Happy List

Lately, I've been noticing that a lot of things are making me smile and even laugh as I prepare to leave for Ghana.  Here are a few:

- the Eucharist - I mean, seriously, what would a happy list be without the source of our happiness??
- the smell of tanning oil - mmmm, summer... and... banana popsicles?*
- trying on leather jackets in the store while my little sister reminds me again that I don't own a motorcycle
- the way my hair looks when it curls just right, like it did today  (sigh, why am i soooo vaaaain...)
- headbands with flowers on them (i just bought a bunch! :D)
- getting packages in the mail (even if it's just boring stuff for Africa, like hand sanitizer)
- teaching my little sister how to walk in heels**
- dancing along to the radio while I pack
- hanging out in my bikini after sunbathing
- the pink lace that I use as a bookmark for my copy of "The Imitation of Christ"
- gold toenail polish
- getting to know St. Therese as I read Story of a Soul***
- looking up the weather forecast for Ghana, clicking on "10 day" and realizing that I'm going to be there during some of that weather!!! gah, it's so crazy.  I can't even think about it or I might explode.

And now, since a few of these have touched on topics I've been meaning to write about for some time now, I will elaborate in these blogs within a blog:

* Adventures in Tanning
I have never laid in the sun for the sole purpose of getting tan before.  It always just happened after a day at the pool or a week of camping or whatever.  So when I started, I had a bit of a time figuring out what to do.  I've been meaning to chronicle them here so that those of you who have never tanned but thought about it could learn from my mistakes and those of you who are experienced tanners could laugh at me.
The first day, I went outside and tried to lay on my back for half an hour without moving.  I never realized what a fidgety person I am until I attempted this stunt.  I barely made it through the half hour without jumping up and running around.  Then I had to lay on my stomach for half an hour.  Torture.  And on top of that, I set up my towel right next to a giant ant hill, which explains the numerous ants crawling on me while I lay there.  I'm not really creeped out by bugs, but it was super annoying.  I said a rosary and a chaplet of Divine Mercy and offered everything up for the mission.
The next day, I managed to get my little sister to lay out with me (in a different spot) so I wouldn't get so incredibly bored.  But it was still hot and uncomfortable.  We didn't make it the whole hour.  And I didn't look tan at all, because I only had lain out around 3pm and 4pm to avoid the hottest part of the day, which I had always been taught to do to avoid sunburn.
On Sunday, though, I went out at 1pm.  It was so incredibly hot, I was watching the sweat bead up on my arms and roll off.  By then, though, I had figured out that it was better to do 3 10-minute sessions on each side so as to avoid the torture of laying still for so long.  So in between the first four and last two sessions of the hour, I ran inside to get a popsicle.  Oh man, frozen juice has never tasted so good.  And I got super tan.  Yaay!
Since then, I've used the 6 10- minute session format almost every day, and my tan is deepening nicely.  I have even grown to enjoy my time sunbathing, and I've been able to relax enough to doze sleepily in the sun.  The weather has been so nice and breezy the past few days, too. And I've said a lot of rosaries.  When I'm done with my hour for the day, I step inside and lay on the couch to watch TV for a little while in my bikini, enjoying the way my skin feels all warm from the sun and smells so delicious from the tanning oil.  Sigh. This may be a new summer tradition for me.  Maybe.


** 5 Golden Rules for Walking in Heels
1. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet as much as possible.  Putting weight on the heel causes wobbling, slipping, and heal breakage.
2. Pick your feet up to at least ankle height during your stride.  This will help you avoid what I like to call "heel farts," when your heel scrapes loudly and embarrassingly against the surface on which you are walking, a dead giveaway that you are dragging your feet.
3. Walk as though you are walking a parking lot line, one foot in front of the other.  There's no need to cross over dramatically, but keeping your footsteps close to lined up will give your hips a lovely, natural swing as you walk.
4.  Confidence!  Keep your chin and eyes up, shoulders slightly back and lengthen your neck.  Imagine stretching the muscles under your ears that connect your head to your shoulders.  And smile a bit, like you know a secret.  Here's the secret:  you are amazing!! Look at you in those heels! ;D
5.  Use all your muscles, especially your abs, glutes, and calves to steady yourself.

Oh, and here's a bonus tip:  keep your walk heel-toe, heel-toe or else you're stride will show that you're inexperienced in heels.  But remember rule #1.  The "heel" of heel-toe should be the briefest touch until your toe comes firmly down to push off again.
If you are walking in heels for the first time (like my sister was) it's probably best to start with wedges and work your way to a smaller and higher heel.  But as I also told her, if you practice walking around on your tiptoes, those muscles that you need for walking in heels will strengthen and you'll be ready for anything!


***  My Confirmation Saint
I've always had a special connection to St. Therese, since I was a very little girl.  I just always knew that she'd be my confirmation saint.  It really was as though she chose me rather than the other way around.  When I was little, I loved her child-like faith and the novena asking her for roses.  That tangible sign from heaven was so encouraging for me when I was young, and still is.  Back then I used to say that novena all the time for every little thing.
As I grew up, though, I fell away from her, especially as I grew in my faith and discovered other amazing saints.  Whenever I would tell people that she was my confirmation saint, they would always ask if I'd read The Story of a Soul, but of course I hadn't because I had written it off as too dense for me.
In Peoria in the spring of '09, I had a long talk with one of the nuns, during which she exclaimed, "It is so easy to tell that St. Therese is your confirmation saint; everything you are saying sounds just like her!"  And then she asked if I had read Story of a Soul, which I still hadn't, but now I was legitimately curious about it.
It wasn't until the spring of this year, when I was in Peoria again for spring break that I bought the book for myself.  We were visiting the museum of Bishop Fulton Sheen (who is a native of Peoria; who knew?) and I was wandering through the gift shop when the glossy little book caught my eye.  I don't know why I hesitated before I bought it, but eventually I did.
I started reading it when I got home, and was immediately struck by how similar St. Therese and I are!  Her stories of her childhood in the beginning of the book were just so inexplicably familiar, and I identified with her so deeply.  I took a break from the book for a few weeks during finals etc., but I picked it up again fairly recently and was again surprised by how alike we are.  We could be sisters, really!  I don't mean to elevate myself by identifying with such a great saint; I just mean that her way of thinking and mine are very similar, that her natural reactions to things are often the same as mine, though in her great holiness she usually overcomes these.  I understand her perfectly, and I love her so dearly, more than I ever have.  How blessed I am to have such a wonderful person chose me as her little sister of sorts!
I think it no coincidence that I have rediscovered her during preparations for my trip to Africa; she is the patron saint of missionaries!  Although she never left the Carmel, she spiritually adopted many missionaries and dreamed of being able to spread our Lord's love to people the world over.  So, St. Therese, pray for me and my fellow missionaries!  I am starting to get majorly freaked out about this whole thing.


Ok, that is all.  This post makes me seem really worldly, materialistic, and vain...  I guess I am.  :p  Maybe my trip to Ghana will cure me of those unfortunate personality traits.  Part of me hopes so and part of me... just really likes pretty things!! If I ever met myself, I don't know if I would like me very much.  I might hate me.  I might be seriously concerned for my soul.  Or I might get along with myself very well, because we were delighted by all the same things. hahaha