Friends are Forever

"True friendship isn't about being inseparable, its being separated and nothing changes."
              -Unknown

This weekend, I got to reconnect with a friend that I haven't seen in 5 years. Wow-five years, that seems like such a long time! But time can do that to ya. You get married, move away, get accustomed to your new life, and before long, five years have gone by. 

What I love about a friendship like ours is, that even though five years have gone by, it sure doesn't seem like it. As soon as I saw Brittany, we picked up right where we left off. We all caught up on each other's lives, and were soon talking like it was any old day back in high school.

I loved getting to meet Zander and Brittany's husband Joel and hearing about everything they have been up to. It was so nice to hear about the rest of Brittany's family too, as they all played a big role in my high school days. 

I wish that Kendra and Ashley could have been there, but they were at home with sick babies. Even more reason to get together again soon! After a long afternoon of laughs, smiles, good food and even better conversation, Britt and Joel said their goodbyes. Hopefully we get to see them again soon. Brittany said their schedule is now more flexible so they plan to travel more in the near future. Sometime the rest of us girls will need to make the trip to Kansas City to see her, too! No matter how long it will be until we see each other again, I know we'll pick back up right where we left off, because that's what true friends do. 

Confirmation

This Sunday was an important one for me- I was confirmed Catholic! Now I know if you're Catholic and you know anything about when new members join the church, it's usually at Easter. But, since all four of us had already been baptized, Father Al let us take an "accelerated" option. We all decided that we wanted to be confirmed as quickly as possible, and the date of January 10th was set.

The four candidates, Carol, Beth, Calvin, and myself, with Father Al after mass on Sunday. Say a big hello to the newest Catholics in Newton!

We got to choose a confirmation name, which is the name of a saint that means something special to us. Father Al told us it could be someone who is the patron saint of our profession, a name that is in our family, or one we just like the meaning behind. I chose Saint Catherine of Sweden, who is the patron saint of those who have suffered a miscarriage. She spent time counseling and helping those who had lost babies to miscarriage, which resonates with what I have been trying to do through this blog. 

After mass, Theresa cooked up some breakfast casseroles. Eric's grandma Flood and some aunts and cousins were planning on coming to eat with us, but Nichole wasn't feeling the best, so they congratulated me at the church and went home. Grandma Flood gave me a few gifts that I will cherish forever. One of them being the rosary below, which she brought back from when she had visited Rome. The other gift was a brooch with a flower made from the flowers from Julie's funeral. It is absolutely beautiful and I already have it pinned to my coat to wear every day. Such thoughtful gifts! Dan and Theresa also got me a rosary, but after getting the one from Grandma Flood, they decided to take it back and pick something else out for me.

I'm so excited to begin this new journey as a Catholic. I think I'm most excited that I don't have to awkwardly sit in my seat while everyone else goes up to get communion haha! Continue to pray that the four of us are strengthened in our faith and relationships with God as we continue to grow in the Catholic religion.