Why Hope? yHope!

I just had the most amazing weekend of my life. I am so happy right now... This Friday, a little after cheerleading yearbook pics, my parents, HoHo and I set out on a 3 hour drive to NEW YORK!!!

Why were we off on such a journey? Well, we were invited to join a group of young kids/adults (yHope) on an NYC retreat-esque thing. They were driving all the way up from BOSTON (aka The Home of the Enemy! LOL) and staying at a Jesuit retreat house. Let me tell you: these guys were just amazing.

I was so happy that my sister and I were accepted into the group. Everyone was great. Luke, who is 27, has a wife and kids and will be going to his 4th World Youth Day. (I hope I can see him there!) Marie is joining a convent in Spain, so hopefully our WYD group can make a short stop at their convent so I can visit her. (Starting in October, I can only send her letters.) And Kristen is going to be performing a play in our area soon! They were all so great, so inspiring. Natalia, Maria, Marie, Daniela, Louis, Tom, Luke, Angelique, Kateri, Kristen, and Fr. Mike were all so wonderful. We walked the streets of New York, praying along the way. Before we got a slice of pizza and were able to 'frolic in the park', the sisters at the book store even gave us homemade lemon cookies!!! When the whole thing was over, we ordered a massive amount of Chinese food and played riddle games. Mass was even more amazing: Luke on guitar (Van Wagner + Uncle Bill + Chris Winger + T. Daddy = LUKE!), Angelique in charge (music director person)... It was midnight by the time we finally retreated to our hotel. And Sunday morning!!! Two of my best friends in the entire world, Ashley and Janine, came up to visit with us and introduced me to a girl named Kayla. I was overwhelmed, we were having such a great time. It was so hard to leave. And as everyone from the Boston yHope group drove away, there was Marie, STILL taking pictures of us in the car.

I could cry it was all so wonderful. I laughed a lot, too. "Take the pebble from my hand, grasshopper..." "OKAY! MICKEY MICKEY MICKEY MOOOUUUSSSEEE!!!" Thank God for this kids.

Finally, please pray for a young guy named Louis. His family is here illegally technically, they are from Columbia and came to America because of their alcoholic father. He wants to become a priest, but he has no Social Security number and can't get into college. If they try and become citizens, they may be deported for entering illegally in the first place. PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY, DANIELA AND HIS MOTHER. They need His grace.

"A lady of Narnia must try desperately not to cry while driving away from the best weekend of her life."