A- Amy, my best friend since Kindergarten and the one person who has always been there for me no matter what.
B- Boz Wellz, where I spend my time working and the place my money comes from.
C- Chocolate, the first food I turn to when I'm stressed, upset, or feeling yucky.
D- Denise, my mother and my best friend.
E- Excited, the feeling I get when I think about starting college in a month.
F- French Horn, my passion and favorite thing in the world.
G- Gone with the Wind, one of my favorite novels and movies.
H- Harry Potter, the best movie/book series ever. I'm a huge Potterhead.
I- Ice cream, one of my favorite treats.
J- Jesus, my savior.
K- King of Queens, great TV show that I've seen most of the episodes of.
L- Liberty Hall, the dorm I will be living in at Buena Vista this year.
M- Music, I love to sing it, play it, listen to it, everything about it, I love.
N- Nervous, another feeling I get when I think about starting college in a month.
O- Organizing, the basement to be specific. That's our project for the rest of the summer.
P- Pretty Little Liars, one of my favorite TV shows.
Q- Queen Anne Cherry Cordials, my favorite favorite favorite candy to buy at Christmas time.
R- Reading, my favorite thing to do when I have the time.
S- Singing, another thing I love to do, whether it be in my room, the car, the shower, or Walmart.
T- Teaching, what I plan on making a career out of.
U- Unlimited texting, something I wish I had. :P
V- Valentine's Day, my least favorite holiday. Why does it have to be February 14th to profess your love?
W- Washington D.C., a place I want to travel to sometime before I die.
X- Xmas, my favorite holiday. I love decorating for it, listening to music, baking, and celebrating the birth of our Savior.
Y- YouCat, a book I just bought to help me learn more about my Catholic faith that I really know nothing about. (See previous blog post)
Z- Zebras, an animal that intrigue me. Are they black with white stripes, or white with black stripes??????
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Trying to reclaim my faith
I got into a discussion with a friend on twitter this morning about how we don't feel our church did a good job educating us on our Catholic faith, and I agree 100% and beyond. The CCD/Religious Ed/School of Faith program at St. Mary's in Storm Lake is a complete and utter joke, and I don't care who I offend by saying that. I attended classes for the better part of 10 years, learned all my prayers, and went to mass with my parents, but I still do not know anything about my faith or the history of my church. My parents took a lot of criticism from many people when they allowed me to quit confirmation, but I don't understand why. Parents forcing their kids to do the confirmation program is the total opposite of what confirmation is supposed to be about, and I was not going to make the conscious decision to become a confirmed adult member of a church that I knew nothing about. What really angers me is that the kids who go to Catholic school seem to know a great deal more about the history of our church, why things are done the way they are, etc. The conclusion I'm drawing from this is that the kids who attend St. Mary's get to learn more about their faith and the history of their church because their parents pay buckoo bucks for them to attend the parochial school. They're kind of leaving us public school kids out to dry, and giving up the short end of the stick because "you don't attend St. Mary's." It's kind of like their expecting the public school kids to just go along with things and not *expect* to learn because we don't pay a million dollars for CCD. (Okay, a million dollars is a huge exaggeration, but I digress.)
So, you are asking yourself, what are you going to do about this Kelsey? Well, I've decided it's time for me to take my faith into my own hands. I've scoured the internet and found online print resources that several parishes use for the RCIA program, I've ordered a book specifically written for Catholic Youth to help us understand our church, and I've sought out my public library for other print resources. If my church didn't feel it necessary to give me the education of my faith I deserve because I didn't attend St. Mary's, I'm going to educate myself. I have the support of my other public school Catholic friends and my parents, and I'm going to do this. I'm actually going to educate myself on the faith I've been living my entire life before I decide to become a full member of the church.
My friend Alyssa said it best on Twitter. "We are hurt by our lack of education." This is so true it's scary. Because we were not educated in most aspects of how our church works, the one thing that should be unquestionable in our lives is perhaps one of the most questionable things we deal with.
So, you are asking yourself, what are you going to do about this Kelsey? Well, I've decided it's time for me to take my faith into my own hands. I've scoured the internet and found online print resources that several parishes use for the RCIA program, I've ordered a book specifically written for Catholic Youth to help us understand our church, and I've sought out my public library for other print resources. If my church didn't feel it necessary to give me the education of my faith I deserve because I didn't attend St. Mary's, I'm going to educate myself. I have the support of my other public school Catholic friends and my parents, and I'm going to do this. I'm actually going to educate myself on the faith I've been living my entire life before I decide to become a full member of the church.
My friend Alyssa said it best on Twitter. "We are hurt by our lack of education." This is so true it's scary. Because we were not educated in most aspects of how our church works, the one thing that should be unquestionable in our lives is perhaps one of the most questionable things we deal with.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Books you must read and why I feel so
I'm constantly looking for things to blog about, and I came across a website that has a list of over 100 blogging topics. Some of them are things I could really care less about, but this one sort of spoke to me, because as most of you know, I spend a good majority of any free time I get reading a great book. So, without further ado, here is a *small* list of books that I feel everyone should read, and why I feel so. Here we go.....
1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling- First of all, if you haven't read at least 1 of the HP books by now, you either live under a rock or can't grasp the idea of reading a fantasy novel. I will tell you that fantasy is not my number one genre, in fact, it falls at the bottom of my list. However, I started reading the Harry Potter books in second grade (Ms. Langner's class, represent!), and I was instantly intrigued. Perhaps the reason I and so many others love these books is because of the fantasy elements. When you read HP, you are flown away to a different world, and it's so helpful when you really need an escape. Once I started one, I had problems putting them down. J.K. Rowling writes so well, and the plots of all the books are awesome, and you get sucked in (although sometimes it does take awhile for that to happen.) Even if you have TRIED reading the books before, I urge everyone to try it again, look past the *fantasy* genre and think of it as a great American classic in the making, because honestly, it is most likely going to become that.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- I probably would have never read this book if it was not required in my freshman Accelerated English class, but looking back, I am extremely glad that it was. This book is a classic example of a child being shaped by her surroundings and having to grow up faster than she perhaps wanted. This is on my top 10 list of best novels I've ever read. READ IT!!
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck- This was another required Accel. read, and although there are parts of it I could have lived without, it is overall one of the truly "American" novels. I feel that this novel is relate-able, although it took place during the Great Depression. The economic hardship and having to uproot themselves to go to an unknown place that the Joad family undergoes is more often than not a common thing in today's world.
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- Another good novel that is historical but shown from the African American side of the 1960s as opposed to the WASP, if you will, side. One of the best quotes I've heard in a long time comes from this book: "You is kind, You is smart, You is important."
5. Anything by Jodi Picoult- If you are the kind of person who loves a good realistic fiction novel with a ton of twists and the occasional tear jerker moment, you *NEED* to read some Jodi Picoult novels. She writes BRILLIANTLY and her books are always ones that sort of throw you for a loop sometime during the duration of the novel, some of them throw you at the end, while some throw you in the middle. Heck, sometimes they throw you at the beginning. I've read most of her novels. I recommend all of them, but my favorite ones are Nineteen Minutes, Lone Wolf, My Sister's Keeper, Handle with Care, House Rules, Sing you Home, and Plain Truth.
That should hold you guys for now. I'm always reading, so I'll always come up with more that I will eventually share with you guys at a later date. But I'm in serious need of some more blog ideas that don't involve books, so if you happen to have any *bright* ideas, please comment and let me know!
1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling- First of all, if you haven't read at least 1 of the HP books by now, you either live under a rock or can't grasp the idea of reading a fantasy novel. I will tell you that fantasy is not my number one genre, in fact, it falls at the bottom of my list. However, I started reading the Harry Potter books in second grade (Ms. Langner's class, represent!), and I was instantly intrigued. Perhaps the reason I and so many others love these books is because of the fantasy elements. When you read HP, you are flown away to a different world, and it's so helpful when you really need an escape. Once I started one, I had problems putting them down. J.K. Rowling writes so well, and the plots of all the books are awesome, and you get sucked in (although sometimes it does take awhile for that to happen.) Even if you have TRIED reading the books before, I urge everyone to try it again, look past the *fantasy* genre and think of it as a great American classic in the making, because honestly, it is most likely going to become that.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- I probably would have never read this book if it was not required in my freshman Accelerated English class, but looking back, I am extremely glad that it was. This book is a classic example of a child being shaped by her surroundings and having to grow up faster than she perhaps wanted. This is on my top 10 list of best novels I've ever read. READ IT!!
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck- This was another required Accel. read, and although there are parts of it I could have lived without, it is overall one of the truly "American" novels. I feel that this novel is relate-able, although it took place during the Great Depression. The economic hardship and having to uproot themselves to go to an unknown place that the Joad family undergoes is more often than not a common thing in today's world.
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- Another good novel that is historical but shown from the African American side of the 1960s as opposed to the WASP, if you will, side. One of the best quotes I've heard in a long time comes from this book: "You is kind, You is smart, You is important."
5. Anything by Jodi Picoult- If you are the kind of person who loves a good realistic fiction novel with a ton of twists and the occasional tear jerker moment, you *NEED* to read some Jodi Picoult novels. She writes BRILLIANTLY and her books are always ones that sort of throw you for a loop sometime during the duration of the novel, some of them throw you at the end, while some throw you in the middle. Heck, sometimes they throw you at the beginning. I've read most of her novels. I recommend all of them, but my favorite ones are Nineteen Minutes, Lone Wolf, My Sister's Keeper, Handle with Care, House Rules, Sing you Home, and Plain Truth.
That should hold you guys for now. I'm always reading, so I'll always come up with more that I will eventually share with you guys at a later date. But I'm in serious need of some more blog ideas that don't involve books, so if you happen to have any *bright* ideas, please comment and let me know!
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