What the heck is going on with Etsy? Or is it just me? I can’t ever get the page to load, but all my other pages are loading just fine.

I really need it to be Friday at 5pm. No work for nine days!

The rain also needs to stop. Not because I mind it so much in general, but I mind it because now it means I can’t go anywhere.  The days are so long when I can’t even go out to the park or the library. Ugh.

• This couple of lines from Adoro are exactly what I’ve been thinking for awhile…

“… the more the political terms “Conservative” and “Liberal” become like spiritual nails on a chalkboard. They’re completely inappropriate, for one can only fall into two categories as a Catholic:  Faithful (Orthodox) or Unfaithful (Heterodox).  Period. One is either in line with Church teachings, or one is not.

That’s not to say that one cannot ask questions or have personal reservations arising from a lack of understanding, so long as that person, with integrity, remains obedient to the teachings and truly seeks to understand them. “

• Yes. Yes. I don’t even know what to add to this. You cannot call yourself a practicing, faithful Catholic if you are okay with abortion, if you don’t care about attending mass, if you use ABC, etc. At least that’s  my understanding. And you know what? Why would you want to be a memeber of a faith that you don’t agree with? I mean, really? Why would you want to call yourself a Catholic, but then have to list all of the things you think the Church needs to ‘review’? What you need is  prayer & patience and a desire for understanding. The Church really isn’t asking anything crazy of you…
• Another issue I’ve been thinking about is IVF & surrogacy. I was reading this article this morning. The woman’s desire to help others is admirable, but misdirected. The problem with people is that they don’t want to ever hear ‘no’. Not from others, not from the world and especially not from God.
• Less so, but still an issue, I feel that surrogacy can also be a slap in the face to adoption. You’ll let someone else carry your artificially conceived baby for nine months, but you won’t adopt a naturally concieved baby that somene else carried for nine months? Fine, it’s great if baby has Dad’s eyes & Mom’s smile, but if not, is it really that important? Important enough to spend crazy amounts of money (I have no idea how expensive it is, but it can’t be cheap!) so you can have another woman carry your child, just so it’s genetically like you? Don’t get me wrong. I hope I can have at least 5 kids and I wouldn’t mind if they have my eyes, my smile, etc. It has to be wonderful to see yourself in someone else. But at the same time, adoption is equally wonderful. And if you aren’t meant to be a mother at all, you just aren’t. If that happens to me, I won’t take it easily. But ultimately, it’s not up to me.
• Via AmP, Cardinal George talks about his meeting with Obama. Wow! I’m proud to be from Chicago!
• wii fit kicked my butt. Workout yesterday, sore abs today. Awesome! It’s great, especially because I can’t go to the gym until Friday evening.

<div style=”line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 13px; background: url(‘http://static.43things.com/images/book/quiz_bkg.jpg’) no-repeat; width: 500px; height: 160px; padding: 45px 0 0 140px;”>I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I’m a<br /><div><strong>Self-Knowing Traveling Builder</strong></div><div><a href=”http://www.43things.com/book#quiz”><img src=’http://static.43things.com/images/book/take_quiz_small.gif’ /></a> <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Dream-List-Do-Experts-43Things-com/dp/0761151265″ style=”background:none;”><img src=’http://static.43things.com/images/book/buy_book_small.gif’ /></a></div></div>

I like the 43things website. I don’t use it often, but I go back to it every few months or so & check up on what I wanted to do previously. It’s fun to see other’s goals as well…perhaps a source of inspiration!

I am going to get a pool pass this week & I swear, I will spend as many evenings after work there as possible in the summer. Ah, pool time!

I didn’t run this morning because I just couldn’t force myself to get up & run in April with snow on the ground. Which means I have to go to the gym after class tonight. Which means I am going to go run at about 10 pm. Not ideal. But that’s what I get for wanting to sleep in an extra hour!

I’ve also decided not to join the Y & just stick with my gym membership. I wish the gym was easier to get to by bike, but that’s okay. I need to be using it at least 2x a week to make it worth paying though. If I stick with the running, I’ll use it more in the winter…for now, we’ll see. I should try to take advantage of the classes they offer as well. Although they don’t offer any before 9:oo, which I find strange…where are the 6:oo classes?

• At least for now, the IL FOCA is defeated! Video from Cardinal George & etc here.
• I have only six days until I am officially Catholic!
• Book club in the works with some RCIA people…cool!
• Scrapbooking today with mom & friends…& I got home before most of the snow started!
• I have my bike here now…when & if it warms up, I can go everywhere!
• 73 days until France trip!

Instructions
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s Mosaic Maker

d. Save the image and post it

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Patina

2. What is your favorite food? Avocado

3. What is your favorite color? Green

4. Favorite drink? Jasmine tea (the stuff they give you at restaurants!)

5. Dream vacation? Sicily

6. Favorite hobby? Making lists (reading is probably it, but I do make a lot of lists…)
7. What you want to be when you grow up? Mom
8. What do you love most in life? (I took this to mean a thing…) Libraries

9. One word to describe you? Disorganized

& so here’s my mosaic!

Cool.

You’re it! It’s fun!

- Charles Dickens