Judgement for bloggers

What does "as you judge, so will you be judged" mean for bloggers? (Matthew 7:1-2)

I've covered my issue with the application of this phrase in daily life, but I would like your help with another facet.

How do we, as bloggers, fit "not judging" into our work? We can espouse as many teachings as we want in our writing, but we can't control the choices other people make.

However, this is a cop-out:

"My decisions are for me, yours are right for you. We live in a world where fluffy unicorns eat candy corn out of your hand and leprechauns join you for milk and cookies after school."

In fact, this annoys me. I make plenty of mistakes, as do others.

But there is an ultimate Truth. God knows what will bring us the most fulfillment in our lives and several personal decisions will affect that outcome.

As bloggers, we preach to the choir most of the time. We fill the Internet with Catholic Christian teachings, trusting that someone who needs to will read them in our voice.

When I venture out into the real world and see friends who read my blog, I'm hypersensitive about how they interpret my words. I worry that those friends who disagree with me think I'm chronically judging them.

I don't want anyone to think I am condemning them (I am most certainly not!) by disagreeing with their choices, but I don't want to sit in silence, either.

The ultimate answer to my question is: Love always. If my actions are not loving, then I'm not following Jesus' commandment.

Where do YOU think this fits into our mission as bloggers? (Don't laugh, I think we're called to E-vangelize, too)

The opposite of grace

My sister often touts the message, "Anxiety is the opposite of grace."

s a follow up to my Christian Commitophobia post, let's talk about the red flags the prop up when commitophobia rears it's spiky head.
 

You may know that I'm dating a wonderful man (I doubt you know how wonderful). Before him, whenever I was dating someone, I would seize up with a severe case of the "what-ifs." 

What if he's not as great as he seems? What if I get sick of him? What if he gets sick of me? What if I find someone better when we're dating? What if I miss out on who God wants me to find because I date this guy?

I would find lots of little excuses to end the relationship before it got serious, before anyone got a chance to be intimately hurt by the relationship.

In many cases, I'm very grateful for those mental pokes of "what if?" However, several months ago a friend pointed out that some of those spikes of fear can come from the devil.

Think about this: Satan's objective is to steer as many souls away from God as possible. If two good Christians who mesh well come together for the extension of God's message of Love, the devil may lose out on innumerable souls.

A successful Christian marriage is a testimony for God and touches hundreds of souls, both directly and indirectly.

"YIKES, we can't have that!" says the devil.

Approach your romantic relationships with God in every moment. Keep prayer at the forefront of your relationship so you can take your time to realize if the doubts come from God or from the devil.

Another friend mentioned recently that thinking, "What do I know about loving a man?  I shouldn't even try this," cannot be from God.

My inevitable Christian commitophobic anxiety about my current boyfriend came several months before we started dating. I maintained the friendship with him during that time, keeping the anxiety at bay, until my confidence overpowered the doubts.

I'm always learning how to better listen to God and discern His plan for my life.

One lesson I've learned in this dating portion of my life is that the devil doesn't want couples who will help advance God's message to exist. Those successful relationships strengthen God's presence and he will do whatever he can to prevent them from growing.

If you're feeling those pangs of doubt and fear, ask yourself if it's because you're worried it won't be successful.

....Or are you worried that it will be successful? If the second, ask God to help you banish that devil out of your thoughts.

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 34

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

We're at Betty Beguiles today!

*1*

irst of all, do you like how I'm sprucing up my posts now? You can thank and appreciate the efforts of Jessica Hische, self-proclaimed letterer.

She said she was bored looking at most blog posts. Okay, Jessica, I can take a hint. I'll use your letters.

*2*

f you are a DIYer, planning a wedding, or at all bored at this moment, go visit my name twin at Elizabeth Anne Designs. I've come across this blog at least 10 separate times (no surprise, since we share two names) and it's time I help her out.

It doesn't look like she needs my help, as she has a healthy following and a lot of terrific, creative ideas on her blog!

*3*

'all got me. Jessica, Anthony (and here), and Allie rightfully corrected me in my post about "emerging adulthood." It turns out that I'm not an emerging adult, which is fine by me.

I'm an actual adult! (I'm a real [girl]!)

In her response, Allie said, "[This] actually reminds me a bit of an article about this trend in Mormonism that came out more recently."

Funnily (can we accept this word?) enough, I read this article a few weeks ago and it fascinated me! Tell me what you think about it (topics: marriage, Mormons, and myoung mpeople).

*4*

ove Story. Ever heard of it? I watched this dramatic movie for the first time last night and you know what I took away from it?

"I need to tell my readers to go visit their grandparents."

Spoiler alert: stop reading if you care to see this film.

When Jenny was on her death bed and her father left the room, I started to cry. It takes a lot to get this girl to cry. A lot.

It's like trying to tickle me: usually, it's not going to happen unless you hit me with a sneak attack.

This part that pried the tears from my eyes affected me so much because it reminded me of the moment I left my gramma's hospital room, knowing that would be the last time I'd see her on Earth.

I thought I had already said goodbye, but as I was walking down the hall, a cousin was approaching the hospital room. I walked with her and faced the task of saying goodbye again, this time unprepared and unguarded without the proper amount of time to build a new emotional wall.

I'm grateful that my cousin's arrival caused me to be vulnerable in the moment I said goodbye to one of my longest friendships on Earth.

Your turn. Go be vulnerable with your parents or grandparents. Get to know them, do things for them, make more of an impact on their life and let them make several on yours.

These dents hurt, but I don't want it any other way.

Keep an eye out for a longer post on this. And go see your loved ones this weekend.

*5*

peaking of beautiful people... my dad found an old, undeveloped roll of film and promptly took it to the drug store. What a treasure!

Those pictures that were still in tact on the roll were documentations from my youngest sister's first day of kindergarten! Enjoy!

(I'm the taller one, the one with the bowl cut.)

She's so cute, it hurts a little.

 

This was probably my dad's idea. "Let's mess with Gramma, taking the picture, and pretend we're falling off the face of the Earth."

Happy family :)

*6*

My favorite daily Benedict this week was:

"Christ wants not only to give us sight, but also open our interior vision, so that our faith may become ever deeper and we may recognize him as our only Savior. He illuminates all that is dark in life, and leads men and women to live as "children of the light". 

-Pope Benedict XVI, Lenten Message 2011

What does it mean to be a "child of the light?"

*7*

his week's Bright Maidens topic was "Catholic Modesty."

Get it? I used a T-bone "T" because we're all more than just a piece of meat? Get it?...

We had a healthy helping of disagreement. I didn't think this would be a topic that so many would interpret differently, but I'm glad I got to read them! Go check out the note on Facebook with all of the links to the posts.

If you're new and you want to understand what the heck I'm talking about... hop over and read this... then "like" us on Facebook and participate on July 5.

Introducing a new label

merging adult. That's my new title.

I'm not a full adult (except in the eyes of the Church, government, and Hogwarts, of course) because I am an in-between-er.

Clark University psychology professor Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett calls phenomenons like me (those in their 20s) members of the category "emerging adulthood."

Arnett identifies five qualities of people like me:

1. They are searching for their identity and exploring different options
2. Their lives are unstable
3. They are self-focused, meaning they are not yet beholden to anyone
4. They feel "in-between" adolescence and adulthood
5. It's a time of remarkable optimism.

Here is my response, AKA, "nuh-uh":


1) I know my identity (daughter of God, one in His Church), but I'm still learning about myself.
2) My life isn't unstable, but I don't own my own house.
3) I feel pretty beholden to my family, if do say so, but I don't have my own kids.
4) I don't feel "in-between," but do live in my parents' house and I am unmarried.
5) Bingo, I feel pretty optimistic.

1 out of 5.

Maybe the 6th quality is "They have a picky nature and choose to debate key points until they like what they hear." I could accept that; I have a "pet peeve" tag on my blog, for crying out loud.

Read more here.

 

What are your thunks?

Be decent to each other

Catholic Modesty

"The Gucci Awakening" by Julie at The Corner with a View

"Never Give Beauty Another Negative Thought" by Trista at Not a Minx, Moron, or a Parasite

"Be decent to each other" by Elizabeth at Startling the Day

The "Bright Maidens" were originally three from the oft-mentioned, widely-speculated upon demographic of young, twenty-something Catholic women. Now, we all take up the cross to dispel the myths and misconceptions. Welcome!


If this is your first post you've found on this blog, WELCOME! Please enjoy and consider subscribing to the RSS feed for more!

I have begun and erased about three versions of this post and I cannot narrow down why it is to hard to write.

1. Modesty of dress is not something I feel qualified to quantify with inches, measurements, and levels of cloth tightness.
2. Modesty depends on the venue and purpose of one's outfit.
3. Men and women play roles in the perception of modesty. 

Men are more visually tempted; that is not anti-feminist and I'm not giving men an excuse. It's a biologically significant difference between men and women.

Women's Achilles Heel(s) is their romance-craving ears. Romance novels sell like wildfire, burning up women's sensitivity to modesty. The seduction in those books appeal to the female attraction to "ideal" romance.


The simple fact about modesty is summed up in the Catechism:

2522. Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love.  It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled.  Modesty is decency.  It inspires ones choice of clothing.  It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity.  It is discreet.

Duggars and naked people

The Duggars are a non-contraception, non-natural-family-planning family who became the first modest dual-baseball-team-sized group to hit television.

The girls won't wear pants (except when volunteer fire-fighting) and opt for loose skirts that fall below the knee and modest t-shirts. All of the women have long, simple hair and fresh faces without make up.

The men and boys won't wear shorts because, as the Old Testament reads, "the thigh is nakedness." They certainly don't go to the pool without their elbow-to-knee swimsuits.

Mrs. Duggar explained that the girls wear swim dresses, like the ones pictured at right, because men "have a hard enough time keeping their minds in the right place." Essentially, they want to keep everyone focused on what is most important: the inner beauty and appreciating your brothers and sisters in Christ for who they are and not how attractive they can be.

The Duggars are an extreme. They hold to extremely modest qualifications extremely tightly (unlike their clothing, har har har). Their actions stand at the exact opposite of nudists who, paradoxically, have similar reasons for what they do: achieving equality and returning to nature.

The Duggars aim to prevent one sex from influencing the other by way of their sexual desires, so they wear modest clothing. Nudists try to achieve equality by allowing everyone to strip down to their "least inhibited" state: their birthday suit. Though they are on opposite sides of the spectrum, these two camps use their dress (or non-dress) as a statement to point to their inner person.

Brass tacks

I won't recommend going to the Duggar extreme and I certainly won't recommend going to a nudist extreme...

This is a topic of contention among modern Catholics, but I do think that women have a responsibility to dress modestly for the sake of men. Men have the responsibility of acting modestly and not flirt with every woman they meet, seducing them the same way a revealing outfit visually seduces men.

Women: Before you get dressed (especially for somewhere like Mass), ask yourself why you're choosing the outfit. If the answer leans toward wanting to attract someone with your body in a way that may harbor their ability to be attracted to your person, consider a costume change.

Modesty doesn't have to be synonymous with avoiding looking good. Really attractive women can still be attractive, thus inciting lust in some people, when they dress modestly. Thus, it's to your discretion where you draw the line.

Men: Before you engage your flirty-touchy routine with every woman you meet, consider how easily our ears are seduced. If you're going to flirt, flirt with intention. With one of us.

If the goal is to make the greatest impact on our world, the way we fit into the message today is essential. Why cut corners?

Poultry nightmare cure

"Young men, if God is calling you to the priesthood....

Don't be a chicken."

-- Wise words from the Bishop Emeritus in my diocese

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 33

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

Coolest stumbleupon gift of the week: a color palette generator. Upload or paste the URL of a photo on which you want to base your room and it spits out a color palette. DUDE.

*2*

I feel the pressure. I feel it and I'm trying to decide whether or not to give into it.

I am, of course, referring to the Wordpress pressure. The general consensus is that Wordpress is a more attractive and versatile host blog format and I agree that it looks more professional.

But what a pain in the buttocks. I'm trying to teach myself how to build something I can live with. I'm not going to switch over until/unless I like it. If I can't figure it out, I'm going to be a petulant child, take my ball, and go home.

Booooo. (If you clicked the link and you want to give me a lashing for the boredom I put you through, please comment below).

*3*

I don't own the rights.

In the last several months, this picture from Sound of Music has brought a hefty amount of traffic to my blog. How, you ask? The magic word:

Pininterest. And now I'm hooked.

It's an image-grabbing, link-bookmarking, theme-organizing tool you can access by logging in. I have no idea how they make money. I click "Pin It" on my bookmark bar at least once a day and save those pictures I would otherwise forget about.

My mind is easily stimulated by images. Most of my ideas come to me in the form of images, which I translate into words. This is going to revolutionize my idea basket.

*4*

We hear about priestly discernment, we hear about nun-ly discernment, until we said goodbye to Homeboy McCoy, we read about monk-ly discernment...

What about the Diaconate? Ask Joel of The Practicing Catholic.

*5*

I'm not sure if I've been honest with y'all. There's something I need to disclose, otherwise we cannot be pseudo-bloggy friends:

I'm a Grobanite.

Click here... the video I had posted stopped working.

My birthday present, which I just got to enjoy on Tuesday, was a private box at my THIRD Josh Groban Concert. I've found him swoon-worthy since high school and the feelings haven't faded. What's not to love?

He's adorable, hilarious, goofy, geeky, and he has a killer voice. It was a wonderful night with my family, great family friends and my (trooper) wonderful beau. He said he enjoyed it (and I really believe you...), but I know Josh Groban is not everyone's cup of tea.

Thank you all!

*6*

This is a message I want to make sure everyone reads.

Please share it.

*7*

Didya hear? We have a topic for this Tuesday, June 21!! The topic is for EVERYONE because it affects EVERYONE in different ways.

"Catholic Modesty."

I can't wait to read yours!

Accept them, forgive them, let it go

Think your grudges are tiny enough not to matter? Think that because you're in the right and someone else is in the wrong that you're justified in withholding forgiveness?

"Many people have been asking me, 'What can I do for you? Please, I'll do anything.' Well, here's what you can do for me. Every single one of you: please, if there's anyone in your life who you haven't accepted, whom you haven't forgiven, or against whom you hold a grudge, please, accept them. Forgive them. Let go of the grudge. Love them. This is how you can help me, this is what you can do for me. This is how we can share Christ's love with the world."

A wise, strong woman uttered these words (paraphrased) today at the podium in a Cathedral. She was standing next to her eldest son, looking out onto a sea of family and friends, pleading with them to show and share true Love.

She wanted all of us in the congregation to release the grip that the devil often places on us.

This is how we could help her, she said...

...on this the day of her teenage son's funeral.

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 32

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

As much as it pained me, I removed the Feedjit (live, who-is-here-now, creeper feed) from my blog. I know it made some people uncomfortable, as much joy as it brought to me. Farewell, old friend!

*2*

I was in Denver this week and saw some weird things in rooms that don't tend to shock their inhabitants. Another thing I forgot to mention about these wacky bathrooms is that they had loud music playing in them at all times.

I decided I liked the music. It eliminated the awkward "I just saw you close the stall while I'm washing my hands so I'll get out of here as fast as possible" moments and I heard several songs that made me dance... in a bathroom.

*3*

The wedding was a BLAST! I have never had so much fun at a wedding (each wedding gets better and better, so maybe it's the fresh memories that make them so fun). The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, the bridesmaids wore purple Converse low-tops at the reception... a good time was had by all!

I don't own the rights.

I love that Sacrament!!

One thing struck me today when I learned that my kindergarten teacher's husband died. When a woman marries a man, she commits to him as well as to the pain that she will most likely feel when he's gone.

It's a beautiful sacrifice for Love. When you marry someone in your 20s, chances are you're many years away from that pain. However, it comes with the Sacrament and with the commitment.

The vocation of marriage became even more beautiful to me after realizing that.

*4*

Speaking of the vocation of marriage...

Kendra, aka The Nerdy Wife, wrote an open letter to her fiance. Check it out!

For those who are married, do you wish you had written a letter like this before you got married? Did you write a letter like this?

*5*

Remember the sniglets from several months ago?

Too Kool. Holla city!

My sister has another contribution to make. My father has always said, "bummer," or "bummer city" instead of "that is a disappointing outcome." To those who say, "that is a disappointing outcome," please consider substitution.

Christine started saying "holler," or "holla" instead of saying "that excites me." To those who said, "that excites me," please see above.

She combined them. When you really want to celebrate, but you can't start singing Kool and the Gang in the middle of class or a meeting, consider "holler city." If you're really cool, please advance to "holla city."

*6*

Did you know no words in the English language rhyme with the words angel, angst, breadth, bulb, depth, eighth, month, ninth, orange, purple, scalp or twelfth? Me either.

For more Did-you-knows, click here.

*7*

Thanks for your participation and comments on this week's Bright Maidens posts!

I think we maintained our cool (mine and Trista's are here; Julie is still getting settled back in the US!) when conquering the issues with Mr. Lindenman's article, "On Dating Nice Catholic Girls."

We'll keep you updated on the next post! In the mean time, read these:

Christine, "On Dating Nice Catholic Girls
Clare, "Naughty or Nice…"
Emily, "Dating and Stereotypes"
Ciska, "On Dating Nice Catholic Girls."
Mary, "Heck yes, I'm Catholic."

How to write a letter to someone on a retreat

A few weeks ago, someone arrived on my blog by Googling this title. What a superb idea! We need a How-To list for a lot these days, so let's help each other with this challenge.

First of all, the person who Googled that was probably running late on the task. Yes, we’re busy, but think of it this way: I’ve kept all of the letters written to me while on retreats. Retreatants know they're important.

Hand-write your letters.

Letter-writing has been made more important with the advent of the Internet and emailing. Seeing your loved one’s handwriting on paper crinkled as their hand worked across the page adds value to the words. Making this effort will matter to your “retreat-ee”, so don’t put it off.

This is exciting! You care about someone enough to take on this challenge. It won't be easy because you want it to be genuine. Start with a prayer and start early.

Secondly, change things up. If you spend all of your time on the computer, give pen and paper a shot. Even if you draw blanks, start writing. Paper isn’t as rare as it used to be; you can start over.

If you live in 1789 and you tend to write with quill and parchment, Google up some typing lessons and draft your letter on a computer (transfer it to paper later, of course).

This letter is a visible sign of several relationships. Your relationship with the send-ee and his or her perception of you are good places to begin.

1. Do they look up to you? Tell them something about them that you admire.
2. Do they ignore you? (Secondary question: is he or she a teenager?) Surprise them. You don’t need to make yourself heard or try too hard. Most likely, you have their attention because of the compelling weight of an envelope full of pen and ink-scribbled paper. Remain authentic.
3. Another set of important relationships in this exchange is that involving God. How is your relationship with your Creator? Share some pragmatic ways you build a relationship with our Lord or how you need to work harder to do so.



Photo by Lonely Planet on Unsplash

4. Do you forget to show His Love to others sometimes? Write it down. It's good to learn from others' mistakes. You're not writing this letter because you're perfect and bestowing your wisdom on an imperfect being. You're both imperfect. Tell them that you love the way they Love, if you have witnessed a strengthening relationship with Him. 
5. If the letter’s receiver begrudgingly went to the retreat, they need your love now. The Devil hates the good fruit that retreats bring, so he constantly preys on retreatants. Start with Love. If you think their priorities stray from concentrating on Him, show them Love in your letter. 
6. This is not the time to say, “I wish you were more like THIS.” Instead, tell them that God knows who they are: His son or daughter. 
7. Chances are you’ve watched them grow at some point in their life. From an infant to a toddler. From singing the alphabet to writing stories with a fat pencil. From multiplication and division quizzes to algebra. Write to tell them how excited you are to watch them mature. Remind them that you know a sliver of what it must be like for God to watch all of his children grow. Let them know how privileged you feel to be in their life. 

Things to remember:

• Less is more. Lots of words do not always mean more love. You can have a greater impact with carefully chosen, few words.
• Keep in mind that he or she is probably exhausted. Retreats can take it out of you, physically and spiritually. He or she may not know how he or she feels at that point. Assure them that's okay.
• He or she either learned new facts about the faith or are trying to convince himself or herself they haven't learned anything. Assure them that retreats affect people differently.
• The person to whom you are writing may disagree with or dislike something about the faith. Encourage them to ask questions of the priest, if you suspect this is the case. Remind them to remain calm and polite when doing this. Discussion is good, but hostility will produce skewed results.
• Quotes are used so often because smart people pack HUMONGOUS messages in succinct, profound nuggets. Before you start your letter, pick a few quotes or Bible verses that embody what you'd want to hear at a retreat. You may be surprised by what comes out of your pen without aid and may not need to use the quotes/verses... but it doesn't hurt to have them if you need them.

What is your process for writing letters to loved ones at retreats?

Consider some personalized, Christian and inspirational note cards.

This post may contain affiliate links, which help me support my art habit, Liz Lenzi Art.

On Reading Confused Catholic Writers

A Reaction to: "On Dating Nice Catholic Girls"

"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" by Julie at The Corner with a View
"On Dating Nice Catholic Girls" by Trista at Not a Minx, a Moron, or a Parasite

"On Reading Confused Catholic Writers" by Elizabeth at Startling the Day

The "Bright Maidens" were originally three from the oft-mentioned, widely-speculated upon demographic of young, twenty-something Catholic women. Now, we all take up the cross to dispel the myths and misconceptions. Welcome!

Beware, fair reader, if you're willing to read all three Bright Maiden posts today, the verse ending in "a woman scorned" will cross your mind. A great upside to Max Lindenman's article, "On Dating Nice Catholic Girls," is that he generated discussion.

I saw my friends get upset about the article on Twitter, I vented about it with my family, and here we are writing about it as a conglomerate.

My venting about this article was preceded by a vague support of it. The first time I started reading Lindenman's work, I thought, "Sexy Puritan? It's a little insulting, but he's a Catholic man on a Catholic site. Hopefully he'll turn this around." I trusted that he would and waited.

And waited.

At the conclusion of the article, I slumped in confusion. What on Earth was he trying to say?

He jumped several times, going off track, and back on. If he was a train, we'd hear about it on the news, read about it in the grocery aisle, and hold candlelight vigils across the country.

"In other words, the Sexy Puritan is a god-fearing, godawful tease. Come the revolution, I assure you, Sexy Puritans will be hunted from helicopters."

He could be playing devil's advocate. He might be showing what the rest of the world thinks of nice, attractive Catholic girls. I'll keep reading, I tell myself.

(I don't own the rights)

However, my efforts were in vain. He continued to write about an ex-girlfriend who was attractive and cuddly, but would not go as physically far as he wanted to go (stand up guy that he is, he even talked about his light pressure on her to comply).

Her morals were strong, but her cuddly nature and attractive physique made her a tease.

It would be childish of me to ask Mr. Lindenman, "So nice, Catholic girls should be unattractive and allergic to physical contact? Or, they should be attractive and cuddly, but "follow through" in order to avoid being a tease?"

When he insulted the JPII generation, the gloves were off.

"One thing, though: a lot of these JPII generation girls are starting to look suspiciously like Sexy Puritans."

What an insult to the work that JPII did for my generation! Theology of the Body has changed my life and many others. JPII is responsible for re-energizing a population that was starting to fall victim to apathy, our sexual culture, and anti-Catholicism.

These women who are both attractive (without having to be "Trad," or someone who looks like they're constantly judging those who show their ankles) and faithful to the Magisterium should be praised.

And you, sir, shouldn't be bitter about "teases."

They're doing their part by holding you to a higher standard. Reach for it.

Here's my suggestion to you, Mr. Lindenman: apply some of the Catholic teaching to your perception of women instead of blaming the JPII generation.

Entertaining bathroom

That title could be a turn on or a turn off, depending on who you are. If you're reading this, you passed the test and your reward is... a tiny photo album from the coolest bathroom in the weirdest hotel I've ever been inside.

I'm in Denver for work and we're staying at a boutique hotel with the theme "fun." I have no idea how to better categorize that because there is no common theme between the 15 floors of hotel rooms. I'm on the "Big Hair" floor where Marge Simpson greets you at the elevator. Turn to the left and some generic big hair band stares at you.

I'm currently sitting in the "Rock" (next to Paper, and Scissors rooms) room, an hour ago I was in "Keep Away," and I ate my breakfast in "Dodgeball." The bathrooms are the most entertaining part. The lobby bathroom has a sign stating, "Wee, wee, wee all the way home," and a picture of Frank Sinatra's mugshot above the toilet.

Here are the photos from the bathroom on this floor:

This is actually very helpful.

"have a seat" and "go with the flow"

Good advice.

when the queen goes potty, is it a royal flush?

What do you think?

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 31

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting, in person, Bryan of Calling All Witnesses on Thursday! He was in my city for work, so we met up at daily Mass. He got a micro-tour (sorry, Bryan, you only saw about 8 blocks of my fair city) and some Eucharist at Ascension Thursday Mass.

Woooohooo blog friends!

*2*

I was stumblingupon things... and I found this explanation of how men and women see colors differently. Enjoy:

*3*

I don't own the rights...to time...

I have always wondered why Google still tells us how long it took it to search for your requested term. Do they think we're keeping track of that? Do they think we can know the difference between a 0.45 and 0.48 second search?

And for that matter, why does it take it 0.03 seconds longer to search? In this instant-gratification world, is this our hang up?

*4*

This weekend marks a VERY important weekend in the lives of many of my dearest friends. One of my best friends is entering into the Sacrament of marriage on Saturday. I cannot WAIT to see the plan God has in store for these two, beautiful Christians!

She loves pink, but I'm told it's not going to be this bad.

And boogie at their reception. But Sacrament first, par-TAY later.

*5*

This is for my ladies out there (Casey, this doesn't get to apply to you this weekend):

The origin of the genius

*6*

Have a blessed Feast of the Ascension! The King is Risen!

Read Stacy Trasancos' unique take on the feast, "Let us escalate love?"
 

*7*

I'm sorry we were late announcing the next Bright Maidens topic... as a reminder, the topic will be "On Dating Nice Catholic Girls." This is different than our dating post from a while ago because we're starting by reacting to this article on Patheos, which boiled our blood.

Watch out, y'all. Bright Maidens on a rampage. Join us!

Daddy, she pinched me

This is shameless in many ways. Firstly, I'm being lame and posting something random. Secondly, I'm asking you to watch one of my home videos. Thirdly, I have some belated desire to be on America's Funniest Home Videos and this is my only shot at something similar.

Lame and shameless. Lahmeless. Shlame.

Without further ado.... this is me and my sister at the ages of three (me) and two (my sister).