tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90841672011-04-21T20:42:49.158-05:00UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.comBlogger671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-27940149366878845892007-04-16T11:27:00.000-05:002007-04-16T11:33:22.441-05:00So, I've taken a hiatus from updating my blog. The holidays flew by, and then my new niece was born in January. I spent 10 days at Christmas at my brother's, and then another week after the baby was born, and then returned again for a visit at Easter. The kids are adjusting well to having Catherine Sophia (Kate) around and love doting on her. Here's a picture of me with all of them on Easter morning. Kate is already trying to sit up at 3 months so she can see what the other kids are doing :)<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054064570719997458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_A4pBqDLANCQ/RiOk8xGnDhI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FXaJpm79AK4/s320/IMG_1728B.jpg" border="0" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-2794014936687884589?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1159291328705985222006-09-26T12:17:00.000-05:002006-09-26T15:24:37.296-05:00<span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Ok, so where has the last month gone? Tonight is our reunion from the pilgrimage, so I thought I should really get to updating my blog with tales of the other </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >cities we visited.<br /></span><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >After Avila we headed to Salamanca. Salamanca is a university</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" > town and is also where St. Ignatius was imprisioned. The social place to gather in Sala</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >manca is the Plaza Mayor and the town is known for being the location in Spain where the </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >pu</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >rest </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Spanish is spoken. While in Salamanca we toured the University </span><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >and The Old and N</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >ew Cathedral of Salamanca (the cathedrals are connected). At the University we saw the fa</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >c</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >ad</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >e of a building that had a frog carved into it. When we arrived outside the bulding we saw a</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >ll </span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >these people pointing and didn't know what they were doing. Soon enough we found ourselves doing the same thing. The frog is a symbol of good luck and love in Salama</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >nca. Carvings must be popular because outside of the New Cathedral our guid</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >e pointed out in the facade of the church a carved monkey eating an ice cream cone and an astr</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >on</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >au</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >t that</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" > were apparently carved in during some refurbishing. Also, we went to Mass at a conve</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >nt where cloistered sisters lived. On our way to Mass we saw the preparations for wedding</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" > fest</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >iviti</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >es (with cultural garb) and on the way back from Mass we were lu</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >cky enough to see the bride and groom exiting the church into the midst of the festivities.<br /><br /></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">I. The University<br /><br /></span></span></strong> <div style="text-align: center;">This is the facade where the frog is. Unfortunately it's difficult to see the frog.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Salamanca10_frog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Salamanca10_frog.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;">Inside the University. Not quite like our lecture halls!<br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Salamanca12_Univesity.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Salamanca12_Univesity.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">II. The Cathedral<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><font>Outside the Cathedral.</span></div><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/0016011-R2-008-2A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/0016011-R2-008-2A.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font>Inside the Cathedral.<br 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</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Salamanca13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Salamanca13.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font><br 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style="text-align: 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/span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font>A pieta in the Cathedral.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span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/span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Salamanca16_pietaB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Salamanca16_pietaB.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><font><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">III. The Wedding Festivities</span><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span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for the wedding dismissal from Church.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font><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style="text-align: 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style="text-align: 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comes the happy couple!<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Salamanca_wedding4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Salamanca_wedding4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">IV. The Plaza Mayor</span><br 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</span><font><br />At Day.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Salamanca19_PlazaMayor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Salamanca19_PlazaMayor.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br 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Night.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Salamanca_PlazaMayorMoon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Salamanca_PlazaMayorMoon.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br 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class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115929132870598522?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1156862561978088102006-08-29T09:32:00.000-05:002006-08-29T16:30:16.706-05:00The next city in our Spain travels was Avila. Avila was home to St. Teresa of Avila (the name of my parish in Chicago) as well as a place where St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila collaborated. In Avila there is a wall that completely surrounds the city. The wall is amazing! It was built in the 12th century and extends 8,202 feet. The wall seems to be completely intact and it takes about 40 minutes to walk around the exterior of the wall. My friend Jean and I woke up early one morning to see if we could see the sunrise. We didn't really see the sunrise, but we did walk the entire circumference of the wall and it was quite magnificent.<br /><br />Below are some pictures from Avila.<br /><br />1. A view of Avila from a look-out. In the background you can see the city and the castle-like wall that surrounds the city.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />2. This is the look-out area where we stood to see the amazing view of Avila.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila4B.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila4B.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">3. Our hotel was an old palace. This is a shot of the interior courtyard of the hotel.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila_Hotel6B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila_Hotel6B.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />4. Right next to the hotel was an old cathedral. This is a shot of the cathedral through the glass ceiling in the hotel's interior courtyard.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila_Hotel7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila_Hotel7.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />5. Here are a few close-up shots of the wall.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/avilawall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/avilawall.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila10.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila11B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila11B.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>6. A museum has been built in the location of St. Teresa of Avila's birthplace. A chapel has been built over the actual location of her birthroom. In a building near St. Teresa's birthplace there is a relic of St. Teresa's finger. <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila14B_Museum.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila14B_Museum.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Museum</span><br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila15B_Birthplace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila15B_Birthplace.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Chapel</span><br /><br /></div> 7. Incarnation Monastery in Avila is where St. Teresa lived as a Carmelite. Today Carmelites still live in this Monastery.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila_IncarnationMonasteryB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila_IncarnationMonasteryB.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br />8. Lastly, a view from near the walled city of Avila out into the countryside.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Avila12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Avila12.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115686256197808810?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1155862718892754412006-08-17T19:54:00.000-05:002006-08-18T09:03:55.370-05:00St. Ignatius both studied in and was imprisoned in Alcala, Spain. Our trip to Alcala began in Madrid with Mass at <a href="http://www.munimadrid.es/bodareal/solotexto/escenarios_basilicaAtocha_en.htm">Our Lady of Atocha.</a> Our Lady of Atocha is the Royal Family's Church. The grounds and buildings surrounding the church are also quite picturesque.<br /><br />I. Our Lady of Atocha (Madrid) - Pictures of the church and surrounding buildings/grounds.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/OurLadyAtocha4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/OurLadyAtocha4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/OurLadyAtocha11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/OurLadyAtocha11.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/OurLadyAtocha6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/OurLadyAtocha6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/OurLadyAtocha10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/OurLadyAtocha10.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />When we arrived in Alcala a current student at the <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&amp;u=http://www.uah.es/&sa=X&amp;oi=translate&resnum=2&amp;ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dalcala%2Buniversity%26hl%3Den%26hs%3DxpX%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official">University</a> gave us a tour and then a local guide showed us the hermitage where Ignatius had prayed, the oldest hospital in Spain (which was founded in 1483 and was where Cervantes father worked as a surgeon), the streets of Alcala, and Cervantes Square (Plaza). Alcala is probably more well know because of Cervantes rather than St. Ignatius. But, it was a place of importance in Ignatius journey, and he would go on to study in several other places.<br /><br />II. Alcala - Below are pictures of the courtyard at the University, the campus, the building where Ignatius was imprisoned, the oldest hospital, and Cervantes Square. Perhaps the last picture of the bunch will be the most entertaining to you. If you look closely at the top of the building in the last photo (which is also the entrance way to the University) you will see very large birds' nests nestled on the top of the structure. These nests are homes to Alcala's famed <a href="http://www.ayto-alcaladehenares.es/template2.asp?cat_id=2313&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;mcat=2078&mcat_id=4&amp;opt=m01_02_03_02&site_language=4">storks</a>. These "lovely" storks will live always in my memory since supposedly they are to bring me good luck. Ah, early on a beautiful morning in Alcala I had the pleasure of being crapped on by one of these fine birds. I guess this was a better start to my trip than last summer when I was pegged in the ankle by a rock thrown in the wrong direction by a kid on the shores of the English Channel :) This European travel thing can be dangerous!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Alcala5_University.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Alcala5_University.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Alcala12_University.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Alcala12_University.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Alcala11_IgnatiusImprisioned.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Alcala11_IgnatiusImprisioned.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Alcala_OldestHospital.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Alcala_OldestHospital.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Alcala_CervantesSquare.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Alcala_CervantesSquare.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Alcala2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Alcala2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115586271889275441?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1155740578377206192006-08-16T09:59:00.000-05:002006-08-16T11:20:04.880-05:00With 6 trips since June, summer has flow by! I returned last Friday from a 10-day pilgrimage to Spain. The trip was amazing and I'm still trying to process the journey. We were on the road every day and traveled through most of the northern part of the country. I will try to high-light each of the cities in a blog entry -- though it will be impossible to include everything we saw and did! Eventually I will post a link to all of my photos in Shutterfly.<div><br />Part #1 - Madrid<br />Our trip started in Madrid. Madrid was a bustling city, but fairly easy to get around. We could walk from our hotel to the Prado and were fairly centrally located. We spent the first day adjusting to the time change and getting a lay of the land. We started the trip in Madrid and ended in Barcelona (both large cities). In between we were in smaller towns learning about the saints (St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, etc.) and following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius. Personally I enjoyed the smaller towns over the big cities.<br /><br />Some of the Madrid highlights and some of my pictures are as follows:<br /><br />1. Touring the <a href="http://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/preal/preal.htm">Royal Palace</a> and seeing the beautiful gardens. We were able to tour about 25 of the 2800 rooms of the Palace.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/RoyalPalace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/RoyalPalace.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/RoyalPalace_Grounds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/RoyalPalace_Grounds.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />2. Seeing the exterior of the <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/madrid-almudena-cathedral.htm">Almudena Cathedral</a> (including a statue of St. Ignatius).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Basilica4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Basilica4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/IgnatiusStatue_Basilica.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/IgnatiusStatue_Basilica.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />3. Visiting the <a href="http://museoprado.mcu.es/ihome.html">Prado Art Museum</a> where they had a special Picasso exhibit and we were able to see some famous paintings such as El Greco's "The Crucifixion".<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Prado4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Prado4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Prado_ElGreco.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Prado_ElGreco.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />4. Going out for a night on the town where we dined on paella and saw a great flamenco performance.</div> <div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Madrid_Flamenco4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Madrid_Flamenco4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Madrid_Flamenco9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Madrid_Flamenco9.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />5. Spending time getting to know my travel companions better by going out to the <a href="http://www.travelinginspain.com/madrid/plaza_mayor.htm">Plaza Mayor</a> and exploring the city in the evening.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/PlazaMayor2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/PlazaMayor2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/PlazaMayor_Night2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/PlazaMayor_Night2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Madrid_Night.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Madrid_Night.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />6. Lastly, we were lucky to stay in a new hotel in Madrid called <a href="http://www.husa.es/en/fichaHotel.php?id=239">Husa Paseo del Arte</a>. We had very nice accommodations and Jean (in above picture) and I even used the workout room one morning.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Madrid_Hotel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Madrid_Hotel.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />More to follow on our adventures in Alcala...<br /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115574057837720619?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1153344702758673202006-07-19T16:09:00.000-05:002006-07-19T17:02:06.966-05:00My first visit to my new library branch found me taking home 2 items - 1) a "Spanish for Gringos" book and CD set (wishful thinking for my Spain trip) and 2) the <a href="http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/">"Bowling for Columbine"</a> DVD (2002).<br /><br />I had never seen "Bowling for Columbine," but it had been recommended to me in the past. Additionally, I really have never seen anything by Michael Moore. But, all in all I thought it was pretty thought-provoking. On the surface level it almost appears that Michael Moore has a child-like approach to his interviewing techniques. Yet, at a deeper level you know that he knows exactly what he is doing/saying and he does a good job of probing without raising his voice or ever losing control.<br /><br />There are 2 parts that stand out to me. First, when Moore pays a visit to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Heston">Charlton Heston</a> who has close ties to the <a href="http://www.nra.org/">NRA</a>. At the end of the interview Charlton Heston has had enough and walks away trying to remain dignified, and then Michael Moore calmly calls after him and continues to ask him to turn around and look at a picture of a 6-year old girl who was shot by a 6-year old boy in Flint, Michigan. Moore is trying to find answers as to why and how this could happen, but Heston refuses to acknowledge him. In the end Heston doesn't ever turn around, and Moore leaves the picture of the girl on the grounds of Heston's estate.<br /><br />The second item that stands out has to do with the ongoing question of why are gun murders/deaths so high in the US? The statistics they present really make you think. Moore paints a picture showing that many other western cultures are exposed to the same violence in video games, tv, etc. Also, statistically these countries have high percentages of gun ownership. But, it is only in the US where the problem of gun violence is so high. Most of the comparable countries have less than 100 gun deaths a year, and the US has 10,000+ per year. The cause seems to allude Moore and everyone he talks to, but the fact that there is a problem remains...<br /><br />By far the one of the most vivid images for me (besides the footage of the actual Columbine shootings) was Charlton Heston addressing members of the NRA while raising his gun and proudly proclaiming "from my cold hands..."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115334470275867320?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1153159275881377942006-07-17T12:49:00.000-05:002006-07-17T13:12:34.883-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/bucktown.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/bucktown.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I've been waiting for over a year for the new <a href="http://www.chipublib.org/002branches/bucktown/buckthgh.html">Bucktown/Wicker Park branch</a> of the Chicago Public Library to open in my neighborhood. I'm thrilled that it's close enough that I can walk there, and I'm pleased to announce that finally on Monday, July 10 the doors were open to the public.<br /><br />Thanks to my mother, I've loved going to the library since I was a kid. Getting my very own library card was in a way a rite of passage for me. Though the new library opened last Monday, I didn't get a chance to visit until this weekend. It's a nice 2-story structure with a community room and a reading room on the 2nd floor. With this heat, I'm sure lots of people will be hanging out at the library reading. Also, on the 2nd floor there are 2 small sitting areas with 2 comfy chairs each. Both areas have a nice view of the street.<br /><br />To add to the excitement, the librarian told me that already over 200 people have applied for library cards in the first few days. One has to wonder, where have these people been hiding out? There are plenty of other neighborhood branches of the library in the area. Regardless, I think it's great to know that 200 more people will be reading and making use of their local library. Ben Franklin (who opened the first lending library in 1731) would be proud.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115315927588137794?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1152821732701053452006-07-13T15:09:00.000-05:002006-07-13T16:33:13.543-05:00Today I checked out this <a href="http://www.myheritage.com/">My Heritage website</a> where you can upload your picture and they tell you what famous person in their database you most resemble. They claim to compare your face with the faces of the world's 3,200 most famous men and women. I thought I'd give it a try and so I uploaded this picture of my mom and me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/IMG_0135.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/IMG_0135.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And based on their results, I'm not so sure what I think about their accuracy...<br /><br />They feel that I have a 63% resemblance to Carrie Underwood and my mom has a 61% resemblance to Anika Sorenstam. Really, I don't think either is that good of a match.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/underwood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/underwood.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br />And so I tried it with another picture of me...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/Table_for_two.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/Table_for_two.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>And the results are in, and this time they think I have a 71% resemblance to Jennifer Love Hewitt.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/jennifer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/jennifer.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br />Again, I'm not sold on their accuracy. But, I am dying to know who my friends look like. So, if you have a minute give it a try and let me know!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115282173270105345?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1152565619255416342006-07-10T15:53:00.000-05:002006-07-12T13:09:03.436-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/cnn1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/cnn1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I arrived back in town this morning from a weekend in Atlanta with some of the women on my mom's side of the family. I always have such a fun time with them, but it also make me sad that it seems generationally we'll never be as close with our cousins and aunts as their generation is. On my maternal grandmother's side of the family there were 8 kids, so all the cousins grew up together much like brothers and sisters. I always enjoy hearing them reminisce about growing up as well as catching up on family goings-on.<br /><br />In addition to shopping, eating, playing cards, and exploring Marietta and Atlanta, we had the opportunity to tour the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/tour/">CNN studios in Atlanta</a>. That was one of the highlights for me. I love seeing operationally how different organizations run. Plus, I even had the opportunity to role play for a few minutes. During the tour we entered a room that was a scaled down version of an anchor desk complete with desk, teleprompter, and video camera. The guide asked for a volunteer to be an anchor and read from the teleprompter from the news desk. No one volunteered, so I did. They gave me some odd story to read about Santa, but that didn't keep me from getting into character as a news anchor. The one thing that struck me was that I felt like I was reading fast, but the woman said I did a good job and was actually reading at the average rate for the real anchors. I have to admit it was great fun and my mom took pictures of me behind the desk (as well as on the screen where the film of me was running) while I was playing the role of a real anchor. And so now that I've shared a highlight from my weekend, I will sign off as I did yesterday... "Reporting live for CNN news, this is Leigh..."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115256561925541634?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1152309425287729402006-07-07T16:43:00.000-05:002006-07-07T16:57:05.300-05:00A few weeks ago I was invited to a viewing of Al Gore's new film <a href="http://an-inconvenient-truth.com/?gclid=CO_thfXMgIYCFQ5ISQod91LK7g">"An Inconvenient Truth."</a> The film is about Global Warming and documents a presentation Gore has given over the years about the current state of the environment. Based on statistics, graphs and charts, and a verbal overview by Gore one can't help but ask "really, what are we doing to the environment and the earth?" The film certainly made me pause and wonder what the world will be like for my brother's children when they are grandparents. I had to admit, I kind of felt like the future could be grim if we don't make some serious changes soon. I wasn't left feeling hopeless, but instead feeling compelled to think more pointedly about how I choose to live and what things I can do to conserve resources. The film also wove in some personal stories from Gore which painted a much different picture of the man who ran for President. I would encourage you to see the film if it's in your area - it is in limited release I believe. Also, <a href="http://www.climatecrisis.net/">this website</a> highlights the film, the issues, where the film is playing, etc. Now I just need to go out there and start making some changes!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115230942528772940?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1151700504980249812006-06-30T15:46:00.000-05:002006-06-30T15:48:25.000-05:00I'm off to Michigan tomorrow with the family for 4 days of vacation. Enjoy the 4th of July and the <a href="http://www.fireworkspop.com/liberty.htm">fireworks</a>!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115170050498024981?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1151598369704553572006-06-29T11:08:00.000-05:002006-06-29T11:52:30.030-05:00Last night I had the opportunity to volunteer for the first time at the <a href="http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/">Greater Chicago Food Depository</a>. The organization and their facility are both rather amazing. (Also, be sure to read below for the fun "cucumber details" of my night of volunteering!) The Food Depository takes donations (from companies, grocery stores, food drives, individuals, etc.) as well as rescues food from other sources and then redistributes the food to agencies throughout Cook County. Additionally, they have a culinary school of sorts with state of the art kitchens. In these kitchens not only are meals prepared that are distributed to shelters, youth centers, etc., but people can build skills that lead to jobs in the food service industry.<br /><br />Just a few encouraging statistics!<br />In 2004-05 the Food Depository distributed more than 40 million pounds of food through 600 agencies. This equates to 84,000+ meals per day over the course of 365 days/year.<br /><br />Wow, the impact of this organization is HUGE!<br /><br />Now for the fun. My night of volunteering began at 6 pm with a quick volunteer overview. There were about 50-60 volunteers. About 30-40 of the volunteers were junior high and high school kids from Omaha and Arkansas who were doing a 5-day service trip to Chicago. Their service trip included both cultural immersion/learning about different ethnic groups as well as service projects throughout the south side of the city. They brought a lot of energy and entertainment to our group!<br /><br />As for our night of volunteering, we were tasked with sorting none other than cucumbers! For 3 hours we sorted through pallet after pallet of boxed cucumbers. There was a good mix of perfectly picked cucumbers and moldy, slime covered ones. All in all, it was a fun night. It's amazing how much fun you can have when you get a group of strangers together and give them a task. And now that we've cleaned up all of the seeds and disposed of the gooey mess, there are many agencies receiving today nicely packed boxes of fresh cucumbers :)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115159836970455357?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1150135868892255622006-06-12T12:59:00.000-05:002006-06-12T13:38:00.116-05:00So much for truth in advertising! Yesterday I participated in the <a href="http://www.bikebclc.com/ramble/about_ramble.htm">Bicycle Club of Lake County's (BCLC) 25th Annual Ramble.</a> On their website they state terrain is flat to rolling with some roller coaster hills, and a few challenging climbs. The key word I failed to interpret was "rolling." I had no idea that for practically 50-miles I'd continuously be going up and down hills. And for some reason it felt like there were a lot of up hill battles...<br /><br />The first part was pretty good. I made it to the 15-mile rest area in 1 hour and was proud of my 15 mile per hour speed on my mountain bike. Things kind of went downhill from there as I began multiple uphill challenges. On my solitary ride past lakes, cows, and breathing in the "you know you're in the country when you smell manure" scent, at points I wondered why I had voluntarily put myself through this misery. It didn't help that my big old mountain bike paled in comparison to the sleek and quick professional road and racing bikes of about 99% of the participants doing the longer rides. People tried to be kind, but I could tell some just felt sorry for me on my slow, fat-tired bike. To top it all off, at about mile 45 I had the joy of doing a very lengthy and slow climb of about 1000 feet. But the reward was great when eventually I was able to coast on the other side. Isn't that what's life all about -- working hard, being determined, suffering, trusting we have the will to endure, and then rejoicing in the reward and graces.<br /><br />As you can probably tell, I had a lot of time to think while I was out there. But also I had the great opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the beautiful landscape surrounding me. So, it wasn't all bad. And, crossing the finish line and having the sweet satisfaction of accomplishing my goal, of course made it all worth it.<br /><br />I should mention that after 35-miles I ran into my friend Julie at the rest stop. She was half way through her 30-mile excursion. Seeing her gave me new energy in addition to the amazing spread of snacks and beverages the BCLC provided. And Rachel was there to greet me at the end of my 50-mile endeavor. Congrats go out to both Julie and Rachel who completed 30- and 20-miles respectively!<br /><br />So, who's ready to do the 75-mile <a href="http://www.oswegochamber.org/pages/bikeride.asp">Oswego</a> ride with me or the 100-mile Evanston <a href="http://www.evanstonbikeclub.org/nsc/index.html">North Shore Century</a>???<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-115013586889225562?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1149520827587039222006-06-05T09:58:00.000-05:002006-06-05T10:20:27.623-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/1600/bikethedrive.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6242/646/320/bikethedrive.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Well after a several month hiatus, I have remembered my blog user info. I am going to keep this first entry short.<br /><br />My goal this summer is to a do a century (100 mile) bike ride. The first goal of a 30-mile bike ride was achieved over Memorial Day weekend at the Chicago Bicycle Federation's <a href="http://www.bikethedrive.org/">Annual Bike-The-Drive</a> event. For this event Lake Shore Drive is closed down from the Museum of Science and Industry (on the south side in Hyde Park) through Bryn Mayr (on the north side of the city just south of Loyola University). It's great to be able to drive on Lake Shore Drive without any cars. This is the 3rd time I've participated in this event, and was excited to ride with a group of about 6 people. It was a beautiful day and we saw lots of great views of the lake and the city. And of course we got to go past the Museum Campus where King Tut is the current exhibit at the Field Museum.<br /><br />This coming Sunday is the next endeavor of a 50-mile <a href="http://www.bikebclc.com/ramble/about_ramble.htm">"ramble"</a> on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-114952082758703922?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1128960763114624742005-10-10T12:01:00.000-05:002005-10-10T11:25:06.780-05:00So who knew that at our age we could still get homework. Well my pal <a href="http://justinw.blogspot.com//">Justin</a> has tasked me with writing five idiosyncracies about myself. I guess I should give him a break since he did run the 26.2 miles of the <a href="http://results.doitsports.com/lasalle/?event=&posted_p=t&amp;refresh=3600&bib_list=&amp;bib=&last_name=Walters&amp;first_names=Justin&x=32&amp;y=4#RESULTS">Chicago Marathon</a> this weekend in an amazing 3.5 hours...<br /><br />Ok, I guess we're all crazy in our own special ways. So, here are my 5 "-isms" that make me who I am. Keeping in line with tradition, I certainly hope that <a href="http://maybemabel.blogspot.com/">Maybel</a>, <a href="http://dingo3950.blogspot.com/">Tammy</a>, and other blogger friends will share their 5 special idiosyncracies with the rest of us.<br /><br />1. Temperature. I am obsessed with the temperature. At work I have Weather Bug on my computer and keep an eye on the temperature for my zipcode all day long. It's handy that Weather Bug allows you to get the real-time temperature on your toolbar. Furthermore, I do not believe that I will ever be able to have a car without a termometer. Toyota has ruined me for life. I delight in watching the temperature rise and fall on long drives and nothing brings me more joy then watching the temperature change dramatically as you drive into a storm.<br /><br />2. Ideal sleeping conditions. I cannot under any circumstances sleep without a blanket. When at home it has to be my comforter whether my place is 60 degrees or 85 degrees. In the winter I toss on a down-throw for good measure and extra warmth. In the summer a little old sheet will simply not do.<br /><br />3. Liberal Arts/Humanities Girl. I may work for the business school, but don't let that fool you. Deep down I am a liberal arts/humanities girl. My secret passions are photography and writing, yet I surround myself with business-type people who are surely more math/science inclined.<br /><br />4. Enjoy the silence. I cannot read with any hint of noise (radio, tv, people talking, etc.) in the background. I need complete and utter silence if I have any chance of halfway comprehending what I am reading. In college I lived with 5 other girls for 2 years, so I had to regularly haul it over to the wonderfully drab library in order to study.<br /><br />5. Analness versus complete disarray. At times I can be complete organized and anal about certain things. For example, my photographs. When I get them developed I always get doubles. One set is labeled as doubles and does not get touched accept to be put in the album. This is because I cannot stand to have fingerprints on my originals. However, I can breathe a sigh of relief in letting people look at my doubles since my originals are at home safe and secure. On the flip side, have you ever seen my desk at work?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112896076311462474?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1128016031915353622005-09-29T12:43:00.000-05:002005-09-29T12:47:11.920-05:00So the old alma mater is doing the blog world proud. Perspective students can get a feel for campus and student life via <a href="http://alumni.udayton.edu/np_story.asp?storyID=2259">student blogs</a>. Way to go UD with being cutting edge with technology :)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112801603191535362?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1127241497522548432005-09-20T13:00:00.000-05:002005-09-20T17:18:42.753-05:00<span style="font-style: italic;">A few months ago I promised to share my reflections on my summer service trip. This has been a long time coming, but here it is. Sorry that it is a little lengthy!</span><br /><br />The sun’s rays casted a golden glow on the wide open field as we drove out of town. We welcomed a new day with new beginnings, but it was also a time of good byes. As my eyes began to get a little misty, I was silent. I took in the beauty of the landscape while I tried to process what had unfolded in the past several days. After a week of volunteer work in rural Idabel, Oklahoma, it was time to return to the city and to a life that in some ways felt oddly foreign. <br /><br />For a week I had traded in my desk job in Chicago for a hammer and a paint brush. For a week I had traded in my small urban apartment and fashionable work clothes for a mattress on the floor and a t-shirt & an old pair of jeans. For a week I had traded the quietness of independent living for communal living with 10 other young adults in a parish hall. For a week I had forgotten my old life and embraced a simpler state of being.<br /><br />It is no coincidence that throughout the past 12 years three words have followed me. Upon entering the University of Dayton (UD), I quickly learned the driving mission of the school. I found myself on a retreat during my first year of college. As I sat in the midst of an amazingly serene pine forest in the middle of the woods, one of the retreat team leaders introduced me to the phrase “learn, lead, and serve.” As he whispered the words to the small group, it was almost as if he was sharing with us an ancient secret. Little did I know how the meaning behind these words and the mission of UD would unfold throughout my life.<br /><br />As an undergraduate I understood the phrase “learn, lead, and serve” at the most basic level. I understood we were called to share our gifts and give back to society, but I didn’t understand the scope and depth of this responsibility. Transitioning from Dayton to Chicago, I found myself at first feeling a little lost and disconnected from the community I experienced while in undergraduate and graduate school at UD. After a period of time, I came to learn the mission of the school stemmed much deeper than the community of the campus. In order to truly live out the mission that had been ingrained in and entrusted to me, leaving the comfort and support of the campus community was necessary. To live in the world and to share with the communities where I lived, worked, and visited was to embody the spirit of the Marianists. Armed with this seemingly obvious information, suddenly the world of UD seemed to shrink and the manifestations of the work of the community seemed to be endless opportunities for alums and affiliates who were indeed working globally as many parts of the one body of Christ.<br /><br />Through Charis Ministries, a Jesuit-sponsored group which is dedicated to outreach to young adults in their 20s and 30s, I took a plunge two years ago and participated in an inaugural week-long service trip to Idabel, Oklahoma. Idabel and the parish of St. Francis de Sales is a popular and recommended service trip location for Creighton University. In many ways this service trip is similar to the service trips that UD and other colleges/universities sponsor. But instead of a group of coeds giving up their spring break for a week or some other period of time, it is a group of young adults (20s and 30s) who are giving up a week of their vacation time from work to step outside the confines of their jobs. The group lives and works in an impoverished poultry farming town in Oklahoma alongside a Glenmary priest who for 11 years has worked to build and sustain a Catholic Church in an area that formerly did not have a Catholic Church. The Glenmarys are a missionary order that live and work in the rural south and make it their goal to not only bring to communities a Catholic Church, but to dedicate their work to building a faith community in the form of a parish that eventually can be turned over to a diocese.<br /><br />I met Fr. John Brown, the Glenmary priest at St. Francis de Sales parish in Idabel, Oklahoma, two years ago. Fr. John is an amazingly devoted and gifted missionary priest. He has worked tirelessly for the past 11 years to build the Catholic faith community in this small town which is nestled in the southeast corner of Oklahoma. There is a vibrant and active Hispanic community in addition to a Caucasian group of dedicated parishioners. But at another level, Fr. John has worked to put his faith into action in a very evangelical way. The hospitality and the open doors of St. Francis are known throughout the town. People are aware that they can come to the Catholic Church if they need something -- really anything at all. It’s inspiring to know that in a very Christ-like way Fr. John has made it know to these small town inhabitants that they don’t need to be Catholic to knock on the door of St. Francis, or ask for help, or share in the community, because all are welcome at the table.<br /><br />I’ve come to realize that you meet fellow UD alums in unlikely, but not illogical, places doing work that is merely a continuation of those 3 little words we learned in our infant stages of college. While the Marianists and the Marianist tradition have been actively present in my life since college, living in Chicago where there aren’t any Marianists has caused me to seek out other Catholic and faith-based groups. The Jesuits have a strong presence in Chicago, and while they as an order differ from the Marianists, they have become instrumental in the continued development of my faith life. When I decided to make my 3rd service trip with Charis Ministries to Idabel, Oklahoma this past summer I was pleasantly surprised to hear that a fellow UD alum who is currently residing in Ohio had decided to join our group. Though we had never met before the trip, there was the undeniable UD connection that was present when we made acquaintances. As we talked with our fellow traveling companions about social justice, our backgrounds, and other schools that sponsor service trips, those 3 little words surfaced again. My new UD friend quietly leaned in and said to me “learn, lead, and serve” in the midst of our conversation.<br /><br />The project that our group of fairly unskilled (in the formal sense) laborers took on this year was the re-roofing of a house along with some painting and repairs of the exterior of a home that was considered to be “in town” in Idabel, Oklahoma. Sadly, by most standards this home would be condemned. There was no running water, the windows were boarded up, cockroaches and hornets easily entered the house through loose boards and holes in the walls, and several of the boards in the roof were damaged from a tree that had fallen on the roof. Sitting on the roof one afternoon I realized how little protection and shelter the roof actually provided. It was amazing the roof was even holding us up as we removed old shingles and attempted to replace loose boards. I could easily see into the house through the damaged boards in the roof, and I even wondered if any of us would at some point find ourselves physically falling through the roof and into the house. The project itself was at times a little overwhelming and in need of work coupled with patience, and so was the homeowner.<br /><br />The home is inhabited by a man named Herbert who is in poor health and seems to be deteriorating quickly. Over the week we spent working on his home we came to learn bits and pieces of his life. At first some stayed away because at times Herbert was prone to snap at us. As the week unfolded so did the trials and tribulations of Herbert’s life. Together our group pieced together the life of a broken man whose life was riddled with sad stories or divorce, illness, and a lack of a supportive network of family and friends. While at times Herbert may have seemed harsh, in his own way he slowly let us into his life. <br /><br />The last evening we were in town we hosted an ice cream social for the parish, for the families who had hosted us for an evening in their homes, and for past people whom our group had helped. Herbert was invited, but we weren’t sure if he would show up. Some of our team went to his house before the social started, and he was in his car and announced that they had almost missed him. One has to wonder if he was waiting for someone from our group to show up -- if he was waiting to accept the invitation to be a part of a community. <br /><br />The social was filled with a diverse group of people from different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, but we were one family joining together to share food, conversation, and laughter. By the end of the night the guests started to disperse, but one remained. He sat outside and smoked his cigarette and took in the starry Oklahoma night. Different people took their places next to him on his bench and fell into conversation with him. It wasn’t always easy, some struggled, and some stayed away because of fear or uncertainty. But others were able to break through that burdened exterior of a fellow human being. Almost one week from our initial retreat upon his home, a broken man mustered up the courage to not only acknowledge that he had accepted help from others, but he found the words deep within to say thank you.<br /><br />Talking to my fellow service team members, we acknowledge that we don’t choose to participate in this trip for the praise or the glory. We don’t devote our time in order to receive a thank you. We commit ourselves because we are a people called to help the least of our brothers and sisters. We choose to participate because we receive back so much more than we could possibly give. I’ve come to realize we all have so much to learn from the people we meet on the road of life. Struggles and scars make people who they are. God’s hand is present and allows us to learn from the sorrows and the joys that make each person’s life unique. <br /><br />The small town of Idabel is like none other that I’ve experienced. The people of the town are hospitable, welcoming, genuine, honest, and trusting. People actually greet you when you enter and exit a store and ask how you’re doing. Unlike Chicago where you are not able to take your grocery cart into the store parking lot, the Piggly Wiggley let us walk the cart to our home at the Church and return it. Ace Hardware and the local lumber store let us open up accounts for the week and pay our balances at the end of our visit. People meet you where you are. There is acceptance in place of judgment. There is an open door for strangers. There is food to be shared and conversations to be had around the table. There is life to share and community to be fostered. <br /><br />As I said, driving out of town on that early morning was a time of joy and a time of sadness in goodbyes -- joy for the graces of the week, and sadness in leaving the town and people and having to say good bye. This good bye was different than the previous two years. Not only does that small town hold a piece of my heart, but it was a time to say farewell to Fr. Brown. He has been reassigned to a parish in Georgia. Our group has connected in an undeniable way with the people of Idabel and the parish of St. Francis. We have decided to return to the Idabel site in 2006 for our 4th year. The trip is bound to be different with a new priest at the helm of the parish. At one point we wondered if we should follow Fr. Brown to his new parish, but then it became very clear that in an unspoken way we must return to Idabel and carry on the work that Fr. Brown started. I have no doubt that in Georgia Fr. Brown will once again tirelessly work to bring the Catholic Church in the area to a greater level. I have no doubt that he will find new groups of volunteers to do service work. I have no doubt that in his own way he will continue to embody those 3 little words that have crossed from my Marianist affiliation, into my Jesuit affiliation, and now into my Glenmary affiliation.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112724149752254843?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1126891818612506492005-09-16T12:21:00.000-05:002005-09-16T12:52:22.526-05:00Peace & Justice continues to be a theme that pervades my thoughts, and seems to be forefront in my mind these days. In light of Hurricane Katrina it seems nearly impossible to see the pictures, hear the stories, and not be moved. It's refreshing to see so many people called to action in different ways -- some through direct service, others through financial contributions, and others through prayer. Though he is humble and likes to keep his work quiet, I admire <a href="http://justinw.blogspot.com//">Justin</a> for taking time out of his life here in Chicago to travel to Baton Rouge, LA and make a difference.<br /><br />Last night I had the opportunity to hear a peace &amp; justice speaker. One of the items that most struck me was the image he presented of an innocent child (plagued with a variety of physical and mental maladies) whose parents were knowingly exposed to pesticides while working in the fields for Chaquita Bananas. The question that arose from the young adults who gathered was "what can we do?" We live in a world where injustices surround us from the food on our tables, to the shirts on our backs, to the people who live on the streets around us. So many injustices, where do we start...<br /><br />Shifting gears a little, in the past there has been talk about investing in the youth of the Church because they are the "future" of the Church. A lot of people argue that young adults "are" the Church since they are active and make up 40% of the Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has published a series entitled <a href="http://www.usccb.org/generationchrist/">Generation Christ</a> that talks about young adults in the Catholic Church. If you click on on the Charis Retreats story, you will see how this ties into my peace and justice ramblings and you may even see some quotes from people you know!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112689181861250649?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1124222966436243322005-08-17T12:24:00.000-05:002005-08-17T12:24:57.386-05:00The other day one of our faculty asked for assistance with "invigilating" his exams. I have to say, I wasn't sure what he was asking. Did he mean proctoring, grading, returning, copying, or something else? I checked the <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/">online dictionary</a>, and nothing. So, I replied and apologized for not understanding what he was asking. He then apologized for his Briticism (this word is in the online dictionary), and said he meant proctoring. Since then I've consulted <a href="http://www.m-w.com/">Merriam-Webster</a>, and they seem to be on board with Briticisms such as "invigilating" in case your wondering. The faculty member then told me to make sure I pack my umbrella and "jumper" on my trip to London. Thanks to Joanne, I knew what he was talking about that time!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112422296643624332?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1124210310504146462005-08-16T12:27:00.000-05:002005-08-17T12:23:38.233-05:00There is nothing like bringing the family together from near and far to share time, stories, and laughter together. Since I was a kid we have had a yearly family reunion at my Mom's cousin's home. They have a big yard with a pool, and an outdoor grilling area. So for one day of year everyone brings their favorite side dish and shares in the day with cousins, aunt, uncles, and other distant relatives that you're not really sure how they fit into the family tree.<br /><br />This year the reunion was a smaller affair, yet we still had many geographic locations represented. I made my way to Ohio from Chicago, my aunt flew in from Florida, my brother drove in from Dayton, my mom's cousin trekked it in from North Carolina, and my mom's other cousin Suz who spends most of the year in <a href="http://www.destinationoman.com/">Oman</a> (Middle East) won the prize for longest distance traveled.<br /><br />Suz and her husband absolutely love the life style in Oman, and they have made it home for at least another year. He is retired military working as a civilian in Oman doing some sort of logistics work. Some of the family have talked about making a trip to Oman to visit, and I have to say that I'm tempted to get in on the deal. But there are so many things I want to do next year with my vacation time. Of course I'd like to return to Oklahoma to volunteer again, and I am hoping to take a pilgrimage to Spain with <a href="http://www.jesuits.net/charis/">Charis Ministries.</a> But it seems like an opportunity to go to Oman will most likely never present itself again...<br /><br />This must be the year of <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&amp;q=pashmina">pashminas</a> for me. Dianna was nice enough to bring me back a beautiful cranberry colored one from her travels in India, and Suz gave me a lovely moss green one when I was home. Now I just need to figure out how to integrate them into my wardrobe!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112421031050414646?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1123612207321223682005-08-15T13:27:00.000-05:002005-08-15T15:07:31.143-05:00So I've waited way too long to write about my fun Girls' Day with Joanne and Rachel. A few weekends ago we decided to take a roadtrip to Michigan. We had a fun-filled 14 hours of adventure. This was Joanne's first trip to Michigan, so I was glad we could add that great state to her list of states visited. I can't remember what number she is up to, but I think she has visited more states than probably the average American. Joanne is Scottish in case you don't know her.<br /><br />Our adventure to Michigan started with blueberry picking. On the drive out there Joanne wanted to know if I used the scraping method. To be perfectly honest I had no clue as to what she was talking about, so I told her no that I just picked them. When we arrived at the <a href="http://www.jonesberryfarm.com/upick_bbs.htm">U-Pick place</a> I heard lots of squealing and commotion from the girls about the bushes. I was confused since they had picked blueberries from Alaska to Maine. Apparently all of the excitement was about the fact that the blueberries actually grew on bushes. When they picked them before in Alaska and Maine they had to crawl on the ground because there blueberries grow on the ground like strawberries or cranberries. Who knew?! The girls had a heyday with picking since they could pick much quicker in the upright position!<br /><br />After a couple of hours of blueberry picking we headed to the <a href="http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/ParksandTrailsInfo.aspx?id=504">Warren Dunes State Park</a> where we climbed a huge sand dune, picnicked on the beach, and strolled along the lake -- absolutely delightful! Then on a whim we decided to head over to Notre Dame and arrived at 5:02 pm at the security guard shack to ask about Mass at the Basilica. The guard told us we were 2 minutes late, but we said that's ok! So, in our shorts with sand all over us we hoped God would understand. I think God did, but for some reason we managed to scare off many people seated around us. We really weren't sure of the cause of this! After Mass we walked around campus and visited the grotto. The grotto on a nice summer night with the sun setting and hundreds of candles lit is absolutely breathtaking. A perfect ending to a good day spent with friends. After a quick Thai dinner we headed back to the city to end our 14 hour adventure. Chicago traffic inhibited our drive back, so we took the scenic route back through Indiana.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112361220732122368?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1122571323809332862005-07-28T12:09:00.000-05:002005-07-28T12:27:23.596-05:00Last night I went to <a href="http://www.ravinia.org/">Ravinia</a> with some friends to see Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris. Ravinia is an outdoor music venue where you can pack a picnic, find a spot on their lawn, and simply relax. It was one of those perfect nights. We had great weather, great food, great conversation, great music, and all in all a great time. I couldn't help but think that this is what life is all about as I sat under the stars drinking a glass of wine and thoroughly enjoying myself and my surroundings. We ended up having a pretty large group even though I only bought tickets with 2 other people. When all was said and done our group had grown to 10 people -- some old and some new people, a nice mix.<br /><br />And while I sometimes feel that Chicago sucks all of my cash flow out of me, I have to say I love the Metra (sometimes). I don't think I've ever paid to take the train to Ravinia before. I always find myself on the Ravinia Special train, and for some reason the conductor never comes around to collect money. It's a bit odd because I think they could make a killing on nights like last night when the concert is sold out. My only theory is that Ravinia and Metra have some kind of agreement. Ravinia wants to keep customers happy and minimize the number of people trying to park up in Glencoe, so maybe they make some kind of deal with Metra to get people in and out of the area in to make parking less congested and traffic flow easier. Of course Metra and free transportation can have their problems too. I didn't get home until 12:30 (almost 2 hours after the concert was over) and we had to move forward to other cars because all of the cars weren't stopping at the platform. But that's a whole other story, and I'm not going to let it ruin one of my rare relaxing glorious summer nights.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112257132380933286?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1122408678127068592005-07-26T17:03:00.000-05:002005-07-26T15:29:34.506-05:00Last week I spent 3 days in Northwest Ohio with the family. After surviving the Rodeway Inn, the trip improved.<br /><br />Day 1 we met at the <a href="http://www.sorrowfulmothershrine.com/">Sorrowful Mother Shrine</a> in Bellevue, Ohio. We've been there before and my brother's kids love it. They bring flowers from their yard to leave at the different shrines. I really enjoyed the Our Lady of Guadalupe Grotto this time. I don't think it was open when I was there 2 years ago. We also visited the <a href="http://www.senecacavernsohio.com/">Seneca Caverns</a> on Day 1 and had a grand time touring the caves, making our way down to water level, and enjoying the natural air conditioning and coolness below the earth's surface.<br /><br />Day 2 started with a ferry ride across Lake Erie to <a href="http://www.kelleysisland.com/">Kelly's Island</a> where we rented a golf cart to explore the island. Though I'd seen them before, the <a href="http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/glacial/">Glacial Grooves</a> were still pretty amazing. We sampled some wines at a winery, and relaxed for a while at the beach while the kids played in the sand and the lake. After our ferry ride back to the mainland we climbed the 77 stairs to the top of the <a href="http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/marblehead.htm">Marblehead Lighthouse</a>. It was a sunny day with blue skies, so the view over the lake was great. On the way back to Sandusky we stopped at a roadside farmer's market and I bought some delicious peaches and grape tomatoes.<br /><br />Day 3 we headed east from the Sandusky area to an organic blueberry farm called Chance Creek Blues Organic Blueberry Farm where we spent some time picking berries and looking in awe at the huge peacock they had on the farm. After a leisurely lunch and some ice cream, it was time for the return trip home. Since the rest of the family lives in Ohio, their treks were a little shorter than my 5+ hour drive back to Chicago. But, it was beautiful and sunny out and a nice day for a drive.<br /><br />No family vacation goes without a little bickering and some "fun" family memories, but all in all it was a nice visit and we got to do a lot of fun things with the kids. The kids continue to amaze me with their sense of adventure, their way of looking at things with awe and new eyes that children only have, and their boundless energy. May we all continue to be kids at heart.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112240867812706859?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1122315413422725962005-07-25T13:08:00.000-05:002005-07-25T13:47:55.556-05:00Last week I spent a few days in northwest Ohio with the family doing a little vacationing. The trip began with none other than myself starring in the leading role of a bad movie. Since the family wanted to meet early Wednesday morning in northwest Ohio, I decided to make the 5-hour drive on Tuesday night. I figured I'd get an inexpensive hotel by myself and have a little time in the morning for some quality me time. 1/2 way to Ohio I panicked the hotel may be disgusting, but then reminded myself that you can do anything for one night. My nightmare came to fruition upon checking into the Rodeway Inn in Sandusky.<br /><br />In essence, my comments on the survey from the hotel say it all...<br /><br />"My stay was awful. Not only was the room disgusting and dirty, the window in the bathroom was being held shut by a pants hanger. So much for secure. The sheets were so thin you could see the blanket through them. I opted to sleep on my picnicking blanket that has been all over Chicago rather than sleep on the nasty sheets. In order to keep my curtain closed for some privacy when the a/c was on I had to use a pant hanger for weight. Needless to say, really not a pleasant stay at all..."<br /><br />So, I slept in the cocoon of my picnic blanket and prayed no one would crawl through my window at night. When I was on the phone with my mom she said she couldn't remember what she was going to ask me. I promptly told her, "yes, I will be showering with my flip flops on." All things considered, I made it through the night alive. I did have the creepy feeling like someone was watching me, but I think that may have been my over-active imagination and feeling like I was stuck in some bad movie. The one saving grace of the stay was the nice 40-minute swim I had in their pool. Not only was in relaxing, but I felt like the chlorine killed all of those germs I encountered the night before.<br /><br />In my next installment I will share more about the trip...not nearly as entertaining as the Rodeway Inn.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112231541342272596?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1120773477469927192005-07-07T17:20:00.000-05:002005-07-07T17:26:40.640-05:00This quote comes from Acts, and cannot express more fully how I feel about my service trip to Idabel, Oklahoma. This is the 3rd summer I have journeyed for a week to the rural south and traded in my desk job for a hammer and a paint brush. In the days to come I promise to write more about my experience. But for today, I will let pictures express what unfolded before my eyes last week. And if you're wondering, that's me in the red hat :)<br /><br />So I'm having problems posting the pictures. Unfortunately each one is a separate entry. Also, you can click on the photos to make them bigger and get a better idea of what the project looked like...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112077347746992719?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1120774437794933752005-07-07T17:17:00.000-05:002005-07-07T17:23:12.000-05:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/640/house%20before.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/320/house%20before.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />our task for the week! <a href="http://picasa.google.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112077443779493375?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1120774378589593562005-07-07T17:16:00.000-05:002005-07-07T17:22:36.046-05:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/640/house%20in%20progress3.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/320/house%20in%20progress3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />in progress <a href="http://picasa.google.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112077437858959356?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1120774396474417292005-07-07T17:15:00.000-05:002005-07-07T17:23:56.013-05:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/640/house%20in%20progress2.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/320/house%20in%20progress2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />in progress <a href="http://picasa.google.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112077439647441729?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1120774410303836722005-07-07T17:14:00.000-05:002005-07-07T17:23:37.193-05:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/640/house%20in%20progress.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/320/house%20in%20progress.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />in progress <a href="http://picasa.google.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112077441030383672?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1120774357480297682005-07-07T17:13:00.000-05:002005-07-07T17:24:13.806-05:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/640/house%20almost%20done1.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/320/house%20almost%20done1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />almost done! <a href="http://picasa.google.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112077435748029768?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1120774328244955682005-07-07T17:12:00.000-05:002005-07-07T17:24:30.043-05:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/640/home%20for%20the%20week1.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/320/home%20for%20the%20week1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />home for the week! <a href="http://picasa.google.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112077432824495568?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1120597482741887402005-07-05T16:01:00.000-05:002005-07-05T16:04:42.746-05:00As some of you know, I like to write poetry on occasion. The University of Dayton recently started a literary magazine. The hope was that faculty, staff, and alums would submit works. One of my poems has been published in the most recent edition of the literary magazine which is titled Barnstorming: A Literary Journal. To view the online version of the magazine and read my poem visit: <a href="http://academic.udayton.edu/barnstorming/spring.htm">http://academic.udayton.edu/barnstorming/spring.htm</a>. I submitted some other poems that I liked better, but they chose the one they liked best...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-112059748274188740?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1116339167889126292005-05-17T09:03:00.000-05:002005-05-17T09:40:07.663-05:00Over the weekend I passed another milestone and entered life as a 30-something. All in all it was a fun-filled weekend surrounded by family and friends. Due to a wedding, I traveled to my beloved state of Ohio for the weekend. Perhaps because it was a "big" birthday, it was only proper that I celebrate in the state of <a href="http://ohio.gov/">Ohio</a> and see the family.<br /><br />Friday I made the road trip to Dayton with my friend <a href="http://analogblog.blogspot.com//">Rob</a> who has an idea for a long awaited second blog posting. We'll see how long that takes! ;) Then I was off to Kettering for the rehearsal picnic for my friend Maria's "Big Fat Greek Wedding". Finally the night ended with a gathering of friends at my college pal Dave's house.<br /><br />Nothing can make a 30-year old feel like they are 16 again than trying to quietly sneak into the house at 4 am. Of course I dropped my keys on the kitchen floor and then promptly ran into my mom in the hallway outside of the bedrooms. All I could say was that I was SO sorry for coming home so late. She didn't seem to care that I was late, and offered up a simple Happy Birthday Honey! Mom's are great that way.<br /><br />Saturday morning was filled with time with the family, opening birthday presents, eating birthday cake, and after a 200-meter and a 100-meter race with my almost 7 year nephew it was time to shift gears and make my way to the <a href="http://www.daytonannunciation.org/">Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church </a>in Dayton. I've never been to an Orthodox service before and was intrigued by all of the rituals and traditions and the fact that some were repeated in threes to symbolize the trinity. A Greek band added to the festivities of the reception and got people on their feet and dancing. Of course most of us didn't know the traditional Greek dances, but we made an effort to learn them! The bride and groom are relocating to Chicago in the next month, so I look forward to more shared times with them and the opportunity to introduce them to the city during the best time of year -- summer!<br /><br />I guess I am officially old now, because I am still tired from all of the festivities of the past weekend...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111633916788912629?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1114182120750027962005-04-22T12:00:00.000-05:002005-04-22T10:34:25.150-05:00Today is the 35th annual <a href="http://www.earthday.net/">Earth Day</a>. I was thinking yesterday how this day doesn't have the same feel as when we were kids. And then on the drive to work I heard on <a href="http://www.wbez.org/">Chicago Public Radio</a> how this day has become a much less a political type of day, and much more of a feel good about trees and nature kind of day. It really is unfortunate that something has been lost over time. There is also a some sad irony that on the eve of Earth Day, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an energy bill that <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/04/0421_050421_alaskadrilling.html">approves drilling</a> in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Furthermore, the <a href="http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2005/2005-04-22-10.asp">bill grants manufacturers </a>of the gasoline additive MTBE protection from litigation.<br /><br />Nevertheless, we can all continue to live as green of lives as possible. In honor of today, here are just a few of the interesting green-esque websites I've found over time.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.consciouschoice.com/">Conscious Choice</a><br /><a href="http://www.grist.org/">Grist Magazine</a><br /><a href="http://www.greenpressinitiative.org/">The Green Press Initiative</a><br /><a href="http://www.gaiam.com/retail/default.asp">GAIAM</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111418212075002796?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1113576385117780802005-04-21T17:00:00.000-05:002005-04-21T16:14:34.750-05:00"Do not abandon yourself to despair. We are an Easter people, and hallelujah is our song."<br />- Pope John Paul II<br /><br />So, these past few weeks I have been silent on my blog as I've spent my "free" time immersing myself in the events surrounding the traditions and rituals of the Catholic Church during a time of transition. I've spent much time reading voraciously about the incredible life and the humble death of the great man known as <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/special_features/hf_jp_ii_xxv_en.htm">John Paul II</a>. In eager anticipation I awaited the white smoke to emerge from the <a href="http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html">Sistine Chapel</a> signaling the conclave had made their decision, and for the bells to toll confirming the smoke actually was white. I was practically giddy as I watched on my laptop at work for the live announcement to be made of who the <a href="http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/cardinals.htm">cardinals</a> named as the next pope.<br /><br />And then...oddly I felt things were a bit anti-climatic once the announcement had been made. Now things are settling in and I once again await in anticipation. I am eager to see what <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/elezione/biografia_en.html">Pope Benedict XVI</a> will reveal to us in his papacy.<br /><br />*****************************************************************************<br />Switching gears...<br /><br />For those of you not in the Midwest, Chicago had a series of beautiful spring days that recently shifted to cooler weather. On Sunday I had the joy of playing tour guide to my friends Mabel and Stan on a gorgeous spring day. <a href="http://maybemabel.blogspot.com/">Mabel's blog</a> for April 20th does a wonderful job of high-lighting our Sunday adventures and includes some photos of our architectural voyage.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111357638511778080?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1112206481045968742005-03-30T12:11:00.000-06:002005-03-30T12:25:59.293-06:00As kids we all played the game 20 Questions in an effort to have one person guess the person, place, item, etc. that the other person was thinking of in their heads. Well, as with many things, technology has even revolutionized this simple children's game. Interested? Check out <a href="http://y.20q.net/">this site</a> to play 20 Questions. You think of an object, the site asks you questions. I of course have tested this out a few times. It's pretty amazing what it can guess in 20 questions. I did stump it a few times and it needed to ask me more than 20 questions, but it eventually did get the right answer. The interesting thing is that over time the system "learns" more from every person that plays. So, overtime it supposedly gets "better." Scary, I know for an inanimate object...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111220648104596874?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1112035151671393232005-03-28T12:29:00.000-06:002005-03-28T13:18:23.333-06:00I knew I was far from my home within the city limits of Chicago when I saw 8 deer just feet from me. Two of them were so brazen that we were forced to turn around and re-trace our steps on the original path we followed. Of course brazen may be the wrong word. After all, we were in their territory and traipsing through their habitat and home.<br /><br />Where were we, you ask? Near scenic Dayton, Ohio of course. Over the weekend when I visiting my brother's family, my niece was eager to show my mom and me the "Secret Garden" that she had discovered with my sister-in-law. So, my mom, sis-in-law, and I piled in the van with the 3 kids and set out for our adventure. <br /><br />The “Secret Garden” is located in <a href="http://www.metroparks.org/Facilities/Huffman_MetroPark/huffman_metropark.html">Huffman MetroPark</a>. There is also a <a href="http://www.miamiconservancy.org/Flood_Protection_&_Water_Management/Flood_Protection_System/Dams/Huffman.htm">Dam</a> that is located in the park that people familiar with the area may recognize. The garden is actually surrounded by fence and has a gate that is kept closed that visitors must enter and exit through. It’s just a regular old fence. Us ladies thought it would be neat if they built a wrought iron fence and let ivy grown on it like in the <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?isbn=0753454793">book</a>.<br /><br />Anyway, we saw many signs of spring from flowers poking their heads up through the earth, to leaves starting to form on some of the trees, to a little stream babbling through the garden, and to the rushing river that was located closer to the dam. The water was moving pretty fast and my sis-in-law said the river level was much higher than when she had last been there. Surely a sign of the winter thaw.<br /><br />My six-year old nephew kept insisting that we “race!” So, I got some good sprints in during our hike as well. :) All in all, a fun adventure as we celebrated Easter and the ushering in of spring…<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111203515167139323?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1111677844118782592005-03-24T09:06:00.000-06:002005-03-24T09:24:04.120-06:00Tenebrae is a Latin word for "darkness" or "shadows." Last night at the Cathedral, a <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14506a.htm">Tenebrae service</a> was held in anticipation of the Triduum. I never experienced or even heard of this practice when I lived in Ohio, but in Chicago hundreds of people join in this practice of Gregorian chanting, reflection, and the gradual extinguishing of 14 candles. After the 14th candle is snuffed out, the last lit candle is removed from the church, and the lights are dimmed. It really is quite beautiful to experience being in silence and darkness in the Cathedral with hundreds of other people. Last night I couldn't help but look up at the stained glass windows and admire the evening glow of the city streaming into the church and down upon the people.<br /><br />This service is very solemn and not one really of rejoicing, but rather one of ancient traditions and reflection. While in the darkness and solitude of prayer, many may be startled by the sudden loud noise (strepitus) that breaks the silence. This is symbolic of the earthquake at the time of the resurrection. It's an interesting thing to experience...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111167784411878259?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1111516046660216192005-03-22T12:00:00.000-06:002005-03-22T12:27:26.663-06:00It's officially spring. The days are getting longer, the sun seems to be shining much brighter, and that bitter chill in the Chicago air is gone. At 5:30 am when I leave for the gym the sun is actually coming up now (well at least until the time changes). It's no coincidence that the movement from Lent to Easter falls into this time of movement from darkness into light.<br /><br />As many of my Catholic friends have also remarked lately, we are eager to experience Holy Week and all of the services and rituals. Palm Sunday marked the beginning of this week of activities for me and was followed by a Sunday evening reflection on the tridium.<br /><br />Last night following my Parish Mission meeting, I continued this week's Lenten journey through an unexpected opportunity to share in an interesting conversation. My friend Dan and I went out with our pastor and resident priest (who is from Scotland!) to a local bar. Dan was eager to talk about some of the religious questions that had been stirring within him. Before I hardly realized what was happening over a few beers, the 4 of us were deep in conversation about purgatory, the Eucharist, <a href="http://www.catholic.net/rcc/Periodicals/Homiletic/Jan98/transubstantiation.html">transubstantiation</a>, and reconciliation. Although I kept thinking that this should seem weird that I am sitting with two priests at a bar having a beer and participating in this seeming laid back conversation about very meaningful topics, for some reason it seemed completely normal.<br /><br />As so continues my journey through this holy week...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111151604666021619?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1111420146236329432005-03-21T09:34:00.000-06:002005-03-21T09:54:29.873-06:00Today I was reading the article Justin linked to about bicycle messengers, when I saw an ad that made me chuckle. Apparently there is a <a href="http://www.doogiehowserondvd.com/default.asp?link=blog2">contest</a> in which you can win a trip to the 2005 Emmy's by writing an entry about what Doogie Howser, MD has been up to since we last saw him. The teaser in the ad was "Doogie may be the original blogger." The website for the contest reminds us: "Remember how each Doogie episode ended? Doogie downloaded what he had learned (the moral of the story) into his computer journal. Now it's your chance to be in Doogie's shoes and write a journal entry for him..."<br /><br />So, I guess Doogie really was a visionary when it came to the world of blogs. He was writing his first entries in 1989 when the show premiered. Not only was he a medical genius at an early age, but we have him to thank for making the online world a place for sharing thoughts and ideas with friends and family.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111142014623632943?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1111169679602874552005-03-18T11:59:00.000-06:002005-03-18T12:14:39.606-06:00It's always fun when you can take a little adventure at work. But sometimes the cause of the adventure does cause one to question the work of others...<br /><br />Yesterday one of the faculty members stopped by our office with an email in hand from another faculty member outside of our department. The email stated that our faculty member's course packets for spring 2005 (4 boxes shipped via FedEx) were sitting on a random park bench outside of a museum on campus. Our faculty member though this was a joke at first, but after some online research she thought the faculty member looked serious and called him. She then realized this was no joking matter. Now of course this caused concern on the part of our office since these packets are supposed to be on the shelves at the bookstore.<br /><br />So, my co-worker and I decided we needed to investigate the scene of the crime. We drove in my car toward the museum and I sawan empty park bench and thought, "Oh no! They've been stolen!" But, we drove closer to the museum and found a courtyard with benches. Tammy jumped out of the car and began the search. She then began motioning to me and I hopped out. Sure enough sitting on a park bench in the middle of a courtyard were 4 boxes of course packets with the bookstore address on them.<br /><br />Now I kept thinking to myself, how the heck did they make it to this bench? The museum isn't proximate to the bookstore. The boxes had the right address on them. Surely the Fed Ex person wouldn't randomly decide to run up a set of concrete steps and leave 4 boxes on a random park bench. If you're going to leave them somewhere, why not a random corner or dumpster?<br /><br />Well, our vendor called Fed Ex and found out that the boxes were signed for by the bookstore a week ago. So, the plot thickens. Where the heck have the boxes been for the past week? There was no sign of weathering of the boxes. Surely they haven't been sitting on that bench for a week. Were they ever delivered to the bookstore? Were they stolen from the bookstore? And just who was this professor who initially found them and called our professor? I guess this just may remain an Unsolved Mystery...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111116967960287455?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1111074900231191892005-03-17T09:55:00.000-06:002005-03-17T10:00:59.773-06:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/640/nathan15.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/320/nathan15.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Nathan Connor -- Future Flyer :) <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm sure the green beer is flowing in many bars by now. I was actually surprised that none of the places I went on Saturday (the big Chicago St. Patrick's celebration day) had any green beer. But, there was plenty of Guinness and Harp to go around for everyone... </span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;"></span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">Just who was St. Patrick? "Saint Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland." </span><a href="http://www.st-patricks-day.com/about_saintpatrick.asp"><span style="color:#33cc00;">Click here</span></a><span style="color:#33cc00;"> to read more... </span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;"></span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">And finally, I couldn't resist including the adorable picture above of my Godson Nathan Connor! Yes, he is sporting the nifty UD blanket I bought for him :) Already he is making me so very proud!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111107490023119189?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1110998443635504782005-03-16T12:24:00.000-06:002005-03-16T12:40:43.636-06:00In this past year I've been able to revive the lost art of letter writing in my life. With Dianna in India for the past 14 months and Eric entering the novitiate last summer, I've been good about writing letters pretty regularly. For me it's been a good and enriching experience as the letter writer and the letter receiver. There is something to be said about someone taking time away from their busy, busy lives to share with you about what is going on in their lives. Not only is it personal, but it says I care enough to share a part of myself and my life stories with you. And for the letter writer it can also be like writing a journal or a life log. Plus, everyone gets excited when they receive a handwritten letter or note in their mailbox. My friend Jenene equates our current day letter writing to Paul's Letters in the bible. I like that analogy.<br /><br />I've been pondering the meaning of community and home a lot these days. What does each mean and represent to me? As many of my Chicago friends and I have discussed, we live in a city of almost 3 million people, but at times it can be a very lonely city with a lot of people rushing around doing independent things. But, where is the community? What makes a community? And why don't people just stop by anymore like they did growing up or when we were in college?<br /><br />Some potential reason that "Drop-In" visits to friends have gone by the wayside could be that people are too busy, people feel they might be imposing or that it's not proper, people don't invite others over because they feel that their house isn't clean or there needs to be an occasion for a visit, and the list goes on. Are we socialized to think dropping in is rude? Are we moving to a non-interactive society? Heck, you don't need to talk to a person to buy groceries at the grocery store or to do your banking &amp; bill paying anymore. Anyway, just something to ponder. Perhaps now that I've revived my art of letter writing I should focus on community building and dropping-in on friends more. So beware, I may just show up at your door one day!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111099844363550478?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1110924872864859722005-03-15T15:43:00.000-06:002005-03-15T16:14:32.866-06:00Almost seven years ago when my nephew Andrew was born I became a Godmother for the first time. My cousin (well actually he's my second cousin, I think) Jeremy and his wife Stacie had their first child last night. His name is Nathan Connor. I've yet to see a picture of baby Nathan. But, I am excited to meet the little guy since I will be his Godmother! <a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0233.html">Here's</a> a nice overview if you want to read more about the history and role of being a Godparent.<br /><br />Now have you ever wondered what it means to have a second cousin once removed, or a first cousin twice removed? I think this concept is very confusing. I only have 4 first cousins. But ironically I probably know my second cousin Jeremy better than my first cousins since Jeremy, his wife Stacie, and I were all at UD together. Anyway, after doing some research I think Jeremy's mom is my first cousin once removed and Jeremy is my second cousin. So, I guess Stacie would then be my second cousin-in law. Confused? Wondering about your own family? Well, I found this handy <a href="http://www.cousincouples.com/info/relation.shtml">chart </a>that can help simplify the whole thing.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111092487286485972?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1110558516802760292005-03-11T10:16:00.000-06:002005-03-11T10:28:36.803-06:00So, my favorite airline continues to be <a href="http://www.southwest.com/">Southwest Airlines</a> because it is very affordable to fly Southwest to select cities. If you find a sale, a flight from Chicago Midway to Cleveland Hopkins can usually be found between $75-$100 with taxes and fees. Plus with Rapid Rewards, you can earn free flights. I've flown to Cleveland and Phili recently on free tickets. It's not bad to only have to pay the $5 tax/fee. And now that Southwest has aligned with ATA, you can even fly from select Southwest cities to Hawaii. I may need to save my next free flight toward a tropical adventure!<br /><br />Southwest recently introduced a new marketing device called DING! You download an icon to your desktop tray and then daily you receive information about specials that can be purchased. The specials are only for that day, but each new day brings new specials. I think it's kind of clever. Plus, if you're a Rapid Rewards member you get 2 free Rapid Rewards credits if you leave DING! on your desktop for 30 days. So, it looks like I may be 2 credits closer to a trip to Hawaii or some other fun location...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111055851680276029?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1110392506148268462005-03-09T12:02:00.000-06:002005-03-09T12:24:38.623-06:00<span style="font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;" >In a response on Mabel's website, Stan shared his $0.02 about smoking. By him typing $0.02 it made me think about something that has been bugging me for a while, but I never researched. Those of you who are computer gurus may already know the reasoning behind this. But, for the rest of us... Why the heck is there no cent symbol on our keyboards anymore? Where did it go? Why did it disappear? And just when did this happen? The phrase "put in my two cents" is commonly used in our culture and coins are certainly still a viable way to pay for items. So why is there no more cents sign? Granted in the US the $ sign is universal, but what about newspapers and such? These can often cost less than $1.00. Doesn't something with a cent sign seem like it's cheaper? Wouldn't it be good marketing to offer something for 50¢ instead of $0.55?<br /><br />I understand this quandary of mine is entirely useless, and it's similar to my obsession a few years ago with how and why a water tower worked. Nonetheless, we can all rest easier now.</span><big style="font-family: arial;"><strong style="font-weight: 400;"> </strong></big><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.charlieanderson.com/centsign.htm">This website</a><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;" > gives a helpful and logical commentary on why there was a move away from using the cent sign. <br /><br />And for those of you who are wondering just how I typed that </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;" >¢ sign. All I have to say is thank goodness for copy and paste.<br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111039250614826846?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1110297073010195092005-03-08T09:17:00.000-06:002005-03-08T09:58:35.400-06:00On Sunday Chicagoans received a taste of spring with blue skies, sunshine, and temperatures in the 60s! If people had indoor plans, many made exceptions and took advantage of the nice weather and went outside to play.<br /><br />I think many of us feel that we don't make Sunday enough of a day of rest (and we really should). On Sunday I made up for that. After going to church I met up with a friend in Rogers Park at a neighborhood place called the <a href="http://www.heartlandcafe.com/">Heartland Cafe</a>. I had never been there before, but had heard good things about their vegetarian cuisine. (And yes, for you carnivores they do have meat. They even honor those meat eaters with a part of their building they affectionately call the Buffalo Bar). The Heartland Cafe is laid back, casual and has that neighborhood let's go hang out feel to it.<br /><br />After a nice lunch at the Heartland Cafe we decided to resurrect the Sunday afternoon drive. Now that's something us city folks who are young adults do just about never. Being by the lake and driving in the Northshore area on Sheridan is really quite beautiful. After a scenic drive, a little trip to the <a href="http://www.chicagobotanic.org/">Chicago Botanic Gardens</a> in Glencoe was in order. While they Gardens aren't quite green yet, we enjoyed walking around, looking at the gardens and the carillon, and taking in the sunshine. And that's how a perfect spring day should be spent.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-111029707301019509?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1109959218447162872005-03-04T11:39:00.000-06:002005-03-04T12:00:18.450-06:00On Wednesday I drove my German friend to the <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/chi/enindex.htm">Goethe-Institut Chicago</a> to see a German film. On our drive to 150 N. Michigan Avenue my friend asked me if I had heard the about the building that houses the Institut. The building stands out in the Chicago skyline since it has a unique diamond-shaped face to it. I recognized the building, but at that point I didn't know much about it. Neither of us knew the name of it. She said she had heard that the building was built as an anti-phallic symbol amongst all of the skyscrapers with a phallic tone.<br /><br />After hearing all of this, I decided that I needed to do some internet research and find out whether or not this was fact or fiction. My findings revealed that the building is called the <a href="http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=116680">Smurfit-Stone Building</a>. And while many people consider it to be anti-phallic in nature, the designer claims that was not the intent. <a href="http://www.606mag.com/main.php?id=80">This website</a> gives an interesting overview about the building and the debate.<br /><br />Next time you're on Michigan Avenue, decide for yourself what you think!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110995921844716287?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1109870488854818682005-03-03T11:01:00.000-06:002005-03-03T11:21:28.856-06:00Chicago's skyline boasts many skyscrapers, but the two most widely known are the <a href="http://www.thesearstower.com/">Sears Tower </a>and the <a href="http://www.johnhancockcenterchicago.com/">John Hancock</a>. I will let the architects debate the structural and aesthetic merits of each. However, I'd like to comment on my own personal view (atmosphere) in the battle between the buildings. I've visited the <a href="http://www.the-skydeck.com/homeDefault.htm">SkyDeck</a> level of the Sears Tower. I do admit it is an amazing view, but I think I prefer the Hancock over the Sears Tower. Granted I've not been to the the <a href="http://www.hancock-observatory.com/">Hancock Observatory</a> level, but I have been to the <a href="http://www.signatureroom.com/lounge.html">Signature Room Lounge</a> at the 96th Floor. I must admit, this is one of my favorite places to take people when they visit Chicago. Nothing beats sitting around chatting, having a drink with friends, and looking out on the great city of Chicago. I've been to the Signature Room Lounge on clear days, during a lightening storm (it was cool, I felt like we were level with the lightening!), and on cloudy days. There is always a great view from the 96th Floor. And for the women, I have to say that one of the very best views is from the women's restroom--no kidding. There is a wall of floor to ceiling windows that you can stand right up against and gaze at the city. Not a good place to go if you have vertigo, but breathtaking none-the-less!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110987048885481868?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1109799500261245542005-03-02T15:26:00.000-06:002005-03-02T15:38:20.263-06:00Last weekend when Lisa & Chris were in town, we headed up to Roscoe Village for some good breakfast eats. As they say, <a href="http://www.victorysbanner.com/index.htm">Victory's Banner</a> is no IHOP. This small, quaint place is light and airy and almost makes you feel like you're at home. For us vegetarians and natural/organic-friendly connoisseurs, it has some good eats. I, of course, go with the crowd and give two thumbs up to one of their most popular dishes -- Satisfaction-Promise: Our most popular egg dish. 2 eggs scrambled with spinach, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and feta. All the staff who work there are students of meditation. So, there is surely a peacefulness about the place. They close twice a year for their spiritual retreat. One of their closings is in mid-April. So, I think that Mabel &amp; Stan may have to try out one of the other many fine breakfast/brunch eateries in Chicago when they are here in April!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110979950026124554?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1109713481891531562005-03-01T15:35:00.000-06:002005-03-01T15:44:41.893-06:00So my pal Mabel brought up taxes on her blog, and she reminded me that I wanted to post my findings on free ways to e-file your taxes. Thanks Mabel for the reminder!<br /><br />In the past <a href="http://www.turbotax.com">TurboTax</a> has charged a fee for e-filing your taxes. This year you can file for free if you file your Federal taxes only. However, you can actually calculate your state taxes on TurboTax and then cancel out of it. So, you can figure out your magic number as a double check, but then only submit your Federal and circumvent any type of charges.<br /><br />Furthermore, many states will let you file your state taxes for free. Take for example, the fine state of Illinois. Illinois allows you to go through their <a href="https://www.revenue.state.il.us/app/ifile/">state website</a> to e-file for free.<br /><br />So, I'm with Mabel & Stan. My motto is "file early &amp; file for free!" I finished up my good old taxes a week ago and hopefully will have that return soon :)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110971348189153156?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1109179473411267272005-02-23T11:24:00.000-06:002005-02-23T11:28:11.240-06:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/640/building.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/7/3750/320/building.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Can you guess the architect? This is actually a trial run. I am attempting to post my first photo on my blog. We'll see if it works! <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110917947341126727?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1109101409481916902005-02-22T13:24:00.000-06:002005-02-22T15:00:42.813-06:00Well I decided to take Ohio by storm this weekend! Friday night after work I took a late flight to Cleveland. Saturday I took a trip to Columbus to see Lisa &amp; Chris' new house. They live in Worthington now and have a nice home. Saturday night we went to Comics For A Cure III which was an <a href="http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp">American Cancer Society</a> fundraiser event. The comedians were pretty funny and the event was fun, but the tofu and fruit salsa they served was...uh interesting. <a href="http://www.debenfamily.com/">My cousin and his wife </a>are expecting, so I went to the shower Sunday afternoon. All of us are UD grads, so I couldn't resist getting them baby UD items such as a Future Flyer blanket, Flyer booties, and everyone needs a Dayton Flyer onsie for their child. My sis-in-law took the cake with the UD piggy bank which stated "my UD college fund." I don't know if any of us will really be able to afford to send our kids to UD, but we all like to think they will. Sunday night my flight was slightly delayed, so I arrived home late after a busy and fun-filled weekend in Ohio! After all of my travels these past few weeks, Ii think I'm sticking close to home for a while!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110910140948191690?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1108656400929359902005-02-17T09:41:00.000-06:002005-02-17T10:06:40.933-06:00Well it seems like I should actually take up residence in the eastern time zone. In a period of 10 days I'll actually be in the eastern time zone 8 days. Tuesday and Wednesday I spent time in Ann Arbor, Michigan for work. I've never been to Ann Arbor. Also, I never thought traveling with work people could be considered a fun road trip, but it definitely was! We took a site visit to <a href="http://www.il.proquest.com/proquest/">ProQuest</a> and <a href="http://www.xanedu.com/">XanEdu</a> offices and production facilities. I was able to see how microfilm was processed, how books are bound and hard covers are made, as well as learn much about the microfilm industry. Who knew that ProQuest produces dissertations for every school in the U.S. and Canada except MIT? Also, they have on microfilm a majority of periodicals. Their collection of New York Times dates back to the late 1800s. It's unreal to see the building that houses all of the materials! And, the vendor we traveled with was nice enough to take us to the vegetarian restaurant <a href="http://www.planet99.com/detroit/restaurants/13391.html">Seva</a> that a few friends had recommended to me :) All in all a fun trip and break from work.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110865640092935990?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1108413978044264662005-02-14T14:29:00.000-06:002005-02-14T14:46:18.046-06:00This past weekend I traveled to the east coast and to the ocean! I've never been to the ocean in the winter, and loved it! After a flight from Chicago to Phili, an old friend from UD picked me up at the airport and we took a little detour on our way to a retreat house in Cape May, New Jersey. The little detour was to none other than Atlantic City! We had one hour in the casino to do our own thing. I played $5 on the slot machines, lost it, and went for a walk on the boardwalk. When we met up, I asked Brian what the damage was. He said $300. I felt horrible that he lost $300, but that was short-lived once I realized I misunderstood him. He had actually won $350 on roulette, and as a result came out $300 ahead! Thanks to Brian, we had a nice social on Saturday night at the retreat since Brian sprang for all of the beer and wine!<br /><br />The whole reason for my trip to New Jersey was to visit the <a href="http://www.capemaymarianists.org/">Marianist Family Retreat Center</a>. While the retreat itself left some things to be desired, I had a wonderful weekend! I had fun catching up with Brian, I ran into another acquaintance from UD, and met 4 really nice women. And, I saw one of the most magnificent sunsets on Saturday night! We had a good chunk of free time during the day, so I enjoyed walking to a lighthouse, taking pictures of some interesting houses, and walking the beach for a few hours. If I ever figure how to put pictures up, I'll include some here once I get them developed. I'm traditional that way, I love film and prints :)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110841397804426466?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1107969662487523022005-02-09T10:58:00.000-06:002005-02-09T11:25:26.613-06:00A newer addition to Chicago's many attractions is <a href="http://www.millenniumpark.org/home.htm">Millennium Park</a>. This venue, located near the Cultural Center, has many fun aspects. One of my favorites is <a href="http://chicagouncommon.com/photography/gallery/1575/">The Bean</a> (which is technically called the Cloud Gate Sculpture) by British artist Anish Kapoor. You can always see tourists trying to find their reflections in The Bean, admiring the view of the skyline in The Bean, and of course standing underneath it and taking pictures. I haven't had the chance to go out there and take pictures of it yet, but hopefully I can this spring or summer. Currently the sculpture is tented and undergoing a final polishing and some other welding work. It is to re-open in the spring -- hopefully in time for Mabel &amp; Stan's trip to Chicago! <br /> <br />Millennium Park also boasts a band shelter, fountains with changing faces of Chicagoans (I think they're Chicagoans, at least that's what I heard!), gardens, and it wouldn't be a city park with an ice skating rink. Across the BP Bridge in Millennium Park there is a "secret" smaller rink where we took my niece and nephews at Thanksgiving. They loved ice skating and I managed to only take one fall -- but that was to prevent myself from ice skating over my 6 year old nephew who had fallen on the ice! Last summer there was also an exhibit called 1000 Families by photographer Uwe Ommer. The exhibit was located on the Chase Promenade at Millennium Park and documented global families. It has moved on, but it was really quite fascinating. Apparently it's also captured in a <a href="http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/books/photography/all/facts/03347.htm">book</a> by the same name of 1000 Families. Hopefully something equally as interesting will be coming to the space this year. <br /> <br />Anyway, if you're ever in Chicago be sure to check out Millennium Park and The Bean! <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110796966248752302?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1107876161698636932005-02-08T09:15:00.000-06:002005-02-08T09:22:41.700-06:00I think one of the most fascinating things about really intelligent people is that they can pull great practical jokes and they do things that many people would not think about on the daily basis. Take for example my friend who is a PhD student at Loyola studying immunology or something like that. "For fun," in their lab they do experiments on every day items such as grapes. You have to check out this precise <a href="http://c3po.barnesos.net/homepage/lpl/grapeplasma/">overview</a> they wrote up of a recent "fun" experiment and especially look at the last two pictures! <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110787616169863693?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1107790534255511562005-02-07T08:56:00.000-06:002005-02-07T16:00:30.510-06:00Well I've had two great weekends with my girlfriends! Last weekend I was in Ohio for a bridal shower, and as we all know nothing can compare to staying up until 4 am being girls and talking. <br />This weekend was my monthly girls' outing with my friends from the Cathedral. For about a year now we've been attempting to take in different Chicago scenes in a setting where we can relax and talk. In the past we've indulged at the Chocolate Bar in the <a href="http://chicago.peninsula.com/pch/dining_03.html">Peninsula Hotel</a>, we've dined at <a href="http://www.clubluckychicago.com/">Club Lucky</a> and <a href="http://www.planet99.com/chicago/restaurants/14373.html">RA Sushi</a>, and this weekend I felt like such a lady having high tea at the <a href="http://www.fourseasons.com/chicagorc/celebrations/dining_101.html">Ritz</a>. <br /> <br />At tea we indulged in finger sandwiches, scones, and a sampling of sweet treats. Of course we had a large selection of black teas, herbal teas, and ice teas to choose from as well. There was a little irony that the 4 single girls were seated between two baby showers! However, the calm and quiet atmosphere was delightful. We relaxed and chatted away the afternoon in the Greenhouse Room for 3 hours. <br /> <br />The weekend did have an odd twist to it. Nothing beats a farewell pubcrawl 'til 2 am when your old co-worker asks you why the two of you never hooked up, and you have to remind him that...he's married. <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110779053425551156?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1106319219013131882005-01-21T08:45:00.000-06:002005-01-21T08:53:39.013-06:00In the midst of a Chicago winter it's easy to get the winter blahs and want to hibernate. It happens to me every winter. This winter I'm lucky enough to pay a nice sum of $ every month to park in the garage below our building. It's wonderfully convenient and worth the $. But, here's a tip. Don't park next to your boss' car. You never know when you're going to be backing out, trying to avoid a pole, trying to avoid a nice yellow "slow" sign, and then realize your boss' car just jumped because you hit it. It's bad enough to hit anyone's car, but your boss' only makes it worse! It looked fine when I left, but on my drive home I panicked that maybe I didn't look close enough. So, that Catholic guilt got to me and I left her a message saying I thought it was ok, but if it wasn't just to let me know. Thank goodness for understanding boss', she actually laughed and said, "that's what bumpers are for!" Spring and sunshine can't come soon enough for this girl. <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110631921901313188?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1104792290050706092005-01-03T15:52:00.000-06:002005-01-03T16:44:50.050-06:00Could it really be a month since I wrote an entry? I think the whole month of December practically escaped me. <br /> <br />Christmas for the immediate family was all environmentally friendly items or fair trade items. It's amazing how many stores/website there are out there. So, I will share some of the great fair trade locations/websites that I found: <br /> <br />Ten Thousand Villages: Great store, locations nationwide, thanks Holly for introducing me to this place! I made 3 Christmas shopping trips to the one in Evanston. <a href="http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/">http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/</a> <br /> <br />Bright Hope International: <a href="http://www.brighthope.com/">http://www.brighthope.com/</a> <br /> <br />SERRV International: <a href="http://www.serrv.org/">http://www.serrv.org/</a> <br /> <br />NOVICA: <a href="http://www.novica.com/">http://www.novica.com/</a> <br /> <br />Happy Fair Trade Shopping! <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110479229005070609?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1102095148164670942004-12-03T11:26:00.000-06:002004-12-03T11:39:54.360-06:00Some of my fellow UD friends may remember Erin Sitton from college. Erin participated in retreats and also could be found playing her guitar around campus and singing catchy little folksy tunes. Last summer I ran into Erin at a wedding. This autumn I was at a wedding and we each received a CD. One of the songs on the CD was an Erin Sitton song. Well, that prompted me to buy her CD Gone By Noon from CD Baby <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sitton">http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sitton</a>. I really like her upbeat songs and wittiness combined with thought-provoking lyrics. One of the songs I even recognized from college. Maybe we should all take a roadtrip and see her some time when she is playing out in Colorado! Check out her website if you want more info. about Erin: <a href="http://www.erinsitton.com/">http://www.erinsitton.com/</a> <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110209514816467094?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1102002056967648452004-12-02T09:20:00.000-06:002004-12-02T09:42:20.616-06:00Last night was busy indeed! <br /> <br />PART #1 - Catholic Charities <br />The young adults from church served a meal at Catholic Charities last night to about 85 homeless ppl. Since the 1st of the month is pay day, we speculate that was the reason we were down from the usualy 125 ppl that we serve. After dinner there was a fun round of BINGO so that they could win hats, gloves, clocks, bags, etc. But, I had to dash out before that so I could make it to PART #2 of the evening. <br /> <br />PART #2 - Flyer Fun <br />Well, in the spirit of the Univ. of Dayton, a group of us went out to Allstate Arena last night to cheer on UD's basketball team as they took on the DePaul Blue Demons. Supposedly there were about 400 UD alums there. I actually did run into a good handful of ppl that I knew or recognized. It was a big UD reunion to say the least. UD had a lot of players graduate last year, so the team is very YOUNG to say the least. My favorite of the youngsters is #33 Jimmy Binny. My friend Matt says it's good that I'm cheering for Jimmy, because he needs all of the cheering he can get. Sadly, DePaul took out UD with a game ending score of 70-59. <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110200205696764845?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1101855312598090992004-11-30T16:40:00.000-06:002004-11-30T16:55:12.620-06:00Well, I survived the holiday and even had fun! <br /> <br />WEDNESDAY <br />It took my bro. & his family 10 hours to get here from Dayton on Wednesday. But, that's what happens when you travel on the Wed. before Thanksgiving and it's snowing sideways in Chicago. Had a fun night painting and playing games with kids. They have a million questions. Do you have a basement? Why do you only have one toothbrush? Do you have a washer? Do you have a dishwasher? Can I see the attic? And there were their innocent conversations with each other. "She has a tiny apartment because it's just her. She doesn't have any babies." And then there were late night talks with Andrew because he couldn't sleep. I learned all about 3 different types of owls and what makes them different. Kids are so smart some times! <br /> <br />THURSDAY <br />I think I took on making too many new things and too many things from scratch! I was a little stressed in my dinner preparations. But, all in all, dinner was a success. I had my bro. worried about the lack of meat, but I did manage to successfully make a turkey breast in addition to a lentil loaf, mashed potatoes, asian green beans, stuffing with cranberries/apples/water chestnuts, a festive salad, rolls, crab dip, and even a home made pumpkin roll. My mom brought two pies, and I baked the kids cookies. So, we definitely feasted! <br /> <br />FRIDAY <br />I took the family on the grand tour of our new building at work. If you want to check out the new business school building/my office, visit <a href="http://www.rvapc.com/flashindex.html">http://www.rvapc.com/flashindex.html</a>. Click on projects/works, alphabetical, university of chicago graduate school of business. There are 10 pictures in the series and my office is number 4. Not sure how I got the token "office" picture. We also made it downtown to see the Christmas windows at Marshall Fields, to Millenium Park to see the Bean, and ice skating too. <br /> <br />SATURDAY <br />My parents left before lunch, and my bro's family after lunch. Then I hopped in the shower to get ready for my friend Jenny's wedding. I didn't know a ton of ppl there, but since it was a UD wedding I ran into a good handful of UD ppl that I knew. <br /> <br />SUNDAY <br />Lisa and Chris were in town from Columbus! We had a fun day brunching at Jane's, shopping on Michigan Avenue, and meeting friends for dinner at Baccino's. By Sunday night I was exhausted. <br /> <br />MONDAY <br />I didn't want to go back to work, but I did. Had another late night. Stayed up baking 9 dozen cookies for a meal at Catholic Charities that I'm helping to organize. 3 times a year the young adults at my church prepare and serve a meal to the homeless. This Wednesday we'll have the added joy of playing BINGO with the guests. They love it! <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110185531259809099?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1101235991287087062004-11-23T12:46:00.000-06:002004-11-23T12:53:11.286-06:00Imagine, one tiny city apartment with virtually no counter-top space and a stove that is slightly smaller than a regular stove. Imagine, living space that includes a kitchen, dining room, and living room all compressed into one room. Imagine, 5 adults and 3 kids coming to that apartment to indulge in Thanksgiving dinner and a few days of fun festivities in Chicago! No need to imagine much longer, because that will be a reality when the family treks from Ohio to celebrate Thanksgiving Chicago-style. What is Chicago-style? Cramped quarters? Cold and windy? Well, my bro. is worried that it will be meat-free. I have assured him that there will be no tofurkey, but he is still quite concerned and sends daily emails about MEAT. I guess they only have a few more days to wait and see what I have cooked up for our family gathering! I do have a separate bedroom and a small office, so there will be places to hide if they get scared. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110123599128708706?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1100800648040654822004-11-18T11:47:00.000-06:002004-11-18T12:40:50.670-06:00So my friends have a joke. If I've missed out on some group outing or I don't remember an outing, a standard line is used. "Oh, you must have been at a wedding." So, I decided maybe I should count all of these weddings that I've attended/have been invited to attend. Let's see...6 this year and one more to go...two scheduled for next year...ok, ok I'm just going to make a list! <br /> <br />2005 <br /> <br /><ul><li>Colleen & Spencer</li><li>Maria &amp; Greg</li></ul><p></p><p>2004</p><ul><li>Benji & Molly</li><li>Brooke &amp; Lou</li><li>David & Julia</li><li>Ruth &amp; Rob</li><li>Michael & Vanessa</li><li>Sharon &amp; Raveen</li><li>Jenny & Matt</li></ul><p></p><p>Adult years proceeding 2004...</p><ul><li>Sal &amp; Jholet (unable to attend)</li><li>Dru & Wife (unable to attend)</li><li>Laurie &amp; Husband</li><li>Joanie & Matt</li><li>Lisa &amp; Chris</li><li>Kerri & Shawn</li><li>Katie &amp; Nabeel</li><li>Jen & Chris</li><li>Jeremy &amp; Stacie</li><li>Jenn & Tony</li><li>Christie &amp; Will (unable to attend)</li><li>Cort & Holly</li><li>Tom &amp; Sara</li><li>John & Michelle</li><li>Chuck &amp; Casey</li><li>Dave & Andrea</li><li>Jenny &amp; Randy</li><li>Brandon & Carrie</li><li>Gina &amp; Matt</li><li>Tracy & Dustin</li><li>Chrissie &amp; Rich</li><li>John & Amy</li><li>Katie &amp; Dave (photographer w/ Fr. Chris)</li><li>Brian & Wife</li><li>Judy &amp; Tony</li><li>Jacquie & Tom (unable to attend)</li><li>Mark &amp; Tracy</li><li>Laura & Ben</li><li>Some random couple's wedding with my friend Shawn</li></ul><p></p><p>Weddings I remember from when I was a kid...</p><ul><li>Ann &amp; Andy</li><li>Brian &amp; Gloria</li><li>A couple others that were my mom's cousins, but I don't remember their names...</li></ul><p>Have I missed anyone? Let me know if you think of someone I can't think of right now! And best wishes to all of my married friends and family :)</p><p></p> <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110080064804065482?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1100711123831457832004-11-17T10:52:00.000-06:002004-11-17T11:06:15.873-06:00My old pal Mabel is giving me a hard time for not updating this more frequently, and the guilt is getting to me! Two weekends ago I met Rafael Vinoly. This past weekend I heard none other than Chicago's own Bill Rancic (of The Apprentice) speak. He's a down to earth guy with a lot of charisma. Excellent speaker, but not really my thing in terms of being an entrepreneur and what it means to be successful. But seeing how I was obsessed with season one of The Apprentice, it was still pretty cool to hear him speak. <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110071112383145783?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9084167.post-1100023053437288352004-11-09T11:42:00.000-06:002004-11-09T11:57:33.436-06:00This midwest girl hails from the great state of Ohio. I like to claim the whole state as my home--even though I currently reside in the best midwestern "major city" of Chicago. My old college housemate introduced me to this little communication vehicle, and it struck my fancy. So I figured that I'd give it a shot. <br /> <br />This weekend was the dedication of the new Chicago GSB Hyde Park Center. The building was designed by famed architect Rafael Vinoly. While outside greeting guests for the dedication, two men in suits and a women walk by admiring the building. I engage in small talk and the one gentleman asks me if I know who the architect is. I reply, "Vinoly and he will be speaking here today." He responds with a handshake and a laugh and says, "I am Vinoly!" Thank goodness I knew his name! Too bad I didn't recognize him... <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9084167-110002305343728835?l=udflyer.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>UDFlyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04753649144568831451noreply@blogger.com0