Wedding

On the first of July last year my little brother
Jimmy married Ashli.
The wedding was nice and the reception was a ball.
Here are some photos of me and my family.

I can' t believe these are all my kids.
They clean up pretty well.

These are my parents James and Mary Coffey.

This is Christopher. He was the ring bearer.
Everybody's crazy about a sharp dressed man!

This is Mary. She is my 12 year old and handed out the programs.

This is my baby Monica.
She was the flower girl.
Isn't she a doll?

This is Cecelia having fun at the reception.
She is my little angel.

AARRGGHH

Today I was supposed to go to school and volunteer to do library. I actually started at the beginning of this year, but have only made it once. I was first to go to Mass and then go to a Catholic discussion group and friend and I are trying to start. However, two of my little ones are sick, so none of those things happened. I am so tired and so stressed out I wish I could run away. I missed my oldest ones basketball game last night and he scored 19 points. My mom went to the doctor yesterday and the cancer is growing so they are going to wait a month and decide what to do then. This is supposed to be the slow growing kind, but it sure seems like they tell her it is growing all the time. The chemo helped the cancer on her neck, but her abdomen has gotten worse. When is it okay to surrender? I am so over whelmed I don't know what to do.

New Year, Better Year?

I thought that last year was the worst year of my life bar none. However, I am fearing that this year may try to break that record. I have had this bug for three weeks now, had two rounds of antibiotics which did nothing for my sinus infection. Plus, I fell on the ice last week and hit my tailbone really hard so that I cannot sit or bend normally. And best of all, besides kids sick and ice and snow storms, my hubby fell on the ice and broke his ankle in three places and will have surgery next Tuesday. My spiritual life is pretty much dead, I can barely make it to Mass anymore, no more daily Mass and Liturgy of the Hours is hit and miss at best. Father's leaving made a huge impact on my life. Even though I miss him, I miss the Holy Hours we had each Sunday. That hour before the Blessed Sacrament was my strength that got me through everything. It was around this time last year that I stopped eating for several months. I ended up losing over 40 pounds and ended up able to wear a size 4. I have gained most of it back, but am really wanting to fall back into the not eating thing. I am physically and emotionally exhausted. I would love to have a few days near a church that had Adoration, and just be able to spend hours there alone and quiet. They say God never gives us more than we can handle, but must He always push the envelope?

SPRING BREAK

This week is Spring Break and UGH! Snow and cold. I had it pictured something along the lines of taking the kids out to lunch and the park one day, next day the zoo, next day a museum. It did not get a bad as they had predicted, but no fun in the sun kind of stuff. Amazingly the kids have been really good, considering we are mostly cooped up in the house and haven't had the TV on much. Monica got her shoes today that fit over her AFO. Its kinda cute to see that little cast sticking out of her shoe. I would post some pictures, but I haven't figured out how to hook up the camcorder to my computer. Actually, I haven't even tried.

Fr. Corapi Retreat

I went and saw Fr. Corapi a few weeks ago. He was really good. The talks were titled "Surrender is not an option". I really needed to hear that message too. I bought his series on the Catechism. Its fifty hours long and of course my dvd player has quit working. Really annoying because I got a camcorder that uses dvd's and now I can't watch them. I keep hinting for hubby to get a new one, but so far no go.

Friday Night Fish Frys

Our parish had it first Lenten fish fry Friday. We are small rural parish, but it is amazing how big this has become. We served 570 people this past week which is around 100 more than we had for the first one last year. We had one last year that we served 900 people! It is a ton of work, but it is also so much fun. Kids who need community service hours clear tables and all kinds of stuff, there are even kids who don't need hours who do it. Its a great deal for everyone. People rave about the food and how much they get (although, I kinda think it not in the spirit of Lent to pig out). It is our big money maker for the building and maintenance fund.

Father Corapi

On Friday, Mark and I are going to see Father Corapi in KC. It ends on Saturday, so we are staying at a hotel. I have watched lots of his stuff and am really looking forward to getting to hear him speak.

I Can't Win for Losing!

I have lost 22 pounds in the past five or six weeks. Now, personally I am thrilled. But, I am so sick of everyone in my face about what is wrong with me. I literally have people come up to me and say how good I look and then almost in the same breath start lecturing me on how to take care of myself. Now, I know they are just doing it because they are concerned, and I do appreciate that. But, to constantly nag at me is driving me nuts. Even my husband today made me tell him how much I weigh and gave me the lecture about taking care of myself. I know I am stressed very much and have no appetite, but I am eating better than ever. I take a vitamin each morning, I run everyday and I eat right (even though it may not be quite enough). If I weighed 110 pounds, I understand how I couldn't afford to lose weight, but I don't. I did an online BMI check (and I know they are not that accurate, but just to get an idea) and I was .1 from being in the normal weight range, so I am considered overweight. I want to lose 21 more pounds which would put me right in the middle of the normal BMI weight range.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY

Today is My husband Mark's 41st birthday! In just a few days I will be 37. I have never had a big hangup about age, getting older doesn't really bother me. The person who has the birthday in this house gets to choose what they want for their dinner. Now, with the kids its pizza or hamburgers or something typically easy. Dear husband, however, chose blackened chicken alfredo and orange cream cheesecake. Not too drastically hard, but time consuming. Oh well, he is worth it. Happy Birthday honey, I LOVE YOU!

Wisdom from a four year old

The other day Cecelia and I were discussing father Jon's move and she wanted to know why he had to leave. I told her the Archbishop decides which parish the priest is assigned to and father does whatever the Archbishope tells him. She looked up at me and asked "Is the Archbishop his wife?"