It would have been a travesty!

Thank God Jerry Rice didn't win!
Dancing with the Stars Season 2 is over and Drew Lachey won! I was so shocked that Stacy Keibler had a lower score than Jerry Rice. She was an amazing talent. But as I said a few days ago, as long as Jerry Rice didn't win, I was happy. Not that he was horrible - just not nearly as good as the other two.



Drew did put on some great, very entertaining dances. His scream of excitement

also became something to look forward to.

I cannot WAIT for the next season of DWTS to come on!

A Real Fine Place to Start

I went to see Sara Evans in concert tonight. It was a really awesome concert. She has such an amazingly powerful voice. Even though she slightly hoarse, as she herself pointed out, you really couldn't tell much.

I especially like Sara Evans not only because of her music and amazing voice, but she seems like a 'real woman.' She's been married for 13 years, is the mother of 3, and is a woman of faith and lets it be known how important family and faith are to her. Two quotes from the show's programs:

"Sara Evans is a study in contrasts: a smooth-skinned looker hailed by People magazine as one of the world’s most beautiful people yet one who travels with her three kids... and a deeply spiritual woman with an occasionally bawdy sense of humor."

“I separate things so easily in my mind,” she laughs. “I can literally, literally change a diaper or discipline Avery and then walk on stage. I'm such a multi-tasker you would not even believe. If I just had a few more arms, there’s no telling what I could do. I think that’s the trademark of a true woman.”

A woman who finds herself in a real fine place in her life and career.

Talk about your World Wide Web!

An anonymous friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) told me the other day about "Stat Counter" - a free website that you can use to track how many people visit your website. I have since added it to this website and can know how many readers I have had (more than I thought).

Only a few minutes ago did I really check out Stat Counter. It tells not only how many people visited, but where they are located, how long they visited for, and what website they came from to get to yours. Many more details that I would have guessed!

Well yesterday alone I had one visitor from Australia and one from SINGAPORE! Amazing how world wide the world wide web really is!

Now if I could only get some more comments!

Dancing with the Stars!

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

It is the ONLY reality show that I have ever watched. No "Survivor", no "Bachelor", no "Apprentice." No nothing. But then this came along.

I can't exactly understand why I love it so much either. I have never been a particularly huge fan of dancing, I can't dance well, and none of the stars on the show were any favorite of mine - most I hardly even knew.

Yet I got hooked from the beginning. We are currently in Season 2 and the final show is Sunday which will crown a winner.

My favorite all along has been Stacy Keibler - a professional wrestler. She is a natural talent and is just amazing. As the judges said last night, though, she was a little disappointing in the last dance - they did not exhibit her talent certainly as much as they could have. I was expecting something spectacular and only got something good.

Drew Lachey on the other hand! What an amazing performance! And done to the song, "Save a Horse - Ride a Cowboy" by Big and Rich.

Drew has been my second favorite going into this. And because of the performance last night, I really cannot decide who I want to win. Arrgh! I hate having to make choices.

As long as Jerry Rice doesn't win, I will be happy!

Stick with the easy stuff

This post could easily be a very depressing, graphic and disgusting one. But it won't.

For those of you who know me well, you know that my grandma is chronically sick from various "intestinal" and "bathroom" issues. Constipation doesn't begin to describe it, but that is the way I will begin and END describing it.

The last few days have been torture again with these same problems. I truly hate seeing her in such agony over it. A nurse came to the house today to help matters along, but with no real luck. So here we are, for the second time in about 2 months, with her needing to drink this saline stuff that is usually only given before "procedures" - if you get my drift. Needing to drink 8oz every 15 minutes - and this bottle is huge. So let's hope that it works - but I know it won't be pretty in the meantime. Please pray for the best.

So, as I was on my way home from Osco, picking up this prescription stuff, I was in the left turn lane behind another car. It was a minivan and you know how so many of them now are equipped with DVD players and screens for the back seat. Well this was not the first time that I have become very distracted by watching what I presume the driver's kid(s) were watching. But tonight I was evn more entranced. Probably from the lack of sleep (from the late concert and drive home last night - as well as being up half the night/morning/all afternoon, with my grandma). Playing on their DVD was "Madagascar." What a fun movie! And right as I was behind this minivan, there was a scene with my favorite characters - the penguins.

I went to see this movie twice in the theater. The second time was appropriate - with KJ, Molly, and the family. The first time was just me and Annette. As she and I were buying our popcorn, the guy behind the counter was trying to make small talk.

Guy: "So, what movie are you guys seeing today?"
Annette: "Madagascar."
Guy: HAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

What - is there something wrong with two grown women going to see an animated movie, that in reality has more jokes in it that adults get than kids do anyway?

Oh well.

But the light turned red for the left turn, the minivan turned, leaving me behind to wish I could have seen more of the cute little penguins. "Just smile and wave boys. Just smile and wave!"

Toby (thanks Ebay!)

It is 2:48am and I just arrived back home from Peoria, IL after attending a Toby Keith concert. Annette and I drove there this afternoon, attended the concert, and came back tonight. Long day. I'm so grateful she drove home, I fell asleep on the way back.

It was an awesome concert! I have now gone to 4 of his concerts, and this was by far the best. Maybe because this is the first time I had decent seats for one. They were floor seats, row 21. Each of the other times I had lawn seats at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park. I got a great deal on these tickets, too. Bought them off of Ebay for only $43 each - face value of $61. Buying tickets from Ebay always gives me anxiety, though, praying as they get scanned at the door that they are legitimate tickets. So far, though, I've had nothing but good luck from Ebay bought tickets. As they get scanned and no alarms or bells go off I think, "OK - Can leave positive feedback, now!"

Well, I think it is about I go to bed. I can barely keep my eyes open.

P.S. - I didn't wear my boots, either!

These boots were (not) made for walking

I attended the Festival of Faith that was held here in the Archdiocese of Chicago this weekend. I attended both Friday and Saturday. First of all, I have to say that from the parking garage to the exhibition hall was a LOOONG walk. I would say a good 2 blocks. Granted, you were inside the whole time (thankfully since the wind chill these days was like 20 below), but do it a few times a day and it gets a bit much, considering you're walking around the exhibition hall a lot, too.

Anyway, on Saturday I wore a pair of medium heeled boots that I've worn many times before - very pretty boots and I love them. For high heels, I have always commented that they are remarkably comfortable. Well not this time.

When I arrived Saturday morning, I went to the hotel next door for breakfast, then walked over to the exhibition hall. I walked to one of the breakout sessions a little later, and then Michelle (my co-worker) and I walked all the way back to the hotel for lunch, then back to the exhibition hall (are you adding? this already is like 7 blocks). My feet were starting to kill me! Especially the toes of my right foot. I took off the boots and saw that my sock was bloody. The boots had given me a cut between my two toes.

Later in the afternoon, I had to walk back to the parking garage to take out some stuff in suitcases. Well by the time I got there, I couldn't TAKE IT anymore. I unzipped the boots, put them in a plastic bag I had in the trunk and carried them, in stocking feet, all the way back to the exhibition hall.

I was hoping I was walking fast enough (and with no eye contact) that people would not look at my tan-with-snowflake-designed socks on my feet. But I couldn't prevent it when I got in the elevator. I was in there with only another man and woman and all of a sudden she said, "Where are your shoes? You're feet will freeze!" I held up the bag and said, "I've been walking all day, I couldn't take it anymore." And left it at that.

When I got off the elevator, I walked all the way back to the exhibition hall, eyes locked straight ahead hoping that all the people going in the opposite direction, coming from both the Festival of Faith and the Golf Show that was also going on, would not look. My mantra was "don't look down, don't look down."

My last worry was that one of the so-called security people working the entrance would not stop me and say, "Sorry - no shoes, no service" type thing. But I devised the plan that if they DID question me, I'd just tell them I was part of the liturgical dancing troupe that just performed and that no shoes was part of my costume. Of course, what a horrible thing to tell a lie at the Festival of FAITH!

Anyway, I snuck past them all, and made it back. Later I went into the bathroom and because I didn't have any Band-Aids with me, but DID have a couple of Purell Handiwipes, I took off my boots and socks and put one on the bottom of each of my feet for some cushioning. After the sting of the alcohol on the cut wore off (forgot about that!) it certainly did help.

After attending the closing liturgy for the Festival, Michelle and I walked (well, I limped) all the way back to the parking garage (so what is this now, about a mile and a half for the day?) What was funny now is that the Festival of Faith was ending, but a Mardi Gras Party was just beginning. So as this group of holy (ahem), Catholic faithful was departing, cowboys, geishas, and other various costumed people were arriving. Us going one way in the corridor, the Mardi Gras people coming towards us. At this point you couldn't tell which side of the hallway the nuns in full habit belonged on!

Anyway, me and my toes are recovering.

Ever talk to yourself?

Well, it's been a few days since I've posted anything on here. To any of you who have been reading, I thank you. To everyone, please pass my blog along and COMMENT on it for goodness sake. I don't want to feel like I am only talking to myself. I do enough of that as it is ! ;)

It's only like a week into doing this, and I feel at a loss as to what to talk about. There are some topics - such as the continuing priest abuse scandal, that I would really like to comment about, but do not feel that I should, considering I work for the Archdiocese and all. I would like to hear other people's opinions, if you would like to share, though.



To change the subject completely - I just received in the mail the other day my information to plan a group outing to a White Sox game this year. I've organized a trip the last two years and they were lots of fun. Now that the SOX are WORLD CHAMPS it will be even more fun to be there. It was an amazing season last year and the playoffs were even better. I will always remember that they actually won TWO games on my birthday to clinch the World Series (one game ended after 1am and then they also played later that night.)

One day in the near future I will have to tell you about my past 'obsession' (ok Molly I'll admit it) that I had with former Sox player Carlton Fisk!... What a great player!

So just what IS a mistress of the divine?

Perhaps you are wondering what the title of this blog means? It is a take-off on the degree I received from CTU last May. It is a masters of divinity degree. So more than one person teased me that after receiving it I became not a "master" but a "mistress" of the divine.

Hardly.

More often than not, I do not feel as though I am a master of the divine at all. I don't mean that I am not in charge of the divine or something - of course that cannot be the case. I am saying I sometimes do not feel qualified about the topics of God, theology, etc. even though I was conferred this degree. "I have them all fooled," I've thought more than once. How stupid could they be to think I should be getting this degree?

I took all the course, did all the formation, preached, read, wrote papers, yet somehow I still don't feel quite qualified.

Of course who of us is "qualified" to be trying to explain the Divine. Pretty big task and pretty audacious of us to think we can ever "master" the divine.

Welcome to the Family!

Well, today Jack, my godson, was baptized into the Catholic Church and I "officiallly" became a godmama. I am so grateful to Molly & Kevin to have been chosen for this. For that I thank them!

The day went well. No droppage of Jack, despite his very slippery, satiny baptism gown that has been passed down through Molly's family over the years. Out of the 3 babies baptized, he cried least of all, although they all did since it was immersion into the water. Talk about your the horror of your first swimming lesson! What a way to do it!

For months leading up to today Molly and Kevin have teased me that the priest at their parish (being a Notre Dame grad) always (kidding around) told the godparents at baptisms that it was THEIR responsibility to pay for the child's college tuition to Notre Dame. However he must've forgotten to say it this time. So as Kevin said, we're off the hook on account of a loophole! Yippee!

Jack is also up to 6lbs. 12 ounces - much better than the 4 lbs 6 oz hw was at birth.

I hope to post a picture or two tomorrow with Jack and his baptism into God's family!

Damn you Jerry Taft!

Some may say I have a strange interest in weather forecasters - meteorologists. Actually when I was little, I wanted to be one. I cut up an atlas we had to create all the states and made a huge U.S. map out of it. Unfortunately, every state was not to the same scale, so they didn't fit quite right.

Now as years go by, the weather is still my favorite part of the news. My favorite by far is Jerry Taft on Channel 7 here in Chicago. He makes the weather fun, often goofs up, and is very nonchalant about the whole business of weather. Hardly a forecast goes by when he does not start laughing about something - something the anchors said before his report, something he said wrong, or when his little remote control thing for the weather maps screws up. (He actually gets really angry about that.) He talks about his love of food, his love for golf and makes wisecracks about things said before or after his report.

Molly came up with the phrase, "Damn you Jerry Taft!" when one day I think he failed to predict rain and lo and behold there were the drops when she walked outside. Since then, whenever he predicts weather that will prevent me from going to Indiana to visit her, for instance, that is our phrase of the day - Damn you Jerry Taft! Of course it is said in love!

Of course the real weather forecaster of Chicago that that phrase applies more aptly to is Tom Skilling. Everyone who is familiar with him... raise your hand if you have NO IDEA what the hell he is talking about half the time! Whereas my beloved Jerry Taft gets about a minute and a half of airtime, Skilling gets about SIX minutes. And he uses up every second - with maps and drawings and cold fronts and almanacs and "Did you know that today we received more rain between the hours of 2pm and midnight than on any other April 12 since 1913?" WHO CARES!

And I am not kidding... just last week as I was tuning him out (one has to do that after about 1 minute and 45 seconds of his report) I heard him start talking about Austria. Austria! He was talking about the weather not just here in Chicago, or the Midwest or even the United States. He was broadening our horizons by talking about Europe now!

And I haven't done any kind of scientific study, but I think he is wrong about the weather more than any one else in Chicago! He lives and breathes weather and is still so wrong. How can anyone be as obsessed as he is about something and still get it wrong more often than not?

Oh well, at least after just listening to his forecast tonight I know that later this week a "vigorous arctic outbreak" is coming and "the jet stream is buckling in from the north."

Well, I guess it's happening...

...at least for now!

I have decided to create a blog for myself, since others I know have done the same thing, especially Molly. It seems like it could be fun, even though I'm not totally big on sharing everything with everyone who wants to read it. But I will at least give it a shot, I guess. Who says I'm not a "follower"?

I had lunch today with a friend of mine, Fr. Flynn, who used to be associate pastor at St. Clare. It was a nice time.

I have a very big weekend coming up. Working tomorrow at Mundelein, formation day Saturday - again at Mundelein. Sunday is the biggest day, though. The baptism of my godson, Jack.



I can't wait. I am excited to be a godmother for the first time, and I hope I will be a good one. I know others have been godparents many times over, and so it may not be a big deal, but this is my first (and possibly only) godchild I will have, so it is a big deal to me. He is just so darn cute, as you can see here! I treasure him very much and look forward to being there for him.

His mother, Molly, and I have been friends for years. We've known each other since first grade, and have been really friends since 8th (or 4th - although there seems to be a couple years in between there when we really didn't hang out much). Anyway - for a long time! She means the world to me and so that is especially why Jack is so important too.

I'm sure I will talk much more about them later in this blog, so that's all I'll say for now.