Erin go bragh!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Easy "key lime" jell-o pie

 It is not very Irish but it is VERY green!

As our first anniversary quickly approaches, we are celebrating the last few first holidays and seasons.

The last of the first holidays we have left to celebrate are St. Patrick's Day and Easter.Our Easter journey began last week with Ash Wednesday and will conclude just after our first anniversary. Even though Easter falls after our first anniversary this year, it will be our first Easter since we were married the week after Easter last year.

The Lent and the Easter season are my favorite times of the year in the Catholic Church.This is the time of the year when we prepare our hearts for our own resurrection into new life. We begin a process of change in order to cleanse us of our old selves and bring to life a new one on Easter morning with Christ's resurrection on the cross. This has always been a struggle for me to rid myself of old habits and old ways of thinking. I have always been very hard-headed as my mother used to say. I often get stuck in a rut in the ways I do things. Sometimes that rut is a good place to be and I can accomplish a lot but sometimes that rut is just that... a rut. I find myself stuck and going nowhere. I want to continue in the ruts that are working and make changes in areas that are not working so well.

Last year's Lenten season was a double season of change for me. It was not only the 40 days to prepare for Easter and the resurrection of Christ but it was also my LAST 40 days as a single woman. It was the hardest season of change for me. I was not only making changes to grow in my faith but I was also making changes in my vocation. I was about to take on a new role and I had to really prepare myself to take on this new role. I did not know what to expect. I just knew I had to prepare. I knew it was going to be the one of the biggest change I was ever going to make in my life. I wanted to be ready. I knew that there was no turning back after we said "I do" so I had to certain that I was ready to take that long walk to meet the man of my dreams. I knew that the journey I was about to go on was not just the one day but a lifetime.

With this and every Lenten season to come as we approach our anniversary, I hope to use this time to continue my preparation for a lifelong journey with Kris. I will strive to cleanse my old self and my old habits in order to be a new wife on Easter morning and on our anniversary.