Lovely Loretta

letsblametherain:

consideritnothingbutjoy:

oh that just happened…

This is such a win.

Mass was incredibly hard today. I never want to have to say goodbye to a priest ever again. The church was completely packed, and we were all crying like crazy. I’m planning on going to noon mass Monday through Thursday this week so I can really say goodbye to Father. Next weekend is going to be so strange. I’ll cantoring for Father Al instead.

All the same, today is a wonderful celebration of what makes us Catholic. It’s exciting and beautiful - the most beautiful thing that is possible to experience while on this planet. 

I love the Church for more reasons than there are stars in the sky, but the absolute bottom line is that today is the reason why I am Catholic.

From the cradle to the grave. 

This summer, we collected seventeen monarch eggs and caterpillars. So far we’ve released three of them, and I’d like to introduce them to you!

This guy’s name is Abel, our first butterfly of the year, and he was released on June 25th.

Here’s Adam. He was released on June 26th. As a caterpillar, his antennae were seemingly deformed and we worried for his health, and we kept him separate from the other ones so he couldn’t get them sick, but as a butterfly he looks just as healthy as anyone else.

This one’s Alban! I found his saint’s story particularly interesting. He was released later in the evening on June 26th. Initially, we rushed to get him outside because the weather was looking like it could get stormy, but he was actually flying around the porch, just dying to be free. He was the strongest butterfly that we’ve released so far.

We did have one sweetie die on his or her way into forming a chrysalis on the 25th. It was kind of heartbreaking to all of us, but hopefully the other seventeen will make it safely into nature. 

I’m actually going to start my list of summer goals today.

I’ve just been so lazy that I’ve kept putting it off. 

Today was so good.

Words cannot describe how wonderful today was. I was nervous for the first two songs, and then once I started acting, something just let go and I wasn’t myself anymore. I was the character in every song I sang, without any walls up anymore. I wasn’t afraid of what people would think.

As much as I love theatre, I always thought that I’d never be able to be a serious actress because I could never become the character. I always felt like Marissa acting. But that wasn’t it today. Maybe it was because the stage lights were down, so I really couldn’t see anybody. I don’t know. But I wasn’t scared. I did things today that I have never done before, even when I’d acted at home.

I seriously had a moment where I had to close my eyes while I was singing because I almost cried, purely because of the pain that my character was feeling at the moment. It had nothing to do with me or my own life. It was the struggle and desperation of my character that almost brought me to tears.

Ahhh, I wish everyone that I’ve ever known could’ve been there. I cannot imagine feeling as good as I did today.

And the reception was wonderful, and I got to have my own gluten-free pizza, and spend time with my friends and family. Then we all decided to make a day of it, and I went frisbee golfing, all the while still wearing my perfect, gorgeous recital gown. Across the river, one of the paddle boats had some big band music playing. It just put me in the best mood. I felt like I was straight out of the 40’s. I wanted to be somewhere and just dance with people.

I got to see my cousin for the first time in a long, long while today. I loved catching up and talking to her. Followed up with long, deep heart-to-hearts with my wonderful mother and I got to end the night with some marshmallows and a fire outside with my two best guys. 

I must continue to hold onto the way I felt today. It is attainable. It will be my life someday.

All I can say is God is so good.

So I’ve had less than five hours of sleep and I threw up this morning.

I am ready to kick my recital in the butt. (: 

willindermaur:

1. Georges Lemaitre- introduced the big bang theory, Catholic priest

2. Louis Pasteur - Scientist who discovered germs, devout Catholic

3. Galileo Galilei - the “Father of Science”, devout Catholic

4. Leonardo da Vinci - famous artist and inventor, devout Catholic

5. Gregor Mendel - discovered genetic science, Catholic monk

Want more? Go here to see that the Catholic Church and science have gone hand-in-hand for centuries.

So, I graduated high school today.

I still don’t know what to think.

So my dad finally decided to start using herbicide in our garden. As upset as it made the whole family, there wasn’t much we could do. Matt and I started tearing down the milkweed plants so butterflies wouldn’t lay their eggs in the chemicals.

But, to be safe, we keep checking the leaves. So far, we’re up to 12 caterpillars/eggs. 

They’re so cute. I hope they all make it.