Hello!
Recently I made a recap video with pictures from June. This post will be talking a bit about some of my highlights from the month and I’ll share the video as well.
It was a great month. There were a lot of fun memories made. It was a month of highs and lows, one of the lows being Ben was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It’s been a roller coaster but I know God is bringing good out of it all!
I hope you enjoy!
Below are the highlights and they aren’t in any particular order.
1
The Trip with my Dad to Saratoga Springs
At the beginning of the month my Dad and I took a trip to Saratoga Springs, which is known for horse racing. He had a gig there but it also happened to be the week of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, with the big race that Saturday! We didn’t go to the big one but we went to a whole day of racing on Wednesday. We went to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, we had great food, explored downtown and binged the show on Netflix called “Race for the Crown.” It was a great trip! I’ve actually done three posts on it already, feel free to check those out!
2
Watching the Belmont Stakes Together as a Family
Our family got pretty into the Kentucky Derby again this year, and because my Dad and I were there at the Saratoga Race Course just a few days before, we really enjoyed getting into the Belmont Stakes as a family! I love having horse racing on in the background and getting to see all the races and watching all the cool stories they put up throughout the day, leading up to the big race. And I got to work on sewing while we had it on so that was really fun. We did betting for the first time this year during the Kentucky Derby, then my Dad and I did it on our day at the races in person, and so we did it again for the actual Belmont Stakes. It was very fun! My Dad and I bet that Sovereignty and Journalism would end up in the top two, in either order, and they did! We didn’t get a ton of money but it was still fun to guess right!
3
Mass at Our Priest’s New Chapel
Our priest has been working on transforming a room in their rectory into a chapel. At the beginning of the year our family helped paint it. He’s since got it finished and he invited us for a Mass in it, just us and him! It was such an amazing experience. He even gave a homily. And God was really working in my heart at a certain point during Mass which was cool. This was also shortly after Ben was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and Mom had found out that he was able to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. So our priest did that during Mass too, which was very neat.
4
Corpus Christi Eucharistic Processions and Getting to Serve in One
Our parishes had two Corpus Christi Eucharistic processions this year. We usually just have one on Sunday morning, but it was our first Corpus Christi with our new priests and they decided to add another one on Saturday night. That one was longer, it took over half an hour. My mom and I went, it was really nice and had a great turnout. The one on Sunday morning was an even better turnout, we had a ton of people! It was also Ben’s, Ro’s and my first time serving in it. We were the only servers, besides another guy who has been helping with special occasions. Our Dad also ended up carrying the cross and leading the procession, which was cool! So I loved both of the processions, I’m glad we got to be a part of them. I really enjoy doing them and getting to be such a bold witness to those we pass.
5
Fun Night with Friends
There was a night that my mom had some of her friends over, who are also the moms of our friends so a lot of them came as well. We had about 9 of us kids all together and we hung out in the basement. We played a couple games, Taboo and Doodle Face. We also separated into smaller groups and talked or played other games at times, and then we watched some funny videos at the end. We had such a great time! Especially when playing Doodle Face, we laughed so hard. So hard. It was very fun, I really enjoyed it!
6
Father’s Day
We had a nice Father’s Day! We all gave Dad some nice cards and Mom bought him a shirt on Etsy with his Saint posse that he liked. We had Beef Stroganoff for dinner which is always so delicious and it fills the house with awesome smells all day. We also got a Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake, which Dad loves, and we don’t get that very often so that was a treat! And I edited a video with pictures of us and Dad which I ended up showing the family a few nights after.
7
Adoration and Ice Cream with my Family
One night, after dinner, we ended up going to Adoration as a family for a little while, and afterward we went to get ice cream at one of our favorite places! I had a really nice time in Adoration. And I got a twist cone, it was so delicious! That was very fun! But there was a big storm that rolled through and we got home just as it started so it was perfect timing for us, although I feel bad for everyone else who didn’t make it in time. But anyway, it was a good night!
8
Working on Sewing Projects
I’ve been really into sewing for a while now. In May I made my first long, tiered skirt and it turned out great! In June I mainly worked on my first boxy toiletry bag and another skirt, a shorter, simpler one. They both turned out nice. The toiletry bag was really fun to make, it just ended up being smaller than what I wanted it for, so I’ll be making another one. The skirt was also fun to make, it turned out a little too bunched up around the waist though. Next time I make one, I’ll hopefully be able to fix that. I’ve been really enjoying these sewing projects lately! It’s been one of my favorite ways to spend my free time.
9
“When Calls the Heart“
Mom, Ben, Ro and I love “When Calls the Heart!!” The characters are so good, the storylines are fun, it’s just a great show. We just (in July) finished the 12th season which is the last one that’s currently out. I loved the several cozy afternoons and evenings we spent in June watching it.
10
The Steubenville Conference
This was one of my biggest highlights of the month! I went with a group from one of our friend’s parishes. The conference was in Joliet, IL. It was so amazing! Two of my good friends went and I got to share a room with one of them. Some of my favorite parts included Adoration, the speeches, hanging out with my friends, being around other teenagers who love Jesus and the Catholic Church, and getting to meet Fr. Mike Schmitz, who was one of the speakers that weekend!! It was such an awesome experience, Jesus blessed me with so many beautiful graces and I have lots of fun memories from that time.
Thank you for reading!
Below is the video I made about our June. I hope you enjoy!
God bless!
Lucy