Volcano Exam

Oh shoot....the exam is tomorrow!

St. Agatha, pray for us!

St. Januarius, pray for us!

Why I took a class about volcanoes

At the beginning of the year I searched the UW Timetable for hours looking for the perfect one credit class to take.  Did it matter?  No.  Not at all.

I saw "Volcanoes and Civilization" and it piqued my interest.  Why?  Well, because after December 2011 whenever anyone , for the rest of my life, asked a question about--or had conversations about--volcanoes, I would be able to chime in with more information than they ever cared to know.  It would be hilarious.


After much, much thinking about which class to take--okay, after someone told me Volcanoes was only 8 weeks long and not 15--I signed up.  It's been a battle, but come Thursday, the battle will be over.


Anywho, the point of this post:  My theory proved correct this week.  I received a call from a good friend, Ellen on Tuesday morning.  She said, "Jane, what's a 6 letter word for volcanic rock."  To which I exclaimed, "BASALT!"  Oh, I was so happy.  Who'da thought that some shallow, low-pressured formed volcanic rock could make my day.


Here's to hoping for many, many more volcano convos!


St. Agatha, patron Saint of volcanoes, pray for us!
+JMJ

A Riddle

What do you get a person for Christmas who
1) Makes 17 times the amount of money than you--i.e. can afford anything s/he actually needs
2) All s/he tells you s/he wants is a diamond ring
3) S/he doesn't really wear flowers in her hair or any other craft I could make
waaaaaaaaaait.  I just got an idea.  Stay posted!

Jane-o

I think I'll start updating this more...

That sounds like a prudent use of my 6.6 hours.

What's my 6.6 hours?  Father figured out what all the Interns should be doing and how much free time we get, on average, per day.  It's 6.6 hours.  And events included in free time include getting ready for the day/bed, all meals, and other generally-necessary daily events.  I work a lot.  It's weird.

But, my job doesn't typically include a lot of Saturday/Sunday hours which means I take my 6.6 hours from the week and move them all to Saturday/Sunday.  Which means I get like 1-2 per weekday.  It's a numbers game.  I'm losing.

Just kidding.  Well, I literally need sleep since I stayed up baking until 3am on Saturday and spent most of yesterday/today cleaning Newman Kitchen.

So, in the words of Lloyd Christmas, "Woah, big gulps, huh? Alright! Well, see ya later!"

Biking For Babies

Hey All!


Yesterday 5 bikers started biking in Louisiana and are biking to Champaign, IL to raise money for pro-life charities!  It's like 800 miles and they're taking 7 or 8 days to do this bike ride--say what?!  It's called Biking for Babies.  Anyway, one of the riders has been a FOCUS missionary at St. Paul's in Madison for the past two years (he's from Iowa and his house is where I went for that Catholic Conference in the fall) and is headed down to Texas next year to continue his FOCUS career.  Another rider goes to school here.  His name is Kevin and he is Nikki's boyfriend.  (I only say that because Nikki came to mom and dad's house for the discipleship sleepover so mom, dad and Maggie may remember her!)  Anyway, check out the website; buy a t-shirt and donate some money! :)


They're trying to raise 15,000 buckaroos for pro-life charities.  One of these is the future Women's Care Center which will be across the street from the Planned Parenthood in Madison (formerly the Our Lady of Victory Building).  That will be super exciting when that opens so women who are going in for abortions see the hope across the street and just may choose life!


As Emma is walking across the country this summer, there are three more groups from Crossroads walking, 5 people biking (nearly) across the country, and many many more witnessing to life.  So beautiful!


So, add prayers for the safety of the bikers to your prayers of safety for all the Crossroad's walkers for the next week or so.  Anyway, check out the website to see videos and blogs from their trip!


St. Padre Pio, patron of the unborn, pray for us!

Heat

It is so hot out, and my apartment is even hotter.  The pool deck at the Y feels refreshing--a week ago I would have complained about how much I sweat on the pool deck because it's too warm.  I'm moving to the North Pole

Emma's BlogS

I find it way to hard to remember the name of Emma's Crossroads Blog.  I always have to go to the elloemma one and then click the link to her new one.  That is all.

I got sunburnt today

what the heck?  Since when was it 80+ degrees out!?

Substance

I'd like to put something of substance into my blog but really can't think of anything.  Any suggestions?

Die, Jane, Die, PART 2

Within 2 minutes of getting to the house to babysit today, Aidan said to Grace, "Grace, let's tackle Jane!"

Today, was all too fun!

Wine Fest

Yesterday was the St. Paul's Wine Fest.  I had a great time and hope mom and dad did too!  I got to introduce them to a lot of my friends (and future coworkers/roommates!).  They also got to meet Lisa's parents.  However, M and D spent most of the night talking to Gina about The Office.  She told me today that she really enjoyed the convos with M and D! :)

Most of the day today we had an Evangelization Workshop with FOCUS missionaries and current/future Bible study leaders.  We talked a little about next year and heard a few steller talks (to get us pumped up).  Carrie (a missionary) spoke about dreams and why are dreams are so limited.  Then, about how if our dreams are centered in Jesus, we can do anything.  Without JC, we can dream to find a job or something; with JC we can move mountains, have 1000 Bible studies on campus in the next couple years, need to add another Mass because the rest are too crowded, change the culture on campus and more!  It was fun to dream--and now we pray about how to go about doing these things and let the Holy Spirit work through us on campus.  I encourage you all to take time to dream--BIG!  :)

Today I Died...

...over, and over and over again!  I babysat, the kids liked to play this game that, if it had a name, probably would have been names something like, "Let's kill Jane and make her pretend she's dead for long periods of time."  It was fun.  You all missed it, but, if you're lucky, we'll play next time we're all home.  That is if we can find something, anything really, to use as a sword!

He's Almost Here!!!!

Since I procrastinated so long in writing a post about my job for next year, I'll just tell you all about it tomorrow at supper! :)  

Also, I just got done helping decorate St. Paul's chapel for tonight and it looks pretty--just kidding, that's nearly impossibly--but there are flowers everywhere, and the flowers smell nice. :)  So excited for tonight!

Also, I wrote a post about Penelope (you all better have read it) a week or so ago and as it turns out, I'm her sponsor, so pray for her tonight!

Finally, another prayer intention:  A friend, Rachel, (that came to that sleepover that I had at home a few weeks ago)...well, her brother was hit by a car on the U of M campus while he was walking a week ago and he passed away on Thursday.  So keep him and Rachel and their family/friends in your prayers tonight especially.  May he rise to eternal life as our Lord rises from the grave tonight!

I hope you all had a Good Friday!

Best Bachelorette Party Ever

So Laura's bachelorette party was the best party of any kind I've ever been too--at least the most well-planned and well-executed.  We got to her house in Pewaukee between 2:30 and 2:45.  When we arrived we signed the waivers for paintballing so that we didn't have to do it once we got there.

Then we headed to Mukwonago for a few hours to paintball.  I had done it once before for FLOW in high school and didn't really like it that much.  But, had SOOOO much fun on Saturday.  The place was this huge warehouse and we were able to play inside too.  Laura had a veil with a crown on and also a sash that said "bride."  All of the sudden I realized how much the situation of us waiting around for our masks and guns reminded me of "My Big Redneck Wedding" TV show.  I felt the need to share it with Laura and she agreed!  Hilarious.

Anywho, we paintballed for a couple hours and here was the results:

 

After paintballing we headed to Lauren and Alison's house (they are Laura's life-long BFF's who are twins and did all the planning of the party) where we ate mashed potatoes from Culver's (Laura's favorite!) and a lot of other food.  Then we played some Michael Jackson Experience on the Wii and a fun game for the bride-to-be...I won't tell you about it because I think it's a great game to play for Emma's Bachelorette party someday! :)

At 9:00 we headed off to the next activity--a treasure hunt for Laura.  They had this extensive treasure hunt set up that started with a clue that led Laura to a swing in their backyard that she made them for their 21st birthday's and then to her Church, High School, a park, favorite ice cream place, a bar and finally to her house.  At Bubba's, the ice cream place, the twins had everything set up and Laura's previous clue had a gift certificate in it and it said she had to order the exact dessert or she wouldn't get her next clue.  Anyway, she knew just what to order and the cashier handed her the next clue--so cute!

The last clue led her to her bedroom where a present and card were sitting on her bed.  She brought it back down and opened it.  It was a Bible (from all of us) with her new (future) name embossed on it and a love letter from her groom in it.  So stinkin' cute!!!!  The first stops were at places and things from her childhood and the scavenger hunt ended with God and Andy.

Then, we hung out in her basement, watched a movie and went to bed.  I was exhausted.  On Sunday morning, I had to wake up early and leave by 7 so that I could get home in time for work.  I gave Laura's freshman/sophomore-year roommate a ride home too because it was her 5th anniversary with her boyfriend and he had a whole day planned for them.  Right before I headed over to the library to write this I saw Laura and learned that the day included a proposal (for marriage) from her boyfriend!  :)

My Phone

my phone is dead.  the charger won't work.  it's time for a new one.  tomorrow i'm headed to peewaukee for the night for a bachelorette party that includes paintballing...should be fun!

New Staff Orientation

Today, at my NSO (New Staff Orientation) for the Y I met Darin's sister.  We talked and decided it's not fair that Libby and Darin get each other nice presents and the siblings are stuck with a $20 limit for gifts from them.  Ha...not fair.  After all, life is about presents and the value behind them, right!? :)

My Job for Next Year

Sorry that you guys had to find out about my job for next year via mom (or via comments on the blog in Emma's case).  I just didn't post anything on here or fb or anything because we were told to keep it a secret for a little bit.  And, we were never actually told when we could stop keeping it a secret (awkward..).  But, I'm pretty sure it's fair game now.  I'm going to be the Hospitality Intern at St. Paul's.  I'm super excited.  And I'll post later about what my duties will be, who my co-workers will be and all that jazz.  For right now, I have to head to St. Paul's to help cook Newman Dinner (which I'll be in charge of next year!) :)

I'll leave you with this...."Mmm bop, ba duba dop, Ba du bop, ba duba dop, Ba du bop, ba duba dop, Ba du"

I Like Your Shoes

I just need to tell a quick story about Katie mentioned in this post.  I had been asked if I would meet with her (again, since I bragged about having nothing to do) and said yes.  We corresponded via email and decided to meet in the half hour between 6pm Mass and her RCIA class at 7:30.  I facebook stalked her prior to the meeting so I knew what she looked like.  Then, after Mass I went into the Lower Commons at St. Paul's where we had decided to meet and hung around.  I didn't see a girl anywhere that looked like the girl I facebook stalked.  There was one girl kind of hanging around talking to a couple people and she even complimented me on my shoes.  Well, 7:30 rolled around, I figured we weren't going to meet so I went home.

I don't know if it was on the walk home or days later that I realized that the girl who complimented me was Katie.  CAN YOU SAY "AWKWARD!"?  Haa...so I emailed her and asked if she was who I thought she was and, indeed, she was.  We added each other to facebook and met at a coffee shop next time--all awkwardness was avoided.  Thankfully, the story is just hilarious.  We tell new people we meet that it was our first "non-meeting".  

I'm so awkward.

STOP THE BOP

My current Facebook status: "Jane Voelker thinks "Stop the Bop" day might have just become her new favorite Madison day EVER! mmmmbop!!"

Why? You may ask.  What on earth is she talking about?

Today is the second annual "Stop the Bop" fundraiser.  I don't know who's raising money or what it's going for--besides I know it goes to help children.  But, here's the gist:  The fundraisers play "mmmbop" over loudspeakers in library mall until they get the amount of money they are trying to raise.  Hilarious or annoying?  I vote absolutely hysterical.  But, I suppose no one would be surprised to hear me say that.  I just love the irony.  The money is going to little kids (for something) and little kids tend to stop their feet until they get what they want.  So these big kids are stomping their feet and being annoying until they get what they want.

At the end of Mass today, Fr. said, "As you can hear the 'Stop the Bop' fundraiser is back so please donate to them so I don't have to listen to that for the next four-and-a-half hours." hahaaa

Penelope taught me a life lesson

No, not the movie, silly!  But there's a girl named Penelope that's a catechumen and getting ready for her Baptism and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil.  On Monday Shileng asked me if I could meet with her until then.  And I thought, "Sure, what's a couple of meetings?"  I told him I was already meeting with a girl (shoutout to Katie K who I have been meeting with for a couple months) and he's like, "I know.  Can you meet with another one."  And I told him yes.  Then he told me I have to meet with her everyday (well, not everyday, but ALMOST everyday) until the E. Vigil.  Then, in shock, I told him okay and asked what we were supposed to talk about.  He said general catechisis, the old testament, and if I had time a few other things.  And I thought, WHAT THE HECK!?!?  Anyway, I met with her Tuesday and got to know her a little and then yesterday we talked a little about some of the OT up to Abram and Sarai. 

Then, I emailed Fr. Eric this morning to be reminded what exactly I was supposed to be doing.  He said she needs to be able to say the creed with faith at the E. Vigil.  So, talk to her about the Trinity, Incarnation, the Church, general morals, etc.  I was like, oh okay, good thing I have two years--oh wait, I have less than two weeks!   Haa.....hopefully she learns whatever she needs to learn.

Also, I texted Gina when I got the email back from Fr. and she said "Well, it's better than the whole OT."  Agreed.

Now what is this life lesson that Penelope taught me?  "Never brag about having nothing to do because everyone will hear that and ask you to do heaps and heaps of things."

Also, a quick ditty about Katie K who I meet with whose middle name happens to start with a K too.  I told her I thought her email was funny because it's kkk...@wisc.edu.  She said she told her boyfriend that if he married her he could save her from being a white supremacist!  HAHAHAA

How Lame

My blogposts have been pretty lame lately, huh?  Well, I went to the library today just to write a decent blogpost.  (Not actually the reason, but I'll write one anyway.)  Actually, there might be a couple small ones to keep all my thoughts separate and you guys entertained!

I Miss....

...my computer

If only...

...I had anything exciting to say. 

Surprise!!!

Was anyone else surprised to receive a text from mom that said, "Almost to omaha...sore butt...going well."  Ah, I had no clue that she was going anywhere but I'm glad to here things are going well--sad to hear about the butt though!

National No Housework Day

Work at 5am

Today, I worked the 5AM shift at work.  This meant getting up around 4:30 and leaving for work.  It was kind of fun driving there because when do you get up that early and drive?  When you're going to the airport to catch a flight, when you're going to help set up and chase a hot air balloon, etc.  So, I was excited driving to work--though I just ended up lifeguarding for 5 hours.  But, surprisingly, I really liked the shift!  (It may have had to do with the "5-Hour Energy" I drank at 5am.)  I couldn't drink coffee or any normal caffeine-filled drink because I knew I wasn't going to get a bathroom break until 9am when someone came in for lessons!  Anyway, shift ended, no bathroom break at 9am desperately needed.  It was a good day.  I work that shift again on Good Friday--I figured taking that shift for someone else would be a good sacrifice since I can't snack on Craisins during it.  :)

Anyway, mom took my computer into ZAXX and they have to send it into the computer place and it will be at least a week before we hear anything about it! :(

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Well, I just got back from the party and it was really fun.  Everything it promised to be and more! 

Also, I thought I was a total loser for putting a total score of 75 for the final game.  But the final score was only 94? 95? Can't remember right now, so I guess I'm not as stupid about basketball as I thought.  And congrats dad for picking right!

Fr. Eric is 50!

Fr. Eric Nielsen turns 50 today so he's having a big party at Brocach's (the Irish pub on the square) tonight.  I have to work until 7:30 but am definitely going there after.  There's going to be food, beer, pop, cake, tap dancing, a band, and more!  The man knows how to have a party!!  Anyway, speaking of that I have to make a cake this afternoon for the party! :)  But I'm heading out the door right now to go hang out with my friend, Beth, who is visiting for the weekend/Fr.'s party!  It's going to be a good day!

Missing a few posts...

I might not be able to post for a couple days so here's a list of things pertaining to me life:

1) The reason I might not be able to post is that the screen of my laptop half-separated from the keyboard of my laptop--not only is that awkward, it's rather inconveinent.  He'll soon be at the computer shop.

2) The sleepover was fun--I feel like all we did was eat, but it was still fun.

3) If grandma is me-ma and Emma is mem-ma, when Theresie's first word is "Jane," how will she said it?  Jane-ma?

4) Broccoli salad is delicious

5) Oreo ice-cream cake is more delicious

6) I wrote "me" in the first line of this post on purpose

Sleepover

I'm on my way home soon with a few friends for a sleepover and some of dad's delicious burgers.  And, of course, to see Theresie and co.!

The Silversmith

So, here's the comparison between a silversmith and purgatory.  Someone went to watch a silversmith at work.  To purify silver you have to put it into a fire and the observer asked the silversmith how he knew when it was purified enough.  He said you can't take it out too soon or it won't be purified and if I leave it in too long it will be destroyed.  And the observer asked again how he knew what the perfect length of time in the fire was.  And he said, that's easy; it's done when I see my reflection in the silver.  (BOOYAH, same with purgatory.  When God sees His reflection in us, we're ready for heaven!) :)

"He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness."  Malachi 3:3

Alpha O

Tonight we had Alpha Omega (which is the Thursday night large group undergrad gathering) and Gina (FOCUS missionary and my Bible study leader) talked about heaven, hell, and purgatory.  It was a really interesting and great talk...tomorrow, hopefully, I'll post about an analogy involving a silversmith and purgatory!  Goodnight y'all!

The Best Blog...

No offense, but Maggie's blog is my favorite.  I think we can all agree on that!

Compliments

Why is it that I always get compliments on my hair and how cute I look on the days when I don't shower or days when I do shower but I spend about 2 minutes putting my hair into a braid?  Riddle me that...

Pot Pie and Clean Rooms

Mom said Goldie could buy the groceries if I made an actual meal (from the How to Boil Water cookbook).  Well, Lisa and I made Chicken Pot Pie today.  (It wasn't actually from the HTBW cookbook, but from a different one.  (And Goldie bought a couple other groceries for me too, thanks mom and dad!)  I learned a lot.  First of all, Pot Pie is pretty fun and (quite surprisingly) easy to make!  It's also decently healthy...except for a bit of butter in it! :)  But, it sure was tasty...mmmm....Then, I went to Bible Study and came home to find Lisa had cleaned our room (well her stuff).  We never actually put all our laundry and belongings away after spring break.  I was sad to see she cleaned because it meant I had to clean too...sad day.  But, I cleaned--it never takes as long as I think it's going to and I'm always thankful to have a clean room!  We shouldn't have a problem keeping it clean now; it only becomes an issue when we come back from a break or something and don't put things away right now.  Well, buona notte and gute nacht!

I was just going to respond to Maggie's Comment...

...about who interviewed me, but then I decided to make it today's post because I'm tired.  Fr. Sternberg, Shileng, Caroline (the graduate student ministry person), and James (the music coordinator) interviewed me.  I'm pretty sure they didn't find out anything new about me that they already didn't know!

Interview

Well, my interview was about 20 minutes long.  They didn't really ask any questions that I hadn't answered on my application.  Also, I think I probably didn't give them any answers that they didn't already know about me.  I find out a week or so from Monday!

INTERVIEW!!!!

Tomorrow at 1:30pm is my interview for being a Pastoral Intern at St. Paul's.  Pray for me!

Candlelight Mass (and an Eviction)

Every Wednesday at 9pm at St. Paul's there is a candlelight Mass.  It's nice.  There's a bunch of tea lights and the lights of the Church are turned off.  It's also kind of scary cause it's pretty dark.  But, Mass was good.  Father S. gave a great homily and quoted PJP II.  I liked the quote: "We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son."  Maggie, Mom, you might recognize that quote cause John Paul II said it at World Youth Day in Toronto.  Does it ring a bell?


Oh, and we almost got evicted today, but that catastrophe was avoided (barely)!

Books, Books, Books

I like reading.  But, it's hard.  Reading takes time and, as we all know, I'm a busy woman these days.  But some books I want to read:

The Temperament God Gave You

Northanger Abbey

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Obviously.)

The Privilege of Being a Woman

Rediscovering Catholicism

Interior Castles

My St. Philomena Books

Well, that's all I can think of for now.  Add suggestions for me! :)

My thoughts on Lemon Cake...

I never really had many thoughts about lemon cake--or its disposition.  Then, one day while I was home last week I stumbled upon a people magazine that made me think twice.  It was a book review.  It turns out someone took the time to write an entire novel about how particularly sad lemon cake is.  And, my theory is that if someone has taken the time to write a novel about how particularly sad something is, it must be sad.  Time to re-evaluate your preconceived notions about lemon cake...or at least think about it...  (p.s. I wanted this post to have yellow writing but that was too hard to see; so I made it blue for the melancholic nature of lemon cake.)

Jacks...

They're outta this world!!!

Holy Cow!!

Theresie is cute!

Adventures Aplenty

I had quite the adventure today!  The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help was fun.  Look to tomorrow's post for details.  I just got back from watching Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey with some friends and now am headed out to meet up with some other people for a little bit (for karaoke?)

Peace out sistas!

Our Lady of Good Help

I'm headed to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help tomorrow!!  (That's the place where Mary appeared to a woman many years ago.  It's the first approved Marian apparition in the USA!!)  So, I'm pretty pumped.  Hopefully I can return with some pictures!

55-year-olds in Swimming Lessons

Today I tried to teach a 55-year-old woman how to swim.  It was surprisingly fun.  She was cute and totally afraid of the water.  The best part: she listened when I talked!!!  (Which is obvi. not protocol in childrens' swim lessons.)  Anyway, she made a lot of progress and was super thankful.

Also, is no one excited that I am coming home?  Lamesauce

I'm going home!!!

ON FRIDAY! TO PLAY WITH EMMA AND THERESIE AND MAGGIE AND PHIL AND MOM AND DAD!!! :)  SO EXCITED!

Hockey and a Gem

I just got back from the Badger Women's hockey game and they just won.  In the playoffs.  They beat Duluth.  Anyway, my friend Alev plays and she did awesomely.  Gina and I made signs for the game.  

One said:

 "Roses are red, violets are blue, the badgers are red too"

The other said (by the way, Alev's last name is Kelter, just so you know what the sign was about):

"'Kelter' putting the 'B.A.' in Badgers since 2009"

They were a real hit.  We even got them signed by her for when she's famous!

Also, I was stumbling around Facebook when I stumbled upon this gem, enjoy:

I have to be at work in...

6 hours and 45 minutes.  (Which means I have to leave my house in like 6 hours and 20 minutes. (Which means I have to wake up early than that. (Which means I'm going to bed.)))

Also, someone puked in the hallway of my apartment building...classy.  The smell made me want to also puke.

Finally, something was just making a weird gurgling noise in my apartment.  I can't figure it out.  I'm scared.  I hate being home alone.

Bedtime!

A short post...

Two things:

1) I'm sick.  At least I had a week of being healthy before I became sick again.

2) I saw a banana, that was smoking, walk down State Street this morning.  (I think it was on its way to rally at the capitol, because bananas want collective bargaining rights too, you know!)

Time for a nap....

Ash Wednesday--Face tattoos and awkward moments

Hey all!  Happy Lent! :)

First, Emma posted today about the high mass attendence at Ash Wednesday Mass.  The same phenomenon happens here.  St. Paul's have 5 Masses all with ridiculous attendence.  7am--probably 100 or so; noon--a couple hundred; 5pm--400; 7pm-400; 9pm? (It's only 9:30!).   So that totals a ridiculous amount. The chapel is bursting full with people sitting in aisles and wherever they can find a spot.  Fr. Sternberg gave a great homily about how not going to Mass until Easter again or something like not praying until next year is not going to work.  (He said this much more eloquently all while relating it to the Elve's songs in Lord of the Rings!)  Hopefully there were some conversions!


Second, I'd like to share two stories about what happened today.  To preface both, though I didn't go to Mass until 7pm, I got some ashes before morning prayer this morning so I could walk around and remind people about Ash Wednesday.


1)  I went to Woodman's (grocery store) with a friend to shop for the Newman Dinner on Thursday nights at St. Paul's.  I was walking to get some extra mayo and this little girl--probably about 5-years-old--says, "I like your face tattoo."  I said, "ahhh, thanks!?"  (I'm a little slow on the uptake and didn't actually realize what she was talking about until it was too late.)  Anyway, I hear her mom say as I walk away, "What did you say?" (Child Repeats her compliment.)  Mom, "No you don't, don't say that."  Now, I don't think the mom saw it was ashes and I'm pretty certain she thought I had a face tattoo and was warning her little girl not to get one--or she hates Christians.  Either way, extremely hilarious!


2)  I walked around campus with Gina (FOCUS missionary) and Lisa (roommate) today with signs that said things like, "Get your ash to Mass" (ha, witty) and the Mass times.  We were standing on one part of campus, staitionary, as it was in-between class time.  Gina was asking people if they were Catholic and responding appropriately based on their response.  Upon Gina's inquiry, this guy says, "Ahh...Well...I mean, my parents are Catholic...ahh.."   I think I then said, "Well you could still go to Mass!"  At this point, said gentleman gets awkwardly close to my face and says,  "Well, can I just have some of yours."  (I have NO idea what he is talking about and say nothing, meanwhile, Gina and Lisa are thinking don't say "yes", he's going to awkwardly nuzzle your forhead or something...)  Before I have time to process what is happening, he takes his finger, traces my ashes, and then puts them on his head.  And now, he knows, he is dust and to dust he shall return.




Peace and love!

What a Mardi Gras it was

Happy Mardi Gras, friends!
The highlight of my MG was certainly Bible Study tonight--I suppose more specifically it was the piñata we had at Bible Study.  It was Gina and my "Operation Mardi Gras" that began last night with the idea and commenced today with the piñata.  It was hilarious.  We had some great Alaskan rock climbing rope (shout out to Alev for supplying us with the rope and the wonderful apartment to have B Study at!)...  Then a few people had a shot at hitting it.  Abby's turn came up and on her last swing she says, "It's time to meet your maker."  Then, destroyed it. :)


We then spent a couple hours talking about femininity.  We've been going through 1 Corinthians since the beginning of the school year and are just now on chapter 11.  But, we've had lots of ridiculously awesome conversations along the way.  So, we talked about veiling our heads, about Ephesians 5, and also about the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians.  We then talked for a long time about what it means to be a woman and how we can grow in femininity.  It rocked.  


Look forward to a post in the future about operation show our love.  (I just made up that name right now!)


+I should start taking pictures so I can put them on here, huh?
+No mushy peas for me today.
+I did go for a run and then wanted to shower quick before study, but my roommate was in the shower.  You'd think an advantage of living with guys would be they take short showers--not all guys.


St. John of God, pray for us!

Bloggin' Around

HOLY COW!!

 I just found out you can do all sorts of things on blogs.  Like make pretty backgrounds with pink and crowns...but how do I do anything else?  Help!  Maggie?  Emma?  Libby? (Haaa, just kidding, Libby!)  Anyway, Emma wants this blog to be frequently updated with things about my life, so here goes.  But first, help me make it all pretty and I would very much like to learn how to embed links into the posts.  And...well...here's today's update.

Lent starts Wednesday; I have big plans to go to Ash Wednesday Mass

Tomorrow is Mardi Gras, I'm celebrating with 3 hours of work (watch out) and Bible Study.

       (Bible Study is going to include "Operation Mardi Gras."  It's a secret...I'll have to   tell you about it later!  (Not that anyone in B. Study will read this prior to tomorrow!)

Well, that's that.  See you all after someone teaches me more about blogging! 

(I have; however, figured out how to make the writing PINK!) :)  Life is good!


 
 

Home, Sweet Home

March 4th, 2011: Time to remember the trip home!

I was set to leave early in the morning on the 28th of December. But, wait! You are probably certainly wondering what my last meal in Italy was!!! You guess it--a Kebab (aka a Gyro). I loved them, they were about 3 Euro for plenty of delicious food and that is exactly what I wanted for my last meal. So, I took Maggie and Phil to this Kebab shop I'd seen earlier. (They even liked them so much that they went back later in the week before they left on the 1st of Janurary (or around then).)

Anyway, because they're so nice, Maggie and Phil rode the metro with me and got me on the Leo Express to the airport. (Thankfully they were there cause I didn't have enough cash to buy my train ticket!) They trip was about a half hour and I just waited for people to unload a little since I knew it would take me a couple minutes to grab both my bags. But, I learned a little something while in Europe. Everyone is a sucker for the damsel in distress! All I had to do was put a hand on my bag and get ready to move it when a nice European man asked if I needed help and proceeded to get my bags down the stairs of the train and onto the platform! :)

I began walking toward the TVs that had departure information and looked for my flight. Of course, it wasn't on there. And it was leaving in just over an hour. Ridiculous. I wanted to cry, but didn't. I just looked from TV to TV until I found it. (The only reason it was so important was because I was at a 3-pronged fork in the hallway and each path led to a completely different terminal.) Of course, there was no one around to help me. Anyway, I found it. Got on my flight to Zurich. Arrived in Zurich and left an hour later and headed to Chicago.

It took an absurdly long time to get my luggage in Chicago and it was even more frustrating because I knew my parents and Emma were right behind those opaque sliding doors--which I couldn't go through until I got my luggage. Finally, it arrived. I handed my customs card to the inspector and he laughed at me because I had written down "noodles" on sheet. Well, they said to write down everything and I figured since it was food, I should let them know. Anyway, I walked through the doors and saw mom, dad and Emma with my winter coat and a welcome home balloon.

We drove to Madison and had supper with Libby--my first food back in America was Red Lobster--I obviously got the chicken strips! It was funny because of the time-difference it felt like 4:30 (or 2:30, I can't remember now) in the morning when I was eating supper! I think I slept the rest of the way home then.

And before I knew it, I was welcomed into my bed that I had missed for 4 months. My amazing adventure in a far away land had come to an end. HOW BEAUTIFUL AND GREAT IT WAS!

Church Hopping

March 4th, 2011: Christmas 2010

We spent the next few days, okay, everyday until I left on the 28th, Church hopping. We would go to Mass everyday, eat pasta and bruschetta, usually look at a Saint's or apostles remains, look at some Italian art, etc. Some things out of the ordinary things that I just said:

-One night we went to the NAC (The Pontifical North American College) to see Maggie's college friend Vince's little brother, Jake, who is in the seminary there. He gave us a little tour of the NAC, let/made me pick an orange off the tree in the courtyard there. We went to the top of the NAC which has a ridiculously beautiful view of St. Peter's. Then, we went out to eat (pasta, of course).

-We went to the Papal Audience on Wednesday and got front row seats. There was a sweet Italian folk band playing prior to seeing the Holy Father. They were from Northern Italy up in the Alps (so they were more Swiss than Italian), but one of the men in the band must have had a son cause he was all dressed up and being super cute. It was hilarious, because they gave the little boy a recorder to play and the kid was pretty awful. :) Then, we saw Papa Benidetto! It was fun.

-One day we went to the Vatican Museums (I had gone when we went with our program to Rome, but it was fun to go again). Abe hadn't left yet, so we met him in St. Peter's square in the morning. Abe and I took off in one direction and Maggie and Phil went another way and we had plans to meet up later that afternoon. It was really crazy to go to the Museums and realize how much I had actually learned about art in just a few short months.

-We went to the Papal Mass on Chirstmas Eve at 10pm. It as beautiful. We got in line at 3ish and the doors were going to open at 8 or 8:30. We were probably 200th-ish in line. By the time all of the little Italian nuns (and other Italians) got done cutting in line, we were proabably the 1000th people in St. Peter's. Purely ridiculous. But, the Mass was super beautiful. Papa got tackled though. We actually didn't know that he got tackled until I got home four days later because we couldn't see anything. But, have no fear, it was not Maggie, Phil or me that tackled him.

-On Christmas, the doors to the conent were going to be locked from 12-3 so the sisters could have their own Christmas party. We decided we didn't want to be out for all three hours so we just stayed in. I had given Maggie 20 Euro for her Birthday gift (mostly because I forgot I had to get her both a Christmas and Birthday gift, so that took care of it!). :) The cash came with the instruction that it had to be spent at this sweet Catholic gift store near our convent. Maggie had bought a puzzle of Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Also, on the 23rd probably (prior to Maggie's birthday supper) we went grocery shopping to get food for Christmas (and for when we stood in line at the Vatican for Mass). So, we had pop, bread, sandwich meat, and cheese. We just hung out on Christmas and had some food; Maggie and Phil did the puzzle and I read Pride and Prejudice all day (and finished it before bed!). Maggie and Phil also finished the puzzle before bed--because Maggie wouldn't let Phil go to bed until it was finished...poor guy. (We also had the orange that I picked from the NAC so it kind of felt like Christmas in Little Women since we had that orange as a special treat! :))

-We went on the Scavi Tour one day. This is the tour where you go in the tombs and whatnot below St. Peter's and get to see St. Peter's bones!

-One day we went and saw the major Cathedrals (St. Paul's outside the Walls, St. Petere's, St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major).

-I can't think of much more right now--probably because it was 14 months ago, but if I think of anything else, I'll add it!

The much anticipated arrival!

March 4th, 2011: Reminiscing about my Roman Christmas.

When you fly into Fiumicino airport in Rome you have to take the Leonardo Express train about a half hour ride into the train station in Rome to get downtown. Maggie and Phil were set to arrive at some-time a.m. and I took the metro to the train station to meet them at the pre-determined time. I was, yet again, a little early.

It was cold, again, but thankfully I brought Jane Austen with me so I stood around and read for a while. I couldn't really go anywhere because I didn't want to miss Maggie and Phil--mostly because I was afraid they would have to try and find the convent by themselves. Well, the pre-determined time came and went. I wandered around the train station a bit, went and bought some hand soap since our room at the convent didn't have any. Checked out a bookstore for a while. Bought some croissants for Maggie and Phil in case they were hungry when they arrived. Read a little more. Tried to stay warm. Well, I best stop giving such a detailed account of fear of boring you even more!

It was a strange feeling waiting because I had no idea when they were going to arrive since they didn't come when they were supposed to. (Maggie had said if I waited around and they didn't come just got back to the convent and they'd meet me there later that afternoon--but, again, I didn't want to leave them without help finding the convent.)

Well, after a while I spotted Phil and Maggie. Hugs were exchanged and we headed toward the metro. It was fun seeing them since I left 2 days after their wedding! We made our way to the convent where they settled in a little. They had to check in with the sisters too. The sister asked if they were married (probably because we were all staying in the same room) and when they answered affirmatively, she thanked them. It was funny. Phil also asked the sister his one well-practiced and prepared sentence in Italian about whether the doors would stay open later than 10pm on Christmas Eve when we were going to the 10pm Papal Mass.

I think that day we just walked around a little, probably went into St. Peter's, ate pasta, and got gelato--at least once.

They were jet lagged, so we went to bed early. I read some Pride and Prejudice then hit the hay also.

Nothing like almost getting abducted in Rome! (And other Roman adventures!)

March 4th, 2011: Looking back on the end of my semester abroad.

After some time on the train and much waiting in the cold we made it to Rome! (Yunha took an earlier train than us so it was just Abe, Julian, Amanda and me left.) Julian, Abe and Amanda were staying at a hostel together near the train station and I was headed to the Convent guest house that Maggie, Phil and I were staying at. Maggie and Phil were scheduled to arrive the next morning. We stood around in the train station trying to figure out what exactly our gameplan was. It was early afternoon and we wanted to meet up later for supper so that I didn't have to spend all night alone. :) We decided that we would all get in a cab together (which, reflecting upon it, was kind of a crazy idea since we have so much luggage!).

We walked outside to find the taxi stand and were immediately approached by a gentleman claiming to be a taxi driver. We thought, "alright, let's go load up his cab." Only, we walked right by the taxi stand and kept walking to a parking lot that was probably a hundred meters or so from the train station. Anyway, the nice gentleman took one of my giant 50+ lbs. bags and started walking fast toward that parking lot. Julian, Amanda, and Abe were a little behind looking at a map debating if they could just walk to their hostel. (I knew a cab was necessary since I had no clue where my convent was!) Abe, like the smart man he is, saw the guy take off with one of my bags and me jog after him with my other bag and followed us. He said that he thought, "I don't know what's going on really, but I'm not going to let Jane go alone." (Praise the Lord for that!) Anyway, we arrive at his "cab" and it's a decentely sketchy unmarked white, small SUV/delievery truck-esk thing. Anyway, no where did it say "Taxi" or "City of Rome" or ANYTHING indicating this guy wasn't scamming us and wanting to kill us. He loaded my bag in the truck of his car and starts grabbing for my other one. At this point Abe has almost caught up to us, but not quite yet. I start (sass-ily) asking the guy if his car was a taxi and he was a legit cab driver. He started pointing to this little plastic trinket near his licesnse plate claiming that meant he was legit. (I like to compare the little plastic thing to something a child might find in his happy meal.) At that point, I got really sassy and grabbed my bag out of his car and started telling him, "I'm not riding with you, you are not a real taxi driver." I grabbed my bag out of his car, turned around, flipped my hair at him, and walked back to the (actual) taxi stand--I was pretty proud of myself for not getting in a situation that could potentially end in death!

Well, we found a real taxi (whew!). The man dropped the other three at their hotel and then was going to take me to mine in Vatican City. My friends and I made plans to meet up at 6:30pm at the Pantheon. I think it was about 3:30 when I bid them farewell with hopes to see them a few hours later. The nice man drove me to Vatican City and pointed out some of the landmarks of Rome as we drove past them. He dropped my off on the main road right in front of St. Peter's and told me he wasn't going to go down the road but pointed me in the right direction. I was full of confidence--you know, since I didn't get killed and all--so I strapped on my backpack, put my other bag on, and started dragging my 100 lbs of luggage in two suitcases. (I'm going to go ahead and estimate I had a solid 125-150 pounds of luggage...that get's important later...)

I confidentely walk towards the street and start looking for 43 Whatever Name Street. I found the street and it was kind of at a weird angle so I wasn't quite sure which way the street went. I began walking back and forth, consulting my mapquest directions and comparing it to landmarks. It looked as though it was right next to this church that I found so I walked in to see if anyone there knew about it. They had no clue what I was talking about. I found a nice family and asked if they could point me in the right direction; they, too, had no clue where it was. So, I walked back and forth, and back, and forth again. I found where 43 Whatever Name Street should have been but it wasn't actually there, or maybe it was, but on the wrong side of the road. It's really hard to explain unless you can see this building that I was walking in front of--it had lots of addresses on it?! Nevermind, the important thing is that I walked back and forth (with 125-150 pounds of luggage) for an hour. The family that I originally asked for directions ended up coming back from wherever they went and looked at me with such sympathetic eyes and I could tell they wanted to help me so badly--but couldn't.

I was ridiculously close to finding a cab and having them take me to the Pantheon where I would sit until 6:30 when my friends came and then go back to their hotel--but that option seemed so horrible since I was super sweaty and tired from carrying my bags.

I had seen this sign that talked about PJPII calling for a revival of the youth of the world or something. Anyway, they had this club? hangout? for youth and I walked around trying to find that instead. I figured: I was a youth, it was around where I was supposed to be, maybe there would be a nice person there that could help me. Thanks to God, there was a gate that was unlocked but probably supposed to be locked. I found this club thing and rang the doorbell. A nice Indian priest came to the door and helped me. I asked if he knew where the convent was and he called a priest friend of his from upstairs. They decided maybe it was this convent that they had a meeting at the month before. The first priest grabbed one of my bags for me and we started toward this place they met. IT WAS THE RIGHT CONVENT!!!! I had never been so relieved in my life. It was 4:30/5:00 at this point and I was sweating and tired so I hopped in the shower and got ready to meet my friends for supper.

Yet another adventure awaited me as I had to walk from Vatican City to the Pantheon. This ended up being a ridulously easy endeavour and I arrived at the Pantheon a half hour early. (I left early so I made sure I got there on time...) Anyway, I walked into the Pantheon and strolled around for a while. And then a while longer. It was really cold outside and kind of cold inside, but I toughed it out. Then, I sat down for a while and rested. Then, it was 7 o'clock and the Pantheon closed (remember, they were supposed to be ther by 6:30!) I proceeded to sit around for a long time outside (in the freezing cold) and wait longer.

I had some spare time so I took a bunch of pictures f the Pantheon,
here's one for your enjoyment.

Well, it was about 7:30 and I had to eat and be back at the convent before 9 (or 10?) when the sisters locked the convent doors for the night. I was so cold and hungry that I found a pizze joint and got some yummy broccoli pizza. Then I started walking towards the convent only to, yes, run into my friends! They got super lost and ended up revising their plans and trying to find a cab to take them to the Pantheon. I was so excited to find them and have human contact after all of my adventures that I didn't even care that they were over an hour late! :) But, I went with them and watched them eat supper. Then, they wanted to stop for gelato before heading home. I was going to just go with them since I'm pretty sure I had hypothermia, but then I saw Kiwi gelato and couldn't pass that up so I got some gelato!! Then, I said bye and wished good travels to Julian and Amanda, made plans with Abe to meet him at the Vatican museums on the 22nd-ish and headed toward the convent. I was so excited to lay down for bed that night...thinking back I can still feel myself fall into my bed in a mix of feelings and emotions: utter exhaustion, relief, excitement to see Maggie and Phil, saddness about leaving the villa, anticipation for Christmas, and on-and-on the list goes.

Here I'll end my account of adventures with the Villains, the Villa Corsi-Salviati, a semester in Italy, traveling to whatever country I please on the weekend, free passes to Florence's finest museums, my private Italian Chef, and so much more. Next, I'll reccount my Roman Christmas--or what I remember from it.

The last days in the Villa

March 4th, 2011: Remembering my adventures far away.

The semester wrapped up with some tests and papers but nothing too outrageous. Alright, let's be real, I had to write a 12-14 (but Prof. Binetti didn't want it any less that 15 pages) page paper about modern Italian film and literature. Not my cup of tea, but I succeeded. (I wrote about relationships between fathers and sons in the literature and films we watched...who knows...I passed the class, so it must have been an okay paper!) I had an 8 page Art History paper too. I wrote about Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel and how it is a product of the Sack of Rome and the Protestant Reformation. I now know more about Renaissance art, Italian Fascism, foreigners' experiences in Italy and the Italian language than I would have imagined I would learn!

Three of the ladies studying at teh Villa actually graudated over there so we threw them a graduation ceremony one of our last nights there; it was complete with champange, diplomas, gifts, laurel wreaths and Pomp and Circumstance. Then, we headed out to a club/bar in Sesto called "Isolde" for a final party.

The last night at the Villa it snowed! (Helen said it was more snow than she's seen in 5 years in Florence.) Needless to say, with a snowfall every 5 years, no one knows how to deal with the snow. And by no one, I obviously mean transportation. Everything was behind, trains, planes, and automobiles! Snow-covered formal gardens of the Villa.

Check out the length of the delays of the trains.

Anyway, after we left the villa and took the bus downtown we bought train tickets for Rome. The "we" here is Abe, Julian, Amanda Villa and Yunha. They all had flights leaving from Rome the next day and I was headed there to meet up with Maggie and Phil. The delays were riduclous, the cold was unbearable (Of course, that's relative compared to the cold I experienced upon my return to WI)! Oh, and we were famished but didn't want to leave to get food since all of us had 4 months worth of luggage and we feared that as soon as we left our train would be ready to leave! During the 2? 3? hours we were waiting for a train we took turns waiting in the enclosed waiting room to thaw from the freezing cold train station area where our luggage was. Eventually, Abe and I ran to the Chinese restaurant across the street to get a food--we made it back in time for the train, don't worry!

Here's a funny story: You're in Florence and go to a Chinese retaurant with orders for 4-5 Americans. One of your friends tells you to order orange chicken for her. Where does one usually find orange chicken? Panda Express? Stir Fry 88? (i.e. food court Chinese restaurants!) Anyway, we asked if they had it and the young employee looked at us as though we were insane and said, "no." Then, the older woman, presumably the boss, said "Oh, yeah, yeah, no problem." So, we see her grab an orange from behind the bar and retreat into the kitchen. You may now be wondering what Amanda's orange chicken actually tasted like, right? Well, I'm pretty sure they took their regular chicken dish and added a few slices of orange peal and ORANGE FANTA! It tasted so much like orange pop, it was ridiculous!

Anyway, we ate, took a long train ride, and eventaully arrived in Roma! More to come about our crazy, nearly-terrifying? deadly? adventures in Rome.

Before I do anything else with this blog...

March 4th, 2011: time to remember what I did in Italy!

I should try and remember what I did during the rest of my trip to Italy. I might be curious someday. The only problem is that I've been home for over a year....soooo hear goes.

My last post was about our program's trip to Rome. That trip happened in early November and our program ended December 18th-ish.

I'm thinking I didn't do a whole lot of outside of Florence the last month--namely because I don't have any pictures of new adventures. Some things I did do in/around Florence:


-We spent a bunch of time in downtown Florence. Lot's of shopping at the market buying souvenirs and Christmas gifts for everyone. We still went downtown every Tuesday morning for our Art History class tours of museums around town.

Downtown Florence. So Beautiful!!

-We went to l'Opera. Yes, the opera! I, obviously, had to go buy a new dress for this fancy occasion so a few of us ladies went downtown Florence and did some shopping. As much as I'd love to say my dress came from Gucci or Fendi or something, I crossed the street from the fancy stores and went to H&M! :) The Opera was great and we had a lot of fun. I, thankfully, watched the VHS of the same Opera we were seeing with English subtitles so I kind of understood what was going on. Okay, the fun part was getting dressed up and going out for drinks ahead of time! :)

Me, Amanda and Laura waiting for the train to go downtown before the Opera.

-We had a fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner at the Villa. Bruno cooked us the whole meal--green mashed potatoes and all. (I think he put pureed broccoli or something in it; it tasted normal just looked ridiculous!) The English teachers from the local schools that we had been doing internships with all came for supper too which was fun. We did, unfortunately have classes on Thanksgiving day--lamesauce. But, a large group of us played some football before supper, so that was fun!

Here's some people playing calcio (soccer) on the old clay tennis court at the villa.
I can't find a picture of us playing football, but we played a lot of soccer at the end of the semester too!

-One day, a Christmas tree appeared in the common room/entrance room to part of the Villa. There was a note from Helen that said we should decorate it, so we did!

The slightly crooked Villa Christmas tree!

-Another day, we went to a town called Prato. We were looking for a biscotti factory, but could not find it anywhere. Oh well, it was a fun day trip. We got some Pizza for lunch and Diana and I separated from the other girls to try and keep looking for the biscotti factory. (Which means getting off at a different train stop and not finding the factory then proceeding to try and find buses to take us back to the villa before supper. I can't remember now, but I think we succeeded!)

Here's the Duomo (Cathedral) in Prato

-Our house fellow/RA, Amanda, had arranged for us to go to a Fiorentina soccer game. Since soccer is so crazy/slightly out of control sometimes, getting tickets to games is kind of an ordeal. We had to give her our passports to get the tickets! Anyway, the game was fun, the fans we not as rowdy as I would have liked to see though! :)

(Crazy-ish) Fiorentina fans!

-A different adventure had Helen, the Villa Manager (an Austrailian-turned-Italian) take us on a hike in the hills near Sesto to her house. It was fun; we saw olive trees and the sight where da Vinci had one of his students try and "fly" (fail!). It was yet another fun day trip.

Here's some of us during our hike with Helen.

I'm going to do two more quick posts about the ends of my adventures at the Villa Corsi-Salviati.