7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 5

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

I've received a lot of support from friends and even from people who don't know me this week after the sudden loss of my family member. I am very blessed.

*2*

Just like many out there, this was a busy week, so this will be a very short Friday post. We were surprised on Sunday with the passing of my great aunt. Her faith was so strong and unshakable, I hope to honor it and emulate it for the rest of my life.

*3*

Jesus was a saint, sort of.

*4*

They looked a lot like this. How generous!

My wonderful boss was kind and thoughtful enough to send a beautiful arrangement of flowers to a man he doesn't know from Adam, my recently widowed great uncle. He is the best boss a person could hope for, as seen through this simple but enormous gesture. God bless him.

*5*

I am really grateful I don't like pie. Thanksgiving comes around and my picky eating habits save me from a lot of pain and belt buckle loosening. Believe me, I certainly ate enough, but I could have gained 20 pounds today if I was a less picky eater.

*6*

After I finish this, I'm going to finish my personal statement for grad school. If I can brush my shoulders off (I am never going to let go of that phrase): I think it's going to wow them. It sums up with an ode to Wordsworth's "Ode" (my favorite), comparing the sentiment of working toward God in this life to working toward the reachable depth of knowledge through the study and discussion of literature. Booya (again, this is staying with me).

*7*

You should see how many little scraps of paper I have next to me right now. I'm a scraps-o-paper jotter-downer (I love the English language) and I am sitting next to a whole pile full of ideas for future posts. This week has been quite an interruption and a time for love and familial support. I will hop back on the efficiency train soon, but for now, I'm spending some time with my family, my prayers, and the Holy Trinity. Thanks for reading!

One month until freedom.

A four year old lives in me and she hates Halloween. Every year I remind her that it can be a great holiday for expressing creativity, for finding new activities to do with friends, and that CANDY seems to be the biggest theme of All Hallow’s Eve. She cannot be comforted and I don’t blame her.

I was young, probably four, when Halloween found a spot on my blacklist. I know now that my dad was volunteering with a haunted house project that tried to scare kids away from using drugs (I don’t follow the logic on that...) that year. He needed to check up on something on site, or he was just excited to show me on what he had worked.

SCARED/SCARRED for life! The ghoul sounds, the cold darkness, the screams, the creepy laughing and loud noises run on a loop when I review that memory every Halloween. Never have I understood why people enjoy scary movies and my soul aches when Halloween noises cross my ears.

The stores were practically orange back in August and we’re only one more month away from a Halloween sale blow out. I’ll enjoy the autumn and ease into the chillier days, but I will not indulge in the one holiday I wish I could sleep through.

Long time no sneeze.

I’d like to send out a “Hallelujah” to the Big Man upstairs for sparing me my annual September, seasons-are-a’changin’ cold. I haven’t been eating an organic, raw food or otherwise miserable/healthy diet to make this happen, I’m just grateful to be healthy right now.

Sadly, my poor old lady dog (14-year-old arthritic hip, Black Lab + German Shepherd) above is not so fortunate. It’s sad to watch her break down because she has been a constant in my family’s life since I was 9 years old. She slept a lot back then too, but she was the size that her grey, old head is now. Poor Tracy.

Earthy Autumn

Something I always look forward to for the Fall is the re-emergence of the flower child in everyone. I just got these new leaf shaped cut outs and I am so excited to use them! I HAVE A DREAM that someone who’s having a Fall wedding will order these with a little colored bead deco or chain.

Otherwise, there can be a lot of non-coordinated lovely ladies walking around with these as earrings, necklaces or bracelets. We don't seem to see as many weddings in the autumn.  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (believe me, I will post about my love for this movie in the future) was my first exposure to the concept of a June bride. Fifty years later (or one hundred and fifty, depending on how you look at it) that's still the wedding season.

As a future Catholic bride (God willing) and quick, efficient organizer, I'm not keen on a long engagement. I would happily walk towards the tabernacle and my husband in crispy autumn. That was my inspiration for this Etsy "treasury." If you are unfamiliar with Etsy, shame on you. If you are unfamiliar with treasuries on Etsy, you're in for an addictive treat.