7 Quick Takes, Vol. 4

--- 1 ---

What a week! The best part of being a missionary who fundraises her own salary is getting to meet people I might have no reason to meet up with otherwise. This Tuesday, I spent the afternoon down in Appleton, WI and had lunch with a cousin who I haven't seen a while, and dinner with my uncle and his family. It was such a nice opportunity to see some members of my family who I don't know well, but would like to know better.

--- 2 ---

Speaking of family, tomorrow I have another cousin getting married in the Twin Cities! It will be the first time my dad's family has gotten together in years! I'm looking forward to seeing cousins and aunts and uncles again, and hearing about how they've been doing.

--- 3 ---

I'm planning to stay in Minnesota an extra day to visit with some friends who are living out there. One friend has been in Austria for the past 6 months, and I can't wait to hear about the fun times she has had teaching kindergartners in Klagenfurt! The other friend I'm excited to see got engaged at the end of the school year, and her and her fiance both moved to the Twin Cities area. I'm looking forward to hearing how her wedding plans are going, and just spending time with both of them.

--- 4 ---

While speaking at my parish this Sunday, I met two young women who will be at FOCUS campuses this fall! One will be a freshman down in Louisiana, and the other returns for her second year at UW-LaCrosse. It was so encouraging to hear how the message of FOCUS really helped them to have a desire to become more involved with the campus Catholic community this fall! It's this kind of news that inspires me to continue working diligently here at home so that I can be more effective on campus this fall.

--- 5 ---

For not having rained all summer, things sure have turned around fast! My "white noise" while studying this past year has been the sound of rain, so it's nice that the background atmosphere is real rain and not just noise coming from my computer! It's such a soothing sound, and it makes me want to curl up with a book and a cup of tea. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to take the time off to do so, and it's also still pretty humid and so the thought of having a blanket on is not pleasant!

--- 6 ---

St. Agnes Church, my home parish growing up.

I love going to daily Mass at St. Agnes at 6:45 am and seeing over 50 people in attendance. It's so encouraging to see so many men and women come to mass before going off to work, and older couples waking up so early to start their day off with the Eucharist.

--- 7 ---

It's raining again this morning! As kids, my sisters and I would be grabbing our umbrellas to go outside and play!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!