Laurie...

…is Catholic?

I am currently writing three essays for Literature on Louisa May Alcott’s book, Little Women. You are given four types of essays to pick from, and you may choose three of them. I selected Character Sketch, Theme, and Morality essays. Now, I am sure all of you are familiar with this book and its well loved characters; however, I am a little confused about the religion of one of them, Theodore Laurence, more commonly known as, Laurie or Teddy.

On page 388, Laurie is in Europe and it says that he “went out to hear High Mass at Saint Stefan’s….” The only “High Mass” I know of is a Catholic Mass. What puzzles me is that if Laurie is Catholic, and the March family Protestant – Mr. March was a pastor – why did Amy marry him? I mean, usually people of different religions didn’t get married back then. On the other hand, did Laurie go to the Mass simply because that was the “thing” that rich people did when they were in Europe, because the churches are so old and historical?

Any thoughts?

LOTR Songs and lyrics

Sorry this isn't that great of quality; I couldn't find a better one. :(



Lyrics:
Hey! Ho! To the bottle I go.
To heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
But there still be many miles to go.

Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,
And the stream that falls from hill to plain.
Better than rain or rippling brook...
Is a mug of beer inside this Took!


Okay, this one isn't in the movie, but it's hilarious!

Lyrics:
A long time ago, way back in history,
when all there was to drink was nothin but cups of tea.
Along came a man by the name of Charlie Mops,
and he invented a wonderful drink and he made it out of hops.

He must have been an admiral a sultan or a king,
and to his praises we shall always sing.
Look what he has done for us he's filled us up with cheer!
Lord bless Charlie Mops, the man who invented beer beer beer
tiddly beer beer beer.

The Curtis bar, the James' Pub, the Hole in the Wall as well
one thing you can be sure of, its Charlie's beer they sell
so all ye lads a lasses at eleven O'clock ye stop
for five short seconds, remember Charlie Mops

Sorry to interrupt LOTR Week...

...but this needs mentioning.

"Eucharistic adoration, perpetual or not, is a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward, not forward" (Fr. McBrien, Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame).
This contradicts Church teaching.
Protest Father McBrien's statement on Eucharistic Adoration.
For example, St. Peter Julian Eymard wrote:
"The solemn cult of exposition [adoration] is necessary in order to awaken the dormant faith of so many good people who no longer know Jesus Christ, because they no longer know that he is their Neighbor, their Friend, their God.
"Society is dying because it no longer has a center of truth and love, and no family life; individuals isolate themselves, turn in on themselves, want to be self-sufficient; the breakup of society is imminent.
"But society will be reborn, full of vigor when we all join and unite around our Emmanuel. Communication among thinkers naturally will take place, guided by the truth. The bonds of true and strong friendship will be renewed under the influence of one love; the beautiful days of the cenacle will return; the feast of the great King, God's family feast."
Father McBrien's statement is a tragic sign of things gone wrong at Notre Dame.
But this won't stop us from doing Eucharistic adoration. In fact, to help you offer a holy hour of reparation for this statement, please use this amazing meditation:
One Hour Meditation: Be Still and Know I am God.
And to unite pious prayer with effective action, please send Father McBrien a respectful and clear message: "retract and apologize!"
Sign the petition.

Thank you for being a true adorer and crusader for Our Eucharistic Lord.

GOLLUM FINDS OUT THE TERRIBLE TRUTH

by Danny M.

Edited by Vicki M.

Gollum bit off the finger Frodo, thus obtaining the ring, and began to rejoice in his victory. Meanwhile, Sam revived from being unconscious, only to see Gollum with the ring, and Frodo on the ground with his finger bleeding away. Sam stood up, drew his sword, and said in his cracking, weary voice, "Drop the ring Gollum! You horrible filthy hunk o' C-," he was interrupted by Frodo who yelled in warning, "Sam! No Sam. Not that way."

Gollum heard these words and was very much disturbed. He looked at himself and saw the ugly skin, his feet ugly and dirty, standing on the beautiful dirt. What was Sam going to say before he was interrupted?

"You filthy what?" Gollum said losing interest in the golden ring that was finally his.

"Sam, don't," said Frodo. However, Sam's hate for Gollum was too great; so, before Frodo could stop him, he blurted out, "You’re nothin’ but a hunk o' CGI!"

Gollum began whirling around glancing frantically at himself and crying, "What precious?! No! Nooooooo! Not us! Impossible! Nooooooo!"

Frodo was so upset at what Sam had done, that he yelled, "Gollum! It's alright! Look at this bitten off finger! It's all CGI gunk! All residents of Middle-Earth are part CGI!"

Sam heard this and was shocked. He examined himself, from his curly, messed up hair to his filthy feet. He looked at his clothes. He looked at his face in the reflection of his sword.

"I am not!" he said stubbornly. Frodo sighed and put his good hand on his head. Gollum however was made even madder.

"No! Fat, stupid hobbit isn't! Oh, no. But poor Sméagol! We're a hunk of CGI, precious! AAAAAAAH!" With this, Gollum fell backwards into the lava with the ring, and all lived happily ever after. Except for Gollum, that is.

The End

Some favorites.....

.....from the extended editions:

Happy Birthday to Bilbo and Frodo!!!!!!

Welcome Hobbits, Men, Elves, and Dwarves!!! Let the Week of Middle Earth festivites begin!!!Join me in celebrating their birthday by:
1) Reading the chapter "A Long Expected Party" from the Fellowship of the Ring
2) Sing Happy Birthday to them
3) If you want...make a cake, or another treat to celebrate!

Three cheers for Frodo and Bilbo! Long may their memory live!
HIP HIP HOORAY!
HIP HIP HOORAY!!
HIP HIP HOORAY!!!

And confound it all I can't find one clip of Bilbo's birthday without it being altered! >:( Does anyone know of a unaltered clip of Bilbo's b-day? Since I don't have one, I will post some pictures:

And in case anyone is intersested, I got my background from this really cool blog that I found. Here is the link: http://simplyblogitbackgrounds.blogspot.com/

Urgent Action Needed!

Before I post anything related to LOTR Week, I must bring this to your attention:

Please ask Father Jenkins at Notre Dame to drop the charges against 88 pro-life advocates who face up to one year in jail and thousands of dollars in fines.

Sign the "Drop the Charges" petition

The 88 outspoken pro-lifers peacefully walked onto Notre Dame's campus in May to be the voice of the unborn -- when pro-abortion president Obama was honored there – and were arrested for trespassing.

Among those arrested were Fr. Norman Weslin, several nuns, Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of Roe v. Wade, and Ambassador Alan Keyes.

Lifesitenews.com reports: "While witnesses say pro-Obama protesters were allowed to roam free, the arrested individuals were singled out for displaying any pro-life message -- including slogans on the sanctity of life, photographs of aborted children, a large wooden cross, and images of Mary."

The double standard is rather shocking, isn't it?

You see, the University of Notre Dame, as the original complainant, has the choice to drop the charges pending against the 88 pro-lifers.

So kindly ask Notre Dame to drop the charges – sign here

Your signature is very important right now because, according to reports, the president of the University of Notre Dame "has repeatedly refused to seek such leniency or even answer the pro-lifers' requests for dialogue." (Lifesitenews.com: 09-04-09)

If you have any comments, please send them along.

Until next time, thank you very much for joining this urgent petition and feel free to pass it along, post it on Facebook, on blogs, and help get the word out.

This is outrages and embarrassing that a Catholic University is arresting pro-life supporters!!! It just blows me away. Let's do what we can to help those arrested, and show our disapproval. Please send in your petition (even if you aren't a Catholic) and pass this along, for the sake of life! Thank you.

First Lord of the Rings Week ever...

...starting September 22 - Bilbo & Frodo's birthdays. See Lady Rose's blog for details!

What can I say?

I am extremely blessed and grateful to have so many wonderful friends. :) Thank you all so much! Thank you to all who posted on my blog, left comments, mailed letters, emailed letters for Hannah to print out, sent words of wisdom, and all the spiritual bouquets. I enjoyed reading every single one of them so much; however, I felt so unworthy of all the compliments and descriptions people gave of me. I was very moved, and they totally made my birthday.

I intend to post pictures of all my birthday gifts (all of them apparel) soon. I won’t be able to post them this week, though, because there is a huge Arts and Crafts Show this weekend where I work. I am working Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So, maybe next week, I will post them. :)

I must run. I have school work to get to. God bless you all, and thank you again.

In the hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Vicki

Happy Birthday

Dear Vicki,

The rest of the Dominick's hope you have a happy birthday, too! Enjoy your day!

God Bless,
Mr. and Mrs. D, Rebecca, Timmy, Mary Rose and Anthony (aka the Phantom)

Happy Birthday Vicki!!!!

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. ~Henri Nouwen

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. ~Aristotle

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.
~Donna Roberts

Friends are relatives you make for yourself. ~Eustache Deschamps

A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked.
~Author Unknown

A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should. ~Author Unknown

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown

~

Dear Vicki, you are all of these things and more. I am so blessed to have you as a friend and "sister". ;) Love ya girl!

~

A good friend will come an visit you in jail, but a true friend will be sitting there next to you saying, "Man, that was FUN!"


=)

With Love,

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Auntie!! I hope your day is/was absolutely awesome! You're amazing and I love you!!!!!! <3

~Ella~

Happy 19th Birthday Vicki

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love,

Megan/Moses/Kathleen/Miss Kitty(cat)von Gibbs!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!

My Dear Vicki,
I wanted let you know how much I love you! You are the best friend anyone could ever have! and I am so thankful I know you! I love you so much that after you came to the lake house to visit us I missed you soooooooooooo much I cried after we said goodbye! and I also cried leaving you at camp! which I must say is something I never do! I love you sooooo much! and I wish everyone in the world could know you! For those who do know you they are very blest people, and I hope they know that to!

Love,
your "daughter"
~Yaviel/Resa

From Rachel H.

Everyone who knows Vicki can attest to the following 19 virtues that she has displayed throughout her 19 years:

Vicki is always CARING. Whether your dog dies, or you are struggling with school, Vicki is always there with a shoulder to cry on and a soothing voice to say, “It’s gonna be alright!”

Vicki is always SMILING. I have never once seen here without a smile on her face and hug for me!!! J

Vicki is always WISE. When life throws you a hard question Vicki’s right there to back you up…..Her wisdom is a sign of her mature 19 years!

Vicki is BEAUTIFUL. I think it’s her smile; it seems to radiate her face and makes her such a joy to behold.

Vicki is PATIENT. She can always wait to do school! :P

Vicki is CHARITBLE. I have never heard her say a mean thing about anyone, even if they were mean to her.

Vicki is DETERMINED. She’ll lick that old research report or die trying!!!

Vicki is GENEROUS. She would rather go halves with you than have it to herself.

Vicki is FUNNY. She is always joking or adding those cute smiley faces to her e-mails.

Vicki is SMART. She is always providing answers to my research report whenever I have a question.

Vicki is a LORD OF THE RINGS FANTIC. We both cry through “Return of the King”. ;’( It’s a girl thing!

Vicki is a BEAUTIFUL PRIATE. She is still working on me to see “Pirates of the Caribbean .”

Vicki is a NATURAL NARNIAN. She was the perfect choice for King Caspian’s bride. And she reigns with fairness too!

Vicki is an ENTHUSICASTIC READER. Except when it comes to “Lord of the Rings”. I think we can safely count 2 “no” votes there.

Vicki is an ARDENT WORKER. She’ll get the job done right!!!

Vicki is an EXCELLENT BABYSITTER. She loves little kids!

Vicki is a SAINT. She loves God with her whole heart and soul. (can I do a BA on you??? *wink*)
Vicki is a ROLE MODEL. I want to be just like Vicki when I grow up!!!

Vicki is a FRIEND. No matter what she’ll stick by your side through thick and thin, day in and day out. Even when you’re feeling like no one cares about you….Your all wrong, because Vicki is only a phone call away from telling you how much she cares. :)

I LOVE YOU VICKI!!!! HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY!!! And although it’s YOUR birthday you’ve given everyone the PRESENT of your friendship. What more do I want??? :) :)

All my love,

Ray J :) :)