WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did it!! I PASSED my Content Specialist Test!!!! That means I'm OFFICIALLY New York State certified to teach!!!

I was so worried I failed.. I thought I did awful on it. I was so relieved and excited when I got the e-mail today. WOO HOO!!!!!!

*Does happy dance*

Leave my Pope alone! :)

Vatican paper says pope does not wear Prada

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The devil may wear Prada — but the pope does not. According to the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the bright red loafers that Pope Benedict XVI wears are not designed by the Milanese fashion house, as has long been rumored.

"Obviously the attribution was false," the Vatican newspaper said in its Thursday's editions.

"Such rumors are inconsistent with the simple and somber man who, on the day of his election to the papacy, showed to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square and to the whole world the sleeves of a modest black sweater," it said.

Still, Benedict's fashion sense has often drawn media attention.

Three years ago around Christmas, he showed up for his weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square wearing a fur-trimmed stocking cap that could have passed for a Santa Claus hat. The hat, as it turned out, is a "camauro," which dates back to the Middle Ages and figures in many papal portraits.

On a separate occasion, Benedict sported a sumptuous red velvet cape trimmed in ermine — another piece of traditional papal attire that had long been abandoned.

L'Osservatore Romano said the pope's interest in clothes has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with liturgy — what symbolism traditional garments can bring to the Christian liturgy.

"The pope, therefore, does not wear Prada, but Christ," L'Osservatore said.

What a pain in the.... back.

My lower back went out again, starting Sunday night. I can only guess I pulled some muscles while doing stomach crunches or working out on the elliptical. I felt it was coming for about a week, and finally, it hit.

I tried to work through it Monday, when I went in for a 5 hour shift. I had to use a shopping cart to help me get around, and they pulled a cashier from the front end to help me get things for customers without me having to bend over. Getting in and out of the car is a real problem when this happens to my back, and when I got home from work, my back got so bad that when I got out of the car, I dropped my shopping bag. After a few minutes, I managed to get my cell phone from the holder and call my Dad. He had to help me walk to my room, since I couldn't do it under my own power.

Yesterday morning, I woke up and got out of bed to use the bathroom. I experienced such pain that I collapsed to the floor... yelling out in pain. My sister heard me and sent Dad down to try to help. I had to stay on the floor for about a half hour, and couldn't move without experiencing extreme pain. Dad kept wanting to call an ambulance, but I refused. I managed to be able to get to the bathroom, but again, under extreme pain. I have been using my hiking stick to help me get around better, and take some of the pressure off my back. Gravity seems to be the enemy.

Once my doctor's office opened, he gave me a prescription for a muscle relaxer. It didn't really start to help until the evening.

I'm still quite stiff, but I've been able to go upstairs for food, and can walk without the hiking stick. I still can't stand for long periods of time, and can't move too much or too fast at once. I still have to lay down most of the time, but the pain is no where near as strong as it was yesterday... thank God.

I doubt I will be going into work tomorrow morning. I need all the rest I can get, not to mention the pills make me very drowsy. Hopefully I'll be back to "normal" Friday.

A Requiem for a Parish

After 9am Mass at my parish of St. Anthony's, I made the drive back home to North Tonawanda to attend yet another Mass. This time, I was not going to fulfill my Sunday obligation, which I prefer to do at St. Anthony's where I can attend the more ancient Liturgical form of the Mass, but in order to say good bye to the parish I grew up in.

As I had mentioned earlier in this blog, the Church where I went to school, made most of the sacraments, and grew up within is now closing. Today was the final Mass before locking the doors.

I arrived two minutes before the Mass began, and walked into a standing room only. There were so many cars that people were parking all up and down Payne Avenue. I spotted my friend Anne in the congregation, and snagged the seat in her pew which she was saving for me. This was to be the second Mass for both of us today, though as we agreed, we are probably still going to Hell none the less.

It was a very sad day for many of us, and by the time the Mass was over, most people had tears streaming down their faces. So much in that building brought back memories of my youth. Even the smell of the incense that was being used (yes, there are multiple scents and types), reminded me of happy moments of days gone by.

At the end of the Mass, the pastor removed the altar stone from the altar, so as to deconsecrate the altar. He processed with it down the isle to the front doors of the Church where we all followed in procession. Once outside, we all gathered around as Father offered one more final blessing upon those gathered, and with eyes filled with tears, closed and locked the doors to St. Joseph's one last time.

About 600 of us gathered for a bbq in the back, where multiple tents had been assembled. There were people there I hadn't seen in years, and the event became a sort of reunion for me, as well as a parting. We all sat around talking, laughing, and sharing our memories of living within the parish community all these years as well as what was going on in our lives currently.

There was a sister there whom I recognized from the Franciscan Sister of St. Joseph, who staffed the parish school until 1990. I went up to her, and as it turned out, my memory was right. It was Sr. Conrad whom I had met when my mom took me to register for Kindergarten at St. Joe's back in 1986 (I think). She was then principal at St. Joe's, but later transferred to another school. It was nice to talk with her, and the other sisters who were there from the Mother house in Hamburg. I found out that my first grade teacher, Sr. Dorothy is not doing well physically, so I am trying to find a day when I can go up to the Mother house to see her in the near future.

I had so much fun laughing and remeniscing with everyone there. Some of my first students from when I began teaching Religious Ed back in the 90's were there. I started out teaching Kindergarten, and then moved to third grade where I had to pleasure to teach some of the same students again. One of the boys whom I taught my first year is now a Junior in High School!! After talking with his mother, we both agreed that we felt old!

It was a wonderful celebration, but in our hearts, it was also a type of funeral. After 61 years, that parish community is no more. I over heard one woman, who was there for the dedication of the parish back in 1947 say: "You imagine that these houses of God will serve as our spiritual home until the end of time. You never imagine they will close." It's so true.

Catholic Churches are not the only denomination that have had to scale down their parishes, merge, and close doors. People of real faith are becoming an endangered species. There are some who would argue that religion is becoming irrelevant in our society, but I feel we need it now most of all. People need to learn that THEY as the individual are not the beginning and end in this life. Just look around and see how well we've done as a people without faith in something greater than ourselves.. without trusting in God.

Though it is just brick and mortar, it was my spiritual home for so long... and nourished the beginning of my journey of faith which continues on. Though it is hard to see it close, the faith I have gained from my years there, and the love I felt from so many wonderful friends, teachers and clergy will carry with me in my heart always... and I hope, I can touch other people's lives and hearts by following the examples of charity and love that I was so fortunate to have in my life from such an early age.

In Memoriam: St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church - North Tonawanda - 1947-2008

Moments in Time

It's rather quiet now. All that can be heard is the soft hum of the ceiling fan, the trickle of water from my fountain, the rustling of the leaves in the wind, the tapping of the rain on the plants outside my window and the slight rumble of thunder in the distance. Many sounds, but all speaking in a whisper.

You can smell the rain in the air. That magical scent of nature that drifts along the night breeze, telling you of the changes mother natures has planned. The flash of lightning that shines through the window, a reminder of the meagerness of man.

Faces from behind glass frames peer out with smiles on their faces, void of all fears. Faces of by gone times, old friends and loved ones long gone. The candle flickers as the light reflects off the glass frame, reminiscent of the life that burned so brightly from the hearts and souls of those whom are remembered.

It's so quiet here. It's just me.

I am who I am.

I went for a walk with an old friend of mine this evening, whom I haven't really had the chance to hang out with in a long time. As we were talking, and comparing and contrasting likes and dislikes, it dawned on me that I really don't conform to most people's likes and dislikes who are around my age group. Generally I couldn't care less about what other people think of me, but I've noticed that some people really can judge you about stupid things like the kind of car you drive and the type of music you listen to.

As my friend and I were talking, and the topic of me driving a car "that looks like it belonged to my Grandma", I started to wonder how many people judge me just based on my material possessions. Is it a fair? How many potential friends have I lost? I know, I have lost potential boyfriends because of my taste.

My family always referred to me as an old soul, but I'm just me. I gravitate towards people and things that strike a chord in me. I don't know where the pull comes from or why, all I know is that I know happy and comfortable when I feel it.

I feel like I should make a list of all these oddities and simply hand it to new people I meet, such as potential boyfriends. I always try to go with the flow of the people I'm with, but often times respecting a persons individuality is not a two way street.

The ME List:

1. I'm hard core Catholic. My faith has always meant a lot to me, and I take it seriously. I don't push it on people, and I don't expect you to follow my belief system. I do however go to Mass every Sunday morning and pray and meditate in private. You follow whatever beliefs or non-beliefs you want, but leave mine alone... my spirituality need not involve you. The priest and the altar boy jokes are definitely not welcomed. Ever.

2. I'm dry and sarcastic. I generally say what is on my mind, though I make a conscious effort not to be too offensive. I'm not going to always sugar coat life. If you're getting on my nerves, or if I'm in a bad mood.. believe me, you'll know it. When I'm in a good mood, you'll know it. When I'm quiet, leave me alone.

3. I don't like to drink. Booze and I don't mix well.. I don't even like the taste. Yes, I love wine, but my idea of a good time has nothing to do with going out and getting wasted. Wine is great, and I love to drink it with friends, but going to "the club" isn't among my top 10 list of things to do. I'd rather sit and chat in a coffee house than sit in a bar.

4. I hate sports. If you like them.. enjoy them! That's what they are there for. Watch them, play them, knock yourself out. It's a great thing to follow if you like it. I personally don't, so please don't expect me to sit there and watch a game with you and get all excited about it. It's not going to happen.

5. I like big cars. I drive a Buick. If I'm the one making the car payments, and I'm the one spending the most time in it, then I'm getting what I want. I'm not a speed demon, I have no desire to race, or have my car look "hot". I like comfortable cars with leather seats, wood trim interior, a smooth ride, and the power when I put my foot down on the gas. I like a car that has some style, like the cars of the 30's and 40's. I like the touring car, not the race car. Your car/truck/SUV is wonderful... but I don't want it... please don't try to convince me that I do.

6. Hats are a good thing. People, especially men, look great in them. Baseball caps however are not the only style hat in the world. Baseball caps might look great on you, and I probably would agree they look good on me, but I'm not wearing one often. I'm not a walking advertisement for a brand name or a sports team. I don't like sports so I'm not going to wear a cap that evolved from the sport it gets its name from. Newsboy caps and fedoras work just fine for me. I didn't start wearing them because Justin Timberlake did, I wear them because I like them, and always have.

7. I don't care about clothing brands as long as the clothes look good, good quality and are affordable. I don't need designer jeans or show off the brand across my chest for the world to see. I prefer to dress up more, not dress down. I'd wear a shirt and tie everyday if appropriate, though I am most often found in jeans and a button down shirt. Preppy is fine with me.

8. I like the "finer" things in life, not that I MUST have them. I appreciate them however, and enjoy them when I can. I'd be just as comfortable at a black tie event as I would be at a cook out.

9. If there was one genre of music I had to chose as my favorite, it would be Big Band. I like music that has a beat, I could dance to (if I danced), has a fun rhythm, and makes you think about the happier side of life. I can appreciate most all music, and listen to many forms, though they would mostly fall under the category of "easy listening" and "pop".

Hats on CBS Sunday Morning