Lady Caitie in the Pretty City

The next million hits video!

2011-09-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

And I'm in it! Watch my Maid of Honor speech for my BFF Michaela (Mikey) and her new hubby, Mark! It's pretty legendary!

Here's the speech:

Mikey and I have this inside joke where we bet that I will get really nervous up here at botch my whole speech. But let's be honest.. If you put a microphone and a couple of unsupervised minutes in front of Caitie Beardmore.. It's everybody else that gets nervous.

That's the only inside joke that I'll refer to tonight. Partly because it would be silly for me to talk about all our jokes when you don't know what we mean. And mostly because if I did, you'd think we're crazy. The only joke we've ever found that everyone else gets too are the songs that we've re-written for youth groups.. We're on YouTube! Actually, that would have been a funny way to do this speech..

(Music comes on, I pretend I don't know what's going on)

Yes, Mikey. You know I couldn't do this like everybody else. I'm going to tell you the story of Mark and Michaela and the *journey* of their relationship.

Just a polish girl
Livin in a lonely world
Hadn't found Mr. Right
She'd date anyone.

A California Boy
In Psychological Employ
Getting his PhD
He was almost done.

*** Now, I don't know if you know this , but on their first date Mark and Mikey (and Rita) went to this greasy diner on campus where all the drunk kids pass out. And Mikey was so nervous she called Mark a leprechaun. But I guess racial slurs work for this guy. ***

Breakfast in a smokey room
The smell of drunks and greasy food
For awhile she was real nervous
Called him a leprechaun, a leprechaun.

They'd been, waiting
Up until then, not successful
Been Calmly
Searching for the right one.

Single people
Looking for their one vocation
They found something
That night!

*** So here we are! At their wedding! Tho it took a little longer than Mikey expected to get engaged! ***

Workin' hard to get that ring
Mikey only wants one thing
(We were) Worried someone else would get engaged
Just one more time.

Engagements were in
Mark would choose
Michaela would sing the blues
The cycle seemed to never end
It went on and on and on and on

See, Mark was, waiting
Right time to start their family
Waited til God gave the green light

Engaged people
They became in adoration
When Mark asked Mikey to be his wife

*** Alright, I know you know the words. I want everybody to get up and sing to the happy couple! Sing to the married people!

Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feeling
Married people

** Let's raise our glasses! I love you both so much! I hope that you dance and sing and laugh every day of your marriage the way that you will today! God bless you both! To Mark and Michaela!

To see Mikey and I's video, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IgHWhERNYQ

Dream come true!

2011-07-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

How can I explain how special this was? Hmm.. Let me put it this way: my grandfather, who had probably given me a compliment three times in my life, told me I needed to get a manager.

Watch me perform with "Cherish the Ladies" at our family's Irish fest this weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCMEapKseE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Does Oprah know she's pro-life?

2011-07-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

You are here for a reason:

"How I think one masters one's life is to understand that you are co-creating that life with the ultimate creator. Not understanding that puts you at your own pitiful, meager, little will and everything is left up to you. And YOU can't do it. YOU cannot survive in this world, by yourself, just believing in yourself. You're not big enough to do it. I'm not big enough to do it. Nobody is big enough to do it. You have to understand that your very presence here as a human being on this earth came from something bigger than you. And not justfrom your parents who wanted to have a child. The fact that that egg was hit by that particular sperm in that particular moment and you were created.. Wow! How amazing is that!? Of all the different choices that had to happen in order for you to be here now.. What a celebration that is!

"So when you recognize the mystery of that creation. All the circumstances that had to configure and reconfigure themselves. All the questions that we don't have answers to. You have to know this: the fact that I'm here matters. And the fact that you're there matters. This is no accident. None of us are."

~ Oprah on Master Class on OWN

You'd be stupid to not acknowledge all this but then say that there is nothing wrong with destroying that sperm and egg that has so mysteriously come together to form a person. Wish Oprah would get publicly behind the pro-life movement!

Blogging with a Bad Catholic!

2011-07-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm having a conversation about the silliness of the idea of a female priesthood over at BadCatholic! Have you tuned in yet? Marc be so smart! One of my favorites!

Here is part one.

Here is part two.

Part three is coming soon! :)

I'm baaack!

2011-07-18T11:05:00.001-07:00

Don't even look at the date of my last blog post.

Don't.

I said don't!

I can't bring myself to figure out how many days it has been, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was a million days ago.

Yes, definitely a million days ago.

Ah! Why did you just go look?!

Oh..

It was only 2 months ago?

Well, see now that doesn't seem so bad!

And see, I do have an excuse!! Well, actually 10 of them! Can I give you a list of the top 10 things I have been doing since I last blogged?

10. Teaching kids to read. While in transition between the last two things on this list, I was nannying. And I totally taught this little one to read! What a great feeling! I hope teachers feel this rewarded. Though.. Some of my pride came from having taught her to read the colors of OPI nail polish. "Duh.. Dee.. Deeva.. uh.. of.. Gin.. Geneeva.. Diva of Geneeva!" Way to go, kiddo!!

9. I faced my FTPS! Many of you know about my condition: FTPS, or Flat Tire Paranoia Syndrome. I was self-diagnosed a couple years ago and basically, if I drive more than 30 miles, I will stop at least once because I'll be sure that I have a flat tire. However, the other day, I actually got one! But I did fine, pulled to the side and looked helpless enough that someone stopped to change it for me within mere minutes. Success! :) Now to conquer my FOFAPFITM condition.. That's Fear Of Forgetting and Putting Foil in the Microwave.

8. I became homeless. I moved out of my apartment, am storing my stuff in my parents garage and living in my car an hour away awhile I'm working. Staying with friends here and there, but basically homeless. I wonder how bad it would be to stand on the corner of a big intersection, begging for money, with a sign that read: "I guess I could go home, but it's like an hour drive.."

7. My brother John and my cousin Maria graduated high school and my BFF finished, defended and turned in her dissertation! Okay, so I had very little to do with this, but I am so proud of all three!

6. My brother left me a few voicemails. Have you heard these? They are seriously deranged. The one above is where he spends nearly 4 minutes pretending that he's responding to a Craigslist ad. Clearly the kid has problems. But I can't help it! I love his voicemails! :)

5. Getting ready for the festival! 29 years ago my grandparents started Cleveland's Irish Cultural Festival and it is now considered one of the best in the country! It is so much fun and I am so proud of what our family has created! Being around all that Irish music, dance, people.. Whew! It is awesome! And you should come! But my favorite thing is that I end up staying up all night in the hotel bar, singing and playing music with some of the best Irish singers and musicians in the world.. It's dreamy!

4. I just planned the bestest shower/bachelorette party ever! Now, I have been bridesmaid before (in fact, I am also in my other BFF's wedding next month! Can't wait, Rita!!), but this is the first time I have been Maid-of-Honor. Lots of responsibility.. You think the BRIDE is stressed! Ha! :) But I hosted a garden party bridal shower in my parent's backyard and then planned a bachelorette weekend in Chicago. It was perfect: fun and relaxing, exciting and girly. Minus the cab ride with Mitchell, an older gentleman whose long-winded stories were as comprehensible as his slurred speech. Don't worry. I got his number.

3. I worked my butt off to finish school, these past 6 months, cramming in classes that I didn't have time for before, taking indpendent study courses and being resourcesful in my scheduling of classes. I must thank Marian University because although I didn't love everything about the school, by the grace of God (and my advisor), I can safely say the following:

2. I graduated!! Now, for those of you new to the Caitie-scene, this has been a long time coming! I took four years off school and went back when I was 23, so it kinda took me 8 years to graduate. "Eight years?" You say. "That's not so bad"! Well, yeah. If I were now a doctor. But no. I'm just a lowly Theology major with a book-bag full of Peter Kreeft books. Woe is me. Or is it.. (See #1)

1. I GOT A JOB! It's my dreeaaammmm job and so thankful for the opportunity! I am now the youth minister at St. Maria Goretti Church in Westfield, IN. This parish is so cool.. Very family oriented, very Eucharistic centered. It's a new church and the pastor is awesome. Big parish, strong youth programs and a lot of room for growth -- both for the teens and for me! :) I am so excited -- praise Jesus!

AWOL

2011-05-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

I've been gone forever, I know!

Don't hate me.

(You're thinking, "Caitie, its been peaceful without you.. No need to apologize! Really!")

Well, thanks. But really, I've just been so busy!

See, I planned my BFF's bachelorette party, went to her shower, babysat like crazy to afford it all, planned my moms 50th birthday surprise party, made her the video below, finished my semester along with the biggest project ever which I started the night before, I became the lone dweller in my house when my roommates moved out, I started summer session before I will graduate in July, I got a new job, I started work, I got some horrible flu and an ear infection which sent me to the ER, my brother was Confirmed (which I couldn't attend), my sister received her First communion, I found a new apartment, and, through it all, have been deep in prayer with some big intentions.

I've missed you though!

Now here's the video of birthday messages that I made for my mom.. Friends from Ohio, family from Ireland.. It's a whole lotta love for Noreen. :)

"I will wait for you.."

2011-05-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

My favorite video to watch while I wait for my future husband! ;)

"I will wait for you
And I will know you
Because when you speak
I will be reminded of Solomon's wisdom
Your ability to lead will remind me of Moses
Your faith will remind me of Abraham
Your confidence in God's Word will remind me of Daniel
Your inspiration will remind me of Paul
Your heart for God will remind me of David
Your attention to detail will remind me of Noah
Your integrity will remind me of Joseph
And your ability to abandon your own will will remind me of the disciples
But your ability to love selflessly and unconditionally will remind me of Christ.
I won't need to identify you by any special Matthews or any special Marks,
cuz His Word will be tattered all over your heart."

My Dad's Puns

2011-04-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I texted a picture to my dad today.. It was of my middle finger (no, I wasn't flipping him off!) and the burn that I got the other day which is in the shape of a perfect heart. I said:

Caitie: "Love u so much it hurts! LOL I burned my finger other day and it's a heart.. Even my burns r cute."

Dad: "Maybe u should take TUMS for ur heart burn."

Oh boy.. LOL!

Royal Wedding Dance Entrance

2011-04-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Stop what you're doing.

No, I mean it. Stop.

You have to watch this.

The resemblences alone are worth it!

But it's also hilarious!

I think they could have picked a better song tho, eh?

My Lent Without Facebook..

2011-04-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

** Disclaimer: There's no point to this post. I don't come up with anything poignant at the end or even attempt to make it interesting. This is merely a string of thoughts and pictures. I just thought you looked a little tired of those hum-drum coherent blog posts and silly complete thoughts that all those other bloggers put up! How boring! Well, no need to thank me.. Just let your eyes glaze over as you read on.. **

I thought it would be hell..

I thought I'd never survive it!

I was sure that I'd cheat (which is why I let my friend Rita change my password and she let me change hers).

But, despite a few brilliant, hilarious, unforgettable status updates that I was dying to share-- none of which I can remember -- it hasn't been that bad!

Thankfully, when I first told God that it was a little too easy, He got me Oprah tickets. He knew.. It was the one thing I would have loooved to post! Ruthless? Nah. It's been awhile since I've prepaid for gas and left without getting any.. God needed a chuckle.

But this Lent has been less of a struggle and more of a revelation for me.

As I've been evaluating what Facebook really does for me, I made the following list:

(1.) Waste time running through days of status updates like "About to go to bed" and "I'm on Facebook.." or the worst.. Melancholy song lyrics. Blah!
(2.) Keep tabs on old boyfriends who have no idea (thank God) that I just spent 10 minutes sifting through their photo albums looking for signs of semi-intelligent life (aka - a new girlfriend).
(3.) Update friends (read: bombard them with messages) about my CD release in hopes that each one will buy a couple and I'll have enough money to go to Ireland, tour with a band and be the most famous Catholic old-jazzy-irish-folk-bluegrass singer that ever lived!
(4.) Untag myself from unflattering pictures, a full-time job in itself.
(5.) Enter contests.

It's not that I hate Facebook. But I don't love it either. So, why am I on it? I don't know. I feel like I should give up Facebook for life.. I mean, still have it there to use if I need it, but not allow myself to get on and spend 17 hours looking at a screen.

Question is: Do I have the discipline?

Haha!

You're so funny!

Whew!

That one really had me goin'.

In the end, I have to wonder.. Maybe it's the thing that doesn't seem so bad that is the one to be examined? Maybe it's the thing that is hard to argue out of that will let the most danger in? With marriages crumbling because of Facebook and the Pope speaking out about its corruption, I feel compelled to keep looking at this to see what it truly brings to my life..

Plus, with all of the changes Facebook makes, why haven't they gotten rid of "poking"? Any program that keeps something so inane around is questionable in my book!

Today, on the Oprah show..

2011-04-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Watch the Oprah Show on Tuesday, April 12th! It's the SNL Reunion show and I was there! Got to see Tina Fey, Dana Carvey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Curtin and Chevy Chase in person! It was incredible!

Go. Watch. Confess!

2011-04-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

You HAVE to watch this video!

My new friend, Marc (aka BadCatholic) has submitted this for a scholarship competition! Watch early and watch often -- it helps his chances! And pray for him too.. Read more about this video here!

Encouragement I needed..

2011-03-29T16:30:00.001-07:00

Remember back when I whined -- er! posted about how hard it is to be in the limbo of sure-I-have-offers-and-leads-and-opportunities-but-what-I-don't-have-is-a-definitive-answer-as-to-what-exactly-God-wants-me-to-do-so-do-you-know-hey-you-do-you-know??

This brought me much comfort:

via (as always) Aggie Catholics

Is God calling you to adopt?

2011-03-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know why.. I just had a feeling I should throw this out there..

www.adoptuskids.com

Adoption is my option. Someday, I will absolutely, positively adopt a sibling group. And every so often I take a look at all the kids who are waiting for good homes and send prayers their way. (Sigh) Look through them.. There are so many kids right in our neighborhood, in our community, in our state, in our country. Read their stories. Pray for them.

Is God calling YOU to adopt?

Studs for life!

2011-03-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

via Aggie Catholic
via Thomas Peters

via the Holy Spirit! :)

P.S. Do you ever feel bad for the Holy Spirit? Like, that He doesn't get enough credit? I try to mention Him (I'm assigning the HS a gender, I know) in conversation a couple times a day to remind myself that He's around.. I also try to mention the UK version of The Office, so that's not saying much.

7 Quick Takes - Jobs and Family!

2011-03-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hello, gals!

1. I had my first over-the-phone interview today! As my job search begins, I'm spending a lot of time rehearsing my responses to potential interview questions.. in my car. Do you know what my favorite potential question is? "So, Caitie.. Although all your references say you have none, what would you say are your weaknesses?" ;) I honestly love this question because one of the best experiences of my life has been reflecting on the things at which I el suck-o! Seriously! See, I remember being younger and in awe of people who could say, "Oh, I am terrible at ____!" They were confident knowing that even if they weren't perfect, they were still awesome! And now -- I'm one of those girls! Bring on the weakness question!

2.My brother Tommy, who was supposed to go to the Oprah show with me, took a week-long job in Florida and can't go. So.. (are you hoping I'm holding a raffle to see who goes with me?), I'm taking my cousin, Maura. But if SHE can't go, you're totally next in line! :)

3. One of my favorite nanny families called today and asked if I wanted to come see Chloe, their 8 year-old play in a championship basketball game tonight. It was so much fun to surprise the kids and connect with Machelle, their wonderful momma who once washed the dye out of my hair in her kitchen sink. Yeah, that story is worth reading.

4. I've been babysitting overnight the past week and it's done a number on my sleep schedule. I get there at 11pm, study some more and the kids get up at.. I can't say it.. No, it's too early.. It's just too.. (sigh).. 5am!!! Ugh! It's horrible! I am NOT a morning person, but for me, 5am is middle of the night. One of the kids is deaf and I must say, I feel worse for her.. Having to deal with my sign language that is equally grumpy and incorrect, can't be fun.

5. I've been getting some great CD reviews lately! Have you had a listen yet? You can order at www.caitierose.com. Any suggestions for covers that I could record?

6. Can I just say? (You answer: yes, of course.) I am the best bachelorette party planner ever! As bridesmaid/maid of honor for my two best friends who will be getting married within a month of each other, I am planning two incredible bachelorette parties! Many surprises, wild activities, lots of fun.. And no penis necklaces or strippers! I can't wait to share the pictures!

7. I'm tired (see No. 4). Can I think of a number 7 later? Or can I just send you to my favorite blog ever.. My mom.

Go to Jen's Conversion Diary -- she's awesome blossom! And speaking of:

Niney

2011-03-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

My 5-year old sister Caroline, or "Niney" as we call her, has been answering the phone lately on her afternoons off from Kindergarten. I've been pretending that I think she is my mom when she answers. She's over it now, but the first time was hilarious.

"Oh, hi mom," I said casually.

"uh.... Hi..."

"How was your Governance Board meeting?"

A pause as she wonders if I'm serious or not.. "Uh.. Pwetty good.."

"what did you wear to the meeting?"

Another pause.. Can Caitie really be this dumb?

"Uh.. Some high he-ohs. And my puhse."

"Oh! Your high heels and your purse, huh? So what are you gonna make for dinner?" I asked.

"Ugh," she groans. "Pwobabwee somfeen wiff vegetabwes."

LOL Isn't she funny? Also, at bedtime prayers the other night, she thanked God for skunks and cops.

7 quick Takes - Lent & Oprah!

2011-03-17T22:57:00.001-07:00

1. I should start with Lent. I really should. But here's the thing.. When I called my closest friends this week and asked them, "Ohmygosh! What is the bestest thing that could ever happen, that I've wanted forever and that will complete my life?" They didn't say sainthood. They said: Oprah Tickets.

2. Yep. I got 'em. In the last season of the Oprah Winfrey show to the Saturday Night Live Reunion! If there is anything besides Oprah that I'm obsessed with, it's SNL! This will be my dream day. My brother is an actor and in the same theaters that people like Amy Poehler, Chris Farley and Mike Myers got their start! He'll be on SNL someday, mark my words, so.. He's goin' with me! I can't tell you how excited I am!

3. Now, onto Lent.. Well, not quite. :) I officially gave up Facebook and honestly, if God had asked me, "Caitie what would be the worst thing that could happen while being off Facebook?" I would have said, "Uh.. You get me Oprah tickets and I can't tell anyone!"

Done.

I had so many people that said, "Oh, Caitie! This is like your biggest moment! You can cheat this one time!" But I called my friend Rita (who also gave up Facebook -- she changed my password and I changed hers) and she said, "No way! Sorry, sister. This is what Lent is about!" Grr! Stupid holy friends! ;)

4. In all honesty, I'm so thankful for Rita this Lent! She has really challenged me to make this a productive time. Facebook was much easier than we thought and we were both just substituting the time with other online junk.. Much like my friend who gave up Facebook last year and who ended up playing Tetris for 3 hours a day. Seriously. So Rita helped me carve out a new plan that really just got me off my laptop. Big help! Love those holy friends!

5. Rita and I decided to start reading Choosing Beauty: A 30-day Spiritual Makeover for Women together. I'm also reading Women Food and God (an amaaaaaazing read!) and re-reading Pride and Prejudice. So, with my calculations, by the end of Lent I should be pretty, skinny and married to a rich man.. Success!

6. I met our neighbors across the street today. Beautiful family. Been in the house for 25 years, have 5 children and 16 grandchildren. Apparently they are the big partiers of the neighborhood and have tons of people over to BBQ all the time. I can't wait! (Mostly because it sounds like there might be some single guys there..) They'll be sorry they invited this party-animal, but I'll make up for it with my newly famous dirty martini dip!

7. I'm gonna just use number 7 to say: go visit Jen @ Conversion Diary! Not because I'm out of things to say, but because her series on the words of the Our Father is so fantastic, sending you there is far better than making you hear one more thing about Oprah! :)

Seriously. Go! I'm about to talk about the semester I scheduled classes so that I could catch the show each day..

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

I'm an Irish-born gal from Roscommon who's spending St. Patrick's Day in Indiana. Oh, the horror! I can't blog in such a state! (Pun intended) So I'll just give you over to my new BFF (no, he has no idea who I am) who couldn't have said it better.

Go on with ya now!

And here's a song for your trouble:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I GOT OPRAH TICKETS!!!

2011-03-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

Oh.

My.

Oprah.

I'm not kidding.

I got Oprah Tickets!

In the last season of the Oprah show!

Thank you, Oprah!!

And the topic?

Get ready..

THE SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE REUNION SHOW!!

Good Lord in Heaven, I am beyond excited!

Here's how it went down..

A couple days ago, while doing my weekly (okay, sometimes daily) Oprah.com check, I saw that they were advertising open seats for this show and wanted the biggest SNL fans to respond if they wanted tickets!

Well, duh!

So I did! I sent this message:

Doesn't it pay off to have a brother who is funny??

(Thanks, Tommy! Er -- more like, YOU'RE WELCOME!)

And today I got an email saying that, if we were interested, there were seats available!

Well, duh!

I screamed and said, "Oh my gosh!" for about 10 minutes after I sent the quickest reply ever recorded in email history that included our names and contact information!

And then.. I waited.

10 minutes later, an email came back..

We were confirmed and officially on the list to attend the B-taping on April 6th!

Great balls of fire, I cannot tell you how excited I am!!!!!

Don't worry.. I'll keep you posted on the process and the day! :)

My new favorite designer!

2011-03-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

Oh.

My.

Word.

I've officially found my favorite designer! It's Sue Wong! I looooove her looks! Icy colors, full of texture and sparkle! JOY! The only thing I don't like is how SHORT some of them are! Whew! I'd be afraid that someone would see MY Sue Wong; no thank you! But they're still beautiful pieces! Take a look at Sue Wong's collection and swoon!

What they DON'T tell you about giving your life to God..

2011-03-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

The past couple days I have gotten many variations of the same question..

"What's wrong?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Are you okay?"

At first I just answered, "Eh.. I guess I'm just tired." I have been on spring break, yes. But I'd spent a couple days looking for jobs in Chicago, a couple days in meetings, and been trying to squeeze social, family and maid of honor/bridesmaid commitments in there too! I definitely am tired!

Do they give a break on spring break for 26-year old seniors?

Then I thought, "Perhaps I'm a bit overwhelmed too.." Getting so close to the day I will graduate (finalllllly) and trying to decipher all the wrinkles I need to iron out before I do. Navigating a job search, collecting reference letters and maintaining a resume, all while keeping up with my hardest semester yet. I have a lot on my plate! Of course I'm overwhelmed.

But then I shut up for a minute (you're shocked, I know!) and realized something.

Although I am tired and I am overwhelmed, there's something more that's eating away at me and making me feel anxious. And I know exactly what it is.

My life is in God's hands. I've given God the reigns. I let Jesus take the wheel.

Darn it!

That song makes the experience sound so pleasant, doesn't it?

Well that is crap!

It's the hardest thing ever! I'm anxious, annoyed and even fearful. I feel out of control and close to giving up. I just want to do what everyone else does.. Get a job that pays well, an apartment that I can't afford and invest in some Pottery Barn. Can't God just get out of the way and let me do the thing that will make me happy now? The thing that doesn't push me out of my comfort zone? (Sigh) If only God was as smart as me..

Peter Kreeft, who I adore like a school-girl does Justin Bieber (didn't think you'd hear those two in the same sentence today, did ya?) said in his book Fundamentals of the Faith;

"But there is an obstacle to 'thy kingdom come', and it is 'my kingdom come'. For instance, it is absurdly hard to begin to pray, to put aside our many things and turn to the one thing necessary. That turning must be done again and again. It is the easiest thing in the world to understand and the hardest thing in the world to do, this simple turning of our attention and our will to God, saying 'thy will be done' and meaning it with all our heart. But it absolutely must be done. It is what we were made for, and Love will not settle for anything less. There are no side roads or shortcuts up this mountain ... To will God's will is not a matter of will power but of will, not trying to do it but doing it. Scripture hardly ever uses the word try but very often uses the word trust. Willing is choosing, committing, saying Yes. The thing is so simple and fundamental that there is no perfect word in the language for it except yes."

Well, I'm not giving in. Despite my anxious thoughts, I'm still choosing to trust in Him, knowing that He will put me exactly where I need to be. I'm reminding myself that I'll probably end up thrilled in the very place I swore I'd never go, and I'm looking forward to the peace I'll have when I'm carrying out His will.

Does it turn out better than you can ever imagine? Absolutely. But if anyone tells you that the journey's soundtrack is the following, they're nuts! :)

7 Quick Takes - Sweet Home Chicago!

2011-03-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

I gave up Facebook for Lent! Now, I'm not one of those gals who is obsessed with FB (okay, maybe a little), I just browse whatever comes up and update whatever comes to mind (then I "like" everything in sight and try to find people I went to preschool with). But even without going overboard, I found myself clicking on the book of faces and spending valuable time on the site without even realizing it! So, along with daily mass, excercise, and no-cursing.. no-Facebook this Lent it is!

See you in 40 days, Mark Zuckerberg!

I went up to Chicago for a couple days this week to start what I'm sure will be a long-term job search. I won't graduate until the summer, but I'll finally have a degree in Pastoral Theology and I hope to find something in youth ministry. Whether it be a parish or school, I'm excited to get OUT of the classroom and get INTO.. Well, possibly the classroom. LOL Highlight of the trip: I did drive by Harpo studios! To think.. I was probably 500 feet (and a gated building/security/tazer guns) away from Oprah herself.. I'd show you the video I took of my driving around the building 30 times, but you'd hear me whimpering from the thought of never getting tickets to her show. Yes, I'm lame.. Why do you ask?

3.
I'm sure Chicago was happy to see me go though.. Mostly because, when rummaging through my suitcase, I ended up throwing my lace-iest bra in the back window of my car and driving most of the way home before realizing it. I kept getting honked at, but I thought it was just because I'm a bad driver.. My best regards to the driver of the green Honda Civic.. Thumbs up to you too, buddy!

4.
In the midst of my pavement hitting, I had the best bowl of soup ever.

Cream of Carrott. I know. Yes. I said Cream of Carrott. I had it at Panes Bread Cafe (better than Potbelly's, not quite Panera) and (sigh) it was this light orange puree, like an overly creamed tomato soup and I, for the rest of my life, will be trying to figure out the recipe. I thought I tasted some celery and potato, so I think I will start here.. Deeee-lish!

5.
My FAVORITE thing about driving to and from Chicago (besides showing off my delicates) is the tollroad. I know, weird. But here's what I love: on the cheapest toll ($.60), I pay for the car behind me and skeedaddle out of there so that they just have to accept the kindness.

It's a fun way to RAK someone (random act of kindness).

6.
Enough about Chicago.

How about my CD Release Party!? It was fabulous! Around 100 people showed up and I had a blast jamming out with my friends Shawn Fitzpatrick from The Whiskey Brothers, Annie Schap (who really needs to have a place to order CDs because her music is incredible), and Chris "Doc" Meadows and Justin Matchulet! If you haven't ordered a CD, I just got a whole new shipment in! Just have a quick listen at http://www.caitierose.com/! And thanks to everyone for coming out!

Finally, as my spring break comes to an end and Lent begins, I hope we can keep each other in our prayers as we make this a Holy Season. Some Lenten Links for you!

My mom

Beer Fasting Lent (not no-beer, ONLY BEER!)

Just.. Watch this forever!

Now, head on over to http://www.conversiondiary.com/for some real good takes!

Adios!

No bunny, honey.

2011-03-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

Little sister, Annie: "Dad, why cant we get a bunny?"
Dad: "We already have two.."
Annie: "What!?!? Where?"
Dad: "In the freezer!"
Girls: "Daaaaad!"
Dad: "Look, bunnies stink and you have to clean up their poop.."
Little sister, Caroline: "That's perfect cuz I dont want a bunny.. I just want to clean up poop."
Annie: "So, now can we get one?"

Oscar Picks - Giveaway!

2011-02-25T07:13:00.000-08:00

As you know, the Oscars are my favorite day of the year! Love every second of it! And I pretty much have my picks down.. Though one or two I have a feeling might be surprise picks this year.. But I thought I'd share mine with you and you can share yours with me!

Actor - Colin Firth
Actress - Natalie Portman though, I think it should go to Annette Benning.
Supporting Actor - Geoffrey Rush, though I could see Christian Bale winning too..
Supporting Actress - Hailee Steinfeld or "Melissa Leo.. Haven't decided yet!
Director - Eh.. "Social Network"? Coen Bros really deserve it tho..
Screenplay - "Social Network" for Adapted, "Inception" for Original
Best Picture - "King's Speech".. But I have a feeling it could go to "True Grit"..
Music - "The Social Network" for Score, "Country Strong" for Song
Animated - "Toy Store 3"
Foreign - "Biutiful"
Documentary - Possibly "Wasteland"?
Cinematography - "True Grit" or "Inception"
Makeup - "The Wolfman"
Costumes - "Alice in Wonderland"
Art Direction - "Alice in Wonderland"
Visual Effects - "Inception"

Now, if enough people respond (don't be like me.. must have definitive answers and use this list above to write in your picks), I'll host a little giveaway and the one with the most right will win a little prize pack! Maybe a CD of mine, the new Pioneer Woman Book and a box of leg wax?

7 Quick Takes - Let's Play Catch up!

2011-02-24T20:57:00.001-08:00

Hello, my dears!

1. This weekend is my CD Release Party in my hometown! If you're around Lafayette, be sure to stop by O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers' Pub from 5-8pm on Sunday, Feb 27th! There's a raffle -- you can win some great prizes, including a brand new iPod Nano -- and free appetizers.. I'm playing a few songs with some good friends of mine, including the great Annie Schap, who really was the first person I ever played music with and one of the most influential people in my song-pickin'! :) For more details, to hear song samples or to order a CD, visit www.caitierose.com!

Update: I was in the paper this morning!

2. Speaking of my CD Release Party, I realized this week that I scheduled it right before the Academy Awards on Sunday! Okay, I just heard a collective gasp from my close friends.. Here's why: I don't know how to say this enough, but The Oscars. Are the highlight. Of my year. It's my superbowl, it's my Olympics, it's the birth of my bouncing baby celebrity. Every year I write the date of the Oscars in my calendar. NOTHING gets in the way of this day.. I buy wine and cheese, I sit with close friends (ie - the people who won't talk too much or ask, "So, now.. who is that?") and I critique the dresses, guess the winners and cry at the speeches. Needless to say, I forgot to write the date in this year. (Sigh) I will be TiVo-ing the red carpet and will be flying home the second my party is over. "Thanks for coming, good to see ya, BUH-BYE!"

Update! Click here to enter my Oscar giveaway! Tell me your picks and the gal with the most right answers wins!

3. I read The Pioneer Woman's new book, "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" in record time.. I got it at 5pm on Tuesday and by 8pm, I was done! Astonishing? Yes. Lame? Maybe. But True. :) It's a great read -- you should get it!

4. Downton Abbey. Netflix. Watch it. Believe me, I have the best taste in movies (see #2 above); it's a fact. You must watch this 7-part series immediately! But teach your kids how to pour themselves a bowl of cereal or something first. Cuz you won't be able to pull yourself away.. For realsies.

5. I'm a leg wax girl. Not all the time. Not when I'm feeling whimpy. And definitely not when someone is within ear shot.. My whimpering ain't purdy! But I'll admit -- I will forgo any form of dignity to acheive the gleaming smoothness of a freshly waxed leg. Preferably two. And I'm not afraid to say it! But today, while in line at "The Walgreens" with a box of my favorite wax, the lady at the cash register crossed the line. She asked, loud and in the company of many, "Ooh.. I've never tried this. Now, do you wax your own bikini line?" I could feel my eyes widen, my jaw drop and whispered, "Uh.. Um.. No." Unencumbered, she went on, even louder, "Oh.... So, then you have your boyfriend do it?"

Sidenote: Have you read my mom's new blog? She just started and already has an insane number of site visits! Go Mom!

6. I got a new phone. Mostly because it was free, but also because I could do this on it:

7. And finally, congrats to my dear friend Michaela! She just got engaged to her lovely man, Mark and I screamed and jumped up and down when she asked me to be her maid of honor!! We've been chatting a lot about the wedding details and I am so excited! My other BFF, Rita, will be getting married a couple months before, and Mikey and I are busy planning her Bachelorette.. And I was on the phone with Laura when MaryGrace peed in the potty for the first time! (Sigh) What an exciting, blessed year! :)

Now, go and check out Jen over at Conversion Diary! She is fab!

I write letters.. I just don't send them

2011-02-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

I was giving one of my BFF's guff recently for not calling me back. Julia, one of my favoritest people in the whole world, has been a horrible caller-backer of late. And I mused aloud (ie - on Facebook) that I wondered if she was not returning my calls because I had recently made fun of her mandwriting.

I said, mandwriting.

You see, that is when someone has horrible manly handwriting.

And she does.

However, she is incredibly good at sending cards and little notes, for occasions big and small, no less! So in all honesty, I don't care one bit about her mandwriting. Though I do have the best handwriting in three counties, I have to say that I am the jealous one!

See, recently, I went through 1/4 of my parents attic. Now, about 9/10 of this 1/4 was my stuff. Boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of papers and receipts and plane tickets and notebooks (which, by the way, had my signature scrawled across them with every imaginable last name.. all crushes of mine at one point or another). I used to save EVERYTHING!

But what did I find most?

Letters.

To me? Nah.
Letters to other people that I had never put a stamp on and sent! Laura? I had like 5 to you. Auntie Cathy? Probably about 10. And Nana? Whew! You top the list at around 20. Thank you cards, encouraging notes, letters to just say hello! For Pete's sake! It was ridiculous!

And it hasn't stopped! I have a stack on my shelf right now waiting to go out! Although.. it's been a couple weeks.. I've forgotten what I said and now wonder if they're relevant..

I've decided that when I grow up and have a place of my own, I want a writing desk right next to the front door. My mom has the perfect little writing desk that we've had since I was a baby and I've already called it for inheritance.

On a side note, that's the great thing about it being me, then five boys, and then two girls.. When my parents, God love them, kick the can, the boys will go for the flat screens and hot wings. The younger girls will go for the crafts and blankies. I'll get the piano and china and writing desks. Success!

Anyway, until my days with the writing desk, I'm going to try and play catch up. So if you get a letter from me that talks about 7th grade or my driver's ed class, you'll know why.

My Very Own Website!

2011-02-15T22:19:00.000-08:00

It's official!!

I am now the proud mama of a bouncing baby website!

www.caitierose.com

Wow!!

This guy had a caitie moment!

2011-02-09T01:10:00.001-08:00

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

First of all, I dated a guy in Belfast for a couple years and boy, does this accent take me back!

Second, this is soooo something I would do! LOL

You HAVE to..

2011-02-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

You HAVE to read my mom's blog! This is her first time blogging and I'm already impressed! Hilarious! Check it out!

http://norabmore.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/hello-world/#comments

Modesty on Reality TV?

2011-02-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

Did you see this article in the National Catholic Register?

Leah Darrow was a contestant on America's Next Top Model and you know how it is between me and reality shows.. Swoon!

No, I'm kidding. I don't even like reality shows.

Okay, unless it's on TLC.

Or the Food Network.

Or if it involves the title "Real Housewives".

Okay, I guess I can say this: I have never seen Jersey Shore and I'm proud of that.

For my generation, that's cause for sainthood.

Course, everything else I do is cancels it out, but that's a whole other post.

Anyway, what Leah was talking about was modesty and how she quit the modeling bizz to save her soul. She says,

"Modesty is more than just the length of a hemline. It's about our conversations, how we treat people, and how we love others. Modest protects our purity and the mystery of a person. In our society, it gets a bad rap. [But] It's actually quite attractive."

She refers to the Catechism and says, "Modesty is decency. It inspires ones choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiousity. It is discreet."

"There is modesty of feelings as well as of the body. It protects, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements or against the soliciations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies."

Later the article talks about her involvements with Pure Fashion and she says that she has dedicated her life to being an advocate for women..

That "advocate for women" thing struck me because we usually think of someone who is pro-"choice", mad as hell and a stereotypical feminist. Do you know what I mean?

It struck me that a true advocate for women fights for their body and soul's rights. For the "right" not to get to the top of the corporate ladder but to get to Heaven!

Fighting for women's physical rights alone is like fighting for better conditions for child labor.. You know! Cuz kids need good lighting to sew that tag onto your sweater! Hmmm I guess I'd say: better conditions? Well, I guess.. But how 'bout we don't use 4 year olds in the construction of a tennis shoe and let them see the light of day for awhile?

Similarly is advocating for women but leaving out their spiritual needs.

Now, I'm off to go ponder the connection (or lack thereof) between modesty and reality TV.. I might not be back for awhile.

So cute!!

2011-02-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

Where Ricky Gervais went wrong.. Golden Globes Review!

2011-02-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

First, let me say this.. If I had to choose two things to be a #1 fan of besides Ginger Ale, the color described as heather and John Corbett (swoon!!), it would be Ricky Gervais and Award Shows. And this ain't no recent thing, like the rest of the country!

I dated a guy from Ireland for a couple years awhile back. It was right around the airing of the original "The Office" in the UK! He introduced me to David Brent (Ricky's character) and I fell in love.

With my boyfriend, of course.

Not Ricky Gervais.

But Ricky was a close second! I think he's brilliant, hilarious, insane.. And at least this relationship lasted! LOL

As for award shows.. (Sigh) I wish I could downplay this and not sound as shallow as I am about to, but the truth is: I LOVE THEM. I don't usually care for the Emmy's, but when the new year begins.. Yayy!! The Critics Choice, The Golden Globes (which is what I'm about to review), The Sag Awards (an upcoming review will be posted soon but.. believe me.. nothing special this year), and finally.. the grand-daddy of them all..

The Academy Awards!!!

Or, named for the uncle of one of the Academy secretary's uncle: the Oscars.

This is my personal superbowl game. I love every minute of it! The speeches, the dresses, the formalities.. I have tried to invite others to watch with me, but truth be told, only a few people realize how much I love this night (even less love it as much) and I've banned many from the room for talking or asking, "Who is that?"

True story. ;)

I can tell you who wore what, who won what and who said what from countless years past! And, not to toot my own horn, but last year I was 13 for 15 of guesses for wins, including foreign films, my friend! :)

So, as you can imagine, having Ricky Gervais host the Golden Globes was.. A dream come true! Nevermind hosting it a second year in a row! I thought he was brilliant the first year! Surely he'd be even better this year!

Right!?

Right???

Not so much.

Here's where he went wrong (at 1:40 to be exact..):

What's so bad about that?

I'll tell you.

If Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp had not been in the room, it would have been a different story. There were people laughing, for sure. But those two are like the king and queen of Hollywood. Ain't nobody in their right mind gonna laugh at a joke made at their expense right in front of them! You'd never work again!

Everybody wants to be friends with Angie and Johnny! With Angie, you're one step closer to Brad Pitt! With Johnny.. Well.. It's Johnny Depp! Swoon!

Ricky's second bad move was this little diddy:

This was just mean.

Nothing more to say.

The awards and speeches were uneventful. Again, the Golden Globes are just a play-off game in the world of award shows. Engaging, but nothing like the championship game!

Best dressed:

Dianna Agron, Olivia Wilde, Lea Michelle and Eve Longoria. Honorable mention: Emma Stone.

As for the guys, Ryan Gosling looked incredible in his black velvet tux!

Worst dressed:

Tilda Swindon (as usual), January Jones and Leighton Meester.

There's a reason the Pope's not on Facebook!

2011-02-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

Via my dear friend, Joannie (who always speaks so eloquently when it comes to matters of da' faith -- seriously, go read her stuff!), take a gander at this quote from Pope Benedict! He speaks about the dangers of our social network-y kind of lifestyle (BTW, I'm sure he would agree that the movie "Social Network", starring Academy Award nominee and recent Saturday Night Live host Jesse Eisenberg, though a great film, is not going to win Best Picture) and.. Well, I'll let him do the talkin'. You can read the rest here.

"Young people in particular are experiencing this change in communication, with all the anxieties, challenges and creativity typical of those open with enthusiasm and curiosity to new experiences in life. Their ever greater involvement in the public digital forum, created by the so-called social networks, helps to establish new forms of interpersonal relations, influences self-awareness and therefore inevitably poses questions not only of how to act properly, but also about the authenticity of ones own being. Entering cyberspace can be a sign of an authentic search for personal encounters with others, provided that attention is paid to avoiding dangers such as enclosing oneself in a sort of parallel existence, or excessive exposure to the virtual world. In the search for sharing, for "friends", there is the challenge to be authentic and faithful, and not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial public profile for oneself.

"The new technologies allow people to meet each other beyond the confines of space and of their own culture, creating in this way an entirely new world of potential friendships. This is a great opportunity, but it also requires greater attention to and awareness of possible risks. Who is my "neighbour" in this new world? Does the danger exist that we may be less present to those whom we encounter in our everyday life? Is there is a risk of being more distracted because our attention is fragmented and absorbed in a world "other" than the one in which we live? Do we have time to reflect critically on our choices and to foster human relationships which are truly deep and lasting? It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives."

This is why I don't Twitter.. But perhaps I should re-think my Facebook, as I don't remember who half my 'friends' are and, truth be told, am 'friends' with a few people I don't even enjoy all that much..

But that's a whole other post!

New Website!

2011-02-04T14:25:00.001-08:00

Have you seen my new website! It's pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself! :) Go check it out and tell me what you think.. It's a temporary address until I work out the design, but you can learn a bit more about me, hear song samples and order a CD!

www.wix.com/caitierose/home

A New Ress-eep for you!

2011-01-10T11:09:00.001-08:00

I'm making a Roasted Root Vegetable Hash with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce over at "The Cookin' Sisters and Friends!" Part III (I'm going backwards) is up today.. More later this week! Stop by and get hungry!

My Self-Diagnosed Medical Conditions..

2010-12-25T18:17:00.001-08:00

Hello.
My name is Caitie, and I'm a hypochondriac.

Perhaps it's all the Diet Coke I drink, but yes, I am one of those people who will have a pebble in my shoe and be sure it's a tumor. I have a slight tendency to assume that a cough is the black lung, and the thing at the top of my Christmas List this year was a portable carbon monoxide detector.

Okay, it's not THAT bad.. I'm pretty laid back, actually! But I do have a couple weirdo fears (along with being claustrophobic) that I'd like to share with you now.

FTPS
(Flat Tire Paranoia Syndrome)

Watch this video.. You'll understand my fears.

After having a good number of flat tires in the past few years, I have developed a severe case of FTPS. I discovered this disease back in 2008 when, on a 6-hour drive from Cleveland by myself, I realized that I had stopped on the side of the road four times to check out the flat tire that I was positive that I had. Never turned out to be one though. Studies (by me) show that over 1 person is affected by FTPS every year. So far, I've been that person.

My radio can go fuzzy, the air conditioning rattle or I can merely go over a small bump and I will be sent into the throws of an FTPS episode. I'll be sure that I have a flat! Having someone with me helps.. "Caitie.." they'll say. "I just sneezed.. You don't have a flat tire." Whew! Thank you, friend!

If you, or someone you love is suffering from FTPS, contact me. Cuz I totally need someone with whom I can commiserate!

FOFAPFITMD
(Fear of Forgetting and Putting Foil in the Microwave Disease)

Though, this video looks interesting! Doll chips!

At times I can be what the French call, "scatterbrained". I remember cleaning my dorm room when I was a freshman at Ball State and finding my keys in the freezer. Or how about the time that I searched an entire day for my glasses before my classmates told me I'd been wearing them like a headband all day. Course, no one could forget the 100 times I pre-paid for gas and left without getting any.

This is unfortunately normal for me, and I am scared to death that someday, when reheating leftovers, I will pop the foil wrapping into the microwave, set it for 2 minutes and walk away, blowing up my entire house. Especially before I have time to get my guitar, laptop and nail polish out!

What about you? Any particular fears you'd like to share? Fear of commenting on a lame blog perhaps?

T'was the Night Before Christmas..

2010-12-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

.. Beardmore style!

T'was the Night Before Christmas and all through the house
Every creature was stirring
Including the two young girls who had been put to bed hours ago.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
And even the stocking that we made for our dog
who had to be put to sleep in October
was there.

No children were nestled all snug in their beds
And I seriously considered just letting the cat outta the bag
about the whole Santa thing..

Mama in her kerchief and I
in my white-wine stupor
had just settled down for a long night of present wrappin'.

When up on the staircase there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my seat to see who the hell was out of bed again.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
was the last thing on my mind because I was
about to kill whatever kid was up.

When what to my wondering eyes would appear
But my seven year old sister
who said "she couldn't breathe" cuz her nose AND throat were stuffy.

Away from the gift pile,
I flew like a flash
Tore open the Benedryll and..
Gave her a dose.

I told this sweet girl, so lively and quick,
that if she got up again,
there'd be NO ST. NICK!

No Dasher! No Dancer! No Prancer! No Vixen!
No Comet! No Cupid! No Donner! No Blitzen!

From the top of the porch, to the top of the wall,
I'd throw away, throw away, throw away all.

As dry leaves (aka grape leaves aka chardonnay) before the wild hurricane fly,
I sat back down to continue to wrap presents.
Surely they wouldn't be up again.

But then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof (or upstairs),
The prancing and pawing of my other little sister.

As I drew in my breath and was turning around
Down the staircase this other girl came with a bound
And her best "Who me?" look.

She was dressed all in fleece, from her head to her toe,
And she hadn't even been trying to sleep, I just know!
Mostly cuz she totally admitted it.

Her eyes -- how they twinkled! Her dimples how merry!
Her cheeks were like roses, but I didn't care.
This was ridiculous!

She asked about Santa and about his dear elf,
And I laughed when I saw her, in spite of myself.
Dammit, Caitie! Get your head in the game!

With a yawn, two slow blinks, and a nod of her head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
even though she told me it was impossible for her to sleep.

And taking two fingers and pinching her nose,
I gave her some Benedryll too and put her back in bed.
"Non-Drowsy" has no place in this house.

And I heard her yawn-talk as I walked down the hall,
"Merry Christmas to you - I'm not tired at all!"

My CD Preview!!

2010-12-08T04:02:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Christmas Movies!

2010-12-03T09:00:00.001-08:00

Here they are! My favorite Christmas movies! What are yours?

10. Love Actually

9. The Muppet Christmas Carol

8. The Grinch

7. It's a Wonderful Life

6. White Christmas

5. The Santa Clause

4. Christmas Vacation

3. Home Alone

2. Miracle on 34th Street - Okay, I've never seen the 1994 one, but I love the one made back in the 50's!

1. One Magic Christmas - Since no one has ever seen this, I'll tell you about it.. Mary Steenbergen doesn't believe in Christmas or Santa. She is such a scrooge about the season, that not even her kids' excitement could change the way she feels. With an angel's help, her daughter Abby, tries to get her into the spirit. It's full of magic, adventure, enchantment, and many lessons learned. One Magic Christmas is funny, dramatic, and wholesome. It's one of those movies that you truly can watch with your whole family, and everyone will like it. They just recently re-released it on DVD, so now I have a good copy of the movie that has meant so much to me growing up. I still say that it's one of my all time favorite movies!!!!

Honorable Mention: The Family Man, The Family Stone, The Christmas Story, etc!

Annual Day-Before-Thanksgiving Kids Day Out!

2010-11-17T16:09:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again! Thanksgiving! Every year, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, my siblings and I all pile into the car -- yes, all 8 of us -- and we head down to Indianapolis for a big day out! Here's a pic from a few years ago..

Don't we look happy? Yep, that's cuz we hadn't even entered the museum yet. We wouldn't look so good if we'd taken a picture on the way out!

See, yes -- it's the day where we get out of the house so mom and dad can get ready for Thanksgiving! But it's also the day where we go to the Children's museum and spend more money on admission, juice boxes and stupid light shows than the cost of our entire Thanksgiving meal and impending Christmas cards (postage included) combined! The day where we have to force at least two people to go (one of them always being Brian) and where we get out of the house at least two hours behind... schedule (one of them always being because of Brian).

It's the day that John, he being the only kid without ADD, reminds us, halfway to Indy, that we forgot something important and the day that Will ends up carrying all the coats and calming everyone down. It's the day that we lose Michael 30 times and the day that everyone, at some point or another, deliberately gets lost. The day that Caitie takes on too much and has a million "Oh-my-Lord, I'm-turning-into-my-mother!" moments and the day that we all, at some point, stop talking to one another.

It's the day that the younger girls decide to have alternating meltdowns and the one that Tommy finds hilarious to antagonize each each person at their breaking point. It's the day that we vow to never take on again and the day that, halfway back to Lafayette, we can't help but start laughing at how terrible it was.

Yes, by the time we get home, it's the day that we want to forget but can't wait to remember. :)

Who's ready for more!?

Hair today, dyed tomorrow..

2010-11-16T18:07:00.001-08:00

Have I told you how often I win things? Oh! All the time. Seriously. Like, here's some stuff I've won recently:

-- Dirty Dancing CD/DVD set on the radio
-- $50 Gift Certificate to CSN stores from Tickled Red blog
-- a spa day for me and seven friends over Christmas break that includes microderm abrasion
-- a manicure and pedicure treatment
-- a free year's supply of Cold Stone Creamery (oh yeah!)
-- a free party for me and 100 friends at Howl at the Moon (won that twice)

And that's just a random list!

But recently I won a free coloring treatment at a local spa. Great, huh? I was super excited because I haven't dyed my hair in forever and it was looking a little dull. I got there at 1pm, a perfect amount of time to make it to my nannying job at 3pm, and flipped through a magazine while I waited to meet my stylist.

1:10pm.

1:15pm..

1:25pm!?

Finally I ask the girl at the desk, "Is she ready for me? I have to be out of here by 2:40pm.." She goes to find my stylist and Julie makes her way over. I'm relieved to see that she's ready to move quickly. "It will be tight," she says. "But we can do it!" She quickly applies an all-over color (a dark, chestnut brown with golden hues and red tones) and says that she'll be back in 30 minutes.

I'm sitting in the back of the salon and, after breezing through every magazine that has ever crossed the threshold of this place, decide to call a friend and chat. 40 minutes later, I look down at my phone and realize the time. "Julie?" I call out.

No one.

"Um.. hello?" I say.

Nothing.

Hmm.. I get up, walk around the corner and ask a nearby stylist. "Hi.. Um.. I've been sitting back here and I think it's time to wash out my color AND I really need to get going.. Is Julie around?" She sighs. (Great.) "Hold on." Then, with just a slight turn of her head, yells, "JUUUU-LEEEE!"

Another girl pops her head around the corner. "Julie left."

"Uh! No!" I laugh nervously. "No, no. Julie was doing my hair. See? She left me back there like, an hour ago. She can not have left."

Yet another stylist comes over. "Dang girl!" she exclaims. "Did she forget about you? Oh my gawd! She forgot about you! She must had left befoe she eden cleaned her station! Did she clean her station? Cuz I done tell her --"

"Excuse me!" I interrupt, giving them my best uh-why-the-hell-aren't-you-taking-this-seriously face. "Look, I have been sitting here for almost an hour! (No response) With color on my hair! (Brain-dead look in their eyes) Color that, I'm positive, is not supposed to sit on one's head for an hour. Now if this is your policy, I'm going to assume ya'll have been sniffing this here color, but either way, I wanna talk to a manager! And I need SOMEONE to rinse my hair! I really need to go!"

The girls all shrug and walk away, telling me that they'd find the manager, yet there I stand, still doused in GR-Level 5 and smelling like a bowl-o-bleach! The supervisor comes out, on the phone and obviously not wanting to be bothered. I tell myself, "Caitie. Be patient. Mistakes happen. Give them one more minute to rinse your hair and then you can leave politely." But, at this point, I'm already 10 minutes late! And then I hear it. The manager tells one of the girls to just rinse my hair and I hear her reply, "Ugh! She's kinda being a bitch about it!"

Oh.

No.

You.

Di'int.

I took off my cape thing, picked up my purse and walked out the door.

I called the Hartfords and let them know I would be 10 minutes late and sped furiously to their home. As I walked in, old beach towel over my head, I round the corner to the kitchen and stop just short of the doorway. Machelle greets me and says that she's got roasted chicken on the menu for the evening (which is a whole other story that I'll save for another post). I cover my hairline and tell her that I am mortified and don't want her to see me.

Later on she told me that she thought I had some dental work done (haha!) but she soon found out what I meant. I stepped into the kitchen, took my hands down from my face and told her that I needed to rinse my hair because.. (gulp) because.. (sigh) because I was still covered in hair dye! Both boys jumped up from the kitchen table and ran over to inspect my head. Their eyes, lighting up like Christmas trees in hopes of a science-project-like situation AND, I'm sure, in hopes of a story to torture me with for years to come.

Happy to tell you, they got the latter.

Machelle went into beautician mode and had one of the boys run up for shampoo and some towels. She brought me over to the kitchen sink, I'm sure not even knowing how close to tears I was -- both out of embarrassment and hilarity -- and turned the nozzle on. As I put my head into the sink, she took over and finished Julie's job, rinsing all the dye out and even conditioning it herself.

We laughed about it and commented on the fact that only in life of Miss Caitie Beardmore would such things take place, but I was really quite touched! I don't think any of the other families I work with would have done the same! I'm telling you, if you ever get to nanny a family like the Hartfords, you are in luck! I am so blessed to know them and would recommend everyone going to SolutionsHomeStaffing.com to check out Machelle's business! She is truly a fabulous lady!

And I know she'll be so excited for next week when I leave my pedicure appointment pre-polish! :) Thanks, Machelle!

Say What!?

2010-11-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I've told you.. I'm recording a CD!! Details (and pre-ordering available) at www.caitierose.webs.com! And -- guess what! It's almost done! In less than one month it will be released and I can't wait for you to hear it! I did have a funny moment or two in the studio.. Here's one!

I was sitting with my guitar in the studio, ready to start a song, while Brandon, my producer and another gal were out in the room with all the buttons and gadgets. I could see them through the window and watched as he pressed the button that allows us to speak to one other and said, "Okay, can you hear me?" "Nope." I answered. He paused. "You can't hear me?" "No -- Er! I mean, yes! I guess I can!"

We all roared with laughter and I explained that I had been watching them talk behind the glass and thought he had been asking if I had been able to hear their conversation! LOL Whoops!

Books I'm Reading..

2010-10-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

.. I have both regular and literary ADD and you can tell with the number of books I'm reading. Some I'm on chapter one, some I'm on the last page, but I swear: I've dog-eared each one of these at some point! So far, I'd recommend them all!

Fall Fashion Collage

2010-10-21T21:05:00.001-07:00

My favorite things are in style this fall.. Rosettes, ruffles and that heathery color between gray and purple. Looooove it! I also love cute owls. I feel like blogging but I don't feel like writing. Hence the three posts in an hour about absolutely nothing. If you're bored, read on.

Fall Nail Polish

2010-10-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

I am a nail polish FREAK! Although they're usually chipped, I ALWAYS have my nails painted and do so at least once per week. I used to bite my nails and now have a sense of pride for keeping them long and lovely! Unfortunately, playing guitar requires me to keep them somewhat short, but it also has helped me find some of the best quality varnishes and ones that don't chip! So here's my current favorite fall colors from light to dark. Some are tried and true, some are very new, but all are perfect for these cool autumn days!

Chanel - "Tendresse"

Revlon - "Gray Suede"

Revlon - "Cherries in the Snow"
(my signature color)

O.P.I. - "Smitten With Mittens"

Sally Hansen - "Commander in Chic"
(Isn't that a great name?)

Essie - "Mink Muffs"

Revlon - "Vixen"
(been wearing this since high-school -- LOVE it!)

Sally Hansen - "Uptempo Plum"

I have heard about this nail marbling for some time and I think I'm going to try it.

Water marbling is a type of nail art that looks like multi-tonal swirls. Water marbling as a nail art is actually a variation of the Ebru, the Turkish art of creating designs with dye on the water, and then placing paper on the water's surface to soak up the dye. Water marbling takes practice, but it looks worth trying! In some cases, vertical swirls can even make nails look longer. Just remember using a lighter color for a base coat allows the contrasting swirl of colors to pop. I'll let you know how it goes! :)

Top 10 Irish Movies

2010-10-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

... Or movies with Irish people..

It's getting cold out. Perfect for film watchin'. Here are my pics:

10. Riverdance - Irish dance tells a story. Uh-mazing!

9. Angela's Ashes - Read the book! Based on the best selling autobiography by Irish expat Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes follows the experiences of young Frankie and his family as they try against all odds to escape the poverty endemic in the slums of pre-war Limerick.

8. American Women (aka The Closer You Get) - Fed up with dismal prospects in Ireland, Irish lads send an ad to the Miami Herald inviting fit and enticing women, between the ages of 20 and 21, to live in their isolated Donegal village.

7. The Quiet Man - A disgraced American boxer retires to Ireland, where he finds love.

6. Secret of Roan Inish - 10-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie - a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother washed out to sea in a cradle shaped like a boat and many believe he's being raised by the seals.

5. Dancing at Luhnesa - Meryl Streep stars! Five unmarried sisters make the most of their simple existence in rural Ireland in the 1930s.

4. In The Name of the Father - Hello, Daniel Day Lewis! Man's coerced confession to an IRA bombing he didn't do imprisons his father as well; a British lawyer helps fight for their freedom.

3. Once - OMGosh. Amazing. Music is incredible. A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story. Aaaand, one of the stars, Glen Hansard, also starred in the next film on my list almost 20 years ago!

2. The Commitments - Not for the kids.. Lots of the F-word. But great. The travails of Jimmy Rabbitte to form the "World's Hardest Working Band," The Commitments, and bring soul music to the people of Dublin, Ireland. Glen Hansard plays Outspan.

1. Waking Ned Devine - Funniest. Movie. Ever. When word reaches two elderly best friends that someone in their tiny Irish village has won the national lottery, they go to great lengths to find the winner so they can share the wealth. When they discover the "lucky" winner, Ned Devine, they find he has died of shock upon discovering his win. Not wanting the money to go to waste, the village enters a pact to pretend Ned is still alive by having another man pose as him, and then to divide the money between them.

__________________________

Honorable mention:
-- The Wind That Shakes the Barley, and
-- Darby O'Gill and the Little People (with Sean Connery!)

My Mom's Blog

2010-10-08T07:56:00.001-07:00

My mom has 8 children. She's the most laid back, capable lady out there. She's has great insights about life and our Catholic faith. She's well read and I have no doubt that, if she started a blog, she'd be up there with the best of 'em! Problem is, she won't. Or at least hasn't yet. But I'd like to start a campaign to get her online. Read this email she sent me (we've been chatting about healthiness) and get on-board!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey Cait,

Don't forget it's Will's Birthday today.. Found this pic of him on the computer. I think it's one of those special effects things. I hope so. Maybe it's one of those things where you think your child is the cutest thing, but really they're pretty ugly. I hope I'm not seeing the light..

Anyway, we were talking about what being healthy means.. Well, I think "Healthy" can't be too prescriptive, one person to another, but...what I mean by "healthy" would better be described as "balanced" or "ordered" (and then, --sadly-- that word, "disciplined"). So, simply an ordered life of prayer, contemplation, Mass, service, exercise, work = health in soul, body and mind.

This so occupies me because it is something I struggle with mightily myself (I am supposed to be on the elliptical as we speak...). It is something my dear old dad tried unsuccessfully to instill in our hearts (or drum into our brains). An examination of Papa's life in the area of discipline and its outcome is testament enough of its value. He was always saying to us "Ya gotta have a system...Without a system ya got nothin'...When ya go ta bed tuhnight ya oughta know exactly what ye'r plan is for the next day." (did the Irish accent come through?).

Maybe he really understood my personal struggle with this. Maybe he was speaking in generalities to any of his kids who would listen. But listen I did not. I didn't like to be accountable in that way, yet when the structure was provided for me, at work or at school I really liked the feeling of accomplishment one gets from, well, accomplishing, reaching goals, getting things done and the satisfaction that comes with that. One can rides on the fumes, so to speak, of externally provided structure, but ultimately, we need to have a personal order ourselves.

As a stay at home mom, this is becoming challenging as I move out of the natural structure and time clock that babies provide and move to a new stage of life. Meaning, I guess, that with a little less external structure, ie, more unstructured time on my hands, I'm just now realizing how much I need to develop that in myself. The healthy balance of prayer, work, exercise, time with loved ones, paperwork... (my italics are my own neglected areas) would rock my world.

The possibility of laying my head on my pillow at night feeling at peace, having attended to the different spheres of my life is something I would like to feel. Just once! Seriously, I can get excited and peaceful and hopeful at the same time just thinking about it.

And just to illustrate the tangential rabbit-trail of my world, I just bolded the only thing I really wanted to say about this. (See above) That health, to me, isn't just about the body, it's about order and balance throughout. There.

Okay, so we'll see you next weekend. I gotta run. Aunt Trish and all the gang from Cleveland are coming. Gotta get ready for them and you know what that means. I'll be in the wine aisle at Payless.

Okay, Love you.
xoxo
Mom

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

See? Isn't she awesome? So c'mon! Let's get Noreen a'bloggin', shall we?

CD You Must Get -- No, it's not mine.

2010-10-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

My favorite blogger, Betty Beguiles has a truly talented man! Stop what you're doing and go get this CD! He is so awesome and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his individuality! Blows my mind. Okay, stop listening to me. Go have a listen ("Love Comes Down" is my fav and I also love "Two Became One") and then buy it.

http://thatstrangestofwars.com/my-music-2/

RIP Murphy! :(

2010-09-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Today, after a long (or, as far as we know, 6 week) battle with cancer, our family dog, Murphy died. She was about 10.. I say "about" because no one remembers if she was one or two years old when we got her.. A big debate in our family. Can I tell you some funny stories about her last days? If only because that's how we Beardmore's deal.. And also because the stories are just plain hilarious.

Let me warn you first.. We aren't what some might call, "Animal Lovers". Few people will actually admit this and I'm not saying we like to torture our little balls of fur, but we're not the kind of clan that ooh's and aahh's over a four-legged friend. It's just not us.

But Murphy was different.. She was like one of us kids! She ate mostly people food, stored up all her energy until someone came over and would just lie around all day.. Sounds like a Beardmore teen to me! When we took dishes to the sink, we'd just open the dishwasher and lay the plates on the door, allowing Murph to enjoy our scraps -- which I'd like to think was her way of contributing to dinner clean up. Whenever the rest of the family was out of town and I was alone at the house with Murphy, she'd be so depressed without all the noise and kids coming in and out.. She'd wait by the door and be all sad and mopey. I think what we all liked best about Murph was that she never took the attention away from us kids. Let's be honest, all eight of us like to be the center of attention and Murph was not one of those high-maintenance dogs; yippy or high strung. She kept herself under the radar, a master at grabbing food from the table or someone's hand, without anyone even noticing. But always there for a good cuddle.

So.. her last days. It all started when Mom took Murph to the vet. She wasn't walking well and the vet came back with the news: Murphy had cancer all over the place and not too long here on earth. Mom sent the news to me and Tommy, the second oldest who also lives out of town. The text read: "Murph = cancer -- 6 weeks to live."

Wow.

Really, mom?

Don't sugar-coat it!

In fact, a couple weeks later when my brother broke his arm and I got the text, "Michael broke arm, football." I replied, "6 weeks to live?"

When I called home that night we found out the news, Michael got on the phone and sobbed through a conversation. I'd like to be able to tell you what he said but there was a lot of blubbering. I'll be honest.. I have no idea what was coming out of his mouth. I think, based on reactions, he'll miss Murphy the most.

Then Annie gets on the phone.. Sniffing she said that she was doing okay but that she had a question. I expected something about dogs in Heaven but she whimpered, "Do you think now I could get a (sniff, sniff) teacup poodle?"

Yeah.. Really in distress that one! She's 7 by the way and totally into teacup poodles.. It was my fault. I told her about them when I got my dog, Duffy who is a toy poodle. She's now obsessed.

So then I asked Annie how Caroline was doing and she said, "Okay, I guess." She put Niney on the phone and I asked her gently, "Hi Caroline.. How you doing?" She replied, all chipper and peppy, "Fine! How aw you?" (She can't say her R's or L's) I was confused. "I'm okay, sweetie. Everything okay there at the house?" "Yep!" She answered. Hmm.. Maybe she forgot.. "Anything new happen today?" I asked. "Um.. Not weewie.. I gotta go pway wiff my Pawie Pockets! Bye!"

Later mom told me that when she picked up these three from school and broke the news that Murphy didn't have too much longer with us, Caroline watched Michael and Annie break into tears and could not stop laughing. I mean, we're talking uncontrollable, belly laughs! What a freak.

So anyway, we all decide that, sometime in the upcoming weeks, we will all get together and take some pictures with Murphy and the next weekend we all end up at home! But we had so much fun together, bonding over the imminent death of poor Murph that we completely forgot about death actually looming upon our door that we completely forgot about taking pictures with Murphy. Talk about distraught, huh?

Then, a couple weeks ago, I got another text from mom after I asked her how her week was going. "Things = good. Just picked up boys, football. Will and Annie digging Murphy grave and dad got basketball hoop up this weekend!"

I love my mom.

The fact that she can throw grave digging into a text is mighty fine around these here parts!

But there's an even funnier part to this story (there always is)! When Will and Annie were trying to decide where to dig Murphy's grave, Annie said, "How about right next to Mary Clare?" Now, Mary Claire is our sister who died in 1998. Rest assured, she is not buried in the backyard next to the hamsters and hermit crabs. Will answered, "Annie!! Mary Clare is buried at the cemetery! You've been to her grave! We didn't put her in the backyard!!!" And Annie said, "Oh yeah.. That's probably better." (Sigh) Life at the Beardmore's!

So as the weeks went by, I asked my mom, "How is Murphy doing?" She sighed. "Not too good.. She didn't eat her breakfast this morning.." I was shocked. "Really? Her dog food is still there?!" "Dog food?" My mom said. "We make her a PB&J sandwich when we're making the lunches every morning. She didn't touch it."

Can you imagine? Making a seventh sandwich for the dog every morning? Oh, our life!

So that's it. Although I joke (again, just how we deal), we really will miss Murphy so much. She was a good dog, especially for our family. And I'd like to think that she'll miss us too. Or least her daily PB&J sandwich...

RIP Murphy!

Online dating, schmon-line dating!

2010-09-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

Have you seen those darrrrling Match.com commercials that say more people start dating after meeting online than in bars, work, etc. now? Pretty impressive statistic, huh? Then they show two people on an actual Match.com-induced date; flirting and feeding each other brie or whatever? So cute, isn't it?

Well it's what the French call.. crapola! When online dating, you just go out on more dates. It's not that they're actually better! Online dating provides the anonymity to allow people to be who they truly are.. Aw! Cute right? Well, it's cute if who they really are is normal! But wait until you have an inbox full of way too personal questions and requests for your underwear.. Then watch one of those Match.com commercials and tell me that they're cute!

Last weekend a friend of mine began to divulge her most horrific online dating experiences. Now, for clarification, this is actually a friend of mine.. Not me pretending that it's a friend but really me just trying to save face. Believe me. We're way past that around here! Psh!

Anyway, she told me about one guy who after weeks of texting and talking and emails STILL had not asked her out (Patti Stranger -- the Millionaire Matchmaker from Bravo -- would DIE!) and then ended up avoiding her contacts all together! Rude isn't it? You haven't heard it all! Later, he was found to be open to texting, talking and emailing her sister! (Gasp!) Can you believe it!? I know, I know!!

Then she told me about the guy who asked her if she minded him cross dressing. Um.. 'nuff said! (Dry heave break).

Welcome back.

Another friend of mine (okay, this one is me) finally got the courage to go on a date with a guy she'd (I'd) met online and he never showed! She (I) emailed him and dayssss later got a response that said he'd double booked and been on another date that ran over but that it wasn't much fun and would she (I) like to reschedule.

(Dry heave break II).

Hi again.

I think, for those of us who have given way to the dorki-lameness that is online dating, we think that some computer program will input who we are and the bits and bytes will align and we'll be matched with our one true love. No frogs (or freaks) to kiss along the way!! Right? Truth is, online dating is just as hard as real dating and those cute commercials with those cute people on those cute dates are getting a bit old.. Show me one where the guy brings up his mom twenty times or the fact that he can't be within 100 yards of a retirement home and I'll start to believe that statistic.

Until then, watch out for the guys who date under the screen-names X-Dresser768 and Playa4u772. They're not honest about being height and weight proportionate..

I won $5 in gas money!

2010-09-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, not really won.. But I prepaid for gas (cuz I'm broke and could only afford $1.82 -- JK.. but seriously, I am broke) and the guy put my amount on a different pump! I started pumping and looked up to see it having gone over by almost $5! Eek! Taking a split second to contemplate letting my whole take fill up and giving him my cutest, "Whoopsies..", I went for honest gal and stopped the pump. I shuffled inside and told him what happened. Thankfully, he recognized whose fault it was (uh, not mine!) and I got to enjoy a few more miles in the old (literally, it's old) Saturn than I paid for.

(Sigh) This is the life!

LOL

Wednesday Dinner - Pasta Primavera

2010-09-13T14:07:00.002-07:00

I'm cooking dinner every Wednesday from now on.. That way my roommates and I get to have some time together as we are usually passing each other by a mile a minute and I get some time in the kitchen! I'm concentrating on veggie-filled, light meals and will share a few with you here!

FYI - I don't like to follow recipes and will use a lot of "some..", "a dash of.." and ".. to taste" because I never measure out. Sorry about that!

Pasta Primavera (with no heavy cream to scare-a you off!)

Ingredients

1 package pasta (use your fav.. mine is linguini)
Now use any kind of veggies but try to have more than three, like:
-- bell peppers (I'm using green, yellow and red)
-- squash
-- zuchini
-- asparagus
-- broccoli
-- mushrooms
-- peas
-- grape tomatoes
-- carrots
-- green beans (must be fresh)
-- pinenuts
-- you could even use some fresh spinach or arugala, but I would wait to put those in until the end as they will wilt quickly

Olive oil
Salt and (preferably) fresh-ground pepper
Lemon (you'll need the juice and some zest)
Butter
Onion
Garlic
Some kind of herbs (I think basil works best in this.. Maybe a little rosemary)
Balsamic vinegar (maybe like 2-3 tablespoons)
Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

So here's what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 450* and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Start #3. Add your fav pasta and cook until tender; drain. Throw in a little olive oil so it doesn't stick together.
3. In a bowl, toss veggies with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice. Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet, and roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.
4. Heat some more olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, herbs, and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with roasted vegetables and sprinkle with Romano cheese to serve.

Thoughts on Farmville

2010-09-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

Did you see Elizabeth Ester's article on the Facebook game, Farmville? She talks about how, since most of its players are 40-some year old women, criticism of those spending time playing it is somewhat sexist, as no one criticizes the men for playing Mafia Wars. Now, before you go any further, go check out her actual words.. She be talkin' much gooder than me is.

Now, I've never played Farmville, though my roommate is a big fan. Then again, she also loves this "Phinneas and Ferb" show, so I'm not sure I trust her judgment. But either way, Elizabeth's article got me thinking.. 100 years ago, many of us would have had a little garden, if not a whole dangun' farm! We would actually be out there, hands in the dirt (darn it, and I just gave myself the cutest manicure too!) and helping to grow beautiful food for our beautiful families!

Maybe we ladies have an intrinsic desire to live off the land and be a part of that cycle of life! I'm reading "Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan and can't help but think about how we're not meant to get food the way we do.. Processed, shipped across the country in less-than-stella conditions, bought without thought for where it has come from or how it was made/grown. Maybe Farmville is a virtual glimpse into a life for which we, as women, have a natural desire!

Okay, I'm probably over-thinking this, but it's interesting at least!

(P.S. While I was reading this I Google-imaged "Farmville" and browsed through dozens of pictures, many of them like the one above, with phrases or words etched out in the crops. I had a vision of someone proposing, writing, "Will you marry me?" and laughed out loud. No one would be that lame!!!)

("Marry Me Again, Marie!")

Except for Marie's second husband (who I guess was also her first husband). Sorry about that, Marie. Definitely marry him again.. Seems like he's gotten his life -- or at least his farm -- together!

Beauty School Drop Out

2010-09-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Feel free to listen to this song while you read the following:

If I wasn't going into youth ministry or going to be a singer. If I wasn't going to be a religion teacher, a nun, a wife/mom or a perpetual nanny. If I wasn't going to pursue painting or acting or professional realty TV watching. If I couldn't get a job as a personal chef or ice cream flavor thinker-upper, I would be an cosmetologist.

I love painting nails (and yes, those are little purple flowers painted free hand, thank you very much), doing hair, giving make-overs and facials, and waxing upper lips.

Okay, not the waxing upper lip part. But I definitely love the rest!

My friend Theresa used to let me cut her hair, as did my old roommate, Tiffany and either Annie Schap or Sarah Antonio.. Who was it? One time my brother Brian let me but cried cuz it was too short.

He was like 16.

I know, right?

Where did I have time to make my nails so cute? While I was babysitting, of course! I babysit for a little 9 year old girl for each Purdue game and we paint nails, go to the All Fired Up Pottery studio, to the movies.. It's right up my alley! I can't wait to post pictures of the Tracy Porter inspired plate and bowl that I made!

Next week we're going back and I'm going to make something for Betty Beguiles and the new bouncing baby Beguiles! Go wish her a Happy 5th baby! :)

What is true justice?

2010-09-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

We have a group on campus that supports something the Church teaches us God did not intend for us. It's part of the "Peace and Justice" initiative and if it weren't a Catholic university, I wouldn't be as vocal about this, but I have to ask: what is true peace and justice?

Is it making the truth relative and allowing others to live in sin, just so that we don't make waves? Is straying so far from being judgemental that we fail to "admonish the sinner"? What is real love? Is it not wanting to offend someone by giving them the message of God? Or is true justice speaking the truth of love and giving someone exactly what the need: the tools to get to Heaven?

I think this is what I am doing my senior thesis on.. What is wrong with "tolerance" and why we're called to do more than tolerate each other's sin. We are called to help each other overcome it, despite the possibility of offending. We do this in a spirit of love, compassion and humility. Real love is not unconditional approval, it's the deep desire for the person's well being over your own and I can't help but think that this group is encouraging those in their blindness, instead of helping to bring them to the light.

Sad, isn't it?

Don't worry.. I'm prayerfully trying to do something about it.

But could you prayerfully support me?

<3 Caitie

I won! I won!

2010-08-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo! I just won a giveaway at one of my favorite blogs, Tickled Red! It's a really cute blog and a really cute prize.. A $50 coupon to CSN Online Stores! Whoo hoo! Thank you, Red! :)

See more giveaways at Great Blog Giveaways!

My First CD!!

2010-08-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

I'm finally recording a legit CD! Check out my website to pre-order a CD, help fund the project and listen to my music! I finally decided on the last song but noticed that the lyrics are no where to be found on the internet! Yes, I like songs that are that obscure! :) I'll post the lyrics here and continue daydreaming of the future in which I will have throngs of late-twenty year old men going all Beatle/Twilight mania for me.. Yelling my name and taking their shirts off to throw onstage..

Ahem!

Okay, that was inappropriate!

You're right.

No, you're totally right.

They shouldn't be yelling at a lady!

;0)

But seriously.. This CD is going to be great and I can't wait to share it with you! Stay tuned!

** After I posted this, I got an email from Thom Moore who wrote this song! He helped me with a few of the lyrics that I had mistaken (for example, he told me it was "..kind of memory", not "..can of memories"-- LOL)! What a thrill to get an email from him! Whew! Made my day! Go experience more of Thom Moore, a true legend, at his page. **

Send this Whisper (To Avalon)
Written by Thom Moore

Send this whisper to the one I love
Tell him my dreaming's not enough
Brings on back the kind of memory
That wakes my heart to misery

Time and time again I sigh
Cover up my face
Count the hours again and cry
For you and another place

Three more weeks and then its Avalon
Think of leaving, dream of sailing on
Cross the water with my bridges gone
Back to you in Avalon

Send this whisper to the one i love
Clouds that cross me high above
Don't let it wake him from his revery
If he's dreaming now of me

Time and time again I sigh
Cover up my face
Count the hours and and cry
For you and another place

Three more weeks and then its Avalon
Think of leaving, dream of sailing on
Cross the water with my bridges gone
Back to you in Avalon

Three more weeks and then its Avalon
Think of leaving, dream of sailing on
Cross the water with my bridges gone
Back to you in Avalon

Your kids' next book!

2010-08-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

Our family friend, Ben Hatke, illustrator of the beautiful Angel in the Waters, has written and illustrated the next coolest kids' book! It's called Zita the Spacegirl! It's comic-ish but the illustrations are so compelling that I found myself going through it very slowly, getting the story from the tiny details of the drawings and drooling over effortless his art seems to be. Don't take my word for it (even though you know you want to).. Read the first chapter here! And then pre-order!

7 Quick Takes - More Caitie Moments

2010-08-19T20:32:00.001-07:00

Since I have little news to report other than classes start this Monday -- my birthday -- and that it's a big year for my family (my long-awaited senior year of college, my brother Tommy's continued work at Second City in Chicago, my brother Brian's freshman year playing football at Wabash College, my brother John's senior year in high school, my brother Will's freshman year in high school and Confirmation, my brother Michael's first year in middle school, my sister Annie's First Communion and my sister Caroline's first year in Kindergarten). And since I had one of my best Caitie-moments the other day, I thought I would share with you some others! You know how I love the Funny Quick Takes! Be advised, these are merely random ones I can remember. I have at least one daily. :) Enjoy!

1. On my brother Michael's 6th birthday he had a GI Joe-themed party and he sat on my lap as he opened presents. One was especially eye-catching! "What does it say?" He asked? "Ooh.." I read the package. "It says GI Joe Lee-ay-thur-neck!" My Dad starting laughing. My mom starting laughing. My brothers started howling. "What?" I asked. My dad took the toy, turned it around and said, "It's Leatherneck!" Well, maybe that's how YOU pronounce it!

2. When I was a senior in high school I called all my friends and told them about this deal that I read about in the paper in which all soon-to-be graduates could get into their favorite movie for free that Thursday night! We all were so excited to be appreciated like that and when we got to the ticket-taker we pulled out our student IDs, ready to cash in on our 12 years of education. Gotta be good for somethin', right? The usher was very confused but once I reminded him about the deal for seniors, he smiled. "Senior citizens, hon. Not seniors in school. Like, old people." Hmm! That's just age-ism!

3. I dated a guy from Ireland for a couple years awhile back and when over in Belfast for a visit once, I attended mass with his whole family. At the sign of peace I couldn't reach down to his mother, so I held up a peace sign, palm side in. How was I supposed to know it's the equivalent to giving someone the middle finger? My boyfriend at the time looked up when he heard everyone around us gasp and when he saw me with my big friendly smile, basically flipping off the entire pew, he grabbed my hand and said, "That's enough!" I didn't know what was going on and whispered loudly, "It's the sign of peace!" He snorted. "Well, that's not a sign of peace here!"

4. How about the time I went to the drive-up window at the bank within the grocery store. "Can I help you?" The lady asked. "Yeah, I just want to cash this check." Silence. "Um.. Can you open the drawer thing?" I ask. "Ma'am, this is the pharmacy."

5. When I lived with two of my best friends, my roommate Michaela and I called into our landlord and left a message about a maintenance request we had for the house. I gave Mikey my phone to use and we had it on speaker, since we were both explaining the situtation. As she was wrapping up the voicemail, I went into the bathroom and two seconds later Mikey walked in. "Ah!! Mikey! I'm peeing!" I shrieked! "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!" she laughed! "I didn't know you were peeing!" I shooed her out, "Well, why didn't you knock!?" I emerged a moment later to find a terrified look on her face. "What!?" I asked, alarmed. "Ehhh... Ehhh!! Ehhh!!" She threw the phone at me and I saw that, even though she had closed it, the call was still on speaker and our whole, "I'm peeing!" conversation was caught on voicemail. I quickly hung up, but never quite lived that one down with our landlord. LOL :)

6. The condos at which my friends and I stayed when we visited San Diego had a fenced-in pool area that could be entered and exited by key only. When coming in from the beach, my friend Jake let me into the deserted pool area and then said he would go get more beer from the room. The gate shut behind him and a few minutes later I saw the rest of my friends way up above the pool on our balcony. They called down, "We changed our minds. Just come up to the room and we'll have dinner before we swim." I answered, "Okay!" But when I got to the gate, I realized I didn't have my key. I looked up to see that everyone went inside and loud music was playing. It was a quiet condo and barely anyone passed. When they did, I put my face up to the 6ft iron fence (think: prison bars) and pleaded with them to let me out. Finally, as the last of my friends came up from the beach, I was released from my aquatic prison and laughed at for almost as long as I had been in there. Poor me!

7. My mom's favorite is when, as an 8-year old, I was on the phone with my friend's mom, checking to see if it was alright that I slept over. Trying to be polite, I asked if she was sure she could pick me up. "I don't want to be an impostor.." I said. She stifled a laugh and said, "Oh, honey, you're not imposing at all. We'll see you at 6."

Now.. go check out Jen's blog at Conversion Diary! Her recent posts on interviews with an Exorcist have been riveting!

Great Caitie Lines

2010-08-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

I was driving with my friend the other day and we passed a small airport. I wondered aloud, "What if they want to transfer an airplane to a different airport? Do they, like, take it on the highway? I just realized I've never seen that.." He slowed the car down to study me.. "Caitie.. They FLY it there!"

Eh.. Hehehe! Whoops!

And yes, I'm serious.

Cleveland's Irish Cultural Festival

2010-08-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

In 1982 my grandfather, John O'Brien founded Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival in an effort to showcase, and thereby preserve the many traditions of his native land. Enlisting a group of incredibly dedicated volunteers, that first festival drew more than 3,000 visitors over the two days and so it began!

The festival committee met soon after the crowds dispersed to evaluate and develop the event for the following summer. Their continual dedication has since produced one of the premier Irish festivals in the United States. The exponential growth of the festival stands as testament to this. In 1985 the event expanded to three days. In 1991, it finally outgrew the small wooded venue used during its first 9 years, and so relocated to The Berea Fairgrounds, where annual attendance figures now number almost 50,000.

Proceeds from the festival go to multiple charities, including: The Holy Family Cancer Home, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, The West Side Catholic Center, and The Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Okay, all that sounds great but here's the insider story! The Top 10 Things I love about our Irish Festival:

10. I usually come up the week before to help my grandmother get ready. She's very particular in the way she likes to prepare and get out of the house and she needs a little sidekick. :) I love spending this time with her and it's my favorite time of year!

9. Having said that, sometimes she sends me to the grocery store three times in one day and I need a break. So my uncle will call and say that they need some wire and I go buy a bunch of beer and bring it out to them. I also like to get them lunch and set it up for all the guys. They work so hard and it's nice to be able to take care of them while they're out at the grounds.

8. My grandfather runs the festival, sure. But my Uncle Phil is the one who is really the arms and legs of the operation. He is a fireman and owns his own tenting business. He takes the whole week off and goes out to the grounds. He sets up every tent and works on the layout of the whole place. The great thing about Uncle Phil is that he works so hard, gets so down and dirty and keeps a smile on his face (and a beer in his hand) all weekend!

7. My Aunt Trish (not pictured) and her three friends run the Volunteer tent. This is where everyone checks in and is the social hub of the festival. Mary (in the black) is like another aunt to me and one of my favorite people on earth. Kathy (in the blue) always brings us gifts for the festival like flasks and coozies. And Peggy.. Oh, Peggy. She's in the pink and we just have the best time; laugh our butts off! I think I might need to write a post centered totally on Caitie and Peggy stories.. Stay tuned!

6. Every year, a couple weeks before the festival, my grandmother and my aunts, cousins and friends get together and make the scones for the coffee house at the festival; all by hand and according to Nana's recipe. It's a special part of the festival and people ask for them specifically.

5. I live in Indiana. The Irish culture is about as prevalent as people who have all their own teeth. It's so nice to be surrounded by the music, drink, food, dance and, of course, the shopping of my heritage! :) We have a couple buildings of vendors, most of whom return every year! Every year I get a ring and by the next festival have lost it. I love the shoppin'.

4. I love when new friends come to the fest. They get to experience a great weekend and it's nice to have their help! We always have so much fun and it's great to share such a special part of my family.

3. Many friends of my grandparents, who have been volunteering since day one, are still helping at the festival! Mrs. Singer, Mrs. Nelligan, Mrs. Duffy, Mr. Lacky.. They all come every year and are a testament to the true friendship of my grandparents. I love seeing them!

2. Getting to spend the weekend with some of the best Irish singers and musicians in the world is an unbelievable experience. I have been able to sing with the people who wrote the songs we all know. I've been able to get pointers from the musicians who are revered for their incredible talent. It's such a blessing and I love every musical minute of it!

1. Our family all comes together for this. Each person takes a part of the fest and works hard to pull their weight. We take pride in the event and it means so much to us, especially as grandchildren as we have grown in our love for our heritage because of our grandparents. It's a blessing to be able to spend so much time with all my aunts and uncles and cousins.. I am so proud of Cleveland's Irish Cultural Festival! :)

7 Quick Takes - Let's Catch Up Sometime!

2010-08-12T21:11:00.001-07:00

Hello, my dears! Okay, it's been a few (cough, cough, ton, cough) days and we have LOTS to catch up on! I'll give you the highlights of my family's Irish festival and my days since.. How will I fit it all in? Who knows! Here goes!

~ 1 ~
I brought my dog, Duffy, to Cleveland. If I'm perfectly honest with you, I wanted him to experience the festival. Yeah. Like he was going to look around, turn to me and say, "You're right! This is awesome! I'm so glad you brought me!" (Sigh) He was miserable. I ended up sending him home with my aunt since we were staying at the hotel after this lady chewed me out for not noticing that he'd jumped out of my golf cart. Truth be told, when she ran up to me with Duffy in her arms, I opened my mouth to say, "Hey! I have a dog just like that! Duffy! Where are you? Come look at this --" She screamed at me, called me a dumbass for not noticing and said that she should report me. I just rolled my eyes and took my dog, but before she walked away she said, "Oh! And by the way, he's limping!" She left before I could tell her that it's just how he walks. Seriously, if my dog had opposable thumbs, he'd have jazz hands and that he walks like it's been choreographed. Anyway, needless to say, it was a dumb idea to bring him and next time Duffy will stay home. LOL!

~ 2 ~
One thing I've learned at the festival is that the hotel after-party staff is pretty strict about it NOT being a BYOB event. Of course, that doesn't stop little 'ol me! :) Heck no! On Friday I carried around a bag filled with Tequila and Margarita mix and we made our own drinks in the bathroom! On Sunday night I filled that bag with ice and had cold Bud Light with me at all times. Always thinkin', this one. Always thinkin'. :) Might I add, I stay just this side of tipsy and never get sloppy. I stayed up until 7:30am with these tricks -- twice. :) You're dealin' with a pro!

~ 3 ~
We've always had pretty good weather for the festival weekend, but it's bound to rain a little in thirty years! :) Unfortunately, "a little" wouldn't describe the rain that we had..We had torrential downpour, wind so wild that it tore tents down and flooding so bad that we were wading through small ponds. If the crowds weren't scared away by the storms, they surely stayed home when they heard it would be 90* out! It was not a pleasant weekend, weather wise and we didn't pull in nearly the crowds that we usually do! Ah, well. There's always next year! :)

~ 4 ~
On the ride home, I drove three of my brothers and one of their friends. THE ENTIRE RIDE BACK we played this game where you think of a celebrity's name and the next person has to think of another famous person whose first name starts with the first letter of the last person's last name. Example: Brad Pitt. Pamela Anderson. Alfred Hitchcock. Helen Mirren. Molly Ringwald. Ricky Gervais. Gillian Welch. See how it goes? Imagine that for over 5 hours! Yes, there are that many celebrities! LOL

~ 5 ~
I was honored to be included in the Guinness Book with the world's worst ear infection when I got back! I had never had one before and this was the mother of them all! I was put on three (THREE!) antibiotics, a pain killer (hello, lova!) and ear drops, and I will never dismiss ear pain again. I'm still having trouble hearing perfectly out of it. When I was in the emergency room, the nurse asked, "So what brings you here?" I had already explained it 30 times and it was all right there on the chart in front of her, so I went thru the whole thing again (this time with a bit of an attitude). "Sorry.." she said. "I asked you 'what ear?'" Oops..

~ 6 ~
When I recovered from the festival and the ear infection, I cleaned the house and finally got to the bottom of my suitcase. ) Surprisingly, I found a pair of men's underwear!! Holy Moses! My first thoughts? "Oh my! Looks like I had an even more fun weekend than I thought!" But then I remembered I had done laundry for my grandparents before the fest. (Sigh) Found your missing drawers, Papa.

~ 7 ~
I came back from the festival ready to pursue a dream that I never even really allowed myself to believe possible! While I was there I got to sing with some of my favorite artists of all time over that weekend (both on and off stage) and was encouraged to take my music seriously. It was even hard to return to the daily grind of my life after being able to share music with such great people! I have decided to take their advice and am about to record a little CD! I'll keep you posted! Please pray for me! I'm very excited but not used to putting myself out there so much! iTunes -- here I come! :)

I'll be right back!

2010-08-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my absence! I have been suffering from the achiest of each infections and unable to stay upright for very long. I will be back! But in the meantime, take a listen to this guy! Don Stiffe played at our Irish festival last weekend and Marianne Knight did too. Got to sing and spend time with both of them. Lovely people! Anyway, enjoy a listen. I know I can't. :)

A shout out and goodbye!

2010-07-20T08:59:00.001-07:00

A special shout-out to my readers from Ireland, my homeland and favorite-est place on earth! Especially Helen whose family makes the delicious Cahill's Cheese! I'll tell ya right now.. I will burn and send a personalized mix CD for anybody that orders some (especially if they get some for me). If you can't be in Heaven and you can't be in Ireland, you gotta be enjoying some Irish cheese! They say the happy cows come from California? Well, then you ain't never seen an Irish cow! They'll buy you a drink and have you laughing so hard you'll cry! :)

Anyway, everybody wave to your fellow Irish readers and welcome them aboard!

I'll be gone a week for the big Irish Festival, but stay tuned for lots of pictures next week! Say prayers that we stay dry (and sober)!

Adios!

In the movie of my life..

2010-07-14T14:28:00.001-07:00

... the house from "Something's Gotta Give" would play my home. It's beautiful, inside and out!

Oh, how I love this house! I will gladly admit that I have paused this movie and sat in wonder, gaping at the divine design of the rooms in this home.

Oh, happy kitchen! I love the traditional hardware, cool colors and soft cabinet design! I would make better food in this kitchen, I am sure of it!

And you, sweet dining room. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! Your light, sweet tones. Your arrangement of plates! Plus, those chairs are freaking cuuuuute!!

As for the living room, with the two story ceiling and open floorplan.. That modern rug paired with the simplistic lines of the sofas. The subtle whites paired with the dark wood and blues. The eclectic, modern twist on such a traditional room. Whew! Is it getting hot in here?

Reading nook, sweet reading nook. I'm not swooning over the wicker, but I do adore the nook-ness. I love a space that makes you want to read! :)

And how about the pool? Couldn't you just sit there for hours? Heck, you wouldn't even have to fill it up! Yes, I would sit next to an empty pool if it were upon luscious chairs like that!

The bedroom. With soft lighting, plush fabrics and tailored furnishings. I love that there is no art on the walls; just the windows to the outdoors (and probably that fabulous pool!).

Whine-free Wednesday!

2010-06-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Boo! Along with a touch of the flu, I've been feeling a little "Blah!" this week. You know.. Just ones of those days where you feel you're in a funk.. I keep wondering if I'm forgetting something or if bad news has struck. I guess I just have a lot on my mind. I won't even ask for your prayers though because I have two friends (no one you know) who are needing prayers much more than I. Will you say one for these gals? Just mention me and my two friends.. God will know who you're talking about. :)

Anyway, I thought I would count my blessings instead of spreading my "Blah!" to everyone else! Wanna join me? Should it be our "Whine-free (not wine-free) Wednesday"!? Gotta remember our blessings! :) Maybe you'll have one, maybe you'll have 10. But it's never a bad idea to count them! Like this guy!

For what I have received may the Lord make me truly thankful. And more truly for what I have not received.
~ Storm Jameson

1. I am thankful for my siblings. Sometimes I feel I come rushing through town without much time to give to them. But they, especially the three youngest, are always so excited when I breeze through the door.. It always makes my day to have such a welcome.

2. I am thankful for my school. I wouldn't say I recommend that Catholic students attend my college as I don't find it to be the most Orthodox place on earth, but I will commend their efforts in providing resources to students. I am thankful to be on a campus that realizes the struggle of a student without insurance or a full-time job!

3. I am thankful for my ability to sing and act. I just auditioned for "Annie!", my most favorite-est musical ever. I know I didn't get it.. The lady before me was, I swear, Miss Hannigan's long-lost twin and played an excellent (too good?) drunk. Even I, who was auditioning right after her, was ready to turn to the others and say, "You can all go home.. The part has been cast!" But I am grateful that I could even get up there and sing my little heart out. :) It's one of my favorite-est things to do!

4. I am thankful for the store Half-price Books. I just went and got a new Catechism for the Catholic Church (lent my old one out, never got it back), "Prove It -- Jesus!" by Amy Welborne, a small guide on the saints with a short bio on each one and.. something else, I forget, for $7. I love building up my Catholic library and Half-price Books is helping me out! :)

5. I am thankful for my phone calls with my grandmother. I call her about once per week. It's just so wonderful to connect with my Nana.. She is the most nurturing, affectionate, loving person and I depend on her unconditional love, sound advice and patient nature. She used to ask for my number everytime we spoke and she'd write it down on a post it or the back of an envelope. So, last year I made her a wall hanging that has my name and number painted on it. :) She adores it, I adore her.

6. I know this sounds shallow, but I am thankful for spray tans. If you have not done Mystic Tan yet, do it. Find one near you. It's all the good things about being tan without the pre-cancerous cells. Plus, you don't have to strip naked in front of someone to get sprayed. It's the beauty of technology.

7. I am thankful for my dog. Although I recently got him horribly groomed (seriously, he's so ugly -- I won't take him in public or even post pictures of his new look), he is so dear to me and I love having him around! A very low-maintenance dog and good natured. I always wanted my own, little, fluffy puppy and I'm so glad I have him. :)

8. I am thankful for journaling. Though I never do it consistently, it's always so thereputic for me! I am trying to do it more and enjoy reading back through the last few years.

9. I am thankful for my strangely capable internet wherewithal. I have created a few websites (www.ryanvocation.com, is one of them) and, with no training or classes, can somewhow find my way around designing them.

Feel free to leave one or two things in a comment, or write your own post and you can link to it here so everyone can see! (Sigh) I feel better already!

7 Quick Takes - Random! :)

2010-06-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile! Lately, all I've had time for has been quick takes! Thank goodness for Jen at Conversion Diary for her Friday blog! :) Hop on over to see her and read about her!

1. Well, I finally got a new job! Have I told you about it? I'm providing respite care for a family with four children, two of them with special needs (down syndrome and autism). People have been asking me how hard it is and I'm not going to pretend it's easy-peasy, but it's the spoiled kids I've worked with in the past who have had me pulling my hair out! Special needs kids are nothing but wonderful and I'm loving the job! :)

2. Today one of the little girls in the family and I were playing paper dolls and she made her paper doll say, "I can't be at the concert tonight.. I hurt my leg!" I made mine say, "Oh no! What happened?" And she quipped, "Paper cut." LOL! Isn't that brilliant? I laughed for like 20 minutes!

3. It's official! I will FINALLY graduate in May 2011. It's taken me forever but it's great to know that I am exactly on the path (though maybe not as far down it) that God wants me to be on. Though I'm thinking I should have majored in Catholic Studies and not Pastoral Leadership, I love youth ministry and cannot wait to continue on with my ministry in a career!

4. You married ladies have to read this. My friend Rita just got engaged and I have been sending her a daily email with some kind of tip or picture or article for her wedding planning. I thought she might need a moment to de-stress and I found this fantastic little number. Very witty!

5. I had to get my first drug test this week! The agency that pays me for this new job requires one. I wasn't worried, but the girl next to me? Whew! Boy, was she sweatin' bullets! She kept taking deep breaths and putting her head in her hands.. I felt badly for her, but you know what they say! "Once you smoke crack, you're always totally paranoid that you're going to fail a drug screen." LOL

6. I've been meditating on the parting of the Red Sea lately and how daunting it must have been for the Isrealites to see that water rise above them and to put one foot in front of the other, trusting in God to keep them safe. Whew! I'm not sure what I would have done! "Uh.. Nah, I think I'll just wait for the next ferry.. You guys go on ahead!" I've been applying it to my own life and the fears I have of embarking on certain journeys. I am praying for the same kind of trust the Isrealites had. :)

7. It's nearly time for the Irish Fest! My grandfather started an Irish cultural festival in Cleveland almost 30 years ago! He immigrated from Ireland in the 50's, most of our extended family still resides and I was born there (in the 80's). It is my favorite time of year and am so proud of my grandparents! Everyone in our family takes a part of the festival (I supervise CD and merch sales) and we work our butts off the whole weekend. It is a blast! If you're in the Cleveland area, the weekend of July 23, 24, 25 let me know! We'll pull some strings to get you in for the "Lady Caitie in the Pretty City" rate! :)

Hope you have a blessed week!

Why Life Should Be a Musical..

2010-06-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how many times in my life I have sighed and mused, "Why can't life be a musical!?" Here are the Top 10 reasons why I think so! :) If you're low on time - go right to 3, 2, and 1! Brilliant and happened in real life!! Enjoy!

10. Enchanted - "That's How You Know"

9. 500 Days of Summer - "You Make My Dreams Come True"

8. Get Over It - "Love Will Keep Us Together"

7. My Best Friend's Wedding - "Say A Little Prayer For You"

6. Keeping the Faith - "Ein Keloheinu"

5. Sister Act - "I Love Him"

4. The Mask - "Cuban Pete"

3. Improv Everywhere - "Grocery Store Musical"

2. Improv Everywhere - "Food Court Musical"

1. Pranksgruppe - "Reach!"

7 Quick Takes - A little fun and Big News!

2010-06-10T20:41:00.001-07:00

Oh, Jen! How I love your quick takes! :) Here are mine:

1. Can I tell you what I'm doing right now? I'm babysitting overnight for a family in which both the mother and father are nurses. Once per week they work the same night. Cut to me, having put the kids to bed, tidied the house and folded some laundry, enjoying free cable and a dish of ice cream. But here's the issue: when I was putting the kids to bed in the parents' room, I found a whole altar of voodoo objects, creepy statues and disturbing art. It covered one whole wall of their bedroom. I stood there, gaping at picture of our Blessed Mother next to tarot cards and weird smelling candles and cannot help but be extremely creeped out! As I said goodnight I blessed the room and the children but the truth is: I WANT OUT OF THIS HOUSE! So really: cut to me, enjoying free cable and a dish of ice cream because there ain't no way I'm sleeping (or coming back) tonight. Trying to decide if I'm being un-Christian about this.. Input?

2. I am house-sitting this week at a GORGEOUS loft downtown! I cannot wait! I totally want to invite people over and ask them up to my rooftop terrace! LOL Great apartments always remind me of this scene in the movie "500 Days of Summer" in which you experience both what Tom expects to happen when he goes to a party at his ex-girlfriend's apartment and what actually happens! Really interesting scene but SUPER CUTE apartment!!

3. Oh my.. I need to start going to daily mass. Pray for me, because when 6am rolls around God could walk in and say, "Caitie! Seriously! You will go to hell if you don't get to mass today!" and I'd still be like, "Ehh... 5 more hours!"

4. Well, I did it again. I left the gas station, after pre-paying for gas, without actually getting any. (Sigh) At least I didn't leave with the nozzle still in my car again (see #7)! When I went back to claim what was rightfully mine (and not floating around the Gulf of Mexico), the guy said, "Yeah, I seen you drive away and was wonderin' where you was goin'! Thought maybe you didn't like the pump er somethin'." When I responded with a joke, saying, "Yeah, I wasn't emotionally ready to commit to that pump, but I'm ready now." I was sure that my sarcasm would go unnoticed (see the salmon lady incident of last week's quick takes). Imagine my surprise when he responded, "Well, if you want I can put a dollar on each pump and let you play the field.." (Gasp!) I looked up from my messy wallet, so excited to see his toothless grin! How I love that Indiana sense of humor! :)

5. I had to quit working for the most amazing family ever this week. :( I needed to get a job with more hours and, though I tried to do both, it just wasn't working out. The mom is like a big sister or aunt to me and the kids, like siblings. Fortunately, I'm sure I'll keep working with them for occasional nights out, etc., but I will miss seeing them each week!

6. My brother Brian graduated from high school last weekend. In the program that was given out to each person at the commencement was a section for memories that graduates had of their time in the Catholic schools in our town. One gal wrote, "I remember the time Brian, without anyone noticing, squeezed himself into the locker at the front of Mr. Freeman's (their religion teacher) room while he was out in the hallway. When Mr. Freeman came back in he was not in a good mood so Brian was scared to come out. He lasted about 10 minutes in there until the stench became too much and he knocked on the locker door to be let out. We had no idea who was in there until Whitney went over, cautiously opened the door, and Brian just nonchalantly walked out and sat down." LOL! I can't tell you how proud I was. :)

7. One of my dearest friends in the world, Rita is getting married! She became engaged to her "lova", Daniel, about a week ago and, because my phone's battery last a mere 9 seconds, had to send me a text of the news since her calls were going straight to my voicemail. When I finally got the text (which came with a picture of her gorgeous ring), I literally Ahhhhhhhhhh!-ed for a good 20 seconds! The icing on the big fat wedding cake is that she has asked me to be a bridesmaid! And the sprinkles on the icing on that big fat wedding cake (who puts sprinkles on a wedding cake? Tacky!) is that she's asked me to sing the first song that she and her husband will dance to! Funny enough, I had just recorded the song that she wants! Take a listen! :) Congrats Rita and Daniel!

BONUS QUICK TAKE!!
Bit of trivia for you.. Rita and I might be related once she and Daniel wed! A member of my extended family is apparently married to a member of Daniel's extended family! First person to find this link in our wind-blown family trees gets a prize! LOL

Go visit Jen at Conversion Diary and become a regular reader! She's fab!

Speaking of recorded songs..

2010-06-10T00:39:00.000-07:00

Did you check out Mr. Beguiles' songs that his wife, Betty posted this week? Oh my, he is so talented! Go have a listen! My favorite is "Love Comes Down"! It's kind of Regina Spektor meets Green Day meets The Shins. But really, I've never heard anything like it! Go see!

And I recorded my own song this week! Well, it's not MY song but I did sing it for my friend's wedding and have been asked to sing it at another friend's wedding next summer! Anyway, here it is, "Feels Like Home":

7 Quick Takes - The Funny Edition

2010-06-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

I experienced a couple hilarious situations in the past week or two! I thought the quick takes would be a perfect time to share them! Ready?

1. While setting up an interview for a new babysitting family, I offered to send the mother my resume and references so that she could look them over beforehand. "Oh, you don't have to do that!" she said. "Just bring it with you. It will save you the postage." Oh boy. I didn't tell her I meant email! Though I did think about responding, "Oh, it's no problem! I have my own carrier pigeon!" LOL Later I met the family and was so impressed.. Very sweet kids and parents. :)

2. While in the grocery line, I overheard the lady in front of me grab for her frozen bag of salmon and say, "Oh no! Wait! Let me read that.. Yeah, okay, can I put this back? I read somewhere that they use toilet water to house farm-raised salmon.." She looked to me and the other woman in line with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, "Ya. That's right! I bet I just rocked your world!" I laughed out loud. Big time. "What?" she asked. "Well.. where did you read that? Trick-opedia.com?" The lady behind me joined in my laughter. "No." said the salmon-phobic woman. "I've never even been to that site." The laughter stopped. "Oh. My. Gosh." Said the lady behind me. And I have to say, I was just as shocked. That woman shouldn't even be COOKING salmon!

3. I'm nannying this weekend for one of my favorite families. Today, the youngest said, "We LOVE when you're our nanny!" I was touched. "Aw! Really!? So, on a scale of one to ten...?" "One hundred!" She said. "Four hundred!" said the middle child. We all looked to the oldest.. He deliberated for a moment or two and went with eleven. "Eleven!?" I exclaimed! He was low-balling me! But things began looking up when, later on, I gave him three pennies and he said, "Hey! I think you just moved up to fourteen!" LOL

4. My BFF Laura and I took her daughter and my sisters out for lunch the other day. Annie (age 7) and Caroline (age 5) were so enthralled with little Mary Grace (age 1) that Annie immediately exclaimed, "We should have another baby!" Laura and I exchanged an amused look (I'm the oldest of eight). "Oh yeah?" I asked. "You should ask mom about it!" Caroline chimed in, "Yeah, or adopt a baby!" Poor Mary Grace was probably thinking, "Not me, not me!" I smiled, "That would be nice!" Then Annie came up with an equally touching option three: "Or get a baby squirrel!" Yep, that's where we are right now folks.

5. I threw my parents a surprise wedding anniversary party last weekend. To get them out of the house, we told them that we would all be meeting at our favorite Italian restaurant at 4pm. I left early and waited, undercover (read: behind some trees) to watch for their departure. When they did, we rushed into the house, put balloons on the porch (the sign for all our family friends to come on in) and we spent the next 9 minutes getting food out, setting up candles and table clothes and doing the famous "Beardmore-tidy!"

When I called my mom to get them to turn around, I found that they were already at the restaurant. "What!?" She squawked (sorry mom, but you did!). "We're already here! What do you mean Tommy is at the house with a bunch of pizzas!?" I told her that my brother misunderstood what we were doing and that we should all go back to the house. She was not happy and when we organized everyone in the living room to shout surprise when they walked into the house, I picked up my littlest sister and moved to the back of the room. Only after things calmed down did someone point out to me that I had held Caroline in front of me, as if to say, "Don't shoot!" Thankfully, mom and dad were anything but upset and really enjoyed the celebration! Happy Anniversary you two! :)

6. We drove up to a drive-in movie theater the other night and, on the way, my friend Michaela and I stopped to pick up a bottle of wine (cuz nothin' says classy like a shiraz poured into conspicuous soda fountain cups). I brought in my Naturalization Form from when, at age 17, I became an American citizen since I had lost (read: thrown away) my driver's license a couple weeks ago. I've never had an issue using it but the guy at the liquor store wasn't a fan. Here's our conversation:

Guy: "Um, no. You cannot use that. You need to leave the store."
Me: "It's a federal form of ID. Yes, I can."
Guy: "No. You can use a driver's license or state ID or passport, but not that."
Me: "If I can use a passport, I can use a naturalization form."
Guy: "No. You need to leave the store."
Me: "Sigh. Well, can she buy it?"
Mikey: "Yeah, it's okay. I'll just buy it."
Guy: "That's fine, but you can't. You need to leave."
Me: "But that's not fair! I was going to buy this because you bought dinner when we -- "
Guy: "Ma'am! You need to leave the store!"
Me: "Ugh! Okay, okay! Let me just give her my cash."
Guy: " NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THE STORE!"
Mikey: "I got this. Just go."
Me: "This is ridiculous. I'm leaving."

I think I gave the guy a stroke. LOL

7. If any of you love your Spanx, wait until you try the Flexees body-shapers! Do NOT try the ones with adjustable straps and trust my judgement: I have done the legwork. Yep, I've tried them all and this is the body-shaper to get! Why is this funny? Cuz I lost mine this week and finally found it in my glove compartment. Yeah. I have no idea.

Go visit Jen at Conversion Diary! Always a great read! :)

Thar' she blows!

2010-05-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

I had a girls' night out the other night.. We went to a movie and shopping and I thought I'd tell you about what klutz I am!

I arrived at the movie theater first (we saw "Letters to Juliet" -- it was darling!) and, because she was running late, grabbed the popcorn and drink. We were going to a new theater though and when I said "Medium Diet, please!" they must have thought I said, "Bucket o' soda!" because the guy handed over this monsterous tub. I practically had to heave it over my shoulder and ask for a sherpa!

So, I get into my row and pick one of the first few seats but just as I am lowering the popcorn and maneuvering the drink into the cupholder I lose my grip and Diet Coke splashes across the floor. Two older ladies a couple rows ahead of me turn around and sympathize, "You poor thing! You didn't even sit down, did you?" I shook my head sadly, put the popcorn down and treked back to the concessions for a record-time refill.

When I returned I saw one of the employees attempting some damage control on my spill and holding.. (Gasp!) my popcorn! "Um, sir.." I said. "That.. Um, that was mine." He apologized, saying that he thought someone left it and handed it back. As I entered my row again I tried to step over all the mess but was unsuccessful when I slipped on the floor and lost my grip on the gallon of soda. For the second time, gone was my drink, wet was the floor. The two ladies in the front row were nice in that they just gave my sympathetic looks, but I could see their shoulders shaking while they stifled laughs. I decided I was not going to face the guy at the snack bar for awhile.

I moved down the row to the middle seats and waited for my friend. When she arrived she said, "What the --!? Did you --?" I nodded sadly. "Figures." She shrugged and sat down.

Halfway through the movie we needed something to quench the crazy thirst that movie popcorn always brings. "Do you want me to go"? She asked. "No.. I've got to do this myself." I vowed. I brought back a full cup of Diet Coke and we enjoyed another 20 minutes of movie.

Until, this is, I reached for the cup, eyes still on the screen and bumped it against the arm rest, sending icy coke all over our shoes. My friend just looked at me and shook her head. She later told me she was sure that she was on a hidden camera show and it had to be a joke. The lady in front of me turned around and said, "Are you serious?" I gave her a sheepish look.. "Sorry." I managed. We moved down to the end of the row.

When the movie ended and the lights came up we surveyed the damage. "Nice work," my friend said. "Thanks!" I joked. As we stepped through the wet, sticky mess I thought about how I've been trying to stop drinking soda and that maybe this was God's way of helping!

Either way, my apologies to the guy who had to clean that up. I'll order a kids' cup next time.

7 Quick Takes!!

2010-04-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

1. This weekend is reserved for catching up on the MOUNTAIN of schoolwork I have to do! It's crazy how far behind I've gotten on things.. I need to read like 5 books and write a few papers. Crazy! Pray for me! And pleeeease don't call me to do anything! I'll be looking for an out and, as the Queen of Distraction, will happily take you up on your offer to tour a paper factory or clean out your fridge!

2. You have to watch this video on YouTube. It's a video of what it would be like if guys were like girls! I'd like to say that it's completely sexist, but it's soooo true (and verrryyy hilarious)! You will love it!

3. Christmas has come early this year! Literally! Well, no not literally! But I've had every cheesy holiday song in my head for a week and cannot get rid of them! I have no idea where this came from.. I haven't watched a Christmas movie or listed to any CDs. My best guess is that the three Christmas gifts sitting on my bookshelf that I should have given to my friends months ago have been calling out to me..

Nah!

4. I'm chaperoning prom this Saturday at my old high school! My two high school brothers are going and when I asked them if they minded that I was going to be there my brother John said, "No. I actually suggested you when they asked." Awwwww!! How many 17-years olds say that!?

5. Speaking of brothers, my brother Brian will be playing football at Wabash, an all-men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana! We are so excited! My brother Tommy kept saying, "I just can't believe I have a brother who plays college ball!" Brian is the one who, when he was very young, was caught crying in the garage all by himself. When asked what was wrong, he blubbered, "No one.. (sniff, sniff) No one is our family has EVER made it to professional sports!!"

Wow.. Yeah, it was time for him. ;)

6. Tonight I was at a study session with a group of 7 girls and one guy. Our lone gentleman let us see the engagement ring he's about to propose to his girlfriend with and all of us ladies went nuts. Teary-eyed and swooning, we complimented him on a job well done! One of the gals sighed and said, "Oh gosh.. Doesn't that just make your uterus hurt?" We all paused and laughed out loud when another said, "Um.. my uterus doesn't yearn." God love 'em.

7. It was my mom's birthday on Wednesday! Happy Birthday to the best momma ever! I love you!

Go visit Jen at Conversion Diary! Read her 7 and a few of her friends' quick takes!

Great post.. (Not mine!)

2010-04-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Go read Jen's experience of Easter with small children and sugar. Funny, moving and thought-provoking! I know you mommas will love it! :)

I am so gullible!!

2010-04-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is a Facebook convo between me and our parish priest. Will and John are my brothers and Jack is a kid at school. I totally fell for this..

11:36pm F.T.
Hey CAit!
have u talked to anybody at home tonite?

11:37pm Me
Hey Fr. T! How are ya?
No.. Uh oh.. What happened?

11:38pm F.T.
about will?

11:38pm Me
No...
Is everything okay?

11:38pm F.T.
got in a little trouble

11:38pm Me
What?

11:38pm F.T.
at blue nite auction last nite
took an ipod

11:39pm Me
No..
What?
Seriously?

11:39pm F.T.
have u talked to him?

11:39pm Me
No!

11:39pm F.T.
maybe shd when u get chance

11:39pm Me
Oh my gosh..
Will?
I can't believe it..

11:40pm F.T.
hes on chat rite now...

11:40pm Me
It's so unlke him..

11:41pm F.T.
hes on late tonite cause no school tomorrow for him

11:41pm Me
Oh my..

11:41pm F.T.
belonged to joe brettnacher

11:41pm Me
Oh gosh..

11:41pm F.T.
why steal from the principal!?!?

11:41pm Me
(PS - Joe has an iPod? Are we paying him too much?)

11:42pm F.T.
well...

11:42pm Me
Is this a joke?

11:42pm F.T.
anyway then he sold it

11:42pm Me
NOO!!!

11:42pm F.T.
to jack kendrick
who spilled the beans

11:43pm Me
Can I tell him you told me?

11:43pm F.T.
never trusted jack
yah

11:44pm Me
Is this really serious?

11:44pm F.T.
well now the ipos was thrown somewhere in highland and everbodys lookin for it
i thot maybe john had it to save will but john says no

11:45pm Me
Oh no..

11:45pm F.T.
but then connie lux saw kids in her back yard so they think thats where it is
but
connie won't let them look

11:46pm Me
What? Why not?

11:46pm F.T.
casue shes afraid theyll call her a snitch
so
now
joe is going there tomorrow

11:46pm Me
What is she, in Jr. high??
Oh gosh.. I'm sick to my stomach!

11:46pm F.T.
and make her let him find the ipod
and your mom said

11:47pm Me
Oh LORD..

11:47pm F.T.
that she's going to rip connies dog up
if the dog ate the thing

11:47pm Me
IS THIS A JOKE?

11:47pm F.T.
cause music is comingout of the dog every time it farts
lolololololololol

11:48pm Me
DANG ITTTTTTTTTTTTTtt!

11:48pm F.T.
lolo///caitie gotcha!!!!!

11:48pm Me
I'm -- I -- I cannot even.. No!

11:48pm F.T.
farting dog music
lolololol

11:48pm Me
My roommates are all laughing at me cuz I'm freaking out! LOL
YOU GOT ME GOOOOOOD!

11:49pm F.T.
oh gosh too much fun tonite

11:49pm Me
So Will didn't take it?
LOL

11:49pm F.T.
no
but heck
doesn;t it sound like CC drama?
!!!

11:49pm Me
Oh my gosh, Fr. Tim! I wish I could say differently, but YOU GOT ME!
I was getting tears in my eyes!

11:50pm F.T.
poor will!

11:50pm Me
Well he's playing along!
He hasn;t admitted he was joking!

11:50pm F.T.
No we planned it

11:52pm F.T.
Nite!

11:52pm Me
I'm posting the conversation cuz this is legendary!

11:52pm F.T.
Hahahahahaha!

11:53pm Me
This is better than Mrs. Vath eating potpourri.

11:54pm F.T.
Lololol!!!! Life is so fun!

I'm on iTunes!

2010-04-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

My concert is on iTunes! I gave a charity concert for St. Patrick's Day last month and someone recorded it for a podcast! Between you and me, the sound quality is horrrrrrrrible! I'd much rather you watch the videos! But either way, it's on iTunes and that's exciting!

Go to http://www.marian.edu/Library/Pages/iTunesU.aspx and click on "Visit Marian U on iTunes". When your iTunes comes up, scroll down to "In Good Faith" under "Other Events and Podcasts". You should see "St. Patrick's Day Charity Concert". Don't be confused when you hear Caitlyn.. He means me. ;)

Feminism vs. Chivalry (Junior High Edition)

2010-04-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

My brother, Will, is 14 years old and doing a project on what feminism did to chivalry! Impressed? I sure as heck was! Now, granted I became his editor on the project, gave him a few quotes to use and helped him to round out his thoughts, but this is Will's paper! I thought I would share it with you!

__________________________________________________

Since the 1920s, the work for women's equal rights, treatment, and respect has made significant strides. From hunger strikes to parades, they have caught and kept the attention of all. Eventually, they earned their equality and in general, this brought them victory. However, when taken to an extreme, it brought them downright turmoil. Women should have been fighting to be treated equally as men, not the same as men. Somewhere along the line though, that's exactly what happened. Women lost their distinct feminine place in society and the decline in manners, etiquette, and chivalry soon followed.

My sister explains it, saying that men and women are absolutely equal.. But it's like four quarters and a dollar. Are they both equal to 100 pennies? Sure! But they're distinct. You can do things with four quarters that you can't do with a paper dollar and visa versa. Trying to say that they are the same belittles the unique gifts of each.

Of course there was a lot of poor treatment to women before the movement and they had much to fight for. But regarding the way in which men related to women, his whole demeanor would change! Men would go out of their way to ensure women were feeling comfortable and important. They would stand at a table when a woman stood or approached, only sitting when she sat or gestured them to do so. He would never swear in front of her or speak of rude things. In passing, he would tip his hat (raising the front slightly then returning it) to her and allow her to pass or enter before him. Doors were always held for women, whether entering a building or exiting a car. In the highest form of chivalry, men would go as far as to place their suit coat on a puddle, letting the woman walk on his jacket before requiring her to getting her feet wet. Not all gestures can be listed, of course, but saying women were unnoticed individuals is just plain wrong. Although mistreatment accompanied at the time, they were given a distinct place in society and not all of that is out of attempts to suppress their roles.

As the equal rights movement progressed in history, men began to get a different viewpoint on etiquette. Women were demanding to be thought of as the same (not equal) as their male counter-parts and many even protested being given any chivalrous treatment. The result is perfectly apparent today. You don't even have to go so far as to atrocities as domestic abuse, cheating or rape to see the effects. Take the small examples. It is now widely accepted for a man to ask a woman out via text or talk to women like their locker-room buddies. In my opinion, we've completely lost, not gained, our respect for woman and the sad thing is, most girls don't even realize what it could be like; they don't even know what they're missing. Just think.. years ago you acted completely differently when interacting with a man or a woman. You were forced to recognize their gender and relate to them accordingly. Now, we can go a whole day without ever pointing out the distinct masculine and feminine qualities in the human beings around us. It's no wonder women today are reduced to objects, sexually and feel that they're not appreciated for who they are.

Pope John Paul II wrote an incredible letter to women, citing their "feminine genius" as their distinct gift to the world. He says true feminism is not to deny these gifts and pretend that both men and women espouse them equally, but to build up the gifts that women have, as they are just as important as the masculine gifts. He says, "The creation of woman is thus marked from the outset by the principle of help: a help which is not one-sided but mutual. Woman complements man, just as man complements woman: men and women are complementary. Womanhood expresses the 'human' as much as manhood does, but in a different and complementary way." Women are the heart of our society. Without their unique gifts, we are lost. What feminism and the fight for equal rights did was generally good! There are stories in history that are lost because a woman wasn't allowed to tell it. There are moments in history that would have been more successful because a woman wasn't allowed to be involved in it. We have lost out on centuries of the feminine genius in history. But I worry that the same will be for the future unless we make a distinction between treating men and women equally and treating them the same.

This past year, Dockers came out with an ad campaign that builds up the "masculine genius". It read; "Once upon a time, men wore the pants, and wore them well. Women rarely had to open doors and little old ladies never crossed the street alone. Men took charge because that’s what they did. But somewhere along the way, the world decided it no longer needed men. Disco by disco, latte by foamy non-fat latte, men were stripped of their khakis and left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny. But today, there are questions our genderless society has no answers for. The world sits idly by as cities crumble, children misbehave and those little old ladies remain on one side of the street. For the first time since bad guys, we need heroes. We need grown-ups. We need men to put down the plastic fork, step away from the salad bar and untie the world from the tracks of complacency. It’s time to get your hands dirty. It’s time to answer the call of manhood. It’s time to WEAR THE PANTS." Now, this kind of man would ensure that women are treated as they should be and I call upon all of us to do the same.

7 Quick Takes

2010-04-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

1. I finished Pioneer Woman's story of how she fell in love with her Marlboro man and, believe it or not, I'm ready to move to the sticks and jump into country life with the man of my dreams! Now, anyone who knows me can tell you what a stretch that has to be. I've never been known to be particularly good at dealing with gross or messy situations. Tonight, for example, we had friends over and someone vomited on the patio. I refused to go near, remaining to one side of the yard for more than a few minutes. One of my roommates finally hosed it off but I could swear that I could still smell it so I rummaged around in our cleaning cabinet and sprayed the whole thing down with "Outdoor Fresh" scented Pledge. Yes, as down home as I am ready to go, I know I'd need some time to adjust. But if she did it, I can try! Oh, cowboy!?

2. I am having my three youngest siblings come to campus and stay with me for the weekend. It is "Kids and Sibs" weekend and many fun activities lie ahead. I find they're getting old enough to where they can last all day and really enjoy big outings but, honestly, I find that it's me who is now starting to whine, "Can we go home now?"

3. Some dear friends of mine have announced their movement towards the priesthood and I could not be more excited! As someone who has found the peace of being on God's path, I so enjoy seeing others find their next step in life; taking it in service and love for God. How great! Pray for these men and their journey towards ordination! I am blessed to have such lovely men as friends!

4. School. Bleck! Go away!

5. Did you see that Kitty Kelley has written a tell-all, not-at-all-authorized (so you know it's good) biography on Oprah? I. Cannot. Wait to read it! I saw it at Target and refused to pay $20 for it, but I will surely watch on Amazon for a good bargain! Will give you all the goods when I'm done!

6. Today, as I was nannying, an ice cream truck rolled through a nearby neighborhood. I peeked outside as I saw at least 20 children being drawn from their homes, anxiously looking around for the sugar-on-wheels dreamsicle! It never came through their neighborhood, but I swear -- it was like watching zombies stumble through their yards towards prey. It's that music!

7. Finally, congrats to all the new mommas! Many wonderful families have grown this past week or two and I see many beautiful souls being brought into the world; gifts from the Big Guy! Hooray for new babes!

Go see Jen at Conversion Diary.. Such a generous hostess!

What the world needs now, is Rod Stewart, sweet Rod Stewart!

2010-04-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

So I got a very sweet comment from a dear, old friend that TOTALLY made my day and I wanted to spread the joy. It's always nice to hear sweet words from a friend, as small as they may be and we can always use a little encouragement! Thank you, Annie, for giving me yours! Anyway, I am declaring this week -

"Comment On Someone's Blog and Tell Them Why You Love Them Or Why They Rock Or Just Write Something Nice (Or send an email or text them or do the un-thinkable and talk face-to-face) Week"!

Either way, make like Rod Stewart and mumble somethin' perdy to a friend or fellow-blogger. Or heck, just ask them:

Reality TV!

2010-04-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

First thing's first... Did you see the Oprah episode when she had the Sisters of Mary from Ann Arbor on the show? It was really great and I loved hearing the stories of all the nuns. One of the sisters who was on the show was the Vocational Director and guess what! I saw her today! She was at St. Mary's helping with the senior girls' retreat! I soooo wanted to say hello but I never got a chance.. I really love their order and am thinking about scheduling a visit! But, I'll be honest, I was just dying to ask what it was like to be on the Oprah show!

________________________________________

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I was watching one of my favorite TV shows with my doppleganger, Theresa and two of the characters on the show finally initiated a long-awaited relationship with each other! "Yay!" I screamed! "This is perfect! Since he needs a place to stay, now that they're dating, he can move in with her!"

Theresa happily agreed and then stopped.. She said, "Wait, you know what? In real life I would never agree with that." I thought for a minute, contemplating what exactly I had suggested. "Wow!" I said. "You're so right! What was I thinking?" I had just gotten ridiculously excited over the fact that two people could shack up, thumb their noses at God and blow any potential of success for their relationship to smithereens! Eeek! What's more, THESE PEOPLE DON'T EXIST! I was so invested in their "relationship" that I was making housing plans! How many levels of wrong would this go?

Would someday I be watching Grey's Anatomy (which I've never actually seen) and find myself yell out, "C'mon, you idiot! Cheat on him!"? Or would I be curling up with a Matthew McConaughey flick and whisper, "Lie, baby! Lie!" It scared me and was a bit of a reality check! And let's be honest.. Caitie B. can always use a good reality check! :)

TV can be fun! But I don't have cable and I like it that way. Or rather, I'm scared of what would happen if I DID have cable! I do have a couple shows that I adore, but I'm starting to see just how much I'm into them! Too much. I think it might be time to inflict a little TV retreat! Right after Oprah! :)

Sawyer Picture of the Week

2010-04-08T08:43:00.001-07:00

This week? Shirtless!

Umm.. yes, pliease!

Five Years Later..

2010-04-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

.. Okay, maybe not five years, but it's been forever! Over a month! Which, in the blogging world, is practically five years.

Here's a Top 10 List of what I've been doing.. If you're pressed for time, just shoot to Number 1. It's my favorite!

Oldenburg, Indiana

10. Convent Visit - My roommates and I went to visit our house advisor. We live in a house of Discernment called The Magnificat House on campus and Sister Olga, a Franciscan nun in Oldenburg, Indiana, guides us in our intentional living. Well, we thought we were going for a visit, but it turned out to be a "Come and See" weekend. Each of us is open to whatever God is calling us to but we all knew this convent was not the one for us. The Sisters, however, would have been thrilled to hear differently. It was a long day, but we met some lovely Sisters and laughed our butts off. It's always nice to come home with a little less butt. ;0)

9. Date Night - I went on a date the other night. It was going well until I got the 411 on his sex life.. Let's just say, in his world, the wedding night would arrive close to the first date than the actual wedding. Survey says...? No, thank you. (Sigh) Sometimes I want to do a "30 Dates in 90 Days" blog! Wouldn't THAT be a fun read? Think you can talk me into it? No, don't! Okay, do it.

8. LOST marathon - Hello, Lova! I am officially IN LOVE with Sawyer! Here's how I got hooked on LOST: My BFF and fellow blogger, Laura loves the show and asked me to watch an episode from Season Five with her a few months ago. I. Was. Hooked. I started with Season 1, blew through the whole lot and have just began with the first episodes of the final season. Wow! Incredible feat or super lame? Wait! Don't answer that. Just know that I had a dream about my luscious, con-man the other night and woke up unable to remember if it was real or not. Yes, I'm THAT involved. Thanks, Laura!

7. The Oscars - Okay, I shouldn't even mention this because it was NOTHING compared to last year, but the Academy Awards are like my Superbowl. I remember who wore what last year, who won what 3 years ago and I was 10 for 13 on my picks this year. Not bad! Even so, Hugh Jackman is, in my not-so-humble opinion, the best host that ever was. Watch the video above from the 2009 Oscars (though there's a non-embedable version that is much better quality on YouTube) and enjoy! :)

6. Open Mic Nights - I started going to a bar downtown every Monday after my night class and end up singing 2 or 3 songs at the Open Mic Night that my friends, Holly and Rick host! It's lots of fun and good practice! Come down and see me sometime at the Tip Top Tavern on 14th and Capitol! :)

5. The Swell Season - I just love this video and song!

4. A New Baby - My BFF is preggie! I am thrilled to say that I will be an Auntie all over again to a new bundle of joy this fall! Hooray! Congrats, Lo and Dan! I love you guys!

3. New Laptop - My practically-extinct, hunk-of-junk laptop died! Finally! I used a coupon for a rebate and ordered a new one. He's black and sleek, he doesn't talk back and anticipates my every need. Wait! Did I just order a new boyfriend? ;)

2. House Manager Job - Along with nannying two days a week, I've been hired as a House Manager for a family here in Indy. Both parents were never given the tools to run a household and brought me in to help with the day to day running of the household. I just help them organize aspects of their home and family life and it's been a very gratifying job so far. The family has been great to work with and very receptive. I'm thankful for the opportunity to help a family grow! It's been fun!

1. St. Patrick's Day Concert - A couple weeks ago, I gave a concert to benefit a local homeless shelter. Here's one of my songs! Don't mind my bass player.. He.. Oh, boy. He was a character. LOL Anyway, it was really fun and we raised a lot of money for the shelter! Yay! I'll keep uploading songs. Below is one more that features the Irish dancers we had in the show! Fun, fun!

Dinner Party Menu

2010-02-05T19:56:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I had a couple friends over after our journey to see "Avatar" in 3-D AND IMAX!! It was amazing! Now, I am not an action movie kind of gal.. Give me "Pride and Prejudice" any day! But the cinematic genius that went into this film was riveting! I sat for most of the movie with my mouth open and hand outstretched to touch the 3rd "D". Incredible!

Afterward, we came back to my house. I served Havarti cheese, baked brie and crackers while I finished cooking (I had done most of the prep before the movie and had my roommate put things in the oven before we got back). For dinner, we had a peppercorn pork tenderloin, a spinach/orzo salad and some garlic bread-sticks (don't get excited, they were those pop-and-go things from the refrigerated section). Desert? Just some Chocolate Chip Caramel Walnut Cookies.. Want the recipes?

Baked Brie

(You can omit the pecan/honey/brown sugar mixture.. It's just as amazing, I promise!)

Ingredients

1/2 package Puff Pastry Sheets
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 (13 ounce) round Brie cheese

Directions

1. Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature. Heat the oven to 400F degrees. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet a little bit. Stir the pecans, honey, brown sugar and rosemary in a small bowl. Spread the mixture into the center of the pastry square. Top with the cheese round. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture. Fold two opposite sides of the pastry over the cheese. Trim the remaining two sides of the pastry square to 2-inches from the edge of the cheese. Fold the sides up onto the cheese and press the edges to seal. Place the pastry-wrapped cheese seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. ** Don't let the top get too high or it will burn!
3. You can decorate the top with pastry scraps or additional rosemary, if desired. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is deep golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with crackers, apples or bread.

Spinach/Orzo Salad

(This is my Aunt's recipe.. So simple and perfect with a bold main dish. I promise, YOU WILL LOVE this salad. It's substantial and can be served both warm or cold. You could also add pine nuts, red onion or something like dried cherries.)

Ingredients

1 bag fresh spinach, washed and dried
2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
zest of 2 lemons
fresh lemon juice, to taste (I squeezed almost a whole lemon)
1 1/2 cups of orzo
24 basil leaves, torn
3 tablespoons olive oil (I think I used more)
2 cups pralined pecans (found in the produce section)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Pile the spinach leave on top of each other and chop them into bite-size strips. Prepare the basil leaves the same way.
2. Throw the pecans in a Ziploc, cover with a cloth and use a meat tenderizer (I didn't have one, so I used a hammer -- LOL) to break up the nuts. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, lemon zest and chopped pecans.
3. Cook the orzo according to the directions on the box. Once the pasta is drained, pour the hot pasta into the bowl with the spinach to allow it to wilt and the pecans to soften a bit.
4. After a couple minutes, add the feta and toss.
4. Drizzle the olive oil on top and add the basil, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Toss and eat immediately or refrigerate and eat later (again, it can be eaten warm or cold).

Peppercorn Pork Tenderloin

(I really just eye-balled this one.. Feel free to do the same! Mine was pretty peppery and the salad above prooved to be the perfect, mild accompanyment!)

Ingredients

Juice of one/half lemon
1/2 cup crushed Peppercorns
2 tablespoons pepper
1 cup olive oil
1 3.5 ounce pork tenderloin
i tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons rosemary
little garlic powder (not garlic salt)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into a Ziploc bag.
2. Throw the pork loin in and let the party begin (No, it's not ready yet! I mean the marinating party!). Can let it sit for an hour or more. I had mine sit overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350*F and put the loin into a lightly sprayed roasting pan. Let it bake for about 25 minutes for each pound (mine was in for about 1 hour and 15 mins). You should take it out when the internal temperature is about 150*F.
4. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to bring the temperature up and the juices to settle. Cut and serve!

Chocolate Caramel Chip Walnut Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (I just used more light brown..)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup caramel balls (found in the nut section)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 32F.
2. In a mixing bowl beat butter and both brown sugars until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
3. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir just until combined.
4. Mix in the chocolate chunks and pecans. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of the spoon.
5. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on cookie sheet. Remove to a rack and cool completely.

Enjoy!

My Valentine!

2010-02-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting for awhile.. In the past month or so we have had three attempted break-ins. I have three roommates and we live in a house on campus; well, on the edge of campus. We are the most accessible house and in a neighborhood that's not the friendliest (see #1). We have been in the house each time and, as you can imagine, we are very freaked out. Thankfully, we have a police station on campus and an officer has been able to get to the house quickly. Even so, we decided that a dog might be a good organic security system, so to speak. So, without further adeiu, meet Valentine!

Book Review - The Undomestic Goddess

2010-01-22T13:51:00.001-08:00

My bestie, Laura, was saying the other day that she was looking for a new read! I am the queen of Chick-Lit books and I had to think for awhile before I could suggest something worth her time. Now, these are not Romance novels; I liken those to R-rated (or worse) movies. These are like Romantic Comedies! They're friendly, funny and oh-so-easy.. Just like I like my men. LOL Just kidding!! Honestly though, I recently realized that if you went through my bookshelf and called out the colors of my books, it would sound like this:

"Pink, light pink, purple, white, pink, pink, neon green, dark pink, turquoise, pink, pink, pink and polka dot!"

Now, I know many of my readers are hard-workin' stay at home mommies who have much more important things to do than read such trivial works of literature, but I thought of a fun one you might enjoy!

The Undomestic Goddess

by Sophie Kinsella

Now, this is actually the cover for the audio book, which I also highly recommend. Katherine Kellgren does great voices and, I don't care how old you are, that is always fun!

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors! She has a very unique way of writing, being able to capture the innermost thoughts of the most mindless characters! She wrote the Shopaholic series, which was turned into a movie, but my favorite Kinsella books are the ones that act alone!

Amazon.com summarizes the book as:

"Samantha Sweeting, the 29-year-old heroine of Kinsella's latest confection (after Shopaholic Sister), is on the verge of partnership at the prestigious London law firm Carter Spink—the Holy Grail of her entire workaholic life. But when she finds she has made a terrible, costly mistake just before the partnership decision, she's terrified of being fired. In a fog, she stumbles out of the building and onto the nearest train, which drops her in the countryside, where she wanders to a stately home. The nouveau riche lady of the house mistakes her for the new housekeeper—and Samantha is too astonished to correct her. Numb and unable to face returning to London, Samantha tries to master the finer points of laundry, cooking and cleaning. She discovers that the slow life, her pompous but good-hearted employers and the attentions of the handsome gardener, Nathaniel, suit her just fine. But her past is hard to escape, and when she discovers a terrible secret about her firm—and when the media learns that the former legal star is scrubbing toilets for a living—her life becomes more complicated than ever."

Here's what I like about this book.. Ms. Kinsella takes the mundane, the trivial and the seemingly useless tasks in making a home and gives them dignity. She compares homemaking to the fast-paced career that Samantha maintained at the beginning of the book and comes out even, if not in favor of the simpler things in life. In a world where we bask in adulation of big cities and luxurious lifestyles, I liked how The Undomestic Goddess valued the country, hard work and ingenuity.

I have the book on my shelf, but I also downloaded the entire text on www.4shared.com! I'd be happy to email it to you, if you'd like! Enjoy!

Other Kinsella Books you may like:

Can You Keep A Secret?

Remember Me?

7 Quick Takes!!

2010-01-21T22:16:00.001-08:00

1. I've just realized that I haven't been including a link back to Jennifer's blog, Conversion Diary, even though she graciously hosts the 7 Quick Takes each Friday! How rude of me! With what I did the other day and now this little stunt, I have officially put myself in the running for the Rudest Blogger Award! Writing acceptance speech now.. Please start voting!

2. Speaking of acceptance speeches, IT'S AWARD SHOW SEASON! Many of you know I'm Catholic. I love my faith. It defines me and my relationship with Jesus is numero uno! However, a close second is my devotion to all things celebrity. It's lame, useless and sometimes just plain wrong, but I can't help it! It's like a train-wreck kind of thing.. I just can't look away! Additionally, I love movies (I've been known to go to the theater once a week!) and I'm a fanatic for everything cinematic! Needless to say, this time of year is my favorite. Last weekend was the Golden Globes (which basically award the most popular movie, not the best), which I conside to be the playoffs and the grand-daddy of them all, the Academy Awards (March 7, 2010) is like my Superbowl. Last year was, hands down, the best Oscar's ever and I'm so excited to see this year's.

3. Last night someone tried to break into our house. This happened to me when I was ALONE in the house over break as well (not to mention the incident when I was house-sitting), so you cannot imagine how freaked out I am. We also got back from break to find a lot of random stuff missing. Anyway, I was coming into the driveway when I saw a man come around our house and when I walked in, my roommate said that someone had just tried to open the door. We called the campus police but they didn't track anyone down. Now, I know I just said I love movies but I should have specified.. I love every kind of movie except horror. Those near and dear to me can tell you.. I am so easily scared. Previews to scary movies have me eyes closed and humming so as not to experience an ounce of fear. It's also quite lame and, I've realized, perhaps limiting me in my ability to remain calm in real-life freaky situations.. Perhaps I should condition myself with a weekend of horror flicks? Any suggestions?

4. I've decided that once I (finally) get my degree, I'm going to go to Ireland (my birthplace and where most of my family resides) and travel around, supporting myself by playing folk music in the streets and in pubs for a couple months. My favorite place in the world is walking through our dairy farm pastures, passing the cows and breathing in the thick, clean air. I hope to get a vespa or something and make my way around the countryside. Where will I put my guitar? I don't know. But I imagine my trip filled with beautiful music, scenery and people. Wanna go?

5. Have you ever been to the website 43things.com? It's like a virtual bucket list. You can find or create all the things you want to do before you die and make a list of it! It's wonderful to think about.. Then to have an actual list to work off of? I think it's a good idea to try to complete at least one or two of them a year! For example, this year I have decided to grow my hair out to donate to Locks of Love. Simple and doesn't take much effort. LOL What can you do this year to get something on your list crossed off?

6. Do you know my dearest, favoritest singer in the world was nominated for a Grammy? Maura O'Connell is an irish/folk singer from County Clare in Ireland and finally recognized for her beautiful voice and arrangements. A couple years ago she sang at our festival and we got to talking. I told her that I'd always wanted to sing with her and she told me to let her know anytime I was going to be at one of her shows. My mom surprised me with tickets to see her in Cincinnati a couple months later and so I emailed Maura with the news. Leaving for the concert I still hadn't heard back but wouldn't you know, she replied minutes later! I, of course, didn't see the email and was quite surprised to hear her ask for the house lights up towards the end of the concert and call my name! I made my way down the long aisle and sang with her to this song. It was a dream come true! She's coming back to our festival this year and I hope to sing with her again! Maybe this time I'll have proof! LOL

7. Prayers for Haiti, especially my friend Gregory Grene.. His twin brother was killed in the earthquake. Very sad. Gregory is the lead singer of The Prodigals and always a friendly face at our festival. I know he, along with many others, is struggling at this time. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Please go see Jen at Conversion Diary. She's so kind to host the fun!

(Whimper) I did something bad..

2010-01-19T17:34:00.001-08:00

"Is someone in trouble!?"

Okay, so I'm a very protective person. My dearest friends have called me a "Mama Bear" because I go all "Oh, no you di'in't" on anyone who says or does mean things to the people I love. Or to good people in general! Mind you, I'm sure I've hurt people just as much as the next guy, but I still feel physically upset when I even think of past instances in which I couldn't stand up for someone.. For instance, a friend of mine once received an anonymous letter condemning her parenting style and basically persecuting her for the choices she's made for her family. On a side note, I've always been scared that people thought it was me because one time I asked a question in her comment section about her choice to do something in particular, genuinely curious about her perspective. I swear, I did not send the letter! LOL Anyway, for days I felt physically ill that I could not really stand up for her and kick this person's.. teeth, and it still aggravates me today! (I know.. Get over it, right!?) LOL

Anyway, during the last week or so, the comments on Hallie Lord's article about skirts and dresses went from rude-less to rude-ilicious! One person in particular was extremely immature and I was disgusted. Perhaps this woman had been abused by a skirt in her past.. I have no other explanation as to why she was so ferocious about getting her point across! She made a really snide remark towards someone who, to me, was giving her perspective in a helpful, friendly way. I wanted so badly to cheer on the friendly lady and give her some encouragement but unfortunately, because of the Not-So-Positive Polly, the comments were disabled.

So, here's what Mama Bear did. I clicked on this lady's blog and left an anonymous comment (no, I'll admit, I did not want Debbie Downer coming to stay at my blog!!) saying that I thought she was being mean-spirited and immature. Please don't go looking for it.. I'm so embarrassed. I should have just left it in blog-world. I do have a tendancy to claw at people who treat others badly, but I'm not everybody's Mama Bear! Don't get me wrong, I think this lady is a total bee-yatch. I just should have realized she isn't going to change and walked (typed) away. (Sigh) This might be my first experience in blog-regret.. Has anyone else experienced this sickening feeling? Do you have advice for me?

PS - Looking for the picture above, I fell in love with the Bearenstain Bear books again! Did you have a favorite?

Nanny of the Year?

2010-01-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

Not only did she write on MY wall, but the mother of the new family I am working for (though I've known them awhile) had this as her Facebook status tonight..

"Caitie Beardmore you are awesome! My kids love you and you feel like, wait, ARE part of our family. Had to do a shout-out for the best nanny ever."

Who me!? (Eyelash batting) Oh, I'm sure I'm not the.. Well, okay! :)

(Sigh) So nice to be working for a sane family again.. I held out and it paid off! The mom actually runs her own business placing nannies and housekeepers with families in Indy. Coming from her, it meant a lot!

P.S. Yes, that means I quit working for the last family I was with. I'll just say this.. If Satan himself was married with a couple kids, even HE wouldn't let his youngins play with these "children of the corn". LOL

Modesty - A Top 10 List

2010-01-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

Did you read Hallie Lord's (aka Betty Beguiles) article at Faith and Family Live!? It's fantastic and the comments were virtually rude-less (just go with it)!! A joy to read, that one! The article or Hallie, you ask? Both, I say!

It came at a perfect time because I was thinking of all my different points-of-view on modesty and how they all fit together! Each one I feel strongly about, so how can I express all my points without contradicting myself and sounding ridiculous (please, do yourself a favor and follow that link)? Well, you know I'm a loyal fan of Top 10 Lists (but not David Letterman), so here we go!

The Top 10 Things I think about modesty!

10. God is Not Lookin' At Your Uggs - First thing's first.. When we meet God face-to-face, the last thing He will say is, "Oh. My. Me! Where did you get that skirt!? It's hideous!" Heck no! He looks at the disposition of our hearts, not the dress that cost us so much it killed us! We are more than fabric and God looks right past the clothes into our souls. Aren't we lucky?

9. But That Doesn't Mean They Don't Mean Something - Having said that, we do live in a society in which clothing is not so optional and oh-so-expensive. We gotta wear somethin' and we decide how we'll spend our money. I don't think you can take Number 10 and say, "See? God doesn't care what I wear! I will just slip into a tube top and some acid wash jeans (the jeans are not so much immodest as they are terrifying) and skip on down to daily Mass!" Hold on there a minute, sister! What I'm saying is this: if we are more than fabric, our clothes should never define or outshine us! I think that's a great little rhyme to remember when picking something out too.. "Does this define or outshine me?"

8. Don't Let Clothes Define You - Let's get a little more specific, shall we? Clothes that define us are clothes that say something more about us than we can say ourselves. If someone can make an inaccurate assumption about who you are through your clothing, you be needin' a shopping trip, girl! This can range from sloppy to slutty. Example: when I went to Ball State I had a friend who was a great Catholic girl and committed to purity. But the girl dressed like a drag queen! Guys constantly got the wrong idea about her and she found herself in many less-than-stellar situations. She never behaved badly, but no doubt it was her clothing that was sending a "Happy Birthday Mr. President" kind of message.

7. Don't Let Clothes Outshine You - Clothes that outshine us are peices that draw so much attention, they don't allow the wear-er to be the center of attention. These are humility-lacking peices. I think of it like a cake.. Wearing a modest skirt may be like sprinkles on a cake! It livens things up, implies a certain festive nature and can show off the baker’s creative side! However, when that dessert is brought out, no one says, “Oh! Sprinkles!” We say, “Mmm! Cake!” The sprinkles are there to enhance, not overpower. However, if you put sparklers and candles and gemstones and a glow-in-the-dark robot on top of that cake, what do you think people will notice? Hello, robot! Similarly is our dress. When we see a lovely Catholic woman, we shouldn’t be distracted by what she wears. We should be concentrating on who she is and guess what! That is exactly what modesty allows us to do! Modest clothes let US shine, not the other way around!

6. There IS Such a Thing As Feminine Clothing - First of all, I'm referring to the culture in which we live. We're not in the land of milk and honey in which the only fashion dilema is what size burlap sack to put on first. The fact is, we live in a society in which the choice for men is pants or shorts and the choice for women is pants, shorts, capri's, dresses or skirts. Men don't have the choice of walking around in ball gowns and pencil skirts. Why? Because dresses and skirts are distinctly feminine. Pants can be both feminine and masculine, but dresses and skirts are specifically made for us ladies! There ain't no such thing as a masculine dress, my friends! Having said that, lumber jack plaid isn't that far out.. I'm just saying.

** To me, this is similar to the debate that goes on about traditionally built cathedrals and more contemporary churches. Can the mass be said in both? Can one grow her Catholic faith in both? Absolutely! But there is a structure that is DISTINCT to the Church. You could walk in blindly and be able to say, “Oh! This is a Catholic Church!” And there is purpose to a traditional structure. Same with skirts and dresses.. You could look at someone from far away and say, “Ah, that person in a dress is a woman!” It helps accentuate and celebrate the gifts of a woman! **

5. Clothing Should Honor Us - Britney Spears vs. the Berka - In one of her stand-up acts, Kathy Griffin (the shameless but sometimes-you-gotta-admit hilarious comedienne) talked about her time in Kuwait and how the native men there would not look her in the eye because she was not wearing the traditional berka that women are required to don. She was irate about it! I, however, see it very differently. They cover the women because they believe the female beauty is too sacred to be shown to every man. Only the husband is permitted to see the entirety of what his lady has goin' on! They look at our culture with our Britney Spears-es and are disgusted! Now, don't get me wrong.. I'm NOT ABOUT to find me a berka and go to town and I don't, by any means, consider the Muslim faith to be dripping with truth. But I'd rather be covered and cherished than be exposed and thrown about like a peice of trash-ola!

4. Clothing Should Inspire Us - I call this the The Uptown Girl Factor (Feel free to enjoy the song while you read this little number)! A couple years ago I started to really hone in on my individual style. Before this I could easily walk into an ecclectic store, take one look around and exclaim, "One of everything, please!" I find beauty in so many looks.. classic, boho, vintage. But I started to buy only the things that inspired me! Things that made my eyes widen, my breath catch and my knees weak. Same with clothing! There are outfits that I could wear while buying tampons at a gas station and still feel on top of the world! I walk like I'm being followed by a doo-whop-ing Billy Joel; bouncin' and behavin' all over town! These clothes inspire me to be the best woman I can be and this is a big part of modesty! God calls us to find Clothing that allows and encourages us to be the woman He created. PS - I just watched that video.. Ah! Not the model of modesty, is it? Whoops! :)

3. Clothing Should Honor Others - I'll just say this.. I want there to be lots of men in Heaven. If me dressing modestly helps even one guy get closer, I'll happily cover the girls up and don an outfit that encourages us both to be pure!

2. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Just try it! Maybe you're resistant to the dress thing because you just haven't found ones you like.. Search around! I always find good ones at Goodwill (the ones right by a Target especially!) and Dressbarn. With confidence, you can pull off any look! You just have to love it! If you really enjoy the dress you have on, people will enjoy seeing you wear it. Spend time searching for the ones that inspire you and slowly work them into your personal fashion line. Have fun with it! And get some Spanx already! Makes every dress 100 x cuter!

1. But Remember What is Truly Important - Finally, only in America can we have such conversations. There are plenty of people in our world who only have the clothes on their backs and are unable to have such a blessing as modest clothing. Modesty does not only relate to look but emphasis. If you're spending hundreds of dollars on a modest dress, you're missing the point. If all you think about is clothing, you're in line for a reality check, my friend! Thank God you are able to serve Him in such a way and go take a bag of immodest clothing to Goodwill. Some lady who is not as bright as you will be in luck. :)

2010-01-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Family!

My favorite pottery studio is minutes away from my childhood home and I could spend hours and hours there! If you're in Lafayette, All Fired Up is a fantastic place to make your friends, your family or yourself a creative, thoughtful gift!

This Christmas I made each member of my family a plate. Wanna see them?

I'm missing two because Papa Bishop and JeriNana took theirs home, but you get the idea!

Let's start with my FAVORITE one! I told you I'm obsessed with paisley!

For mom

For Caroline - Age 4
(I call her my little polka dot!)

For Michael - Age 8

For John - Age 17

For Brian - Age 18

For Annie - Age 6

For Tommy - Age 23

For Dad

For Will - Age 14

For me! Age? Priceless!

Perhaps I will go into business making personalized plates for families.. Interested? ;0)

* 7 Takes Friday! *

2010-01-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hi Ladies!

Hope you had a lovely Epiphany! When I was little, I always felt badly for the Wisemen because I felt that although they found the baby Jesus (go, Wisemen!), they missed Christmas.. LOL Don't worry! I got it into perspective! :)

1. I love to paint pottery. I'm a fanatic, actually.. And I think I'm going to start my own shop on Etsy.com! Have you been? I'm sure you have.. If not for wonderful, unique, handmade crafts, it's fantastic for inspiration (aka downright copying). Of course, my pieces will be completely my own but I'm on a paisley (the design, not the Brad) kick that just won't quit! I'll keep you posted!

2. Did you watch the People's Choice Awards? FYI - Awards show season is like a prolonged Superbowl game to me! Many times I have to watch each show alone because there are very few people who take it as seriously and will pay as much attention as I do! I can remember who won what and (just as importantly) who wore what from years past. (Sigh) I'd like to pretend it's enlightening but I'm assured that it's quite lame. My brothers say so.

3. Ready for your new favorite website? Right now! Go to www.4shared.com. I have just downloaded numerous books (Chick Lit, of course) that I have been (shamelessly) dying to read! It has music, audio books and more! Enjoy!

4. Okay, one more? www.TVDuck.com. You're welcome.

5. Just saw "It's Complicated" with my mom tonight! Some parts I'm not crazy about but John Krasinski (Jim from "The Office") was BRILLIANT! There were some pretty big laughs and I love Meryl Streep. All in all, I say: AWESOME rented movie!

6. My brother just got casted in a Speedway commercial and has an audition for.. (drumroll, please!).. "Army Wives" on Monday!! Watch out for this kid, okay!? He WILL be on SNL very soon. Be ready.

7. You know what I missed this Christmas season? Those Walgreens "Town of Perfect" commercials! Did you see any? I guess I didn't watch that much TV, but they were so enchanting! I loved the music! Here's one (okay, 10) for the road!

Posts on their way? Picture posts! One on the plates I painted for my family for Christmas and one of all the loot I got when I thrift-store-shopped in Chicago! If you're lucky, I'll include the route I took! Don't miss it!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

2009-12-20T21:30:00.001-08:00

So the kids in our family sing a lot and this Christmas we recorded a little Christmas album for our parents. This is me singing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" with some of my brothers/cousins! Enjoy!

Advent Calendars

2009-12-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

Now that we're near the end of this great season, I thought I'd share some pictures of some of the Advent Calendars I've seen! Granted, I got these ones off Google images, but many are similar to others I've admired these past few weeks and years before. Maybe you'll see one you'd like to try next year! Enjoy some of my favorites!

What's Christmas w/o Photo-shop!?

2009-12-12T18:51:00.001-08:00

Truth is, we haven't gotten a chance for the whole family to get together for a family picture, so we're using Photoshop to create the ideal Christmas Card. Care to put in your vote? Which one would you like to see in the mail?

(You'll need to click on the pic to see the whole things.. Hilarious!)

Pic done.egg on Aviary.

Since my brothers won state this year, we figured a football themed picture was appropriate..

Mike and Nor plus four, plus four.egg on Aviary.

How about something a litte more topical? Jon and Kate Gosselin have been in the news a lot this year. Could we be a family with just as much pizzaz?

final final.egg on Aviary.

One around the tree??

They Won State!!!

2009-11-27T22:02:00.000-08:00

My brothers, Brian and John, are on the 2009 Indiana 1A State Champions team! The final score was... (Ready?) 52-0! Our defense didn't let them get so much as a field goal! We are so excited for the whole team, but have such a special place for our boys!! Go John, #54! Go Brian, #60! I am so proud of you!

We made this sign for my brothers.. My Uncle Phil came up with it. We also had another one that read, "We drove all the way from Cleveland to witness CC's victory!" My cousin held that one and got on the jumbo-tron for, like 20 seconds! He tried to turn it over quickly so that they could read the other side, which said, "Go Brian! #60 Put the 'stangs out to pasture!" The other team was the Mustangs. Anyway, the camera men cut away from us before he could but we got some laughs from our array of posters! I screamed my head off at this game! It was one of the best days ever!! It means so much to Brian and John.. To our family. I just can't express how excited we are!!

On one of the IHSAA blogs, someone wrote that #60 (Brian) was impressive and that he consistently "disrupted" the game. He never let the other team get off easy. He kept coming at them play after play! He got two sacks and, even though his leg was injured, played almost the entire game. He has worked his butt off for so long, I am so proud of him! This was his last game, as a senior. Love you, Bri-guy!

Congrats, CC Knights!!!

Brian is #60, on the far right!

Here's my brother, Brian, being quoted in an article for our newspaper about winning the Football State Championship yesterday!

"After three years of terrible losses, heartbreaking losses, it's here now," said CC senior defensive end Brian Beardmore, who recorded a game-high 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks. "We've been looking at this since we came in as freshmen. I actually cried. I was crying like a baby. Everything I've been dreaming and waiting for, it finally came to us, and I'm so happy about it."

I love him!!

And there's Johnny Boy! On the far left of the.. JUMBO-TRON!! Whoo hoo! We kept screaming for John and he would do little dances for us! Love that kid!

7 Quick Takes

2009-11-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

I know it's not Friday, but I felt like posting my quick takes..

1. I helped with a high school retreat this past weekend. It is called Search and it was really amazing! So many leaders shared their stories and it touched the hearts of a lot of kids. My brother, Brian (a senior and 18 years old), was the co-leader for the weekend and did a fantastic job! I am so proud of him! When Brian was little, my mom once found him crying in the garage. It was one of those someone-just-died kind of cries. When my mom finally convinced him to tell her what was wrong, Brian blubbered, "No one in our family has EVER made it to professional sports! Ever!" LOL Obviously he is a sports nut (see #2), but he has a deep side too! He gave his witness and I cried the whole time.. (Sigh) I love that kid! It was a great way to spend the Feast of Christ the King.. Bringing others to Jesus. What better way could you celebrate!? I think it was my favorite Christ the King ever! :)

2. Speaking of my brothers and sports, the boys have made it to the state championship in football! Both Brian and John (junior, age 17) are amazing players.. When we watch the games, the announcer is constantly saying, "Beardmore with the take down.." Or "Beardmore with the assist.." Okay, actually I have no idea what each of those mean, but we always "Whoop! Whoop!" when we hear their names. I love watching them play! The state game is this Friday and we're playing the #3 team (we're ranked #1) who are also undefeated. They have worked so hard! I am so proud of them! On a sad note, I lost my favorite ring at the last game.. I was glad they won and everything, but it was a really cute ring! Bummer!

3. Tonight I am taking the 12 year old that I babysit to see "New Moon" and then I'm seeing it again with Laura! Matt and Suzanne and I might see "The Blind Side" tomorrow afternoon and on Saturday, if I get all my work done, I'm going to take myself out to see "Precious". I am a movie fanatic. And I will say this.. In Indy you can go put butter on popcorn on your own. It's like fountain drinks for popcorn and you can keep the mother going all night long! It's both the best and worst thing that has happened to movie theaters and unfortunately, I usually get there about 30 minutes early so that I can get a continuous flow of fake buttery goodness on my popcorn. It's horrible.

4. Okay, I have to say that it's horrible because no one should ever love that much butter on their popcorn, but really, it's amazing.

5. The semester is almost over. I cannot wait! It has been a tough couple months! I'm ready to take some time off and I have some things planned for the break. Last year, over break, we went to Chicago and I got to see "Wicked" from front row, center seats for $25.. This year, I'm even more excited because I'll be seeing my brother, Tommy on stage! Tommy is doing his Christmas Show at Donny's Skybox at The Second City theater in Chicago. Yes, THE Second City theater! This is where Steve Carell, Chris Farley and Molly Shannon all got their start! He's doing sooo well! If you're around Chicago over the next few weeks, visit Second City's website and purchase tickets to the Friday night 9pm Holiday Show! Click here to see his standup video!

6. Can I tell you what I'm doing for my younger siblings for Christmas? I'm very excited! For Caroline (age 4) and Annie (age 6), I am recording myself reciting funny poems, singing songs, reading stories and putting a CD together so they can have story parties with me at bedtime or in the car even though I'm an hour away! I'm also making us "sister blankets".. I'm doing the tied fleece blanket thing and making us each a cozy blanket. I'm doing the same for my brother Michael. I'll be making him a CD of jokes and short stories for him to listen to at bedtime and a blanket as well (though his will not be as pink and delicious as the girls'). I don't know about the older boys yet. But we're pooling money together to get my parents a night's stay at a hotel in Indy which we will book for a day or two after Christmas. They're pretty fond of that one. :) I would tell you what I want but this is only a 7 Quick Takes.. I'll have to wait until the 137 Quick Takes edition.

7. I recently decided that I would tidy up my car whenever I was getting gas. So a couple weeks ago I was throwing away old receipts and water bottles and organizing the random things that end up in my car (on this particular day; hairspray, a pack of cards, 85% of my school books, a bag of erasers, one basket of folded laundry and 7 shoes). This took me a good 15 minutes and my gas had finished pumping. I began to leave and a woman stopped me. She pointed out that I hadn't closed my little gas door thing. I thanked her and as I merged into traffic, called my BFF Laura. When she answered, I got silent. "Caitie?" She said. "Uh oh.." I replied. "I think I might have left the gas pump without ever taking the actual pump out of my car.." Laura laughed, "No way!" I gulped, "Oh my gosh.. They probably got my license plate!! They're gonna chase me down and prosecute me!" "Oh Caitie!" said Laura. "They can't prosecute you for being stupid. Just turn around and go see if it's lying on the ground."

My mom had done something similar a few years before, only the gas had still been pumping.. Picture a continual flow of petrol being strewn about the gas station as the pump flails about in the air. They had to wait hours for the gas to be shut off, the owner to come, the damage to be figured out and a payment to be made. But I had just driven away! I was sure that the gas had stopped pumping, but how would I know if there was damage or not! Was I going to be arrested and get my license taken away? Laura convinced me to drive around the block and take a peek. Sure enough, the pump was lying on the ground, looking like a fallen comrade and begging to be put back in its home. "Should I go back and put it away?" I asked. "Just go," said Laura. "It's not that big of a deal."

You know, it's one thing to have friends who enjoy you. It's quite another to have friends who understand your quirks and can roll with their punches. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the people around me who get who I am, what I'm really about and who can laugh with me as I try not to take myself so seriously! :) I am thankful for all the laughs and joy in life. I am thankful for my faith and my family. Most of all, I am thankful for my life; "Caitie Moments" and all!

The Only Rx is More Cowbell!

2009-11-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

Lately there's been some talk about doctors performing "unnecessary" procedures and their motives. This has merely been the most recent conversation, as I have been the quiet observer to countless of these in the past couple years. I've always remained silent and not spoken up, but I'm gonna make like Oprah and get awkward about it. :) I don't usually get too serious on this here blog of mine, but I feel strongly about this issue and, as my father is a pediatrician, it hits too close to home for me. I can't help but be a bit offended. I'm not addressing any recent topics of conversation, just a general perspective that I disagree with and at least this blog is a less confronting place to respond with my thoughts.. Please forgive an over-protective daughter who sees her dad work so hard and make so many sacrifices for his family. If you'd rather not hear my perspective on the issue, feel free to click here and enjoy the rest of your day! :)

First, I find it interesting that people who are not actually familiar with someone's medical history (nevermind not actually familiar with medical school -- online research doesn't count, my friend) can be so quick to identify what is or is not necessary in their medical treatment. Second, I find that people who think certain medical procedures are unnecessary are usually the ones who have not gone through an experience in which such a procedure would have been life-saving. You think it's a power-trip? You think it's a ploy to rake in the dough? You think it's about scare-tactics? Whew.. Well, you're blessed to have such a perspective. There are many people who would disagree because that extra ulrasound, for example, would have saved their child's life. Thanks be to God you are able to say such things, I guess.

Before I go any further, I want to point out that trusting that God will provide for you is not mutually exclusive from receiving medical attention. We've all heard the story about the man stranded in a flood who has faith that God will save him. When people try to rescue him, the man denies their efforts, ensuring them that God will protect him. In the end, God tells the man that He had, in fact, tried to save him; by sending other people to help. I have faith that God works similarly through physicians every hour of every day. Trusting in medicine does not mean you do not trust in God.

Physicians dedicate their lives to helping you live yours. I'm not saying that every doctor treats his or her patients with a mindfulness about God's will. I'm not saying they're all steller people with perfect histories or intentions. Plus, not every physician is going to be the one for you. One person's Dr. Evil may be another person's Patch Adams. :) I'm also not saying that their ONLY interest is your well-being and they just tear up their paychecks because, gosh darn it! They just live for those early morning rounds and flu shots! ;) What I AM saying is, I think it's unwise to make the generalization that doctors don't have a genuine interest in their patients' well-being and that ulterior motives drive their work. Do they have to make a living? Of course! But most physicians focus on exactly what you do; a happy, healthy life for you and your family.

Additionally, doctors deal with the ever-looming threat of malpractice suits, many times from situations that could not have been helped or foreseen. Do they have to be extra-vigilant nowadays? Yes, they do. Do procedures sometimes end up to be unnecessary? Sure. But how do you know an intervention is unnecessary until after it's complete? Are you willing to take the risk? Well, I'd thank God your doctor isn't! When you're responsible for the health of another, it seems like a good idea to ensure that you've done anything and everything to protect them. And yourself. It's hard for me to imagine why we would be resentful of having more care than necessary.. Only in America would such things be said. I can't imagine a discussion of the evils of superfluous health-care happening in a country in which they have none.

My dad has come home many nights with a very heavy heart. I have seen tears for those he could not save, I have heard him fight for those who he could and I have seen the patience and humility it takes for him to deal with people who think his profession is exploitative. When you have been called from your bed into the hospital at all hours of the night, leaving your family to go tend to the health of someone else's, you can comment on whose interest doctors have at heart. When you've lived through the experience of having to explain to someone that their child is dying, you can comment on the "bias" of their profession. Until then, I just can't help but find it ignorant and insulting.