a beautiful message from danielle rose

I would just like to let this one speak for itself...
We love you so, so much Danielle!!



the song~

I will meet you at the table
I will meet you in His heart
In the company of angels
In the place where all things start
We receive each other's presence
We are all made one in Him
Though I cannot see your face
I will see you in the Eucharist

Come and meet me at the table
Come and meet me in His heart
We'll be singing with the angels
Each man playing his own part
In the symphony of praises
We will join our song with His
Though I cannot hear your voice
We'll be speaking in the Eucharist

Do not be afraid
Do not be afraid
Do not be afraid

When we gather at the table
We are closer than our breath
Even nearer than the angels
When we touch His very flesh
Dwelling in each other's presence
I will hold you close inside
Every soul in heaven and earth
Now is present in the Body of Christ

Do not be afraid
Do not be afraid
Do not be afraid

We are pilgrims on a journey
We are headed for the throne
Carried on the wings of angels
Oh we do not walk alone
All our prayers we lay before Him
And His grace will pave the way
To lead us to our one true home
Where we'll see each other face to face

And do not be afraid
Do not be afraid
Do not be afraid

I will meet you
I will hear you
I will hold you
I will receive you
I will see you in the Eucharist...

'the anointing at bethany'

"Remember the scene in the house of Lazarus: Martha was serving while Mary had no thought of food but only of how she could please her Beloved. And 'she broke her alabaster box, and poured out upon her Savior's head the precious spikenard, and the house was filled with the odour of ointment.'

The apostles murmured against Magdalen. This still happens, for so do men murmur against us. Even some fervent Catholics who think our ways are exaggerated, and that - with Martha- we ought to wait upon Jesus, instead of pouring out on Him the odorous ointment of our lives. Yet what does it matter if these ointment jars - our lives- be broken, since Our Lord is consoled; and the world in spite of itself is forced to inhale the perfumes they give forth? It has much need of these perfumes to purify the unwholesome air it breathes."

- A letter written by Saint Therese of Lisiuex to her sister Celine in 1894

I fell in love with Danielle's new song "The Anointing at Bethany" the first time I heard her play it in Nashville. It's about the moment in the Gospel when Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anoints Jesus' feet with oil that some criticized her for wasting. How surprised I was last night to find that Saint Therese had written a letter to her sister about the very same passage... not a coincidence!

God bless you Danielle as you prepare to enter the Disciples of the Lord on Thursday. My thoughts, love and prayers are with you now and always!!



You have come to the table of my soul. Thank you oh Lord for the mercy You've shown. What You took You have given back to me. So I pour out the oil of my dreams. As the tears start to fall I am bathing your feet, filling this house with the fragrance of your peace. I bow down to the ground. My hair spills all around. I am kissing your feet. I am wiping them dry because I believe that

You deserve to receive all of my love. Anything less Lord would not be enough. I'll lavish you Lord with all I have received. I'll spend my whole life to anoint You as king.

They say 'Why are you wasting this gift? Just think of the good you'd have done if you sold it serve all the poor souls in this world.' Father forgive for they know not what they say. Worthy are You, lamb of God that was slain, to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength. I fall down at your throne, longing for You alone. Singing 'Holy holy, God should be given all of the glory.'

You deserve to receive all of my love. Anything less Lord would not be enough. I'll lavish you Lord with all I have received. I'll spend my whole life to anoint You as king.

Now Lord I sit at Your feet. You say the better part's given to me by your love, by your generosity. 'She's done a good thing for me. My time on earth is but a blink of eternity, but the souls of the just shall live forever in peace. They'll remember this story. You will be given a crown of glory. In memory of what you've done the story will go on and on.'

You deserve to receive all of my love. Anything less Lord would not be enough. I'll lavish you Lord with all I have received. I'll spend my whole life to anoint You as king.

"with dirty feet and a full heart"

Today I received a last e-mail from Erin about her summer in Honduras... so beautiful! This e-mail really made me smile because Erin, who I love as a sister, was able to meet two of my most cherished friends, Michael Downs and Beau Schweitzer. I can't decide if I'm happier that she got to meet them, or that they got to meet her!!! God is so good. The circle (as it should) grows...

Los mas queridos a mi corazón,

And so, two months later, it ends… or as I prefer to think, only begins anew. Two months ago, I packed up malaria pills and my Spanish-English dictionary, jars of peanut butter and a heart full of hope yet uncertain of what was to come. As our feet left the ground of Latin America this past Friday morning, my luggage- and perhaps my heart- was lighter. I now carry a plastic bag filled with hand-made goodbye cards, the great possibility that I have the "masamora" and/or "piojos" (look it up if you really want to know), Spanish that (while far from perfect) actually managed to receive a few compliments from locals upon our departure, and a heart llena de amor and full of gracias to the God who blessed me with such an adventure.

And an adventure it has been… an adventure to live deeply, to be rooted and grounded in love. I walk across the campo and breathe deeply the mountain air, letting it settle into my lungs and my soul. I drink deeply from the Cup of Life, knowing that is it He who offers it to me, who offers it to us all. I celebrate joy in the journey, as we never truly arrive, not even in a lifetime. As little planes jolt through cloud-brushed mountains, I smile and am reminded both physically and metaphorically that God's call is not safe… it is radical, it is dangerous, it is exciting… yet it is life-giving, and I am convinced that it is the best possible way to live.

The life of a summer vol at the Farm is often likened to a sprinter amidst a marathon. For two months each summer, two Notre Dame students come and pour out energy, laughter, and tears. We give what we can… and then we leave. To truly lay roots is difficult when faced with the knowledge that they will be ripped from the ground. Yet our call is to go deep… and so we do, and so we go, hoping and trusting that we have entered into life with the kids the best we could, that we have loved them well.

Our last weeks have been full. In a daring display of vulnerability, Nelly from House 2 asks me to try my hand at giving my first haircut (she pleads with me to shave it all… I decline). 6-year-old Marita from House 1 falls asleep in my lap on the cold, hard floor of the chapel during Holy Hour, her little lice-infested head heavy on my arm, and I recognize that He is as present in the sleeping child curled up against my chest as in the Eucharist before us. I venture out solo for a morning swim, stopping to breathe in the sacredness of the moment, alone with the mountains and the sand and the vast expanse of calm, clear water, diving down to flirt with sand dollars and popping up to greet a fisherman gliding through the dawn. We are graced with the visit of Karla and Ryane, two ND summer vols at an orphanage in San Pedro Sula, and delight in the chance to share stories and adventure. I roll out of bed at 5:40 am and join the vol community for morning prayer in the courtyard consisting of various flailing dance moves to U2's "Beautiful Day" blaring from our iPod speakers. I am reminded that playing "fútbol", while fun, is not my calling as I am utterly dominated by a team of 8-year-olds. I encounter sacramental moments as sister Claire and I belt Folk Choir songs in the back of the Landcruiser, as we grab running sneakers and head to the mountains for adventure runs, as we play capture the flag across the campo and I jump off broad shoulders during a night swim under a sky filled with shooting stars. I am faced with challenge and somehow filled with patience as I tackle a week and a half of teaching Alex, Sigri and Erika, better known as Team ASE, the three loving and fun yet extremely willful students in our special ed program. Topics covered: the solar system, telling time, and how to properly wash our hands. The latter included an actual trip to the pila to practice the hand-washing activity, in which I learned that it is generally best to supervise orphans when you give them permission to cover their hands and face with dirt and markers. Oh, the grace of laughter…

And then, in the blink of an eye, we were finished… showered with piles of hand-made cards, hugs from children and songs of farewell to begin the journey of coming home. And what a journey it has been. Luckily, our final bus ride went much smoother than the previous one, with the only incident being the recitation of a love poem to Cassidy by a sketchy yet humorous man about *this* close to her face. Sadly, we didn't catch all of the words, but we do know it involved going away into the night and beautiful eyes :)

We spent our final afternoon in La Ceiba, where our journey began, in the presence of some of the most amazing, holy people I have ever met. Celebrating Mass with Laura, Kevin, Beau, Michael, Mark… one of the most beautiful signs of peace I have ever experienced… then celebrating life through the dare of chewing vitamins, savoring the taste of pizza, chocolate chip cookies and a game of Cranium in Spanish (funniest card: "Wonder Bra". Try explaining that in Spanish to a Franciscian nun!) So much holiness. So much life.

As we prepared to leave, soul brother Michael Downs suggested that we were sent out properly- by being prayed over. And so we were, right there in the foyer of that beautiful house where our journey began. Cassidy and I, back to back, surrounded by warm, sticky bodies of people who absolutely radiate, placing strong hands on our shoulders and backs. Earlier that day, as we sat in Mass, Michael leaned over, smiled and whispered, "You forgot to wash your feet!" I looked down and laughed, for my feet were absolutely filthy. Smelly. Ant-bitten. Dark brown with dirt. Calloused. And as we stood in that circle of faith and big feet stood gently atop my little toes, he prayed in thanksgiving for dirty feet. Feet that have weathered ants and mosquitoes, that have run bare on the spiky grass of the campo, that have walked the streets with the poor. Our feet will leave scarred… as they should. They are signs of work, of toughness, of a life loudly lived. Now they must venture out to continue to walk by faith, to "compartir", to openly and lovingly be changed and go forth to love and serve.

The Finca has in many ways "ruined" me… as I hoped it would. I now sit upstairs in my air-conditioned house in a comfortable bed, full of thanks for the opportunity to grow in love this summer and a newfound appreciation for the truly rich lives we lead in the States (most humorous retuning-home anecdote: seeing a cockroach in the bathroom in my house and my initial gut reaction being a literal verbal "awww!" because it reminded me of Finca life)… yet also full of questions about the way of the world (realizing that the aula I taught in for a week and a half is no larger than my parents' walk-in closet) and truly missing the 48 kids who stole my heart this summer.

And so, I want to leave you with my most heart-felt thanks. Gracias… thank you… for reading, for encouraging, for praying, for walking with me on this crazy-beautiful adventure of faith and hope and love. Gracias to my family, both here in the States and my brothers and sisters at the Farm; gracias to all of you, my faithful readers; and most of all, muchimas gracias a Dios who keeps us all together in love.

With dirty feet and a full heart,

Erin

ps: some of my favorite photos of my adventure can be found on my Flickr page :) enjoy!

how do they do that???

When I was in Nashville with Danielle I couldn't get over how the musicians could hear her play a song one time and then turn around and make a number chart that basically maps out the whole song in NUMBERS, and then turn around and play it perfectly. It is crazy!!! These people are geniuses...



... and hilarious!!!

happy birthday alli!

Today we celebrated Alli's 27th birthday.... Happy Birthday Alli! You are the best!!! I also want to wish a very happy birthday today and tomorrow to Anthony Brannan and Ben Hunter, two great friends from ND. I hope you all are having the beginning of your best year yet :-)

For the past three years I've been really blessed to be part of the St. Pius women's prayer group, who were so sweet to throw a little going away party on Monday. Thank you all so much!!! I am going to miss you all! You have all have brought so much joy and balance into my life the past three years. Thank you for your constant prayers and friendship.... I will be with you in spirit especially on Monday nights. Thank you so much for the "dream big" cake and also for the very thoughtful signed picture frame... Your notes and prayers mean so much to me, and I know I'll read them many times in the years ahead!


One more little update from today... after Alli's b-day dinner tonight we stopped by to look at a house that Beth and Alli might be interested in renting. It looks like a great house, and has an added bonus too of a semi-famous (at least in the Notre Dame world) former tenant. Any guesses who that might be??

"God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay,
and who you refuse to let go."

PS. Many more Danielle Rose videos to come!!

"walk on water"

Last weekend after Ryan and Sarah's wedding I flew to Duluth, MN to visit Danielle and her family one last time before she enters religious life. On Sunday Danielle's friend Fr. Mike said a special mass for her, and then she gave a last concert for her family and friends. I am beyond grateful to Danielle and her family for allowing me to be there to share in that time with them. I will remember it forever!

Today (for Kelly and the others that journeyed with her) I'd like to share a video of Danielle singing "Walk on Water" that she wrote inspired by the pilgrimage that they took to the Holy Land in May. Here she is explaining and singing this new song. My favorite line is the very last one~

"Be still, my soul, for God can do all things...."



Ps. Danielle has said that you can enter an online prayer request that their community will pray for that day, and for the whole week. Thank you so much in advance for all of your prayers Danielle!

life is beautiful...

Going from Nashville to Ryan and Sarah's wedding rehearsal back in South Bend gave me much to give thanks for today. Here's a short video of Ryan sharing his heartfelt thanks (and priceless surprise gift to Sarah!) at their dinner. Their sincere and true joy is so inspiring to me!!



My heart is with Danielle in Nashville as she finishes up the recording tonight. There is so much to share, so here's a start. This video is of her sharing for the first time with Scott, Ken, Matt and Jeff the song that is in a lot of ways the heart of the new cd. What was amazing to me was how this one song really set the tone for the whole recording. These musicians are as faith-filled and compassionate as they are talented, and I truly believe that these men were led to this project for a reason. Something really special happened in the studio this week, and it was amazing to have witnessed it. There is no place in the world I would have rather been this week.





PS. For all the ND fans out there (especially dad and mrs. rizzi) here's a picture of Ryan's groomsmen in their new ND jerseys commemorating the big day (7-21-07). What a perfect idea Ryan and Sarah!!!!

hi from nashville

wow... there really aren't enough words to describe how amazing it has been to be here in nashville with danielle as she records her new cd "pursue me." this whole experience has been incredible, and something that i will remember for the rest of my life. i have hours of video and lots of stories to share, but i just wanted to share a few pictures (all taken by danielle) in the meantime. enjoy!!

jeff on piano

ken on percussion

matt on bass

scott on guitar
james engineering it all

hangin' with the band

congrats kelly and brian!

This weekend I made it home for the wedding of my best friend Katie's sister Kelly. The wedding was beautiful, and the reception was so much fun too! Here are a few pictures from the day that I borrowed from Katie's web page. Thanks so much for inviting me Kelly and Brian! Congratulations, and I hope you're having a great time in Jamaica!

Kelly and Brian's first dance

Katie's daughter Abby is unstoppably cute!!

Katie's husband Craig took this picture, and said it looks just like our pics from high school graduation. Maybe we'll look older someday!!

As for this week, I am heading out tonight for Nashville to be with my best friend from ND Danielle Rose as she records her next CD. (Check her out on itunes!) I am so excited to see her, and to be there as she records these new songs. I'll be back on Friday, just in time for Ryan and Sarah's wedding. Can't wait!!

little miss firecracker

The 4th of July isn't just a national holiday... it's also the birthday of the coolest 3-year-old that I know, little miss Isabelle. Her mom and dad (Steve and Erin) are two of my closest friends in South Bend, and she and her brother Michael are two amazingly cute kids. (Steve is actually the reason I moved back here 5 years ago when he hired me to be his assistant for ND Vision, and I can't thank him enough for it!!!)

Here are some pics of the big day...











I counted three desserts... it's good to be the birthday girl!!

Happy partygoers with the birthday girl! ( I love the smile on the little girl in pink!!)

project playlist

My brother ryan just sent me a link to a great new website called project playlist. Looks like you can make your own playlist from thousands of songs already online. Super fun!!

For all you country music lovers out there, here is Ryan's playlist including lots of my favorites like "find out who your friends are" (song #2) and "summertime." I'm pretty sure that this is my sister's too, also including some of my favorites like "suspicious minds" and "for once in my life." I haven't made one yet, but will let you know when I do. If you make a playlist, be sure to share it!!

Speaking of country music, now's the perfect time to share two of my favorite songs by brad paisley... I love what these songs are all about, and the videos are cute too!

"little moments"


"the world"

"where your treasure is..."

For the past few years I have been following the story of Steven Curtis Chapman (an incredible Christian musician) and his wife Mary Beth who (after much encouragement from their then 11-year-old daughter Emily) have adopted three girls from China. They have since dedicated their lives to the cause of adoption and care for orphans around the world, and have created a foundation called Shaohannah's Hope to help others who feel called to adopt as well. This video tells the incredible story of their journey, and some of the miracles they have seen happen along the way.

The part of the video that really affects me is when Steven Curtis Chapman says that the moments when he's most overwhelmed by the experience are the moments when he thinks, "We almost could have missed this-- we almost could have missed what God wanted to do." (Which is perhaps the best and most convicting definition of the miracle of cooperating with God's grace that I have ever heard.)

The Chapman family is traveling the world this summer exploring how God might be calling them to further care for some of the world's most vulnerable children, and Mary Beth has generously been keeping a blog about their adventures. If you read it, just be ready to laugh and cry the whole way though it.. She is an amazing woman with such a huge heart, and I would love to get to meet her someday. What an incredible family they are!!

Speaking of their family, here is a video called "Hidden Treasures" starring their daughter, Shaohannah Hope (Shaoey). I just watched this video tonight, and couldn't help but think of this:

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:21

Just wait until you see her...



I also just want to say a big thank you to my good friend Mike Patin for meeting me for lunch today while he was in town from Louisiana to speak at the ND Vision summer program for high school students. Mike is one of the most intentional, genuine, affirming and real friends that I know. He spends his life serving others, and radiates the gift of true joy in return. (Just look at his smile!) It was wonderful to see you Mike, and I hope to see you when you are in Pittsburgh in March! In the meantime, you remain in my prayers... especially on the 22nd's.

"a rare adventure"-- an update from erin in honduras

Here is the latest update from Erin, an ND student who is spending her summer volunteering at the Farm of the Child in Honduras.

It is Tuesday night here at the Farm, and extremely difficult to believe that our time here is almost halfway over. I am quickly beginning to realize that two months is not nearly enough time to even scratch the surface of this labor of love which has already captured our hearts.

Atop a greenish chalkboard in our 4th grade aula is written, "A day lived for God is a rare adventure." So many adventures, both big and small. The adventure of this summer, the adventure to give love away, the adventure of true openness to walk with God. I am learning what it means to live God's adventure with a heart that is completely and beautifully free.

A few snapshots of my free-spirited adventure:

My running shoes and chaco sandals carefully dodge stones, splash through rivers and sink into sandy beaches as I run, hike, and carry 4-year-olds through the lush, cloud-topped mountains. My stomach has held up remarkably well as I indulge in baleadas, topagillos, and plenty of rice and beans. Despite plentiful bug bites and a few strange rashes, my body serves me well and even enjoyed its first bucket shower this past week :) My "mente" (mind), though often tired, is stretching and growing rapidly, and was put to good use on Friday as I served as a translator for an international medical brigade from Arkansas.

Last weekend, I had the joy of attending my very first Honduran wedding, as the entire Finca community was invited just a few minutes down the beach to celebrate the "boda" of an old vol and her new husband. Dogs and two-year-olds plopping down in the aisle, totally off-key singing and a gorgeous sunset made for an experience that was pretty "diferente" but totally beautiful. Afterwards, joined by the oldest Finca boys, my fellow vols and some only-moderately-sketchy local Honduran men, I shook my gringa hips under the bright starry sky until the wee hours of the morning. I dance with light feet and a light heart.

Last night I wrote by the light of a single candle and listened to the sounds of explosive laughter and harmonies of voices singing alleluia resonating through our house which is so filled with geckoes and love. I joined the oldest boys from House 5 as they taught me to fish and hunt "cangrejos" (crabs) by the light of the moon. I sat by a campfire on the beach, was dragged into the sparkling water (fully clothed) and floated on my back with my Honduran brothers, looking at the stars and the cloudy sky illuminating the tops of mountains in the distance. Yesterday my soul sister Cassidy and I ran on the beach during an afternoon "tormenta" (storm), letting the cold rain pelt our faces and soak our clothes, diving head-first into the warm, choppy waters, yelling out to the mountains until explosive thunder sent gringa free spirits running, shrieking, laughing inside for cover.

And although my Spanish is far from "completa", I am learning to speak a far more beautiful language… the language of love. What does it mean to love as God does? What does it mean to love a child? It means immense vulnerability… and relentless forgiveness. I speak the language of love as 2-year-old Rosita runs to me with open arms and points to the moon… as little boys plop down in my lap… as I have a spontaneous post-dinner bachata-style dance party with 6-year-olds. They are my greatest teachers and the best part of my adventure.

And so my prayer is to be open to the ultimate adventure of dancing with the King, to learn what it means to love with reckless abandon, to allow my soul the freedom to sing of His marvelous light. I pray to seek His fingerprints in all faces and moments, to let my heart beat with the quiet reminder that this life is not my own, to pour out day after day after day, again and again. I am a work in progress, broken and poured out, yearning to sing long and loud and beautifully the melody the great Composer has placed in my heart.

Sing well.

Erin

-- take. bless. break. share. honduras summer 2007

a great weekend

Last weekend started off on Friday with Evelyn and Juan's wedding at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame, and a reception after at the Palais Royale. Juan just earned his PhD in English, and Evelyn is a year away from earning hers as well. I met them both this year through the RCIA program at Notre Dame, and was Evelyn's sponsor for her confirmation. The wedding was beautiful, and I was so glad to be there for it! Here they are having a great time during their first dance~


On Saturday morning I went to a bridal shower for my friend Sarah Miller who is marrying Ryan O'Connor, a good friend from ND, next month. Sarah and Ryan are two of the greatest people I know, and have just returned from a year of teaching in Guatemala that was full of adventures. I am so excited for their wedding, and couldn't be happier for them! By the way, I had a lot of fun shopping for her gift because Sarah registered for plates called Fiestaware. I had never seen these kind of plates before, but loved all of the colors to choose from! I debated awhile about which color to buy, but in the end went with yellow in honor of their motto in life. You guys are the best!!


After the shower I drove to Chicago to see my brother, and to have dinner with our friend Kevin from high school. Kevin was in Chicago training for his new job, and we had a great time catching up with him and his friends from work. Kevin was staying in the Hard Rock Cafe hotel, and Ryan and I had fun just sitting in the lobby (it doesn't take much to entertain us!) and I felt like Sydney Bristow about to be sent on an important mission or something. It was pretty fabulous!


On Sunday Ryan and I went to Old Saint Patrick's for mass. I had heard that my good friend and former roommate Keara Coughlin has recently been hired to direct their young adult ministry, and she was actually introduced at the end of mass, and said a few words to the congregation. What a coincidence! Old Saint Pat's seems like a great church, and Ryan especially liked the newly ordained Jesuit priest, Fr. Pat McGrath, who said mass. Apparently St. Pat's has the world's largest block party coming up, which looks like a great time. Jon McLaughlin will be there, who a friend of mine has recently told me is really good. If you're in Chicago, you might want to check it out!

After mass Ryan and I went back to Mario's Italian Lemonade for frozen ices, and then I headed back to South Bend just in time for a birthday dinner for a friend's grandma who turned 85 yesterday. It was a great weekend!! Hope you all are doing well too!!

is this heaven?? no, it's... michigan

I don't usually write two blogs in one day, but I couldn't resist sharing these photos that my friend Steve just sent. Back in January the
South Bend ACE Fellowship (part of the larger ACE Fellowship, which is an alumni association of sorts for graduates of Notre Dame's ACE program) sponsored an event to raise scholarships for students at two local Catholic Schools - St. Adalbert's and Our Lady of Hungary. The night was a huge success, and I think we raised about $10,000! We were thrilled!

One of the best items in the auction was dinner for 10 people with
Fr. Tim Scully (the founder of ACE) at his family's lake house in Bridgman, Michigan, which I was lucky enough to be invited to last night. All I can say is that it was beautiful... the weather was perfect, the company was even better and the sunset was gorgeous. Wine, dinner, dessert, mass on the beach, good conversations, good laughs, wonderful friends and all for a good cause... what more could anyone ask for?? A HUGE thank you to Steve and Erin for inviting me to be part of the group, and to Fr. Tim for being such a great host. You guys are the best!!! I'll never forget it!!


(full sized photos available here)

happy birthday shannon!

A friend just send me a story about a Haitian family's long awaited reunion that I wanted to share. I also want to wish Shannon a very happy birthday today!! More soon-- have a great day!

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.- Joseph Campbell

tom dooley society

Today I joined Notre Dame's Tom Dooley Society, and as I spent some time looking through the database I came across a man named Dr. Jim O'Connell who is the president of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. I was immediately intersted in learning more about his work, and sent him a note to ask if I could talk with him sometime. He wrote back right away, and I feel very blessed to be in contact with such a good and dedicated person. From the little bit I know about him, I can honestly say that he is a true inspiration. Here's a short video about his work that I wanted to share too-- you'll see what I mean!

Hope you are all having a wonderful day today!!

"To dare is to risk losing your foothold for a moment. Not to dare is to risk losing yourself." -Soren Kierkegaard

happy birthday beth!

Happy Birthday Beth!!!!! I hope you had a great night celebrating your birthday... you are an awesome friend, and probably the most loyal blog reader too :-) Hope you like these pictures, and I'll see you soon!

It was Beth's friend Christa's b-day too... Happy birthday Christa!

Beth's sister Stephanie and her brother Robbie surprised her and came in for her b-day!

happy birthday dad!!!

Today is my dad's 60th birthday... happy birthday Dad!!!!
We had a surprise birthday party for him last Friday night, and one of the biggest surprises was that Christy flew in from San Francisco, and Ryan came in from Chicago!!!




Another huge surprise for my dad is that he'll be going to the Cleveland Indians Fantasy Camp in Winter Haven, FL this year. Here he is learning about his big gift!!


I hope you enjoyed your party dad!!

On Saturday I went to Pittsburgh to look for an apartment, and then got home just in time to get to the CMHS class of '96 reunion. What a great time, and I just want to send a big thank you to everyone who made it-- it was great to see everyone!

Gina, Beth and Mandy

Lou, Mike, Erin and Laura

Reno, Colleen and Leslie

Rebekah, Reno and little Gianna Ferri

Matt, Katie, Gina and me

Last but not least, I also wanted to let you all know that my good friend Shannon has started a blog. Yay! Shannon and I met just about a year ago when we were both taking the Kaplan review class to get ready for the MCAT, and I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through last summer without her. Shannon is one of the most faith-filled persons that I have ever known, a one in a million friend, a beautiful mom to her two children Madeline and Timothy, and a true inspiration to me. She is also currently beginning the process of applying to med school for next year, so please keep her in your prayers!!!