Quick Spring Scrapbook & News

Hello y'all! My writing schedule may be sporadic this month. Between friends visiting, new kittens coming home, the Indy 500, my parish choir concert, and finishing a major freelance project, I will be lucky if I get time to go grocery shopping!  It is going to be an awesome few weeks.  Who needs food anyway?

My lovely roommate and I are just a few days from bringing home our kittens - her grey tabby Finnegan Patrick and my calico Lady Portia.  So far, Finn is a package of Energizer Bunny-esque entertainment; Portia is a fluffy, only slightly more lady-like snuggler.  Both are equally susceptible to the lure of the laser light.

IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE!

Last week, I spent my Friday night going on an adventure.  I'm frequently busy, but I don't often breach my comfort zone, so this was a good change.  Juventutem Michigan, the local chapter of an international young adult group focused on the Extraordinary Form, held their spring Mass and dance at St. Mary, Star of the Sea in Jackson.    The picture below doesn't do the place justice.  It is a spectacular building, with mosaics, paintings, stained glass windows, and arches that brought back memories of Rome.  

After Mass, the dance reminded me of a grownup Christendom contradance semi-formal - although with actually comparable male-female ratio!  English country dance is a dignified and social style of dance (think Darcy and Elizabeth) which in this case was well-instructed by two professional callers.  There were at least 50-60 young adults in attendance, and the gentlemen circulated well, which always helps!  Overall, a lovely evening.

Sanctuary of St. Mary, Star of the Sea - I must go back sometime for better pictures.

The current freelance project I have on my plate is an ongoing guilt-trip - it should have been done by now, but it isn't.  However, happily, it is very close to being done, and my earnest goal is to have it off of my plate by the end of May.  I am crossing my fingers and praying frantically to St. Joseph.

A couple weekends ago, I decided to take my Sunday afternoon at a coffeeshop so that I could work on the freelance project.  The ability to "go off-site" is a major bonus of freelance work, so every now and then I take advantage of the flexibility.  Plus the change of scenery helps me focus.  There's a classy little cafe between church and apartment that serves that idyllically luxurious drink you dream of on winter evenings: tangerine lavender hot cocoa.  Yes please!  

No, this isn't my freelance work, this is the Tom Clancy book I was reading for a few minutes before getting down to business.

Last weekend was Mother's Day, so I headed back to Indy.  We spent Saturday deep-cleaning a couple rooms of the house in preparation for Memorial Day weekend, and headed off to Captain America: Civil War in the evening.  (I need to see this movie about three more times before I can adequately analyze it, but it provided much food for thought.)  Sunday, we decked the Maternal Unit with a corsage, and took her out to a nice lunch after Mass.  The blessings of living only a few hours away - I've missed the last four Mother's Day celebrations!

And in breaking news, I have finally transitioned to a smartphone.  Weird, huh?  I'm usually at the tail end of the technological trends, which has saved me from much distraction and simultaneously ensures that I have thought things through before spending the time and money.  Frankly, I wasn't convinced I really needed to upgrade - after all, I managed to run the volunteer side of two conferences, plus coordinate an entire wedding, off of my little "dumb phone".  But a smartphone is a handy little thing, and picking up a hand-me-down model from my parents made the switch much cheaper.  So, here goes my new excursion into technology!

This is the most recent picture I have of my recently deceased grandmother, so I use it as a background.  Just now realized that my dad looks like a security guard there with his sunglasses.