Enter In

We have been counting.

And, now, that for which we have longed is near.


This, the first, of the three holiest of holy days.


Though we are not obliged to follow the directives of the Passover meal,
we do so in imitation of Christ,


so we can use all of our senses to know, love, and serve Him.


This was our eighth Seder.


The kids look forward to it every year.


We remember.


We celebrate.


We believe.


The liturgy continues.


Come, let us adore Him.

Holy Thursday Tea

Thanks to Jessica's inspiration,
who got the idea from Alice,

we celebrated our first of two Lenten teas today.

I love all the ideas you wonderful ladies share on your blogs.
And my kids do, too.

Palm on the Road
"And many spread their garments on the road,
and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields."
Mark 11: 8

(heart of palm served on flatbread "roads"
which were then drizzled with the oil below)

Costly Oil
"And truly, I say to you,
wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world,
what she has done will be told in memory of her."
Mark 14: 9

(balsamic and basil dipping oil)

Thirty Pieces of Silver
"Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
'What will you give me if I deliver him to you?'
And they paid him thirty pieces of silver."
Matthew 25: 14-15

(30 round crackers)
(note to self: next year cut round pieces of cheese instead)

Unleavened Bread
"And on the first day of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the passover lamb,
his disciples said to Him,
'Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the passover?'"
Mark 14: 12

(pita bread cut in wedges)

The Mount of Olives
"And when they had sung a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives."
Mark 14: 26

(assorted marinated olives)

The Cock Crows Twice
"And Jesus said to him, 'Truly, I say to you,
this very night, before the cock crows twice,
you will deny me three times.'"
Mark 14: 30

(vegetable cream cheese, chicken breast,
and grated carrot in a spinach wrap)

Gethsemane Figs
"And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane;
and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I pray.'"
Mk. 14: 32

(Fig Newtons)

Judas’ Kiss
"And when he came, he went up to him at once,
and said, 'Master!' And he kissed him."
Mark 14: 45

(green Hershey's Kisses)

The Clouds of Heaven
"And Jesus said, 'I am;
and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power,
and coming with the clouds of heaven.'"
Mark 14: 62

(the Reddi-Wip on the Fig Newtons pictured above)

Peter’s Tears
"And immediately the cock crowed a second time.
And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him,
'Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.'
And he broke down and wept."
Mark 14: 72

(blue Tic Tacs)

Now it's time to get ready for our Seder Meal,
and then we're headed to the Mass of the Lord's Supper.

Blessed Triduum to you all.

the view from here

When we returned from our five days away on Sunday night,

we returned to a yard largely free of snow.

All that remained were some small piles here and there.

The temperatures were mild.

And all week the kids have been happily biking around the yard,
and enjoying picnic lunches outside,
and watching the University's softball team practice
in the field on the other side of our house.

Without jackets.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday, they came in after a few minutes outside.
They put on their coats and hats and mittens before heading back out.

This morning, this is what we woke up to.


*sigh*

And it's still snowing.

If we stay in North Dakota,
I may have to budget in a yearly winter escape somewhere south
in order to survive.

Another good reason to keep my job.

*sigh*

Happy spring.

Or not.

For Now

I just couldn't bear the winter backdrop and pictures anymore.

So, even though we have snow in the forecast again tonight,
here's to spring!

And until we get out on our first spring hike
-- hopefully, soon --
the picture above from last summer will have to suffice,
along with the sidebar pictures of the kiddos
from our last trip to the Twin Cities
(they turned out exceptionally well, after all,
so we may as well enjoy them for a while!).

Good riddance, snow and cold!

Happy spring to you all!
I hope you're warmer than we are!
(Feels like 29!)

The While We Were Away Daybook

Outside my [car] windows... there was a lot to look at from Bismarck to the Twin Cities to Milwaukee and back again, but my favorite view was of Lake Michigan from Alterra at the Lake, my favorite coffee shop, where I sat knitting while my DH read the paper last Friday afternoon after he had successfully defended his dissertation! Thus, life after graduate school began. How sweet it is!

I listened to... the relative quiet of the kids in the car -- they are actually very good car travelers, probably because we've been dragging them hither and yon since day one of their lives. We also entertained ourselves listening to some fun Italian artists recommended by Father B.


I am thinking... I can't believe we are really done with this. The journey started in the fall of 2004 when we moved to Milwaukee for the beginning of doctoral studies. The dissertation writing began in 2007. We moved back to Saint Paul in 2008 for a two-year stint in the Catholic Studies department at the University of Saint Thomas, our alma mater, before heading to Bismarck last July to start a similar program here. All that's left is the actual graduation ceremony on May 22.

I am thankful for... my DH's dissertation director and committee members.

Sr. Susan Wood, SCL, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert Masson, Ph.D. and his wife

I am also so grateful... for all the people who have believed in my husband and supported us during this time -- with prayers, with a helping hand, financially. We couldn't have done it without you! We are so blessed.

I am hoping and praying... for our dear friend, Daniel. We were able to see him on our way through the Twin Cities and visit with him about his recent scary diagnosis. More on this later, but if you can spare a prayer in the meantime, I would be grateful.

From the kitchen... after a week of mostly eating out, we are happy to be eating home-cooked meals again. But while we were gone, I really enjoyed my tenderloin and crab cakes at Swig and two Buca celebrations -- one in Milwaukee to celebrate with some of my DH's committee members and our friends, and one in the Twin Cities on the way home to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday. In Milwaukee, I finally got to sit at the Pope's table!

(see Benedict in the background?)

From the schoolroom... Needless to say, we took most of last week off. In fact, the girls were scheduled to take a Latin exam Wednesday morning, but we decided at the last minute to leave early, so they even got out of that!

I created... another dishcloth -- car trips are great for knitting!

I read... nothing while we were away. Though I had several things in my bag, it was nice to just sit and knit or do nothing but visit (twelve hours in the car with just my DH!).

Noticing that... we are not spending nearly as much money at Starbuck's as we have been the last three years or so when my husband needed a place other than home or work to write.

Around the house... it was very quiet because we weren't home! We stayed at my in-laws last Wednesday night. They graciously watched the kids while DH and I continued on to Milwaukee. Thursday we stayed at a bed and breakfast we had stayed at once before when we lived in Milwaukee. Friday we stayed with our dearest Milwaukee friends (and stayed up way too late!). And Saturday we returned to our in-laws to spend some time with them and pick up the kids before heading back to Bismarck. Thank you all for your generous hospitality!


One of my favorite things... spending time with dear, dear friends.


Pondering these words... It is finished. (And asking: Now what?)

A few plans for the rest of the week: Continue adjusting to our new life. And plan for Holy Week.

Some picture-thoughts I am sharing: grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins at Buca.



For more daybooks, visit here.

Blue Skies

Just went outside and took this picture.

Made me think of this song.

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see
(Irving Berlin)

Maybe it worked.

Defiance

Protesting Mother Nature's plot to prolong winter,
this evening we grilled brats,
ate potato salad and broccoli salad,
and drank vodka tonics and limeade.

Take that, Mother Nature!

We'll show you what season this is ... IT IS SPRING!

My DH played along with my little fantasy,
but when he came in from grilling,
chilled to the bone by the very winter-y, howling wind,
he said, "It sure doesn't feel like spring."

Thanks, Sweetie.

We showed Her.