2019 Magnificat Advent Companion App Giveaway!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of the year once again! The awesome folks at Magnificat Magazine have sent me 2 iOS and 2 Android Advent companion apps to give away to the lovely readers of this blog! That's the app, not the physical booklet.

No, I don't get paid for any of this and, no, I don't gain anything out of this. This is simply a giveaway for you faithful readers.

Normally, I'd use Rafflecopter for these giveaways but there was some shady business that happened last time I used them so we're going to do this a bit old school.

Here are the instructions:

1. To enter, leave me a comment on this blog (with a way to contact you if you win), follow and send me a tweet (@MelissaCeciliaG), or leave me a comment on the blog's FB page.
2. You can enter once a day from now until November 30th at 8 a.m. PT.
3. If you want additional entries, tweet the link to this giveaway (and be sure to include me -- @MelissaCeciliaG -- so I can see the tweet) or share the link from the blog's FB page onto your page (make sure the privacy setting for the shared link is public). I'll give you two additional entries per day (per social media platform) if you do this. That's 4 more entries per day if you share them on both.

That's it.

I'll be putting all the entries in two little jars -- one for the iOS app entries and the other for the Android app entries -- and I'll randomly select the winner in the afternoon of November 30th. I'll even post a video of the process so you guys can see that I did it fair and square.

And, that's it for now.  Before I go, I wanted to thank everyone who has so generously donated to the GoFundMe account my friend, Kiera, set up for me. We're hoping to get to the halfway point so I can (God willing) find me a new (to me) car since repairs to my current car will reach the $2,000+ mark. I'm hoping that if we can get to the halfway mark and then sell my current car for parts, I'll be able to afford a decent, reliable set of wheels.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway by the 30th!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! 😊

Merry Christmas, Everyone! Happy 11th Anniversary, Blog!

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) 

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you've all had (and are still having) a lovely day full of happiness, joy, laughter, and love. 

My mom had the rare Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off from work so we went to Midnight Mass last night. It was our first ever Christmas Midnight Mass (or Midnight Mass, period) and we fell in love with the Latin Mass all over again. It was a High Candlelit Mass and it was the most beautiful and reverent Mass I've ever had the blessing to witness. If ever I needed anything to breathe new life into my spiritual life, this was it. I was already planning on stepping up my Mass attendance to at least 2-3 times a week but now I'm downright giddy with anticipation about the next time I can attend daily Mass at my parish.

Today also marks the 11th (!!!) anniversary of this blog! I know I went M.I.A. for a month but I had a good reason. Basically, I was burnt out. I've been busy with work while running on empty from social media overload. I needed a break from everything and the last 10 days of Advent seemed like the perfect time to take that break. Thankfully, I also got a break from work this week so I'll be able to de-stress even more. Cue a self-care montage of me watching movies, reading books, drinking tea, baking, and silly dancing around my apartment for the rest of the week. lol.

To be completely honest, I was also unsure if I was going to continue this blog. It seems like almost no one reads blogs anymore. After some soul searching, I decided to keep my blog... and severely cut back on my social media usage. The break from writing and social media showed me that I truly missed blogging and that social media brings out the worst in me. Yes, it's wonderful for catching up with friends and all but I saw a very vain, proud, and angry side of me coming out lately and I hated it. I didn't feel like myself. I wasn't sure what was triggering it... until I completely cut social media out of my life. Not only do I feel like myself again, but those horrible traits -- especially anger -- also seem to have virtually disappeared. There is peace in my life and I feel happier and less stressed. I'll keep my accounts to catch up with those who choose to contact me through them and to post newly published articles but I'm done using it as I had for the past couple of years.

I also decided that I'm going to change the format of my posts. They'll be a lot more like the ones I posted when I first started this blog 11 years ago. If you weren't around that long ago, you'll see what I mean. ;)

Anyway, this is just a little update for y'all. 

Yes, the winners of the Magnificat Advent app were notified and given their codes before Advent, even if I didn't post it on here. 

Yes, we were able to do the 54-day Rosary novena (thanks, everyone!), even if I had to schedule the tweets and FB page posts for the last couple of days while I was on a social media break. :) 

Yes, I will be returning to blogging more often... God willing. 

Again, I hope you are all having a wonderful day and that you continue to have a lovely Christmastide season. For those of us who celebrate through February 2nd (Candlemas), let's do this! ;)

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

2018 Magnificat Advent Companion App Giveaway!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of the year once again! The awesome folks at Magnificat Magazine have sent me 2 iOS and 2 Android Advent companion apps to give away to the lovely readers of this blog! That's the app, not the physical booklet.

No, I don't get paid for any of this and, no, I don't gain anything out of this. This is simply a giveaway for you faithful readers.

Normally, I'd use Rafflecopter for these giveaways but there was some shady business that happened last time I used them so we're going to do this a bit old school.

Here are the instructions:

1. To enter, leave me a comment on this blog (with a way to contact you if you win), send me a tweet (@MelissaCeciliaG), or leave me a comment on the blog's FB page.
   
2. You can enter once a day from now until November 30th at 8 a.m. PT.
   
3. If you want additional entries, tweet the link to this giveaway (and be sure to include me -- @MelissaCeciliaG -- so I can see the tweet) or share the link from the blog's FB page onto your page (make sure the privacy setting for the shared link is public). I'll give you two additional entries per day (per social media platform) if you do this. That's 4 more entries per day if you share them on both.

That's it.

I'll be putting all the entries in two little jars -- one for the iOS app entries and the other for the Android app entries -- and I'll randomly select the winner in the afternoon of November 30th. I'll even post a video of the process so you guys can see that I did it fair and square.

And, that's it for now. I have two blog posts coming up that aren't giveaway OR article related that I really want to share. I'll schedule those for next week so there's no post overload for y'all. It's been a while since I've shared anything of substance and there are two amazing things that have happened lately that have been too good not to share. 😉

I hope you're all having a lovely Thanksgiving Day weekend!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway by the 30th!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! 😊

Written Wednesday #6: Favorite Saints and Millennial Debt

Hello, everyone!

I have a deadline to meet in a couple of hours so I will make this a quick post. Don't worry, I hope to have at least two (yes, you read that correctly) more posts by next week... including a giveaway! Intrigued? Stay tuned...

First, there were only two articles published this week: one for EpicPew and another for Verily Magazine, both posted on the same day.

For EpicPew:

• 15 Inspiring Facts About St. Giuseppe Moscati That Will Leave You in Awe (November 20, 2018)
  Pretty self-explanatory; I give you facts about St. Giuseppe Moscati who is one of my favorite saints of all time.

For Verily Magazine:

• In Overcoming Debt, There's Motivation in Numbers (November 20, 2018)
  In this article, I introduce you to the #debtfreecommunity which gives everyone (especially Millennials) in debt some hope and resources to eliminating debt and stay debt-free!

That's it!

I'll give you guys two hints about the giveaway that begins on Friday:

1) It's Advent related

2) It's now become an annual tradition on this blog.

Any guesses? 😉

Okay, now I must get back to my writing frenzy. Three more articles to finish this week and I have my novel to (still) finish editing.

I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving Day weekend! Come back on Friday if you want to enter the giveaway! ;)

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! 😊

Magnificat Lenten Companion 2018 Giveaway!

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry for the delay in posting this giveaway but I've had a rough couple of days. I didn't even get to sorting through my emails until this morning -- three days worth of emails. Yikes! I'm having a slightly better day today so here I am, ready to give away a Magnificat Lenten Companion.

Can you believe Lent begins in a couple of days? I actually began thinking about what I wanted to do for Lent a couple of weeks ago before Christmastide ended actually. What can I say? I like to plan. I have yet to solidify my plans, including fasting because I cannot fast or abstain from meat. I know I won't be giving up social media for Lent but perhaps I can do it on Fridays as a way to abstaining from something.

Anyway, the point of this post is to give away yet another Magnificat Lenten companion. This is only for the app, not the physical Lenten companion. For the last couple of years, Magnificat has been kind enough to send me two iOS app codes to give away for Lent and Advent. In previous years it's only been for iOS app but they've added two Android codes. That's FOUR Lenten companion apps to give away this year! Thanks, Magnificat! I've used this app previously and it's been really helpful to me, especially when I was really busy and couldn't find the time to devote more than a couple of minutes to prayer.

It's easy to enter. Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions and you're set. I believe you can also tweet about the Lenten giveaway every day until the last day of the giveaway for extra entries. ;)

One important note: please let me know which app you're entering for -- iOS or Android -- so I know who will be drawn for which app. You can do this by leaving me a comment on any social media platform where you can reach me (Twitter, the blog's FB page, as a comment on this blog, etc).

The winners will be randomly chosen at midnight Eastern Time on February 13th. I will personally email the winners before I blog again.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I hope you all have a lovely rest of the week! :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

2017 Magnificat Advent Companion App Giveaway Ends Tonight!

Just quick reminder that the Magnificat Advent companion app giveaway ends tonight at midnight PST! If you haven't already entered and would like, this is your last chance!

There was a glitch in the Rafflecopter widget. I don't know who entered for the iOS giveaway and for the Android giveaway so if you've already entered or will enter, please let me know so I know who to send what if they win.

Thank you in advance! :D

Magnificat Advent 2017 Companion App Giveaway!

It's that time of the year again, folks. The current liturgical year is winding down and I start thinking to myself, "How on earth will I be able to celebrate/observe Advent this year?" With my crazy schedule these past 3 months, I haven't really had a chance to work on my own spiritual life beyond the daily prayers, confession, and Mass.

I hope that I can begin to rebuild my spiritual life and get myself on track this Advent. Thankfully, I only have 4 more quizzes (all due Saturday), my portion of a group project (which should be easy peasy), and my 3 final exams in 2 weeks so I shouldn't be too overwhelmed this Advent season. Please, God, help me not be overwhelmed. lol.

I'm grateful that the folks at Magnificat were very generous this year because this year I have twice the companion apps to give away. That's right. I have 4 app codes to give away this year, two for the iOS app and two for the Android app. I had only given away codes for the iOS app in previous years (I give them away for both Advent and Lent) and had been asked about the Android app in the past so I'm ecstatic to be able to give them away this year.

I have used this app in the past and it's been so great for me. I highly recommend it if you need something to help you during the Advent season, especially when you're busy.

Disclaimer: They are in no way, shape, or form paying me to say this. I am not employed by them. One of my best friends works for the company and they knew I had a blog so they very generously give me the app codes to give away. I don't even keep one of the codes for myself; I give them to you lovely readers and prefer to pay for an app for myself. It's that simple.

The rules for the entries are pretty straightforward: you can get up to 15 entries the first day and I believe the tweet option can be done once a day so you can get more 5 entries if you do it daily between today and Saturday at midnight, Pacific time.

I'm really sorry for the short time frame but I just got the codes yesterday and I had a pretty crazy day yesterday (which I hope to fill you all in on very soon) so I didn't have a chance to write this post until today.

Be sure you click on the proper giveaway. One is for the iOS app and the other is for the Android app. You can click on the arrows within the raffle app to find the one you want to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



One more short piece of news: I will have my new Twitter handle up until the winners claim their apps and then I will deactivate it again. I had deactivated it for safety reasons and I have folks who are keeping an eye on things so no one try any funny business. I plan on using it further down the line, especially when the first novel and the other project I'm working on get published but there's no actual need for it at the moment... you know, beyond the giveaway. I will activate it at least once a month to keep the username but I won't be terribly active on it until I get a new book published and/or I graduate. Just a heads up. I can't afford to be distracted right now. ;)

That's it for now. You have until Saturday, December 2nd, 2017, at midnight PST, to enter!

I hope you are having a lovely start of the week!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Was Going to Mass Worth Getting Sick?

After I blogged about missing Mass last weekend, I emailed one of our favorite local priests about what I could do regarding my terrible no-Mass streak. His advice was simple: keep trying. Try to make it to a Sunday Mass and keep aiming for every Mass time until I can get to one. If I can't go on a Sunday, try to go on a Monday... on a Tuesday... on a Wednesday (and so on) until I get myself to Mass. On Monday, I took his advice... with a little twist: I decided to watch the daily Mass on EWTN until I could physically attend Mass.

I set up my iPod touch alarm at 3:50 p.m. (PT) for a repeat of the daily Mass since it's on live at 5 a.m. when I'm usually either asleep or about to fall asleep again (if I drive Mom to work). Every day (except for Friday), I turned it on. I only made it through Wednesday before distractions popped up during that time. I watched part of Thursday and none on Friday. No, I didn't watch it on Friday but I made it to an actual Mass that day which was much better!

Can you hear the angels singing? Yes, I finally went to Mass! Not only was it a Latin Mass (which is our family's preference) but it was celebrated by one of my favorite priests and I got to share that time with friends who inspire me to be more faithful. Our young adult group had planned on meeting up after Mass and an hour of Adoration and Benediction. I absolutely loved it, despite the 40-something degree temperature (more on this a bit later). There wasn't confession beforehand and we spent a good 45 minutes or so just trying to get to the church (when it should be half that long) but it was heavenly. I felt that wonderful inner peace I get when I attend Latin Masses. Even though I wasn't able to receive the Eucharist (I have to let them know that I'm going to need the low-gluten hosts and, of course, go to confession first), my heart was full of love and peaceful contentment.

The hour of adoration was new for me. I've never done more than 30 minutes of adoration and the last couple of times were hard for me because I get so distracted and the time seemed to go slowly. Not on Friday. The time went by way too fast for me. I prayed the Rosary, the chaplet of Divine Mercy, the evening prayers of the Little Office, the chaplet of St. Michael Archangel, and then had a couple of minutes of silent reflection. I wish I had gotten more time in silence but it was still a wonderful time for me... and it inspired me to do it more often.

After adoration and benediction, the group met up and we spent about an hour or so just chatting amongst ourselves and with our spiritual adviser. I was very glad that I had gone since I have been on the fence about going for a good 36 hours. Why was I on the fence? I was worried about getting sick due to the cold weather and my lack of warm clothing. Guess what ended up happening...

The last group meeting I had attended (in mid-January; we meet twice a month), it had been about as cold or colder than Friday. I had been fine since I had worn a longer skirt and ugly faux-Ugg boots to stay warm. This time I wore a knee-length dress with heels (I couldn't find boots in time). I thought I would be fine since I still wore fleece-line tights which are designed to keep you warm. I probably would have been okay if we hadn't been standing outside in 40-something degree weather for about half an hour (total). Long story short: circumstances beyond our control kept us outside longer than we anticipated. I felt it in my throat when I got home and then I really felt it the next morning when I got up at 4 a.m. Ruh-oh.

I ended up having to cancel today's trip to the dentist (I was supposed to go down to Baja California, Mexico for that). I hope to try again next weekend (and pray that my broken molar doesn't get infected between now and then since it's now been a month since it chipped). Since it's been raining, on and off, this about 2 a.m. and I've had a sore throat (and now a slight cough at times) and my mom is still recovering from her own cold, we decided it was more prudent to wait so we wouldn't get more sick.

Was my getting sick (after I had been warned not to get sick since my white blood count - amongst other things - was so low at the last draw) worth attending Mass? Was the delay of getting my broken molar fixed worth it? I think so! I haven't gotten sick (neither cold nor flu) in about 2-3 years and this cold (chill?) seems to be very mild compared to previous viruses. For that I'm thankful. Now, I'm not advocating risking your health to attend Mass -- especially since Mom and I aren't going to Mass today because we're still nursing our colds (I'm pretty sure I'm currently contagious, too) and it's really cold outside -- but going to Mass did three wonderful things.

First: it made me face my fears. I was scared that I would get sick (which ended up happening anyway, lol) if I attended because I knew it was cold. Still, I trusted that God would take care of me and that He would give me the strength to endure if it I did get sick.

Second: it helped me remember that I need to work on trusting Him. I had been doing well in this department but, somewhere post-Advent and Christmastide I had lost my way again. I've gotten sick but I'm doing okay. Trust. Now I'm going to trust that He will help me not get an infection between now and next weekend... or that He will help guide me to dental help that doesn't cost an arm and a leg around here before then.

Third: it helped me remember how much I love Mass and how I would rather face my fears than not attend Mass again. I don't like missing Mass. I don't like the restlessness that comes with my putting distance between God and myself, which I always feel like I do when I don't make it to Mass. My fears are not worth being away from Him.

I will continue to watch the daily Mass on EWTN when I cannot make it to daily Mass at the local parish or to our new (and temporary until the FSSP priests can get their own) parish. I will continue to push myself and even try to find ways to get cheap rides (can't afford to pay taxi cabs on my limited budget) to Mass in case I can't physically drive. Even if I'm lightheaded, I can usually be okay as long as I can sit. I'm sure God will understand if I sit when I should be kneeling as long as I'm there. Following the advice of one of our FSSP priests, I also plan on purchasing low-gluten hosts to take with me to Mass whenever I can attend... and talk to the priests at the local parish about how we can work this out for daily Mass.

I will also be more kind to myself when I can't physically attend. I'm actually not beating myself up right now because I know that going to Mass today is probably not a good idea, for several reasons that include being contagious, it raining on and off, and knowing that my immune system was considered fragile at last blood draw. I will catch the 9 p.m. encore of the daily Mass on EWTN since I slept until 11:30 a.m. this morning.

Anyway, these are all my (long and detailed; sorry!) thoughts for the day. I'm going to try to eat something and try to hydrate myself while I wait for the daily Mass to begin on EWTN. I'll be praying for everyone who is going out to Mass in inclement weather.

OH! And don't forget to enter for your chance to win a Magnificat Lenten Companion app! It ends on Tuesday at midnight, Eastern time. 29 hours from when I'm writing this... go! ;)

I hope you all have a blessed weekend. I hope to write before Ash Wednesday because I'm going to give up two big things and I'm going to need quite a few people to keep me accountable, especially those who follow me on several social media platforms.

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Magnificat Lenten Companion 2017 Giveaway!

Hello, everyone!

Can you believe Lent begins in exactly two weeks from today? I actually began thinking about what I would be doing for Lent this year, a couple of weeks ago. As soon as Christmastide ended, actually. I have yet to solidify my plans, including my dietary plans since (as many of you longtime readers know), I have a lot of dietary restrictions. Lent since my reversion has been hard because I haven't been able to eat fish (it makes me sick) and the only protein I've been able to eat has been chicken and beef in recent years. I still have to talk to our new priest about what I can do on Fridays in regards to food but I have a lot of ideas about what else I can do for this season. I don't want to overwhelm myself with too many things (been there, done that, bought the t-shirt), so I may choose one or two things from a long list.

Anyway, as you might've guessed from the post title, Magnificat was kind enough to send me two iOS app codes to give away for Lent. This is for the iOS app only. That means if you have an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, you're good to go. I did it last year for Lent and again for Advent and it turned out really well. I've heard great things from those who've used both the app and the physical booklets so I'm happy to be able to have this giveaway once again.

The winners will be randomly chosen on February 28th at midnight, Eastern Time. I will personally email the winners before I blog about it because I know I'll be doing an exam that week. As you may have noticed, exam week = (typically) no blog posts until the exams are finished.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


That is it for now. I have so many things to do and not enough hours in the day to do them but I'm going to try anyway. ;)

I hope y'all are having a lovely week thus far!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Magnificat Advent Companion 2016 Giveaway!

Hello, everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates but... well, you know. It's the same ol' same ol'. My week consists of (mainly) schoolwork, exams, lectures, lab assignments, observation hours and then writing reports for those hours. Rinse and repeat. I have another month of this before I take my first two final exams but I'm getting closer to the finish line with my sanity intact which is all I ask for. lol.

I did get some socializing in yesterday when the young adult group met up for coffee/tea and muffins at a local coffee and ice cream place after Mass. It was my second Latin Mass in less than a week which was so good for my soul, literally and figuratively. I was the only gal who went to the meet-up but the priest and the fellas are all so nice, I didn't feel like the odd girl out. Since I grew up with my best guys being mostly guys, I felt comfortable talking about religion and politics with them. Yes, those are usually topics to avoid but we all seemed to be on the same page across the board so I thoroughly enjoyed the hour or so we spent chatting while enjoying our beverages (and muffins) of choice. This was the second meeting with the group (the first with two young men I hadn't met before) and I already feel comfortable to keep attending the meetings and events with them. :) I have a lot more thoughts I want to share when I'm not in a rush so I'm going to get straight to why I'm writing this post.

The lovely people at Magnificat have graciously given me two iOS app codes to give away to you lovely readers for Advent 2016, just like I did for Lent 2016. Though I could've taken one more myself, I decided to give both codes away since I will be purchasing either the app or the actual booklet. Since I know I'll be incredibly busy for the first 3 weeks of Advent with school (the last final is on December 16 unless I can finish them earlier), and I know that the Magnificat app worked so well for me during Lent, I'm going to use it again. No, Magnificat is not paying me to say these things nor am I employed by them. They just gave me the codes to give away. :) Again, this is an iOS app only, not the booklet.

To enter the giveaway, please enter through the Rafflecopter widget at the end of the blog post. The giveaway will run from today through next Sunday. I know Advent doesn't begin for another two weeks but I don't know how busy I'll be the week before Advent begins. Again, school is going to get crazier after this week and I want to get the codes to whoever wins them on time. :)

I will blog about my plans for Advent -- which is my favorite time of year -- soon. I have other blog posts in mind as well but I'll post them as I get the time to do it. :)

That's it for now. I have an exam to study for. I was planning on starting it on Friday and again yesterday but things happened so I have to start today if I want a decent chance at passing it. I need to pass it if I want to pass the class. Yes, it's one of those "do or die" exams before finals begin. It's the hardest course of the program so any prayers you can spare, in your charity, would be greatly appreciated.

I hope y'all had a lovely week despite the election and post-election craziness that has been happening. Just remember that prayer can move mountains. It's a cliché idiom for a reason, folks. ;)

As always, thanks for reading and God bless!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Valentine's Day; Giveaway Winner!

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all! I normally don't like to post on Sundays but I wanted to wish y'all a lovely day today. It doesn't matter if you're married, in a relationship, religious, or single, you are loved by Him and that's all we need, really. :D

I'm currently watching the 2009 version of Emma (starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller) which is my favorite Austen adaptation, at least at the moment. I'm having myself a Janeite marathon because I refuse to be a bitter single today. No, I'm a happy single gal so I will continue to celebrate the day. :) I will have a proper post on this topic soon-ish. I want to say tomorrow but I think mom and I are going to have our weekly "treat yo'self" day tomorrow so sometime before Wednesday, I hope. :D

Anyway, I also wanted to say a big "thank you" to all who entered the 2016 Magnificat Lenten Companion giveaway. I ended up getting more entries than I anticipated, which was great! Thank you for sharing and retweeting! The winner is Stephanie Z.! Congrats, Steph! I've already emailed you the details on how to receive your app! :D

Gentle reminder that I'm off Twitter through the rest of Lent, Sundays included, so please don't get upset with me if I don't reply to your tweets or DMs. What can I say? I need to do it cold turkey for it to work for me.  :)

Have a lovely rest of day, everyone!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Win a 2016 Magnificat Lenten Companion!

Yes, that is my actual face. lol. #AshTag

Hello, my dears. I hope your Ash Wednesday went well. I had a pretty packed day. A city inspector came to check our bathroom (which has remained gutted/undone since about October 19) and, presumably, put the pressure on the owners to get it done. Yeah, we need that bathroom, y'all. After that, I went to mom's work before we headed to Mass. We actually got there a bit early and something unexpected happened; something I still can't wrap my mind around.

We got to our parish about 20-25 minutes before Mass was scheduled to begin. That was done purposely because we have to rely on that public transportation system we have until we get our car returned. (side note: mechanic said later today. Fingers crossed!) We thought we'd just sit in the back and wait but we found that they were doing a short prayer and distributing ashes before the Mass began. We heard them do the Confiteor in Spanish as we walked towards the back doors and walked into the church while the Spanish-speaking priest did the blessing of the ashes in Spanish. We were going to sit when he began to ask if anyone could read the blessing in English. Everyone looked around and I found myself saying "I'll do it, Fr." Who am I and what have I done with Emmy? lol. Anyway, since I was just reaching the pew when I said it, I didn't have time to put things down. I ended up walking up with my tote bag and book.

I would be lying if I said my heart wasn't pounding as I read the prayer. I was trying to breathe properly while I read it and tried to focus on the fact that I was doing it for a greater good. I hate public speaking... with a passion. When I gave the valedictorian-style speech at my high school graduation, I shook. I hate the attention. It's extremely unlike me to volunteer to do anything, especially without thinking about it first. In fact, I honestly don't know what came over me. I didn't think about it. I just found myself saying "It'll do it, Fr." surprising myself in the process. Still, I read it without making a mistake (another miracle) and then headed back to my seat. Miracles do happen! lol.

Mass was great. I've never been to a proper bilingual Mass before but I enjoyed it, probably because I understood both languages without problem. Thanks for insisting that I be raised bilingual, Mom and Dad! After Mass we got our ashes and then we came back home. Did I finish everything I said I needed to finish before Lent? Nope. Two things are left over from my list as I type this out (it's currently Ash Wednesday; scheduling this post since I have stuff to do tomorrow as well). I'll get to them before I go to bed. They're not Lenten deal breakers. ;)

Anyway, when I got home I saw that the lovely folks at Magnificat got in contact with me about giving away one of their 2016 Lenten Companion apps for iPhone / iPod touch / iPad. I had actually put "look into Magnificat Lenten Companion" on my to-do list earlier this week so it worked out perfectly.

If you're wondering what it is, let me tell you. I have it downloaded on my iPod touch (since it goes everywhere with me), in my Lenten folder on the home page. The Lenten Companion has Morning, Evening, and Night prayers as well as Mass readings and Lenten meditations for every day of Lent. Other Lenten features include Chants for Lent and Easter, the Stations of the Cross, Prayers for Various Vocations, and much more. Sound like something you'd be interested in? Here's your chance to win a copy! Just scroll down to the bottom of the post and enter! Again, this is for the app, not the physical copy of it.

"But, wait, Lent already began!" you may be saying. True, but you can still use it for the rest of the days of Lent. Like I said, I was just contacted on Ash Wednesday or else I would've done it sooner. I also would've posted this yesterday except I fasted from social media all together and I didn't want to make this contest unfair by giving some people an additional day to enter so I waited to post this when it could be posted everywhere at the same time.

The contest will be over in a relatively short time (noon EST on Valentine's Day) because I didn't want some of y'all to go too far into Lent without having a chance to win this! If you don't win, I would highly recommend getting yourself a copy. No, no one is paying me to say this. As someone who has been super busy lately, I appreciate that this app is something I can take with me. I do have free time on the way to and from destinations and this is just perfect for a sort of mini retreat moment on the go. :)

Anyway, I still have a ton of stuff to do so I'm going to try to get that done.

I hope y'all had a great start to Lent!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D



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Will and Lina Giveaway Winners AND News

First let me just say a big "thank you" to those of you who took time out of your busy schedules to post a little something about the first novel on various websites. I was not expecting y'all to be as kind as you were in your reviews... especially you men. Y'all were not my target audience but it seems you fellas didn't hate it, so thank you. lol. That's as "brag"-y as I get, folks. You can find reviews in various places; I'm not linking them. ;) lol.

The contest closed at midnight and we have the two winners. Y'all know the expression "the early bird gets the worm"? Well, two regular blog readers (aka those who submitted their reviews in early) ended up the winners! Congrats Stephanie Z. and Stephen C.! I've already gotten touch with y'all so now we shall just wait for Amazon to release the sequel so I can send it your way. ;) For those of you who didn't win, don't worry; I'm sure I'll hold another giveaway before you know it. ;)

I have a lot to do today so I'll keep the news short and sweet: Will and Lina: When Two Worlds Collide is officially available in print! Excited panda dance time. As of now, it's only available through CreateSpace AND Amazon since they are the ones printing the physical copies of it. I was told that you will be able to get copies elsewhere in the next 3-5 days. I will link those when I get them.

As for tomorrow's release of the sequel (London Calling), yes, it's still on but I don't know the time it'll be released because it varies every time. Amazon has to upload the file, send me the notification, etc. As soon as I get word, I will make another blog post and share the link. There is a chance that it won't go "live" (aka ready to purchase) until Saturday morning (even though I'm submitting it tomorrow). Hopefully I'll get word early tomorrow. We'll see... wish me luck 'cause I had some major issues with the first one being properly formatted. :)

And that's it for now. I have a million (yes, of course that's an exaggeration) little things I need to do before I can get some sleep.

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Will and Lina Series Info and Giveaway!

I'm currently dealing with yet another formatting issue with the first novel (seriously, y'all? I've changed it twice already!) but I thought I'd take a break from that to show y'all the print covers (and Kindle covers? I am not sure how Amazon will update the covers for the Kindle version) of both the first novel (Will and Lina: When Two Worlds Collide) and the sequel (Will and Lina: London Calling).

Final cover for WTWC:

Final cover for London Calling.

Can y'all say "stinkin' excited"?! Okay, now for the info y'all are probably going to be asking for:

Where you can purchase a copy:
Paperback: You can get a copy almost anywhere. I've set it up so you can get the book from physical bookstores or Amazon or CreateSpace. I am an independent self-published author so if you want to cut the "middle man" and get the book straight from the publisher, it'll be through CreateSpace. However, y'all can choose your preferred store (physical or virtual) to get them through.
eBook: It'll be exclusively available through Amazon just as WTWC is at the moment. And, no, you don't have to own an actual Kindle to get a copy. I have a Kindle app on my iPod touch and on my laptop so I can read any Kindle books without an actual Kindle. 

How much will the novels cost:
Paperback: The price is going to be set for $9.95 USD for each of the paperback versions but, knowing Amazon, they will discount 20-30% of it so you'll pay less. That's almost the lowest price they would allow me to set it at, to be honest. I wanted a $7.99 listing price but making books is expensive. Certain venues will earn me less royalties but I don't care about that; I'm just excited that people will read the novels.
eBook: It'll be set at $3.99 for both, just as WTWC is at the moment. I will occasionally hold sales throughout the year in which it'll be 99 cents (Amazon limits the number of times I can do this) as well.

Publishing dates:
Paperbook: Because there have been formatting issues (I've been working on these for three days now!), I don't have a specific publishing date for these. However, I am told that as soon as the proofs get approved (usually less than 24 hours), they should be available within 48 hours. I am aiming to have everything done by Monday so they can be available mid to late next week. I'm aiming for  December 19th release date across the board so let's just go with that unless I get news that it'll be available either earlier or later.
eBook: As y'all know, WTWC has been available on Kindle since May 1st of this year so you can get your copy now. Also, Amazon was nice enough to allow me to update the cover (for now, at least) and how the Kindle version looks like so if you've already purchased a copy, go check it out; updates should've been automatic. London Calling will be available on December 19th through Kindle.

Links:
I will be posting the links to where you can purchase the novels next Friday. I do know the ISBNs for both books but it's no use in giving them out now because they're not available for purchase yet. ;)

Giveaway:
I will be giving away TWO novel sequel copies because I'm technically not allowed to give my novels away (it's in my contract with Amazon) but I can certainly gift them to the winners by paying for them out of my own pocket so... it's not really a giveaway if I only gift two, right? Wink. ;) As I stated in the previous blog post, to enter you must have somehow reviewed or "starred" the first novel. It could be on Amazon, Goodreads, your own blog, etc. I want an honest review because that's how I grow as a writer. As soon as you have something published, you can DM, tweet, or send me a message via the blog's FB page and you'll be automatically entered. The giveaway is on the 18th. Winners will get to choose whether they want their copy to be on Kindle or print. I already have a couple of entries from early birds (aka regular readers) so if you want a chance to win a copy of the sequel, please send me the link to your review/star-rating by midnight PST on the 18th. I might hold more giveaways in the future but, right now, I'm pretty broke so I can only do two. May the odds be ever in your favor! ;)

And that's it, I think. If you have any more questions, let me know. Leave me a comment in the blog, tweet me, FB message me, etc. :D

I hope y'all have a wonderful feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a fantastic weekend. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

St. Cecilia's Feast Day; Giveaway.

In honor of my confirmation saint, St. Cecilia (now you know where my middle name comes from :D), I am doing a quick blog before I go study for my Philosophy exam. I will try not to repeat what I wrote last year.

A little background info on St. Cecilia courtesy of the "Saint of the Day" application on Facebook.

"ST. CECILIA
This patroness of music lived in early times. What we know about her goes back to the fourth century. Cecilia was a Roman noblewoman who had given her heart to Christ. Beneath the rich clothes worn by women of her class, Cecilia wore a rough shirt that caused her suffering. She wanted to be able to offer this sacrifice to Jesus, whose bride she intended to be. But Cecilia's father gave her in marriage to a young pagan noble. It is said that during the wedding celebration, the lovely bride sat apart. She was singing to God in her heart and praying for his help. When she and Valerian, her husband, were alone, she gathered up courage and said to him: "I have a secret to tell you. You must know that I have an angel of God watching over me. If you let me keep my promise to be Christ's bride only, my angel will love you as he loves me."

Valerian was surprised and said kindly, "Show me this angel. If he comes from God, I will do as you wish."

Cecilia said, "If you believe in the one true God and receive the waters of Baptism, then you will see my angel." Valerian went to Bishop Urban and was received with joy. After he had professed his belief in the Christian religion, he was baptized and returned to St. Cecilia. There by the saint's side, the young man saw the splendid angel.

Valerian's brother, Tiburtius, learned of the Christian faith from Cecilia. She spoke so beautifully of Jesus that before long, he too was baptized. Together the two brothers performed many works of charity. When they were arrested for being Christians, they went bravely to death rather than give up their new faith in Jesus. St. Cecilia lovingly buried their bodies, before she too was arrested. She converted the very officers who tried to make her sacrifice to false gods. When she was put into a fire, it did not harm her. At last, a man was sent to behead her. He struck her neck three times, but Cecilia did not die right away. She lay on the floor of her own home unable to move. Yet by holding out three fingers of one hand, and one of the other, she still professed her belief in the Blessed Trinity.

On this feast of the patroness of music, let us consider the words of St. Augustine: "Words cannot express the things that are sung by the heart..And if so happy that words can no longer express what they feel, people discard the restricting syllables. They burst out into a simple sound of joy, of jubilation.'"

I've always said that she choose me, not the other way around... and I couldn't be happier about that. Reading her story, about how on her wedding day she heard music in heart, because she'd be given it to God, sort of reminds me of the lovely (yet kinda weird) experience I had at Mass nearly 2 years ago. I often pray that God sends me a good man, like He did to St. Cecilia.

Oh, btw, that experiment I mentioned a couple of entries ago about using music to help me study? Totally helped... and I owe that idea to St. Cecilia. :) I'm pretty sure I passed the latest math exam, and he'll allow me to retake the last exam because he noticed that most (if not all) of us weren't passing the exams. I'll be alright. I owe part of that to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, but I'll leave that for another entry. :)

Oh, btw, I'm giving away two The Priests CDs in honor of St. Cecilia's feast day. Yeah, I left that until the end. lol. Just send me an email, twitter DM, or leave me a comment with your name and e-mail address and let me know that you'd like to enter the random drawing. I'll choose the winner on Monday (for Music Monday). (side note: The winners of the St. Dymphna chaplet and prayer card, the items are on their way. Sorry I couldn't get them sent sooner.)

I will try to write as often as I can but I don't know if I will for the rest of the week. I have two more exams to do before Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday through Sunday I will be spending time exploring my beloved England (particularly London and Bath -- squee! lol) as I do a little bit more research for the novel (the last piece of the novel writing puzzle). I will be back (without too much stress... I hope ;)) on Monday. :)

I hope everyone had a great, blessed weekend. :) As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :)

St. Maria Goretti Giveaway

Yes, it's another giveaway! Those who won the Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati contest have been notified... and now it's time for one that I've wanted to do since last year.

I've felt a connection to St. Maria Goretti since I first heard about her story. She's truly an inspiration and a great role model for young girls (and boys) growing up in our society. I've known of girls as young as 12 who have had children, and not as a result of rape. I sometimes help my sister and brothers by listening to music and watching shows that are aimed for kids. When you have 15 nieces and nephews (yes, I'm serious -- 15 of them), you try to do all you can to make sure they don't get the wrong messages. You'd be surprised at how many have sexual innuendos and/or things that are completely inappropriate for them. It makes me sad that there aren't enough good role models out there for them. I hope that more and more young people (those underage) learn about St. Maria Goretti and get encourage to live their lives the way she did. As Pope Benedict XVI said: "How timely this message (of purity) is. Today, pleasure, selfishness and directly immoral actions are often exalted in the name of the false ideals of liberty and happiness. It is essential to reaffirm clearly that purity of heart and of body go together, because chastity ‘is the custodian’ of authentic love."

I decided last year to give away two DVDs of her life story the next time her feast day came around -- which is today! All you have to do is answer the following questions and DM me the answers on twitter or send me a quick email. Winners will be chosen, randomly, out of the entries with the correct answers. Contest ends: Tuesday, July 7 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

The Questions:
1) What were the dates of her beatification and canonization?
2) What is she the patron(ess) saint of?
3) What did she say about her attacker briefly before she passed away? She .... and wanted him ....
4) Name at least 3 other saints or blesseds that died under the age of 14. Hint: I mention one quite often on this blog.

Good luck to everyone! :D

That's all for today. Sorry it's so short but I still have errands to run. :) As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Happy 4th!; Morning Mass; Prayers; Last Day of Giveaway

I want to wish all my fellow Americans a Happy Independence Day (a.k.a. "Oh, you mean the 4th of July!", lol). Let us all thank and pray for all the brave men and women, past and present, who've risked (and continue to risk) their lives in order to protect this country and to help maintain our freedom. :) Fr. Stan said some lovely words about the significance of today in the 7 a.m. Mass. It was one of those things where you wish you had some sort of recording device to share with everyone. All those in attendance said a prayer for those in the armed forces. :)

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE morning Masses? It's the one thing about school that I will miss... along with the deposits they refuse to return to me. In all seriousness, I love starting my mornings with prayers... especially if I get a chance to do it at a parish. I haven't been to a morning Mass (that wasn't on a Sunday, of course) since I was about 19 years old, usually because of classes or other things I have to do in the morning. Going to today's Mass made me realize how much I miss going during the week. I am going to try to attend Mass as often as I can... and hopefully I'll be able to a couple of times during the week, if not every day. :) Oh, and because I'm often asked, YES, I DID wear my mantilla (chapel veil). I wasn't the only one either. There was another woman who wore one as well. :D I was, however, the only person under (maybe) 50 years-old at the Mass. lol. :)

After Mass, I spent nearly an hour just praying for my family, friends, and anyone who asked and/or needed it. My knees don't hurt as much as I thought they would from all the time I was kneeling. :D I prayed the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a couple of prayers to different saints for different intercessions (see, twitter people? I came through for those who asked. heehee. :D) Before I began to pray, I got the idea of keeping a book with a list of all the prayer requests I get (you'd be surprised how many emails I've gotten from people who have found me through this blog and/or twitter) so that every time I'm at church I can pray for y'all in front of the Tabernacle. Any time any of you want/need prayers, please do not hesitate to ask me. I'd be more than happy to pray for y'all. :D If it's to a particular saint, I'll ask for their intercession. If it's a novena, Rosary, or chaplet, I'll do it. It makes me very happy to be able to pray for others. :D

Alright, I'm going to go enjoy the Love Comes Softly series movie marathon that's on the Hallmark Channel all day today. I'm a sucker for these movies. lol. It's not all romance for all you chick flick haters... you know who you are. There is love, but most of it has to do with the love between families and their faith. Really great message. :)

Don't forget that today is the last day of the Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati giveaway. You guys have until 11:59 p.m. PST to enter. Oh, and someone please remind me to tell Fr. Stan how to pronounce his name; he had a bit of a problem with it today. :D I'm going to miss Fr. Stan when he gets transferred to another parish in a couple of days. :(

Oh! And, for those who ask me on a daily basis how dad's doing: I talked to my mom about an hour ago. He ate all his oatmeal and drank all of his coffee... and was able to hold it down. Yeah!!! He's doing so much better than yesterday too. If there was ever a day for him to be alright, it's today. :D

Okay, that's enough stalling. I hope everyone has a great, blessed day... and that some of you don't overdue it with the food at picnics today. lol. As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati Giveaway

I like to occasionally give away things in honor a saint or blessed's feast day, especially if I have a special devotion or gratitude to that particular saint. I'm pretty sure y'all know how much I admire Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati by now so it should come as no surprise that I will be giving away a couple of books written by his sister, Luciana Frassati. The giveaway include the books My Brother Pier Giorgio: His Last Days and A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati (which I hope to write a review for some time this weekend) as well as some prayer cards.

Just like the St. Dymphna giveaway, all you have to do is DM (on twitter) or email me the answers. The winners will be randomly selected and notified on Sunday morning. The contest starts as soon as this post goes up and ends at the end of Bl. Pier Giorgio's feast day (Saturday night at 11:59 p.m. PST). Sound good? Great. :) (Oh, and for the record, I am willing to send it anywhere as long as you tell me where to send it. Yes, even if you're in Australia or somewhere in Europe.)

Questions:
1) Who beatified Bl. Pier Giorgio?
2) What was the date of his beatification?
3) He is often called "a man of the Beatitudes." What are the 8 Beatitudes?
4) Which order did he join, at the age of 21?
5) True or false: His body was found incorrupt in 1981, 56 years after his death.

Good luck to all!

That's all for now. I need to get ready to visit dad. He's finally at the convalescent hospital where my mom works. He was doing very well yesterday, acting very silly/funny from the anesthetic they gave him prior to the dialysis, but he's been in a lot of pain today. Hopefully they'll get something stronger for him since the medicine they gave him earlier didn't do the job. I hope he feels better soon. Did I mention he's been able to eat solid foods and drink liquids again? That's always a good sign! :)

Again, good luck to all! Thanks for your continued prayers for my dad, especially those who've begun novenas and prayers to Bl. Pier Giorgio for his intercession. :D God Bless!

P.S. Look out for a St. Maria Goretti giveaway that I've been wanting to do since last year. :)

Happy St. Dymphna Feast Day!; Giveaway.

Happy St. Dymphna Feast Day! :D Thanks to Catechist Corner for reminding me (via twitter) about today because I wanted to give something in honor of her day.

As I've mentioned several times, I owe the fact that I'm currently anxiety free to St. Dymphna. From the first day I started praying, asking her to pray for me and help me with my anxiety, I've been able to do a lot of things I couldn't have done 2 years ago. I'm incredibly grateful to her for everything she'd done for me. Since I have a special place in my heart for her, I decided (months ago) that when her feast day came around I would give away 3 St. Dymphna Rosary Chaplets and 5 Laminated Prayer Cards. They will all be blessed, too. :) (*whispers* If there was a DVD of her life, I would be giving that away).

Now, the contest rules:
- Pick either (or both, for a better chance of winning) set of questions.
- Answer the questions and leave me your answer as a comment on here, through a DM on twitter, or via email (my email address is on my blogger profile). Make sure to write down which set of questions you're answering.
- Let me know how you want to be contacted (email, twitter, your own blog, etc) in case you have won something.
- Sit back and relax until Sunday when I pick the winners.

How will I decide the winners? This will not be a "first come, first serve" type contest. No one has to rush to try to get these questions in right now... but you do have to have them by Sunday evening. From the people who have the correct answers, I will randomly draw the names out of my little box. Got it? Okay, good. :) And now for the questions...

For the Rosary Chaplet:
1) I've mentioned St. Dymphna MANY times in this blog before. How many entries have I mentioned her name, in one way or another? This entry counts as one. :D (Hint: The Search Box is your friend. :D)
2) What was the entry (post) name in which I included scanned photos of a St. Dymphna's prayer card? (Submitting the link as the answer is also acceptable.)
3) Which fellow saint helped St. Dymphna during her escape (and was also martyred with her)?

For the Prayer Cards:
1) Where is St. Dymphna originally from?
2) Where was she martyred?
3) What is she the patron saint of (besides anxiety)?

And, that's it. You have until 10 p.m. PST to answer on Sunday night. :D I will contact the winners the following day. Good luck to everyone!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I've scheduled a "no internet" rule for myself for the rest of the weekend (unless something good happens and I need to come back). I'm on a novel writing roll and have part of the beginning already written. I work backwards, I had the middle first, then the ending, and now I'm working on the beginning. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D