Letter to the Editor

I opened up the school newspaper last Thursday to find this Opinion article, titled "Marriage more a burden than a blessing." I choose not to heed the columnist's warning to "skip over reading his article and do the crossword." Maybe I should have. Instead I wrote a Letter to the Editor which was published in today's paper. If you read the article first then my response will make the most sense.


Awadjie’s fears of marriage unfounded
Editor:
I would like to know if Hardy Awadjie has ever encountered a happily married couple in his life. If he had, he would know that marriage is not merely a barrier to achieving one’s goals, but actually can be a true compliment to them. As a young married person, I have found it extremely helpful to have found a person with whom I get to share my dreams and pursue them with. Yes, marriage sometimes entails adjusting one’s goals and making some sacrifices in order to reach your common goals. Nevertheless, I would argue that this actually makes us less selfish and consequently better human beings in the process.

I absolutely love married life. Being single can be glamorous, but there is nothing better to me than knowing there is someone who constantly cares about me: where I am, what I’m doing, and my general welfare. This brings so much peace and stability to my life, and at 23, I can’t imagine having to needlessly wait 4 more years. It’s definitely not the burden that Awadjie claims it to be, so please don’t be fooled into being afraid of marriage life.

Kayleen Corrigan
WSU alumna

Finally putting this thing to use!

I finished a project on my sewing machine! I wanted to make some pillows for our couch. It was a very simple project, yet I am still proud of myself for getting it down. Mike and I actually picked out the fabric together and I think it suits our style. The only problem is I don't think it quite matches the color scheme in the living room. That's why you get the last picture in b&w :)

The trickiest part was figuring out how to make those button holes. I wanted to be able to take the covers off to wash them if need be. It only took me about 25 practice tries but I finally did it.

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Next project - making a quilt! Do you think that's a big jump? Maybe I should take more baby steps.....

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Also, a quick cute story from today. There is a couple at church with a sweet little 3 year old, K.C. Today her mom gave me some maternity clothes and K.C. was very enthusiastic about showing me what they had for me. I told her thank you, and while rubbing my hands on my tummy I told her that I needed them because I had a baby in in there. Later K.C. became very concerned and asked her mom "did she swallow it?"

The Lord's Day

One of my favorite parts of Sundays is the ride to church. There we sit, all fresh and nicely dressed, hopefully with hearts open to upcoming message of love and salvation. I especially like crisp mornings and high heeled shoes. I wish we still lived in a day when people always dressed up in their Sunday best for church, and you wouldn't dream of doing otherwise. We still do of course, but it is very casual here in college-town, and somehow it makes going to Mass a little less special, a bit less set aside for the Lord when people aren't dressed up. Whatever we are wearing however, Sunday is a day for renewing our faith, for receiving another drop of grace from the faucet which will assist us through the week and to store up our treasures, not on earth, but in heaven.

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The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of. Our attention would have been on God.
C.S. Lewis


Question for those of you with children: How do you make church more meaningful for the little ones, and how do you yourself manage the difficult task of focusing when they are with you?

Remember these?

After you read mine fill one out for yourself....you know you want to!

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse
2. Where is your significant other? In the next room, which I'm happy about
3. Your hair color? mousy blond, more blond when I get highlights
4. Your mother? loving and generous
5. Your father? a work-a-holic, smart, friendly
6. Your favorite thing? faith
7. Your dream last night? surprisingly, I can't recall
8. Your dream/goal? In this life, to be a good mother and wife; also to go to heaven
9. The room you’re in? dining room
10. Your hobby? making cards/scrapbooking/napping
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? With a good size family (what we can handle), successfully homeschooling, and living close to family
13. Where were you last night? @ church
14. What you’re not? brilliant
15. One of your wish-list items? New furniture
16. Where you grew up? Pacific Northwest
17. The last thing you did? Took off my socks
18. What are you wearing? Yellow tank top with flowers, pregnancy pants, bare feet!
19. Your TV? Large and silly
20. Your pet? None, and I don't want one, thank you!
21. Your computer? Time stealer
22. Your mood? Cheerful but tired
23. Missing someone? My old friends :(
24. Your car? Is in the hands of my 16 year old sister....eek!
25. Something you’re not wearing? earings
26. Favorite store? Target, Paper Zone
27. Your summer? Newlyweds and morning sickness
28. Love someone? Of course! Especially my man
29. Your favorite color? red and yellow
30. When is the last time you laughed? moments ago
31. Last time you cried?Recently, when I was watching A Baby Story

Friends and messes

First of all, Aubri - we used your recipe! and it turned out yummy so thank you for that my dear! We had friends over for tacos and pie and Cranium last night.

I just thought I would show you all the before and after pictures though, mostly because I don't usually let the kitchen get this messy. I am a cleaner by nature and actually kind of enjoy it. So....

Before (ewwww):

and, viola, after (awwww)!

Now that all that cleaning is done I am going to relax for a bit with a book (a just for fun book, Anne of Green Gables) and a cup of coffee (half decaf). See you later!

Just a fun picture

Growing...not up, but out!

I haven't started to weigh myself regularly yet. My doctor says that in the second tri she would like to see around a 3/4lb weight gain per week. Key word: around. She didn't want me to weigh myself each day lest I become too obsessed with it. But I think I will start weighing in once a week and writing it down just so I can keep track. (No, I won't be posting my weight on here though :) sorry!) So far I haven't gained much, maybe about 5lbs. My appetite just hasn't increased notably yet, but I have this feeling that will be coming soon...

Oh, do you like the preggers pants? I have outgrown most of my regular jeans. Mike is worried I bought these ones too small, but I think there is plenty of room for them to expand comfortably for me. My shirts still work for the most part but friends have definitely started to notice the baby bump!

Random happenings

Nothing too exciting to report around here. Just some random happenings;

*A little while ago (I think last weekend) I went to a local fair with some girl friends. We had a nice time - what with elephant ears it's hard not to. You know, I wish that I could post adorable pictures of our little girl running around petting the animals or gazing at the attractions, it would just make this blog so much more exciting. (Yes I know I will in the not too distant future, but still, I want to now!) Instead I'll have to settle for posting pictures of the quilting club's creations.
Remember this was one of my goals? I better get workin' on that.


*We got a flat tire and Mike is out there right now fixing it. It cost us 40$ to replace it which I'm told is not bad because the warranty covered 65% of the total cost. Still, I'm mad we had to spend that money - it just doesn't work with our already tight budget. darn you, screw!

*Went to see the Cougs beat Portland State. Woo-hoo. This is actually not that big of an accomplishment, but we'll take what we can get because so far we've been 0-3


*Made some cupcakes. Nothing special of course, and it's a little early for Halloween candy. But hey, candy corn is hard for me to pass by in the grocery store. And once again, I wish I could post some pictures of a little baby eating them, but am I just getting ahead of myself here??

*Peace and Blessings to all of you as you being the new week!*

New Life

I just have to announce to my friends who don't know that a new baby has arrived in the family and I am a new auntie! I did become aunt Kayleen to two little boys when I got married, which I was quite happy about, because they are great little guys. But last night, my sister in law gave birth to her third, another boy! (Aubri, in a way I'm just like you now :) Even though right now they are a little far away, it's still so fun knowing that I am an auntie and that I get to watch those boys grow up. And for the newest one, I'll get to say to him one day, "I remember when you were born!"

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So, CongRatuLatiOnS to Kelly! Love you and I can't wait to meet my newest nephew! You are in our prayers as you bring him home and welcome him to the family.

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Evidence of change

Tree leaves changing colors...do you see the red?

and....

A growing belly...

Yes, change is in the air.

Coffee flavored Snickerdoodles?

Right now I am making snickerdoodles. I just tried one and it had a strong coffee taste! It occured to me that maybe I shouldn't store my coffee beans near the butter dish because I'm pretty sure that's what caused this. I don't know how bad it is...I should go have Mike try one and see what he thinks. But first I have to wake him up because he's napping......hmmm


Interesting fact from my cookbook: Snickerdoodles' name may be a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln - which translates roughly as "crinkly noodles."

Not just for Catholics...

The issue of LIFE is not just a Catholic issue. It is foundational to our country, as it says in the video. As a culture, it is imperative that we maintain that life is absolutely sacred. This is true even in, perhaps especially in, dire and heartbreaking situations - such as in an "unwanted" pregnancy or at the end of a suffering person's life. People need compassion, support, and love. Not the option to terminate.

I just hope that everyone will consider this issue while voting.

Jr. High babes

Also, while looking through my scrapbooking material, I came across this old picture....

It's a little blurry but I think you can tell who those gals are ;)

Ahhh, the memories of my first dance. And those hideous white platform shoes, do you see them?

Doodling

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I was just looking through my scrapbooking supplies to make a few things and began drawing. I came up with this, which I decided might look nice as my blog title.

Here is the original. Thanks to picnik (which I found because of my sister in law ;) I was able to fidget with it to make it look better. What do ya think?

Sleeping baby

I just found this out:

"Your baby has established sleep patterns akin to a newborn now. Many babies even have a favorite sleep position already. Some snooze with their chins resting on their chests, while others nap with their head flung back. Many babies at this age fall into noticeable cycles of sleep and activity, so you may know before she arrives whether you have a night owl or an early bird."


So, I'm pretty sure you're a night owl, Louisa. Just like your daddy.

When I do feel her move, it is usually at night. My mom said I was the same way, and also that I was a pretty sleepy, quiet baby inside the womb. So much so that her doctor wanted her to have an ultrasound, which, in the 80's unlike now, was not considered standard procedure. So, even though it's still a little early to feel the big kicks and movement, I have a feeling she will be a quiet little one, and probably a night owl too.

A year ago

As the school year has begun, I find myself thinking about where I was one year ago. Engaged, but 300 miles away from my fiance. Doing my best to prepare for teaching a school year, something for which I did not feel adequately prepared for at first. I began teaching my first and second graders around this time. Oh boy, I just remember waking up for the first few weeks nervous as anything wondering how the day would go. Overall, it was a highly stressful time in my life, made worse by being away from the person who I loved most. As the year panned out I became more confident and felt that I could indeed do my job well. One of the most rewarding elements was being able to see the transformation of my first graders from non-readers to readers. I so look forward to the time when I can teach my own children how to read. I feel like there were certain things I did better than others while in the classroom. Once I got used to teaching math (Saxon) I felt that my system was effective. Most of my students were very good in math, they were even doing one grade level above their own. I found that teaching math is actually quite fun, especially when they enjoy it. And most of my students told me that math was their favorite subject. I wonder if that is normal for first and second graders...? Also, I enjoyed teaching religion. There were times when I wished I had the time and resources to work on more elaborate projects since there is a tendency for even first and second graders to get a little bogged down with this subject. At the same time I had some truly devout little ones. I can think of many situations where their input helped me grow in my own faith. That is another thing I joyfully look forward to, teaching my own children about God.

My year of teaching is of great value to me. It was without a doubt the most challenging thing I have done so far in my life, and there are many things I probably could have done differently. But I trust that my students have gone on and will be successful in the rest of their academic careers. Not so much because of Miss Olsen, but because they have good families and a strong foundation in their faith. Also, I am grateful to all my friends who helped me through that year. And for the ones who are continuing to teach, I know how much this means to the children you will be influencing. So keep up the hard work ladies!

This started out as a post that was meant to reflect on where I am now as opposed to where I was one year ago. You can probably figure out the biggest difference - I am now the happy wife of Mike and preparing for baby Louisa. This isn't a big shock for us or for most people who know me. This is where I wanted to be in one year. All I can really say is how grateful I am to the Lord for giving me these blessings. He knows and has always known what is in my heart, and here I am living the life that I know makes me the happiest. Oh, there is no doubt that life will bring sadness or suffering for me, I know that life is not always roses. I pray often for the strength and faith to face the inevitable sufferings that are to come. Sometimes I get scared that I won't be able to cope with loss and heartache when they do arrive more strongly. However, I must realize that hope and faith are two of the theological virtues, so I will do well to develop hope and faith now so that I will be better sustained through difficulties.

All in all, I am so very satisfied with my life right now. I hope to look back one year from now and be able to say the same, no matter what I may be doing.

Around Christmas time, in Pittsburgh

RNC

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Someone help me, I've been glued to the t.v. over the last few days! I don't love John McCain, but I have found myself very captivated by his running mate, Sarah Palin. I am enamored by her story and by her family. I feel a little guilty because there is no doubt that I am being pulled in by the media frenzy, but this election has me stirred up. I watched Palin's speech last night and found myself laughing out loud several times and even had chills at moments (seriously did). This has not happened in a long time for me when listening to a politician's speech. I also thoroughly enjoyed both Fred Thompson and Giuliani's speeches. Hilarious and substansive.

Hopefully I will be able to pull myself away because I don't think this is healthy. But seriously, check out Sarah Palin's speech if you can, she's awesome. (I couldn't find it online, however I believe they are re-playing it on C-Span)

Fall is coming...

It's September! Fall is on it's way, and I am glad.

That's all :o)