People Watching

I am sitting in a bistro at the airport in Denver on a balcony that overlooks the main terminal baggage claim area.  As I watch the world I see birds flying around that somehow got inside, I see the flowers on the table, but most of all I notice the people coming and going.

People come in from their flights and greet there families with HUGE hugs and everyone is excited to see each other. There is the little boy with the Star Wars backback fallowing his mother and they rush along to something new, the air force officer playing on his phone and occasionally looking around and tapping his foot as he to watches the people go by. The airport workers run to a frow as the women with the puppy tries to make sure he does not jump out of her arms. There are the two little girls in pink jackets, who run to their Father as he comes home from a business trip, their mother fallows behind and you can tell that soon their family will be growing.

As I watch all of this unfold before me, I can't help but wonder what there stories are. Maybe the kid with the Star Wars backpack is going to a wedding, and the air force officer is waiting for his true love to get back from visiting her family.   They all have stories that are so unique and beautiful, I wish I could read them all.  Instead I get to watch this small part of their lives and wonder what Beautiful things GOD has in store for them.

Dear Lord, Please bless all the people I see today!
Elizabeth :)

Let the Adventure Begin!

Hello World!

Sorry I have been pretty AWOL lately, things have been pretty crazy! I am back however and off on another Adventure. What adventure is this might you ask! I'm off to Denver to interview for a position on Staff for FOCUS! Exciting right!

One thing I have learned while preparing for this interview is that you really do need to give everything to GOD. If he wants me to get this Job, I will, if not there is another adventure waiting for me! Give everything to God and trust in him!

I have had several people ask me if I am nervous. The answer is a surprising no. I feel so at peace about all of this and it is because I have given in totally to HIM. This is rare for me, because I really lack in the trusting department, but it is so beautiful! There is no better feeling in the world.

Advice of the day: Pray and ask God to allow you to give you life to him, it is hard, but it is beautiful.

Have a Glorious Day :)

Me at the airport! 

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts." ~ John 4:8 

Story Time

A very good friend of mine has been asking me to write down a story, so I have decided to write it here. But before I tell you the story I have to tell you a little bit about myself.

I have changed a lot during my lifetime. I have gone through many different "transitional periods" and I finally think that I know who I am. Well I know who I am supposed to be and I work to reach that everyday.  Anyway, there are very few things that have never changed about my "tastes."  The one that has really been a constant is my LOVE for fairy-tales.  I FREAKING LOVE FAIRY-TALES! GAH! So yes the story I am going to tell you is a fairytale, but it is not like any other fairytale because it is real.

Once Upon a Time (Because that is how all good stories should start) There was a King. 

He was a wonderful King who always looked out for his people and took care of all of the problems in the land. 

The King had one Son, the Prince.

He was a delightful man who was kind and generous and loved to teach people about his Father's ways.  

The Queen was a beautiful woman named Mary.

(Ok So She was not this kind of Queen) 

 It was a simple name, but she liked it as the Queen was an extremely simple person.

The kingdom had a Fairy Godmother 

who helped to guide all the people in the kingdom to not only what was best for them, but what they really wanted. The Fairy Godmother helped make all of the dreams (even the ones they did not know about) come true. 

The Kingdom had many strong knights,

 who would go all over the land and take care of all of the King's people. 

They kept and protected the kingdom with honor and respect. They acted in the place of the King when he could not be physically present. 

There were also many squires who helped the knights.  

They trained and studied day and night in hopes to one day become a knight and get the chance to serve the King in a higher way. 

The Queen has many kind and generous Lady's Maids, 

and the Kingdom was filled with many Lords and Lady's.  

The Lord's were all kind and courageous gentlemen, and the Lady's were all beautiful, kind, and loved with their whole heart.

Now at his point I have to explain my tale a bit. 

For those of you who have yet to pick up in it the King is... 

God the Father.

Prince Charming is...

 Jesus. 

the Fairy Godmother is...

 the Holy Spirit.

The Queen is...

 Mary the Mother of Jesus, 

the Knights are...

 Catholic Priests.

And the Squires are...well this one has been a bit challenging. You see the squire bit came to me when I was at mass and I thought...

 But then you see, the majority of my guy friends are seminarians (studying/discerning priesthood) 

which means they are totally squires!!

 And then there are Deacons...who are also squires...but older then most. 

Actually the Deacons are like assistants to the Knights who are not training to be knights...I am going to have to ask my brother Ben if there is a name for such a thing...he will know. Then I will let you know!! And after that random tangent... 

The Lady's in Waiting are...

 Nuns (or sisters) Who care for our Mother and the people!! 

Then finally, the Lord's and Lady's are...

 the lay people. You and me.  

You see all of this came about when I was in the Cathedral in Omaha. You walk in and it feels like that is the banquet room in a castle! At the beginning of the summer we went to Ordination (When the Transitional Deacons become Priest...just in case you did not know!) and all I could think about was the fact that these three men getting ordained were really getting knighted!! GAH!!! It was so great!

I really believe that Catholicism. Is the only real fairy tale left! I used this fairytale example to explain the Trinity and my relationship to the trinity to the High School students during Totus Tuus this summer! I was super surprised at how much they loved it! But when I thought about it, it makes sense. Are not we all just searching for a grand Adventure? Well I have good news for you! God has an Amazing Qwest for you to go on! The Qwest is to get back to the grand Kingdom (Heaven). Now this Qwest will not be easy. You will have to face dragons (temptations), The evil Queen's Army (Demons) and Eventually the Evil Step Mother herself (The Devil). But do not worry! Because our Father and King has given us the tools we need to  defeat the Evil Queen! All we have to do is find them. Let the Qwest begin!

I'm Praying for you! We are all in this together! :)

Sidekicks vs. The Hero

       So I recently went to see the new movie The Avengers.  It was a great movie and because of it...I am on a super hero kick.  One thing that I have noticed is that in Marvel Comics none of the super heros have side kicks. This is really quite a travesty as I have always preferred the sidekicks to the heros.  I was always a bigger fan of Robin then Batman and so on and so forth.
        I have noticed that the super hero sidekick relationship is used in every form of entertainment we have today, especially books and movies. This relationship is most often show as the main character and the best friend, the studly male whatever and his best friend, and the ego jock and the dork (who is not the best friend).  The side kick character is always a great friend, a person that you want to hang out with, but is never the first choice. They are also usually a nerd or some form an artist. They usually end up alone, but are happy about it.
SIDE-KICKS ARE SO UNDER ESTIMATED.

One of my favorite movies is Sky High (Yes thank you I do know it is a children's movie)

IT'S ABOUT SIDE-KICKS KICKING BUTT! 

If you have not see it...do. This one is great for all ages.  Anyway my point is don't underestimate the side kicks. They are the strength behind every super hero. 

Let's get theological for just a bit. Jesus= hero (duh) Does he need a side-kick? No. But alas he has Peter the rock on which he built his church. BEST SIDE-KICK EVER!!  Peter totally kicked butt (in a totally non-violent way). Or look at any of the other Saints. Look at  Mother T or JPII or Therese of Lisieux...any of them! Did they want to be a hero? No they wanted to do what ever OUR LORD wanted them to do. Basically they were the most kickin' side-kicks ever.  So Moral of the story...become a Saint....become a sidekick! 

I'm praying for you, We're all in this together :) 

Look at Your Life Through Heaven's Eyes

Have you ever seen the movie "The Prince of Egypt?" If not, I highly suggest you do. It is one
of my favorites.  I have grown up watching this movie over and over and one of my favorite songs, was also the hardest for me to understand. The song "Through Heaven's Eyes" talks of looking at your life the way God does. Here is the song.

It's SO GOOD! 

Well last night while I was watching Little House on the Prairie (My favorite show!) God gave me an insight to how he looks at our life. (This also helps clear up the fact the God knows what is going to happen but we still have free will - wait how does that work issue) You see I have seen every episode of Little House on the Prairie multiple times. I know the story line inside and out. I know the characters like they are part of my own family. I know what is going to happen to each character in the many different trials they will face. 

Last night I found myself talking out loud (don't laugh it is the sign of a genius) To the T.V. I remember saying something like "It's ok Mary, it sucks that you are going blind now, but do not fear you will still be a teacher like you dreamed, you will just teach blind children. And don't worry you are going to meet your future husband at the blind school and the two of you will open up a new blind school and teach ALL THE CHILDRENS!" 

Here is the scene I am talking about! 

I realized that God looks at our lives the way I look at Little House. He knows what is going to happen. He knows the good things that will come from the hardest moments in our lives. We do not see it yet but he does. He has watched the DVD of our lives over and over and over again. He knows how we will react to every trail and happiness. HE knows the story line inside and out. We are HIS family. So he sits there and says "It's ok Elizabeth, You don't see it now, but one day you will become a missionary and you will set the world on fire." - Well ok I don't know exactly what HE says because I have not finished watching the show. But someday I will finish the show of my life, then I will be able to look back and understand. :)  

I'm Praying for you! We are all in this together!
God Bless.

Who Am I?

I have been looking for the answer to this question for the past 21 years, and I think that I am starting to see the answer. I am not at all who I thought I was. I have to be careful though, because I could jump ahead of myself. You see this is all a very slow delicate process, but a beautiful one at that.  I am not supposed to know all of me yet.  I know that sounds strange but it is because I am not quite who I was created to be yet. I am however at this moment the closest I have ever come to that person. You are probably wondering why the philosophical musings?   Well a lot has happened in the past few weeks. I realize that I have not written about any of it, but the truth is, I don't plan too. What I am going to write is what I have learned from all of this.

 I started this blog more for me then for anyone else. To keep track of my travels and have a place where all of my adventures were written down in one spot. I will not lie, a part of me also wanted a place where I could brag about my travels. But that is not what is really important. Is it an amazing blessing these travels? Yes. But the travels are not what is important (as I perviously thought). What is  important is what one learns from them. How they become apart of who you are. How everywhere you go, all the people you meet, everything you do, all come together to create the person that you are.  It's the little moments you think don't matter, but in the end truly do.

There is only one adventure that is at all worth writing about, and that adventure is life. Life is a grand quest...one worth truly fighting for. In fighting for life, you are fighting for love, for the LORD, and for yourself. It is a beautiful gift that is not to be wasted.

I thought about deleting the past posts that I wrote, but what would be the point in that. You can't erase the past, but you can move on to the future. I am resolved to write more here (once a week I hope!) But I am going to write about what really matters. Not about the places I go and the people I meet, but about life! My apologies for future rambling that don't make much sense, but then again life at its best does not make much sense except in HE who strengthens us.

So there you have it.
Goodnight, Sweet Dreams, And May GOD Send His Blessings Upon You.
Elizabeth

Taking the High Road

So I was planning on writing this on Monday, then on Tuesday, and well this week has really gotten away from me. Last weekend was full of a lot of new adventures, starting with racquetball! I went into this sport expecting the worst and hoping for the best. Well it was bad. Really bad. I learned that I am really, really great and flailing.  I this this is going to be something that I work at on my own...but it did help me see how much I want to be athletic. That sounds crazy I know...but I really do want to! So I have decided that I am first going to work on being in shape. Then I will work on the athletics.

On Saturday I went to Highland Kanas for my brother's track meet. I got to see him pull vault 10 feet, which is super legit! I needed gas and I beat my brother and his friends so I stopped at a local gas station. I got gas and paid and thats when I realized it...I locked my keys in my car. This is the first time this has ever happened to me and I did not know what to do. I went into the gas station and got the number of the police to see if they could unlock my car. Apparently they don't do that.  So they gave me the number of a lock smith. While all this was happening My brother, his girlfriend, and one of their friends drove by, so they stopped and picked me up. I called the lock smith and then walked back to the gas station to wait. The lock smith unlocked my car after I waited for a while, but he did not have a way for me to pay him with my debit card. So I ended up buying him gas. This people is why I so want to end up in a small town.

Well I have to meet with a possible student now, so I have to bounce. Stay classy internet world, stay classy!

Winter Wonderland!

This weekend I continued with my nomadic tendencies and went to Omaha. When I drove down Thursday night it was still a beautiful 60 degrees. I was planning on going back to Missouri Saturday night so I could teach religious education on Sunday night. Everything was good. Friday was raining but not bad. I got to study with my cousin in the UNO library, and then went to my little brothers play that night!

The Play was great! My brother had the lead and did an amazing job! I am so proud!

He played a fairy tale detective! 

My little sister and I got really bored while waiting for the play to start and took a bunch of random and fun pictures! 

She is such a cutie...

...even if she is crazy. :) 

Then Saturday Morning came. 

When I woke up I thought there was going to be a light dusting of snow, a little wind, and that it was not going to be as bad as EVERYONE said it was going too...

Well it was EXACTLY what everyone said it would be. 

Yup. 

Needless to say I did not get back to Missouri Saturday night. It was super nice being snowed in though. I got 9 hours of sleep...two nights in a row! I also got to play with my little sisters, see my little brother's basketball game (they won!) and got to eat my dad's apple spice banana pancakes! 

It was a pretty great weekend! 

Now I am "watching" the superbowl with the Newman crew and I will probably go hang out in the dark room later tonight.  I know I promised more about California, but that is going to have to wait. I will leave you with this. 

Where Am I?

      I am pretty positive that someone has scooped up Maryville and moved her to Sunny California. It  is a beautiful 59 degrees, the sun is shinning, the sky is blue, and life is great! I am currently sitting on my front porch as I am writing this. The windows in my house are open, there is a nice but slightly chilly breeze, and I am pretty sure I am not in Missouri anymore.
    I called my Mother just to make sure...but it turns out it's not just Maryville...it is just as beautiful back in Nebraska. After I got over the slight sadness the occurred when I realized I was not transplanted to  California, I have really decided to live it up today! My best friend and I are going on a bike ride around town and I can not wait! I got a beautiful new bike for Christmas and it is nice to get a chance to use it! We are also planning on baking my new favorite food! The most amazing Ginger Cupcakes with the best Cream Cheese frosting I have ever had! (And I don't like frosting)

So Yummy! 

(Side note if you want the recipe's check out my Pinterest!)

     Goodness with weather like this, I can handle winters in the midwest! But, oh how I miss Cali! I realized that I have not written at all about my resent venture to California. I know lame. It was an amazing trip! I went with my parents and my baby sister Lucia!  The weather was like that of today...only everyday!
     We stayed in La Jolla, a downtown area of San Diego.  We could see the ocean from our room, and were just a short walk away from a beach where a bunch of sea lions lived!

They were practically in our front yard! 

It was absolutely amazing! Well it's time for me to get ready for my bike ride! More on Cali later! Remember to stop and smell the flowers! 

Back In The Ville

Here I am back in Missouri and goodness what it took to get back here! On the trip back to Peoria we had an interesting adventure when we stopped in the quaint town of Friendsville...yes I am serious that was the name of the town.
It looked like a beautiful little with about one house a barn and a gas station. We went into the gas station and to our surprise found quite a large range of biker apparel. There were leather jackets, inappropriate t-shirts, and a lot of skulls and flames...defiantly not what we expected in a town named Friendsville. We went to go use the bathrooms but there was no soap so one of the girls went to the front counter to let them know the women's bathroom was out. She was informed that they never keep soap in the women's bathroom because it got STOLLEN on all the time.
Moral of the story- don't judge a town by it's name. You never know it could be full of soap stealing biker chicks.
I spent the night in Peoria before making the six hour drive to Missouri. It was fun to have a little bit of time to hang out just me and my cousin, that does not happen a lot! The trip back took a bit longer then expected because I kept stopping to take pictures of the sun set!
Life is as crazy as ever in the ville, but I am staying in town a whole week and a half, which will give me the small amount of time I need to get organised and cought up on all my work!
Well I think it's time for bed... I will leave you with this...
"I am your God. I made you and will care for you; I will give you help and rescue you!" - Isaiah 46:4 (thanks to my girl Jos for sending this verse to me!)

On The Road Again

I have spent way more time traveling in cars then any normal person. We are back on the road and headed away from the east coast. We will get to Peoria around 2 o'clock tomorrow morning.
This morning was good. Adoration and mass were amazing! I realised last night that I think I like going to things like this on my own. Why you may ask? Because when I was in California I learned about this wonderful thing called...SLEEP! Yes it is true I like to sleep. Since I was by myself and bounce from group to group people just thinking that I am hanging out with so everyone else but I was sleeping! It was wonderful!
Well it's raining outside so I might fall sleep. Yay! Remember to take the time to stop and smell the flowers!

It Just Started...Now We Are Almost Done :(

Well this adventure is almost over. At the beginning of the week I honestly felt out of place here, but at this the last day I don't want to leave. I am actually bonding with my roommates (a bunch of freshman girls from Ave Maria University) I have made friends, ran into old ones and grown so much! Most of the other schools will be going to the March For Life in Washington D.C. I wish Bradley was going because 1) I have never been and have always really wanted to and 2) I don't want this adventure to be over!
Today was full of great talks, great food and even better conversation! Everyone was dressed up because we had Sunday mass! It was so fun to see everyone all fancied up!

This is me, Angie, and Amy all dressed up for mass! 

I went to the Hard Rock Cafe for the first time and hung out with my peeps at UNL (yes I did just say peeps). It was quite the experience because the BIG football game was on when we went. If something exciting happened in the game, waiters would run away from tables and toward TVs, and everyone cheered very loud!  
Well I will be getting up for a six am adoration hour (woop woop) so I am going to get some sleep. Remember to take the time to stop and smell the flowers!

The Adventure Begins!

Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Baltimore. We are staying at the Hyatt and Internet costs ten bucks a night so that is why this is being posted after I get back to Missouri.

Yep, big fancy Hotel means they can charge a TON for the Internet...

lame. 

We got here they fed us lunch then gave us a tour and instructions. Bradley as well as a few other schools are working hospitality. After checking people in we had two hours to shower, sleep, whatever. Then we had mass and a few talks---all of which are amazing!
I am very excited to get back to school and teach people what I am learning! My heart is on fire! I went to bed early last night because I was wiped! Which made me the only one who did not complain about being tired today!!
Today was full of talks and small groups. It has been a bit weird because I don't really fit in anywhere. I'm the only one here not on a FOCUS campus and not with my school. At first it was super hard but I have learned that I have to learn to be on my own and today I started to figure that out! God has blessed me in so many ways and I am Sooo glad that I am here! Until tomorrow- remember to take time to smell the flowers!

P.S. Today I got to explore the harbor and met Dr. Edward Sri!!!

For those of you who don't know he is an amazing Catholic author! Made my day!

Here We Go!

I probably should have started this a week ago. I thought about it but I just could not think of a name! I think adventures of a wildflower is perfect. I love wildflowers! Some people may think them weeds but if you give them fresh air, sunshine, and water they will not only grow but thrive!

See they are soo pretty! 

I feel a sort of kinship with wildflowers. That sounds corny but hey I'm a corny sort of girl.

As for the adventure part- this year is not yet a month old but it has brought about quite the number of adventures!

Last week was San Diego California!

 This week it is Baltimore Maryland and the FOCUS leadership summit!
For the weekend I am a Bradley student. My cousin is a missionary at Bradley so was able to get me into the summit even though FOCUS is not at my school.
I started this adventure with a six hour drive to Peoria Illinois. The drive was mostly uneventful apart from an encounter with a mean and angry gas pump. Normally when you fill you car up with gas once the tank is full the pump stops. That however was not the case this time. I ended up covered in gas and poor Kevin (my PT Cruiser) still smells of the stuff!! Moral of the story- watch diligently when feeding your car!
This adventure has been less then 24 hours thus far but I have already been floored by the beauty all around me. Did you know there are parts of Iowa that are truly beautiful? I promise you they do exist!
We are now in West Virginia and I am awestruck! It looks like a Christmas card here! Every tree is perfectly dusted with snow as if a master painter came in and hand-painted each one! Oh right...that is what happened!
Well of you have made it this far I applaud you...this is quite a bit for a first post. Now that you have been sufficiently bored I will leave you with this...
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart! Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the LORD in everything that you do and he will show you the way!" - Proverbs 3:5-6