Third Week of Advent

Yesterday I got a call at work from our foster care licensor, Betzy. She let me know that our licensing was finished and had been sitting on someone's desk at the state because they were behind. But--we are licensed and can start receiving placements!

It is a bit surreal since we have been waiting for this for some time. However, it's in His time and not ours. This morning I was thinking that this week is a perfect week to get this good news. The third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. We light the pink candle--a symbol of rejoicing in joyful hope for the Savior. Because of all that was going on Sunday night and this week (funeral and finals), we were not able to light our third candle until last night, when we got the good news. I think it was kind of meant to be that way. :)

Maybe we'll have a kiddo or kiddos with us for Christmas, and maybe not. But we do have hope and joy which we'll share with the little hearts who stay with us. There is always room at our little inn.

Thank you all for your prayers and support for us. Your friendship and help mean the world.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice; let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.

Immaculate Conception

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is such a beautiful celebration in the Catholic Church. It is the dogma that the Mother of God was conceived without sin. Wouldn't you like to see what festivities are going on in Heaven today?

Hopefully, someday we will. We pray that Pere Pere/Grandpa and all of our beloved departed are sitting at the feet of their Blessed Mother soaking in her beauty and love.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Pray for us, Grandpa.

Grandpa Dion

Early this morning, Bernard Dion passed from this life to the eternal one. We are so sad for the loss of this godly and beloved man, who is the father of my mom-in-law, Suzanne Dion Campbell.



This past July, the Dion family had a reunion over in Edmonds. It was so nice to meet many of the people I have heard about from Sue and to put names with faces. The highlight of the party was celebrating Grandpa's 96th birthday.




Besides his sweet nature and his always classy and gentlemanly ways and dress, the thing I loved most about him was how much he loved his dear wife, Yvonne. She passed away in 1997, and at every meal I had with Grandpa, he would pray for the eternal repose of the soul of his "dear wife, Yvonne." After more than 60 years married when she died, they were so loving to each other and took delight in each other's company. I hope that I will be as good a spouse to John as Grandpa and Grandma Dion were to each other.

Grandpa's honest way of living has been passed on to the generations that came after him. It is evident in his four children, Ron, Annette, Ray and Suzanne, and their children. I see it in John and am so happy that they were close. We loved listening to him tell stories of his childhood, marriage and family life which had the joie de vivre of his family's French Canadian background and Grandma's Parisian background.



Thank you, Grandpa for all that you taught me, and thank you for living your faith so well. I'll miss the dinners with you and hearing, "Go easy on the butter." Til we meet again.

Qu'il repose en paix. Amen.

Thanksgiving

This is a late Thanksgiving post, but I didn't want to skip it. We had such a nice Thanksgiving weekend, starting with Mass and then a coffee from Starbucks. My boss, Mike, had given me a $25 gift card! It was such a nice surprise!

In the afternoon, we went over to Mom and Dad Campbell's house which is always relaxing and fun. They made the turkey, and Christina and I split up the sides and desserts. Christina has a real talent for desserts and made this amazing pumpkin and ginger cheesecake. It was to die for. Sitting around the table with everyone made me realize how blessed I am to have married into this family. Joe was missing from the table, but he spent the holiday with the family of his roommate. We look forward to seeing him soon!

My mom and dad were in Dallas with my brother, Matt, his wife, Sayeda and her family. Can't wait to see some photos of the trip.

Joey, my mom and dad's dog, turned 14 on Thanksgiving! He got some extra kisses and some treats.

God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, fantastic family and friends, good health and a good job. Who could ask for more?

Canine Criminals

Last night I came home to a crime. One that was so bold, so arrogant, that I had to take photos. The perps didn't care about the mess they left. They didn't care that I had to walk into my home and see the disgusting sight. No. They only cared about going outside to go potty, followed by dinner in their bowls. After feigning anger to get my point across to them, it was really hard not to laugh.

The Crime Scene:






The Suspects
The Ringleader: Joey "Sticky Paws" Mahler




The Accomplice: Jill "Tail Chaser" Campbell


Jill, with tail wagging nervously and head down, brought me a used tea bag as a peace offering. Charges dropped.

I heard a rumor...

Recently, I had a conversation with a young woman who asked me some interesting questions about people I'm close to. If they had been questions that actually came from her observations, I would not have minded. However, they came second hand from what she'd heard and/or been told.
"Are you pretty close to _____? So...is she 'green'?"
In my head, "What?!"
Out loud, "Green? I know she eats well for good health."
"Oh, so she's not liberal?"
In my head, "What?!"
Out loud, "Umm...noooooooo."

When I started to clarify and answer the question, it hit home how gossip is really, really bad. This is something I knew, but also something that I engaged in sometimes. Seeing it done by someone else about people I cared about shone a bright light on the ugliness of gossip.

"_______ told me that ________ is really into attachment parenting."
In my head, "What?!"
Out loud, "Not unusually so."

It was the pejorative tone that got to me, like there was something wrong and weird about how this person raises her kids. Maybe I recognized it in her because I have said things like that before to people.

Unfortunately, I didn't question the woman asking me how she got these ideas. Instead, I tried to get out of the conversation by nervously talking rapidly about whatever. I guess I didn't want her to be uncomfortable that I was uncomfortable. However, that may have been the best thing I could have done for her in the moment. Whenever someone has called me out on bad behavior, it is embarrassing and hard to take. But--I do learn not to do those things again.

For me, this conversation was another lesson that if we say we're Catholic, let's be kind and not tear each other down. This is how rumors start and characters are defamed. It's very ugly, ladies. :)

Songs of Our Years Together

Last of the Mohicans. I remember watching this movie together at some point back in Dallas. John had the soundtrack, and we played it a lot when I was over at his apartment in "Old Mill."

Loreena McKennit Another memory of our time in Dallas and that apartment John shared with Joey, Joe, and Joseph. Why did I even bother cleaning that stinky kitchen of y'alls?

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses This is by one of our favorite bands, U2. I'm a latecomer to the fandom of U2. I bought a ticket ($60!) to their concert because I heard John was going. Talk about putting all your money on one horse! By the time of the concert (during finals of our junior year(!)) we were dating. This song, though, was playing on the radio when we had a major breakup, and I thought we'd stay that way. Looking back, it may seem melodramatic, but we did a lot of growing up then. We both dated other people, and thankfully, found our way back to each other.


Oh, the deeper I spin
Oh, the hunter will sin for your ivory skin
Took a drive in the dirty rain
To a place where the wind calls your name
Under the trees the river laughing at you and me
Hallelujah, heavens white rose
The doors you open
I just can't close

Like the Rain This is Our Song. In college when we started dating, we took a walk one night and stopped at the tennis courts where we kissed and it started raining. John walked me back to the student apartments where he said to make sure I got warm and dry. A few years later, we danced to this song at our wedding reception and now enjoy many rainy days together here in the Northwest. :)


Waikiki (we celebrated our 6th anniversary in Honolulu and fell in love with this song and Na Leo. Magical. Having a "Tropical Itch" from Duke's on the beach didn't hurt either.

Lost Again This is by "Kalapana," which is another group we heard on the radio when driving along a beautiful road in Oahu. We went to see them in concert when they came to Seattle. Our trip to Hawaii affected us more than we ever thought it would.

Chances Are I really like this song. Don't know that John even knows it, but it reminds me of when we still lived in Dallas and had tumultuous times. :) Silly kids.