Whew! I finally took some pictures of me and Katie’s new home to share. It has been a whirlwhind week but filled with good things, including marriage preparation which continues to be a blast and being invited and saying yes to participate in a pilot initiative for helping strengthen couples’ marriages!
 
Here are the pictures: more…

 
“…where my thoughts escapin’–Home,
where my music’s playin’–Home,
where my love lies waitin’, silently for me”
 
That one’s for my mom, who likes Simon and Garfunkel a lot.
 
Katie and I closed on our house yesterday! It went great–the sellers actually settled at the same time, so we got to meet them and get to know them. more…

 
One of our Texas senators, Kay Bailey Hutchison, has voted to fund human embryonic stem cell research (ESCR).
 
I was disappointed when I found this out, though I had known her positions on such matters were not in accord with the dignity of the human person. I emailed her expressing my disappointment and hope she would reconsider, and if you are from Texas, please consider emailing her as well.

 
Fr. Jaeger has been the Vatican’s chief negotiator with Israeli authorities as well as a peacemaker in Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He has given an interview a few days ago about the current situation which you can find here.
 
The cool thing is, Fr. Jaeger often visits Austin and stays at St. Louis parish, which is where me and Katie are members! He celebrated morning Mass yesterday and today, which is a special gift because of his booming, English-accented voice, and then I introduced him to Katie, to which he advised me, “You are one blessed and fortunate fellow”. Indeed.
 
He is a Franciscan priest and a real gem. Katie and I hope to go to breakfast with him while he stays at St. Louis for the next month or so. Okay, now I’ve got to go read that interview he gave!

 
During these remaining months before we enter the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, Our Lord is very much helping me to transition into this new vocation. I’m very clearly being led from the life of a single, professional young woman into that of a wife and mother (Please God !) It has been a most blessed and peaceful time of surrendering, of laying aside the tools of my professional life, including my pink briefcase and planner, to take up new ones. more…

 
Devin and I will wed in a little under three months, please God. We have both journeyed long and far to reach this doorstep of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. We have waited, hoping against hope at times, to give the total gift of ourselves to the other who is “flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones.”
 
All praise be to Our Lord, who has accomplished this great work. I’m feeling especially grateful this morning for the blessed brothers and sisters in Christ who prepared Devin and me for each other. In particular, I’m so grateful to Devin’s previous Catholic girlfriend, who introduced him to St. Joseph and the Theology of the Body. She, my sister in Christ, was such an instrument of grace for him and, thus, for our forthcoming family. In the same manner, I’m grateful to my previous Catholic boyfriend, who through his friendship and faith encouraged me to mature deeply. It will be so fun to enjoy heaven together and laugh at our shared adventures in seeking God’s path!
 
When those relationships ended, Devin and I both felt lost and far from the will of God. And, now, we see. And, we’re so grateful. In the words of one of my favorite Rascal Flatts songs, “God blessed the broken road, that led me straight to you.” YKC!

 
Katie and I spent the weekend in Dallas visiting Robert, who will be my best man at me and Katie’s wedding, please God.
 
We had a great trip, including praying the Rosary together in the car and me prank calling Katie’s friends. I put on my Texas country accent and left a voicemail on her friends’ phone asking her where we should deliver the deer corn she had ordered. more…

 
Just for fun, I added a live countdown timer to my personal website’s homepage that shows how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds are left until me and Katie’s wedding and the start of our marriage in Christ!

 
Devin and I enjoyed our second marriage preparation session with the Heberts last night. It was so great! Devin couldn’t help cracking up at the antics of the little Heberts, who were so curious and eager to participate in our meeting that they received a few reprimands for eavesdropping. They are such a beautiful and vibrantly alive family and offer Devin and I such joyful hope!
 
We’re working through a helpful text which facilitates discussions about our family backgrounds, our expectations and assumptions about marriage, our communication skills, and so forth. Please remind me of the title, Devin? I’m enjoying this workbook a lot because it’s leading us to discuss matters which are tender, such as our weaknesses or little hurts. We have so much to grow in unity and gentle forgiveness. Please, Lord, give us a lifetime to become one in the image of Christ and the Father. Please, Lord, teach me how to be simple and defenseless, like a child. Please, Lord, teach me how to receive Devin’s love so generously. Please, Lord, teach me how to embrace Devin with Your arms, for mine are so short and selfish.
 
“That others be loved more than I. That others be praised more than I. That others increase and I decrease in the world’s eyes. That others be chosen, I set aside…others praised, and I unnoticed…others be preferred in everything. That others become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should.” (Litany of Humility)
 
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine. YKC!

 
Wow, life moves rapidly! Katie and I went to our first Natural Family Planning (NFP) class, which my diocese requires for marriage preparation.
 
I have learned that there are (at least?) two different NFP systems: Couple to Couple League, which uses the sympto-thermal method (mucus plus temperature) and the Creighton Model, which uses just the mucus. This class teaches the Creighton Model.
 
What a great Biology lesson the instructor (who happens to be a friend of ours) gave! I felt like I learned more about male and female sexual anatomy and workings in that one hour than in all my schooling. Maybe it’s just a lot more relevant to my life now….
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