What happens before speaking with the Vocation Director

J.M.J.A.T.K.G

2:45pm receives a text message from vocation director thanking me for sending an email loaded with questions. Also asks when we can chat about said questions.
2:47pm sends text message back saying I'm free after 1pm everyday. (Thinking she'll suggest a time a couple of days from now.)
2:50pm Vocation Director texts back saying that's great and asks if 3:15 today will work.

The room becomes a 1000 degrees. My stomach fills with butterflies with razor blades.

2:51pm I say "sounds great."
2:52pm I frantically search email trying to remember what I even asked. I discovered I didn't ask any questions per say- just saying I wanted to discuss some things.

The butterflies in my stomach switch to guns.

2:55pm I realize that I've known this vocation director for three years so there is nothing to be afraid of.
2:58pm I fight the urge to grab a beer.
3:00pm to 3:10pm I clean an already clean house.
3:11pm I start to wonder if I am suppose to call her or she calls me...she didn't say.

What if I call her and she's not ready? What if I call the wrong number? Does she want me to call her cell phone or office phone?
Ok...I'll just wait until she calls me.
But wait...what if she's waiting for me to call? If I don't call she'll probably think I forgot or that I don't take the intative.
3:15pm comes and goes...
The butterflies switch to flame throwers. I may never eat again.
3:19pm She calls me from a number I don't recognize. All the nerves go away I remember all of my questions and we easily talk for an hour...like always.

4:25pm I grab a bud light.

I don't want this to discourage anyone from talking with a vocation director. In retrospect, it's more a terrified joy that I feel. I'm excited when I know that I'll be talking with the vocation director but I'm also a little scared. I'm scared that I'll say something wrong or won't get my point across.
But in the end, I know that I'm in good hands when speaking with this vocation director. I can trust that she has mine and the communities best interests at heart. She won't make me do something that she feels I'm not ready for. However, she'll also challenge me to my full potential.

So in other words, she's kinda like Allstate Insurance.

The Darn Wells post #1

J.M.J.A.T.K.G

I like reading other people's blog. I'm sure you do too. So I'm going to oppose on you my favorite blogs and I hope you like them as much as I do.
I'm going to call these the "Darn Wells" because I'm going to post them when I darn well feel like it.
I also like these blogs so darn much that I just have to write about them.
So the first "Darn Well" post goes too...Marsha's Musings! Yay!

If you've never heard of Marsha or her musings, let me tell you why I love this blog so darn much. For the next few months Marsha will be embarking on an adventure! Yay! This adventure has already taken Marsha from her home in Washington State to California and now to Chicago....but wait! She's only beginning! Next she's going to Monroe, Michigan to stay and pray with my nuns! Whoo hoo! I'll be joining Marsha in a few weeks in Michigan to also stay and pray...but only for a week. But Marsha won't be done yet! After Michigan she's going to stay with some more nuns (not my nuns but cool none the less) in Minnesota to stay and pray for another month.

Did I mention that Marsha is 74 years young?

Yeah you don't want to miss this.

UPDATE: Well, this is awkward. I got some things wrong. Here's what Marsha commented:
 my emphasis in bold, comments in blue. (I've always wanted to do this- not get things wrong but to bold things and comment on them)

Wow, Audra - you're running ahead of me. So now I am in Monroe. I am presently sitting in the Motherhouse foyer waiting for SJ to come downstairs. She's driving me over to Norman Towers was a boys military academy, now a retirement facility. It also has a couple of guest rooms. It's goreous there. One of my favorite places to stay- where she will help me move a chair and a lamp upstairs for my little 1 month apartment.

This morning I met with Sister Julie founder of A Nun's Life ministry and Sister Margaret Brennan- General Superior of the IHM's during Vatican II- Legendary nun who helped formed what Religious Life is in the US today- for an hour before mass - just to talk about what I might be doing during this coming month - and to mull over whatever it was to bring me here.

Then mass - and brunch with the IHMs - then Julie will leave and I'll be really "on my own." (Except for Sr. Rosie who is my special companion over at Norman Towers - and Sr. Mary Bea IHM vocation director who I'll be meeting with next.

It is an adventure. And you are right - the adventure will include a stopover (for just four days, not a month) at Visitation Monastery in N. Minneapolis. But I may be going there to stay for a few months if my application is accepted.)

I'm look forward to seeing you and our NL friends here in a couple of weeks. And I do think IHM is going to play a significant role in my life from now on. They seem to have that affect of people.

Thanks for the Update Marsha! Look forward to hearing more!

Mass Pet Peeves

J.M.J.A.T.K.G

Today I am going to show you all that I am a terrible person by sharing with you some of my pet peeves during Mass. If you find that you may share one of my pet peeves or have others to share please feel free to comment below!

The Song leader who thinks she's auditioning for American Idol
So we're singing along trying to give glory to God then all of a sudden the song leader belts out these notes that makes me wonder if we're still singing the same song. The entire congregation gives the song leader a look that says "What the heck?! Stop that! I can't follow along" but of course the song leader sees "We love it! The notes you're making up is much better than what is actually written so we're just going to stay silent."
Just stick with the notes that are written so everyone can sing along.
People who talk before and during Mass
This is a sure fire way to make me angry. It never fails. Of course I don't mind if you say hi to your friend- everyone does it- it's the polite thing to do. But this isn't a town hall meeting- wait until after Mass to talk with your friend.

The person who sits at the end of the pew
We covered this before. If you really need to sit at the end then get up so I won't have to climb over you. It creates an awkward moment that I have already written about. I can't keep doing this.

The person who sits directly behind me
It's all about timing on this one. Of course after I get done kneeling before Mass and go to sit back in the pew someone has to come in and kneels directly behind me. So now I'm focusing on whether or not my hair is clean enough and smells nice because they're getting a birds eye view. Regardless of whether it's clean or not I'm paranoid that it's not so I lean over which isn't very lady-like. I would move over but I just warmed up my spot on the pew and don't want go through the warming up process again. Knowing my luck I'm now smelling their favorite perfume or cologne...which brings me to my next pet peeve...

The person who wears too much perfume
This person must believe the perfume they are wearing will bring people closer to God so they dunk themselves in it like they're getting baptize again. Unfortunately so does a hundred other people each of whom have a different scent. Because we all know there are many different ways/scents to God.
I would assume common sense would tell them that there are other people in the church who probably wouldn't appreciate to smell inhale their choice of perfume. But sometimes I give people too much credit.

The person who is a bad kneeler partner
This is a person with whom you share a kneeler with. Most kneelers are heavy and long- especially in older Churches- and they require two people to raise and lower them. You use two people to lessen the pressure of the -often times- little bolts that attach the kneelers to the pews. This was hammered into my head in Catholic grade school. Anyway, this person doesn't care about you or the little bolts. They either don't help raise or lower the kneelers. They put both feet on the kneeler while it's lowered giving me -the 5'11" giant- very little leg room. They don't pay attention when you go to lower the kneeler so you end up hitting them- they then give you a dirty look. They kneel too quickly forcing you to go with the kneeler and hit your head on the pew. The list goes on and on. All it takes to be a good kneeler partner is the slightest bit of communication and team work. Is that too hard to ask?

Sometimes I give all these people above a dirty look then my Catholic guilt kicks in and I spend the entire Mass trying to be overly nice to them to prove that I really am a good christian.

All and all the Catholic Church is a family. And as family members we sometimes annoy each other. Some of us can't agree on who should be priests, who should get married and so on. I try to remember that we each have a common bond in that we all believe in the saving power of the Eucharist. But I still end up giving people a dirty look.