Summer Time

I've been informed that my lack of posting has made some of my readers (or reader, as the case may be) "angry." So, in an attempt to appease the masses - a post.

Since mid-May Chris and I have been on "summer holiday" - of sorts. We are both still working full time and have not taken any major vacations, but, for the first time since we married, Chris has not been in a class. A full 2 months with no evening class!

During the school year I had a pretty set schedule during the week: work 6-3, work out 3:30 - 4:15 M,W,F or go to the chapel T,TH, head home and either clean up and head to 5 o'clock Mass or just start dinner. The day's I went to Mass I would hurry home and whip up a quick dinner before Chris had to rush off to class. They were full days - nice, but full.

But, with the end of the semester and 5 o'clock Mass on campus our afternoons/evenings have stretched out before us with infinite possibilities.

One of our favorite things this summer has been listening to the Cub's games online. Earlier in the season we would sit out on our little deck, listening to Ron Santo and Pat Hughes announce the game. We listen so often that I've gotten pretty attached to them. It is not an uncommon evening for me to crawl into bed around 9pm, Chris strumming his guitar, and Ron and Pat giving the play by play from Wrigley Field. 95% of the time I don't make it to the end of the game, but, if it's a good game, Chris will whisper the final score to me before he turns out the lights.

Another summer-time favorite has been Sunday and Wednesday evening Ultimate Frisbee. During the heat of the summer months we play later in the evening - 7:30ish - under the lights on the Universities Rugby field. Co-ed, fairly competitive and a lot of fun!

In an attempt to stay fit, Chris and I have been swimming laps 2-3 times a week. We each got a pair of goggles and feel very official.

A few highlights from the summer:

Our dear friend Andy came for a visit over Memorial Day weekend. It was so nice to visit with him and hear about his adventures in Kentucky.

Over the 4th of July, in an attempt to "get out into nature" the two of us took an ill-advised walk around the renowned White Lake Rock just east of down town Dallas. I had heard it was a great place to bike, but since our bikes were not in tip-top shape we decided to hoof it. About 20 minutes into our walk we came upon a small map of the lake. It was pretty sizable, but we were both in good spirits and it was still only mid-morning, so we decided to press on and complete the entire circuit. 2.5 hours and 9.3 miles later two very sun-burned individuals collapsed into their little white Honda Civic. I don't know if "fun" is exactly the correct word - but it certainly was an adventure.

In June, Chris took a 1 week trip to Chicago to visit family and friends. Due to limited time off of work I was not able to go with him, but I did have a college friend - Ms. Betsy Maynard - visit for a few days. We ventured over to Fort Worth to see the long-horns one evening and then headed down to Houston for a friend's wedding.

A few weeks after that Chris and I made the 4 hour drive back down to Houston for a long weekend away. It was sort of a late anniversary trip - and it just so happened to be the weekend the Cubs were in town. It was a fabulous weekend! We went to all 3 games, spent a morning swimming in the ocean and driving along the coast and enjoyed a very nice hotel!(take the hotel tour) It was perhaps the highlight of the summer thus far.

The last of a long list of weddings took place at the end of July. Dan and Bethany, dear friends of ours, were married July 26th and moved into the condo directly across from ours.

Chris has been in an intense 5 week summer class since July 14th on Acts and the letters of Paul. He's been enjoying the class - and working so very hard! It's been a lot of fun gleaning all the knowledge he is receiving and talking with him about it. The class wraps up this week and then we'll have a little over 2 weeks before the fall classes start. During that time we are taking a quick trip up to Wisconsin to visit my family and help my parents get the farm ready to sell - a much anticipated visit!

I hope this satisfies the craving for a post - but I WILL try to post more frequently.

Cheers!

Rivendell, The Farm and Heaven

Farewell we call to hearth and hall!
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,
We must away ere the break of day
Far over wood and mountain tall.

To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell
In glades beneath the misty fell,
Through moor and waste we ride in haste,
And wither then we cannot tell.

With foes ahead, behind us dread,
Beneath the sky shall be our bed,
Until at last our toil be passed,
Our journey done, our errand sped.

We must away! We must away!
We ride before the break of day!

In my musings about the Farm my thoughts have wandered to this poem. Perhaps the poem comes to mind because my dear child-hood friend, who also experienced the magic of the farm, described it as "the last homely house," a term used for Rivendell; A haven of rest on one's journey. Of course, one is tempted to think that a person's childhood home (if it is a good home) will always conjure up nostalgic feelings. But the Farm really is different. It's not just us kids that talk about the farm like that; our friends do too. And even more telling, our parents and their friends do too. It's a safe place; a happy place; a place of quiet and rest; a place of activity and work; a place of gathering, sharing, coming together. Sam captures it when he says:

"... we've been far and seen a deal, and yet I don't think we've found a better place than this. There's something of everything here, if you understand me: the Shire and the Golden Wood and Gondor and kings' houses and inns and meadows and mountains all mixed."

Though Rivendell is a haven of rest, the poem is actually about journeying - We must away! We must away! But the two go hand in hand. There is no homecoming without a journey; And a journey without a home to come to is actually being lost.

Now in all of these musings about saying goodbye to the Farm and recalling the happy memories and the part it's played in my life, the transience of earthly life has come to the foreground. All things pass away . . . except Love. "Now these three remain; Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Even though all passes around us - our loved ones, our homes, our health, our belongings - One remains ever constant. And this One, who is Love, is our home. Our sojourn on earth, our journey, ends at "The Last Homely House."

With foes ahead, behind us dread,
Beneath the sky shall be our bed,
Until at last our toil be passed,
Our journey done, our errand sped.

To Rivendell . . .

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Another very interesting bird we've spotted. Not only is it a very unique looking bird, but it's flying habits are very distinctive. According to a website on the bird, it "captures most prey by aerial hawking" - which means it sits on a fence, pole or tree branch and when it sees a bug it will make a great swoop up into the air and then down, down, down towards the ground and snatch the unsuspecting bug right out of thin air. If it needs to, the Flycatcher can hover - quite an amazing site to see such a large bird hovering!

At the request of my readers: The Texas Mockingbird

The Critters of Dallas

Though Texas isn't exactly known for it's wild life, we here in Dallas do occasionally see a critter or two. Nothing too exciting, but it helps us remember that the whole world isn't covered in endless urban sprawl. (As an aside, the last time I left the "Metroplex" was in March, when I went home for a week long visit; and since we've moved down to Texas, one year ago, we've taken 2 trips out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area - one to Austin and San Antonia, the other to Fort Scott KS) (As a second aside, the term "Metroplex" is actually how Texans refer to the monstrosity that is Dallas/Fort Worth and it is 100% fitting.) (As a third and final aside, I really am a country girl at heart. I'm pretty certain there isn't a city in the whole country that I would really love living in - though most would be better than Dallas)

The wildlife we see the most of is birds. 2 roadrunners since we've been here - for a brief moment before they scooted into the underbrush. Cliff swallows under the nearby bridges - reminding me of the barn swallows from back home, chattering as the swoop and dive. A few pair of house finches at our feeder along with an array for sparrows. There is a very large breed of black bird that is all pervasive - we have 4 nests in the large tree outside our condo - and a smaller starling like bird that "grazes" on the ground - literally they walk through the grass nibbling and pecking. A pair of morning doves occasionally ventures onto our patio to eat the seed scattered by the finches. Finally, in the bird realm, there is a beautiful grey-brown flicker-type bird, with distinctive white lines on it's wings and beautiful song. Up until a few weeks ago I didn't know what kind of bird it was - but we saw them all over the place. Come to find out it is the Texas state bird - the mocking bird. I have to admit, in a way Texas captivated me - the mocking bird was almost Romantic and I found myself on the lookout for the graceful fliers every time I stepped out of doors. And of course their song is lovely - never predictable, ever changing, but always a beautiful array of trills, chirps, twitters and occasionally machine like sounds. They sometimes sing long into the night and quite often I hear them as I walk out to my car at 5:30 in the morning on my way to work.

As far as other critters, here is the run down.

Rabbits - everywhere on UD's campus. Cute little hoppers out in the early morning or late evening shadows. (An interesting story: when Chris and I first moved down last summer we were out for a walk close to UD's baseball field. As we got closer to one of the batting cages we noticed a little bunny suck in the nets. It was so sad seeing the little critter jumping and flipping all tangled in the net. So Chris and I set it free)

Last week on my way to work I saw a skunk. (You know you're desperate for the country when a skunk sighting is exciting!) The little stinkers have actually caused a lot of problems at the University and Cicstercian monastery.

We've had a few Possum sightings as well.

Of course, for those of you who have visited Chris's blog you'll have seen our most recent run in with a new Texan critter - the Nutria.

The little wall lizards have reappeared. Every evening pale, black eyed lizards creep out of the siding and cling to the outside of our condo. To be honest, I think they are kind of cute.

Unfortunately an overview of the Texas critters we've encountered has to include the ever present roach. Ugly, disgusting, gross - enough said.

Still no armadillos! I really want to see one before I leave the area - though it may require getting out of the Metroplex.

1 year (2 weeks late)

1 wonderful year with Chris. It has had it's ups and downs; but on the whole it's been quite wonderful. In fact, it's been surprising to me how great it's been. I had very set expectations that it would be one of the more difficult years of our marriage - with all the different things to adjust to and just figuring out how to "do" marriage. Not just a new roommate - but a new "life-mate" a new job, a new house, new friends - figuring out how to make a home together, how to run a household together, how to do life together, how to communicate well, how to love each other well, how to grow together (spiritually and relationally), how to coordinate and balance preferences, desires, schedules, expectations, etc, etc, etc. Big adjustments and big things to learn.

But, year 1 was not only vastly different than my expectations, it was surprising. Surprising how smoothly the transition into all the new aspects of life has gone; surprising how few disagreements we've had; surprising how down right easy this year has been. (Perhaps this has to do with the incredibly easy nature of my husband who is so quick to let go of his own desires and humor mine). The most surprising thing is how much more "in love" with Chris I feel each day. I miss him when we are apart for the day, can't wait to see him at the end of the work day, and delight in seeing him walk through the door. I thought all the "in-loveness" happened before you got married, and then, when you have to live with the person day in and day out - dealing with all their annoying habits and you're own disappointment that marriage isn't all you thought it would be - it starts to wear off. But that has not been the case for me. Of course, I've had my disappointments, and Chris may have 1 or 2 small habits that I have a hard time dealing with :) - but the "in loveness" has stormed me by surprise.

On the flip-side, we've certainly had to learn what it really means to "love the other as yourself" - the daily laying down of your own desires, preferring the other, the work of really knowing the other, choosing him and actively working for his good. In other words, we are learning how two become one flesh.

I am extremely thankfully for my wonderful husband and this year together.

The Church Calendar

The Church Calendar is really a wonderful thing. With each passing year it makes more sense and becomes more ingrained in me. It's one of those subtle yet all important things in life - one that influences basic assumptions and guides the year without ever making itself known.

Since Chris and I have been trying to go to daily Mass regularly, the progression of the Church year has become much more evident to me. I find myself drawn into the season, and then expecting the next season. For example, when, for several weeks, you hear Christ repeatedly telling his disciples that he will be leaving and going to the Father, and that he will send the Advocate, you can't but help anticipating Assumption Sunday and the celebration of Pentecost the following Sunday.

At first, the Church calendar didn't make much sense to me; in fact, it felt "off," lop-sided or top-heavy if you will. But last Saturday we heard a short homily explaining the basic structure of the calendar - and it all came together. (The homily was given by a 90-something year old Dominican who has obviously absorbed the Church seasons into his very being)

A basic outline:

Advent - anticipation of the Incarnate Lord

Christmas - the celebration of the Incarnate Lord (The Christmas season lasts for several days after December 25th)

Lent - 40 days of preparation for walking with the Lord through his suffering and death

Triduum - Treading the Paschal mystery with our Lord

Easter - a celebration of Christ's victory over death. The Easter season runs from Easter Sunday to the celebration of Pentecost, 50 days later. (One very small aspect of the Easter season I really like is the continual burning of the Easter Candle. It is lit at midnight of Easter Sunday, and burns throughout the 50 days of Easter - celebrating Christ as the Light of the world) Towards the end of the Easter season the scripture readings and prayers focus around Christs assumption and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

"Ordinary Time" - the long stretch between Pentecost and the beginning of Advent. Many days celebrating the saints are commemorated during this time. The last Sunday in ordinary time is the "Feast of Christ the King" - celebrating Christ's kingly authority as well as looking forward to his Second coming.

So what didn't make sense to me was why the two big seasons (Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter) were clumped together, leaving this big long stretch of "Ordinary time" where not a whole lot really happened.

Step in ancient priest to explain. . .

The whole of those two seasons is the celebration of God's saving work - Christ's incarnation, life, ministry, passion, resurrection, ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost the church is born - the Great Commission begins - the Holy Spirit animates the Church (i.e. us!) and the daily, "ordinary" life of the church begins. The celebration of Christ's life on earth gives us courage, hope, grace to follow in the footsteps of the saints, and march under Christ's banner. We set forth, holding close the memory of the Incarnation and Passion, breathing in the Spirit, and celebrating those great men and women who have gone before us - setting the example and showing us how to sanctify our daily life, making it holy, pleasing and acceptable to God. And it is capped off by celebrating Christ the King - directing our eyes to heaven.

So, when it's all said and done, the Church calendar makes a lot of sense and it helps us celebrate and live out our faith.

(A long article from New Advent on the Calendar - if anyone is interested)