Wow, so the one time I am tagged and encouraged to write a post is the one time I go a couple of days without the will to blog! What? It's so rare that I go a day without the desire to blog!
But it's just been a rough couple of days. 36.5 weeks and I'm totally in the "I'm done" state of mind. As much as I always try to avoid it, it's here. I'm done. When can I sleep on my tummy again?
Gah! Anyways, I still feel so excited that Kendra tagged me! I can't believe my grandma's tea set is famous now. I'll have to tell her, but I don't think she understands much about the blogging world so she'll probably just nod and smile and have no idea what I'm talking about :)
So thanks Kendra! I'm enjoying your series and am happy to participate! I hope my answers aren't too boring :)
1. Do you hate happy clappy church music?
I don't hate it, but I don't care for it much anymore. When I first became a Christian, but before I converted to Catholicism, I had a brief time where I attended college youth groups and somewhat got "into" Christian worship music. I think it was good for me at that place in my life. But after converting and especially after attending our Byzantine Catholic church, my fondness has decidedly shifted to ancient forms of church music and chant. If I happen to attend a Roman rite mass and there happens to be more contemporary music I do cringe a bit, but I think that's more because I'm not used to it anymore, especially in the context of Catholicism. (I bet my Protestant friends might be surprised to hear that it has been incorporated into Catholic worship, too!) On an intellectual level, I love the idea of worshiping God in the same format as the early Christians did. And on an emotional level, older, more traditional music is balm to my soul. Even during church when the kids are wiggly, I can still take much of it in through osmosis. The music just descends over my whole being and I feel like I am participating in worship even though my attention might be split at any given moment. Contemporary Christian music just doesn't do that for me, personally.
I remember a lot of people commenting at the music at our Byzantine wedding. Since it was chanted it sounded quite foreign to a lot of ears. Well, lets face it, everyone who attended our wedding but did not attend Mike's church thought it was kind of strange and I'm sure they didn't care for it either. That's ok, I understood that. After attending an Eastern liturgy for a while you really start to love it, though. We chant/sing our prayers together as a family and it really makes a difference for the kids - who pick up it up really easily. They really like to "sing" their prayers!
So basically happy clappy church music isn't really heard in this house or in church unless I'm flipping through the stations. And I think I still own a Michael W. Smith cd somewhere from college....
(I hope I interpreted this question right)
One of my favorite paintings. A Siesta by Fredrick Arthur Bridgman
I would say most often I get up for food. I have been having a hard enough time falling asleep with this pregnancy so I might as well get up.
Other times during the day, like right before my coveted nap time, I put sleep as a priority. I'm not such a great cook as it is so my lunches are often quite sad. I will feed the kids, clean up the kitchen, put them down for naps, then I finally have my time. At that point I'm more interested in napping than making a delicious lunch for myself. So, I will make a tuna melt or (please don't judge) a lean cuisine frozen meal, or sometimes a salad with chicken, then I'll put it on a tray and watch a Netflix show or read, then go lay down! This is very typical for me. If you try to call me between the hours of 12 - 3 most days, I won't answer. I'm eating or sleeping :)
3. What kind of milk do you drink in your house?
Whole! Ever since Louisa, our oldest, was a toddler we started drinking whole and stuck with it. Yum!
4. What is a book that changed your perspective on something?
Two years ago I read Seth Mnookin's book, The Panic Virus, and it basically made me see the vaccine debate in a whole new, much more educated, light. I was tired of reading internet articles on the subject and really wanted something more meaty and much more well-researched. I found it in his book. We were vaccinating our kids before reading it but doing an alternative schedule and I was feeling so fearful every time going in - like my kid was going to start convulsing right there in the pediatrician's office! It was very nerve-racking. Now days, I take my kids in with a lot more confidence and am able to feel assured that we are making the right decision and doing what we can to protect them from preventable illnesses. Yes, it is still about weighing risks but I now recognize that virtually any medical/bodily action is going to carry a degree of risk. You have to make a decision and I think everyone agrees that it's better to make an educated decision than one made out of fear.
So yes, Mnookin's book very much changed my perspective and if you are feeling confused in this area I recommend reading it!
5. Who is your favorite saint?
My confirmation saint is Saint Teresa of Avila. I would like to say she is my favorite but I've only read one good book on her. I found out much later that she is the patron of headaches, which is perfect since I suffer from migraines.
In terms of admiring the life of a saint, I think St. Damian of Molokai tops my list of "crazy fools for Christ" I mean, the man left his home in Europe, went to the modern leper colony in Hawaii to try and preach to the poor souls there, eventually contracted the horrible disease and died at a relatively young age! I was very touched reading about his life. I was caught up in not only the physical despair on the island, but the spiritual darkness that was present there. The people had no hope and consequently many of them lived very sinfully. Fr. Damian was very much hated not only by many people on the island but by the Hawaiian government as well. I just imagine how physically discomforting it would be to make the same choices he did (I'm very bad at being uncomfortable) - living on the damp, destitute island with all these people with leprosy (take a moment to read about the disease and you'll know how unpleasant that would be!) and also how spiritually discomforting it would have been for a long time. The man had to shout out his confession to a fellow priest from a boat in front of a bunch of people for goodness sakes!
Yes, Fr. Damian is a favorite hero/saint for sure. I don't think I could do that.
6. Introvert or extrovert?
I guess I'm an introvert. This is somewhat confusing to me, but from what I've read in recent months, I have the main qualities of an introvert; i.e. gaining energy from being alone. I definitely crave solid amounts of alone time. When put into social situations I do very well; I'm chatty and friendly and easy going. But it definitely tires me out. I do love people in general and check in with my friends and family often. So it's weird to think of myself as an introvert - but I suppose the fact that I need that time alone to re-energize defines me in that way. My husband on the other hand craves more social time. He likes to plan game nights and enjoys guys' nights (though they are a very rare occasion for him, poor man) But many people on the surface would look at us and pin me as the extrovert and him as the introvert.
cute extrovert husband :)
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