Is it too soon to write about charting?

Probably not.

Okay so I had a basic understanding of what charting and NFP looked like/consisted of/entailed.

But, then I got engaged and we starting chatting with a practitioner (via Google Hangout, so cool) and I realized how much more intense it actually is. I can totally see why people get discouraged and quit doing it, or get overwhelmed (Tacky? Sticky? Pasty?).

But it's crazy because I can already see the fruit that is coming from it, and we are still just engaged and not having sex/living the married person dream.

I realized how much I grasped onto the idea of my fertility and how I was going to decide when we got pregnant. Jokes. The Lord has the best plans and they are rarely the ones I come up with.

We also both realized how much more we could grow in vulnerability. Once we started talking about mucus there wasn't any other topic that was quite as intrusive and/or uncomfortable.

Basically, it's been a real gift and I've appreciated it immensely already.

I'll do my best not to let this become total NFP blog.

ALSO I'm almost done with training and then I'll be back in NEBRASKAAAA

Here's an app that literally no one needs but is cracking me the heck up.

Friends,
People on the internet,
Individuals who somehow found this page,
I'm having a dilemma.

This happens a lot, actually, but this is the first time I'm concretely expressing it.

I'm having the "should-I-even-blog" dilemma. I know you all probably know it well, if you blog, that is.

I just feel guilty when I don't post, and then I feel guilty when I post mediocre things, and even when I post things that aren't half bad I think, crap, now I've set the bar too high.

But the thing is, I love writing. Maybe I don't always love blogging, but it is a mighty convenient way to work out my writing kinks and get minimal feedback.

Maybe I'm just in a rut because I'm in Florida (no offense, FL, I know that Haley and Daniel are FLO ridas and they seem pretty neat).

Also another thing is that instead of writing anything I'm starting tiny posts for this blog and for twocatholicgirls and then I end up posting nothing. Fail.

Since I'm not ready to give up either blog (or combine both reading communities quite yet, yikes!) I'm going to try really hard to work at both blogs.

Two times as much Caitlin on the internet.

Anyway, does anyone have advice on blogging? Thoughts? Feelings? Concerns?

I guess this is why people have instagram, but on instagram I can't write long drawn out captions. Well, I could but I feel like it's bad form.

Here we goooooo

I love these because I'm a perpetual cranky old man and this helps break up the monotony of being cynical.

That sounds pretty dramatic. I mostly just complain about weather and kids these days and old person things.

On to some happy things!

1. NEW TEAM

So placement night at New Staff Training is pretty out of control. The first years all get little envelopes and then they read where they are headed and then they cry (maybe?) and then they come and find us. We are all gathered in the cafeteria with signs and t-shirts to welcome them. It's overwhelming.

But we got a new team mate! He's great and I'm super pumped to get to know him better. He's a first year from Columbia (the country) who attended Columbia (the school).


Here's a dark photo of us all. We were celebrating with our Director, Steve (rocking a Cal colored polo) and drinking champagne by the fountain.



2. BEACH DAY


 We didn't have sumo suits, but it was still fun.

I get beach anxiety. I have fair fair fair white fair skin that burns when I think about the sun for too long. So normally I like to go to the beach for like 20mins and then call it a day. But, when you go with a group (and you don't drive) you end up being there for all of the day.

Which actually was super fun and I only got a little burned.

Plus side of training being in FL: the weekends are rad.



Romantic sunset shot of us wearing gym shorts and modest one pieces.

Props to Stephanie for hosting this beautiful link up and for reminding me not to be a cranky old man.

Head over to Blessed to Be for more Little Happies!

Whale, whale, whale.

Here we are again.

Parte 2.

As I was saying, there we got to the kitchen and there were flowers and an envelope on the counter.

I graciously thanked my mom for getting me roses, although it was unnecessary. I didn't even think it was weird that the envelope had John's handwriting on it, or that we were trying to surprise my mom on for Mother's Day. She then informed me that it wasn't for her and then my brain exploded.

I was pretty sure I knew what was going on. So I opened the letter, saw that it was two pages long, so I skipped riiiiight to the end because I knew that would tell me whether or not he was in town.

Queen of virtue, right here.

So at the end of the note was something along the lines of; "Take as long as you need and then call me when you are ready"

I took zero time to get ready and immediately called him. He told me he was in my neighborhood and would be there in 2mins.

Then I realized that I should have waited and peed, and/or showered, and/or changed my clothes, and/or washed my face. Instead I rocked a dirty baseball tee and equally dirty jean shorts. Perfect.

I did have the good sense to brush my teeth and blow my nose, so points for effort I would say.

So John waltzes in, in nice pants and a sweater/button up combo that put my dirty casual attire to shame and asked if I wanted to go somewhere.

This whole time my parents are just staring at us because, parents.

We got in the car and drove to Blessed Sacrament, his home parish, and the site of one of our first date adventures. We prayed a rosary together waaay back when and he told me about how he had praying a Holy Hour every other Friday at midnight since his junior year of high school.

His parents were there covering the hour before we arrived so we quick hugged and they peaced out quickly. The adoration chapel at Blessed Sacrament is beautiful. It it set up like a little family room with a beautiful tabernacle on one side. There are nice chairs and rugs, lamps and bookshelves; it feels like you at just at home with Jesus.

Around the chairs were candles and there was a box wedged under one of the chairs. We knelt before Jesus and prayed a little and then he asked me to take a seat.

He knelt down in front of me and pulled out from the box a large wooden bowl, towel, and a pitcher of water. Then John washed my feet; he apologized for the cold water and I apologized for not having shaved my legs in three days. Whoops. That's how I knew it was love, he was unfazed.

But, it was beautiful and I cried and cried. I have always loved the part of the Gospel when Christ washes His disciples feet. Such a humble and lowly task but such an amazingly beautiful gesture.

John said some beautiful things (that I will keep just for me) and then asked me if I would marry him. I said yes, of course, and we hugged and then he spent 60 seconds unwinding the ring from a rosary in his pocket (Catholic problems).

He slipped that ring on and it fit perfectly, we prayed some more and then Fr. Clinch came in and gave us the engaged people's blessing. Beautiful.

Bada bing, bada boom. Engaged.

The next day, so natural

It was truly perfect. John later told me that he hoped I wasn't disappointed that it wasn't a huge extravagant event. The whole process probably took about 30 minutes. But truly it was perfect. I would not have handled a dinner and a scavenger hunt and a poem and a song or any of those beautiful things. I hoped and prayed that we would do whatever God willed, and I was hoping that meant engagement before we went to training.

God is good.


So we are pretty stinkin' excited. Please pray for us as we prepare for marriage. Thanks for reading as well.

Here we go, the engagement story with all the agonizing details you are going to wish I left out.

Or maybe not, I don't know. You have free will.

Quick prequel: we had been dating for a year and a halfish, had been living long distance since August, and hadn't seen each other since March.

As you know, I was living the dream in Pittsburgh and doing missionary work at CMU. My semester ended on Thursday May 8 and on May 9 my dad and I had packed up all my belongings and hitched a UHaul to my Taurus and were ready to jet out of there.

I missed my family something fierce, wanted to see my Lincoln friends, and see John when he finally got back into town.

I'm back in Ave Maria, FL at Ave Maria University (which is situated on Ave Maria Blvd) for my second round of FOCUS training.