Driving – a rite of passage

Yesterday was Monday and every Monday I drive my sister Tess and Tess D. (her close friend) to their tutor’s house for Math and Writing classes. Tess and Tess D. both have their permits and are about to start behind-the-wheel together. They can hardly wait to be able to drive without a parent in the passenger seat. I think all drivers can recall the anticipation of getting a license. Its all you think/talk about!! I remember the topic being of great interest when I was playing on a U-16 soccer team. The focus (besides soccer of course) was, “Has she gotten her license yet?” and “Oh my gosh! You got your license! No way!” or “I’m not getting mine for another two weeks and my dad is buying me a Jetta!”.

Athletics and friendship

I love to run and play soccer. I’ve been realizing how much sports bring people together. Sports are such a bridge to fellowship and long lasting friendships. Through running and soccer I have developed and strengthened relationships with people that I now cherish. For example, I would not be so close with my friend Cecilia if it wasn’t for our years and years of playing soccer together. It was a bridge to an amazing friendship with her. Soccer also brought me to know Mandee Wheelock who trained me for several years. Mandee has been such a wonderful person in my life and I’m so happy I’ve gotten to know her through soccer.

Marie left today. So sad!!

Marie left this morning for Nashville. She is going to be living there for a few months to do music which means my days of laughter and smiles are over! Seriously, Marie is so amazing and she can make any situation fun. She has so many talents! One of my favorites is her skill of putting on foreign accents. I love when she pretends to be “Maria”, a spanish gal who relates everything back to her spanish boyfriend, Carlos. When she’s “Maria” I will ask her a question like, “do you like dancing?” and she she’ll respond (with the accent of course), “oh yes!! Carlos takes me salsa dancing all the time!”. It is so funny!

Marie and I get along really well and there’s nothing I enjoy more then hanging out with her. I am really going to miss her! The good news is that she won’t be gone too long and I might go visit her in April. Here’s a pic of Marie and me. Can’t you just feel the sisterly love?

Pics from the wedding!

Hey everyone! Here are some pictures from my aunt’s wedding in Texas. We all had so much fun!!

Isn’t my aunt beautiful?!

Here are my parents dancing! Megan is dancing too!! ahhhh!!

These are the two youngest in my family, Joshua and Megan. They are crazy cute!

Grace’s very sweet sixteenth birthday

Last night was so fun! Tess, me, and my friend Cecilia surprised Cecilia’s sister Grace for her 16th birthday. Cecilia took her to Cracker Barrel and little did Grace know that Tess and I were there waiting for her arrival. We had a very nice dinner catching up on each others lives and laughing at Tess’s jokes(she can always put a smile on your face). There is such a cool intimate union between two sets of sisters hanging out that it almost felt like we all became sisters for the night. After dinner Tess and I went back to Cecilia and Grace’s house to sleepover. It was such a gift to have that time with them, and Tess and I were overjoyed to be part of Grace’s birthday celebration. Sweet sixteen is such an exciting birthday! We celebrated Tess’s sweet sixteen on the 27th of November this year, and I remember how excited I was when I turned sixteen. On my sweet sixteen I remember walking up to my room and seeing sixteen candles that my mom had placed on my bed. Mom is incredibly thoughtful and it made my sixteenth even sweeter. In conclusion, last night was amazing, turning sixteen is amazing, and spending time with Grace and Cecilia on Grace’s sixteenth birthday was AMAZING!!

-Carol Lynn

A gift from the girls – Our Lady of Hope Cafe

Last night the girls and I played for the youth group girls at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Sterling, Virgina. It was so much fun! All the girls were so sweet and welcoming, the moms there were rocking, and the youth director Jennessa was AMAZING! The girls sang beautifully, making praise and worship truly uplifting. All I can say is that God really gave me a gift last night.

Our God is such a generous giver! Here it is weeks ’till Christmas, and I feel like I am already being showered with presents. I love giving and receiving gifts!  My family does the whole Secret Santa thing, so I picked a sibling out of a hat and now I’m on a mission to find them something special. I’m up for the challenge!

A shout out to all you WONDERFUL girls at Our Lady of Hope!! I hope I hear from you soon!!!

Marie

My reasons to be thankful

I trust that you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! I absolutely love this particular holiday. Reflecting on what you’re thankful for is a very rewarding exercise, and this year I am especially grateful, because last Thanksgiving my Mom was in the hospital with my little sister, Megan. I remember how difficult that was for our family. To begin with, Mom is always the head chef for holiday dinners. If there is Thanksgiving in heaven, they will probably serve her sweet potatoes and awesome pumpkin pie! But even more special than her cooking is her presence, which is enough to lighten up the faces of all gathered. My Mom and my sister were greatly missed. Last year was Megan’s first Thanksgiving but this year was her first Thanksgiving with the family.

So this year, I could not stop smiling. When I saw Megan so healthy and happy, I knew exactly what to be thankful for. Megan is so cute! I wish that everyone could witness her beauty, and like me, get to spend time with this little angel.

In short, Thanksgiving was great. I was showered with love by family and friends. It felt so safe and warm and now I am so excited for Christmas. I hope your Thanksgiving went well. I pray that you too have a lot to be thankful for. Okay okay, so maybe you don’t have Megan, but only some of us are that lucky!! God bless you throughout this holiday season.

With overflowing love,

Tess

She put the “Happy” in my Birthday

Last Sunday I celebrated my 18th birthday. Well actually my birthday was on Wednesday, but we celebrated it on Sunday because that was the day everyone could be together. My day started out very nice. I woke up to Dad serving me a cup of coffee and I enjoyed it with my parents as we discussed the agenda for this special day. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to spend the day with Mom – my favorite person in the whole wide world. So mom and I grabbed a quick breakfast, went for a run, and then headed to Mass at Holy Trinity. After Mass we ate a big lunch to get energized for the mall! Yay! “Now were dangerous”, Mom said as we were driving towards the mall, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

I have to say that going shopping on your birthday is the best thing ever because you get so spoiled. Mom is the perfect person to shop with and our time together was precious. Spending my day with her was amazing and I felt that deep connection between mother and daughter. Mom put the “happy” in birthday. She gave me a day of great conversations, super shopping, treasured fellowship, and most importantly the warmth of her incredible love!

Mom and I got home around 8:00 and had pie and ice cream with the rest of my family.  Also my oldest brother, Joey, was there, and that always puts a smile on my face. I could never ask for a better birthday!

I would like to give a shout out to all fellow November babies. You are all in my prayers this month and I hope you have a very happy birthday!

-Carol Lynn

An Enchanted Evening

This weekend my sisters and I performed for our friend Regina Doman (author of four fairy tale novels) and her lovely fans.  As the girls and I walked up to Regina’s cozy cottage we were greeted by other girls dressed up as princesses, medieval maidens, and gypsies. I looked more like a hippie (are you surprised?), while Carol Lynn and Teresa had dressed themselves with a bit of fairy flare. My sister Michelle and her friend Maria Lee were Cinderella and Cinderella’s fairy godmother (so cute!).

The performance was so much fun. At each praise and worship song a loud chorus of female voices filled the warm and happy house. After we played we opened up the stage and many of the guests shared their own musical talents. Danny Schneible, a good friend of ours, played some lively music and we all danced the ”Virginia Reel”.  It was a wonderful night, and perhaps it was the timeless blessings of friends, live music, and laughter, that made me feel as though I had, for a brief period, escaped the “real” world. I was half expecting Sleeping Beauty and Snow White to come through the door.  It was one of those nights where the everyday world and the fairy tale world were the same.

I hope all is well with everyone!

Blessings,

Marie

Sidenote:  Enjoying a traditional dance like the ”Virginia Reel” or watching a Jane Austen film or a musical like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, reminds me just how much fun dancing can be. If you have the time, check out ballroom, contra, or caeli dancing in your local area. If you feel that traditional dancing is just too “nerdy” to bother with, then I recommend that you watch a video of today’s free style dance. Is it really that “cool”? I agree that it feels good to bounce around to the latest radio hits, but I’m not so sure that the “awkward hug” (i.e., current slow dance form) is as fun (or as cool) as a waltz.

Banner picture on home page by Kayla Algrani

Keep the Change Please!

Tonight I feel an earnest desire to complain about the changes in my life that I have no power over. First off, who told Starbucks to stop serving their bold blends after 12:00 pm? Who can look forward to a cup of mild coffee after you’ve delighted in the robustness of Estima and Verona? I miss the days when “being bold” was acceptable all day long.  Secondly, where has Facebook gone? I am afraid every time I log in that something new will confuse me. Thirdly, am I ready for cold weather? And where did the sun go? Who’s really ever ready for the end of daylight savings time and darkness at 5:30. And, oh yes, there’s one more thing – many of my good friends (even my best friend) are dating. That’s another change in my life I need to get used to.  What happened to the days when a sleepover was the highlight of their week, not a date with their boy friend? Honestly, sometimes I just want to be ten or eleven again.

Although I know things change, I also know I might always have a hard time accepting it. I need to find myself a wise man who will show me the beauty in change. Hmm…..where’s my Dad?

At least Robert Frost understood me. Here’s a bit of “A Prayer in Spring”

OH, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Sweet Dreams to all, and stay beautiful. Don’t change a thing!

Your ever constant one (yeah right),

Marie

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