O7DSR 1

1.  Boston.  Here's the deal...I spent a good deal the last 24 hours feeling bad for the kid that was tricked by his big brother into blowing up people.  I felt bad until I saw the picture of this poor, troubled 19 year old walking and smiling behind the peaceful, kind 8 year old he would kill.  I mean the GUY...not kid...was smiling as he passed by that sweet boy, his mom and sister.  The boy was climbing on the barricades and watching the race completely unaware that in minutes he would be fatally wounded by a poor, troubled man.  His sister was standing next to him on her young legs that would later be amputated and his mom was on his other side, smiling and clapping before her brain injuries would leave her in critical care.  Nope, don't feel sorry for him.  Can't wait for his trial and though, I don't feel sorry for him, I will pray to God for his soul.  Maybe Allah can hook him up on the other side...

2 Dylan...my sweet, precious, charming hot mess.  He makes up this week and goes to jump in my bed for snuggles.  As soon as he is up, he jumps back down to stand on the edge of the be.  I say, "what are you doing?"  He smiles and says, "I am farting comfy mom.  I didn't wan to be stinky".  He then crawls back in bed and snuggles in.  Love that boy.

3 My little boy is preparing for Graduation.  In my mind he is still that sticky, adorable 2 year old who caught my heart.  That little boy who I knew was meant to be mine.  He will be graduating preschool with more personal accomplishments than most adults.  His social/emotional growth, courage, self control and confidence has grown in leaps and bounds!  He will be entering Kindergarten reading and writing full sentences but that pales to everything else he has succeeded at.  He has started to become a lil man full of smiles, love and outgoing warmth that is shared by all around him.  I am in awe...simply, in awe.

4 Kiley learning transubstantiation!  Say what???  Yes, friends.  My girl is preparing for her First Communion and she truly knows the definition and meaning of this word.  Our super solid, charismatic church has proven to not be, just a wonderful community, but a solid teaching ground for this all important and defining sacrament.  She also learned that the consecrated host is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus...holla old school Catholicism.  Our priest is an awesome witness to our catechism but also to joy in faith.  Joy!

5. Sacrament Bonanza!  The next 8 days my family will celebrate 2 confirmations and one Holy Eucharist.  I am overwhelmed by the amount of grace and love our family will be experiencing.  Confirmation is my favorite sacrament.  It is the equivalent of a protestant baptism.  Shawn and Emma will be assuming full responsibility and ownership of their own spirituality.  I am overwhelmed by their excitement and decision to fulfill this sacrament.

6. My husband completed his 2 comedy show fundraisers and while we have learned a lot, the greatest lesson is always go for your dreams.  It has been inspiring standing in the background, silently cheering on the man I love.  I am proud that he is such a creative man.  I am very thankful that, as a family, we all work together to support each other as individuals.  Our family is the most important passion we have but we also are finding ways to be alive with the talents God has given us.  Its important for my children to see my husband as a great father, hard worker, creative and passionate performer.  I hope they will one day be able to reach all of their goals just like him.

7. Lastly I completed my second 5k..."Prison Break".  I was so nervous about this event because I really wanted to beat my last time.   When we arrived there were only about 300 people, all of whom appeared to be awesome teens.  To me a teenager while I am running is terrifying.  All that judgement, joking and youth.  But, with my bestie Melissa we conquered that hurdle and began.  My favorite part of running is the halfway mark when you get a second win.  It is awesome!  At the end we were greeted by those terrifying teenagers cheering us on.  My time was one minute under...disappointed but not discouraged.  I will live to run another day.

And On the Seventh Day She Rested...

So, my sister Mary has an awesome blog and such a creative way to blog weekly. She calls it her "7 Quick Takes".  She logs seven great things that happened to her that week.  She even includes some rants.

My sister and her husband are also huge babies.  They will cry and whine if I steal this idea.  I get it.   Its her special blog.  But, I am going to kind of steal the idea of doing a weekly wrap up.  I am going to call it" And on the 7th Day She Rested".  Totally not blasphemous.  Me and God are besties.  Plus, it will remind me to blog those precious moments He gives me that I don't always celebrate.  I may have some rants in between but, I am sure you won't mind!

My last rant was on my Facebook Breakup.  After meeting with Ben and Jerrys and catching up with my housewives, I think I made a good call.  I kind of stalk facebook every once in awhile just to see what's up.Like a creepy ex girlfriend that can't let go.  Oh well.  I will be sharing my blog on the book of face just so people know I got a new blog to read.  I hope to have some readers but if not, no harm no foul.

I am hoping these little weekly blogs can be enjoyed by my children when they are older.  I am hoping they will read this crap and reflect on how awesome I am.  But, mostly I hope that they will know that they were my whole life and I wrote down moments so I wouldn't miss a thing.

My first entry will be tomorrow and it will be a dousy.

Facebook Quitter

So, here's the deal. I am quitting Facebook. We are breaking up. I have decided to move on. I wanted to share with everyone why. But, it may be controversial. You may feel judged for staying with Facebook. Don't. Our relationship is just not working. I am giving much more than i am getting. I sent Facebook a breakup letter today and it went like this...

Dear Facebook,

You gave me a good, strong 5 year run. You were a great friend to me. You brought me good news and sad news. You listened to me complain and even accepted my political opinions. You prayed for me and others. You reconnected me to friends i hadn't heard from in years and some I didn't want to. We stalked some people and loved the juicy results. We poured over photos looking for imperfections and got lost in the grainy details. You were my constant source of entertainment in the most inappropriate times. We have chatted during funerals, cracked up during church services, gossiped during work trainings. We have passively, aggressively jabbed our enemies and cheered on the victors. You stood by me and consoled me when i lost family members and friends. You have been a constant in my life for five years. But now, you are a constant annoyance.

Now, you are that friend that keeps calling even after i have sent you a text to let you know i am busy. You are that person at work that just won't shut up. You are that annoying stalker boyfriend that keeps asking for a status update. You are that person that sucks all of the most creative, intelligent people out of the room by your ranting about unimportant details. You are the person showing slides of your trip to Africa for an hour with no bathroom break. I don't blame you, its my fault too.

I showed you my pictures, told my stories, bored you with mundane details that sucked up precious moments of your life, too. I checked in with you like a stalker, looking to see who wanted to be my friend. I waited for your notifications and was as thrilled as a 16 year old waiting for a boy to call when i saw you left me some. I made you listen as i bragged about my family and showed off the great moments of our lives. I made you cheer for me, encourage me and even like me, when i knew you didnt want to. It's not you, it's me.

You see, I got these 5 incredible kids and a pretty great husband. I got a good job and real live friends. I have this really cool life i know God gave me and you are a distraction. You have made me miss moments that i cant get back....at the park, at home, at church, during work. These really great moments that won't come again. Because while i am busy updating you, showing you photos or becoming embroiled in a facebook battle, i am focusing on pretend things/people/conversations.

Today this stops. We can be friends. I will check in on you every once in awhile...but, I won't stay. I am going to invest my time into other things like people and interactions. I don't want you to go away mad I just want you to go away. You will find someone new, you always do. I want you to. I hope you bring them as much joy as you brought me. I hope you laugh, cry and whine together. Post some pictures, tell your truths. Know that i will be cheering you on from a different path. You have changed my life for the better but all good things must come to an end. You were an important part of my life that I don't need anymore.

Farewell Facebook!
Love, Katie

Don't get me wrong. This is best for me. Those that still are friends with Facebook, i got nothing but love for you. If you want to stay connected, visit my blog. I will keep that updated weekly and even post some pictures. Quitting Facebook will be tough. It will be a neverending journey of 12 steps and more. I may relapse but I am hoping to stay strong. Wish me luck fellow facebookers!