Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Goodbye 2013

2013 was a trying and beautiful, nervous and peaceful, wonderful year for me. So far, the most important year of my life. 

Here is a favorite post from each month: 








August: No posts (I was suffering through pregnancy nauseousness and on vacation without internet)




...Goodbye 2013 and may my 2014 and yours be full of God's blessings, even amist the tribulation that might come!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Pregnancy blessing

We went to a Christmas blessing for pregnant women, with Portugal's patriarch bishop! It was super exciting. Christmas is an exciting time to be pregnant. 






There he is! Giving us the blessing... Dom Manuel Clemente.  

Thursday, December 26, 2013

So this is Christmas

... I hope you had fun. 

It was a real honor to host Christmas Eve dinner at our house this year. It was very special to have a house and, more importantly, a family, to invite our parents and family into. This year I've been thinking a lot about the adverse conditions Jesus, in all his vulnerability, was born into: weather, danger (Herod), etc. And how the families are families no matter what crazy/dangerous conditions we live in. 

 

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Playing with Dolls

PLAYING WITH DOLLS AND DELAYED MOTHERHOOD

 | 12-19-AD2013 
Julie Machado - Babydolls
“Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”
(Mk 10:15)
Children can be spiritual models for adults. The shepherd children of Fatima and child saints are proof of this, and generally speaking, children have many unique qualities adults should try to preserve.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

YOUCAT Minute

Guess what? I'm on TV! Ok, not really, I'm on Youtube:


This is the first of eight clips I participated in, answering questions from the YOUCAT. This one was: "Do we believe in one God or in three gods?" The videos are going to appear on this site: http://www.paulus.pt/youcat

Friday, December 13, 2013

Oh Christmas Tree

How lovely are your branches. This is the first year my Christmas tree has lights and I'm so happy about it. It's the coziest thing in the world.  

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The flowers appear on the earth

We went on a one-day couples retreat and it was an oasis in our daily grind. We heard a bit about Zaccheaus and then from Song of Songs 2, 10-17:

My lover speaks; he says to me,
"Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!

"For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!

"O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely."

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes
that damage the vineyards; for our vineyards are in bloom!

My lover belongs to me and I to him;
he browses among the lilies.

Until the day breathes cool and the shadows lengthen,
roam, my lover,
Like a gazelle or a young stag
upon the mountains of Bether.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Piccolo Napoli

We went on a date this weekend to our favourite restaurant as a couple... Piccolo Napoli in Lisbon. It's quiet and the waiters are super attentive. They greet you at the door and take you to the door when you leave. They light a candle at your table when you sit down and grate parmesan cheese on your plate if you'd like it. This might sound normal for the US, but here it's special! 

Then we saw The Butler, with Oprah Winfrey. I liked it, just not the very political and rose-colored ending. 

...And a 24-week baby bump!

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Family wall

Inspired by Pinterest (of course!), we put up wedding pictures of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles at our own wedding: 

We couldn't bear to throw them out, so we've put them up at our house. I love our new family wall... it really makes me happy. I just wish I had a priest or nun uncle or aunt so we could put up their ordination picture also!

Monday, December 02, 2013

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we decided to try dinner at home: IowaGirlEats bacon-wrapped turkey breast proved easy to make (+ pumpkin burgers for me!). I made pilgrim hats and bonnets and we waited for our friends. This year, I am really, really thankful for my new (growing) family and our new home.