Wait for it...

Once every so often you get lucky enough to secure tickets to a taping of "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!" here in Chicago. But even more amazing than getting tickets is getting tickets for a night that Paula Poundstone is on...

It was truly a great night - so many laughs! I am so grateful for the five of us who were able to attend together. I love having friends here in Chicago who are always up for an adventure!

Even when weeks are busy with the day to day and grad school, there is time for some fun. We are living proof of that.

Make sure you listen in to the show this week - you're in for a good one!

October Consolations and Joys

October has been a blur. So I wanted to take a moment and reflect on some moments of consolation and joy, from small to medium-sized things...

1. Student responses on assessments and projects --> It always brings a smile to my face when students recognize certain things, especially those things about which I am not explicit...even if they get the test item somewhat incorrect...

2. Gratitude journal --> I've taken up this practice during the school week, as I keep the journal on my desk. It helps me focus on the positive in my day and to keep an eye out for things that happen that are worth adding.

3. Grad school reminders --> Yes, we have weekly assignments and long-term projects, but what is it, exactly, that I committed to in the first place? This was a wonderful reminder, as I found it on accident fishing bobby pins out of my purse for a co-worker. God shows up in the most mysterious ways!

4. The Chicago Theater Scene --> Tickets for $10 each?! We'll take 'em! On Friday night my sister and I saw a unique take on Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," which was set in the 1920's during the push for women suffrage and the passing of the 19th Amendment. There were a lot of Chicago references too. I highly recommend it!

5. BONUS - Beautiful Sunsets --> Admittedly, this means I've been in my car going to meetings, volleyball games, etc. far too late in my evenings, but I'm rewarded every once in awhile with the natural beauties of our world. Again, God shows up. I'm on the lookout!

I'm excited for November - a retreat, a trip to the west coast, Thanksgiving with the fam... It's going to be a wonderful month ahead. :)

Pumpkins, Buildings, and Baking...Oh my!

Saturday was a wash, weather-wise. It poured on and off for the entire day and through the night. So, it seemed like a good idea to carve my pumpkin. The only problem was that I didn't have one yet. This meant I had to go to the store and carry it home, it under one arm, my umbrella in my other hand. It was a little uncomfortable, but it worked.

I had a few hours on hand before I would be going with a friend to some sites involved with Open House Chicago, so I sat down and started transferring my design to the pumpkin. (The "Harry Potter" marathon on Freeform was on in the background.) Then, it was time to scoop and clean the pumpkin seeds. So far so good...

The carving went well; though, it took a lot of patience because of all of the small cuts where the knife was almost too big.

When the final cut was made, I turned down the lights, put in the candle, and lit it. Magical.

The timing could not have been more perfect. As I finished cleaning up my mess and drying the pumpkin seeds (for later roasting), my friend called and told me she was at my apartment. We were ready to go. We ended up heading up to Evanston, checking out "The American Toby Jug Museum," the Alpha Sigma Epsilon building (at Northwestern), and the Baha'i temple. All were quick stops, but it was definitely worth it.

My friend invited me to go swing dancing, but I passed this time around. The weather was swaying me in the other direction. But I will go soon - I love dancing!

Later in the evening I baked those pumpkin seeds. And, because the oven was on, I baked some cookies for my faculty too.

When the cookie recipe calls for softened butter...you hold it in the oven, naturally!

I must say, it was a delicious way to end the day. As for today, I got a run in this morning (though there were many puddles!), and I'm off shortly to see "The Princess Bride" and to attend the opening dinner and Mass at my church. Happy Sunday!

Columbus Day Weekend - Marathon, Ice Cream, and Reading!

Columbus Day weekend means two things in Chicago:

1) Marathon time!

2) No school (if you're lucky)

It turns out that I knew quite a few people running in this year's marathon (none of whom are pictured below - those are random people who happened to run by as I decided to photograph), and it was exciting to cheer them on as well as the tens of thousands of other runners. What a great day!...even though it was probably 20 degrees too hot for the runners...

After we finished watching (but before the clean-up crews came), I went with my sister, her fiance, and another friend to brunch at the cutest French bakery. We had actually just been there Friday night for a girls' happy hour, but clearly it was that good we wanted to come again right away! It was still as delicious round #2.

The way I ate on Sunday you would have thought I ran the marathon... Later in the afternoon, I met up with Marisa and her fiance for ice cream at one of our favorite spots. The weather was perfect for ice cream-licking on seats just outside the building - we had shade from the buildings and L stop, and it was not quite hot enough to melt the ice cream before I finished the cone...

I did try the pumpkin...mmm...

Today I was one of the lucky ones to not have school. I did get up early (so as to not mess with my ability to fall asleep tonight) - I went to the gym, got some grad school work done, and then went to daily Mass at my church. Daily Mass is probably one of my favorite parts of the Catholic church...I just wish I could do it more often. (This will probably be one of my action steps for Advent this year - finding a church with daily Mass that is either early enough to go before school or late enough to go after school.) Today's Gospel was about the Good Samaritan - it's always a wonderful reminder to hear that one! After Mass I got my daily cup o' Joe at the coffee shop near church, and on my walk home I caught up with a friend who recently moved to another state. I tell you - so many wonderful things before 10 a.m.!

Upon arriving home, I did some additional work for grad school and regular school (lesson planning for next week) until mid-afternoon. At that time, I decided to get some fresh air, so I walked up to the park, where I knew I would find some peace and some shade.

It was glorious! My book of choice was Tattoos on the Heart, which I have read before but felt compelled to read again. I'm glad I decided to pick it up - so many heart tugs, so much wisdom, so much love. If you haven't read it before (or even if you have), I urge you to read it (again). One line in the preface (photo included below) particularly caught my eye: "If there is a fundamental challenge...it is to change our lurking suspicion that some lives matter less than other lives." How beautiful and how true! As Christians we cannot think any life is worth less - we are all loved by God. (I also included a poem from the end of the introduction below - read it slowly, and then re-read it.)

Back to reality tomorrow when the alarm sounds at 4:45. It's a 4-day week...I totally got this!

A man named Jerry

I pass by him almost every time I walk to church. He sits in a wheelchair right outside the Walmart food market. As he asks for money, I usually just shrug and say I don't have anything and keep walking.

But for some reason, when he asked me to help him get some money to buy food today, I stopped, turned around, dug into my wallet, and handed him something to help him get what he needed. It wasn't a lot, but it would help. He smiled at me and thanked me. He shook my hand and told me his name was Jerry. He couldn't hear very well, so I had to repeat my name four or five times. I turned to walk away, and he called out "thank you" and "have a beautiful day" after me. I smiled and kept walking.

I can't imagine living on the street, begging for money, having so many people walk by and either ignore you or look at you with disgust. I guess I figured that in some small way I could treat him like a human being. I have no idea what he'll actually use the money I gave him for, but, in all honesty, I probably would have used it on something less important or necessary if it had stayed in my wallet.

I am grateful to people like Jerry who remind me of Jesus' call to see him in each person, especially those among us who are poor or neglected. My 7th grade students have taken to asking me almost daily if I want to be a saint. I always tell them "Yes, one day." Some days I am more successful in working towards this goal then others. But I'll keep trying, one interaction at a time.

Ice Cream!!!...and football

It was a picture-perfect, beautiful fall day - plenty of sunshine and a hint of cooler temperatures (60s)! Good thing we were heading to Notre Dame.

We did make one detour first - we stopped for frozen custard at Ritter's. How has it taken us this long to figure out this is the BEST place to start our ND game day experience?

Campus was filled with students, alumni, visiting team guests, and more. We saw more than one friendly face at the ACE tailgate - it's always fun to catch up!

When we got to the stadium, we soon realized we had been put in the freshmen section. (Oops.) Luckily, it worked to our advantage, as we made our way to the top of the section, strategically placing ourselves in front of a wall on which we could lean. Score!

The ND band always has something new up their sleeves - this week they celebrated the eclipse, complete with shifting a moon over the sun (and then running in a circle to make it spin when it was on top). I forget the name of the song they played, but it was pretty fun to watch and listen.

We ended up leaving the game a little early. In doing so, we missed a lot of traffic and were able to get dinner. But more importantly, before we left campus, we were able to find some peaceful moments at the Grotto. I love that place more than words can begin to come close to describing. It's absolutely wonderful, and it brings such a sense of peace to spend time in prayer there to our Blessed Mother.

And I am now about to hit today running (literally). I'm off to the gym, and then later today I am excited to witness the Baptism of my goddaughter's sister at Mass. The rest of my day will be spent preparing for this week at school and also getting some grad school work accomplished. The long weekend for Columbus Day will surely be welcome after the busy week that lies ahead.

Notre Dame our mother, Pray for us!