Be Prepared...Or Be Early Enough to Fix It...

Prepared.

That's definitely a word to describe me. Yep. Ask any of my friends of coworkers. While I tend to also be on the impulsive side, I'm still prepared for whatever that impulsive event or whatever is. I'm a list-maker, a check-your-bags-three-times-er, a how-many-times-can-I-check-this-email-before-sending-it-er.

Rewind to this past Thursday night. Two of my friends and I were going to see "Six" at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. I got to Navy Pier around 4pm (which was about 3 hours before I needed to be there), having gone there straight from work. (Let's face it, Lakeshore Drive is always backed up no matter what time of day, so it's nice to sometimes have an excuse to avoid it.) It was a gorgeous day, though a little on the cool side... I definitely took advantage of walking around outside for a bit:

I had to wait until 7pm for the Box Office to open; that's where I was supposed to pick up our tickets. When they finally opened the doors, they couldn't find tickets under my name...or my email address...or my physical address...

Hmm...

I swore I had purchased them...but it turns out I wasn't as prepared for the show as I thought. I must not have actually clicked through to my cart when I was trying to buy them back in April.

Considering the website had indicated the show was sold out for that night, I thought I was done for. I texted my friends that I had made a mistake and not actually purchased the tickets.

But then the woman told me she could get two seats together and a third one up a bit further - and all of the seats would be on the first level.

(YES!)

Lesson learned: Be prepared...or be early so you can fix anything you weren't prepared for.

What a great night - the show was phenomenal; I highly recommend it. (In fact, I talked my sister into going at the end of the month...and each of my friends is going again at another time too.)

There's nothing like summer in the city.

P.S. Made it out to Millennium Park last night for their summer movie series...another gorgeous night, another beautiful skyline...

Three Weeks Till Lent

Three weeks until Lent...
Guess it's not too early to post about what I'm planning to do...
still need to work out some things...

1) Detach from social media: 
While I'm not planning on going off it all together, I will be taking Facebook, Messenger, and Twitter off my phone, thereby reducing the easy access and amount of time I spend scrolling through feeds. (If a major life event happens for you and you'd like me to know about it, please call or text.)

2) Reduce my morning screen time:
I do tend to enjoy the morning reflections from FaithND, Jesuit Spirituality, Dynamic Catholic, Fr. Barron, and others, it just gets to be too overwhelming. They are all good sources...but when, like me, you just start scanning them instead of really stopping and praying with them, the purpose of having them in the first place is missed. Therefore, it's time to let those go...at least for the season... (If there are any REALLY good ones or ones you know I would want/need to hear, feel free to pass them along.)

3) Journal:
I decided to invest in a Catholic Lenten journal from Blessed Is She (the journal was on sale when I got it, so BONUS!), which focuses on daily Scripture and reflection in a guided manner. I will use this journal in the mornings in place of the usual email reflections. I think it will be a good change.

4) Read: 

I posted on Facebook awhile back about interest in putting together an informal book club for Walk in Her Sandals, and I received a strong response from some local friends. The pack of books came in the mail this week, so now it's time to deliver them and to make our plan of action for reading and discussing. Part of the stipulation was that our get-togethers include wine, as the book is put out by W.I.N.E. (Women In the New Evangelization). Very excited to see where this leads.

I may decide on a few other things before the season actually gets here...but I don't want to commit to too much for fear of not being able to do well that to which I have already committed.


Lent will be here before we know it. I challenge you to be a little more thoughtful this year - what's going to make a real difference? What do you need to let go of or have more of in your life this Lenten season?

Preparation Time is Here!

Summer's officially over. #Bummer

But my classroom is coming along - check it out!

my bookshelf (and reminders of RLP)

Going to gain significant desk space when they switch us over to Macbooks as our desktops...

My classroom library is overflowing!

These book sets found a new home with the LA teacher next door - more cabinet space!

Feeling the ND theme this year - RLP is getting to me...

my "special" picture books

Excited to focus on prayer and the Saints this year!

Turn in bins - I labeled them after this picture was taken...

I commissioned my sister to paint this. #winning

We start back on Monday full force, full faculty. I'm excited to see everyone and get things started. (I always hate the in-between/waiting phase the most!)

Praying for all teachers as they start (or, in some cases, already started) these next few weeks. Let's have a great school year!

And with your spirit

This is the time when I pray, Dear Lord, please let them be ready. 

I never feel like I've done enough to prepare the students for Confirmation (and this year is no exception), but that's what's so beautiful about the Holy Spirit - He does the rest.

It seems only fitting to bring Catholic Schools Week to a close with this 8th grade class's Confirmation - What better testament to the faith of our young people than this sacrament?

So here we go.

Cue the color red.
Cue dinner with the Bishop.
Cue music, musicians, and readers.
Cue parents and sponsors, siblings and friends.
Cue the Confirmation candidates.
Cue the Holy Spirit.

And perhaps the most beautiful thing to remember about all of this - it's not the end. It's the beginning of the Holy Spirit alive in their lives and of their commitment in a more permanent, real way to living out their Catholic faith.

Can I get an "amen" to that?

Oh, and bonus: Alleluia! (We're not in Lent yet!!)