I Know, I'm Sorry!; WYD2008 Opening Mass, Rumor; Miracles.

I KNOW, I KNOW... I'm SORRY! It's taken me a week to post another blog but I've been so busy with so many things. Summertime, not counting the past two summers, is normally my busy time. Summers of 2006 and 2007 weren't because I was very sick. This summer, I'm still a bit sick (but, really, it's mainly my anxiety which has been under control lately) but not enough to keep me from doing other things. Or, at least, I am not letting it keep me from having a busy schedule. I took a road trip this past Friday, which went very well. I was surprised how well it went! It's been the most successful one I've been on in years! Whoo! :D Despite the insane traffic and the heat, I actually enjoyed myself and didn't worry about getting sick. Whoo! :D I have a pretty mellow week this week (well, that I know of) so I hope to start blogging for often again. I'll admit it, I sincerely miss being able to blog every day, or every other day.

I caught the opening Mass of World Youth Day 2008 on EWTN en Español last night/this morning. I was way too excited about it. I even thought to myself, if I'm excited now that I'm watching it on T.V., I can't imagine how ecstatic I'll be at the next one (which I hope, and plan, to be at). I was blessed enough to meet some of the pilgrims that were going to Sydney before they left to fly out there and I'm so excited for them! May the Lord protect them, and may they have a safe flight back to their homes. I can't wait to hear how it went (I've already been promised pictures and videos of the trip). Anyway, back to the Mass (see how easily I can veer off-track? lol), I honestly enjoyed the entire thing... even though I had to stay up until 2 in the morning to watch it. That's what happens when you're about 17-18 hours behind them. It was completely worth it though! I understood 3 of the languages spoken (English, Spanish, and Italian) and a bit of other (French). I got a bit choked up when I saw the U.S. and Mexican flags together. Yeah, I know... I'm a big dork. lol. I loved seeing how everyone was mixed and that people didn't care whether they were near other people of their countries. I saw the Irish flag mixed with Germany, Spanish and African flags. Canadians mixed with Koreans. It was an amazing sight. I'm hoping and praying that I will be able to attend the next WYD in 2011... which is rumored to be held in Spain. Hey, I'm just repeating the rumor that's going around with the pilgrims (which I heard through EWTN en Español). I really hope it is! I would love to attend my first WYD in a country I love -- a country in which I know the language and foods. lol. :D Although, it gets VERY hot in Spain in the summer. Eh, to be able to go, I wouldn't mind the heat! :) Wherever it'll be held (we won't find out until Sunday's closing Mass), I am so there!

OH! And, before I forget, I was so overjoyed to hear that 27 Iraqis were granted visas to go to WYD! I almost cried (happy tears) when I heard that! Originally, I think they were only going to allow 10 visas because of fears that they would stay in Australia instead of going back but granted 27. It's still a VERY low number but I'm just glad that those people were able to fly to Sydney and participate. :D You can read more about this story here (pre-WYD/original news) and here (latest news).

Another miracle that has happened... I've gotten my father to attend Mass with me. Twice in less than a week. Yes, I did the impossible! WHOO! I even got to introduce him to Fr. Leo on Sunday. I was far too excited. :D It's a true miracle because I couldn't get him to Mass. I tried but he always used excuses until I finally broke him down. Or, I like to think that I broke him down. lol. We have a new priest at my parish (or new to me -- I hadn't been attending Mass for a month because of the virus that took nearly 2 months to get out of my system), so I was happy about that as well. He was awesome; very funny. :D Needless to say, I had an amazing Sunday. First time in a month I'd attended Mass... first time in MONTHS that I'd gotten my Father to go willingly... no anxiety, no stress, no illness. *content sigh* I hope to have repeat experiences from now on. :D

Okay, well, it's still early in the day and I want to do something other than sit in front of my computer. Hope everyone is enjoying/enjoyed their day! Watch the WYD celebrations if you can! They are aired on EWTN and EWTN en Español. I believe it's broadcast worldwide You can also watch it on EWTN's website (if I am not mistaken). In fact, I will post a link on the right hand panel, under the Bella link, so you can watch it live from your computer. :D.

Everyone take care, thanks for reading, and God Bless. :D
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Trip Down Memory Lane and World Youth Day '08.

Today I received an e-mail (from the website photobucket) letting me know I still had pictures in an account I had forgotten about. It'd been a little over 2 years since the last time I'd been on the site so I decided to go look at what I had. Wow, there were a lot of pictures from 2002 - 2005 that I'd forgotten about. I did delete most of them but saved a few before deleting the entire account. The ones I did save were uploaded to my facebook account where, I know, a couple of my friends will get a kick out of seeing them. I've changed a lot in just the last year alone, so I can't wait to hear what memories my friends have about certain photographs. The thing that was most interesting was how much I've physically changed in 2 years. I still look younger than I am (and am often mistaken for a 16 to 18 year-old by those who meet me for the first time) but I have changed quite a bit. I seem to look younger, and slightly different ("But in a very good way" according to a friend, lol) than I do in photographs. Honestly, I don't really care how I look... I just like pictures because they're a snapshot that captures a particular moment. It's always fun going down memory lane and seeing how much you've grown (not just physically) as a person. The pictures made me very happy, which is always nice, and I hope some of my friends also get lovely memories from a couple of them.

And while I'm on the topic of looking slightly younger than I am... I'm starting to save up for, hopefully, a trip to World Youth Day in Australia this year. I wonder, though, if I may be slightly too old for it. Okay, so I took a moment to google the answer for that, and no, I am not too old for it. The official age range is apparently 16 - 35 years of age. That means I can squeeze in about 4 - 5 more WYD's before I hit 35... and that's assuming it's every 3 years. Although it doesn't look good (my possible trip this year) you can bet I will save up for the next one... whereever it's held. I really hope I do make it, though, because it's something I'd love to experience. Of course, I am going to see if any of my friends would be up to go with me because I don't want to go by myself. Although I do have experience being in a different country by myself, I always have back-up nearby if needed. I don't know anyone in Australia, or New Zealand, so no nearby back-up. If my bro wasn't married with kids, he would've gone with me. Hmmm... I've got some thinking to do about this thing. Luckily, since I'm on the West Coast of the U.S., it won't be terribly expensive (or at least I hope it isn't) for me to fly out there. No, I still haven't looked at the prices but when I planned my trip to New Zealand a year ago, it wasn't that bad. Okay, I just checked it out... it's $1727 USD for a round trip from Sydney to LAX. If I register for WYD at the official site and get one of their pilgrim packages, I don't have to pay too much for food, health cover, transportation, etc. Not only do I have some major saving up to do (medical bills last year took out a huge chunk of my savings), they flight to Sydney is 15 hours; the flight from Sydney is 17 hours! Blimey! Well, I will try and if not, I will just watch it was much as I can on EWTN (assuming they'll broadcast some of it).

Hmm... I've got some number crunching and planning to do so I'll end the blog for today.

Thanks for reading and God Bless. :D