Sunday Funday...Fishing Edition!

Well!  It has most definitely been a while!  Alright, my school work is waiting so this will be just a quick little post!  The picture above was taken while I was on a boat.  I thought it was quite interesting to see bales of hay right on the shoreline!  However, not as interesting as seeing cows chillin' right on the shoreline as well!!  I guess maybe it's a North Dakota thing??  Or maybe it's just a random thing. :)

Fishing Fun

Either way, I finally FINALLY got to go fishing up here in the Midwest!  A friend and his dad took a couple of us out on their boat to see if we could catch something!  I kept on pestering my friend to take me fishing and then he kept on offering and then I would be busy.  So I'm EXTRA glad I finally got to go!  I also had a little extra incentive because I knew I had to catch something if I wanted to be on Dad's annual fishing picture collage.  Big sister caught something this year, which meant I had to too.  Totally makes sense, right? ;)

Well, lo and behold, I did catch something!  Okay, but I will be completely honest and admit it was with help.  Haha!  My friend hooked it and let me reel it in.  However, he says that according to the state of North Dakota, I technically caught it.  According to myself, I would say I "half-caught" it.  But I mean, I'll take it!  It sure makes for a good pic, right, Dad??! :D (Hint hint: put me in your collage. Hehehe... :P)

Me and my first "half-caught" walleye! Yikes!  Hat hair can be brutal!!

Here's a joke before I end this post:

What did the fish say when he was surprised to see the fisherman on the other side of the fishing pole?

"Wall-eye never!!"

HAHAHA.. okay yeah it's a lame joke, but every now and then you just need a chuckle-/eye-roll- induced joke.

Anyways I hope everyone is doing well and happy Sunday!!

Love,
Justine

Rediscovering the Extraordinary

Every Mass is a miracle, but sometimes there are those special days where the message of the readings, the lyrics of the songs, and the Eucharistic feast really touch your heart.  Today was one of those days for me.

The Readings
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/031316-fifth-sunday-lent.cfm

One of the thoughts that hit me regarding the readings is how incredibly understanding God is.  Think of the most understanding person you know.  Now times that by infinity and that's how understanding He is.  How utterly incredible.  God wants us to succeed and continuously reaches out to us and gives us those nudges to be the best we can be.  All we have to do is trust Him and take His hand.  This is the tricky part most of the time though.  Sometimes, it seems like God is asking too much.  It's like He is standing on water and wants me to come out there and join Him.  My mind is thinking, "What?!  That's way too much to ask of me!"  The truth of the matter is that it is not about me.  Of course I cannot stand on water--not by myself, that is.  If He is asking me to do something, then He is also guaranteeing 100% that He will give me EVERYTHING I will every possibly need to fulfill what He asks.  He understands perfectly what I will need physically, mentally, and emotionally at all times.  How utterly incredible.

Another thing that hit me is the word "condemn" that is used in the Gospel.  The Gospel is about the adulteress caught by the scribes and Pharisees.  These people want to stone her.  Seriously, that sounds super cruel when one thinks about it, but how many times do we throw stones at one another each day?  I don't mean literal stones (unless you are like 5 years old, but I don't think 5 year olds would care very much for reading this blog post).  What I mean is the sharp, hard words and looks we give to one another--the jokes that are hurtful and the criticism that breaks one down rather than builds one up.  In this world that detests judgment, how many times in a day do we CONDEMN one another?

If God Himself is merciful to the adulteress, who am I to judge--to CONDEMN--my brothers and sisters in Christ??  If we could all just genuinely love one another, wouldn't that just be fantastic?  But human as we are, that does not come so easily.  Just like everything in life, we need to to practice this.  We need to practice being loving.  We need to practice curbing the hateful thoughts that seem to just come out of nowhere.  We need to practice being followers of Christ.

WHEW, I don't know about you, but I know that I sure am grateful that He understands my weaknesses and will give me all the grace I need to be the best I can be.  What a gracious God we have.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Fifth Sunday of Lent.  Keep enjoying the little things and rediscovering the extraordinary.  It really gives life so much more "OOMPH!" :)

Hello to everyone from Bismarck,

Justine (featuring Juliette)

Roman Holiday? Think Again!

Well I'm here folks!  I've been away from home for just over a month! I can't believe it's already been a month! In the first week I already had almost been hit by a moped, seen St. Peter's Square, the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Spanish Steps.  Rome is... beautiful... and hectic... and nothing like anywhere I've been before.  I'm realizing more and more how blessed I am to be here.  I'm so glad I have a couple more months to acquaint myself with this place--the Eternal City.

A picture is worth a thousand words, yeah?  Well here are some pics, instead of me rambling on and on!

Roma è bella!

Papa Francesco leading the Angelus in St. Peter's Square

Florence

The girls and I in Florence!  We got ready for Mass only to find out that the church we were going to go to was not having Mass at that time that day!  Ya live and ya learn!

PDA is a big thing in Italy, & this is what Eileen thinks about it!

CINQUE TERRE

Cinque Terre was so beautiful!  Cinque Terre is a collection of five ("cinque" in Italian) coastal towns.  The second picture is from the hike I took between the towns Corniglia and Manarola.  This hike had a TON of stairs.  (Dad, you would have loved it.  Well, if it were in California of course.  I know how much you like your adventures to be within the state haha) Yikes!  I was sweating like crazy!  It was actually pretty gross, now that I think about it.  Haha but it was a good gross :)  The towns were all pretty tourist-y and a lot of people spoke English so in a way it was almost like being back home in the states.  It was a great getaway from the busyness of Rome.  Our hostel was good too!  We stayed at Ostello Tramonti, which I would recommend for the traveler on a budget!  It had a little restaurant/cafe in the actual hostel, which had a very tasty 4 euro breakfast.  

So yup, this is just a little update of my first month away.  Yikes, it's been busy!  There's a ton of homework over the week, but the weekends are really nice! I've been meaning to make a post for a while, but it just didn't happen until now!  Hope everyone is doing well! Please keep me in your prayers, as you will all be in mine!

Okay, well... time to start writing an essay about the American culture and its future prospects.  

'Til next time!
Justine 

Ready Or Not...Here I Come!

"Ready or not... here I come!!"

How many times as a child have I said those same words while playing that infamous game: Hide and Go Seek?  Honestly, probably not that many times.  I never really liked that game.  Too much chasing... and sweating... and...activity.  I'd much rather sit and do something calm...like read or eat OR {better yet} BOTH!  Yup, never was that hyper-active child.  

Yet here I am thinking, "Ready or not, here I come, Rome!"  Yes, in one week and two days I will be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.  I still can't believe it.  I never ever thought I'd be living in Rome for 4 months and actually have solid opportunities to travel all over Europe.  It was not something I would daydream about because it simply was not in my spectrum.  Yet here I am.

I grew up with Dad always telling my siblings and I, "Bloom where you're planted."  It's pretty much one of his favorite sayings.  For us that means: Do your best wherever God places you in your life--whether that be at a school over a 1000 miles away from home or simply your workplace.  Do your best always.  No excuses.  This is something I definitely want to remember on this new adventure.  Rome is where I'm being transplanted and I don't want to take that lightly.  I hope to make the most of this opportunity.

Please pray for me!  Even though this study abroad is such a blessing, I know it won't all be a walk in the park!  Europe is still a place on this earth and while I'm still on God's green planet {is that even the saying?}, there will be struggles that will come along.

Well...here's hopin' and prayin' for a safe and blessed trip.  "See you" all in Italy!

Arrivederci!

Justine

P.S.

That suitcase looks like it has barely anything in it NOT because I'm a super light packer, but rather because I'm a last minute packer! :P 

LEGIT Boba Tea Recipe

Today... was a pretty exciting day.  It was a day of "firsts"!

I celebrated my friend's cat's 3rd birthday today.  Happy birthday, Eppie :)

I have never been to a pet's birthday party before, so that was something that will make today different from ever other day of my life thus far :D

All right now to the boba:

I've never made boba before.  I've always seen it as a daunting task.  However, my friend Hannah decided we should try it out.  So try it out we did!

I referenced THIS method to cook and sweeten the tapioca pearls.  Well, I would have completely used that method, but I GOOFED and started cooking the boba with 2/3 cup water INSTEAD of 2/3 of a POT of water.  Hehe.. oops...BUT it all turned out well anyways!

NEXT I used Thai Tea packets and referenced THIS milk tea recipe.

For the simple syrup used to sweeten the tea: I added roughly the same amounts of sugar and hot water in a small bowl and stirred to dissolve the sugar. {Lazy lazy lazy I know}

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER:

Prepare your tea.  I prepared it in a glass measuring cup with a spout.  This made for easy measurements and easy pouring.  Make sure your tea isn't too hot.  To speed the cooling process, I added 1-2 pieces of ice to the hot tea and stirred to melt the ice pieces. Next, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of boba into a large glass.  Add enough ice so that the glass is about 2/3 full.  Next, pour the tea into the cup.  Add your large straw and slurp away!

Tada!

This really was a lot easier than I thought it would be!  It only took about an hour and a half to make these delicious drinks.  I was pleasantly surprised that they tasted.. well.. LEGIT!  They tasted as good as the drinks I've bought.   A very big plus was that it costs A LOT less to make these rather than buy them!

So hip hip hooray :)

Til' next time,

Justine

P.S.
Please excuse my unprofessional Snapchat comments on a couple of my pictures :)

Taking On SoCal Pt. II: "DONUT" Take Things For Granted

"Another man's junk is another man's treasure." This is a nice little cliche. One could take this even further and say: another man's ORDINARY is another man's EXTRAORDINARY. This was definitely the case yesterday.

Over our first year in college, my friend/tour guide told me bits and pieces about her backyard, but it was only when I asked her about it yesterday that she realized she had completely forgotten to give me a tour of it!

"Hmm, a tour? How big is this girl's backyard??"

Well, large enough for a pool, gazebo, trampoline, and zipline. Yup, you heard me. A ZIPLINE. IN HER BACKYARD. AND SHE FORGOT TO SHOW ME. Also, from her backyard you can access a canyon.

Now hold on, before you get carried away and a picture of the Grand Canyon pops in your head (hehe I'm guilty for this) let me explain so you have a more accurate picture pop in your head. This canyon has a lot of foliage and you can see other houses on the other side of the dip in the land. Hm, not the best description but it'll just have to do.  From here you can walk further down the trail that goes through here and find an area that looks a lot like a jungle. There is a creek and even a little waterfall!

Welcome to the jungle

Later in the day, when it was dark outside, I went on the zipline again and then a dip in the pool after. Swimming under the stars and a full moon is something I definitely recommend.

Perfect end to the day with Adoration and a trip to Peterson's Donut Corner.

Ahh, Peterson's... My mouth is watering again just thinking about it. I tried a chocolate cake donut with a very generous, thick smear of white icing and dried coconut on top. It was by far the best cake donut--actually, scratch that, it was the best donut in general--that I've ever had. It was moist and oh so fluffy. So so fluffy. And get this. It was only $1!!! I know, I know, this doesn't sound so great if you know (like my parents) that you can get a dozen donuts from a grocery store for less than $5. But mom & dad, for a fancy and filling donut I think $1 was a pretty good price! OK OK, but only for once in a while. A girl could get way too spoiled with too many of those delectable, fluffy (SO FLUFFY), mouth-watering morsels.

Alright enough about that though!  Adoration is, of course, HIGHLY recommended as it will do WAYYYY more good for you than any zipline, moonlight swim, or DONUT (NO MATTER HOW FLUFFY IT IS). He is the only one Who will be there for you no matter what--Who loves you no matter what--and He's waiting, always waiting, for us to notice. To remember Him.

Just like my friend had a beautiful, multi-faceted gem in her backyard, how many times have we forgotten and just plain taken for granted what God has given to us in our lives? Hmm, something fluffy to think about. ;)

Be you be real,
Justine

P.S.
Word of the day is "fluffy".

Taking On SoCal Pt. I

I'll admit: this is the first time I've been to Southern California with my very own tour guide! She has been kind enough to show me around all these hot spots of the Northern San Diego area. She has done a great job showing me the various ways where and how my sweet tooth can be given in to/quenched/spoiled rotten. Haha there are many perks when your tour guide is a close friend who knows all about your love of the good, true, beautiful, and delicious. ;) 

Here are a couple of places we've been to: 

1. The Baltimore Snowball 

Now you may be thinking, what's that about a snowball? SoCal doesn't snow, Baltimore is in Maryland, and California is in a dang drought so forget about it not snowing --it doesn't even rain there! Well let me explain. The Baltimore Snowball is a delicioso place known for its special treat called "The Combo", which is flavored shaved ice atop ice cream and all of THAT topped with topping(s) of your choice. 

The Baltimore Snowball has its own premaid combinations of shaved ice/ice cream/toppings but you can also choose your own unique concoction! I opted for the latter choice. Yup, every once in a while you gotta live on the wild side ;P 

Guava, pineapple, and peach shaved ice over coconut ice cream w/ whipped cream as a topping

The Baltimore Snowball is a small place with a kid-friendly feel and has a 50's theme.  It's a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

Rating: yummy to my sugar addicted tummy

The shaved ice part got pretty sweet when I was near the end of conquering (inhaling) my dessert, so those who can't handle too much sweet should beware and share with a buddy :) 

2. Rita's Italian Ice 

This is similar to The Baltimore Snowball in that it also serves desserts containing shaved ice. However, the shaved ice here is called "gelati" and, in the dessert I had, it was topped with frozen custard. There are many shaved ice flavors to choose from and you can choose either chocolate or vanilla flavored frozen custard. I had the Horchata flavored shaved ice topped with the chocolate frozen custard. The Horchata shaved ice was really good, and I'm usually not a Horchata kind of gal. 

Rating: tasty 

I personally liked The Baltimore Snowball better, but I was glad to be able to try Rita's as I'd heard good things about this place :) 

Well that's the end of Part 1 of these foodie excursions. I just want to end this post now with some Food For Thought: 

"You should be prepared to reject wealth and position--to give your very life if necessary--to preserve your ideals, your honor, and most importantly, your faith. Never behave otherwise: to do so would be to lose everything." 

Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan (from his book _The Road of Hope: A Gospel From Prison_) 

Be you be real, 

Justine