Christ, Coffee, and Cornfields

  I just watched Enchanted . That movie is fabulous. I've noticed that kid movies have a lot more meaning when you view them as an adult, and this film was no different. Giselle, the protagonist, gets thrust into our culture after living in a world of fairy tales. Because she is not accustomed to the Western world, everything she sees fills her with a sense of awe and wonder. My favorite part is how she views marriage.   Marriage is forever, and married love is wonderful and awesome. Boom.   The world hadn't hit her yet. She saw everything with childlike innocence, especially the Sacrament. Giselle showed how children and those who refuse to let sin keep them down see marriage. It is ordained by God. She saw that everything was good, or at the very least had good in it or could be used for good. It was the buildings, the people singing, the animals, a woman's eyes! This was rather off-putting for the other characters at first, but Giselle doesn't let anyone convince...

  It has been an interesting year or so, to say the least. I mean this not so much in regards to my own life this time, but in the grand scheme of things. America has become a very volatile place. It's heartbreaking to see how much everyone is attacking everyone and their mother over any little statement or fad or perceived issue. You can't take a drink of coffee anymore without offending someone.   Everyone knows about the so-called "war on women." Don't get me wrong; I am very thankful for the women who peacefully fought to give females equal rights, and every woman should be able to reach her greatest potential without being discriminated against. But gosh, this whole agenda has turned into some monstrous attempt to bury femininity! I don't think that was the original intent, but that's what's happening. Whatever men can do, women can do better, right?   That isn't the point.   I've heard a quote that basically says that women weren...

  Want to know a secret? I struggle with confidence. A lot. Blame it on the stresses of nursing school or deep seeded trust issues or just a general feeling of not being good enough, but being confident in myself and my abilities is a real problem for me. I have this facade of confidence most of the time because overall I'm a positive person....except when it comes to me.   I've been mulling over this issue for awhile, especially now that essentially all I have left in nursing school is my preceptor hours and two days of class with as many tests. Basically, the only way I can not pass nursing school is if I kill someone, break HIPAA, not adhere to rules I've been following all year, or bomb these two tests. From what I understand, it's really really hard to fail this last little chunk of nursing school. But what do I do? Start to majorly worry that I won't pass those tests and all my work will be for nothing and I won't be able to graduate and my life will be ...

  If there's one thing that I've learned during our engagement, it's that life flies by way more quickly than we realize. We thought that our 14 and a half month engagement would drag on forever and ever, and in some ways it felt that way, but for the most part it has gone by super quickly! All of the sudden we are less than 3 months away from our wedding and we're bustling around putting final details in place. I think that in general we look at life like it will last forever, but it flies by before our eyes and suddenly the things we've been looking toward are here and gone.   There have been so many instances in my life lately that have caused me to reflect on the (fruit of the) virtue of patience and working to take the time to slow down. Obviously, being engaged is a big proponent of that. This part of my vocation is only a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things, and it is a very unique and special time. It is absolutely one of the most special ti...

  I don't think I ever fully realized until yesterday how much I appreciate that Jordan and I share our Catholic Faith. Ever since we started our relationship, faith has been central so it isn't that I never noticed the importance or didn't appreciate it; believe me, I am beyond thankful for it! But Jordan said something yesterday that was very simple but it spoke straight into my heart.   We were sitting in his truck when he said, "Tomorrow is Transfiguration Sunday!"   Yep. That's it. All he did was mention that today is a major feast in the Church. It sounds like a really simple exchange, but it made me realize just how important sharing our Faith is. One could say it transfigured my outlook on the subject.   I have always felt like a nut or a nerd because I love my faith and know a fair amount about it. Nobody in high school shared my excitement when an awesome saint's feast day would come up, very few made the effort to go to Mass on Holy Days,...

  NFP. Natural Family Planning. Mucus. Sympto Thermal. Creighton. Basal temp. Charting. Sex. Abstain. Babies. Lots of words get thrown around along with the topic of NFP, or Natural Family Planning. What is it, and why would it be important to Jordan and me when we aren't even married yet?   There are so many reasons that Jordan and I practice and believe in NFP. I could talk and talk about it, but I'll just touch on a few main reasons we do it. First, though, let me give a general overview of what NFP actually is because it is widely misunderstood.   Natural Family Planning is a method of guiding married couples' physical intimacy that focuses on the signs a woman's body gives throughout her cycle so that together they can choose to participate in the marital act during appropriate times for their intentions of having a child. It also is used to forge a stronger bond between the husband and wife by encouraging communication and other ways of intimacy (spiritual, em...

  I was on my way to the library today when I passed a lemonade stand run by a boy about 10 years old. Growing up, my siblings and I used to have lemonade stands or sell sweet corn during the summer and it always made our day to have people stop and buy from us. With that in mind, I went to that stand after my library stop and got a cup.   This young man running the stand was very sweet and I could tell he was so excited to have a customer. He stood up to pour me a glass and we made small talk for a little while. It really tugged at my heartstrings to see him sitting on the side of the road, and it brought me back to when I was in his shoes. I decided that I would be customer to him just as so many were to me. I hoped that I could bring some joy to him. As it turns out, he ended up giving me a whole lot more than just a delicious glass of lemonade.   He gave me hope for the world, and he brought joy to my heart.   Cliche, I know. But lately, especially today, I...

  Jordan and I just celebrated our first year anniversary last week. We're both in awe of all the blessings and trials we've been given to walk through together during that time and are very much looking forward to many more years together (soon as a married couple)! Many of you know that most of our year together has been as an engaged couple, which is so much fun, but we will definitely be the first to tell you that a long engagement is not easy. At all . A 14 and a half month engagement was necessary to our life situation, but it certainly isn't something we would suggest to anyone.   Engagement is an interesting period of life. It's so much fun, but is also filled with lots of frustration if you're choosing to be chaste. Jordan and I are saving sex for marriage, and while it is easily the best decision we've made (besides following Christ, of course), it is also the most difficult. We've had to endure teasing and unwanted lessons about what to do or no...

  I read a really thought-provoking article by Matt Walsh today. It's actually the second time I've come across it, but it still makes me think. The gist of it is that love, specifically marriage, is a choice. It isn't predetermined and it certainly isn't like in books or movies. Entering the Sacrament of marriage is the most important and life changing decision a person could ever make (besides choosing to follow Christ, obviously). That's just it; it's a decision.   Maybe it hit me a little differently today because I am now reading it as an engaged woman. In less than 8 months, Jordan and I will be eternally binding ourselves to each other. Even though I'm very excited, the magnitude of the commitment we're making can be overwhelming to think about. We need to think about it. The reason I'm choosing to marry Jordan isn't because he's "The One." How could I possibly prove that anyway? I'll be honest here; I used to say that...

Our world is obsessed with sex. It seems pretty obvious given that the majority of movies or shows have sex scenes in them, or at least allude to hanky panky going on when the camera isn't watching. You don't even have to look hard. It's like the people on floats in parades throwing out candy by the handful. Sex, SEX, SEX.    It's particularly interesting to me because the way intimacy is portrayed from the perspective of secularism isn't even accurate . What do I know, though, right? I'm almost 20 and still a virgin. My fiance is 23 and likewise has not bedded anyone. Sex is a bad word, isn't it?! I couldn't possibly know anything about passion or love since we haven't slept together yet. I'm still so naive compared to those sleeping or living with their significant others or hooking up after a few drinks. Right?   Wrong.   Being a college student, I'm constantly surrounded by people who see sleeping with someone to whom you are not ma...

  I know I tend to write quite a bit about my love life, but I'm not sorry! I'm passionate about it and about relationships in general, so I keep writing. I have been thinking about how those in romantic relationships, whether it be dating, engagement, or marriage, lean on each other a lot. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; in fact, that's a huge part of relationships. You need to be there for each other. What I have noticed in my own life, though, is the fact that I can't hold Jordan up every time he's down just like he can't do it for me every time. We simply aren't strong enough.   A Christian relationship consists of three entities: one man, one woman, and God. As the Bible says about these relationships, " a cord of three strands is not easily broken ."   Jordan and I are smack in the middle of the most stressful semesters either of us have had, and the strain of school, wedding planning, work, as well as the basic responsibility ...

  I've had the topic of modesty on my heart for a long time now. It's an ideal that was instilled in me by my parents, and as I've grown up it's something I have taken ownership of in my life. Modesty is a threefold concept, consisting of modesty in mind, action, and body. However, for the sake of this post I would like to focus on the physical aspect of modesty, in part because it would be a very long post if I didn't and second because I believe that if you are modest in how you dress, it becomes natural to be modest in mind and action. Modesty in mind and action is what most of us know as the quality of humility.   As I've discerned writing on this topic, it has been really hard for me to get going on it. I would always get writer's block and give up after a few sentences, not really sure why because I love talking about modesty! Last night I figured it out; I intended to write it in lecture form. LOL. That isn't the point of my blog, and it certain...

  Whenever I go grocery shopping and I see Cosmopolitan Magazine on the shelf, I flip it so that nobody will have the temptation to have wandering eyes at the nearly naked woman on the front cover. It's an injustice to expose anyone to a possible occasion of sin, so I flip them. Well, today Cosmo and its atrocities got delivered to my front door.   My dad owns a business, and lately we have been receiving magazines that we have not ever subscribed to. We think they're for his office to entertain customers as they wait, but nonetheless these magazines have shown up at our house uninvited. Today, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take a peek at what is actually inside Cosmo's covers before throwing it away. I wanted to know if it is really full of the trash I assumed it was...I was right! Immediately as I opened to the first page, I was assaulted by odors that I can only assume are meant to be used as a tool to lure men into the bedroom. I found them rather at...

  What a beautiful and comforting statement. Love is patient . If there's one thing I wish I had more of, it's patience. The so-called "Love Verse" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) is this plethora of qualities that real love has, and I think patience, which is the first thing listed, is connected to all the other qualities Paul speaks of. It takes patience with yourself to change your ways into not being self-seeking, pompous, or boastful. It takes patience when memories of past wrongs or feeling of jealousy pop up and you have to fight them off. And, man does it take patience when the going gets rough and you are trying to persevere or find hope!   Patience is a vital part of loving.   One of the many things I love about Jordan is the fact that he has a never ending supply of patience, especially within our relationship. When I was single, I made a list of qualities that I wanted in my husband someday. One of the first things I wrote was that he be patient. I desired that...