How are you feeling today? Hopefully you are living the dream and maybe soaking in some sun.

Mondays are hard. Welp, this one is almost done but here are some pick me ups for Mondays.

Guess who's back back in Pittsburgh. Me. So that's why I haven't posted in many moons. I only received one threatening text from Hannah so no harm no foul. So because I've been sans internet for a long time these Quick Takes will be really easy to whip out, right?


Right.


Shout out to my past-roomie Michelle with a very happy (very belated) birthday wish!

killin' it. swim skirt style #modest

Michelle is probably one of the biggest reasons why I didn't quit staff at New Staff Training/run away/become one with nature and live with the gators/cry at EVERY moment. I just cried at most moments. Also we both have a fear of St. Therese so there's a whole lot of bonding between us.


Speaking of St. Therese, I finished this book! And it was so good. I will recommend it until the cows come home and then after that as well. Seriously. I read it and expected to feel a strong connection to St. Therese but I read it and found myself relating to the emotional and flighty Maurice instead. Which, I think, is the point. The book doesn't highlight Therese's little soul but how she responds with great love to the "little" soul of Maurice. I can confidently say that I am no longer afraid of St. Therese.


The novio is coming to Pittsburgh in less than a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeek.


Have you visited Call Her Happy's Etsy shop yet? It's hella cute and makes me want to be crafty.


I'm starting a Bible study on CMU's campus this Tuesday. It's a bilingual study with students who speak Spanish. I studied Spanish in college and I'm rusty beyond rusty and I am very nervous. So, please spare some prayers that the study goes well and that whatever God wills for it, happens. Thanks a whole bunch.

 Shimmy on over to Jen's for some funner takes.

Have you heard of SoulCore? One post I wrote about it and thought about buying it and then I did and today I did it with my mom and we loved it. Let me be clear, I hate working out. Hate, hate, hate. But the beautiful women who do SoulCore combine something I've always wanted to do (yoga) with something I always need to do (pray the rosary). I highly recommend it. It's no nonsense yoga (like, my core is quivering, sweat all over, etc) and she provides beautiful meditations and some scripture. I'm all about it. I'll probably write a whole post about it...


I have loved being in Lincoln and it makes me realize how much I miss it. I miss my friends and family so much, so I'm going to do a better job at staying connected. Like, I might even use the phone and call people, yikes.
The next time I see Hannah, bebe Almanzo might be born. Also the bebe might not be a boy and probably won't be named Almanzo, but I like it...so...there's that.
I had dinner last night with Hannah (see #3) and our friend Katie and most of the dinner conversation was about birthing stories (other people's) and tub births and placentas anddddddd....
...A cow given birth c-section style. Katie had photos on her phone and we looked at them, at dinner, in a restaurant, in public. Lincoln, Nebraska.
I went to Whole Foods today for the first time (!!) and got Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels and I won't take a pictures because the container is basically empty.
There are no pictures in this post because I'm blazing through it so I can enjoy a glass of red wine with my mother and sit in the sun with my dad. Thanks, Lincoln, you've been real.

 Prayers as I head back to Pittsburgh would be great.

 Thanks, Jen, for hosting!

I'm jonesing for world's worst blog titles.

I'm linking up with Hallie at Moxie Wife  because I can definitely share with you Five of my Favorite things!


2. Oranges
One time, my sophomore year in college, I ate like 7 oranges in one sitting. I love oranges. I love them so much that my PIN number for my debit card used to be the grocery code for oranges (4012). I changed it so you can't steal my card anymore...

And jokes on you because I have no money. Yay!

But I've been eating them like mad because I'm psychologically convinced I'm getting better because of them. Double yay.

3. This commercial

The tears I cry.


4. This magic potion lotion 
In case you missed my riveting post yesterday about coconut oil, I was rubbing it on my chapped nose in hopes that it would calm my red skin. It didn't.
BUT my mother has some fancy Mary Kay purple gunk lotion in this fancy little tub and I've been using it and it's magical. Like rubbing silk on my nose, but better because it also it moisturizing (and I hate that word, so you know I mean it). It's apparently really expensive so I should definitely be using less of it.

Sorry, Mom.

basically a QVC level foto

5. Wes Anderson


Fair warning: it's a little inaprops.

Anderson is a weird, weird man but I love his movies because they always have Bill Murray in them. And I get the idea that Anderson just makes movies so that he can invite all his friends to come over and hang out with him.

Anyway, I'm going to see this because I love all the people who are in it (everyone is in it).

I hope you are having a kickin' Wednesday. Go over to Hallie's blog to check out more exciting favorites and to add your own.

Peace.

I am very good at jumping on bandwagons way late in the game. Like so late the bandwagon has stopped rolling all together (just in case you are wondering).

Boring long story only a little shorter, I'm rubbing Coconut oil on my raw and chapped nose in some hope that it will work its magic. I know Katrina wrote a post about using it for dry skin and maybe I'm secretly hoping it will also give me radiant skin.

if it doesn't work I'll just rub Crisco on my face

Basically I'm drowning in used kleenex so if you have cold curing remedies, I would like them. All of them. Please. Thank you.

I'm also watching the Office bloopers on youtube so...currently enjoying season 7. I love Spring Break.

Is this how you blog? I'm going to fight my perfectionist tendencies and publish this sub-par nugget. Humility.

Keep it real, friends.

That's what my mom said to me when I woke up this morning with the nastiest cold I've ever had.

I always (always) get sick when I come back home so this time is obviously no different. My nose is stuffed up, my throat feels like a game of minesweeper except all the squares are mines, and I can't hear out of my left ear...what did you say?

But I'm not complaining. I would rather be home, with my mom and a constant supply of tea, than sick in Pittsburgh all by my lonesome. Also the wifi helps. Thank You, Jesus, for wifi. More importantly, thank You for my parents.

So, second thing is second, I can't decide is this is a hair style that I can ever be seen in? Spoiler: I went to the airport with hair like this so I've already been seen but just wanted to know what the general consensus is:

What lips?

Thirdly, thoughts on SoulCore? It's a yoga class where they pray the rosary at the saaaaame time. I think I would actually do this. I might order it. Also I love their logo.

Did you know that Camp Patton now has an Instagram to buy Grace's old duds? Shopthecamp, but don't even go there and look through it and/or snag the swag I'm hoping to score.

Go watch the Big Red vs. Fake-Big-Red game and cheer for Nebraska because the Badgers stink.

Also have a great Sabbath!

I'm not linking up this week because it's Thursday and I'm cheating and writing this now, so unfortunately my blog view count will remain at a meager 4 and not the rowdy 30 it sometimes does when I link up with Conversion Diary.

God bless, March. Mostly because it isn't January and it isn't February and that means that time is actually progressing and I don't live in a grey haze of a snow globe, aka, Pittsburgh.

But don't mind me as I wax poetically about the never ending headache that is this polar vortex...it's March!

Guess who downloaded Overgram? Moi

I hate making New Year's Resolutions but I sure do love picking Saints of the Year. This year I was on a bus to a FOCUS Conference in Dallas and picked my first saint from a bag.

And then I moved to Pittsburgh and the secretary at the Newman Center told me I could pick a saint from their basket and, not wanting to be rude, I picked another one.

So I totally double dipped for 2014. Not even mad.

Here we go!

Blessed Mariam of Baouardy (...of Bethlehem, Lily of Palestine, Little Arab, etc).

She has a lot of names. She's a mystic from Bethlehem and was born in 1846 and is a mystic, victim soul, and stigmatist. Her story is pretty amazing and is summarized in long form here and shorter form here. Bl. Mariam was betrothed to be married, refused, and was beaten, then a young man tried to make her convert to Islam and she refused and he cut her throat. and left her to die. Bl. Mariam later recounts that a "nun dressed in blue" came and took care of her and stitched her wound. She survived and took perpetual vows and joined a Discalced Carmelite order.

Seriously, her life was crazy. St. Joseph appeared to her, angels appeared to her, she received the stigmata at age 20, she helped found two convents, she experienced numerous ecstasies, and her religious name is Sr. Mary of Jesus Crucified. So...pretty hardcore.

Here's an icon of her:

I call this week the Week-I-Didn't-Even-Blog-One-Time-and-Jen-Fulwiler-Did-A-Seven-Day-Seven-Post-Challenge, but I'll shorten it to Fail Week.

Lately, I've been failing a lot. Being a missionary is a strange job where it's nearly impossible to determine whether or not you are doing a good job. That sounds like a cop out so I'll elaborate.

There are certain things we should do (daily prayer, daily Mass, Holy hour, meet with students, care for team, take care of yourself) and when we slack at those things then we aren't doing a good job.

But, when you meet with students or have Bible Study or have events it's hard to gauge the success since it involves another person who has free will.

Hannah suggest that I document a Day-in-the-Life and I for sure will. Probably on Ash Wednesday because that day is going to be veeeery eventful. (ALSO have you seen Hannah's blog? It is so so so so cute).

Anyway, I'm going to be better about keeping up with writing since I love it (and maybe need it to keep sane) so thanks for sticking with me.

Some high-lights of the week.

1. Got a new retainer, booyah
2. Got a $97 parking citation, not the best
3. Becca came and visited me! AHH
4. I'm going home very soon for Spring Break (Praise God for academic vacations)
5. I started praying for an increase in humility and then I bumper-bumped a car three times while trying to park. So...nailed it.

You all are big failures and Jesus loves you.