The Great Outdoors

There's this really great program in our city that is essentially a guide to all of the fun outdoor spots in town and even out of town. There is something to be found at each spot and it is free, through the library system and the parks system. We do have an extensive parks system and it is great to get out and explore!

Madeleine

Morgan

Noah

Maria & Noah

Burrito from a vendor

As we passed a street vendor while heading toward this park (in the van), I commented out loud that I wanted to stop and buy food from one of them sometime, and probably quite a few times after that.  Jeremy took Isaiah on a walk, on a mission to find a restroom and when he came back, he was bearing treats ... burritos from the vendor I had pointed at!

Jeremy & Maria

Madeleine

Pretty, pretty park gates

Madeleine makes the rubbing

Lent

So I spent the first 33 years of my life thinking that we were supposed to give up something during Lent, and that something should make us better ... physically.  We shouldn't have much sugar anyway, right?  Give up sugar, give up soda.  We should be exercising, right?  Then resolve to exercise during Lent.  We should not really be eating between meals, right?  So give it up and lose a few pounds. 

No. 

Lent is about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  These three things will make us better people. 

Prayer is communication with our Heavenly Father.  We should work on it harder than anything else in our lives.  I feel that disciplined prayer is important, although I have a long way to go in that department.

Fasting is going without something that gives us joy, something that makes life pleasurable.  The most obvious thing that people think of first is food.  Yes, we could give up food in one way or another, but are we doing it in a spirit of fasting?  I wasn't.  I didn't understand completely.  This season, many of the women I know tried the Daniel Fast for Lent.  WOW.  As I heard a little more and read a little more, I began to understand.  Lent was not about working to make ourselves better physically, but taking a little of the pleasure out of life, incorporating discipline in prayer, and become better spiritually.  I had really been missing the mark. 

Next year, among other things, I will not add salt and pepper to my food during Lent.  I'm a saltoholic to my core.  I love it.  Now I'm not giving this up because my blood pressure is high (au contraire) or because I think salt is bad for me (no way!).  I'll giving it up in a spirit of fasting.  Going without will take some of the pleasure out of eating and will remind me of this penitent time period. 

Next Lent will be better, spiritually.  Next Lent will truly be a period of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.  This is how I will honor my God and His death.  This is how I will remember that I was paid for with blood.

Madeleine's First Holy Communion

Five priests con-celebrated Mass on this Saturday.  Monsignor (in purple, not in this picture) baptized Madeleine.  The priest in the center--Father B--of this picture baptized Noah, and another priest (Father R--not pictured) baptized Isaiah.

Monsignor and Father B

Madeleine

Jesus is here!

I get goosebumps every time I see this picture!

I do believe this is heavenly bliss written on her face.

Jeremy, Madeleine, and me ... parents come up behind the first communicants and receive Christ along with her.

Full house!

Maddie smiles at Uncle Kevin, who is the photographer behind all of these wonderful pictures.

All the communicants gathered downstairs afterward.  This is their teacher, who also prepared them for First Holy Communion, Sister Marie Caritas.  To the right is their principal, Sister Mary Cecelia.

Monsignor and Madeleine

Dad and Madeleine

Me, Maddie, Maddie (seriously), and Jen ... Jen is one of my best friends.  We were lucky enough to be assigned to sit next to each other during Mass.  I'm glad that I had a close friend among the first communicants' parents!

There was a cake reception after Mass.

Each child was given a rose.  The rose is significant in our parish, as it is a sign of our patron saint.

Full of grace!

Maddie and me

Folk Music, Anyone?

Anyone like folk music? Tom May is a very talented artist!

FISH FRY!

 The best part of spending my childhood in the Benson area (Omaha) was the parish. We were in Holy Name parish. My earliest memories are of grade school there and of working at their famous Fish Fries. The parish puts on a fish fry every Friday of Lent except Good Friday, and one or two other times during the year.  The fish is beer-battered deep fried Alaskan Pollock served with fries, coleslaw, Rotella's bread and butter, and beer.  IT IS THE BEST FISH I HAVE EVER TASTED I AM NOT KIDDING.  There's 30 years of tradition involved with these fish fries.  People bring coolers of beer to drink while they wait in line ... even before there's a line.  Sometimes the wait is fifteen minutes, but usually it's at least an hour, if not two hours.  People come in large groups and visit with friends while they wait in line.  The line curls through the parking lot, around the school, into the school, down the stairs, into the tunnel beneath the parking lot, and over to the cafeteria which is beneath the church building.  When an of-age customer reaches the cafeteria, he is offered free beer while he waits in line.  No kidding!  When open, it is the biggest restaurant in Omaha. 

People wait in line for reeeaaaallllly good fish while drinking beer.

My brothers, sisters, and I can't get enough.  We try to make it back to the parish for at least one Fish Fry each Lent.  Since Seth was home on this weekend, we decided to go together.  We all met at 7:00.  On this particular night, the wait was two hours, maybe two and a half, the longest we've ever waited.  It was fun!  Scroll down for details....

Since we had time to burn, we played a little game of keep away from Sophie.  I had her purple ribbons.  I mean, come on, they were dangling out of her pocket.  Could you have resisted?

When playing keep away from someone who is taller than me, I find it beneficial to hide behind my younger but much taller and stronger brothers. (Seth and Leighton)

Future Marine Eli

I'm not sure how long our mom had this ribbon tied on her coat before she actually noticed.  We tried to get it tied onto Eli but he was too aware of his surroundings.  We were unsuccessful.  Mom, however....

Sophie and me: the oldest and youngest of nine siblings

Mwah ha ha ha ha....

Eli, me, Sophie, and Seth posed for a picture while Leighton and Courtney were on a beer run.  Seriously.  We had that kind of time.

This young man will be protecting our country.  Yep.  Looks tough, doesn't he?

You think that was bad?  The Navy lets this one play with nuclear reactors on an aircraft carrier.  That's nuCL-EAR, not nuCUEler, people.

Leighton came back with beer and stuff.  Yes, it's legal for him to drink alcohol and yes, all alcoholic beverages were consumed responsibly. 

I wasn't actually drinking alcohol, but it looked fun, so Courtney gave me her drink so I could pose by the purple ribbon that Mom still hadn't found.  See the bow?  We added another one to it and she STILL didn't notice.

Thanks, Leighton, for carrying my empty Dr. Pepper bottle.  He couldn't protest because his hands were full.

Go Ramblers!

Seth

We spotted these every few feet along the path of the line.  They're emptied regularly.  This is a big party, folks.

Courtney and Leighton (I really like my brother's girlfriend!)

HNFF = Holy Name Fish Fry.  People who are old enough to consume alcohol can get this stamp.

Mom and Courtney

People really do bring their coolers.  I saw bigger ones than this!

Yeah, he was scooping ketchup off his shirt with his fish.

Mom got money ready for the traditional dare....

Tartar sauce + root beer + ketchup + coleslaw + diet coke + salt & pepper = $37

See?  My math is good.

He actually drank it (Eli).

Mom couldn't believe it.

Aubrey, Sophie, Leighton, Courtney, and Seth (nice, Seth ... saving that one for later?)

Courtney's revenge (see above photo)

Eli gets ready to puke up his dare in Seth's jacket (no alcohol for that minor young man, just nasty suicide mixes of soda, condiments, and side dishes ... see story above)

GO RAMBLERS!