Summer Nails

Round One of Summer Toes:

yellow sunshine and 2 happy birds, for all the sun we haven't been getting!

A Taste of Home

entrance to neverland.





just leaving town

Cat's wedding invitation

"Even if you're a born loser you're still called to be holy." --Mother Angelica

**The Becca Barclay Story of the Day**

(these are increasingly beginning to happen quite often)

Conversation from last week:

Hayley (bff of Becca): will you be able to come visit me in the

hospital after I have my baby girl?!

Becca: yes! I'm off all day on Friday, and I think I'll be able to

switch shifts around it, and should be able to make it. :)

Hayley: Oh good. I have to stay in the hospital 48 hours after delivery.

Or something to that effect.

TODAY:

I was leisurely looking through the Mall with my youngest sister

for a dress for this wedding in August. And as we are strolling through Gap, I get a text

message from Hayley's mom Joan: "FWD: Jami had her baby! last night 11pm! A baby boy: 9lbs 5 oz. Gabriel!" And so I text her back and let her know of my appreciation for informing me.

I had just met Jami, the day before. Once. Keep that in mind: I only met Jami once.

And awhile later I receive another text from Hayley's mom Joan: "Tell everyone! 2 hours in labor!" And, naturally, my train of thought commenses: This can't be about Jami. I just met Jami--who would I tell? ... I thought Dan was going to text me if Hayley went into labor. But I really don't know how it would really go down--being their first baby and all ... maybe Joan is JUST on her way to Fargo now and Hayley and Dan are there. That must be it. And now, Hayley and Dan have said to "Tell everyone!" so that everyone can pray--no false alarms, real active labor. ... Oh my gosh--my best friend is in labor?!? With her first baby!!! ... I text Joan back: "How is she?!" Response: "Gd." Yep. Must be Hayley--short response, Joan's frantic too.

And I frantically and rather scatter-brain-ed-ly walk around the Mall trying to figure out what I'm doing--okay, I wonder how long this is going to take?! hm. I have to go to Fargo tonight, she should be done by then. Oh heavens, I hope so for her sake. Hm. Same birthday as her sister Laura--that's cool. And so continues my lovely thought process, which I am coming to find more and more amusing. Mom, Hayley's in labor for 2 hours! And then I think to text all my girlfriends from AMU, who also know Hayley. And from then on out--random texts "oh i'm praying!" "oh my gosh!!!" "I cant believe it!!" etc. And every text I get, I'm waiting for the text from Dan, the proud father of the newly named baby _____. And I'm trying to guess baby names--and dying to know the name they've chosen. .. hm..

So goes my day. We finally, after what seems like forever, leave the mall. And we start to quicken. Okay, I have to get flowers. Hm. I need to fill my car with gas before I go as well... okay..Hm. I'll go right when I get back from town. Shucks, I knew I should have brought my own car just in case...Hm. And so it goes, my day, continuing as it does. Then I call Sam, as I walk around Target, freaking out, "SAM, my BEST FRIEND from 9TH GRADE is having a BABY!? I can't even really focus right now. MAN." And thoughts of labor, delivery, childbirth go through my mind, and the image of my best friend in 10th grade. ... So it goes, so it goes.

Finally I pick out a little present for them. And I'm just dying to get back so I can go to Fargo. I call my sister and make sure I can stay overnight with them...be back to work tomorrow... okay, everything is working out.

And, I look up, and I see a blond haired man, wearing a red shirt and khaki pants who looks strikingly similar to Dan Kaffar, father of the baby and husband of my bff who is in labor right now, has been for 2hours+ now... I follow him across the way, staring at him, and finally call out, "DAN KAFFAR?!" Dan looks over, "Hey, Becca! How are you?!" And I question him, unremittingly, "DAN!? What are you doing?! How's Hayley!?" and continue to explain the whole story to him.

After hearing the story, Dan then led me over to Checkout 18 and proceeded to check me out. I stare in amazement at him, unable to believe that I, for 2 hours, believed Hayley had been in labor and was on my way, literally, to drive 110 miles to see them.

The rest of my afternoon I spent explaining why Hayley was NOT in labor and receiving texts from Dan that said, "Becca! I'm still laughing! That made my day!"

So, I went home and I wrapped their gift and I do feel a bit more prepared after this false alarm.

I have yet to speak with Joan ... I'm sure she'll get a kick out of it.

But, as Mother Angelica says, "Even if you're a loser, you are still called to be holy." Hahah. I know I'm not a loser...but I'm sure we could substitute "crazy" in there too.

An eternal eating of chocolates frappes...

"Herbie carried the tin dish with care to the dusty little table with two wire-backed chairs that stood in a corner by the magazine shelves, and sat down to feast like a mighty man. He had bought the privilege with the frappe. (Nobody ever sat at the table except a rare "big guy" who, too lazy to walk his sweetheart around the corner to Hesse's, would regale her amid Borowsky's dinginess.) All that was needed now to fill the boy's cup of joy was some other boy to come into the store and envy him. But it was a quiet time; he waited until the treat was half melted, and was forced at last to eat it alone and unadmired. Every pleasure in life seems to come equipped with such a shadow.

"Still, it was an event to be treasured. Come what might, he had eaten a frappe on a weekday. Herbie was ignorant of the French origin and pronunciation of the word, but the dish was not hte less lovely for that. Some adults, who have nothing better to do, like to argue about what the most beautiful word in the English language is. The leading contenders are usually dawn, violet, starlight, golden, moonbeam, and the like--which proves nothing except what kind of people the arguers are. For the boys on Homer Avenue there would hardly have been a rival for that glorious sound, Frap.

"Licking his lips, and wondering why life was not an eternal eating of chocolate frappes, Herbie left the candy store and went home..."

I finally finished City Boy: The Adventures of Herbie Bookbinder. It was a delightful read and I thorougly enjoyed it for its comic relief effect--the inner workings of the mind of an 11-year-old boy carry an air of seriousness, acknowledging the serious things in life, while coming up with the most ridiculous 11 year old answers. It's a great balance, to be an 11 year old, and at the same time my heart pities poor and chubby Herbie Bookbinder as he learns the lessons of life. haha. I've now moved on to Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow and 50 pages in I am only able to declare it "interesting"--I won't speak definitively until I have finished it. But it is different than anything I've read before, I will say that.

It's been a busy week--and quite a packed week in many ways. I'm still waiting to hear anything about any job at all. In the meanwhile this job suits quite well. I think you can say a job is good for you when you realize on a daily basis the levels of your stupidity. The quite unconventional position of housemother at Saint Gianna's Maternity Home is a challenging and 'rewarding' position. While helping unwed mothers through an often scary and unexpected pregnancy I'm also put in the role of discipliner, pseudo-parental, friend and counselor. For myself, to be put in such a position amidst girls nearly my age has always been odd to me. I lack much...regardless I am daily *allowed* to share the burdens and the joys these women face in their lives. I'm never surprised with the frustration I feel, and am always surprised when the frustration dissolves. I can spend countless amounts of time being frustrated with the problems of how people think, or the low expectations people have for themselves, or the inability to see situations clearly--but in that one moment where I am 'addressing' it, my heart breaks over and over again and I am always amazed at how these women who come from such broken homes endure and persist. They have a strength I'll never know.

It's also a very convicting experience to address homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, chastity, the rosary, Mass, priests and 'priestesses', explaining the beauties and truths of the Church in a way that can be understood by the non-oriented (and dis-oriented) mind.

...On a lighter note, I have decided to fly out to Seattle in August for a good friend's wedding. I can hardly wait. This also means that I must find the perfect dress for the occasion. Let the search begin...any fun ideas, let me know. I'm looking for bright colors and belts as well. :-)