• A Sundry

    Looking at Weight Gain as a Blessing

    It’s important to acknowledge all the little blessings in our lives. Most of the time, these blessings are obvious. The feeling of sunlight on our skin, the joy of a good book, the safety of home, a hearty meal, laughter with friends, the love of our families — all these things are easy to take for granted, but also tend to be easy to identify. But sometimes, things happen. And those things suck. When we experience hardship in our lives, it can be easy to forget that God gives us hardship to help us grow. That sometimes, sorrow or pain is actually a beautiful gift. We don’t see it that…

  • A Sundry

    Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

    I recently visited the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, located about five miles away from my house. The refuge costs 3 dollars to get in, but boy was it worth it! I was working on a class project, so I didn’t have time to stay and look around, but I’m definitely hoping to go back sometime soon and explore! It was absolutely beautiful there. For my project, I had to take video of some birds. I’ve never tried to video birds before, and I was amazed at just how hard it is! Eventually, I ended up parking on the side of the road and hiking off into the wilderness. There wasn’t…

  • A Sundry

    Fish Lake

    This world that God has put us in is painfully beautiful. Sometimes, however, I feel like we forget to stop and appreciate that beauty — at least I know I do. It is for this reason that I’ve decided I’m going to start sharing my photography here on this blog. Photography lets us pause a moment in time — it allows us to reflect, and truly appreciate God’s beauty. This beauty comes in many forms. It shows itself in earth’s creatures — us included — and in the wild lands around us. It even shows itself in manmade form; architecture, artwork, music, literature, technology … the list goes on. Even things…

  • Fashion,  Outfits

    A Hint of Spring

    The first day of spring was nearly two weeks ago (March 20th), and yet somehow I woke to find snow on the ground this morning. After walking twenty minutes across campus to my first class, I was shocked to find that my hair had frozen stiff. Needless to say, I was glad to get inside the warm classroom — even if it meant admitting to myself that Spring Break is truly over. Despite uncooperative weather, spring is in the air. Birds are singing, flowers are poking through the grass, and the sun’s rays almost feel warm against my back. So, in spirit of the season, today’s outfit is inspired by…

  • Faith

    50 Ways to Celebrate the Easter Season

    Did you know that Easter isn’t just a single day? The liturgical season of Easter lasts 50 days, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday (May 15th this year). Easter season is a time of joy and new life. Christ has risen! The Church asks us not only to acknowledge the liturgical seasons, but also to enter into them — to allow them to move our hearts and guide our lives. In honor of the 50 days of Easter, here are 50 ways you can celebrate the Easter season this year. Go to daily Mass. Or, if you can’t make it, follow along with the daily readings. Go on a picnic…

  • Catholicism Unwrapped,  Faith

    The Holy Triduum

    A lot of times, I feel like non-catholics don’t quite get the Catholic fascination with Lent, and, by extension, the Holy Triduum. Jesus rose from the dead, after all. Why focus on the Passion when you can focus on the obviously “more important” event of the Resurrection? Right? As one of my Protestant friends once said, when discussing her aversion to the crucifix and why she didn’t feel the need to celebrate Jesus’s rather horrific death, “My Jesus came down from the cross.” Why exactly do Catholics feel the need to spend an entire three days meditating on the death of our Lord? Are we really that dark and sadistic? Do we enjoy pagan rituals and nighttime jaunts…

  • Fashion,  Outfits

    Neutrals with a Pop

    For this week’s modest fashion inspiration, I chose to put together something a little bit different. I rarely tuck things in — I feel like it makes my hips look too wide — but I decided to give tucking a shot with this simple grey top. And you know what? I think I like it! I felt very “Parisian,” in this ensemble — probably because I tied my scarf around my neck like a silk neck-tie. Brian even complemented the look when I came downstairs!