Be Better - 2015

As we ring in the New Year in just a few hours, everyone is thinking about what they are going to do in 2015 to improve their lives. "I'll work out every day!" "I am starting a diet!" "No more caffeine for me!" and other such statements are commonly heard in the days leading up to the New Year celebrations.

But how many of us are choosing resolutions that we will stick with? Resolutions that will actually help us to be better friends, lovers, parents, people, or servants of God? Or resolutions we will actually stick to? When thinking about what I wanted to commit to in 2015, I put my relationship with God as the main goal of each resolution, and I found ways to remind and encourage myself so I would be more likely to follow through on each of them.

Here's my "Be Better" list for 2015:

1) Read the Bible in a year - I've wanted to do this for a long time, but never committed! I found a great reading plan online (it was very difficult to pick from all the options) that seemed to be the most sensible, flowing, and easy-to-read in terms of how the readings were divided up. Starting tomorrow I'll dive into that project!

2) Pray every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to sleep - I struggle with this every single day. I wake up, check my email, scroll through some form of social media, then get going with my day. My aim is to replace my daily social media scroll with prayer. Whether it is ten minutes or one minute, just taking this time every morning and night to work on my relationship with God.

3) No more cursing - This year I have been fortunate enough to have a great influence in my life when it comes to my language, Liv. I've never heard a foul word cross her tongue and she has inspired me to be better with my own language. Gained from a few years of dating a sailor, my bad language is a negative trait I cannot wait to be rid of, so this year I am making a conscious effort to cut out that harmful vocabulary.

4) Be more conscious of my consumerism - I just cleaned out my closet a couple days ago and I am ashamed of my shopping problem and the excessive amount of clothing I have in my closet. I filled three garbage bags full of over 100 articles of clothing or accessories that I will be donating in an effort to not only get rid of my own excess, but also to give to those in need. In addition to that purge, I have also made a commitment to not buy any clothes, shoes or accessories this year. I imagine this will be the most difficult of my resolutions, but I hope to use the money that I will save on clothes a bit more wisely.

5) One hour of exercise every day - The standard New Year's resolution. Where this one differs for me is that my resolution is based in the fact that our bodies are temples for God. We are to treat our bodies well and keep them healthy, which is why a better diet and exercise are part of my resolutions this year. When we neglect our bodies or feed them junk food, that is like allowing our churches to become dusty, disarrayed, and rundown. Our bodies are temples that God created and we should treat them with respect.

There you have it! My "Be Better" list of resolutions for 2015! What are your resolutions for 2015?

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ~1 Corinthians 6:19

Pax,

Kay

The Feast of the Holy Family

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I spent a few days with my family, though most of them were sick the whole time, but overall it was a great time. Speaking of family...after celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family, the perfect family unit of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

Spending many days in a row with family can be quite exhausting and frustrating,

My little cousin and I at our family celebration

especially when we forget the reason for the season and get all grumpy. I undoubtedly rolled my eyes many a time throughout the past few days as I was frustrated with someone or someone else was in a bad mood, etc. Today's homily provided me with a great new perspective.

The beginning of the homily this morning essentially pointed out the irony in celebrating the Holy Family in today's world when many of our families are broken in some way, shape or form. Divorce, poverty, death, addiction, and a variety of other ailments cause cracks in our families. It is odd to celebrate a family of perfection when we are all so broken.

But when you think about it, though Mary, Joseph and Jesus were individually perfect, it did not mean that their lives or their family were perfect. This family went through struggles just like any other. They were refugees in a foreign land, Mary became a widow and Jesus lost his earthly father, Jesus was unemployed, so he and Mary faced poverty and hunger. Their lives were not easy. Their family was just as broken as many of ours.

The IC Chapel

Jesus spent all of his time with the broken people. No matter how poor, sick or damaged people were, Jesus gave his life to them and for them, and he does the same for us. When God looks down on us, he doesn't see perfect little families, he sees broken families, just like his. He see us with all of our problems and despite our iniquities, he still loves us.

Why is that? Because when we are faithful, we have a special relationship with God, just like Mary, Joseph, and Jesus all had a special relationship with God. The secret of the Holy Family was their faith and their relationship with God. No matter what struggle they faced, they stayed devoted to their relationship with God and he helped them through it. So the next time your family is together and problems arise, remember your relationship with God and trust that even if he does not make the problem disappear, he will help you through it. 

"This is my family...it is little and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good" ~Stitch, Lilo and Stitch

Pax,

Kay

Fashion Friday 12/26/14

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I got to spend time with my family and bake, so my day was great!

I find it so hard to keep to a routine during breaks and holidays, so this post is going up later than I wanted it to, but nevertheless, here it is!

This week's Fashion Friday is all about Jamberry Nails! Jamberry is an incredible company that makes nail wraps in tons of designs and colors. Now I know what you're thinking, "Oh, nail stickers" or something like that, but these are so much more than stickers!

Jamberry Nail wraps are not like other nail "stickers" because these are made with vinyl. This gives them extra durability that makes them last two weeks-or longer, depending on when you feel like changing them.

The wraps are heat activated and so easy to apply. And the best part? No waiting around for your nails to dry! The second best part? They won't chip! I am the girl who gets a manicure then completely destroys her nails within an hour of leaving the salon. When I wear Jamberry nail wraps, I can do dishes, open bobby pins and all the other nail-chipping, every day tasks, without messing up my nails!

You can buy Jamberry Nails online or host a party and get tons of hostess rewards! Did I mention that each $15 set has two applications? That's a month worth of nails for only $15! Quite the bargain if you ask me!

I hope you enjoy the rest of the holiday season! 

Pax,

Kay

Fashion Friday 12/19/14

Happy Friday, All! With this day comes the end of the fall semester for my university. As our students head home for break, we are celebrating Christmas! Today's fashion post is about how to boldly dress for the holidays while at the office - without using a Christmas sweater!

The picture above shows me and one of my RAs and fellow blogger, Alex (check her out at Radiating Sunshine). She looks fabulous in the ever-classic sweater dress and I went for bold green pants! I promise I didn't wear the Santa hat all day, just for the Christmas party! I hope you can find many ways to dress festively during the holiday season!

Pax,
Kay

Rite of Acceptance

On Sunday I got to participate in the first public ritual on the pathway to Catholicism!

Me and fellow RCIA-er, Steph

This ritual, called the Rite of Acceptance, is a process by which catechumens and candidates are welcomed into the Catholic Church.

One of my favorite things about Catholicism is the abundance of symbolism - odd for a person who prefers to deal with straightforward and logical thinking! This rite was full of beautiful symbolism from beginning to end. The very beginning of the ceremony was my favorite because all of the catechumens and candidates stand outside the main doors to the chapel and knock on the door three times before entering. This symbolized our request to enter the church, both physically for the mass and metaphorically as future members.

Steph, Anne Marie and me

After we entered the chapel and walked to the front, we are asked a series of questions that essentially allow us to state our intentions to receive the sacraments required to come into full communion with the Church. Our sponsors (shout out to J), are asked if they are ready to help and support us as candidates and catechumens. Once everyone has answered the questions about their commitment to the process, the priest does a series of blessings on each of the catechumens and candidates. Here are the  (found on the website for the Archdiocese of Baltimore):

"Receive the sign of the cross on your forehead. It is Christ himself who now strengthens you with this sign of his love. Learn to know and follow him.

Receive the sign of the cross on your ears, that you may hear the voice of the Lord.

Steph's sponsor, Paul, Steph, Deacon Eric, Me and J

Receive the sign of the cross on your eyes, that you may see the glory of God.

Receive the sign of the cross on your lips, that you may respond to the word of God.

Receive the sign of the cross over your heart, that Christ may dwell there by faith.

Receive the sign of the cross on your shoulders, that you may bear the gentle yoke of Christ.

Receive the sign of the cross on your hands, that Christ may be known in the work which you do.

Receive the sign of the cross on your feet, that you may walk in the way of Christ."

The whole ritual was truly beautiful and a wonderful welcoming into the Church. I am so thankful for the wonderful people who have been part of this process!

Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. ~Romans 15:7

Pax,
Kay

Showered with Love

What a tough week! I was so overwhelmed that I didn't even get to do a Fashion Friday post! This week seemed to drag on forever and at one point I really did not think I was going to make it through the week. Just when I had given up on experiencing any good things this week, I was showered with so much love from my friends!

Me, Liv, and J at Holy Grounds

As previously mentioned in some of my posts, I have always loved Christmas, but apparently I am a hard person to buy gifts for, so people would always complain to me about how difficult it was to find a present for me. This year, I have been truly blessed with a group of amazing people who know me better than I know myself. I received some of the most thoughtful gifts in the past couple of days and my heart is overflowing with love and gratitude.

As excited as I am about these awesome presents, I am even happier about the love behind each and every one of them. One of the most important lessons I have learned on my faith journey is about loving people. We are called to love everyone with our whole hearts and I see people trying to live their lives with love every day. It is not always easy, but all we can do is try our best.

Me, Kae, and our Secret Santa gifts

Love can be expressed in many different ways. While receiving gifts may seem selfish, it is less about the receiving of the gift than it is about the feeling behind giving the gift. Yesterday's gift exchange was filled with excited anxiety as we all watched one another open carefully thought out gifts. These were not purchased for obligation nor to just give someone a gift and walk away, these were physical reminders of a beautiful friendship and overwhelming love.

Whether you express love through giving gifts, hugging people, doing favors, or saying kind words, make sure you fill your holiday season with that behavior. Our actions have much more meaning when they come from a place of true care and love for one another.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
~1 Corinthians 13:13

Pax,
Kay

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Tomorrow, December 8th, marks the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, so I decided that today's post would be all about Mary, the Mother of Jesus!

I have always been interested in learning about Mary's role in the Catholic Church because to non-Catholics, this devotion can be very confusing and is easily misunderstood. When we learned about Mary in RCIA a few weeks ago, there was a lot

of clarity brought to my understanding of Mary - but everything we learned was from the Catechism, and while the information was fascinating and important to know, doctrine is not the most emotion-inspiring. Knowing that the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was just around the corner, I asked J to talk to me about Mary because she has a deep love for and connection to Mary that is inspiring.

Before I get to my conversation with J, I want to share one of the clarifying pieces of information that I have been told in regards to Catholicism. The Immaculate Conception does not refer to when Mary conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit, but rather that Mary's conception was immaculate. Immaculate, meaning free from mistake/free from sin, means that Mary was born without original sin. Why? Because God knew that she would one day give birth to Jesus, and in order for the Son of God to become man, he must do so in a perfect manner, one free from the stain of sin.

When J was talking to me about Mary, one of the first things she told me about was when Jesus announced Mary as Mother of the Church. In John 19:26-27, Jesus says to Mary, "Woman, behold, your son." then to John, "Behold, your mother." We then discussed how Mary is the mother of everyone in the Church. She is not only the model of purity and womanhood that all women should strive to replicate, but she is also the person we can go to for guidance and intercession.

Though Mary was born without sin, she was still human, not divine. Therefore we go to her not because she has the power to make things happen, but to ask for her intercession so that she will go to

Jesus on our behalf. Why do we need Mary to do that? Because Jesus does what his mother tells him to do - evidenced by the wedding feast at Cana and Jesus' first public miracle. Mary told Jesus to act, and so he did. Because of that relationship, we can go to Mary when we need a little extra help getting our prayer to Jesus.

Mary is fully human, and therefore someone that we can relate to more easily than we could to Jesus as a divine being. As your mother, my mother, everyone's mother, we can reach out to her in times of joy, sorrow, need. By reflecting on her life, we can find comfort and guidance toward being more faithful, pure and building our trust in God. Mary suffered greatly, but continued to trust God's plan for her son, and for the whole world. She remained faithful and filled her life with actions to glorify God. Mary is a great example for every human being to turn to in troubling times because she will always point us back to God.

He said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. ~John 19:26-27

Pax,
Kay

Fashion Friday 12/5/14

Hello again all! It's time for Fashion Friday! This is one of my favorite outfits from this week...and actually one of my favorites of all time! When I don't know what to wear, I grab this, throw it on and instant classic! Many times when I wear this I hear things like "You look like a character on Mad Men!" or, when I do twists in my hair, "You look like the girl in the Notebook!" Hope you like this look!

Candid photos aren't my favorite, so ignore the awkward facial expression! Dress; Tommy Hilfiger, Sweater and Tights: GAP, Belt and Shoes: maurices.

Have a great weekend!

Pax,
Kay

The Advent Challenge

On Sunday's post I mentioned "The Advent Challenge" that Liv and I were planning. We have officially begun and thus far it has been incredibly successful!

So what is "The Advent Challenge"? Great question! The Advent Challenge is a set of goals and

My Advent Challenge Journal

habits that Liv and I set for ourselves during this time of preparation. Sunday's gospel reading was definitely an inspirational reading to kick off the Advent season with. Mark 13:33 "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come." This is one of the truest statements to ever reach my ears. We never know when Jesus will return to us, and for this reason we should ALWAYS be prepared for that day.

The object of the Advent Challenge for me and Liv is to help us be prepared for that day, every day of our lives. Liv and I tend to struggle with remaining positive during trying times and keeping a loving and kind attitude toward everyone in every situation, so for this year we decided to focus our challenge on love, joy and positivity.

1) Read and reflect on scripture every day! Not only does our place of work give out devotionals, the Internet is a great tool for finding different Advent readings and reflections outside of the standard mass readings. Reading and interpreting scripture is not always the easiest task, especially if you've forgotten some of what you learned in your Theology classes, so I always try to leave plenty of time for figuring out what the verses mean contextually and for me in the modern world.

2) No negativity. Whatsoever. Literally. Any time we catch ourselves thinking negatively, about a situation, a person, the day, or whatever, we implement tools to turn those thoughts into positive things. For example, when we are face-to-face with an event that is stressful and incredibly challenging, instead of being scared out of our minds, we step back to try to approach the event from a different perspective. Is it really as bad as you believe it to be? Is it a problem that can be solved? What steps can you take to get through it?

Additionally this positivity applies to people. Every day we cross paths with people who make us deeply frustrated and sometimes we have the urge to complain about them. Through this challenge, every time we catch ourselves thinking or speaking negatively about someone, we must stop and immediately list three positive things about the person. Saying "They have nice eyes" does not count. The positive statement must be of equal weight to the negative one!

3) Write a quote or prayer in your reflections every day. For me these have been positive or inspirational quotes that give me a little boost to keep going every day! I also filled my journal with some of my favorite verses or positivity quotes for a surprise when I open my journal every so often.

My "I am thankful for..." cards

4) Write down one thing you are thankful for each day. I typically do this throughout the day on the little cards I made and look at them again at night so I go to bed grateful for the things in my life!

In addition to that, I have my own personal Advent Challenge. Advent is a time of preparation, not necessarily sacrifice, but some of my every day behaviors interfere with my ability to really prepare my heart, mind and soul for the coming of Jesus. With that in mind, I decided to sacrifice doing social networking on my phone. I almost never get on social media when I'm at the computer, but whenever I'm bored I open up Facebook and scroll through my feed or something like that. So I moved all my apps to a folder tucked away on the very last page and in the place where those apps were located before, I put more thoughtful and productive apps like my "Prayers" app.

Its not too late to get started with a challenge of your own! Also check out Alex at Radiating Sunshine to see what she's doing for Advent this year!

Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come! ~Mark 13:33

Happy Advent!
Kay

The Blog Swap!

One of my staff members, Alex, has been serving as my blogging mentor for about a year now. She is the author of Radiating Sunshine, a great blog about being a resident assistant, life in college, product reviews and more! She and one of her other blogging friends, Meg, hosted a blog swap, where followers got paired up with other bloggers, got to know each other, then swapped gifts!

I got paired with an incredible lady named Natalie, the author of Polka Dots & Pampers! The pairing was completely random, but Natalie and I had so much in common - particularly our love of fashion. Natalie's blog is all about two of her favorite things, fashion and being a mom!

Natalie sent me the sweetest bundle of gifts and I am so thankful for her thoughtfulness and for the opportunity to get to know her!

Cute multi-colored rings

Some notecards

A little chevron notebook and weekly planner 

A Vera Bradley cosmetic bag to hold it all together

All my blog swap gifts!

Special thanks to Natalie for swapping with me and to Alex and Meg for hosting the swap!

Pax,

Kay

Compassion

During the homily last Sunday night, the Deacon who was preaching talked about Jesus' compassion and it was a beautiful reminder to help keep my behavior and my faith in perspective.

I've always been an empathetic person. If you feel angry, I'll feel angry. If you're sad, I'm sad. If

Me and my fellow emotional vampire

you're happy, I'm happy. Doesn't matter who you are, but if I interact with you, I will literally feed off of your behavior and emotions...J and I have coined ourselves as "emotional vampires" because it is the best correlation we have for this situation. But the homily reminded me that I can only feel so much of what people experience.

While I may be able to feel the same emotion as the people around me, I do not feel it for the same reason, and therefore I do not feel the emotion to the same intensity that they feel it. I don't know what it is like to lose a parent, to have a spouse who committed adultery, to see a small child suffer when they have just been brought into the world. So as much as I can say "I feel for you," I really don't. I am incapable of that.

Throwback to my friend's wedding and shoutout
to some compassionate ladies

But ya know who is capable of that? Jesus. Jesus has the ability to feel so much compassion for us that He literally can feel every ounce of our suffering. To go back to the previous Sunday's post, Jesus is in all of us, and thus he feels what we feel, in the exact way we feel it.  As we get closer to Advent, we remind ourselves that God was made man to save us from our sins, and with that comes a lot of pain for Him.  He not only has compassion for us and our sins, but also for how we feel each and every day. When we wake up and feel despair, He feels it. When we lose a loved one, He feels our sadness. When we feel love, He feels that too.

We are called to remember the compassion Jesus feels for us and to do our best to exercise compassion toward every person we interact with each day. Focusing on compassion will be a great way to prepare our hearts and our minds for Advent!

Speaking of Advent...Liv and I have set some goals for ourselves for Advent this year. We haven't worked out all the details yet, but we should have it all figured out by the end of the day today so I can fill you all in on Wednesday's post!

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ~Colossians 3:12

Pax,
Kay

I've Got Plenty to be Thankful for

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Although I've been celebrating the holiday season for almost a month, everyone joins in the celebration now and I am so excited! In honor of Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I've decided to post 10 things I'm thankful for!

10) Snow! I know most people will roll their eyes when they read that, but I just love snow. It makes you slow down and really appreciate natural beauty. 

9) The skills I have. I love to be crafty. Whether it's sewing, crocheting, painting, etc. I have been blessed with skills that I love and help me create beautiful things, like this crocheted headband that Liv inspired me to make!

8) My education. If I had to rewind and do college all over again, there's no doubt in my mind that I would go to the same school because the education I received there, both in and out of the classroom, was life-changing. 

7) My job. I am truly blessed to have been given this opportunity and to work with such supportive people. I love what I do, where I work, and who I work with!

6) My family. I'm so excited to spend time with them tomorrow because we rarely see each other throughout the year now that we are all so busy and living all over the place. 

5) My nana. One of the strongest and coolest people I know, nana is always there for me and goes above and beyond to show the family how much she loves us. I'm spending all day today and Thursday with her.. Probably Friday too!

4) My puppy. He loves my parents way more than he loves me, but he's still the cutest little ball of fur I've ever seen.

3) Liv. I have known her for over four years now and I am so glad she and I have been able to stay connected and grow even closer than we were before. 

2) My best friend in the whole world, and now my sponsor for RCIA, J. I truly believe that God made us two halves of one whole and that our friendship will last forever. 

1) My renewed relationship with God. I know it sounds corny, but ever since committing myself to my faith again, I've never felt happier or more grateful for things in my life. 

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! ~Psalm 95:2

Pax,

Kay

The Happiness Challenge

In my office, we are reading a book called The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. As a self-proclaimed pessimist, I really enjoy the book because it helps you figure out how to reprogram your brain to be more positive. The author cites a good bit of research that helps the reader understand all of the harmful physical side effects that negativity brings and then provides more anecdotes about how helpful positivity and happiness can be in leading a healthier life.

My binder for the challenge!

While reading the book, my supervisor decided to pose a positivity challenge to our staff. For 14 days we have to try to be more conscious of positive actions and do things to help improve our happiness and positivity in life. He created a worksheet for us to track our positivity and happiness habits that gives us a written form of accountability, in addition to being paired with another staff member for the challenge. Every day we fill out a worksheet that reminds us to meditate for 5 minutes, write down something we are looking forward to, commit 5 conscious acts of kindness, use our signature strengths, exercise, and remind ourselves of 3 good things in our lives. Every day!

I will be the first to admit that this has been a very difficult challenge...especially in the conscious acts of kindness area. We've been at it almost a week and I don't think I've had more than 3 in one day and some of those three were really a stretch.

Today's gospel reading put conscious acts of kindness into perspective for me. The reading was from Matthew 25: 31-46,

Me & Liv - embracing the positivity & kindness challenge

the parable of the sheep and the goats. In this parable, Jesus compares people and their actions to a shepherd who separates sheep from goats. Those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the ill, visit the imprisoned, etc. will have eternal life and those who fail to do these things will face eternal punishment.

Why? "Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me."

God is in every person. It doesn't matter if they are needy, sick, imprisoned or whatever. God created us and therefore He is in us. Because God is in each of us, we are called to treat one another the way we would treat God. Love and kindness should be the root of every act we do and word we say.

Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me ~Matthew 25:40

Pax,
Kay

Fashion Friday 11/21/14

Today is all about the pencil skirt! Pencil skirts are a staple in my wardrobe because they are one of the most versatile pieces of clothing you can own. Wear one in summer with some sandals. Wear it again in fall with boots. Then again in winter with some warm tights and cute flats or heels!

So many options!

You can pair a pencil skirt with a blazer, a sweater or just a cute blouse! Wide belt, skinny belt, no belt! The options for a pencil skirt are literally endless!

Today I went with my emerald green pencil skirt (macy's), a striped tank and black sweater (maurice's). It's really cold here so I added some tights and since it is Friday I slipped into my comfiest black flats.

Have a great weekend!

Pax,
Kay

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS HERE AT LAST!

Anyone who knows me well will likely roll their eyes and think "Oh no...not more of this!" but I just can't help it! I absolutely love the holiday season for so many reasons that I am going to share with you today...okay...maybe it is just one reason but it manifests itself in so many different ways.

Everything you do during the holiday season is about love!

Coffee mug from breakfast this morning

Even if you think that you get presents for people because you have to, you feel like you have to get them something because part of you loves them. I love people. I love when people feel loved. So I show them I love them in a way I know best - giving gifts is actually a legitimate love language. If you aren't a great gift-giver or don't want to feed into commercialism (trust me, I argue with myself on that one every year), there are still many things you can do to show people you love them. Write them a letter, have a party where you surround yourself with the people you love, or just visit someone and show them that you care.

The outlet shops near me all ready for the holidays

People's hearts are so full of love this time of year. We get so sucked in and just try to move through the rest of the year, but it is so great to just stop and remember how much you love the people in your life and how thankful you are for their presence every day. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be with friends or family. The entire holiday season, starting the week of Thanksgiving, if I go to a drive through or coffee shop or something like that, I'll pay the tab for the person behind me. Yesterday I got a coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase that was valid that day. There was no way I was going to use it, so my friend and I went to the checkout line and handed our coupons to people who could use them.

I know what you're thinking. I've talked about giving to others and random acts of kindness, but that only covers the part of the holiday season that encourages materialism and things like that. But let's get down to the root of all of this. Christmas is the time of the year when we celebrate the best love we could ever experience. The love of Jesus. This is when we think about Him becoming human for us and the ultimate love that He shares with every human. What better way to remember and celebrate Him than to share our human capacity for love with everyone else?!

Just some food for thought as we head into the holiday season!

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will. ~Luke 2:14

Pax,
Kay

Fashion Friday - 11/14/14

A couple weeks ago I decided to add a fashion part to my blog because it is one of the things I am most passionate about! I love getting dressed up, accessorizing and looking fabulous every day. Since I work full time, most of my posts will be me in professional wear…with a flair!

Today's post was actually from a week or so ago when I first had the idea. We struggled to find a good location for photos and then I went through a phase of not wanting to post any of them because of the weird lighting and such. But now I finally have the guts to put it up here! My goal is to post one outfit each week, so here's to week one!

Liv took all of these photos and I totally thought she was just playing around with the camera, so I wasn't really posing very well, but here are the results of my first photo shoot with Liv. The next photo is my favorite though…I think it perfectly depicts my awkwardness while taking photos!

Dress: Modcloth; Blazer: maurices; Belt: Honestly couldn't tell you…I think it came with a dress!

Pax,
Kay

You Are God's Temple

What a week! I have been so busy that this week has just flown by. Let's rewind a couple days!

Sunday was quite an interesting day. I haven't been sleeping well as of late, but I caught up on all that missed sleep on Sunday...I woke up at 1:00 in the afternoon! As great as sleeping was, I had missed a couple of commitments that I was really looking forward to, so I felt really bad about it and it kinda put me in a bad mood. I moped around my apartment until 4:00 when I finally forced myself to go practice

piano before my RCIA lesson. Last week, my piano teacher gave me a book of Christmas music, so playing that definitely lifted my spirits.

After that, I headed to RCIA where we learned about Mary and what she means to the Catholic Church. This devotion to Mary has always fascinated me, so I was really excited to learn about Mary and her importance. We spent much of the class circling back to the fact that Mary was born without original sin because of God's plan for her, but that she also still had to use her free will to consent to God's plan.

The homily at mass and the RCIA lesson were in perfect harmony (probably because the deacon giving the homily was the same person teaching RCIA). Part of the second reading was from the same book and chapter that I wrote about last week: 1 Corinthians 3: 9. You are God's temple. We were created by God, for God. Mary recognized that and lived by it for her entire life. She is the example of purity that every human being should strive to replicate, simply for the fact that God created us in His image, which is perfect and pure.

Trust me, I recognize that it is not easy to keep a pure mind or actions in today's world, but the least we can do for God is to try and to ask for forgiveness when we fail.

You are God's temple ~1 Corinthians 3:9

Pax,
Kay

Finding the Right Path

I don't think I have ever been set on a career path until this week. At the age of 23, a year and a half after completing my undergraduate degree, I have finally figured out what to do with my life. The more I talk to the students I work with, the more I realize this is not an uncommon thing. At least half of my staff members regularly change their minds about what they want to do after graduation and another half constantly worry about whether they are on the right path.

Collection of Prayers Book

This week I discovered that the real reason I could never figure out what path I was meant to be on was because I had never spoken to God about it. I never prayed about what to do after college or what career I am meant to have, which is why I was always in a state of confusion. On top of that confusion, my past couple of weeks at work have been incredibly stressful - so much so that I spent about an hour crying and praying in the IC Chapel last Friday.

At the front of the IC, near one of the confessionals, there is a tub of prayer books that my school put together. I was at a loss for words so stumbling upon that bucket of books was quite helpful. I skimmed through the pages until I found a prayer that was related to what I was concerned about: Prayer to Know One's Vocation In Life by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The prayer asks for the intercession of the Holy Spirit to guide you to your vocation as well as to give you the strength to do it. I prayed this over and over on Friday night, and again on Monday, and Wednesday while in the midst of assisting students that had been through difficult experiences.

About an hour or two into working on this situation, I had an epiphany where I realized that I was actually on the right career path and that I just needed to keep moving forward. It hit me that I truly love helping people and staying on this path was the best way for me to do that. This realization was so energizing because I finally recognized how much I love what I do and I would not have gotten to this point without that breakdown and repeated prayer.

Me and my Cafe Creme Brute

On Saturday I finally had time to go back to Holy Grounds Cafe and I intended to work on homework...I wrote all of a page (out of ten) before I got distracted looking at books about my career field. I want to know everything there is to know about Student Affairs and Higher Education so that I can do my very best on the path that God has chosen for me. I want to know as much as possible so I can make Him proud. God knows everyone's true path and when you pray about what God intends for you to do with your time on Earth and wait for Him to reveal that to you, the moment your prayer is answered you feel an intense rush of happiness.

Feeling lost? Don't know what you're called to do in life? Devote some prayer time to that! Ask for guidance and strength and (most difficult for me) patience and your answer will come.

Everyone should live as the Lord has assigned, just as God called each one ~1 Corinthians 7:17

Pax,
Kay

Gold or Hay

Unfortunately after mass on Sunday I was not feeling well and Monday was terribly, horribly busy, which is why my post did not make it up sooner, sincerest apologies!

My RCIA binder

In RCIA we learned about the meanings of the various names attributed to Jesus (Messiah, Christ, etc.) and their significance. I must admit that I recalled much of this from my theology classes in junior year, so I was not as intrigued as I was the week before. That's alright though because next week we get to learn about Mary, which is a totally new topic for me! #excitement

My post today is about a moment I had during mass. Because of the fact that Sunday was All Souls Day, we spent a lot of time talking about the souls in purgatory, the purpose of purgatory, and sin. Father gave the following example: A person who feels anger, makes poor relationship decisions, struggles with anxiety, is impatient, etc. - at this point I mumbled that he had to be talking about me because I am notorious for having a bit of a temper, making bad decisions in the realm of romance, consistently anxious, and I'm always impatient, so I instantly hung my head in a wave of shame. But my shame was cut short by the end of his statement. A person who feels and does all of these things, but still strives with their whole heart to not do those things and prays about those concerns is usually the person who is receiving the most grace. Why? Because they persevere through the difficulties and maintain their relationship with God.

These vibrant leaves reminded me of fire

This is where the title of this post comes in. Gold or Hay is a reference to the homily, which was a reference to 1 Corinthians 3:11-13 that states: "No one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire and the fire itself will test the quality of each one's work."

Jesus is meant to be the foundation for everything we do and a foundation in Him will clearly be demonstrated in our lives. We cannot be good outwardly but feel hate inwardly. If we struggle with anger or if we continually make bad decisions and we do so with a feigned regret, then our regret is not genuine and our "work" will be burned in the fire that is testing the quality of our "work" - aka our

More fiery leaves

actions in life. If, however, we commit these acts, ask for forgiveness and continue to strive for a life without these mistakes, our actions will not be burned in the fire because we are persevering and doing our best to live a life with a solid foundation in Jesus Christ.

When it is time for our work to be judged, will it survive the fire? Will it be gold or hay?

No one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely Jesus Christ
~1 Corinthians 3:11

Pax,
Kay

The Wellness Wheel

My job is probably one of the greatest things I have in my life. Every day I get to work with college students, specifically the twenty-some Resident Assistants that I supervise. As part of my job, I facilitate activities for my staff to aide in their personal and professional development and this week I had them do an activity called The Wellness Wheel. The purpose of a Wellness Wheel is to help people figure out their life balance in six different categories of wellness: physical, spiritual, environmental/occupational (this category varies), social, emotional and intellectual.

The Wellness Wheel

I listed several statements under each category and asked my staff to color in the corresponding pieces of the wheel to the degree they think the statement is accurate for them. For example, under the "Physical" category, a sample statement might be "I eat a balance and nutritional diet" and the student would color in the "Physical" section of the wheel as much as they feel they accomplish the statements. It is a really awkward thing to explain, especially in writing, so hopefully that makes at least some sense.

I decided that out of fairness to my staff members, I couldn't ask them to do The Wellness Wheel if I did not also do it. I filled out the physical section (I really need to have a better diet) and moved on to the spiritual section. As I was reading the statements, I realized that I only agreed with the belief statements, not the statements about spiritual or faith-based action. So I decided to come up with 4 things to help me remain active in my faith throughout the week.

#1: Pray before every meal - My family never really prayed before a meal unless it was for a holiday meal with the extended family. Thanking God before every meal is a nice and simple way to incorporate faithful actions into every day.

#2: Read and reflect on the daily readings - There are so many great phone apps that will provide you with the daily readings for mass just in case you can't make it. On

One of the little things I'm thankful for

top of that, some of them will even have reflection questions for you to consider after you do the reading.

#3: Go to a chapel - Sitting at home isn't always the easiest place to focus on a conversation with God. There are so many distractions like TV, computers, puzzles, etc. that can keep you from truly devoting yourself to talking to Him. Visiting a quiet space can help you really focus on that conversation.

#4: Find something small to be thankful for each day - A pleasant interaction with someone, a beautiful sunrise, playing with a cute animal, it doesn't matter what it is, just appreciate it, love it and thank God for it!

So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.
~ 2 Corinthians 5:6-7

Pax,
Kay

Fall in Love with God

I finally attended my first RCIA meeting! Such a wonderful experience! I honestly don't even know if I have the words for it, but I'm going to try!

J and Liv as St. Therese

Completely unrelated to my RCIA class but so worthy of posting: So many wonderful things happened over the weekend! On Friday I was finally able to attend the Back from the Dead Cemetery Walk, in which people act as saints and such to share the stories of those who have passed and to encourage us to spend our lives growing closer to God. J was a guide of sorts and Liv played St. Therese of Lisieux on the night that I went. It was such an incredible experience! I cried a few times because it was such an amazingly powerful message. Additionally, J and Liv got me gifts! Normally I hate receiving gifts - I literally dread those occasions - but I was so excited about these. A couple weeks ago, Liv bought me a book called Saints that was written by an alum of my school and gives a brief description of the life of a few hundred saints. J bought me my first Catholic Bible and I'm so happy to finally have my own.

Now about my first RCIA class: I want to reiterate once more how grateful I am for my amazing best friends, J and Liv. These two women are some of the most joyful Catholics that I have ever met and it has given me confidence and joy in my decision to become Catholic. I was ecstatic to attend tonight's meeting, but as one of my other friends pointed out, many of the other people in RCIA aren't as confident in their decision as I am, which leaves them with a little bit of discomfort that I could clearly feel in the room. I was quite puzzled by this until I spoke to my friend about it after the meeting, but now I feel like I can understand where they are coming from.

My Bible and Saints book - I think I'm a fan of saints

In tonight's lesson, we discussed parts of the Creed. We picked apart the first couple of lines and learned about the biblical foundation for each, as well as how it applies to us as human beings pursuing a relationship with God. The very first line in the Creed is "I believe in God the Father," which is the first step in developing a relationship with Him because you must acknowledge your belief before you can strengthen your connection to Him.

One of the first things I was told when I was looking to become Catholic was that you have to fall in love with God. I don't think there is anything more beautiful than that. What better way to have a relationship with God than to completely surrender yourself to Him?! We are called to do this on many occasions, but one example can be found in tonight's Gospel reading from Matthew 22:37-38: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment." We are called to love God fully because we are made in His image and are therefore capable of great love, a love that is most fulfilling when shared with Him.

Tonight's homily emphasized the importance of loving God, the perfect lover. In today's culture, we say that we "love" a lot of things. I, for instance, can often be heard to exclaim how much I love mac-n-cheese or Pride and Prejudice or a favorite dress, but to love something is to will its goodness at all times. This is not to say that there is no inherent goodness in comfort food or a good movie or a nice article of clothing because they are all part of God's creation, but how does our loving inanimate objects make that goodness shine? Love is meant to be shared among humans or between humans and God because we were created in His likeness. Seeking and giving love are qualities of God that he bestowed in us as He created us to be like Him.

Moral of the story: Fall in love with God and surrender yourself to Him completely. Easier said than done, but we have an entire lifetime to try!

He said to them 'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.' ~Matthew 22:37-38

Pax,
Kay