True life: this semester (even though I graduated I still live by an academic calendar) has been rough. It's been really hard to live in Pittsburgh and be far away from my family and my friends. It's been beautiful to learn how to be more independent (dare I say, an adult?) and to give of myself and learn what this mission is really about.

This weekend was supposed to be our team offsite when we reminisced about the good times. However, Joey's nephew passed away today after struggling his whole life with Tay Sachs. Prayers for their whole family are very much appreciated.

Little St. Emeric, pray for us.

We improvised and ending up having a great stay-cation here in PA. Here are some highlights!

He is Risen! Alleluia!

I was very nervous about celebrating Easter here in PA without my family. I went to college only 20mins away from my parents so I could go home whenever, especially on days like Easter Sunday.

I know, super spoiled.

All my married teammates went to extended family to celebrate so it was just me and Rachel. And basically all the students at CMU.

Denise got confirmed!

Gaby, Denise, Rachel, me

Maybe some day I will learn how to take a nice picture.

Anyway, the Cathedral was beautiful and the Bishop said almost all the Masses/services of the Triduum. He washed feet and kissed each foot. It was really beautiful


Also it is 76 degrees here. I literally don't know what to do with myself. I am ashamed to bare my suuuuuper white legs in public but I am sweaty. I know, my life is very hard.

Here are some hip people slack lining by the library.

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 love Sundays. I love them especially now that I am a missionary and not in school. No more are Sundays full of panic and hasty attempts at homework, now I sleep and go to a late Mass and pray and (apparently) bake bread.

Crystal (one of my teammates here) gave me a recipe for a whole wheat free-form loaf that doesn't have milk or anything. She said, "it's easy!" and I was like, okay let's try it.

I know, you might be thinking back to the post where I regaled you with a "recipe" for cereal bars. Don't worry, I actually can read a recipe and operate an oven.

Finished product:

Mondays, right? Woof.

Let's just cut to the chase

Here is my To-Do list for 2014

1. Stop being afraid of St. Therese
I always have been. I'm one of the 1% of Catholics who are scared of the Little Flower. I mean, seriously, what is my deal. But not anymore. I've decided now is the acceptable time to get to know her, fight that fear, become bff, etc.

So I'm going to read "Maurice and Therese" as soon as I can buy it because apparently it's really good and not intimidating.

2. Start charting, dang-nabbit
I have been preaching about the importance of women knowing their cycles, understanding their fertility, checking mucus, blah blah blah but I haven't been walking the walk. So, now I'm going to. I don't have the nifty Creighton Model chart with baby stickers (which is fine because there is no baby-making happening in my life right now) so I'm using the Kindara app on my phone for the time being.

3. Do some planking
My legs are getting a great work out with all the hills and walking I do in Pittsburgh but the rest of my body is getting fluffy. I have no workout equipment, I can never motivate myself to use the gym in the CMU Union (all the walls are made of glass...it's in the middle of the union building, no thanks) so I'm going to start planking every morning before I hop in the shower.

Ugh. I regret saying it already.

4. Cook things
Yesterday I cooked chicken and spagetti squash for me and my roommate and I forgot how much I enjoy cooking. Not that microwaving squash and cooking up chicken is cooking but, baby steps. So, I'm going to do more of that because I've been eating mostly oatmeal and frozen vegetables. I am the picture of health.

Maybe I'll get y'all posted.
Call it, Motivational Mondays
Or like, Mo' excuses-why-I-didn't-plank Mondays.
Ever the optimist.

Peace

All day yesterday I was like, remember to take a picture of what you're wearing because that's a bloggy thing to do!

I obviously forgot. I'd like to blame the Super Bowl but I barely watched it, and what I did watch was not that exciting. I have decided that Bruno Mars would be beautiful woman. That bone structure? Unreal.



I also realized that some of my font gets weird on this blog when I put in a photo...I think the blog design thinks it's a caption so I apologize for the teeny tiny font that comes after photos.

Anyway, here is a g-l-a-m-o-r-ous photo of what I am wearing today.

artistic filter via vscocam

Sweater: T.J. Maxx
Scarf: a gift
Shirt: threadbare, but my favorite, from Target
Jeans: Uh...jeans store
Topknot: Lazy
Glamour: that radiator and a radiant 8am glow.

That weird face? I haven't quite mastered photo booth and that is a look I like to call, "Unprepared". The ones where I am "prepared" are even worse...so you're welcome.

To further up the level of glamour in my life I want to point out that there was left over pizza in the Newman Center fridge today and I definitely ate some even though I'm lactose intolerant. WHAT is wrong with me?

ALSO Nickel Creek released a new song?? I can barely even comprehend it. I love love love Nickel Creek. Check it

Also happy feast day of St. Blaise! I love getting my throat blessed and the priest who did it here today put my neck in a long-candle-vice-grip so I know it extra counted.

That's probably not true.
I'm a Catholic missionary, #Lordhavemercy

Excuse me while I rejoice heartily in the fact that January is over.

It's not that January is an objectively terrible month but I'm just glad it is over. Moving and starting a new job is hard, but I feel like the first month doing something new is the hardest and now it can just be smooth sailing.

Yeah, right.

Also, February is a little baby month so I have no qualms about taking it down. Furthermore, hoping that it will continue to get warmer so our pipes don't freeze again because nothing is more fun than diarrhea and a lack of running water. TMI? Nah, we're close.

Let me regale you with a story about something mundane that I will make 100% more dramatic than it needs to be.

Get excited, these are they kind of riveting posts you can expect from me.

In Pittsburgh, you can purchase a residential parking permit which allows you to park on certain streets. Parallel park, might I add. So I was using a guest pass, apparently it expired, I received three tickets for $45 a pop and decided I needed my own.

So after extensive googling (not extensive enough, this is called foreshadowing) I used my off-morning this past Monday to drive downtown (!!!) to get a parking permit.

I'm from Lincoln, NE and our downtown is essentially a 10x10 square city block. Pittsburgh is a major city. I parked a million miles away, plugged an over-priced parking meter, and hoofed it to the County Building.

Also it was a balmy 9 degrees.

So I arrive at the County building and it looks like a scene from Law and Order, or the scene in The Dark Knight Rises when Bane is standing in front of a non-descriptive government building: business people milling around, everyone is smoking cigarettes, everyone has a manila folder, everyone looks harried.

Looooong story only a little bit short, I went to three (3) separate buildings and none of them sold parking permits. I finally discovered I was 5 blocks too far west (thanks, Google Maps) and finally found the correct building. Of course I bust in, feeling accomplished, ready to kiss the earth and the woman at the front desk tells me the registration for my car is expired.

Sigh.

I hoof it back to my car, find the current one (apparently I'm a glove box hoarder) and get a parking permit. Gleefully, the woman informs me that this one is only good until April.

Oh, but come April I will demolish getting a new permit.

Big city living.

Thanks for being here.

So a million years ago I wrote a post for this blog that I created and then I abandoned said blog for five months.

I created this blog on a whim, and then that whim was deflated but I would like to inflate it (re-inflate it?)

My friend Hannah recently started a super cute personal blog, but hers is very exciting because she is married and also pregnant. I am neither of those.

BUT before you click away or close this window just give me a quick chance.

I am a recent college grad (Praise Jesus) and working as a FOCUS missionary at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. I found out I was moving here in December, and moved on January 9. So it's been a little crazy. I finally decided that I want to be able to recount what my life is like right now, and a blog seems like a pretty easy way to make that happen.

And then years from now when I'm old and grey I can look back on my youth and laugh. That's what technology is all about.

Fotos!