All posts by CadyLy

Reflection for the Day

November 6, 2008Neat Things I Didn't AuthorCadyLy

“If you were going to die tomorrow and had only one phone call to make, whom would you call? What would you say?

Would you start talking about your sadness, or would you be grateful for all the gifts you received in life?”
— From “Uplifting Thoughts for Every Day”

I would have thought that this would be a hard question for me to answer. But, surprisingly, it wasn’t. I would call one of the people that I really feel that God has specifically given to me. I can only hope that I would not make the phone call about my fears or sadness or anything like that. I would hope that I would be able in that phone call to be able to express to the person how much he or she is loved by me, and how I am always praying for him or her, and how I will continue to do so.

Okay, Randomness for the Day

November 6, 2008MemeCadyLy

There Are 0 Gaps in Your Knowledge

Where you have gaps in your knowledge:

No Gaps!

Where you don’t have gaps in your knowledge:

Philosophy
Religion
Economics
Literature
History
Science
Art

Do You Have Gaps in Your Knowledge?

The Castle Personality Test

You have no problem diving into new experiences. You’re so brave that you don’t even notice how courageous you are.

You don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how people see you. You’re kind of scared to know what they think.

You are a very romantic person. You can’t help but see the world as it should be.

Right now, stress occasionally makes you feel trapped in your life. You usually have a clear perspective on things though!

Overall, your life is very peaceful – if not a little solitary. Much of what goes on goes on in your head.

You aren’t optimistic about the future. You worry about what will happen to the world and if we’ll be able to clean up the messes we’ve made.

The Castle Personality Test

Just in Case You Needed a Suggestion…

November 6, 2008Of Trials Opportunities and Gifts, PhotographyCadyLy

I know all of you are agonizing what to get me for Veteran’s Day. I thought that I would give a suggestion, so you won’t have to wander the store for hours in indecision. 🙂

A new monitor for my computer. I find myself stuck. I want to post the rest of my World Youth Day photos, but I need to color correct the majority of them. However, my current — and really old — CRT monitor is already cranked up to 100% brightness and 100% contrast, and it still shows everything as really dark. So when I go to correct my photos at home, any person looking at them on another computer gets blinded and wonders why this girl always takes high-key, blown out pics. And I am so anal, that this really disturbs me. So, I don’t want to correct while it is all messed up. Yet, alas, I do not have the funds to get a new monitor right now. You see my dilemma.

Just in case you needed a Veteran’s Day present suggestion…. A new LCD monitor would be great. 🙂

Go Navy!!

Reluctant Meme

November 4, 2008MemeCadyLy

I’m not really sure if I should be posting about what kind of *dog* I am, but here we go anyway:

You Are a Labrador Retriever

You are very optimistic. You approach life with enthusiasm and vigor.

You aim to please, and you are a very quick learner.You can be a bit rowdy and unruly, especially when you don’t get enough exercise.

While you are a bit wild, you’re never dangerous. You are a truly gentle creature.

What Breed of Dog Are You?

H/T to Kevin.

All Souls Day

November 2, 2008Photography, Prayer/Prayer RequestsCadyLy

My brother called me a day or so ago and expressed an interest in going to Mass with me and then visiting our paternal grandfather’s grave. I hadn’t been there since his funeral in 2000, and I don’t think my brother had either, but I was glad to share this with him today.

He didn’t end up going to Mass with me, but I headed out to the cemetery after lunching with some friends. I had to call my mom to find out what part of the cemetery the grave was, and eventually found it. It had become a little overgrown with grass and weeds:

So, I cleared it off:

It was near the memorial of The Lord’s Supper:

Which had some great marble work, an example of which is this photo of the detail of Our Lord:

Then, my brother arrived, and he brought a flower:

We sat and prayed and remembered our Grandaddy, and told him that we loved him and we missed him. I think it was a hard, sad thing for my brother. But I was filled with peace and joy. I felt comforted, knowing that he was in the hands of God.
Here’s a close-up of his pretty rose, with The Lord’s Supper in the background:

After some time, we left, but as I was leaving, I felt compelled to go inside the chapel. There was a service going on, which I did not attend, but instead wandered around looking at things. I was, as a nuke, delighted to find these signs all over the building:

and was quite taken by some of the stained glass windows:

Before I left, I came upon a woman, who was visiting her mother who had passed nearly two years ago. I shared my faith with her, and I can only pray that it brought her some consolation and the same sense of peace and joy that I have found in Him.

Wisdom 1:13-14a, 15 [from Office for the Dead]
God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being;
for justice is undying.

Dear Diary,

November 1, 2008JennspeakCadyLy

Tuesday, Jan. 2, 1990
Today Me and Clint were playing chess he quit after 2 games 1st a draw 2nd he won. Afterwords I played by myself. Mom said you have to put it away when your done. When I finished I put it in it’s box and went in Clints room and set it on his desk. He said put it all the way away, I’m not going to do it. I said No I cleaned it up its in your bedroom and I’m done. I walked out and banged my right ankle against the space heater near the bathroom, went into the living room where Dad said whats going on we went back to Clints room where I explained what I’d done and shouldn’t he put it away because I didn’t know where it should go and also because I didnt take it out. Dad took me in the hallway and told me to work on my attitude after I huffily said Okay where does it go and put it there. He said no one like a person with an “I’m better” attitude and left. I didn’t have an I’m better attitude and just went to my room and started writing. Its now 12:52 pm.

Sunday, Jan. 7, 1990
Tomorrow I’m starting a paper route of 37 customers. I’m taking over for Eva Kasmarack, 14 years old. We collect every 2 weeks and make about $36 a week. I’ll try to keep you posted.

Thursday, Jan. 11, 1990
I LOVE Aaron, Mom doesn’t know quite how much I do though. She just knows that I like him that sort of true, I’m heads over heels in LOVE with the sandy-haired blue-eyed 12 yr. old 7th grader. [Which, of course, was the beginning of a life-long attraction to sandy-haired, blue-eyed boys….] He’s in 3 of my classes 2nd, 5th, 7th Hr. I sit kitty corner to him in Math 5th Hr with Mr. Koehn. [Insert diagram here of seating arrangements]
Mr. Mason In Science 2nd Hr [Insert diagram here of seating arrangements]
7th Hr. L.A. Mrs. Milton [Insert diagram here of seating arrangements. Also of note, is the fact that I met up with Mrs. Milton again when I was going through RCIA a year and a half ago to enter the Catholic church…. 🙂 Small world….]
I even wrote a story about us [Oh boy] using the names Aaron Debrowski and Hart Freshwater in which in 5th Hr. Hart faints and Aaron gets concerned and everyone finds out. Later they go together, wouldn’t that be cool if it did happen. I wish it did. [Obviously, I’m a foolish romantic in need of saving….] I wish so much that we would go together. I probably would be very happy if that happened. Please…
Last year I had Aaron in 4 of my classes 1,4,5, + 6th Hr.

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 1990
I’m
[…obviously distracted.]

Sunday, Jan. 28, 1990
I’m scared, somethings happening to dad he even had to wear a heart monitor, we don’t know what it is yet, I hope it’s not serious.
Grandma’s going too her eyesight is getting extremely bad and everyone knows it’s from her diabetes. She eats sweets all the time, She’s going to kill herself.
My Grandma Barnard died (from cancer) before I was born or maybe I just don’t remember, my parents only talk about her when I ask questions. [Actually, before my parents were married.]
Memere (memay) is slowly losing it mentally, [Obviously, I’m the Queen of Tact at this age.] the way Uncle Jerry keeps a tab on her medicine she might die in a year or so, probably not but what do I know she’s 83 something (Alzheimer’s disease). [I loved my Memere. It sounds harsh, but I was trying to document things as I saw it.]
Pepere [Okay, I had no clue how to spell this.] (pepay) died of diabetes like Grandma’s going to. He made it to see me when I was 1 week old. I smiled at him. [What a morbid little entry, Little Me!]

See God in All Things

November 1, 2008PhotographyCadyLy

What the earth has given and human hands have made; it will become for us the light of Christ:

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2008UncategorizedCadyLy

Angels in the hospital

Originally uploaded by CadyLy

Cute lunch story:

I’m in the cafeteria picking out my soup, and notice that they have cute little Halloween names, which is awesome. A man next to me looks over and says, “Oh, you shouldn’t have that. Day like today, you should be having the ‘Chili con Carnage’.”

I give him a big smile and gesture to my soup, “But this is the ‘Good Choice Chicken and Rice’.”

He looks at me again and says, “Mmm. Yes. I see your halo. Okay.” 🙂

Prayer Works!

October 29, 2008Of Trials Opportunities and Gifts, Prayer/Prayer RequestsCadyLy

Haha! That was one of the last things said at the talk this evening. 🙂 It’s true, too!

Some of you might know the anxiety I was fighting with over today’s meeting. I was trying really hard to just give over and trust in God, and in pockets, this did fairly well. I wasn’t nearly as anxious as I usually would be. I prayed all day (well, most of the week, but especially last night and today) to our Lord, God the Father and our Lady, I think maybe St. Michael, too, because he was mentioned last night.

I prayed about 50 psalms, too. [I’m reading my way through the psalms at the moment. I had to take a break from Leviticus, because it became apparent that I was in need of a bullock…. 🙂 Not quite sure what Fr. will do when I bring in the mooing creature and ask that he butcher the poor thing for me (because I’m too squeamish and would feel way too bad for hurting this thing because of my sins) and then decorate the altar with its blood and burn the fat and stuff. So…. Until I find a willing bullock…. Then again, maybe I should just stay away from the temple, because it’s also apparent that I should be presenting myself to Fr. for him to examine me for leprosy…. It’s just eczema! Seriously! No! I do not need to be quarantined for 7 days!]

Back to the original train of thought. My meeting came. It went as I had hoped, and not as I had [uselessly] feared. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Mary. Thank you, all who prayed for me.

On to the gratuitous extras. 🙂 After work, I went to the Catholicism for Cradle Catholics Continuing Catholicism for Adults (like how I renamed that? I, not being a “cradle Catholic,” was feeling excluded, and “Catholicism for Cradle Catholics + Jenn” was a little long and cumbersome, and besides, I might not be the only “non-cradle Catholic” there…) Anyways, so I go to the talk and soak it all up, as I do. All too soon, it’s over. 😦

NOW, really, for the gratuitous bit. I know that I don’t have enough gas to get home. But, I’m not at the pushing stage quite yet. So, I decide to go into town and grab a hot chocolate from Starbucks (Oh, yum!) before grabbing some gas and heading home. Last time that I had almost run out of gas in Plymouth, I made it to the gas station, and as I recall it was a Speedway, which is a good thing, because I have been budgeting and bought $200 in gas cards to Speedway, since there’s one by my house in Troy and one right by work in Ann Arbor, so I was safe at either end. And the one in Plymouth. When I got to Starbucks, the barista told me that my prepaid card didn’t quite have enough money on it for my drink, which was okay since I had a couple of bucks on me. But as I was digging for it, he told me nevermind, my card somehow gave me a discount, which put me under by about 20 cents. Bonus!

Okay, okay, on the the REAL gratuitousness. I head down Sheldon (?) Rd. to the gas station. I don’t have any money in my bank account, only the gas cards. But that’s okay, because it’s a Speedway, right? WRONG!! Uh-oh. Now, I’m at the intersection, looking at the gas station that I had been planning on going to, and sitting there in dismay because it’s a Mobil. And my gas card won’t work there. And I don’t have enough gas to get to the next closest Speedway that I know of. Rats! Just when I was beginning to become concerned, but before I actually do, God has me look over to my right. And what do you know?

A Speedway!!!!! Thank You!!!!!

And now, to ask God about Saturday, because those who know what’s going on, know that I’m loathe to go on Saturday. I’m aching to run away and hide. I’m scared and terrified for reasons I don’t really know why. I’m scared to go and I’m scared to not go. And I just may be stuck in my indecision. So while I am hiding under my desk chewing my hair, I’m also praying that I will do the healthy thing (it’s really bizarre when you are praying against yourself like that).

Thanks for listening! God Bless!

The Only Good Thing About the Cooler Weather…

October 26, 2008PhotographyCadyLy

… is the pretty fall colors on the trees. After that, I am all for skipping ahead to spring. Okay, okay, maybe one or two days of snow, but that’s it!

Look at how cute everything is!: