Back-to-School :: 2022-2023
It’s been well over a month now since we started the new school year, but I wanted to go back and add these pictures to the blog anyway. The kids love looking back at the archives to see the pictures from over the years…
This girl of ours has been taking online dual-enrollment classes from Franciscan over the past year and it was time for her to finally have some college swag of her own!
She had also just received her acceptance letter from Franciscan for next fall!
She is still undecided and keeping options open at this point.
(This is actually her 4th semester – she took classes last fall, spring and summer and will continue with more classes in the spring. She has been taking additional dual-enrollment classes from another college as well. I’ll try to blog more about this sometime soon.)
A toob of WWII Army Men for Bud and, having just recently gotten home from her very first trip to the Ocean, our baby girl received a toob of baby sea animals!
Some Alphabet Cookie Cutters and a t-shirt for her too (!!) which she was very happy to receive!
(I bought the Toobs and Cookie Cutters at Michaels with coupons.)
And there are those pictures I was missing!
..Back-to-School Pictures..
Chiquita :: 12th Grade
Scout :: 9th Grade
Summer birthday so last year we decided to postpone high school until this school year. Mainly for high school sports – he still gets high school credit for completing Algebra 1/Biology/etc last year – giving him four years starting this year to compete with the local high school. He just finished golf season! I’d rather not send any more 17 (or barely 18) year olds away to college.
High School Golf Pictures
Rose :: 7th Grade
Bud :: 5th Grade
Grace :: Kindergarten
With her summer birthday she may end up doing two years of Kindergarten. I suspect she may have dyslexia/auditory processing challenges like her lookalike/oldest brother/godfather. I’d much rather hold her back and have her and her little sister go through school, particularly high school, together like our oldest two boys. We’ll see how it goes! Definitely thankful for the option of home educating and not really needing to define grade levels until they want to compete in high-school sports!
Joy :: Preschool
.: College Kids :.
Even the boys sent me back to school pictures. Senior year!!!
Our oldest is an RA this semester and also loving his internship.
And our 20 year old will be DONE by Christmas break (a semester early) after a crazy 20 credit semester (including his capstone/thesis) all with his right hand in a (now at least removable) cast while recovering from a scaphoid break/surgery. Whew! He’ll return to campus in April for graduation with his older brother.
Our oldest daughter is taking a stop-gap for now and has been working and studying hard for her Insurance license. If you live in OR/WA/ID and would be willing to let her give you a free (no obligation) Home or Auto quote she would really love the extra practice!
September 4th – Just before driving him to the airport. Our oldest had left a week earlier for RA training… missed getting a picture of everyone before summer camp started for the youngest two boys.
Our oldest also picked up my slack by getting his brother/roommate back to school treats too! He sent me this picture and it made me so happy. I loved some of the things he came up with when browsing the aisles at the grocery store! He said he was remembering back to this year.. #oldestchild
One FOOT in front of the other 🙂 – MOTTSIVATION
Trident Your Best!!! – S’more Pop Tarts To HELP you study S’more 🙂
.: Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary :.
We ended the celebration with a birthday cake for our Blessed Mother!
This sweet statue was a gift a friend brought me from her visit to Lisieux a few years ago. It’s a little replica of the Martin family’s treasured statue, “Our Lady of the Smile.” ♥
What a joy to remember that she [Mary] is our Mother! Since she loves us and knows our weakness, what have we to fear?
– St. Therese of Lisieux
Chili for a Crowd
I was searching my blog for this recipe and found that it was still tucked away with a couple hundred other draft posts that have never been finished… Time to finally hit that publish button! It’s not a meal that I can eat due to my food intolerances, but our kids love it, especially our teens and young adults. When we hosted the older boys’ high school soccer team’s end of season party, just before moving out Oregon in 2018, it was the meal they requested, along with cornbread and pumpkin pie. It’s perfect for fall weather and I’ll be making it again soon for All Hallows’ Eve.
Chili for a Crowd
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 chopped onions
- 1/2 cup green peppers – chopped
- 1/2 cup celery – chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 3 cans (16 oz) diced tomatoes
- 3 cans (16 oz) kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
- Saute ground beef, onions, pepper, celery and garlic. Drain fat.
- Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil – 5 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Simmer 30-40 minutes.
- Serves 10.
Note: When I don’t have fresh bell peppers on hand, I use the Melange a Trois (Red, Yellow & Green Bell Pepper Strips) from Trader Joe’s. So easy and convenient when I’m in a hurry and need bell peppers for a recipe.
I usually follow the recipe as listed for just our family, or double this recipe when we are having company for dinner, and cook it in my beautiful cherry colored Staub Cast Iron 9-qt Round Cocotte.
Little Saints Preschool :: I Belong to God
The fourth time I started Little Saints: A Catholic Preschool Program with Classical Disciplines by Cynthia Blum back in 2016 I said:
I’m not sure how much of the Little Saints Preschool Program we will actually get to this year… However, considering it could very well be the last year we have a pre-schooler (our “baby” will turn five in December… how did that happen?!), I’m going to try and fit some of it into our schedule.
Not long after that I found out I was pregnant! It was my hardest pregnancy ever (hyperemesis gravidarum plus back/hip/walking issues) followed by my most sleep deprived year and a half ever... and then our first move with children and then another pregnancy! I survived it all, but we definitely didn’t get very far with all the fun preschool extras!
I’ve attempted Little Saints enough times now to know that it’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever get through all the themes (at this point I don’t think it’s actually possible outside of a school setting, or at least not for this mom of many), but I’m still planning to pull it out when I can this school year (in addition to Primary Arts of Language and Math) as a starting place for some themed unit studies featuring picture books, learning games, and arts & crafts for our littlest ones… and of course I’ll add in some fun snacks too!
Here are some pictures from our first theme in September: I Belong to God.
.: Picture Books :.
God is Love • A Child’s Book of Prayers
.: Learning Games :.
In addition to “I Look Like… ” (using a mirror) and “I Sound Like…” (recording them answering questions) we also enjoyed a Photo Album Family History Tour. Next I pulled out the “Parts of the Body” Learning Game I cut out about twenty years ago… Can you believe I still have it?!
Parts of the Body
Who Does Jesus Love? Keepsake Card
(I guess I missed taking pictures of this one… Here are pictures from 2011.)
Child of God Matching Cards
(This matching game came with Little Saints.
You can find a FREE PRINTABLE of my St. Joseph Memory Match in the archives.)
.: Arts & Crafts :.
My Handprints
“Oh no! we have to get our hands dirty?!”
Someone was super excited and someone was less than thrilled with that idea…
I realized I had never introduced these too to finger paint before… Our 3 year old survived and realized it wasn’t quite as terrifying as she expected. We’ll have to try again sometime soon! Or maybe not…
The Heavenly Jerusalem
.: Snacks :.
On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – September 14th
Applesauce Spice Cross Cake
Ingredients:
1 pkg Namaste Foods Spice Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 fresh apple, grated or chopped (skin left on is okay)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Powdered Sugar (optional for dusting)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚ F. Grease and flour a cake pan. (I choose this Cross Shaped pan for the feast day.) Combine all ingredients and mix well. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar.
*This cake can also be baked in a 9×13 pan for 35-40 minutes, a bundt pan for 45-50 min, or 2 -9″ round layers for 30-35 minutes.
Eventually I hope to share more of what we’ve been up to this school year. This week, at least for these two, it’s continuing on in Primary Arts of Language, finishing up “Colors” and moving into “Fall is Here!” We are headed to the pumpkin patch this afternoon!
You can find all our past Little Saints Preschool posts listed here or scroll through them all here.
I have called you by name… you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you. – Isaiah 43: 1-4
State-by-State Baking :: Delaware Peach Galette
These two have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen this school year. They have made some fun things to go along with science and they also asked if they could bake their way through the states since everyone is studying American History this year at all the various levels including elementary, middle school, high school and even a dual-enrollment college course! I love it when that happens.
Like their older sisters back in 2011, they too decided to choose a peach recipe for Delaware! Instead of Peach Cobbler they opted for Peach Galette! It turned out amazing.
Delaware Notebooking Pages
by Rose (L) and Bud (R)
“The Spanish brought the peach to the New World,
a very bountiful fruit tree.
The blooms became our state flower,
so Peach blossom is our P.”
Delaware Peach Galette
(we used this Easy Peach Galette recipe)
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 2 refrigerated pie doughs (from one 14-oz box)
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 6 medium peaches, pitted and sliced (about 6 cups)
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. coarse sugar (like turbinado)
- Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
Directions:
On a lightly floured surface, unroll the two pie doughs. Overlap the dough by 3 inches to make a long, rectangular shape. Using a rolling pin, roll back and forth over just the center of the dough to bind them together, close the gaps between the two circles, and make it an even thickness.
Transfer to a large, parchment-lined baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 425˚.
Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a large bowl.
Add the peach slices and lemon juice and toss gently to coat.
Arrange the peaches in a single layer on the pie dough, overlapping slightly, leaving a 1 ½-inch border. Fold the edges of the dough over the outer edge of the peaches, crimping every 3- to 4-inches, to keep the crust flat against the fruit.
Brush the edges of the dough all over with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Drizzle ¼ cup of the liquid left in the mixing bowl over the peaches.
Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
Cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then slide the galette, on the parchment paper, to a cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, if you like.
Resources we used for this State Study:
F is for First State: A Delaware Alphabet
F is for First State Teacher’s Guide (pdf)
Delaware Notebooking Page from United States Maps
F is for First State Teacher’s Guide (pdf)
Delaware Notebooking Page from United States Maps
Additional Resources:
United States Puzzle (older version of this one)
Handwriting 5 for Young Catholics (contains basic facts for each state and more)
Other Posts of Interest:
State-by-State Scrapbook
State-by-State Scrapbook :: Delaware
Early October Daybook
A beautiful anniversary bouquet from my husband! He said they reminded him of my wedding bouquet ♥
Outside my window…
I’m sitting at a little table next to one of the windows of Coeur d’Alene Coffee Co at the moment! Our 15 year old had a six hour shift at work and the older girls all encouraged me to spend sometime downtown, instead of driving back and forth today, and take advantage of the opportunity to catch up with work and maybe even put together a blog post or two… I think I remember how! 😉
I am thankful…
Definitely thankful for everyone’s health and healing from all the little scares and injuries… It has been a year! The other morning, after driving my husband home from an early morning “trigger thumb” surgery (exercise injury that never healed) and while waiting at the pharmacy for his prescription, I started making a list of some of the medical issues this year…
Definitely thankful for everyone’s health and healing from all the little scares and injuries… It has been a year! The other morning, after driving my husband home from an early morning “trigger thumb” surgery (exercise injury that never healed) and while waiting at the pharmacy for his prescription, I started making a list of some of the medical issues this year…
- January: Covid again (hit me hardest and still dealing with fatigue, some of the kids were also sick), then (Chiquita) dislocated her knee again (second time for that knee, third time overall), plus bad bone contusion on foot (Twinkle Toes)…
- February: Split chin that was able to be glued instead of stitches (15year old)
- March: I fell for the third time in a month due to dizziness (wondered if it was all triggered by January sickness?)… this fall, down a couple steps onto concrete garage floor, resulted in a hip injury plus a TFCC tear to right wrist and left me in a cast like brace for 2 months. I’m still in Physical Therapy working on core strength and other issues.
- Also March: At that point I decided everyone needed to be caught up on Well-child visits… We have an amazing pediatrician who actually made a house-call for the appointments which was so awesome! Unfortunately those check ups led to an Echocardiogram for our baby girl (Joy – she is fine, but having dealt with possible heart surgery with Rose years ago, I was a little stressed…) as well as a spine x-ray for scoliosis for another daughter (she is still on the edge of mild and doesn’t need to do anything more at this time)… Then it was to the eye doctor for glasses (Chiquita).
- April: My husband injured his left hand and was in a splint for awhile hoping that would fix the issue (it didn’t). Put the older girls back in PT for their different knee issues hoping to build muscle (one keeps dislocating her knees and the other had knee surgery last year for a torn meniscus/golf injury).
- May: Braces (Rose)
- June – The fourth the fifth knee dislocations for poor Chiquita… I switched her to my physical therapist and thankfully it hasn’t happened again since! If it does surgery may be in her future.
- July: Rascal’s wrist was acting up, following a wrist injury in May of 2021… I sent him in for an x-ray… Scaphoid break that healed badly leaving a hole in the middle of it… Complicated surgery with a bone graft and 6-12 month recovery to follow… Two days before his surgery a friend accidentally hit him in the face with a ping pong paddle, cutting through his lip and breaking off that front tooth again! Ouch… Meanwhile my husband walked into a chair breaking his toe and James stepped on a wasp a day or two after returning from the Holy Land causing his whole foot to swell. (Somewhere in here I started joking about needing to bubble wrap EVERYONE!)
- August: Covid again – this time following a road trip to Oregon, mainly hitting our 15 year old and re-triggering extreme fatigue for me. John’s cast came off and he moved into a removable cast till at Christmas, just in time for his final semester and writing that thesis! (right hand too, and he is right handed of course) He also stepped on a wasp and had his foot swell. It’s almost comical at this point!
- September: Bee sting and strained back for me… switching back to some simpler PT exercises.
- October: Our anniversary was Sunday and (Chiquita) our 17 year old made a lovely brunch after Mass. After serving everyone and filling her own plate, she accidentally dropped it with the edge hitting her big toe… I took her to the urgent care (not broken thankfully, but a subungual hematoma) and while we were there I had them x-ray her wrist too. It had been hurting since a golf tournament two weeks prior… Doc came in and said nothing about the toe but rather “So… tell me about what you did to that wrist?!” Sprained and slight fracture! This girl has had the roughest year… At that point I did start crying/laughing when she was getting her wrist fitted… The fourth this year!
I am thinking…
Pretty sure that list above has a lot to do with why I am so tired and overwhelmed this year… Trying to persevere and offer up all these extra little crosses, but it sure can be hard sometimes.
Learning all the time…
Despite it all, our school year is off to a great start. I hope yours is too!
On the feast of St. Francis of Assisi
State-by-State Study progress
Our 17 year old loves having the audible version of A Patriot’s History of the United States and coloring while she listens to some of her reading assignments… She is also enjoying Flowers of Heaven: 1000 Years Of Christian Verse in her Poetry class.
Celebrating the liturgical year…
St. Therese, Holy Guardian Angels, St. Francis of Assisi, Our Lady of the Rosary… So many favorite feast days this time of year!
St. Therese, Holy Guardian Angels, St. Francis of Assisi, Our Lady of the Rosary… So many favorite feast days this time of year!
I recently updated my list of October links!
From the kitchen…
Our annual Michaelmas Cupcakes, Rose Cupcakes and a Keto Cheesecake for St. Therese, Apple Puff Pancakes for the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, and our annual Wolf Paw Cookies for St. Francis of Assisi… this year it was all completely planned and pulled off by my older girls with no encouragement or direction from me!
Our annual Michaelmas Cupcakes, Rose Cupcakes and a Keto Cheesecake for St. Therese, Apple Puff Pancakes for the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, and our annual Wolf Paw Cookies for St. Francis of Assisi… this year it was all completely planned and pulled off by my older girls with no encouragement or direction from me!
I am working…
I am still working around 25 hours a week or so as Corporate Secretary and Treasurer for my dad and brother’s electrical business back in Oregon. Hard to believe it has been six years since I went back to work but definitely grateful for the extra income, being able to work remotely, and the additional income to help pay college bills, medical bills, and some of the other “extras”.
I am creating…
a (very large) file folder with all of our digital pictures. I have been working on it for a couple months now and still not finished sorting through and moving them to one place from a few old computers and an external hard drive. I just take way too many pictures!
a (very large) file folder with all of our digital pictures. I have been working on it for a couple months now and still not finished sorting through and moving them to one place from a few old computers and an external hard drive. I just take way too many pictures!
I am going…
to try my best to start posting regularly again, but last time I said that life started spiraling out of control! I have so many things I would have loved to record here and just never seem to be able to make the time now that our children are adults down to toddlers and don’t all take an afternoon nap each day like they did when I first started blogging here over fifteen years ago. 😉
I am hoping…
we can make it through November and December without any more illnesses or injuries! 🙏🙏🙏
I am praying…
the rosary, especially during this month of October which is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary.
I am reading…
lots of fables and picture books to our littlest two. We have been working on Primary Arts Language as well as some of the themes in the Little Saints Preschool Program and they love every minute of it!
lots of fables and picture books to our littlest two. We have been working on Primary Arts Language as well as some of the themes in the Little Saints Preschool Program and they love every minute of it!
Pondering these words…
from Joy in Suffering which I happened to pick up during my husband’s Holy Hour on our anniversary (which is sandwiched on the day in between the new and traditional feasts of dear St. Therese) last Sunday. We didn’t get to go out to dinner or anything, but the adoration hour together was perfect!
from Joy in Suffering which I happened to pick up during my husband’s Holy Hour on our anniversary (which is sandwiched on the day in between the new and traditional feasts of dear St. Therese) last Sunday. We didn’t get to go out to dinner or anything, but the adoration hour together was perfect!
Suffering itself becomes the greatest of all joys when we seek it as a precious treasure. – St. Therese
My joy I find in pain and loss,
I love the thorns that guard the rose;
With joy I kiss each heavy cross,
And smile with every tear that flows.
– St. Therese
Around the house and One of my favorite things…
I love finding pictures on my phone or camera that one of our children took!
Photo credit: Chiquita
Thank you, Chiquita, for teaching these two all about St. Francis this year! They got to watch Francis: Knight of Assisi, color pictures she printed for them, and decorate Wolf Paw Cookies with her even though I wasn’t able to be home much that day. ♥
This week’s plans…
Golf season just ended for our two high schoolers (it was moved to fall this school year!) and pre-season Hockey just started for the boys. We have another full week coming up with work, homeschooling, and a number of other things:
- Attending a wedding on Saturday
- Dinner with friends on Sunday
- Catechism on Monday
- Hockey on Wednesday
- Physical Therapy on Thursday
- Haircuts for older girls on Friday
- Bridal Shower next Saturday!
A little peek at our anniversary…
(Chiquita) surprised us with Apple Puff Pancakes for brunch after Mass, and (Twinkle Toes) baked rose cupcakes and cheesecake for us to discover when we came home from adoration. They gave us beautiful cards too. We sure love this family of ours!
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 8 – Kerak Castle Crusader Fortress
Here is part eight and the final part of the series of posts James is sharing all about his pilgrimage to the Holy Land this past summer! You can find the rest here:
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 1 (Days 0-2)
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 5 – Jerusalem (Days 7-8)
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 7 – Petra (Days 11-12)
Day 13: Wednesday, July 20
Travel day to Amman. Departing Wadi Musa, we will visit Kerak Castle, one of the largest crusader fortresses in the Holy Land dating to c.1140. From there, it will be a scenic drive back to Amman for check-in at our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Amman.
On our drive to the hotel that we were going to stay in for our (Israel time) 3AM flight, we drove through where some Bedouins were held up.
“Bedouins, a semi-nomadic group of desert dwellers who traversed the sands are the oldest inhabitants of the Arabian desert. Known for their resourcefulness and hospitality, the Bedouins survived harsh weather conditions and lived in difficult environments.”
Crazy that people still live like this!
Also saw some camels out in the wild.
I missed out on riding one in Petra… Just ran out of time.
Next we had Mass in a super sketch part of town.
I was surprised there was even a Catholic church over here.
After Mass we went and toured a Crusader Fortress!
DEUS VULT!!
Soooo cool!
No one coming up this wall.
One part of the kitchen…
One part of the kitchen…
More halls… So cool to imagine knights and other medieval folk walking down these halls just going about their daily life!
The prison… As a Criminal Justice major I thought this was SUPER cool!!!!
This would have been the chapel area!
The views though!
Still a little confused as to how this place got taken over…
Not the worst place to spend a birthday! 22 today!
Still a little confused as to how this place got taken over…
Not the worst place to spend a birthday! 22 today!
A couple of the guys in our group offered to buy me a drink to celebrate.
Great way to spend our last night overseas!
Day 14: Thursday, July 21
Departure day for the US: early morning transfer by our private bus to Queen Alia Airport for the return flight home.
After 3AM Mass we headed to the airport to leave for the U.S.
Back Stateside!
Wwwelp… due to delays, our group missed our connection in San Francisco.
I want to be home already… As I have learned multiple times on this trip tho,
“In all things give thanks!”
First time in Seattle… (that I remember)
First time in Seattle… (that I remember)
Finally touched down in Spokane around 7 (Pacific Time) – Glad to be HOME!
Just as the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land, we “wandered” the airports for about 40 hours before arriving home… If that doesn’t complete a pilgrimage I don’t know what does!
Thank you to everyone who played a part in making this possible, whether by your prayers or financial support! After the generous gift from my godfather, my parents, and all the additional gifts from your generous support through Go Fund Me, Venmo and PayPal, I ended up only $2,217 short from being able to pay for the pilgrimage, and that was able to come out of my summer jobs/college funds for this school year! Between working hard these past few summers, my scholarships, grants and need-based aid, work study, and a lot of help from my parents, I’ve made it to senior year without having taken out any student loans, so if I end up with one small loan for second semester of senior year it shouldn’t be too hard to pay off after graduation!
Such an incredible once in a lifetime experience! I will never forget this trip!
Hope ya’ll enjoyed following along with me!
I really enjoyed being able to share it!!!
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 7 – Petra
Here is part seven of the series of posts James is sharing about his pilgrimage to the Holy Land this summer! You can find the rest here:
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 1 (Days 0-2)
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 5 – Jerusalem (Days 7-8)
Day 11: Monday, July 18
Travel day to Jordan. After crossing the Jordan River on the Allenby Bridge/King Hussein Crossing, we will drive through the Jordanian desert up the mountains of Moab to Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the Promised Land before he died (Deut. 34). In Madaba, we’ll visit St. George’s Church to see the oldest extant map of the Holy Land, a 6th century mosaic; and then we’ll visit a modern mosaic workshop to see how mosaics are made in the same tradition. After lunch, we’ll drive through the desert towards Wadi Musa (the Spring of Moses) and Petra. On the way, if there is time, we will see the fortress of Machaerus where St. John the Baptist was imprisoned. Dinner and overnight in Wadi Musa.
All packed up to leave Jerusalem… Next destination, Jordan.
Got up early to see the sunrise over Jerusalem. Was a little sad leaving this beautiful city.
May or may not have teared up when I was on the rooftop watching the sunrise.
The area where Jesus places the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus uses this area in his story because the person who fell among robbers would have given up all hope of receiving help because no one would travel in this desolate countryside. That’s why it’s so horrible that the priest and the Levite that “by chance” saw the “half dead” man and did absolutely nothing in way of helping this poor man who most likely thought he was going to be saved when he saw the priest and Levite coming down the road. It made me think of the times that I may have walked on the other side and not helped my fellow brother or sister in Christ
“Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'”
Crossing into Jordan
It was an absolute hassle with all the security that we had to go through. I mean it wasn’t horrible, but still it wasn’t fun.
The place where Moses looked over the promised land…
Sure doesn’t look very promising if I’m completely honest. 😜
We also had Mass on top of this mountain which was cool!
This is a church in Madaba, a city that prides itself in their mosaics.
Their famous Madaba Mosaic Map
Thought theses two pictures convey a neat perspective of the streets in the Middle East.
Not much else for the day other than a three hour bus ride to our next hotel.
Day 12: Tuesday, July 19
We will spend the day exploring Petra (Isaias 16:1), once a thriving center of trade and commerce, and the place where the Magi acquired their gold, frankincense and myrrh on their way to adore the Lord. It was the capital of Arabia Petraea, the “Arabia” where St. Paul spent three years after his conversion (Gal. 1:17-18) and began his ministry to the Gentiles. It became a holy place of martyrdom under the persecution of Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century, hosted numerous Church councils and synods after 343, and eventu- ally converted entirely to Christianity after a miraculous rainfall sent by God in 423 to end a four-year drought, at the prayers of the holy monk Bar Sauma (Son of Fasting) and his forty compan- ions. We will have a chance to learn about the local bedouin culture here, as well as reflect on salvation history, evangelization and the spiritual desert, and the importance of daily conversion. Afterwards we’ll visit Moses’ Spring, where Moses struck the rock and water came forth (Num. 20:1-13), and Mount Hor and the Tomb of the holy Prophet Aaron (Num. 20:22-29). Dinner and last night in Wadi Musa.
This hotel is crazy. Just woke up and took this picture,
I’ll have to share more pics after we get back tonight!
Gonna go spend the day in Petra!
A couple pics of the place we are staying. They took the ruins/layout of an old town and turned them into hotel rooms! They’re obviously not the original stones and stuff but the layout defiantly feels like an old city. Super cool! Definitely going to hit the pool when we get back.
Ready to get this show on the road!
Also… new fit for the desert.
Time for some exploring!
This is the original stone that the Romans put in because of its frequent travel usage due to being out of the heat of the sun.
Indiana Jones soundtrack definitely started playing in my head. 😜😂
It’s so crazy to think that people carved these temples and tombs out of a heckin’ mountain!!!! Insane what can be done with effort and determination.
So many cool caves and carved temples!!
This was an old Greek Orthodox church that was used during the crusades.
Ran into some goats while hiking the surrounding areas.
So many cool sights! Made for some good exploring/hiking.
Was really looking forward to riding a camel but we just ran out of time. Still super cool seeing so many of them all saddled up and being ridden.
Pictured left is me and this incredibly fun lady from our parish who was my hiking buddy. Pictured right is another shot of the street of hotel rooms.
Got my swim in! Felt so good after hiking around for 3 hours in 104 degree weather.
Such a FUN day!!! So sad this trip is almost over. 😢
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 6 – Mount Carmel on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and David & Goliath
Flower of Carmel, Blossoming Vine,
Splendor of Heaven, Mother divine, None like to thee.
Mother of Our King, Peerless and Fair,
to thy children of Carmel, Favors grant ever, Star of the sea!
Here is part six of the series of posts James is sharing about his pilgrimage to the Holy Land this summer! You can find the rest here:
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 1 (Days 0-2)
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 5 – Jerusalem (Days 7-8)
Day 9: Saturday, July 16 and the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
On our Lady’s holy feast day, we will drive north to Haifa to visit Mount Carmel and the Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery, the center of Carmelite spirituality throughout the world. Underneath this church lies the cave where lived the holy Prophet Elias. After lunch at the Monastery, we will drive down the coast to Caesarea Maritima, which was an important center for Christianity connected with the Apostles and Church Fathers: Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Zacchaeus, Philip the Deacon, Cornelius the Centurion, Origen, Eusebius, and even the origins of the Nicene Creed. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
After Mass this morning we went to Stella Maris on Mount Carmel!
It also happened to be the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel!!
Stella Maris • Star of the Sea
Such a beautiful day!
On our way back we stopped at Caesarea Maritima
(Formerly Strato’s Tower, also known as Caesarea Palestinae, was an ancient city in the Sharon plain on the coast of the Mediterranean, now in ruins and included in an Israeli National Park.) This has no significance to Christ and his journey but this is the city where most of the roman soldiers who worked in Israel would retire to because of the beauty of it. Honestly if this place was up and running I wouldn’t mind retiring there myself. Like I said, there really isn’t any connection with Christ to this spot but this would have been a hub for early Christians. Was built around 22 B.C.
Picture on the left is a VERY early sculpture of Jesus the Good Shepard carrying a lamb on his shoulders. Picture on the right is the remaining foot of a huge sculpture of a man. My friend standing next to it gives some comparison.
When the Crusaders came to this area they built a fortress just outside the main city. In the picture above you can see some of the old wall and part of the moat that they built.
Absolutely love the Mediterranean Sea!!! (I just love water in general if you couldn’t tell.)
We didn’t see a whole ton on this day, and the things we did see weren’t super monumental, but it gave us time to relax a little bit. Looking forward to another day!
Day 10: Sunday, July 17
Our last day in Jerusalem. After Holy Mass, we will visit the Israel Museum and see the amazing 22,000 square foot model of the Old City of Jerusalem as it was at the time of our Lord, as well as the Shrine of the Book that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will also visit the Elah Valley where David slew Goliath (1 Kings 17), learn how he did it, and how to sling a stone in the same manner. We’ll then have a free afternoon to rest, re-visit holy sites in Jerusalem, and explore the Old City before we depart for Jordan the next day. Dinner and last night in Jerusalem.
Our last day in Jerusalem. After Holy Mass, we will visit the Israel Museum and see the amazing 22,000 square foot model of the Old City of Jerusalem as it was at the time of our Lord, as well as the Shrine of the Book that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will also visit the Elah Valley where David slew Goliath (1 Kings 17), learn how he did it, and how to sling a stone in the same manner. We’ll then have a free afternoon to rest, re-visit holy sites in Jerusalem, and explore the Old City before we depart for Jordan the next day. Dinner and last night in Jerusalem.
Happy Sunday!
If ya can’t tell it from this pic, I was very tired!
Started the day with Mass. Great way to start the day in my opinion 😉
The stream where David selected 5 stones to use in his fight with Goliath! Couldn’t help but think of the Veggie Tales episode “Dave and the Giant Pickle”. 😂
“Then David took his shepherd’s staff. selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s pack, and with his sling in hand approached Goliath.”
The field where David killed Goliath.
(Like I said, I was thinking of Veggie Tales the entire time…)
David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lorddoes not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.”
Before leaving I was given this plant to try and it actually tasted pretty good.
It tasted like licorice.
We then went to the Israel Museum which had this model of the City of Jerusalem.
It’s kind of hard to tell from this picture but there is a wall in the middle splitting the old and new Jerusalem built Herod the great. The scale of the city is 1:50
In the picture above you can see where Jesus was tried by Pilate (the Fortress looking thing). Jesus would have come down those steps and out that gate that can be seen and would have been crucified on that tallish rock to the left of the gate.
This is the Second Temple
We then returned to the hotel for a free evening.
A friend and I went to see The Wailing Wall. Not sure how many sketch alleyways and side streets we walked to get here… Definitely a struggle.
Our last dinner in Jerusalem was
🔥
We actually went back to Bethlehem where we had dinner and a show.
…definitely became more culturally enriched.
Had lamb for dinner with a rice that had nuts and raisins in it 👌
And then said goodbye to our guide because he is unable to travel into Jordan.
Such a great guide. Hopefully I’ll see him again at some point in my life.
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 5 – Jerusalem
Let us enter into His dwelling; let us adore in the place where His feet have stood! – Psalm 131:7
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 1 (Days 0-2)
Day 7: Thursday, July 14
Today we spend the morning in the holy city of Jerusalem, walking in the footsteps of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. We rise early in the morning to walk the Via Dolorosa and pray the Stations of the Cross, culminating at the holiest shrine in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where we venerate Mount Calvary and the empty Tomb of Our Lord. After a mid-morning rest and lunch, we will visit Bethany and the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, where our Lord was accustomed to staying whenever He visited Jerusalem; we will also see the Tomb of Lazarus (John 11), the last of the miracles related by John before the Crucifixion. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
I was in a rush to get out the door so you don’t get the mirror shot. 😉
(I was in a rush because we had to be out the door promptly at 5AM.)
Started the day by following the same path of the Stations of the Cross!
It was such an amazing experience especially with the quiet streets!
Mount Calvary where Jesus died so that we may be set free from our sins.
I was actually able to touch the very stone where the cross stood! :,)
It was incredibly moving being in very spot where the ultimate sacrifice took place.
The stone slab where Jesus was prepared for the tomb.
I wish I could describe the smell of that stone slab because it was heavenly.
Golgotha, also known as The Place of the Skull, has been traditionally recognized has the place where Adam — the first human — was buried; and when the rock split during the earth quake Christ’s blood flowed down the crack and over the skull of Adam washing him in the blood of Christ cleaning him from his sin.
Below is one of pillars that Jesus was bound to when He was scourged. When our guide mentioned that it was, “one of the pillars” it raised a few questions from our group. Our guide elaborated saying something to the effect that, Jesus would have been scourged when He was held by the Sanhedrin as well as by the Romans twice. The first time was when Pilate found “no reason for death in Him” but wished to please the crowed and the second time was just before Pilate handed Christ over to be crucified. Our guide also went into detail on how Jesus would’ve been scourged saying that on top of using whips with knots or metal ends designed to rip and tear the skin, they would’ve thrown salt on the wounds in order to make sure that Jesus was still feeling the pain of the scourges. Just goes to show how much Christ endured for us out of love.
The place where St. Helen found The True Cross.
The chanting from a different group really set the mood…
Found out later that the group is called Harpa Dei.
We had to leave because we were scheduled for Mass at a different location but we got to go back to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre later.
After Mass we made our way to Bethany and to the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
This is a small mustard tree and those tiny black dots are mustard seeds!!!
“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
This is the church above the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
“Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die… Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go.”
Shawarma over looking Jerusalem
After getting back to the hotel, a group of us went back to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The following pictures are taken from underneath the Via Dolorosa. Instead of me trying to explain I found a video which was really helpful.
At the end of the day we went back to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and got to go into the tomb where Jesus was buried and rose from!!
This is the cave where Jesus was buried and rose from!!!
Wasn’t allowed to take take pictures inside but it was an incredible experience!
Such an incredibly blessed day full of emotion to say the least!
Day 8: Friday, July 15
We will start the day at the summit of the Mount of Olives to walk the road that our Lord used to take entering Jerusalem from Bethany, the route of Palm Sunday. Visit the Church of Pater Noster, one of the places our Lord taught His disciples to pray (Luke 11:1-4); Dominus Flevit, where our Lord wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44); the Garden of Gethse- mane and the Basilica of the Agony (Luke 22:39-44). After lunch at Ramat Rachel (overlooking Rachel’s Tomb, Gen. 35:19-20), we’ll visit Mt. Sion to see Dormition Abbey, the place where our Lady ended her earthly life before her glorious Assumption into heaven. Nearby is the Holy Cenacle, the Upper Room where our Lord ate His Last Supper (Mt. 26, Mk. 14; Lk. 22; Jn. 13), breathed on the Apostles after His Resurrection (John 20:22), and sent the Holy Ghost at Pentecost (Acts 1-2). From there, we’ll walk the short distance to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where our Lord was imprisoned the night before He died and where St. Peter denied Him three times. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
This is the area where Jesus wept over the City of Jerusalem.
You can see the Walls of Jerusalem. Obviously not the same walls that were there during the time of Christ but they’re still very old! (This wall was build in the 16th century.)
It was cool seeing a birds-eye view of the city and where everything was exactly.
This is the type of plant used for the crown of thorns.
Those thorns are about the length of a finger! I can’t imagine how painful that must have been for Our Lord. Our guide was saying that once they penetrate there are barbs that keep the thorn from being pulled out without causing pain. And if that wasn’t enough they also release a poison…
After Mass we walked down the hill on the path that Jesus would have taken on Palm Sunday!
The Garden of Gethsemane
I can see why Jesus would come here to pray!
My godfather made a really neat point, just like how an olive is pressed and oil comes out, Christ too was pressed by the weight of our sins to the point that sweat came out as drops of blood.
This tree is 2,000 years old which means it would’ve been a sapling that Jesus walked past when He was in the garden.
Another shot of the Church built over the rock in the garden of Gethsemane.
“Going a little father, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.””
A truly moving sight…
This is me being vulnerable with y’all but I have had many nights where I had tremendous anxiety/stress so much so that at times thought I couldn’t do it anymore and in those times I throw myself in desperation to the mercy of God and in those moments I remember how our Lord in His humanity underwent intense stress and anxiety in anticipation of the torture and death that He was about to undergo. There is nothing that we experience that God hasn’t experienced and I like to think during that time when Christ was under all the stress that He took upon Himself the stress and anxiety that the world experienced/experiences/experiencing and He sets an example for us in how to handle the stressful things that go on in our lives by turning to God in prayer pleading “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” We must remember that even though we may be going through a difficult time, so much so that we don’t think we can handle it anymore, we have to ask ourselves in those times what is God’s will. It’s possible that our will and His will are not aligned and it’s in those times that we need to ask for strength to see whatever we may be going through to the end just as Jesus did which led to the greatest moment of salvation history.
Out of the entire pilgrimage this place emotionally moved me the most. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking of it and the love God has for us to have undergone that emotional torment.
The second place where Jesus taught the Our Father…
“Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
It was really cool seeing the “Our Father” written in so many different languages!
This is the church over the place where Mother Mary was taken into Heaven!
We weren’t able to go inside due to major renovations but it was still really special.
Also visited the Upper Room where the Last Supper took place!!
Forgot to take pictures of the inside though… Probably because I was too in awe.
This church is over the spot where Peter denied Christ three times and also where Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin.
The pic above is us in the pit where our Lord was kept when awaiting trail by the Sanhedrin.
Massive aloe vera plant… I didn’t realize that they could be so big.
The steps Christ would’ve walked on as He was led to His trial before Pilate.
“Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”
Yet another GREAT DAY!!!
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 4 – Bethlehem
Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 1 (Days 0-2)
Day 6: Wednesday, July 13
In the morning, we will journey to the hill country of Judea surrounding Jerusalem to visit Ein Kerem, where lived Zachary and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist (Luke 1). At the top of the hill stands the Basilica of the Visitation, where Our Lady met Elizabeth and pronounced her “Magnificat”, and at the bottom is the place where Zachary prophesied his “Benedictus”. Then we will journey to Bethlehem to see the fields where the shepherds received the “good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2) and visit the Basilica of the Nativity, where our Lord was born. Under that Basilica, an ancient monastery, lies the grotto where St. Jerome lived for 34 years, producing our monumental Vulgate translation of Holy Scripture, as well as numerous scriptural commentaries and theological works. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
In the morning, we will journey to the hill country of Judea surrounding Jerusalem to visit Ein Kerem, where lived Zachary and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist (Luke 1). At the top of the hill stands the Basilica of the Visitation, where Our Lady met Elizabeth and pronounced her “Magnificat”, and at the bottom is the place where Zachary prophesied his “Benedictus”. Then we will journey to Bethlehem to see the fields where the shepherds received the “good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2) and visit the Basilica of the Nativity, where our Lord was born. Under that Basilica, an ancient monastery, lies the grotto where St. Jerome lived for 34 years, producing our monumental Vulgate translation of Holy Scripture, as well as numerous scriptural commentaries and theological works. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
About to go spend the day in the City of David, Bethlehem!
But first a quick pic for 5 of my friends (they are the only ones who are gonna get this)…
“We got milk, MmmHmm… And honey, Oooh-yeaahhh.”
(Shout out to Fr. Theo – Quo Vadis Days – for this amazing line which I will never forget.)
The Walls of Bethlehem
I didn’t even know this was a thing. Sad story…
We stopped at this Christian store for 2 hours!
One guy sang the Our Father in Hebrew for us which was really neat.
These handmade carvings and jewelry were so cool but just too expensive for this broke college kid…
This was on the cheaper side of things!
The Shepherd’s Fields
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Can’t see them well in the picture but there are actually sheep in the valley down below.
Also served Mass in one of the Shepherd’s Caves which was incredible.
Below is some of the artwork of the chapel on top of the hill above the caves.
Jesus’ Birth Place – Bethlehem
“Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.”
The spot where the manger was kept!
Very moving to say the least.
This is the cave where the Holy Innocents were buried which is part of the same cave where Christ was born! Below are some of the remains that were found of the Holy Innocents; the first martyrs for Christ.
A relic of the Nativity Manger!
The skulls pictured above are those of monks who passed way while living in the caves near where Jesus was born.
The popemobile used by Pope Francis during his 2013 Bethlehem pilgrimage.
Our last stop was the Carmel in Bethlehem.
Took that rose picture for you, Mom! <3
Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified – I didn’t know anything about here at all till visiting this Carmel but she has a very interesting story.
This is also the place where David was anointed king!
Lots of amazing things happening next so stay tuned for part 5…
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