Breaking Radio Silence.

It is about time.

So we finally moved into our new place last weekend and can I just tell you how blessed we are.  If you follow me on the good 'ol gram you know I have been bombarding you with the sweetness of life.  We walk around this place and feel like we are in a vacation home.  The Lord is very good.

One of my best friends had her first baby this past weekend (it's a boy!) and contrasted to our move I realize just how good God is and He blesses us in whatever place of life we are.  Of course I would be happy married and beginning my own little family but right now that is not what the Lord is calling me too.  Instead, I am making my own independent decisions about where I live and with who.  While she is soaking in every little toe and newborn smell, I am sitting in my new kitchen with friends laughing and experimenting with cocktails.  Both are so good but we are not called to both at the same time.  So here I am living the life the Lord is calling me too now and supporting and celebrating with my friends who are living their own fiat.  I have said it before and I will say it again, say your yes, live the Lord's will for  your life now and you will live with joy.

Feast of Our Lady of the Annunciation

Well you know I had to show up on this blog on a day like today.

Ah what a beautiful feast day.  Yes.  Three simple letters that changed history.  A young, very special women said her simple yet profound yes and God became man.

As I do a quick bloggity jump online between loads of nights and an apartment move (Oh I didn't tell you.  Yes I just realized I never hit publish.  More news to come soon.) I just hope that with each breath I take, every day, and every week I am giving my daily fiat and saying yes to the Lord's will for my life.

So simple.  Three Letters.  Our Salvation.

Meditate on Luke chapter 1 today.  Celebrate her yes.

NAS: Encouraging Men

We seem to always have something to say about guys treating us right! ...or, not right! But, what does that mean? Have you ever thought to share those insights so guys have a better idea on what to say/how to act? Well, let's do it! What are some good habits guys can take up when dealing with us ladies?

Linking up with Morgan, Jen and the lovely ladies of the Not Alone Series.

Hmm well when I first read the title to this topic I thought it was about how to encourage men. Which if I may take the soap box for a moment and diverge from the actual topic, I have significant opinions.  We as women are sensitive and easily hurt or built up.  While men aren't women, they aren't rocks either.  We need to be sensitive to men's feelings and confidence.  If a guy ask you out if you don't have serious misgivings like safety or their is absolutely no way it will go to a second date, give the guy a chance and say yes.  Even if it doesn't work out between the two of you, the confidence he gets from you saying yes might give him the confidence to ask his wife out.

I am now stepping off my soapbox and to the actual topic at hand.  

So what must men do to treat us right?  How can we help them out a bit and let them into our head a little?

Above all, men must pursue.  Be the knight and fight for the princess.  Don't let us always text you first.  Message us on dating sites.  If we flirt with you at an event, be confident and ask us out on a date.  This is essential throughout an entire relationship but initiating the relationship sets the path for the rest of it.  Men, pursue and lead the relationship because alot of us ladies won't stand for anything else. 

That is above all the biggest thing, however if I were to throw in a few more bonuses--tell us we are beautiful, have a real raw devotion to your Heavenly Mother, be a gentleman and love what you do for a living.  But still, most importantly, be a man and pursue us.   

I am exciting to see what you ladies think is important!

Single Guilt

So many people talk about wife guilt and way more commonly, mommy guilt but no one ever talks about single guilt.  However, knowing single gals and being one myself I find that single guilt is all too common.

So what is single guilt?  Single guilt is feeling like you are not doing the whole single gig right.  This guilt involves the feeling of if I only loved the Lord more and as I should then I wouldn't be single anymore or I would at least be happier during this single season of my life.  Single guilt also includes feeling guilty that you long for a spouse, seek to be married, and are often preoccupied in life and prayer dreaming about what life has a spouse and parent will be like.

Stop it.

Stop the guilt.

Yes, sometimes we can all be guilty of not trusting and following the Lord with our whole heart.  Sometimes we do spend time with our mind a little too preoccupied with dreams and wishes rather than the Lord's will.  However, I have found that alot of ladies are most often right where we are supposed to be.

Loving and trusting the Lord is a life long journey.  It isn't like we suddenly get to this point that we trust the Lord as we should.  Instead, it is an adventure that never ends. It is constantly surrendering our will and all the areas of our life more each day to the hands of the Lord.

In addition, it is a good and beautiful thing to wish, dream, and pray about a vocation as a wife and mother if that is in fact the vocation that the Lord is asking of you.  The seeking displays a longing for the things of the Lord.  It shows that you are preparing your heart and allowing the Lord to mold you. It points to a union with God in heaven.

Source: http://www.choosing-life-my-way.com/live-life.html

So stop constantly beating yourself up when it isn't warranted.  Keep on the adventure of loving and trusting the Lord.  Long for the things of heaven and the journey and vocation it will take to get there.  Stop being so hard on yourself and recognize when you are right where the Lord wants you to be.    

NAS: Dating Fast

We've all likely heard about them, but have you ever done one? If so, what was your experience? If you haven't, would you consider doing one? Why or why not?

Hey Ladies! Back for another week with the Not Alone Series.  Linking up with Morgan, Jen and the other NAS gals!

This week we are talking about dating fasts.  As an alumni of Franciscan University, passionately Catholic and possessing a very unique culture, I am by no means foreign to the concept of a dating fast.  It always seemed like girls would declare a year long dating fast and about six months into it some guy would start to pursue them and they would have to date without dating or "not become official" until said dating fast was over.

Seeing as it seems like I have always been in an unchosen dating fast, declaring a real dating fast just was never really my jam.  However, emotional dating is a whole another story.  Of course I have and still sometimes do struggle with emotional chastity.  So a few years back beginning on the feast of the Immaculate Conception and ending the following Christmas I attempted a emotional dating fast.

Easier said then done seeing as emotional dating isn't as black and white as traditional dating and the line between emotional chastity and unchastity is very blurred.  When thoughts of dating or marrying a guy from the first hello entered my mind I would try to stop it and when I would have perpetual thoughts about past or current crushes I just had to say no.

Did it help me?  Yes and no.  I think it was a purposeful way to lessen emotional unchastity especially at the time but it wasn't like it kept me always emotional chaste to this day in the same way that traditional dating fasts don't mean you never are in less than steller dating situations again.

So that is my story with dating fasts but I will make one more comment.  I have seen girls often think, especially because of that typical story I talked about earlier of girl declares dating fasts, boy pursues, girl gets boy at end of year, ladies think that a dating fast is part of the secret formula to dating.  "If only I go on a dating fast than Mr. Future Husband will enter into my life with a dozen roses and a devotion to St. Joseph. "  Don't fall into that trap.  Whether you go on a dating fast or not, the Lord's will still needs to be done in your dating and vocational life.  Don't ever forget that, it is always His will.  However, if you do find yourself jumping from mediocre guy to well he is cute guy maybe a dating fast is good for you.  To stop and really think about why you are dating, what kind of guy you want and who you are as God's.

Well ladies, I can't wait to hear all that you are saying about dating fasts and please comment below  whether you are a new or old reader so that we can keep the discussion going.