Change

I have such a beautiful life. I truly have been blessed beyond measure and I am so thankful for that every single day. I am very excited/scared/nervous/sad/hopefully for all that God has in store for me in the upcoming months. I can't believe my time in Quincy is coming to an end. Am I ready? Yes, and no. I love it here, no matter what anyone else says! It is my home away from home and it has really grown on me over the past four years. However, I am also ready to begin the next chapter of my life. I never do well with change at first, but I always seem to come around eventually.

Some things I have to look forward to in the days/weeks/months to come:
April 2-5: Easter Break :)
April 17th: My Pops being ordained a Deacon in the Catholic Church after five years of formation.
April 27th: Haiti night at Jed's. Mark your calenders!!
May 8th: My first half-marathon. (Oh and Hawk Wild!)
May 23rd: Graduation
May 24th(ish): Little Miss Macy will be welcomed into this world, making me an aunt for the fifth time!
May 28th: Lake of the Ozarks.
July 5th: I begin my Master's program at Rockhurst :)

Life is all about change. Sometimes it's painful. Sometimes it's beautiful. Most of the time it's both.

Connected by something finer than words...

This is only a couple of months late, but I am finally getting around to sharing some of my experiences while I was in Haiti. As always, we go to the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Port Au Prince during our time in Haiti. I have to say this is a very necessary part of the trip! I think that no matter how many times I go to Haiti, the orphanage will be the hardest thing I will ever experience. All of those children tug at my heart, but there is always one in particular that grabs ahold of me more than the others. I told Katie LeGros that I liked to start in the rooms with the younger kids and move into the rooms with the older kids in it because it makes it easier for me to leave that way. However, this year was a little different. The little girl was about eight years old I would say. She was very hesitant at first, so I just held her hand. A few minutes later, she crawled up into my lap. She looked at me and a few tears rolled down her cheek. She was old enough to know that I, too would be leaving very soon just like everyone else that came into the orphanage. She just clung to me and it was the most heart wrenching thing to think about how much I would be breaking her heart when I left. She didn’t cry very much when I left, but she held onto my hand as long as she could. It took everything I had to leave the room before I started crying. With this experience I felt the value of human touch and how much I take it for granted. It’s so hard for me to imagine how much these children long for it every day. I couldn’t wait to hug my parents when I got home and tell them how much I love them! This picture is not of the child I met at the orphanage, but one of the many children who is in my heart every day!

The Mother Teresa Orphanage is now gone after the earthquake. It is a sad thing to think about, but I can only hope and pray that lives were spared.

Unexpected Visits

I have not written a blog in forever... my apologies! I meant to write one as soon as I returned from Haiti. However, with the aftermath of the earthquake I quickly consumed my time with fund raising and helping with the relief efforts and then came school! So here I am :) I will write about my Haiti trip later, but for now I am going to write about my weekend.

My weekend started out on Thursday. I surpised Brady in Jacksonville with a visit. He had meetings for awhile, so I hung out with Paula (Summers) for awhile. Can I just say that it was such a great visit?? As soon as I saw her run through the doors and yell "CELIE!!!!" so many memories came rushing back to me. It had been almost a year and a half since I had last seen Paula, but we talk every now and then. We had such a great visit... catching up on plans for next year and most importantly planning on when we would see each other again! March 20th :) I'm counting down the days!



Friday I went to Bloomington with The Frericks', Nate and Barnes to watch QND play in the IHSA state finals. They won Friday night, but lost in the Championship round to Bloomington Central Catholic on Saturday. Watching that game brought back so many emotions for me that I have buried for so long. I was quickly reminded of my last high school game and how much it kills me that I no longer play. They are a lot of fun to watch and they had a wonderful season. So congrats to the Lady Raiders! Yes Brady, I will miss watching them too! ;) This photo was on the front page of the whig Sunday and I thought it was too great to leave it out!



Also while I was in Bloomington, I was able to catch up with my cousin Brian Kurz, his wife Katie, and their daughter, Hannah. It was a last minute thing, but they took me out to dinner. It was so nice to catch up with them also. That is one thing that I miss very much about being a kid... spending time with my cousins and siblings. Everyone is growing up, getting married, starting families of their own. It is pretty awesome to watch, but it also has a bittersweet side to it.

My last unexpected visit was from my dear friend Levi Rash. He was in Quincy so he stopped by my house for awhile. I am so excited about living in Kansas City next year, and I think living with Levi and a couple of his friends will help take some of the nervousness away from me! I am constantly reminded that my time at QU is almost over. It is sad and exciting all at the same time! (By the way, Levi: CONGRATS on the internship in Virginia for this summer!)

Well, there you have it. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next :)

Haiti :)

I meant to post before now, but my break has gotten away from me. I leave for Haiti tomorrow, so I will post when I get back :)

Current Countdowns:

2 days until finals are over, which means HOME SWEET HOME!!
4 days until Yates Christmas
10 days until Christmas
13 days until Haiti
89 days until Spring Break
109 days until Easter Break
124 days until Dad’s Ordination
145 days until Bridge the Gap
160 days until Graduation
161 days until Baby Painter is due
162 days until Twin’s birthday
203 days until my first day of grad school

I'll love you forever, Twin

Tomorrow one of my best friends will be having surgery. Gabrielle, or as I like to call her, my twin... has a Chiari malformation. A Chiari malformation is a structural defect in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. When the indented bony space at the lower rear of the skull is smaller than normal, the cerebellum and brainstem can be pushed downward. The resulting pressure on the cerebellum can block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and can cause a range of symptoms including dizziness, muscle weakness, numbness, vision problems, headache, and problems with balance and coordination.

Unfortunately this week is finals week with me, so I won't be able to be in Chicago with her for the week as I would like. My prayer for her is that God will watch over her as she goes through the surgery and during her recovery. I also pray that the Lord will be with the surgeon as he operates on her. And lastly, that He will be with her family.

Twin, I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my twin you will be. Don't forget your prayers. I love you Gabbo!

Also, it's my Granny's 85th birthday tomorrow. So a special Happy Birthday wish goes out to my Granny. I hope it is wonderful!

This specific post is for my brother, Matthew. To the rest of you, it probably won’t have much meaning.

I’ve always been a huge believer in signs. When I pray, I ask for a sign, to let me know that my prayer has been heard. It may not be answered the way I would like for it to be, but when I see a sign, I know it has at least been heard.

So… when I went home for Thanksgiving break, I found a Novena that my Mom had given to me during my freshman year of college. It was the Novena on the Spirituality of St. Therese. For those of you reading this that don’t know what a Novena is, it is a nine day prayer for a certain intention. The day before I left to come back (it was Saturday) to Quincy for school, I decided I was going to pray this Novena.

My mother loves St. Therese, not only because it is her patron saint, but also because of the wonderful example she has set. St. Therese is known as “The Little Flower.” One of her quotes is, “I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven, doing good on earth.”

On Thursday, I got an email from my Mom… I am one of five kids, so a lot of times she writes to all of us in one email. This is what part of it said:

Dear Kids,

I find that I have less and less time all the time, but I wanted to write a few lines. Several days ago when I went outside I saw a pink rose bud. I thought it was ironic that it was budding when it was so cold out, but then I do believe in miracles! Today when dad went out he noticed that it had bloomed! It has been freezing temperatures and we have strong blowing wind, so it certainly isn't the right weather for roses. But I wanted each one of you to know that if you have been praying for something or just turning things over to God, He (along with St. Therese the Little Flower) has sent a rose our way. I simply believe that there is no other reason for it, other than to give us hope! So, say a prayer of thanks tonight, for whatever it may be.

Love, Mom



I told my Mom about the Novena I had started praying, and she also told me that my oldest brother, Matthew had called home saying he was praying for something too and he felt like the rose it was also a sign for him. So this is it. The rose was my reminder that I need to keep an open heart and open eyes to all that He is trying to tell me!