Happenings

Four. Count 'em... four chambers in Elmo's heart. Good boy, Elmo! We had the long ultrasound today where they measure and catalog everything. Seems he's pretty much all there, although he really didn't want to show us his left foot. And the tech seemed to have a hard time with the brain (I think it's just cause he's too smart and there's too much information already packed in there). But I was happy that Matt was able to come, too. Especially when the lady left us there for 20 minutes while she went to go check everything with the doctor. Fortunately, everything appears to have checked out ok. Excellent. :-)

Last night we went to our first Life Night at St. Theresa's. There were seven adults there, including us. And five teens. The "core" assured us that this was the smallest group they've ever had, and that they normally get at least 15-20. (I'll believe it when I see it, I guess) There are a couple of younger people on the team, one of whom teaches 8th grade at the parish school and is probably going to single-handedly pump up the attendance next year (this is the first year for the LifeTeen program at the church). She's the same age as I am, which is good because I think she may well be the only other 20-something person that I've met here in Ashburn. In any case, the LT program is going to be *evaluated* by the pastor in a few weeks to see if it's worth continuing next year. So I guess we'll hang out for a little while and see what happens next.

Also, I went on a women's retreat this weekend with the church. Figured it might be a nice way to connect with some other women in the parish, you know? It was a day-long retreat, with a few talks by a visiting priest, Mass, and confession. And, of course, food. The sacramental parts were great, as was the food. The talks... were a little scattered and not entirely helpful. But I did succeed in sitting at a table which attracted the only other under-40 ladies in the group. There were two of them. Is it odd that I'm starting to consider anyone under 40 to be young? We had some pleasant conversation at the table throughout the day, though, and at least I'm starting to recognize a few faces around the church. It's a start.

Since it's pretty much spring now, Matt and I took a trip over to the Home Depot and bought ourselves the makings of our very first "garden." We started small... with a flower box on the balcony. If I get brave (or bored) enough this week, I may plant some herbs also. I think that would be fun. Now I'll just have to remember to water the things on occasion, eh? Neither of us knows anything about gardening, so we're sort of curious to find out how long it will be until we manage to kill the flowers. So far, they've lasted two days. I'll keep you posted.