Wow!

It has been soooo long since the last time I wrote!!! In the amount of time that has passed, life has gotten crazier and busier around these parts and we're ushering in the holiday season with open arms!!!
Since the last time I wrote, I got to go to the Jersey Shore to speak at some masses at a Franciscan parish there that is one of our biggest suppliers of monetary donations! Emily and I went with Michael to extend our thanks and share some stories of our experiences here in Philadelphia. Emily and I essentially gave the homily, according to Michael, to all the Catholics on Long Beach Island in New Jersey! It was a lot of fun!!!
As soon as we returned back to Philly, we were heading off to New York for our FVM retreat! We spent the week reflecting on our Myers-Briggs personality types and figuring out how they interact with each other and impact our lives. It was really informative and I think we can all safely say that we learned a lot about ourselves and about the dynamics of our community as well! We went to a retreat house sponsored by Saint Bonaventure University that was up in the mountains! It was absolutely beautiful and such a far cry from the life we live here in Philly and Camden. We got to experience the first snow of the mountain and I was fortunate enough to take a hike around the mountain. I got a little lost and was soooo happy to find my way back! We were well taken care of by the friars that live there and we got to spend some time getting to know them and each other better! You can't ask for anything better!
And, just as soon as we got back from retreat, I headed up to New Hampshire to visit family and friends! It was an incredible weekend and was so happy to see my parents and brother and sister-in-law, along with some good friends! While I LOVE Philadelphia, it was really nice to go somewhere familiar and to be able to drive around without getting lost... I don't have that luxury here in Philly very much.
I landed in Philadelphia late Monday night and woke up to jump back into work! I really missed being here and am really excited to be back! I have a sense of home here, despite the vast difference between my life here and my life in New Hampshire... but the people that I live and work with make it so easy to feel like I belong here.
I'll leave it at that for now... I have to get some laundry done and clean up a little before heading back to work! Sorry for the delay in postings; I'll do my best to keep them updated more frequently!