7 Quick Takes Friday (vol.1)

Soooo I'm jumping on the quick takes band wagon ;-)

Some of the blogs I have started following more do this, and I think its kind of a neat idea.  In the past, I did one here and there, its more fun if you keep to it...so here goes :)

                                            

--- 1 ---

So I'm kinda excited about this one!  I recently started following Caitlin's blog.  Both of us are newlyweds and in grad school, we chatted a little through e-mail and it was neat to have a new friend in the blogosphere.  I wrote a guest post on her blog here this past week about what to do when marriage get hard.  Not gonna lie.  It made me feel legit in the world o' blogging :)  Thanks again, Caitlin!

--- 2 ---

This past Saturday, I took a group of teens and some young adults on a tour of the local seminary in Detroit.  Every time I take a group down there, it seems that the weather is absolutely bizarre!  The roads were bad and snowy, but we made it safe.  It was great praying evening prayer with the seminarians, hearing their vocation stories, and having a pizza party in the game room.  It also helps that the two seminarians that gave the tour were in our wedding party and some of Jim's closest friends from when he was in seminary...gotta love connections!

On the way home, I got a flat tire.  However, the worse part of it (I'm embarrassed to admit) was when they folks I drove in my car asked me if I had a spare, my response was "Oh no! Are you kidding a spare...I KNOW I don't have one of them things???"  Guess what they found in the trunk.  Yup, a spare tire and a jack.  After confusing the heck out of the poor AAA guy on the phone, and changing the tire, we were soon our way home! 

--- 3 ---

I recently discovered this cool NFP website.  One of the reasons this website struck me is that it is put together by for women, and is the basic meaning/science/understanding stuff for what NFP is really all about in a non-threatening, non-judgmental way.  They have a page on it with catchy slogans and pictures, like this one. 

or this one...

--- 4 ---

Have you seen this video on YouTube???  WOW. Unless you are okay with crying, don't watch this. Actually, watch it anyway:) You won't regret it. SO good.

--- 5 ---

Not to be a complainer, but is anybody else not a fan of Lent??? I know bad, right?  Recently I saw my spiritual director and shared this insight with her: "You know, Advent is only 4 weeks and Lent is 6 weeks.  Couldn't we just chop off the extra two weeks of Lent and slap them onto Advent?"  We both had some good laughs about it.  I know, I know purification of our lives/hearts/minds is the sometimes 'tough stuff' of following Christ.  This Lent is no different.  I mean who likes to be reminded of how we need to change our lives???  But in the end, when I really put myself into it and enter in, God does a good number on me:) 

One particular thing I'm fasting from this Lent is no social media of any kind past 7pm. 

That's around the time Jim comes home from either work/internship, and its a good way for me to be more intentionally present when we are home together in the evenings.  It may not sound like a lot, but let's just say there have been more times than not where we are watching a movie together, and I'm half engaged cause I'm so absorbed in Facebook.    I've caught myself slipping up, but when I really focus on sticking with it, its really helping me 'unplug' from the world and plug into quality us time:)  Hmmm, so maybe this Lent thing is a good idea?? ;-)

--- 6 ---

For those of you who live in the metro-Detroit area, did you hear the exciting news?????  12 Oaks Mall is getting the Cheesecake Factory later this year.  Maybe this isn't quick take worthy, but all I have to say after spending most of the afternoon at the library reading all about Arius, Athanasius, and the Council of Nicea for an upcoming paper at school...this was pleasant news to distract me for a little break from ancient Christian heresies.

--- 7 ---

More of a question here.  Do you know anyone who is good at graphic design stuff???  I currently have free blogger design, but am playing with the idea of 'getting some work done' on my current design and layout if the price is right.  If you have any recommendations, let me know:)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!