Day 1 & 2 Poland Pilgrimage

As I am writing this, I have been up since Thursday morning with a few short naps here and there. Very long travel day so I will be keeping today's post short and sweet. 

Day 1:

We met at Dullles Aiport and flew across the Atlantic to Frankfurt Germany. It was about an 8 hour flight. Each seat was equipped with a touch screen from which we could access movies, tv shows, games and more. I tried to sleep, but I only got a few winks. Oh and the plane was a double decker! 

Day 2: Our connecting flight into Poland was a short puddle jump and we were soon on our way to our hotel in Warsaw. I am one of a handful from our group who have a room solo for our two night stay here. Luckily, we don't have anything scheduled until 2 pm tomorrow so if I oversleep, I'm safe. 

After a short time to freshen up (or take a nap) at the hotel, we traveled to Niepokalanow where St. Maximilian Kolbe built his monestary. We had a Mass in Spanish and Polish which was a wonderful way to start our journey. WIth the little Spanish I remember, I picked up "we are the light of the Church" from the homily. Then to see people from around the world embracing each other during the sign of peace was a simple, but moving experience that demonstrated that line beautifully. We must be the light to each other and the world around us in simple, but significant ways. 

St. Maximilian Kolbe was arrested, for a second time by the Nazi forces, in February 1941. He was taken to Auschwitz and gave his life for a fellow prisoner, Franciszek Gajowniczek, on August 14, 1941. The museum on site had a number of moving pieces of art through out the exhibits. 

We traveled back to the hotel and then were treated to dinner at an Italian restaurant near the hotel. At the end of our meal, our waitress recommended a Sweet Berry tea which I fell in love with. Delicious! I will be on the look out to find some to bring home. 

I guess that wasn't exactly brief... Ah well, now it is time to rest up for another day tomorrow. Much love to you from Poland!

Almost #readyforWYD

Hello again! It's been a few years since I've blogged here, but I want to share my pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Poland with you. We leave from DC next Thursday and there are so many things to get done before then! So of course, instead of doing anything productive, I procrastinate.

Last night, I was checking packing lists from many different churches and WYD travelers again. I knew that pilgrims traded items from their home state/country, but I didn't realize how many things people traded. One blogger I read said by the time he was walking to the Vigil Saturday night, he only had about 20 of the over 200 stickers and pins that he had brought to trade.

Holiday Mishap Contest

I am so excited to join in the contest fun! I was afraid I wasn't going to get this up in time thanks to the strep the children shared with me over the weekend. 

The wonderful Susanna Leonard Hill is running her 3rd Annual Holiday Contest. All the details can be found here. Without fourth ado, here is my Holiday Mishap:

A Juicy Cautionary Tale for the Traveling Mouse

As told by Auntie M

Artist's Date Anyone?

After a wonderful month with PiBoIdMo, how do I keep up the idea generating groove? With Artist Dates. They sound heavenly.

Artist Julie Cameron has brought the idea of the Artist Date to us and she is a wonderful champion for the movement. She writes:

The Artist Date need not be overtly

“artistic” — think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the

imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the

play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well

of images and inspiration. When choosing an Artist Date, it is good to ask

yourself, “what sounds fun?” — and then allow yourself to try it.

-Julie Cameron

http://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/artists-dates/

Sounds good right?

I'm a PiBoIdMo Winner and My #Nerdlution

Thanks to the PiBoIdMo challenge I have 34 brand new ideas to play with. I've already written two of them into drafts and there are a few more gems in the pile I think!