Blogiversary Quick Takes

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Today marks the two-year anniversary of this blog! I am so grateful for all of my readers and for the community I've found among fellow bloggers.Thank you for stopping by to my little corner of the internets.

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Reason # 795 why I love my temp job: yesterday on the spur of the moment I went to Mass for the Holy Day with our CEO and VP of finance. Then we went out for Mexican food. Praise the Lord.

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Tonight I got to meet up with some folks from my graduate program at The Tombs in Georgetown. It made me so nostalgic that I promptly called the remaining 6 of my classmates to leave well-wishing voicemails. I don't miss writing end-of-semester papers, but I do miss all those museum field trips.

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I'm currently reading the novel True Grit by Charles Porter, and of course it is even more fun than the movies. The written format allows readers to learn more about adult Mattie Ross as she narrates her adventures. Her deadpan humor makes her feel like a female, more responsible Huck Finn. One my favorite of her comments was about a ruthless judge who converted to Catholicism on his deathbed.

"If you had sentenced one hundred and sixty men to death, and seen around eighty of them swing, then maybe at the last minute you would feel the need of some stronger medicine than the Methodists could make."

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Burruss Hall at Virginia Tech

Please keep the Virginia Tech community in your prayers as they recover from yesterday's shooting incident. Brother #1 was a freshman Hokie on that infamous April 16, and the death of two people on campus brings back many painful memories. It's good no students were harmed, but the slain police officer left behind 5 children and stepchildren.

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I continued my recent novena addiction by praying the Immaculate Conception novena these past nine days.  One night I even made it to the Mass and Holy Hour my parish was hosting every night. There's something about going to a candlelit church at night, especially in the middle of the week, that feels, for lack of a better word, magical.
I also took the plunge and started the infamous "Hail and Blessed" novena that runs from St. Andrew's feast to Christmas. So far I have mostly remembered to say my prayers 15 times a day. Any other St. Andrew novena fans out there?

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Every Advent I get hooked on the short song "Adam Lay Ybounden." The lyrics echo the Exultet's cry of "oh happy fault!" I always reach for the repeat button when the cheery melody ends.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!