7 Quick Whats!?

1. Um, what? #7QTs moved!? Clearly I have been immersed in the SEEK planning world for way to long...but here I am! I'm popping in to say hi today because I've missed you guys, and I've missed writing.


2. I haven't written since October. Which is really weird. Life has been a whirlwind of sleep, work, sleep, work, repeat for the past two months. One of those reasons is because we exceeded our goal of 8,000 attendees...the last time I checked we had about 9,400 people coming to SEEK! Can you believe it!? I definitely cannot. God is so good - none of this happened because of us.


3. In TEN DAYS I will be in Nashville. I don't know how I feel about that! Excited, weird, nervous, hopeful, and like I'm going to throw up. Fun Fact: Jen is one of our main speakers! And I get to run production during her session! It is going to be awesome.


4. One of the strangest things about this job is the timing. I'm headed home for Christmas tomorrow, but I will pretty much be working straight through SEEK. Today I'm grateful that my family is understanding of the demands of this job and that my boss lets us work remotely.


5. My brother is coming to SEEK, so that's cool. It's strange to think how significant of a part of my life planning events is, but no one in my family has ever attended one I've planned. So I'm excited for him to see what I do, but I'm more excited for him and all other 9,399 people to experience the conference.


6. I would like to shoutout to Emily, Carley, Steph, & Carol for being really good friends this week. I love you guys. Additional shoutout to Murph who I get to see in the AM for brunch.


7. I picked up this book at the store on Sunday. Because I'm, well, Crazy Busy, I have only read the first chapter. And I already recommend it. I think it's going to be just what I need.

Hop on over to, um, This Ain't The Lyceum, for more quick takes!

What I Learned About Community While Biking 28.2 Miles Down a Volcano

At 10,023 ft above sea level, you can't see all the way down to the bottom. You can only see clouds. And, well, the crater.

The view as the sun rises is breathtaking, but I think my family has just as much fun huddling around each other like penguins trying to stay warm.

Once we see the blazing sun, the six of us pile back into the van with three other couples to drive out of the national park.

Owen, our guide, lectures us about the rules for the ride and how many different ways there are to die. I'm extremely nervous - I'm not very athletic and I'm suddenly not very confident about my ability to balance on a bike. Owen lines us up by height (shortest in the front, tallest in the back), and we're off.

We fly down the side of the volcano, reaching speeds up to 30 miles per hour. It is exhilarating. It is cold. It is beautiful - I can see all the way down to the Pacific.

The rider in front of me, Daisy, is terrified. She is riding her breaks, causing me and all nine riders behind me to do the same. Owen coaches her, trying to coax her to let go, but it doesn't seem to do much.

At first, I am frustrated. The breaks hurt my hands and I want to go faster. But then I realize that Daisy is doing the very best she can. Owen is setting the pace, and I am staying close behind her, my very presence pushes her along, encouraging her forward.

Later, when Owen rearranges us and I am in front, I am the pace setter. Every little move I make affects the rest of the group. When I break, they break. When I speed up, they speed up.

As we flew down the volcano it struck me that this is not unlike community. I am going to reach the beach no matter how fast we go and whether or not Daisy herself does. But her progress affects me. If she slows down or falls away from the faith, I must slow too. I miss out on the beauty of the full family of God.

But when she flies, oh, but when she flies, she paves the way for me to fly too. Her holiness and closeness to God show me an example that allows me to flourish.

And when one of us messes up, or struggles, like when my mom couldn't get her bike to stop on a giant hill, one of us can reach out to assist, helping each other reach the finish line.

So while I could have biked down the volcano on my own, the experience was so much better in communion with others. Thank you Jesus, for giving us community to help us fly towards you.

Best Moments from our trip to Maui

Aloha, friends! I am back from Maui quite a few shades darker (seriously, I am so tan). Hawaii was incredible. The weather was perfect (minus a minor hurricane glitch), the landscape was so beautiful that it looked fake, and the people were incredibly laid back. I don't think I've ever felt quite so disconnected from the world while on a trip before. It was a perfect nine days of just relaxing, being with family, and trying not to get too sunburnt.

Here's a quick recap of our trip, in the format of a list of bests!

Best Adventure: Biking down the side of a volcano! More details to come on this tomorrow.

Best Meal: Crab Mac & Cheese at Honu on our very last night. Oh my goshhhh. I would go back to Maui just to eat this again.

Best View:

Drinking: Iced White Mocha
Reading: The Paper Magician

Just kidding. Here's Ka'anapali Beach without anything blocking your view! That island in the distance is Molokai.

Best Sunset:

The sunset in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Best Loss of "What are the Odds": "What are the Odds" is a game where you challenge someone to do something. You ask them, "what are the odds you'll eat an entire pizza?" and they answer saying something like, "1 in 10." After counting to three, the challenger and the challengee say a number in that range. If they say the same number, they have to do it. If they say a different number, they do not have to complete the challenge. At the end of the beach, there's a giant black rock that juts out into the ocean. If you swim out far enough, you can climb up 20ft and jump in. Tommy is not a fan of doing things like this. Steph, Joey, & I all jumped, and we wanted Tommy to join in the fun. After making all sorts of offers (like endless baked goods, Joey being nice to him forever), Tommy lost What are the Odds and had to jump. It ended up being a great experience, and we were all glad he did it!

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Best Ocean Experience: Snorkling right next to a sea turtle off the coast of Maui! Amazing.

Best Hawaiian Moment: Either surfing, or attending the Luau! Surfing is hard, but super fun! And the Luau was a sweet way to try traditional Hawaiian foods while watching hula!

#nailedit

Best Book Read: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This book was so enchanting, I could hardly put it down. It's the story of two opponents, competing to show who is better skilled at magic. The two main characters have been bound together their whole lives, and the story is about how they overlap and how the magic that they create is a gift to others. I highly recommend it.

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Best Parents in the World: MINE. Huge shoutout to my generous parents for taking us on this trip!

Aren't they so cute!?

But the best part of the whole trip was being able to spend 9 days of carefree timelessness with my family.

Aloha, Hawaii! Can't wait to see you again.

7QTs on Obscure Holidays, Painting, & Old Family Photos [22]

--- 1 ---

Last weekend I drove up to Ft. Collins to celebrate Shelby & Calvin! They are getting married in just about a month, so we had a Colorado Bachelorette party.

This is a hot mess. Everyone looks hilarious.

We went to a wine & paint night and it was SO FUN! Look at all of our trees! We're basically professionals. The most stressful part was getting started, but look how good of a job Ann did!!

Shelby & Calvin have been dating since I met them at UNL last year. They are both beautiful and joyful people who desire nothing more than to love Christ. I am so excited for them to unite in mission to continue to grow in holiness & to make Christ known!

 

--- 2 ---

Last night I got to babysit Soph while her parents went to their "Families of Character" group. We had so much fun at the park: slides, swings, "gotcha," pretend picnics, chasing bugs, and watching ducks.

She told all of my housemates many times how much fun she had all night, except right when her parents got home. About two minutes before they walked in the door, Sophie and I were laying down going to bed, and I was telling stories. When her Dad got home, she told him she was sad and that she cried. This was only because I had just told her (at 10:15 pm), that we could not get up and read another book. Ugh, kids.

--- 3 ---

Wednesday night I went to a gathering for the Drake Regional Alumni Board. The RAB (I love acronyms) plans and runs a few events a year and recruits other local alumni to attend. It was really great to be around other Drake grads. I was the youngest one there (worst) by a few years, and the oldest grad was my friend Kendall's dad.

My favorite part was recognizing that sure there is a typical Drake student, but there is also a typical overly involved Drake student (and that is 100% me). It was fun being around other Drake grads who have the same tendency to get involved in everything. It reminded me of my Panhellenic friends.

LOOK AT THESE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.

I'm excited for this board (committee?) and to get to know other Denver Drake grads!

--- 4 ---

Next week I begin another cross-country traveling adventure. Kansas City, Lincoln, Omaha, Nashville, & Ave Maria, Florida are the one list. I'll also make connections in Chicago, Atlanta, Fort Myers, & Indianapolis. All we need is a quick flight to the west coast to really make it a cross country adventure.

--- 5 ---

Yesterday was national siblings day. Please enjoy this gem from my 4th grade birthday (what the heck is up with my hair):

and this other gem of Steph & me ringing in Y2K!

I love everything about this picture.

Speaking of Steph, she is on the Relay for Life committee at SLU & their Relay is tomorrow! I'm so proud of her - she has raised $802.67 for cancer research. My family is in St. Louis to attend the event (& I'm super jealous).

#crying

--- 6 ---

Speaking of obscure holidays, today is National Barbershop Quartet Day. We sang a lot of barbershop quartet in 7th and 8th grade. Goodtimes. Please enjoy this video in honor of this very important day:

--- 7 ---

A few times I've mentioned the St. Catherine of Sienna Spiritual Gifts Inventory. Yesterday. FOCUS brought in Sherry Weddell, the founder and author of Forming Intentional Disciples, to lead us through the workshop. It was amazing and so fun. My team took the inventory last year, but it was a whole other ball game to hear them all explained by Sherry with insight on how we can use our charisms to evangelize. I'm excited to take the next step and explore these gifts/charisms in more depth.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7QT on moving and traveling [17]

--- 1 ---

I've been moving this week, so I've been MIA. I found an awesome Living Social deal that allowed me to pay $50 for an hour with 2 movers and a truck!!!!!! Seriously, it was the best decision I ever made. They carried all my heavy things and then brought them to my new apartment. Praise God for movers, because I hate carrying boxes to/from the car.

--- 2 ---

Speaking of things I hate: packing/cleaning is another big one. It is seriously the worst. But...it's been my life the past 2.5 weeks and it will continue to be so the week following this because I'm not unpacked yet. Ugh.

--- 3 ---

Things I like: being home!! This post comes to you from Kansas City, where my family resides. I made the 9-hour journey today (it actually went pretty fast) & I will be home for the next week-ish. I'm here to work - I've been blessed with the opportunity to speak at my parish about FOCUS, so I'll be spending the week doing some fundraising. #pleaseballa

--- 4 ---

Today, I officially crossed into the realm of being a cat lady. One of my new roomies is allergic to cats (sad day), so my kitty needed a temporary home until the roomie gets married this summer. Megan, my big in DG, is going to keep her for a few months, so I didn't have to give her up. I was not looking forward to 9-hours in the car with a cat, but she did pretty well.

someone is not pleased.

How does this make me a cat lady, you ask? Please view the pictures below from when I stopped for lunch and gave the cat a chance to stretch:

I was totally being judged by some high school girls in Hayes, Kansas. #catonalease

--- 5 ---

This morning when I checked twitter, I had this awesome notification:

Yes, that is my mother below.

I was pretty excited/flattered to be noted as an "upcoming event planner." I love this career, so it's fun to be recognized by others in the industry! Way to go, twitter, for helping me grow professionally.

--- 6 ---

Speaking of event planning, I discovered this hilarious joke on the Pinterest that I am so obsessed with, I made it my twitter bio. 

HAHAHAHAHA.

--- 7 ---

Christina sent our team this video, and I am obsessed! Talk about talent. I'm currently watching it non-stop.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7QT on Frozen, visiting friends, and the Broncos [14]

--- 1 ---

The impromptu retreat I went on last weekend was really good, and really healing. I was able to reflect on my time in Denver so far and really acknowledge where I am at in my life. I am excited to work through this a little more, and add some goals about where I want to keep going.

--- 2 ---

EMILY IS HERE! Schmem was my randomly assigned orientation roommate and we've been best friends ever since. She is 100% opposite of me, and I love how she balances me out.

Em and me our freshman year of college

I miss living with her everyday (we lived together 3 years in college), but I am excited for the change to be real life friends this weekend!

--- 3 ---

Guys, I still haven't caught up on sleep since SLS. I can't seem to figure out how to get back on track in my sleep schedule. It's the worst. I'm hoping that after this weekend I can finally get back to normal.

--- 4 ---

Last week I got creative and risky with my kindergarten religious education class. We learned about Moses and instead of our normal game, story, craft routine, we did interactive stations. It was really, really fun - one of the kids even yelled out in the middle of class, "this is so fun!" I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this teaching 5 year olds thing.

--- 5 ---

I finally saw Frozen! It was just as good as all the hype made it out to be. SO many great things - Idina Menzel, the music, a hilarious talking snowman, and the beauty of sacrificial love. Disney really nailed it.

--- 6 ---

Speaking of Frozen, Christina has been sending our team Frozen video clips, memes, and songs all week. I can finally look at them and listen to the videos. Here's my favorite image that she sent:

She's got mad facebook stalking and meme making skills.

--- 7 ---

Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday! People are getting pretty excited around here for the Broncos and my man Petyon! My friend Brit posted an "Denverapolis Broncolts" shirt on Instagram and I want it so bad.

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I always get super intense anxiety when the Bronco's play the Colt's...being from Indianapolis, I love Petyon and the Colts, but now that I live in Denver, I still love Petyon and have quickly been converted to a Bronco's fan. I think this shirt would solve all my problems.

Let's go Broncos!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes on Family, Nuns on the Internet, and How St. Lucy is a DG [9]

--- 1 ---

I am heading to Aspen this weekend to help celebrate a friend's birthday. A bunch of FOCUS friends have rented out a giant house and we are just going to relax, eat, hang out, hike, and be together. It is just what I need in the middle of this SLS craziness.

--- 2 ---

Lindsay is headed home tomorrow to prepare for her wedding next Saturday, which means she is moving out. :( This semester has flown by. In just a month my good friend Jess will be joining Melissa and me in our apartment. I'm so excited to actually live with a Tecumseh friend. It's going to be nonstop CTlove and I just can't wait!

Maybe we can do theme dinners?

--- 3 ---

My family got a groupme group. Tommy is the only one without an iPhone, so we naturally named the group "If Tommy had an iPhone we wouldn't need this group." Joey immediately changed his name to "Favorite Child." Five texts in and someone already started being sassy. Typical. It's kind of fun though.

--- 4 ---

This week has been a bit of a struggle bus. I think my brain has stopped working properly because of all of the SLS prep. But I really, really like it. Carol, Christine, and I spent 5 hours this week working finalizing all the little details happening in every room at every moment to send to the hotel today. I was event planning nerding out a little bit.

--- 5 ---

I can't stop googling pictures of nuns. Whenever I need a quick break from work instead of hoping over to facebook/twitter/pinterest or getting up from my desk to stop staring at the screen, I pull up google and type, "Sisters of Life," or "Nashville Dominicans," or "Servidoras." I can't help it - they're just so beautiful!

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I think there's something wrong with me.

--- 6 ---

Today is St. Lucy's feast day! St. Lucy is my girl.

Why yes, those are her eyeballs
on a platter.
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I'm convinced she's a DG - I mean she's the patroness against blindness and for blind people! She would have loved Service for Sight. Aside from Steph's Kirsten American Girl Doll, I first encountered St. Lucy in a homily Father Joel gave on her my senior year of college. I could not tell you what he talked about, but I was struck by her commitment to Jesus. She promised Him that she would be true and devoted to Him, and she stuck it out, despite all the persecution and torture that came after. I met St. Lucy during a time when I was wavering in my commitment to Jesus and her intercession has helped me stay strong in my faith as I've continued growing.

--- 7 ---

With all this SLS prep and extra time spent at work, there's been a lot of team bonding, and I love it. Tuesday night, Christine, Carol, John Paul, & I stayed until about 6:15 just talking and laughing. Curtis even stopped by and told us how fun we are!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!