Saturday was busy. In the morning, I babysat at a marriage conference with my friends Serena and Helen. Twelve children showed up, ranging in age from 10 years to 8 months, and most of them around 3 years old. It was a handful, and there came a moment when I was extremely grateful for laptop movies, but overall it went well. And honestly, it was a lot of fun.
On that note, I'm considering making business cards for myself as a babysitter so I can hand it out randomly to families with adorable children (such as the ones I see at church. My parish is the best for baby-watching). Frank and I were joking that I should put a little picture of Mary Poppins on them with the tagline, "Like Mary Poppins, Only Better." That would convince parents to hire me, don't ya think?
After our exciting morning, Serena and I went back to my house and crashed, taking the longest and most epic naps ever. While we were sleeping, Laura moved to her new home with Lee's help... or at least that's what I think happened. I wouldn't know, I wasn't awake for it. Then I woke up to get ready and Frank came to pick me up, because guess what! That night was the Barrister's Ball at his law school!
We ate dinner at his house and hung out together for a while before making a token appearance at the ball. We didn't stay for too long because most of his friends weren't there, but we did manage to snag some of the snacks. Folks, they had red velvet cupcakes and miniature Beef Wellingtons. I was very impressed. Afterwards we went for a long drive down the Potomac and admired the city lights. Washington is beautiful by night. I feel so lucky to be living in this gorgeous city.
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| Celebrating Mardi Gras last week |
Sunday was an especially fun day. Cindy introduced Frank to Father Paul, as promised, and Father promised that Frank will be able to enter the Church this Easter. Needless to say, we are both ecstatic. Frank in particular is very eager to finally be able to receive Communion, to fully participate in the Mass in that way and to fully unite himself with the Body of Christ.
After Mass, we went to Trader Joe's (we love that place) for brunch food. For a change of pace, we went to his apartment instead of mine to cook brunch. Then we spent the afternoon as we usually do on Sundays: reading. (We are such nerds!) In the evening, we went to his friend Rebecca's house for dinner. Her boyfriend, John, used to be Frank's roommate. The four of us had a good conversation and Frank and I especially enjoyed playing with her dog, Shotgun (she's from Texas. Can you tell?). Frank told them that he's entering the Church this Easter and they promised to come to the Easter Vigil Mass to support him.
On Monday, I totally didn't see Frank all day. I know, crazy, right? So basically, that day doesn't count. It's not even worth talking about.
Just kidding. I went to a panel discussion at the CIC about the contraception mandate. It was pretty awesome. Afterwards, I got dinner with some girl friends and Lee. We talked about the need for men and women to stand up and take responsibility for themselves, to be authentic and self-respectful, in order to build a better society. Lee is a font of wisdom, and even though he was the only guy there, he held his own and offered some really interesting insights.
This morning, Frank and I awoke before the sun for 7 am Mass. Afterwards, we went to a local coffee shop for breakfast. Frank's first meeting with Father Paul is this Friday, and Father told him to start thinking about which saint he wants to choose as patron for his Confirmation. We had a fun time brainstorming names. His favorite is John Henry Newman, but Thomas More and Thomas Aquinas are close contenders. Then we rode the metro into work together. Commuting is more fun when we're together, we decided.
Tonight I'm going to the opera with Lee, Patrick, and my friend Marie. We're seeing Cosi Fan Tutte, which I've never seen but which is supposed to be amazing. I can't wait!
In case you need a laugh this morning, I enjoyed this comic strip.
Have a lovely Tuesday!
wow, isnt that really fast for him to enter the church? i thought rcia took like a yr!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, that is a great question. Yes, RCIA usually does take almost a year. Frank's is a very unusual case, and he is getting this privilege of entering so quickly for a number of reasons. First of all, he has been privately studying Catholic teachings on his own for about four years, so he is already better prepared to enter the Church than most people who have gone through RCIA. Second, he currently works for a Catholic diocese, so he has been privately meeting with a priest there for months. Finally, the priest under whom he is entering the Church is carefully vetting him. Frank will be privately meeting with this priest throughout Lent, and the priest will ensure that Frank is truly prepared to enter the Church. Also, RCIA is not actually required to enter the Church, as long as the person can prove they are fully educated in Catholic doctrine (which Frank is). Does that answer your question? It definitely is a pretty unique case, and I don't think it would be the norm for most people!
ReplyDeleteCosi Fan Tutte!!!! Ooh, if I'd been on my computer earlier this week I would have hiked across America to go see it with you. ;) It's such a gorgeous opera, and I've never been able to see it.
ReplyDeleteStill praying for Frank as Easter approaches. How exciting for the both of you!
God bless!
Clare, thank you so much for your prayers. They are very much needed lately. Frank's parents are not happy about his decision to become Catholic and they're starting to be more vocal about it.
ReplyDeleteI wish you could have come to see Cosi Fan Tutte with us! That would have been so fun. You'll have to let me know if you're ever in DC and we can plan an opera night for the occasion :)
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