, but it was...weird. Not like any confessional I've ever seen before, though just recently I was reading something about newer confessionals and someone mentioned a set-up similar to this one. In any case, it was weird, and threw me off a little bit. The whole confession was sort of weird, and definitely not the most spiritually uplifting while I was there, but the most amazing thing happened. I was absolved. I was made once again clean. It's funny how you might not notice the lack of grace when you need confession but don't go, but then afterward almost immediately everything seems fresher, more beautiful, happier. I feel lighter. I had such a great night last night, and I was so excited to be at church today feeling that freshly-confessed feeling. (It really is the best feeling.)
And then church today. Oh, there aren't words for how beautiful. I went to the church I've been going to ever since I moved up to Denver, which I haven't been to maybe since I moved at the end of July. I might have gone once in August, but for the most part each weekend since I moved I've been either in the Springs, out of the state, or had something going on Sundays that prevented me from going to my church. All good things, of course, but I didn't realize how much I kind of missed it until I got there this morning. It's definitely not my most favorite church I've ever been a part of, but it's pretty enough, it's shaped like a normal church should be shaped, and the pastor is beyond fabulous. Very committed to pro-life issues, very traditional, and have I mentioned - Polish! For a long time until I figured out how to pronounce his last name, I just called him Fr. Polish Priest, and I still do sometimes. I just love him. I wasn't sure if he'd be doing the Mass today, because typically he switches which Masses he does every week (so he'll say the same Mass every other week). I walked in the church today, almost - but not! - late, and yay, he was the celebrant. Now, Mass there isn't necessarily anything special (beyond the fact that it's MASS and it's wonderful because Mass is always special and miraculous) - the music especially does nothing to inspire. Well, to inspire me, at least; I'm sure it inspires someone. But when Fr. Polish Priest says Mass, his homilies are always beautiful. Today was no exception.
First of all, today is Respect Life Sunday. He has such an amazing heart for the pro-life cause, so of course he mentioned that. One of the readings and the homily today were about marriage and the sacredness of the sacrament, which he beautifully expounded on. (I do so love the first reading from today. So beautiful.) The Year of Faith officially begins on the 11th, and Fr. Polish Priest talked about that as well, explained the reason for it, gave us good tips as to how we can incorporate it into our lives to improve our own faith lives and understanding of its importance. I just love the way he instructs without sounding judging, always sounding so loving and caring. It's obvious that he does truly love and care. He's such a beautiful priest. So then he told us he had two things to give us - one is the Magnificat companion for the Year of Faith, which I'm psyched that I could get for free from my church. It's such a good resource to provide. It's small, easy to use - just a one-page reflection or reading or profile of a saint per day - and will be a great prayer aid, I think. I'm glad they're providing it for people. Anyway, the second thing is a voting guide for Catholics that's put out by Catholic Answers, I think, and it's pretty basic, but lists five non-negotiable issues that are intrinsically evil and we cannot ever support directly or indirectly. He was very clear to say that it does not endorse any specific candidate or political party, of course. And then he started talking about something that just made me want to cry because he's just so beautiful. I keep saying that, but it's so true. (Also, the way he says "Catholic" with his strong Polish accent? It makes me really happy. And he said it a lot today. And he always closes Mass with the St. Michael prayer, which I love - and which I'm surprised how many Catholics don't seem to know by heart. It's a good one to know.)
He then said that the voting guide is important to him, and it's a very personal thing for him. He said that sometimes people ask him about growing up in Communist Poland (he's probably mid-30s), and he started sharing with us how his parents made sure to keep him and his siblings as sheltered as possible from a lot of the evils going on at that time. He obviously has a lot of love for his family, and it was wonderful to hear about it - even just a little glimpse. But then he started speaking about a memory from when he was in 4th grade, near Christmas, and his teacher told them all that they should sing a Christmas song since it was almost Christmas - but because their principal was an extreme Communist, they had to sing it silently. He told us that he came here to the United States seven years ago, not because anyone sent him or because he was forced to, but because he felt called to come here - and it's become his second home. And he's concerned about things that he sees here - he said sometimes it's like deja vu, or like a nightmare.
I was so moved by him bringing in something so personal to his homily. This election is about something more than just the economy. It's about our very way of life. Hearing from someone who grew up in a Communist country and is scared by what he sees here in America, where we're supposed to have freedom of speech and freedom of religion, where journalism isn't supposed to be dominated by one viewpoint at the cost of true discourse, it really drives home what's at stake here. I'm so glad I got to hear that viewpoint, along with everyone else who was at Mass with me today. I thank God for Fr. Polish Priest, because he says what we need to hear. It may not always (or often) be easy for him to say, or for us to hear, but it's necessary - and it's obvious how big his heart is, and how much love he has for us. I am so blessed to be able to glean from his wisdom and love. And that, coupled with my...interesting...experience at the confessional yesterday, really makes me re-committed to going to my church for confession whenever possible! Because his words of guidance and comfort are just as beautiful in the confessional as in his homilies.
Though, I'll admit, I wouldn't mind if he just came out and said "A Catholic cannot in good conscience vote for Obama." (Ok, I would mind when he got in trouble for it. I wish priests had enough freedom to say that, though. I understand why they don't, but sometimes...the choice is so clear. At least the choice for whom NOT to vote for.
Anyway, getting away from the political...being Catholic is such a gift. It's the greatest thing in my life. I wouldn't be me without it, and I wouldn't want to be without it. Even when things aren't beautiful and perfect and spiritually uplifting, the graces still come and they're still wonderful and life-giving. I'm so happy to be a part of this body of Christ. And so so lucky. I just...can't even express how thankful I am. How thankful I am for the priests who absolve me - even when they don't give me much, they give me life. For the priests who constantly give of themselves, loving us in our flaws, helping us to be better, relying on our prayers to help them be better. For the sacraments without which I would wither and become a little ugly shell of myself. For my fellow Catholics who help me practice patience, and who help show me how to live better. For beautiful churches and music that make my soul feel like it's somewhere else, like it's home, and for churches that make me thankful we have the ability to practice freely and with different expressions and emphases of the same one true Faith.
It's all such a gift. And I will never stop giving thanks to God for it (and praying and hoping and voting to keep it a free gift in this country!).
And then church today. Oh, there aren't words for how beautiful. I went to the church I've been going to ever since I moved up to Denver, which I haven't been to maybe since I moved at the end of July. I might have gone once in August, but for the most part each weekend since I moved I've been either in the Springs, out of the state, or had something going on Sundays that prevented me from going to my church. All good things, of course, but I didn't realize how much I kind of missed it until I got there this morning. It's definitely not my most favorite church I've ever been a part of, but it's pretty enough, it's shaped like a normal church should be shaped, and the pastor is beyond fabulous. Very committed to pro-life issues, very traditional, and have I mentioned - Polish! For a long time until I figured out how to pronounce his last name, I just called him Fr. Polish Priest, and I still do sometimes. I just love him. I wasn't sure if he'd be doing the Mass today, because typically he switches which Masses he does every week (so he'll say the same Mass every other week). I walked in the church today, almost - but not! - late, and yay, he was the celebrant. Now, Mass there isn't necessarily anything special (beyond the fact that it's MASS and it's wonderful because Mass is always special and miraculous) - the music especially does nothing to inspire. Well, to inspire me, at least; I'm sure it inspires someone. But when Fr. Polish Priest says Mass, his homilies are always beautiful. Today was no exception.
First of all, today is Respect Life Sunday. He has such an amazing heart for the pro-life cause, so of course he mentioned that. One of the readings and the homily today were about marriage and the sacredness of the sacrament, which he beautifully expounded on. (I do so love the first reading from today. So beautiful.) The Year of Faith officially begins on the 11th, and Fr. Polish Priest talked about that as well, explained the reason for it, gave us good tips as to how we can incorporate it into our lives to improve our own faith lives and understanding of its importance. I just love the way he instructs without sounding judging, always sounding so loving and caring. It's obvious that he does truly love and care. He's such a beautiful priest. So then he told us he had two things to give us - one is the Magnificat companion for the Year of Faith, which I'm psyched that I could get for free from my church. It's such a good resource to provide. It's small, easy to use - just a one-page reflection or reading or profile of a saint per day - and will be a great prayer aid, I think. I'm glad they're providing it for people. Anyway, the second thing is a voting guide for Catholics that's put out by Catholic Answers, I think, and it's pretty basic, but lists five non-negotiable issues that are intrinsically evil and we cannot ever support directly or indirectly. He was very clear to say that it does not endorse any specific candidate or political party, of course. And then he started talking about something that just made me want to cry because he's just so beautiful. I keep saying that, but it's so true. (Also, the way he says "Catholic" with his strong Polish accent? It makes me really happy. And he said it a lot today. And he always closes Mass with the St. Michael prayer, which I love - and which I'm surprised how many Catholics don't seem to know by heart. It's a good one to know.)
He then said that the voting guide is important to him, and it's a very personal thing for him. He said that sometimes people ask him about growing up in Communist Poland (he's probably mid-30s), and he started sharing with us how his parents made sure to keep him and his siblings as sheltered as possible from a lot of the evils going on at that time. He obviously has a lot of love for his family, and it was wonderful to hear about it - even just a little glimpse. But then he started speaking about a memory from when he was in 4th grade, near Christmas, and his teacher told them all that they should sing a Christmas song since it was almost Christmas - but because their principal was an extreme Communist, they had to sing it silently. He told us that he came here to the United States seven years ago, not because anyone sent him or because he was forced to, but because he felt called to come here - and it's become his second home. And he's concerned about things that he sees here - he said sometimes it's like deja vu, or like a nightmare.
I was so moved by him bringing in something so personal to his homily. This election is about something more than just the economy. It's about our very way of life. Hearing from someone who grew up in a Communist country and is scared by what he sees here in America, where we're supposed to have freedom of speech and freedom of religion, where journalism isn't supposed to be dominated by one viewpoint at the cost of true discourse, it really drives home what's at stake here. I'm so glad I got to hear that viewpoint, along with everyone else who was at Mass with me today. I thank God for Fr. Polish Priest, because he says what we need to hear. It may not always (or often) be easy for him to say, or for us to hear, but it's necessary - and it's obvious how big his heart is, and how much love he has for us. I am so blessed to be able to glean from his wisdom and love. And that, coupled with my...interesting...experience at the confessional yesterday, really makes me re-committed to going to my church for confession whenever possible! Because his words of guidance and comfort are just as beautiful in the confessional as in his homilies.
Though, I'll admit, I wouldn't mind if he just came out and said "A Catholic cannot in good conscience vote for Obama." (Ok, I would mind when he got in trouble for it. I wish priests had enough freedom to say that, though. I understand why they don't, but sometimes...the choice is so clear. At least the choice for whom NOT to vote for.
Anyway, getting away from the political...being Catholic is such a gift. It's the greatest thing in my life. I wouldn't be me without it, and I wouldn't want to be without it. Even when things aren't beautiful and perfect and spiritually uplifting, the graces still come and they're still wonderful and life-giving. I'm so happy to be a part of this body of Christ. And so so lucky. I just...can't even express how thankful I am. How thankful I am for the priests who absolve me - even when they don't give me much, they give me life. For the priests who constantly give of themselves, loving us in our flaws, helping us to be better, relying on our prayers to help them be better. For the sacraments without which I would wither and become a little ugly shell of myself. For my fellow Catholics who help me practice patience, and who help show me how to live better. For beautiful churches and music that make my soul feel like it's somewhere else, like it's home, and for churches that make me thankful we have the ability to practice freely and with different expressions and emphases of the same one true Faith.
It's all such a gift. And I will never stop giving thanks to God for it (and praying and hoping and voting to keep it a free gift in this country!).
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Random happiness on a Thursday
Today was delightfully cold. High in the 40s, I think. It even snowed a few flakes up at work! It makes me utterly thrilled that cold weather is coming. I have determined that I don't necessarily have a favorite season, but summer is my least favorite. I love summer because it means hiking and lots of easy outdoors time, but this summer was sort of tough and it was really, really long, and I'm always ready for it to be cold by October. One of my favorite things to wear is tights (especially sweater tights) with boots, a skirt, and a sweater, and that's not exactly a warm-weather-friendly outfit so I'm very much looking forward to that again.
Anyway. I'm not sure if it was the overcast sky all day, but the aspens were particularly popping out with their yellow today, and it was utterly captivating all day. Especially when there were a few flakes. Especially when there were a few flakes AND some patches of blue sky. I love Colorado colors.
We also had a chili cook-off this at work this afternoon, which is my favorite day. It's the second annual cook-off (convenient for me, because that means I've been there for both). You know Stanley and his pretzel day? That's pretty much me on chili cook-off day. It's funny; I used to dislike chili immensely, but at some point during grad school I had it and realized it's more or less delicious. And now I'm even to the point where the spicier, the better - which is really weird for me if you know me. I'm excited that it's chili season again because chili happens to be one of the few things I really enjoy cooking. (To be fair, I have to be honest - I haven't really tried cooking all that many things. Cooking for one is depressing and often more annoying than it's worth, in my opinion. Though, I really should cook more than I do.) And I REALLY enjoy eating it. Mmmmm.
A few women at work have also started this fun thing where we get together during the lunch hour on Thursdays and craft. Last week was the first one, which I missed because of my best day (which I still haven't written about like I was going to...), and today there were just three of us, but it was so relaxing. And fun! The other two women were crocheting, and I was, of course, knitting. It'll be nice to have that as a weekly thing. Knitting is always lovely, but knitting with other people who are knitting/crocheting/crafting? It's such a treat! There's a reason women all used to have quilting circles and whatnot.
After two trips up to Estes Park last week, I am quite confident that, if I can't figure out how to get a job and live up there (or in another mountain town), I just really need to go visit it more often. I miss the mountains when I'm away from them too long- which happens far too often despite living right next to them. It just makes me feel so much more...alive. So much more me when I'm in the mountains. Away from the city. Away from technology. (Well, to an extent. Taking pictures is one of my favorite things, so that sort of requires the use of technology. Also, phones are good to have once in a while.) If I could have my dream job, I'd be a nature photographer. Who knits on the side. :-) But, alas, it'd take a lot of work and time, not to mention money I don't really have right now, to get that to be a lucrative career with which I could support myself. Maybe someday. Maybe someday I can at least turn it into a side business. Who knows.
CHRISTMAS. I was so tempted to listen to Christmas music today. I didn't succumb, but man, I'm excited for Christmas season to come. (After Thanksgiving, of course.)
Oh, the other great thing that happened today - I have to buy plane tickets for my friend's wedding in November that I'm in. I should have done it weeks ago, but fun fact about me, buying plane tickets is one of my least favorite things. Maybe it's a fear of commitment. So last night I was looking at tickets, and they were more expensive than when I had been looking at them a week or two ago, which made very broke me very sad. I had been planning to fly from the Springs to DC on Frontier, which I found was usually the cheapest route back when I was going to school out there. Last night, though, the tickets were close to $450. So then I checked Denver to DC on Frontier, which I had always found to be more expensive (despite the fact that the Colorado Springs-DC flight has a layover in Denver...figure out that one), but it was almost $100 cheaper, and at a more or less more reasonable price that I could swallow. But I'd either have to park my car at the airport or feel guilty about one of my roommates taking me to the airport at super early in the morning. So I hesitated. I checked this morning and the Springs flight was still what it had been last night. And then at one point this afternoon I checked, and randomly, suddenly, the flight from COS-DC was only $250. It was like an October miracle! So, I bought it. Enough hesitation. I was pretty excited to get that price, though. I do enjoy that flights to the two cities I'm most likely to visit (Chicago and DC) are usually pretty cheap.
Well, that's enough random happiness for today. Oh. Mumford & Sons. Their new album just makes me blissful. I like their first album well enough, but there are some songs I tend to skip every time they come on. But this one? I can't get enough of any of the songs. I could listen to them all on repeat all day. It is just so good.
Now, to leave you with these.
Anyway. I'm not sure if it was the overcast sky all day, but the aspens were particularly popping out with their yellow today, and it was utterly captivating all day. Especially when there were a few flakes. Especially when there were a few flakes AND some patches of blue sky. I love Colorado colors.
We also had a chili cook-off this at work this afternoon, which is my favorite day. It's the second annual cook-off (convenient for me, because that means I've been there for both). You know Stanley and his pretzel day? That's pretty much me on chili cook-off day. It's funny; I used to dislike chili immensely, but at some point during grad school I had it and realized it's more or less delicious. And now I'm even to the point where the spicier, the better - which is really weird for me if you know me. I'm excited that it's chili season again because chili happens to be one of the few things I really enjoy cooking. (To be fair, I have to be honest - I haven't really tried cooking all that many things. Cooking for one is depressing and often more annoying than it's worth, in my opinion. Though, I really should cook more than I do.) And I REALLY enjoy eating it. Mmmmm.
A few women at work have also started this fun thing where we get together during the lunch hour on Thursdays and craft. Last week was the first one, which I missed because of my best day (which I still haven't written about like I was going to...), and today there were just three of us, but it was so relaxing. And fun! The other two women were crocheting, and I was, of course, knitting. It'll be nice to have that as a weekly thing. Knitting is always lovely, but knitting with other people who are knitting/crocheting/crafting? It's such a treat! There's a reason women all used to have quilting circles and whatnot.
After two trips up to Estes Park last week, I am quite confident that, if I can't figure out how to get a job and live up there (or in another mountain town), I just really need to go visit it more often. I miss the mountains when I'm away from them too long- which happens far too often despite living right next to them. It just makes me feel so much more...alive. So much more me when I'm in the mountains. Away from the city. Away from technology. (Well, to an extent. Taking pictures is one of my favorite things, so that sort of requires the use of technology. Also, phones are good to have once in a while.) If I could have my dream job, I'd be a nature photographer. Who knits on the side. :-) But, alas, it'd take a lot of work and time, not to mention money I don't really have right now, to get that to be a lucrative career with which I could support myself. Maybe someday. Maybe someday I can at least turn it into a side business. Who knows.
CHRISTMAS. I was so tempted to listen to Christmas music today. I didn't succumb, but man, I'm excited for Christmas season to come. (After Thanksgiving, of course.)
Oh, the other great thing that happened today - I have to buy plane tickets for my friend's wedding in November that I'm in. I should have done it weeks ago, but fun fact about me, buying plane tickets is one of my least favorite things. Maybe it's a fear of commitment. So last night I was looking at tickets, and they were more expensive than when I had been looking at them a week or two ago, which made very broke me very sad. I had been planning to fly from the Springs to DC on Frontier, which I found was usually the cheapest route back when I was going to school out there. Last night, though, the tickets were close to $450. So then I checked Denver to DC on Frontier, which I had always found to be more expensive (despite the fact that the Colorado Springs-DC flight has a layover in Denver...figure out that one), but it was almost $100 cheaper, and at a more or less more reasonable price that I could swallow. But I'd either have to park my car at the airport or feel guilty about one of my roommates taking me to the airport at super early in the morning. So I hesitated. I checked this morning and the Springs flight was still what it had been last night. And then at one point this afternoon I checked, and randomly, suddenly, the flight from COS-DC was only $250. It was like an October miracle! So, I bought it. Enough hesitation. I was pretty excited to get that price, though. I do enjoy that flights to the two cities I'm most likely to visit (Chicago and DC) are usually pretty cheap.
Well, that's enough random happiness for today. Oh. Mumford & Sons. Their new album just makes me blissful. I like their first album well enough, but there are some songs I tend to skip every time they come on. But this one? I can't get enough of any of the songs. I could listen to them all on repeat all day. It is just so good.
Now, to leave you with these.
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