Did You Miss Me?

Here is the view of the altar at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, MA. I'm sure you have all seen it before on EWTN. It is tiny. On Saturday, we prayed (sang, actually) the chaplet. There was a very loud off-key singer behind me. That's always fun! But, there was a cute little girl in the pew ahead of me. Nice distractions.

I had my girl's camera. It's official: I stink at taking pictures. Period. Anyway, this is the entrance to the church. The stairs are steep! Danger zone for feeble and baby pilgrims. I'm almost middle-aged and found it difficult.
Alas! The stairs in the JPII house where we resided. Those stairs were a cardio wreck as well.

I took this one upon arrival. My first impression was: Oh, well, this place really is tiny! And in the sticks!

Apparently, this is a chunk from her big toe. Nice.

Here I am with a few of my traveling companions. I really owe a HUGE thank you to "A" who planned this trip with me in mind. She is the sweetest and I shall never be able to thank her for making this happen. Oh, in case you can't see me (as if!) I'm the doofus in the white sweater.

The JPII House where we stayed. My bedroom was (shared with two other gels) called the St. Therese room. That is the top bedroom (two windows) on your right in the photograph. It was kind of creepy. Last night, there was something tapping and scraping the side of the house all night - needless to say, I got very little sleep.

Upon entering the campus, you see Jesus. Of course!

I'm extremely knackered. Very little sleep in three days. I had a great time traveling to and fro and just being able to hang out with my friends. When I got home, my hubs and kids gave me carnations and silver jewelry (two necklaces and two pairs of earrings). The best gift of all was hearing them say how much they missed me!

I took a shower when I got home. It's nice to have my own stuff around me again. Except, I realized I left my Victoria's Secret vanilla wash at the JPII house. So, I asked Chief if he minded me smelling like Irish Spring. Nope. I'm home. That's all that matters.

Happy and blessed mother's day to you all.