The "International" South

So it was time for me to get out and get ready for New Year's Day by purchasing the standard black-eyed peas and sauerkraut/kielbasa (every year on new Year's Day we eat black-eyed peas with ham and sauerkraut with kielbasa). I hadn't purposely looked for "Southern" food in the grocery store since we moved here, but today when I found the aisle with the black-eyed peas I couldn't help but chuckle and take out my camera for a snapshot. Apparently here in New England, "Southern" food is considered "International" because right there between the Mexican and Chinese food, there it was— the "Southern" section. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!"


~Sarah E. Rose~

A Todhunter Christmas

Since we've been married (eight years now), we've previously only shared one Christmas with Sarah's dad and stepmom. Separated by distance and little available vacation time in the past, we opted to spend most of our holidays near our home in Tennessee. The last six months living near once distant relatives has been a gift in itself, so spending today with Mike and Robbin was just another treat to an already blessed year. We visited with family and friends, and like most people on Christmas, ate our way through the day! We finished the evening off with some games and our favorite gift exchange, the White Elephant.

More Snow

Today we were hit with the second of the two storms Connecticut was in line to get this weekend. We are pretty faithful to our Sunday morning mass so we braved the weather and headed to church as usual this morning; however, there weren't that many people there. Although Connecticut gets several snow storms throughout the winter months, we have noticed that the roads are less traveled during the flurries and most people seem to stay put until it stops. We are learning to adjust to it and enjoy venturing out to see the virgin snow before the plow trucks come and dirty the white canvas.

Mangiafico's Pastry Shoppe

Since moving up here, one of the things we've enjoyed most is the opportunity to experience different cultures through locally owned shops and restaurants. When we first moved into our apartment, Sarah's dad and stepmom gave us a package of coffee and a tray of delicious cookies from their favorite Italian bakery, Mangiafico's Pastry Shoppe, in Plainville, Connecticut. Sarah's dad was headed to Mangiafico's today to pick up an assortment of pastries for Christmas and invited us to tag along since we had yet to visit this family owned bakery. There still was a lot of snow on the ground from yesterday's storm, but that didn't prevent us or the other Mangiafico's customers from venturing out for the Italian sweets. What a delight for the senses! From the moment we walked into the bakery, we knew we had already consumed a few calories just by breathing in the almond scented air. The bakery was full of vibrant, colorful confections, many of which we had never seen before. Of course, there was a line, but we didn't mind since it gave Sarah time to take some photographs of the beautiful pastries and cookies. We even sampled a few of their creations while waiting for Sarah's dad to place his order for his holiday cookies. This caloric excursion was a perfect match for the cold winter day!

Snow!

Okay, so we are starting to understand that this white stuff comes pretty regularly up here. From what we've been told by other Nutmeggers (that is what Connecticut residents call themselves), today we were hit with a medium-size snow storm. Although we are only responsible for shoveling the snow off of the steps leading up to our apartment, Sarah picked up a shovel and gave shoveling snow a try around the house— even tried the snow blower too! We then went out for some "no-one's-on-the-road-so-let's-visit-the-empty-stores" shopping in Sarah's dad's four wheel drive Nissan Pathfinder and had fun skidding on the turns and going up and down the hills of Bristol (at least everyone had fun doing the sliding EXCEPT Sarah). They are forecasting another storm for Sunday and next Wednesday so it looks like we'll definitely have a white Christmas too. As a matter of fact, we're probably in for our first long, white winter!

Thematic Photographic

Carmi, at his blog Written, Inc., has posted a new subject for his regular weekly thematic photographic project. This week’s project is "quiet" and there is something about this time of year that speaks very softly to me. Sometimes we need breathers, breaks from the hustle and bustle of the holidays, to stop and remember, "Peace Be With You. Be Still. Quiet."

Today I got a much needed and unexpected break in my day. Thanks to the snowstorm that's slowly made it's way across the United States, my employer let us go home early in anticipation of the snowfall. By the time I left the office and got on the road, the snow was falling pretty heavily. By the time I arrived home twenty minutes later, it was falling even more heavily and accumulating everywhere it landed. Having just moved up to Connecticut from Tennessee over the summer, heavy snow is something unusual for me (or at least as far back as I can remember as I'm told I experienced a lot of snow when I was a toddler in Indiana). For me there is something very peaceful and still about the winter months. Maybe it's the fact that things tend to slow down more, or maybe it's something as simple as newly fallen snow that reminds us to quiet down and take things a little slower. I'm sure the long winter months of New England will give me much time for reflection.

I have no purposely sought out photographs for this week's entry other than a picture of our house in the snow that I took just moments ago when I arrived home. The other picture of the red building on the water is a picture I took this summer in Canton, Connecticut— about 30 minutes from our home in Bristol. It is an old factory that sits on the side of the Farmington River. It's since been converted into a museum and antiques store— quite picturesque and quiet looking, wouldn't you say? My third and final entry this week is a picture I took of Rosemarie, my stepmother's mom, this Thanksgiving. Her sister and last sibling, Cha, passed away Thanksgiving Day. Although her passing was expected, death is never easy for those of us left behind. Rosemarie sat quietly most of that day in her sunroom. Although she didn't say much, her eyes were telling and her thoughts distant.




~Sarah E. Rose~

First Snow of Winter 2008/2009

Okay, so we understand that to pretty much everyone else in Connecticut, snow isn't really that big of a deal, but we were excited to get our first snow of the winter! It actually started snowing on us last night while we were traveling home from a concert. We decided to take Baden out this morning in his sweater to see how well he would tolerate it. Needless to say, he will probably be getting a little coat and booties too because he didn't seem to pleased with the cold white stuff!

Behold the Lamb of God Concert

Tonight we took the youth group to see a concert in New Milford, Connecticut. The concert, Behold the Lamb of God, was written, arranged and performed by Andrew Peterson along with several other talented musicians. This concert marked the beginning of an all night program we had prepared for the youth group. Unfortunately though, Justin got pretty sick at the concert with an intense headache so we weren't able to go back to the church with the youth. The concert was still pretty amazing and I understand from speaking with the other youth ministers that the "Advent Sleepover" was also a huge hit as well.

~Sarah E. Rose~

Annual Christmas Baking

Every year I take off from work on the first Friday in December to start my Christmas baking and candy making. This has become a tradition for me and a move to Connecticut wasn't going to slow this woman down!

Each year I've done this, I've been fortunate to have different friends come over to help me with the baking and the day will usually include some Christmas music and/or some favorite Christmas movies playing in the background. This year my stepmother Robbin, her sister Deb, and their mother Rosemarie came up to our apartment to help. This was definitely the smallest kitchen I've ever had to work in for my Christmas baking day, but with Rosemarie washing dishes the whole afternoon and my Hoosier cabinet counter-top pulled out, we made the space work. Baden was even entertained with a stuffed gingerbread dog toy my mom sent up for his St. Nick's present!

Here is a list of this year's goodies:

• Dark Chocolate Covered Mini Nutter Butters
• White Chocolate Covered Mini Golden Oreos
• White Chocolate Covered Homemade Mounds Candy
• Dark Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls a.k.a "Buckeyes"
• Chocolate Crinkles
• Swedish Sugar Cookies
• Mint Meltaways
• Russian Teacake Cookies
• Lights in the Snow
• Grandpa Jim Cookies a.k.a. "Holiday Spritz Pressed Cookies"
• Peppermint Bark

As usual, we had a great time and although I didn't get everything finished, thanks to my helpers, I got a great start on this year's Christmas baking.

~Sarah E. Rose~

Wordle

I ran across "Wordle" on another blog and have just had a BLAST playing with it. Give it the words you want, choose your font and layout, and viola!!!! Click here and give it a try.

~Sarah E. Rose~

This Grasshopper Has Grown!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Marianne Williamson from A Return to Love

Sometimes we need reminders of how far we’ve come. Not only have I traveled a great distance to the state of Connecticut, but I’ve also grown in so many other ways in the past few months, let alone years. It wasn’t until tonight that I truly realized how much.

I started a new job in the summer of 2004 with an acquaintance I remembered only vaguely from my teenage years. Funny thing was, neither he nor I were looking for full-time permanent work, but our temporary job turned out to be a three year long position and the beginning of a new career for both of us.

By the time I started that job, I was angry at the world and very bitter in general. I had very little self esteem and I didn’t understand what qualities I possessed or what others saw in me. I did not value or even love myself. God knew all this and brought me to a place where I could be healed.

Through this rekindled friendship, I slowly began to work on becoming the person I am today. My friend would always know what to say and would give me words of encouragement. I looked forward to these life lessons and especially loved the nickname, Grasshopper, he used when he was trying to teach me something. He actually sent me this Marianne Williamson quote in 2004 and I had all but forgotten about it until I ran across it tonight. I don't think I truly understood what he wanted me to get out of it until now. Only when you learn to love yourself do you begin to realize and see all that God is doing in your life.

I am so proud of who I am today. I acknowledge my flaws, but I also now see my many gifts too. It's not always easy and I do have my moments, but I don't think I would be the person I am today without my dear friend, Shannon. So, here's to you Shannon! Watch me shine because this Grasshopper has grown!

~Sarah E. Rose~

_______________________________________________________________

Shannon preached the homily on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Click here to listen to his message about addiction and recovery.

A Lesson from Boy Scouts

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." Mark 13:32-33

Twenty-five days until Christmas. Twenty-five days that many people will spend decorating, baking, shopping, planning, partying, caroling, giving, and receiving. And, for those of you who are the forgetful type, you will be reminded by countless commercials and store fliers keeping you updated on the countdown to December 25th. But, it's not Christmas for which we should be preparing.

Today marks the beginning of the season of Advent; the beginning of a new Church year. The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival" and perfectly describes this season of anticipation. We are right in our celebration of Christ's birth in His first coming, but what many people inadvertently forget this time of year is that the Church is doing a lot more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. We are awaiting in anticipation for His second coming and return as Christ the King. You could say that this season focuses on both the past and the future; Christ has come, He is present in the world today, and He will come again in power.

Today's Gospel reading reminds us of His second coming. Like the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared," we too must be prepared for Christ's return because we "do not know when that time will come." Although we look forward to and anticipate the Messiah who will bring peace and justice to the world, we must also remember that part of that return will include a judgement on sin and accountability before God.

So as you begin your holiday preparations this year, reflect on a season that means more than just the Christ child in a manager. Ready your hearts for His return. "Be Prepared!" You do not know when that time will come.

Mamoul

One of the things I enjoy most about living in our new state is the opportunity to experience a different ethnic menagerie of personalities and cultures. When we first moved here, we emailed our friends and family about the many locally owned Italian restaurants. In addition to the large Italian population, there is also a large Polish population as well. We enjoy taking every opportunity to meet new people and experience new culturally unique customs and today proved to be one of those opportunites.

A newly hired coworker brought cookies into the office today that his wife had made. Now, eating sweets in the office around the holidays is not unusual; however, the cookies he brought were a new experience for me. My coworker's wife is Lebanese and she made some Lebanese filled cookies known as "Mamoul." Mamoul are Middle Eastern cookies typically prepared for special holidays such as Easter or Christmas. They are made with semolina flour, scented with rose or orange flower water and are filled with walnuts, pistachios, or dates. Each cookie is formed in a specifically designed wooden mold and the mold design used indicates what filling is inside the cookie. They are very dense and taste like a mildly sweet cross between marzipan and shortbread.

I love baking so I scoured the Internet for more information on Mamoul and found a few promising recipes (click here for a recipe). I'm not sure when I will get a chance to make them myself, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to have tried this new culinary treat!

~Sarah E. Rose~

Thanksgiving: Realizing Plenty

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

Thanksgiving is not, in itself, a religious holiday but it does give us time to pause and reflect on our blessings and give thanks to God. As humans, we tend to focus on what we don’t have, what we want rather than need, and what our lives would be like if things in general were different.

The definition of thanksgiving – the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God – is often lost in the rush of this American holiday. Between setting the table, roasting the turkey, mashing the potatoes, and baking the sweets, we seemed to have lost the grateful heart this holiday once embodied.

While visiting with family and friends today, take the time to give thanks to God for your many blessings. Be thankful for all that you have and even for what you don't have. Realize what is plenty and give thanks to God with a grateful heart.

Youth Group at GIFT

Today the youth group at Our Lady of Mercy participated in the GIFT program after the 9:30am Mass. Generations in Faith Together (GIFT) is an excellent program for all ages designed to clarify the tenants of our Catholic faith. Today we learned about different aspects of the church, from the alter to the baptismal font. We even had a hands on experiment in making bread while learning about all the "ingredients" that go into our Sunday Mass.

8.6lbs of Terror Strikes Again!

A week ago, we posted an entry concerning our dog, Baden (Bot-Bot)– or as we referred to him in the post, our 8.6lbs of Terror! For those of you who remain unconvinced of Baden’s total destructive capacity, keep reading.

I came home late this evening after visiting with a friend only to discover that our sweet Bot-Bot had struck again. We have a comfortable, but outdated, loveseat in our living room with one of those Sure-Fit slip covers on it. One of the things they recommend doing to keep the slipcover tucked in neatly is to stuff swimming pool foam noodles down into the creases. Apparently in his boredom, Baden dug up the foam noodle and decided it must be quickly eradicated, killed, annihilated, and exterminated. All that remained when I returned home is the orange foam shrapnel you see below…

~Sarah E. Rose~

Throwing in the Towel!

At the beginning of the month, we accepted the NaBloPoMo challenge to commit to at least one posting a day on our blog for the whole month of November. And, try as I might to post daily, I just can't seem to do it. What I did do, though, was use my legal experience to find a loophole in the blog system— you can assign any date to your posting when you post it, so I have been retroactively posting my entries as I had time. What I didn't take into account was that there were some devoted readers out there who were visiting on a daily basis, my brother Matthew being one of them.

I haven't talked to Matthew for quite a while now, and leave it to two 20-something siblings (okay, so I'm 30 now) to have that overdue conversation in the form of text messaging. Yesterday I sent him a text inquiring if he had been keeping up with the blog, which he had. He then asked, "What's with the daily post thing?" I admitted to him that I was averaging one post per day, just not posting them on a daily basis. He replied, "Yeah I noticed that when there weren't any posts and then all of a sudden four in a row!!" My secret was out. For a brief moment I felt like a failure, that is until he texted me again and said, "Well, you don't see me trying to do it!" And, with that comment, I knew he was complimenting me.

Creating the blog has been a huge undertaking, but even without our readers, "Called to Connecticut" has become an important therapeutic project for us. I tried to keep up with a daily post, but my schedule just didn't permit it so we will go back to our regular sporadic postings. To our die hard readers: Don't worry! Check the blog often; we usually post something at least a couple of times a week.

So yeah, we're throwing in the towel on the NaBloPoMo challenge. Talk about a HUGE relief!!! Thanks Matthew!

~Sarah E. Rose~

Thematic Photographic

Carmi, at his blog Written, Inc., has posted a new subject for his regular weekly thematic photographic project. This week’s project is “rows" and ever since this subject was revealed, I've been anxious to take my weekly photos.

I missed so many wonderful opportunities this week to take pictures of "rows" in my daily life because I've been forgetting to carry my camera with me. Friday night was especially perfect— I left work rather late and a light rain was falling. I saw a perfect photo opportunity in the row of security lights hovering over the empty parking lot in the misty rain. Perfect, perfect, perfect!!! But I didn't have my camera and my camera phone just wouldn't have measured up to my standards. Lesson learned!

It wasn't until just now when I was sulking over my loss at participating in this week's project that I realized I have a perfect example of rows in my own apartment— our radiator! So here's my entry this week. Enjoy!

~Sarah E. Rose~

Peanut Butter Temptations

Today was the annual Christmas Boutique at our parish, Our Lady of Mercy in Plainville, Connecticut. I am a member of the Ladies Guild and was asked to bake something for the bake sale. Immediately I thought of my favorite fall classic, Peanut Butter Temptations, and decided to share the recipe here.

Peanut Butter Temptations
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
48 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar and butter. Stir in the peanut butter, then the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the peanut butter mixture until the dough comes together. Shape into 1 inch balls (I use my small Pampered Chef scoop) and drop them into the cups of an ungreased mini muffin pan.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a mini chocolate covered peanut butter cup down into the center of each cookie until only the top is showing. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from their pans.

~Sarah E. Rose~

I heart him... *sigh*

I love my husband. I love everything about him, even when he drives me crazy. I've always been a gal who's a sucker for a man in uniform so I must admit that it is an added bonus that Justin has always had a job that required him to wear one. Here he is in his Schwan's uniform. Isn't he just adorable? I heart him... *sigh*

~Sarah E. Rose~

Thursday's Thought

What if we were "Called to Connecticut" not because Connecticut needed us, but because we needed Connecticut?

Wordless Wednesdays

In Remembrance of Those Who Served

Thematic Photographic

Carmi, at his blog Written, Inc., has posted a new subject for his regular weekly thematic photographic project. This week’s project is “autumn" but I must say that it's a little late for those of us in New England.

Our first northeastern fall was absolutely breathtaking. For weeks, every trip outside was full of new and vibrant colors. First came the orange, then the reds, and finally the yellow. Unfortunately, autumn doesn't last forever up here and many of the trees only have a few stubborn leaves left, hanging on to the last of 2008.

Nonetheless, I took out my camera today on my day off and took a few pictures of what little autumn remains here in Bristol Connecticut. Some leaves on the ground, the last yellow of the area foliage, and a school bus through the trees are all things that remind me of autumn.

~Sarah E. Rose~

The Adoption Option

Ever since we've been married, the one thing we've wanted most is children. Early on in our marriage we were told by several doctors that conceiving a child of our own would be difficult, if not impossible. However, five years into our marriage and without any medical intervention we found out that we were pregnant with our miracle baby. His days were numbered though, and he spent only a short 41 weeks with us before he left to become one of God's little angels. It's been over two years since his birth and we still remain without any living children. We know that fertility treatments give many couples options now, but our faith and the Catholic Church teaches against the use of many of those methods. That only leaves us with one other option, the adoption option.

We've been thinking a lot more about adoption these days. Growing older, albeit some would argue that we are still relatively young, puts a new perspective on our lives. One of the many reasons we moved to Connecticut was to simplify our lives and get our finances in order, but the thought of adoption and it's price tag of well into the tens of thousands of dollars looks more like a distant dream than a possibility.

One of the recurring themes in our prayer is our prayer for children, but it has always been just that, a prayer for children. We are growing in our spirituality these days so we've learned lately that it's not enough to pray for an answer, but that we have to listen to what that answer is, even if it is not how we wanted it. Of course we want our own children, what couple wouldn't? But eight years into our marriage now we are beginning to wonder if we are even listening to God's answer and praying for His will in this situation. After all, having a whole house full of our biological children would not be a blessing if we didn't follow the path God wanted us to take.

So right now we are sitting still and listening— still learning about all of our options, but doing it with an open mind and an open heart. God knows our wants, but He is also the only One who truly knows our needs. So we'll pray, wait, and listen.

8.6lbs of Terror

Today we took Baden to the vet for his regular toenail-clipping and to refill his heartworm prevention medicine. As we had expected, he hasn't gained any weight and still remains a trim 8.6 pounds.

One of the things we find so amusing about Baden is his complete lack of self-awareness concerning his small size. When we lived on the farm and he chased away small fury creatures and other dogs, he always did so with our 160lb Great Pyrenees Charlie right behind him. We didn't think Charlie would do so well with a move from a 350 acre farm to a 750 square foot apartment, so we left him behind in the care of Justin's mother, Dee. Baden, however, sometimes forgets that he is alone now, and still chases after everything with as much tenacity as he did with Charlie right behind him.

Another Baden amusement is his obsession with stuffed toys, or more precisely, the stuffing contained within the stuffed toys. In our quest to give him good quality toys, we've purchased items with such claims as "chewguard," "for your heavy chewer," "tough toy," and "indestructible;" however, they all fail our little 8.6lb terror test. Baden can completely destroy all those toys and then some within the first five minutes of playtime. Don't believe us? See for yourself:

This was a stuffed dragon toy we purchased at the petstore for $15. We paid a hefty price for this one because it featured "chewguard" technology and was supposed to be "virtually indestructible." Of course, they obviously did not have Baden as part of the test group for this toy (notice the detached head). Did we mention that it was literally the same size as he is?

This was a stuffed monkey dog toy we purchased for him. It did have two legs and two arms. It has been completely de-stuffed and is now missing some extremities.

This was a stuffed lamb dog toy Sarah's mother gave him for Easter (yes, in the absence of grandchildren, the fury grandkid gets doted on). It has no stuffing left and the tip of it's face is missing.

A few more of his disemboweled formerly stuffed toys.

Praying for Obama

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Timothy 2:1-2

If you've followed our blog, you know well that we were McCain/Palin supporters to the end. Sarah even took a day off of work to attend a Sarah Palin rally in New Hampshire. But even with the phone calls, t-shirts, yard signs, and campaigning in general, our presidential choice did not win.

We voted for McCain for many reasons; however, we'll leave them unsaid for now. The nation has chosen it's next president and, as one of our former youth has reminded us, we need to accept that choice, unite as a country, and support him. Obama may not have been our choice, but he is obviously God's.

One of the things we've started to do more of lately is pray. We are keeping a journal of our prayer requests and praises and are praying more fervently than ever before. We are taking things to God now that we would have never considered in the past. One of those things is our new President Elect Barack Hussein Obama.

The Presidential Prayer Team is a great online resource we've found for guidance on praying for our leaders, especially our president. We were delighted to find this website and found it's content a great tool for our prayer journal and our prayers for our country and President Elect Obama.

So yeah, we are a little (okay maybe a lot) disappointed in the election results this week, but we do know that God uses everything for His glory and our country's leadership is no exception. That being said, we also know that there is a lot of healing needed in this country and Obama might be the person to help us do that. Keep him in your prayers.

No Narcissist Here!!!

Absolutely, without a doubt, you will hardly ever see me post pictures of myself anywhere, even on our own blog. However, yesterday's "wordless" entry was my anomaly.

Since moving to Connecticut, I have lost close to 20lbs. Not a small feat for me as I tend to be a yo-yo dieter. Most of our family and friends don't see us regularly anymore so I decided to share a picture of my thinner face with everyone through a blog posting. I would love to be one of those "big" success stories (no pun intended) and lose another 80lbs, but I'll take it as it comes in small steps. Ten pounds at a time is my immediate goal.

So, no, you don't have to worry. I haven't become so captivated by my looks that you will see pictures of me posted regularly. I just decided to share another one of my journeys, weight loss. No narcissist here!

~Sarah E. Rose~

Wordless Wednesdays

Get Out and Vote!!!!

Today is the big day. Everything that has been building up over the past several months will now be decided by today's votes.

We woke up at 5:30am this morning to vote. Our voting place is only 2 blocks away from our house, but we wanted to be some of the first voters in line for when it opened at 6:00am. If you know us or keep up with our blog, you know that we voted for McCain/Palin. Obviously we'd like more people to vote for McCain than Obama, but more importantly, we'd just like to see people get out and vote.

Throw out the argument that your vote doesn't matter! Stop complaining about the electoral college! Quit focusing on the mud-slinging politics and pick a candidate whose views closely match your own! As Americans, voting is one of our most prized freedoms and a terrible thing to waste. Get out today and VOTE!!!

Thematic Photographic

Carmi, at his blog Written, Inc., has posted another interesting subject for his regular weekly thematic photographic project. This week’s project is “night" and I must admit that this assignment is a little depressing after yesterday's time change. We enjoyed the extra long days and late evenings of our first northern summer, but when I left work at 5:00pm today and noticed that it was already dark as midnight, I realized that my long summer days came with a trade off.

This has to be one of my favorite night time pictures. I took this picture this summer over one of our many "fire-pit" conversations with my Dad and stepmother, Robbin. I've always found fires fascinating and the dance of the flames quite luring so it's not surprising that I felt compelled to capture this fire's spell with my camera.

~Sarah E. Rose~

All Soul's Day & Soulcakes

Today is All Soul's Day, a predominantly Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away. Since it is also Sunday, in addition to celebrating the day at this morning's mass, we also decided to incorporate some All Soul's Day traditions in our youth group meeting this afternoon. Instead of a regular meeting at the parish center, we decided to meet at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Plainville, Connecticut. We said prayers for our deceased loved ones, wrote our own epitaphs, searched the cemetery for names, prayed the rosary, and enjoyed hot apple cider with soulcakes. Now, we had never tasted a soulcake before, let alone ever heard of one until one of the other youth ministers offered to make these for our youth group meeting today. Apparently in some cultures, it was customary for people to travel from home to home on All Soul's Day offering prayers for the dead while asking for soulcakes. These were a tasty treat on this cold autumn afternoon so we asked for the recipe to share with others (with our friend's notes; we haven't tried the recipe yet ourselves).

Oat Cakes
from Glenghorm Resort Ingonish, Nova Scotia (with small adaptations)
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Flour
3 Cups Rolled Oats (instant is fine)
2 Cups Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda

DIRECTIONS
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Cut in well: 2 Cups Shortening

Add 1/2 Cup Cold Water by stirring a bit of water into a portion of mixture at a time and continuing to work a bit at a time. (So that you don't stir all of of it together at the same time. I understand that will toughen the dough.)

Roll out to 1/4 inch thick in oats sprinkled generously on the rolling surface. (I used a floured pastry cloth and then sprinkled oats on it. Without the flour on the cloth, the dough stuck.)

Cut into about 3 inch squares. Place on cookie sheets about 1/4 inch apart. Sprinkle with a few additional oats, if desired.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. (I baked them for 20 minutes.)

NaBloPoMo

We've gotten great feedback from our friends and family about our adoption of this blog. Neither one of us have ever really journaled before, so keeping up with "Called to Connecticut" can sometimes be a real challenge for us. We recently found out that this month is National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) and have decided that we should participate. NaBloPoMo is a personal challenge for bloggers to commit to at least one posting per day for a month — now that is a lot of blogging! So get ready to be reading a lot this month because we're accepting the challenge and are excited about participating in our first NaBloPoMo!!!!!!

Excited to be "Unplugged"

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16

Prior to moving to Connecticut, we sold quite a few of our belongings. In addition to not wanting to move everything we owned 2,000 miles away, we also knew that our new apartment was only 750 cozy square feet – about 1,250 square feet less than the spacious house we had in Somerville, Tennessee. It wasn’t until we started selling a lot of our possessions that we began to realize the value of simplifying, not to mention the added benefit of making some much needed cash for the move.

One of the things we coveted most was our television – and we didn’t have just one in the house, we had four!! Prior to the move, we decided to sell ALL of our televisions with the plan of getting a new, flat-screen HDTV. We figured we deserved something new and, after all, they are pretty to look at. But, the finances didn’t go as planned once we moved and after a meeting with the “ways and means committee” (a combination of Quicken and our Excel budget spreadsheet), we decided to nix the new television plans until after the new year and watch television through our computer in the meantime. And we did. The computer was hooked up to cable box and it worked like a charm!

The funny thing about feeling “called” to be somewhere is that you also need to abandon yourself to God completely or you will miss your purpose. But with so many distractions in our lives these days it can be very hard to hear Him. After a thorough evaluation, we realized that one of our biggest distractions and consumers of time was our television and a quick call to the cable company solved the problem.

So far the decision has been freeing, similar to the way we felt when we sold some of our belongings prior to the move. Television can be a form of bondage, and for us it was. Our free hours were once spent mindlessly in front of the TV. Now we can read, study God’s word, or even better, spend more time in prayer. So yeah, you could say that we are excited to now be “unplugged.”

While I'm Waiting

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2

I’m tired, moody, and cranky – and, until yesterday afternoon, I didn't realize why. November 2, 2005 is a day I’ll never forget; that’s the day we found out that God had blessed us with a miracle. That was the day we found out that I was pregnant. And it didn’t dawn on me until yesterday that we were coming up on that three year anniversary.

Time and time again, people ask us how we do it – how do we continue to face each new day after something as traumatic as losing a child? The answer is simple – we trust God. We trust God in the plan that He has for us. We trust that through Gus’s death, God was glorified. We trust that God will give us the children He wants us to have. This is how we deal with the pain; this is how we push forward. It's not easy though. We aren’t perfect and many times I feel lost, disappointed, and let down by God. But it is in these weak moments that God continues to remind me of His promise and love for us. In a way, He gives us our mini-rainbows. So, it wasn’t a surprise that when I saw the movie “Fireproof” this past Saturday that God gave me another reminder to patiently accept the life He has given me through the form of the song , “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller:

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Several months after losing Gus my father reminded me off my name and my biblical namesakes. No intention by my parents I’m sure, but I am named after the two most well known barren women of the bible, Sarah and Elizabeth. Both of those women waited a long time for God to answer their prayers so I, too, will wait. I’m still working on the patience part, but I have absolute confidence that God is bigger than any trial, sorrow, or pain that I face and He won’t let me face ANYTHING alone. I love Him completely and I know that He hasn’t forgotten, nor will he ever forget about me. Faithfully I will wait, yes, I will wait.

~Sarah E. Rose~

Wordless Wednesdays

Fireproof

Last night we went out with another church group to see the new movie “Fireproof.” The movie, filmed in Albany Georgia, was the brainchild of Sherwood Baptist Church. Kirk Cameron, a teenage heartthrob from our younger years, played the main character, Fireman Caleb Holt. The movie was released to movie theaters on September 26, 2008 and, costing only $500,000 to make, has already grossed over $20 million!

The story is about a young couple who have been married for seven years and their broken marriage which is on the brink of divorce. Cameron’s character is challenged by his father to commit to a 40-day experiment: “The Love Dare.” He first starts out the experiment half-heartedly, only doing the minimum to get by. After receiving no response from his wife, he grows frustrated and asks his father, “How am I supposed to show love to somebody who constantly rejects me?” It is then that he realizes what his marriage is missing – Christ. He makes a life changing commitment to God, and with God’s help, begins to understand what it truly means to love his wife. After many selfless acts, he is able to convince his wife of his love for her and draws her closer to God through his example of selfless love.

The movie is based on the old firefighter's adage, “Never leave your partner behind” and the production was so committed to this message that Kirk Cameron’s wife was actually flown in for the final scene so he could kiss his real wife instead of the actress playing his screen wife!

We were so moved by this movie that we’ve decided to take “The Love Dare” ourselves. We encourage everyone to see this powerful, life-changing movie. One of our favorite quotes (listed in the column on the right) is by St. Ignatius Loyola, “Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.” Imagine what He would do for your marriage if you only invited Him in!!!!!

New Hampshire Victory Rally - Meeting SARAH PALIN!!!

I just arrived home from the New Hampshire Victory Rally with Sarah Palin and I am PUMPED!!!!

I started my morning at the Connecticut GOP Headquarters in South Hartford. From there I joined about 30 other Connecticut Republicans and boarded a bus headed for Salem, New Hampshire. We arrived around 2:00pm and quickly got to work on the phones making calls to registered Republican voters to remind them to get out and vote. The local campaign office provided us with cell phones and scripts, and I must say we were pretty efficient at it; our small group made over 2,000 calls during our two hours there. Then, we boarded our bus and headed over to the high school to get in line for the rally. There were so MANY people and I was relieved to see only a small handful of protestors. We had to go through Secret Service to get into the event through a process similar to airport security. From there I spent the rest of the night standing in front of the stage. Sarah was absolutely beautiful and charming as always. She brought the “First Dude” Todd out with her and he sat behind her the whole time smiling and looking at her with the most supportive and loving eyes. After she spoke, she took time out for some autographs and I am excited to say that I was able to get her autograph on her September 15, 2008 Newsweek cover!!!

It was a very exciting day for me and I’m glad I made the decision to go and be a part of this historical election. Don’t forget to get out and vote McCain/Palin on Tuesday, November 4th!!!!!

~Sarah E. Rose~

Wordless Wednesdays

40 Days for Life Eucharistic Adoration

Praised be Jesus Christ!

This morning, after the 8:00am daily mass, our parish started a 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration as part of the 40 Days for Life campaign. The youth group was asked to lead a directed hour of adoration from 7:00pm – 8:00pm; we started off by singing Remnant Band’s version of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, then read Psalm 57, then entered a 20-minute period of silence, followed by singing the song “Breathe.” The service was absolutely beautiful – the spirit was present, God was watching, and Christ was with us. One of the most amazing parts of our Catholic faith is the Eucharist and how more glorious of a way to celebrate that than through Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament!?!

We post a lot of different things here – what we do, pictures for our family and friends, our personal travels, and outings with the youth group – but we’d be remiss if we never spoke of the most important thing in our lives. It’s in our title, “Called to Connecticut.” It’s why we are here. It’s why we are called to youth ministry. It’s what we experienced tonight. Immanuel. God with us.

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever more!

Thematic Photographic

Another blogger, Carmi, at the blog Written, Inc. posts a regular weekly thematic photographic project. This week’s project was “grounded.” I knew right away when I read this assignment that I wanted to post a picture of the fall leaves in our front yard. We were busy this weekend so I decided that when we got home from our outings that I would capture the leaves with my camera. I should’ve known that my landlord, who is also my green-thumb father, wouldn’t allow the leaves to litter his yard for very long and while we were away cleaned up the yard and discarded my photographic canvas! I was off of work today for Columbus Day and should’ve realized sooner that New England in all of her fall glory would not allow me to be disappointed for long – by this afternoon I had another beautiful canvas to work with and this time dear ol' dad was away on a business trip!

A couple more entries I have for this project are my favorite shoes which I would say see nothing but the ground…

And my favorite little fury munchkin, who is very close to the ground with his low back and short legs...

~Sarah E. Rose~

Another American Revolution History Lesson

The Bristol Historical Society hosted a “Walk and Talk” tour of a Revolutionary War Cemetery on Downs Street that was just down the road from our apartment. Re-enactment enthusiast, Tom Angels, was there in traditional period garb and gave us a brief lecture on the life of a soldier from the Fifth Connecticut Regiment during the American Revolution. Since moving to New England, it has been refreshing to see and learn about the Revolutionary War; growing up in the South, the only historical war ever talked about and re-enacted was the Civil War.

During today’s history lesson, we were able to view some of the clothing, tools, and weapons used by the men during the late 1700s. Justin was especially interested in the Bayonet, Musket, and Mortar – you could say that he got a live dose of the History and Military Channels combined!!!

In addition to this fun and educational outing, we also had the opportunity to visit with some of Sarah’s family for lunch. Two of Sarah’s dad’s cousins were passing through the area while on vacation together with their spouses. It was a nice surprise and a brief reunion for this group of Todhunters. Once again, another beautiful afternoon for the Roses in their new home in Connecticut!

Coastal Daytrip

It has been a while since we’ve had a daytrip excursion and around noon today we decided it was too beautiful to stay at home so we hopped in the car and headed to the coast. One of the benefits of living in central Connecticut is that you are no more than an hour or so to almost any location in the state.

Sarah has wanted to visit Fort Trumbull ever since she read about the state park in a visitor’s guide to Connecticut. After finding out on the internet that the park closes for the season after Columbus Day, we knew this was the weekend to go.

Fort Trumbull is about an hour from Bristol in the coastal, naval community of New London. The original site consisted of a simple earthen mound fort that was used in conjunction with Fort Griswold to protect the Thames River from British invasion during the Revolutionary War in the late 1700s. However, the forts were both overrun and taken by British troops under the command of Benedict Arnold in September 1781 when the British raided and burned the town of New London. New London was rebuilt, and at the turn of the century, was one of the largest ports of commerce in the colonies. The fort as we see it today was built from 1839 – 1852 and is one of a group of 42 forts which were constructed for the defense of the coast of the United States. This group of forts is called the Third System of Fortifications. The fort has been used as a maritime center for the United States up until the early 1990s housing such notables as the first Coast Guard Training Academy and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center which was instrumental in developing the sonar technology used to defend naval ships against the U-Boats of World War II.

After getting our history lesson for the day, we then headed west to Old Saybrook and enjoyed a seafood dinner at the Saybrook Point Dock and Dine. We watched the moon come up over the colorful horizon and then traveled further west to Branford – Justin’s favorite Connecticut coastal community. By the time we reached Branford, the sun had already set and the moon was well above the water. Justin drove us through some of the beautiful coastal neighborhoods where we watched the waves and moonlit waters of the Long Island Sound. We couldn’t have planned for a more picturesque end to our day!

Wordless Wednesdays

2008 Youth Spectacular

Yesterday we had our first outing with the youth group at our new parish, Our Lady of Mercy. The annual Archdiocesan “Youth Spectacular” event was held at Holiday Hill in Cheshire Connecticut. We were only able to take three youth as many of our youth already had other plans or an SAT exam scheduled. However, the day was still packed with fun, faith, food, and fellowship and it gave us a chance to mingle with hundreds of other youth and their youth ministers here in Connecticut.

Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to all the ends of the earth."

Wordless Wednesdays

2008 Bristol Mum Parade

Yesterday was the annual Bristol Mum Parade, the popular pinnacle to the week-long annual Bristol Mum Festival. And, fortunately for us, our new home was on the parade route. Sarah’s Dad and stepmother, Robbin, always have friends and family over for the day to enjoy the parade, cooler temperatures and changing leaves, but yesterday’s gathering was even more exciting since we also celebrated Robbin’s 50th birthday! The birthday theme was “everything-I-wanted-at-a-party-when-I-was-a-kid-but-never-had” and we had a BLAST with it. There was a clown with magic tricks, piñata, chocolate fountain, and of course, a parade! Robbin has also named her 50th year as the “Year of the Tiara” so of course, we played that up with not only a tiara, but a sash, scepter, and throne to boot! The day was beautiful, the company was entertaining, and the food was delicious! The best part had to be the various “Miss. Mums” that came riding by in the parade only to look up and see Queen Robbin with her crown!!

Wordless Wednesdays

Lifehouse "Everything" Skit

In youth ministry, we are so seldom given a tool/resource that can reach so many youth at once, regardless of where they are in there faith. In the spring in 2008, we had the opportunity to see a group perform the Lifehouse “Everything” skit live. Since that time, I regularly visit GodTube to view this skit over and over. To save you the trouble of having to search for it, I’ve posted it here. This is a different group than what we saw performing it. Actually this is the original performance…

I John 4:4: "You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

Wordless Wednesdays

Baden's Birthday

In October 2007 we bought a dappled Daschund puppy from a friend of ours in Tennessee. We purposely picked the runt of the litter and had him neutered early to control his growth. Although he is from standard parents, he more or less fits the profile of a Miniature Daschund. His name is Baden (or “Bot-Bot” as we often call him) named after the township in Germany Justin’s grandfather's family is from and he might as well be our little fury child because we involve him in almost everything we do! So, when his first birthday rolled around we found a local dog bakery, Susan’s K-9 Barkery, and had a birthday cake made for his own doggie birthday party. He shared the day (and most of his cake) with a neighbor’s dog and even got a few little presents out of the deal too! A few years ago we would’ve laughed at this type of celebration, but having Baden in our lives has made us rethink how we feel about household pets. They really are little family members!!!

Wordless Wednesdays

Praise You In This Storm

I love my iTunes. I don’t even own an iPod, and I still love iTunes. We have uploaded most all of our cd’s to the iTunes on our computer and usually choose to purchase songs from the iTunes store instead of buying the physical cd’s.

Tonight, I visited the online store; however, I didn’t have any particular song in mind for my visit. Most of the time, I use the main page as a guide to keep me up to date on the current “top songs” in multiple categories. I enjoy ministering to teens and I’ve always felt it important to immerse myself into their culture, even if their music tastes are not in line with my own.

Country, Pop, Rock – I knew most of the top songs from listening to various radio stations. Pretty much the same story, just with different lyrics and notes. Perfect love, dying love, broken hearts, lust, greed – the themes are all the same. Even with the Christian songs; it’s usually the same praise and worship theme.

Don’t misinterpret this, I love praise and worship music, but this one particular song stuck out tonight. This wasn’t a song I had heard before and it seemed only fitting that I hear it for the first time this evening. You see, I am literally on the eve of my 30th birthday – only one more week to go and that has been, until now, a dreaded date not a celebration.

I had so many aspirations and dreams for where I would be in my life before I turned 30. I would celebrate my birthday in my own home, with my perfect family of three children and my husband and I would both have successful careers and a nice comfortable savings to boot… this dream can’t be too much different than most women in their early 20s. After all, we are living in an age where we can have it all.

Obviously you have found our blog because you know us personally, but in case you don’t, the only thing I have out of my decade long dream is a wonderful husband and a marriage filled with an amazing love I can only compare to a sappy chick flick about a farm boy, courtisan or some other mythically melded super couple. As far as everything else, we find ourselves wanting. Six years into our marriage and after countless doctors telling us we would never be able to have children, we had a beautiful, miracle son. The only problem was that he was born into God’s kingdom before he ever entered the kingdom of this prince and princess. Add some debt and an empty savings account, and you have what obviously adds up to a broken dream.

I try so hard to focus on our blessings and what we have learned through all of our trials – that God is in control and that He has never left our side. But tonight, sitting alone waiting for my prince to come home, I needed a reminder. I didn’t even have to ask; He spoke to me in the form of a song – Casting Crowns, “Praise You In This Storm.”

I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen and it's still raining
And as the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise
The God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands
For You are who You are, no matter where I am
And every tear I've cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm.

I remember when I stumbled in the wind,
You heard my cry to You and raised me up again
My strength is almost gone, how can I carry on if I can't find You
And as the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise
The God who gives and takes away

I lift my eyes onto the hills, where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hill, where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

This is not a new song; it’s actually several years old. Is it a coincidence that I hadn’t heard it before tonight? Let me first start out by saying that I don’t believe in coincidences – God saved this moment for my life today.

I am rich in so many ways I never imagined possible. I have an amazing husband and marriage, many of our friends are struggling in their relationships, or worse yet, have already been divorced once. Not having our own living child has allowed us the time to take in and minister to many of God’s children – amazing children that I may have never met had we had our own by now.

I have an awesome job and career – a career path that I would have never chosen on my own, but one that found me anyway. A coincidence? Well, you know how I feel about those.

I think as humans, we lose focus and get wrapped up in things that are meaningless to the spirit. My mother-in-law’s favorite saying is “I am not a human being having a spiritual experience, but rather a spiritual being having a human experience.” Imagine if we lived our lives like that and focused on what truly mattered.

So, in some way, my upcoming birthday could be a time to focus on “the small stuff” – you know, those societal phrases and clichés we’ve reserved for midlife crisis, menopause, and AARP. But I think there is more to it than that. Like the song says, “praise you in this storm” means much more than acknowledging and accepting where you are in your life right now. Anyone can do that. The true test of faith is being able to throw your hands up in the air in the middle of the thunder clouds and cry out “thank you.”

One of my favorite songs is sung by Garth Brooks where he talks about taking his wife to his old high school for a football game and while they are there, they run into his high school sweetheart. He goes on to sing about how many times in high school he prayed to God that one day he and his former sweetheart would marry. He realizes during the night that this unanswered prayer was one of the best gifts God had ever given him and sings, “sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.”

So maybe my life at 30 is not at all what I wanted, and I should learn to accept what I have already been given. But, I believe God is asking more of me tonight and I’m ready to give it to him. Happy Birthday Sarah!!! Happy Birthday! But more importantly, praise God for my birthday! Praise God for all of my blessings and storms! Welcome 30… WELCOME!!!!

~Sarah E. Rose~

70 Year Old Grapes!!!

Today we visited relatives of Sarah's stepmother, Robbin. The day couldn’t have been more perfect for an afternoon meal in the garden but the most interesting part of our visit had to be taste testing 70 year old grapes. Apparently, our host’s mother would soak various fruits in brandy, including grapes. When his mother passed away, her children split up her delicious treats among themselves, including a large jar of brandy grapes she made in 1938; of which he was kind enough to offer us this rare and almost extinct delicacy. After realizing that our host had also eaten said grapes and survived, we decided it would make a great story to try a 70 year grape. The consistency could only be described as a round ball of delicate tissue paper that melted instantly in your mouth – and the flavor was wonderfully incomparable to anything we had ever eaten before. So there’s our fun story for the day and we lived to tell about, at least so far anyway!