Home For Christmas...

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone already...time has seriously flown by! We had a very relaxing holiday in good old Manhattan Beach.

On Christmas Eve we braved the mall to check out some potential bridesmaid dresses for my sister's wedding. This is the last time the family will be together before the wedding, so we had a lot to accomplish in only a few days! The mall was a total zoo, but we were able to try on a bunch of different dresses. We haven’t settled on one yet, but at least we have some ideas...and we definitely had some fun playing dress up :-) After the mall, we headed to mass. I made it in time to sing with the choir, which was wonderful! I forgot how much I missed singing at church. It was great to be with everyone again! The church was packed to standing room only---a beautiful sight to see. After mass, we headed back to the house and ate one of the most delicious meals I have had in a long time! Ry decided to cook dinner for everyone---pesto pasta with salmon and artichoke hearts...soooo yummy! And we topped it all off with some Riesling. Delightful. Here are a few pictures we took after mass:

I woke up Christmas morning to my sisters and my dog jumping on my bed---it was quite the wake up call. We all headed downstairs, I got my cup of coffee :-) and we went to our usual spots on the living room couch, Lauren by the tree ready to hand everyone presents to open. Oh, and I failed to mention that Lauren came down the stairs Christmas morning sporting this very festive giant stocking:

What a goof...

Lauren was less than thrilled when she opened a Shape-Ups box. To her delight it was a decoy wrap job by Mom---the box contained all of the clothes Lauren told Santa she wanted :-)

We finished opening up presents and then all sat down and ate some pancakes that we made on Mom and Dad’s new griddle! The rain gave us a little bit of a break on Christmas, so we all took a walk to the beach in the afternoon. It was a little bit chilly, but definitely nice to get out of the house.

After our walk, it was time to shower and get ready for dinner. The past couple of years, we have had some guests come over for dinner and it’s been wonderful! This year, we were joined by a couple who are friends of my parent’s, my Aunt and Uncle on my Mom’s side, and my Aunt, Uncle, and 2 cousins on my Dad’s side. We have started a new Christmas tradition before dinner---we say grace and then take some time to share what Christmas means to each of us. The overwhelming theme this year was family, and it was so wonderful to hear everyone sharing stories about the true meaning of Christmas.

This holiday season has been amazing, and I can only hope it continues to get better! In a couple of days, I will be heading to Houston for a Life Teen mission! There is a big group of past Summer Staffers from Covecrest and their families and friends that will be a part of this mission. Part of the group will be traveling to General Cepeda, Mexico, and the rest of us will be doing mission in Houston. The mission will take place from January 3-10, so please keep all of the missionaries and the people we will encounter in your prayers!

-Marissa

Home Sweet Home

I've been home for 4 days now, and it has been gloomy and rainy almost the whole time...the perfect backdrop for days full of sleeping in and lounging around on the couch watching movies. I have to admit, I never thought I would see the end of this semester. I think it's safe to say the worst is over, as far as nursing school is concerned. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and May is going to be here before I know it! There's no denying I was a little bit short on sleep at school, but I have more than made up for that deficit since being home. I've slept for at least 10 hours every night...gotta love Christmas break!

There's just something about Christmastime---the lights, the cheer, the smell of cookies in the house, everyone coming home, the family together again. What's not to love?! It's a pretty rare occurrence when my entire family is together. Someone usually ends up being stuck at work or school. Christmas is the one exception. Every year we are together for Christmas, even if it's only for a day or two. We usually don't even do anything that exciting, we just hang out and spend time together. But like my brother, Ryan, so wisely said when we were all together in April---we could have fun, even if we were all in a cardboard box.

In my time at home, we have definitely had some fun! Since it's been soooo rainy, we've tried to stay in the house a lot. We put up our Christmas tree and lights, baked a ridiculous amount of cookies, and watched a movie pretty much every single night. Oh, and did I mention I've been watching One Tree Hill? I conquered the first season with Cristina during Thanksgiving break and the second season at the end of finals week. My brother, sister, and I have finished the 3rd season and are halfway done with the fourth. Yikes. Let's just say it's our way of avoiding the rain :-)

Break has definitely been relaxing, and it's been so nice to be home and to see some family and friends I haven't seen in awhile! I've gotta say, I can't really complain when my life consists of snuggling up on a couch with my brother and sister watching Love Actually. Life is pretty great.

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of Michelle to complete the fam,

Marissa

Jesuits Are Pretty Great...

Falling In Love With God

Nothing is more practical than finding God,

that is, than falling in love

in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,

what seizes your imagination,

will affect everything.

It will decide what will get you

out of bed in the morning,

what you will do with your evenings,

how you will spend our weekends

what you read, who you know,

what breaks your heart,

and what amazes you

with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love,

and it will decide everything.

~ Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ

It's Not Love Any Other Way.

I. LOVE. Tenth Avenue North. I have been listening to them a lot lately, and I just can't get their song "Any Other Way" out of my head. If you have never heard them or this song, I highly recommend it :-) Hearing the song got me thinking about a lot of things....

Has anyone ever asked you "hey, how are you?" and your response, without even thinking, is simply "good, how about you?" Why is that? Why has 'good' become an acceptable answer to that question. What does that even mean? I am absolutely guilty of giving that response, and even accepting that response from others. And I know we can't always be getting into these deep conversations about how someone really is, but then why even ask the question if you aren't seeking a real answer?

I didn't even realize how easily I brushed off that question until this past summer, at camp. Covecrest is the only place I have been where the answer 'good' is never acceptable. And I mean never. It's crazy how many times I would catch myself simply answering "oh, I'm good. How are you?" when someone would ask me how I was. But you better believe that Erik Martin would be right there to respond, "what is good?" Every time. He wanted a real answer. Like I said before, I know it's not practical to genuinely answer that question all of the time--like when you are passing someone in the quad on the way to class, or when you run into someone you don't really know and they just automatically blurt out, 'hey, how are you' and you know they aren't actually looking for the real answer. But sometimes, I think we owe it to the people in our lives and to ourselves to authentically answer that question.

Why are we so afraid to share our pain? It's become far to easy to keep everything inside. We try so hard to hide our weakness, our sadness, our hurt. But why? It's ok to feel those things. Actually, it's more than ok. Isn't all of that a vital part to any relationship? Things don't always have to be sunshine and laughter. It's not possible. It's not real. Christ loved always. Even when it hurt, even when it was messy, and even when that love meant dying on a cross. That is undoubtedly the purest example of love we will ever know. Christ showed His perfect love for us through pain, hurt, and suffering. If perfect love was made known through such raw feeling, why do we feel like we have to hide our own real emotions? If there is no pain and brokenness, is it really love?

Do yourself a favor and listen to this song.

"It's not enough just to say that you're ok. I need your hurt. I need your pain. It's not love any other way."

Love radically,

Marissa

Get Ready....

Two of my friends from home will be making an appearance in Saint Louis! I am SO excited! Cristina and Sydnie come tomorrow, and we're heading to Chicago for the weekend. It's been far too long since I've been in LA, and I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with my friends from home this summer, so it will be so great to see them! I can't wait to have them here in STL with me :-)

Trying to contain my excitement!!!

-Marissa

How's This For a First?!

OH.MY.GOSH. Tonight in clinical I got to watch a birth!!! I got to the hospital and my patient was dilated 3 1/2 cm. I knew there was a chance she would deliver while I was there, but I wasn't counting on it---last week my patient was dilated to 3 cm when I got there and she had only reached 7cm by the time we had to leave for the night.

This week proved to be very different. Before I knew it, my patient was at 5 cm. To everyone's surprise, 30 minutes later she had reached 10 cm and was at +2 station. In other words, it was BABY TIME! In the blink of an eye, the room was prepped for delivery and the doctor was on his way. The patient pushed for all of 25 minutes, and her beautiful baby girl had made her grand entrance into this world! I was in complete awe, to say the least. I stood next to the patient, completely enthralled by the entire delivery. Have you ever seen a placenta? It's pretty sick. But once you get past the fleshy, bloody mass that it is, you can see that it's actually really awesome. Seriously, it's unbelievable to me that our bodies are capable of developing an organ that sustains another life within our body! I just can't explain how amazing the whole experience was! I'm officially hooked. I don't know what I will be doing when I graduate, but this is definitely an option :-)

It's safe to say that I am obsessed with Labor and Delivery. I LOVE it.

Bring on more babies!

-Marissa

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Happy 26th Birthday to the BEST brother a girl could ask for!

Who wouldn't love this adorable face :-)

You're the kindest, most hard-working person I know...

And never too old to be silly...

You're our favorite brother, Ry :-)

God blessed us with the best...

I hope you have an absolutely wonderful birthday---you deserve it!

Sending you lots and lots of love on your special day,

Marissa

The RA Blues

Don't get me wrong, I love being an RA. Clearly this is true, because I was crazy enough to come back for a 4th year. I have met some of my very best friends because I was an RA, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. However, there are some parts of this job that just plain suck. #1 would be writing people up, or as we formally call it, "documenting a situation." I hate confrontation. Actually, nothing makes me more uncomfortable. This year, I successfully made it through 10 weeks of school and 18 on calls without having to write anyone up. Unfortunately that wonderful streak was broken last night :-( Sad. To the kids I had to bust last night: I'm sorry. Thanks for being somewhat understanding and not completely hating me...I really had no choice but to knock when your music was super loud and you were clearly drinking in your room. Come on freshmen, get it together.

Really hoping that was my first and last write up for the year,

Marissa

Day #1 of Maternity = SUCCESS!

So I just got back from my first day of Maternity clinical, and it was so great! Let me explain:

1. My clinical site is St. Clare in Fenton, MO----this hospital is BEAUTIFUL! It's brand spanking new (opened a year and a half ago), and is so nice. The patient rooms are huuuuge, and fully equipped with giant flat screen TVs, DVD players, and mini fridges.

2. Day 1 = Orientation Day = Short Day. Some simple paperwork, tour of the floor, and we were outta there!

3. Babies, babies, and more babies!!! Part of our tour included a look into the nursery, where our instructor showed us how to do a newborn assessment on one of the babies. We all put our fingers on the baby's head to feel her fontanels and sutures, practically drooling over how cute she was. I think I'm going to love spending my clinical time in the nursery...just maybe :-)

4. Get ready, here comes the best one: There is a blue slushie maker on the floor!!! What?! That's right, the Hospitality Room is equipped with slushie making capabilities for the slurping pleasures of all those laboring mothers and their families. Who needs an epidural when you can have blue icy goodness instead? Hah, ok well somehow I don't think those hormonal women in labor would agree, but whatever. I can't say I didn't enjoy ending my day with a blue slushie :-)

Here's hoping day 2 is even better than day 1,

Marissa

Coffee Coffee Coffee

So I'm currently sitting in the Bean sipping my delicious iced vanilla latte and desperately trying to avoid writing my Public Health Community Assessment. I finished off my first latte just as Anna walked in to come study with me, and she bought me another one. Ha. That's right friends, I am on coffee #2 and I haven't even been here for 30 minutes. In the past couple of days I have come to a realization---I am addicted to coffee. For real. There are many things that have caused my increased consumption of coffee lately including, but not limited to early morning classes, even earlier morning clinicals, and lots and lots of late nights of studying. I have been getting headaches around 2 or 3 in the afternoon if I haven't had coffee yet :-/ So naturally, I just drink coffee and then feel fine...but this viscous cycle continues. Just when I was beginning to think that this is probably a bad thing, I came across some interesting info on www.webmd.com. Allow me to enlighten you:

*Harvard researchers have calculated that compared to not drinking coffee, downing 1-3 cups of caffeinated coffee daily can significantly reduce your risk of diabetes.

*At least 6 studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's Disease.

*Some research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least 2 cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer.

*There is some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.

C'mon people, this is crazy! And if that's not enough to convince you to go grab a cup of joe, it also tastes darn good! I don't think I will ever get sick of my iced vanilla lattes :-)

Thinking my crazy love of coffee might not be so bad...

-Marissa

Lazy Sunday

Today has been the perfect study day. It stormed all night last night and into the morning, so it's just been a gloomy rainy day. Plus, I'm on call---which means I've been stuck in the building allll day. I slept in this morning and have spent the rest of the afternoon studying for my first maternity test that I have coming up this week. Yikes.

After hours of studying today and learning about how a woman gets pregnant, all the hormones and body changes that are involved in the growth and development of a fetus, and the process of birth, all I have to say is this: OUCH. Seriously, I don't know how women do this! I get that it's a beautiful thing, bringing a baby into this world and everything, but really. Talk about selfless love. A woman literally gives her body for another being. Her body is what sustains the tiny baby growing inside her. Without the woman, the baby would never survive. Countless doctor visits, gaining 30 pounds, months of nausea, doctors constantly poking and prodding, varicose veins, edema, cramps, having to pee all the time, stretch marks, no caffeine (we all know how hard that one will be for me!), possible memory loss, difficulty sleeping...the list goes on and on. And we haven't even gotten into the labor part yet. Holy cow. Rather than getting into the details, let's just say this: A woman's body will never be the same.

Is it worth it? Yes, of course. Well, I hope so. Ok, there is not really any doubt in my mind that having a child will be worth all the difficult things that come along with pregnancy. But shoot, if that's not selfless love, I don't know what is!

Marissa

Beauty from Pain

Have you ever asked yourself the question 'why do bad things happen to good people?' I'm sure you have, as have countless other people. Myself included. I think this question lays out one of the biggest issues people have with faith---how can God let good people suffer? I'm not going to even get into that one, but this is something that has been on my heart lately. I found out some news today that has just been really tough to swallow. I apologize ahead of time if what follows is a jumbled mess of words.

One of the missionaries from Covecrest has an older sister who is pregnant. This pregnancy has been anything but easy, and this beautiful couple has remained so strong in their faith despite it all. It has been a bumpy road, to say the least---bad news followed by more bad news. The doctors told them that their baby boy Oliver had fluid in his lungs and his heart beat was diminishing. No one is really sure what the cause of all these complications is, and I think that is part of what is so frustrating about it all. It is our human nature to just want to know everything, and we are left unsatisfied if we have questions that go unanswered. The couple, without ever second guessing themselves, decided that Oliver would be born; it was just a matter of how long he would live. Terminating the pregnancy was never an option---he has been their son from the beginning, and will always be their precious baby boy.

Today I got news that they lost baby Oliver. I was absolutely crushed, and I can only imagine what this family is going through right now. Oliver's mom will deliver him tomorrow. Please, please, please flood heaven with prayers for Oliver and his family and friends who love him so dearly. Prayer is one of the most powerful things we can do for one another, and I know this family would really appreciate it.

So why does God let good people suffer? Well, I may never know the answer to that question, but here is something I do know. God is not an angry or wrathful God of suffering and pain. No. God is merciful and compassionate beyond our comprehension. To see the hurting that this family is going through right now is almost unbearable, but to see the beauty that has come from this is such a blessing. Despite all the hardship and bad news--maybe even because of it--this family stayed completely rooted in their faith in God and His will for their lives. They were able to come together as a family and really love and support one another in ways that would not have been possible if it weren't for Oliver. I know that their hearts are hurting right now, but I also know the incredible beauty that has come from this pain. Their unwavering faith and trust in God has been such a witness to everyone around them, even to people they have never met. So, maybe we shouldn't be asking why bad things happen to good people, but rather we should seek the beauty God is trying to reveal to us through that pain.

Praying for understanding and relentless faith,

Marissa

Let the Semester Begin...

I cannot believe that today was the first day of classes! Where did the summer go??? I feel like I was just moving myself out of Gries and boarding a plane to Georgia. All of a sudden, I find myself at my last first day of college. Weird. I have been at SLU now for 3 weeks because of RA training, and I must say it is nice to have all of the students back on campus. Everything was just waaaay to quiet with no one around! I do wish we could all just hang out on campus without the whole class part, though. I don't think I'm ready for the crazy stressful semester of studying that lies in front of me. I never thought I would say this, but deep down, some twisted part of me misses RA training---it was nice to be able to have some staff bonding time and get settled into my room without having to worry about classes and tests and careplans. Oh well. I guess it's time to say goodbye to summer and hello to my last year of nursing school!

Bring it on SLUSON!

Marissa

Roadtrips!

So in the past couple of weeks I have gone on 2 amazing roadtrips. Two weeks ago, my Dad, brother, and I left Los Angeles en route to St. Louis. My brother had planned the whole trip...he even had random things for us to see each day! We had our maps, our music, and a tank full of gas. We were ready to set out on our 27 hour journey in which we would cover 1,845 miles of the US.

On our first night we stopped in Phoenix, AZ and stayed at my Uncle Scott's house. My cousin, Dylan, is in the army and he is being deployed to Afghanistan for a year---please keep him in your prayers! It was really great to spend time with family whom we haven't seen in quite awhile. The next day, we continued on to Santa Rosa, NM. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant that is famous for their green chile burgers---it was delicious! Night 3 was spent in Bristow, OK. We stayed with one of my brother's friends and her husband. We had dinner at a tiny barbecue place, and then watched the Oklahoma sunset from the back porch. While I could never imagine myself living in the country on acres and acres of land, I have to admit it was absolutely beautiful! The next day would be the last in our journey. We made it to St. Louis at about 9pm the next evening and checked into a hotel to call it a night. The next day and a half flew by! My amazing dad and brother helped my move all my stuff out of the storage unit and into my room---I don't know how I would have done it without them! Then we ended our day with a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

Our roadtrip was full of random stops including, but not limited to: Cadillac Ranch, The Devil's Rope Museum, an Indian Casino, and the Blue Bell Creamery! It was so wonderful to spend hours in the car with my dad and brother. We had some really incredible conversations that I will never forget. And of course, there was plenty of laughter and sub-par singing haha.

Last weekend, we had roadtrip #2! On Friday, Briana, Liz, and I packed our bags and headed to Chicago for Courtney's wedding!!! We spent the night at Liz's grandma's house, just outside the city. Saturday morning we got up super early and headed to the airport to pick up Nikki on our way to the wedding. We finally made it, and everything was beautiful! It was so much fun to see friends I hadn't seen in awhile, and to all be together again to celebrate such an awesome occasion. The wedding went off without a hitch. Courtney looked absolutely beautiful, and everything was perfect! Congratulations Courtney and Greg---we love you guys!

Saturday night, we all spent the night at Pat and Whitney's house! These two got married in May, but I missed the wedding because I was at camp. It was so much fun to be able to spend time together again---I feel like it's been forever!

Here's a picture of us at dinner on Saturday night:

Before I knew it, the weekend was over and it was time to leave. Nikki, Briana, Liz, and I packed the car and began our drive home, which turned out to be one of the best car rides I have ever experienced. It didn't take long before we started playing "the question game," Nikki's favorite. We spent the next 4 hours in the car asking all kinds of questions and learning even more about one another than we knew before. We even had our own affirmation circle, with plenty of tears of course :-) I seriously have the greatest friends ever, and I am constantly amazed at how blessed I am to have them in my life. The conversations we had and the time we spent together was incredible. I am so lucky to have such faith-filled and loving women in my life---I love you girls more than you know!

Thankful for long roadtrips, amazing conversations, and even better family and friends!

Marissa

The End of Covecrest

Soooo it's been almost an entire month since my last post...fail. Sorry it has been so long! I didn't get on the computer my last 3 weeks at camp, thus no new posts. As for the last week that I've been back in LA, I have no excuse :-/ Sorry.

I am not even sure where to start with the second half of my time at Covecrest. Our last three weeks of camp were absolutely incredible! I was blessed to get to know so many amazing teens and their stories as I journeyed with them in their week at camp. Hearing about their lives and seeing how they changed in their week at Covecrest was so beautiful---I really do think that those teens had more of an impact on me than I ever could have had on them this summer. Put simply, Covecrest changed my life. The six weeks I spent there gave me the opportunity to experience living in community, allowed me to grow so much stronger in my faith, and helped me to develop a deeper love and appreciation for the eucharist. I learned so much from my time at Covecrest and sometimes it's hard to put it all into words. Here is a little bit of what I wrote in my journal on the plane ride back to LA:

Covecrest changed me in ways I don't really know how to describe. I had NO idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this mission. Little did I know, God was just waiting to rock my world. The last 6 weeks have been the most incredible, tiring, challenging, humbling, life-changing weeks in my life. I didn't even realize the brokenness I had coming to Covecrest--I thought I had everything pretty together, but I was wrong. Covecrest is such a place of healing, and I am blessed to have been able to experience that. My faith is no longer lukewarm. My heart was set on fire, and I didn't even see it coming. It has been such a blessing to be a part of this mission, and I am so so so thankful that God called me to Covecrest this summer. Even through all the ups & downs, all the laughter & tears, all the joys & heartbreaks---I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. My heart changed in the time I spent at Covecrest, and I want so badly to continue that growth and to continue to fall in love with the Lord. I want to be a better witness of Christ's love to the people around me. I desire to be boldly missionary, and to never forget the urgency of the mission that each of us is called to.

We made so many amazing memories at Covecrest, and did not take nearly enough pictures...here are just a few.

This is one side of the girls' bunkhouse (15 of us lived in this room, and this picture was taken at 6 am the morning we left...clearly we procrastinated on the cleaning/packing).

Playing guys vs. girls charades before a session during training week...the girls won, of course!

The inside of the 100 year old chapel...we spent a lot of time here :)

Playing a game of Drip Drip Drop---Duck Duck Goose, but with water.

A few of the girls hanging out before our last family dinner.

Some of the Summer Staffers after our last day in the mud pit! (I'm the 3rd from the left)

My Covecrest sisters and I praying together for holy men and holy families :)

My experience would not have been the same without my Covecrest family! To the missionaries, service crew, maintenance staff, and the beautiful familes at Covecrest---thank you for welcoming me into your lives with open arms. Thank you for showing me what it means to be missionary and allowing me to become a part of the Covecrest family. And of course, my beloved Summer Staffers. I could not have made it through this summer without all of you! Yall have become my brothers and sisters, and I cannot even explain the impact you had on me in the time we spent together. Thank you for loving me where I am at and teaching me to do the same. Thank you for being bold in your faith and showing me what it means to love without boundaries! I love you guys!

All the Summer Staffers on Father's Day with our fearless leader, Erik.

And a silly one of my Covecrest brothers and sisters :)

SO thankful for this unforgettable experience,

Marissa

Camp Week #1

WOW. Our first week of camp here at Covecrest was incredible! This past week, we had about 250 middle schoolers come to camp. Like I mentioned before, I was paired with Incarnate Word. They drove all the way from St. Louis, and brought over 50 kids with them!

We spent the week doing all kinds of crazy fun things. I took a group of Incarnate Word kids through the obstacle course on Monday night, we had some amazing sessions with our host, Steve Allgeyer, played lots of 4-square, went to a water park and tubing down a river, and played all kinds of messy games. It was so much fun to just spend the week playing and getting to know all of these kids! I didn't really know what to expect going into this past week, but it was unbelievable. I haven't really ever worked with kids in middle school, so I was nervous about being able to relate to them and minister to them...turns out I had no need to be nervous. I cannot even explain how much I love all of the campers that came this past week. It's incredible how close I got with some of them in the 6 days that they were here.

Watching how God worked in all of these kids hearts this week was so amazing. I am so blessed to be able to be a part of this---it has already been a life changing experience, and I still have 3 weeks to go! I think I largely underestimated how amazing these campers would be and how close I could grow to them. Seeing how much they were affected by being here at Covecrest was so great, I don't even know how to put it into words. I also thought that the first two weeks I was here would be the end of my heart being changed. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong! Seems like God had something else in mind, because the campers I spent the last week with changed me in ways they don't even realize. I know that we had an effect on them this week, but they left a lasting impact on all of the Summer Staff as well.

All of the Week #1 Campers!

Saturday came in what felt like the blink of an eye. I knew that saying goodbye would be difficult, but I had NO idea what was coming at me. I went and sat outside so that I could say bye to each of the campers as they loaded the bus. It was so hard to watch them all leave...I cried. A lot. Who would of thought?! If you had asked me last week, I never could have guessed I would feel that way at the end of the week. It was just so amazing to spend the week with them and to be a part of their lives, if even for this short time. It was really hard to watch them leave, knowing the brokenness that some of them are going home to. Covecrest is such a safe place for them, a place where they can be themselves and really grow in their faith and know that they are loved---some of these kids don't experience that at home, and it is so sad.

This week was incredible. To all my Incarnate Word kids, I LOVE YOU! Thank you so much for allowing me to get to know you and share this experience with you. Expect visits from me when I get back to Saint Louis :-)

Tomorrow we will get a new group of campers to love! I can't wait to get to know all of them and hear their stories, I'm sure this week has amazing things in store.

This is a picture of some of the girl Summer Staffers as we went through the obstacle course last week:

Ready for week #2!

Marissa

Here They Come...

Our first group of campers come TONIGHT!!! Ahhhh! I cannot even believe it. I feel like I just got to Covecrest, and we're already about to start the first week of camp...time needs to slow down! I'm SO excited for these teens to come! This week I will be working with a parish called Incarnate Word, from Missouri. I will get to journey with each of these teens this week as they grow closer to Christ and one another...how lucky am I?!

Please keep all the teens coming to camp this week in your prayers, as well as all the Youth Ministers, musicians, and other Summer Staffers! I'll be sure to post another update after our first week of camp!

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first teens,
Marissa

Covecrest!

Ok so I'm finishing up my second week here at Covecrest, and it has been SO amazing! I really don't even know where to begin. I live in a bunkhouse with 14 other girls, and the 11 boys live in a bunkhouse right next to us. Last week we had "work week" and we did lots of random jobs to get camp ready for campers. I stayed on the same project all week---we had to clear out a TON of dirt from behind a house to build a retaining wall. It was tough, but very rewarding. It was really great to be with the same group of people and have the chance to get to know them.

This week we have been having general training. The 26 of us Summer Staffers have had the opportunity to grow in our faith together and get to know one another veeerry well. This week we have been experiencing camp like the campers will. We did this crazy obstacle course through the woods in the dark one night. It was intense---I have quite a few battle wounds from that one :-) And my clothes will never be the same...there's this awesome part of the obstacle course where you have to army crawl through sludgy mud. It's pretty gross, but so much fun once you give in to the fact that you're going to be covered head to toe in mud. There are also 'snipers' throughout the course that throw flour bombs and buckets of ice water on you. It was a really fun way to bond with all my new sisters :-)

Every night (and sometimes during the day) we have sessions. For those of yall that have been on retreats, you know how intense these can be. Someone starts out with a talk (on being missionary, reconciliation, holiness, etc.) Then we have some time to journal and process everything before we gather back together and share our thoughts with everyone. I was so surprised at how quickly everyone was willing to bear their souls to us. It is hard for me to open up a lot, so this has been a really challenging experience. It has also been incredible though, because allowing myself to open up to all of these people has made us so close. Seriously, I have only known these people for 2 weeks and they are already my second family. It's pretty incredible!

Alright, well those are the basics for now...I'll try to post again soon! Maybe I'll work up the courage to post something from my journal, we'll see :-)

Loving my home away from home,
Marissa

Hello Goodbye

Summer is juuuust around the corner...Ok, it's pretty much here since school is over. But I still have a little more Res Life stuff left to do before it's officially summer. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I can take a break from school work for awhile, and I can't wait to spend some time bumming on the beach. BUT I hate this time of year at the same time. I hate leaving my SLU family, I hate packing, I hate having to move out, and I hate saying goodbye!

Tomorrow morning I'm going to the Pre-Commencements for a bunch of my friends...it is seriously crazy how fast this year went by! I can't believe everyone is graduating already! I'm so so so proud of all my friends for everything they have done in their time at SLU, but this is for sure a bittersweet time. Like I said before, I hate saying goodbye!

I'm sad to see everyone go, but I'm also really excited to see all the amazing things they are going to be doing in their post-grad lives :-) Goodbye will undoubtedly be difficult, and it will be hard to live so far apart...but on the bright side, it will be great to have friends all over the country (and world, right Katie?!)...I'm for sure going to have lots of new places to visit!

A HUGE congratulations to all of my simply amazing friends who will be graduating on Saturday!!! I'm so lucky to have you all in my life, and SLU will just not be the same without you!

Not ready to say goodbye,

Marissa

Freshman Flashbacks

So we just had our last 2 Dub floor meeting...the end of the year is officially here, and everyone's getting ready to pack up and move out for summer! It got me thinking about when I was a freshman at SLU and how much I miss my first year of college. Seriously, there is nothing like freshman year! I remember all the crazy times we had in the 4G hallway, eating in Gries every night, sharing a bathroom with 30 other girls, watching an entire season of Grey's Anatomy in 3 days. When else is it ok so spend the entire day napping, have candy wars on lofted beds, celebrate your birthday at Chuck E. Cheese, and have astro turf for carpet in your room?! Those are just a few small things that defined my freshman year, and I literally spent the last hour laughing at my computer as I looked through pictures from 4 years ago! Here are some blasts from the past:

What a good looking bunch :-)

Oh my, Alyson...

Birthdays in a freshman dorm, gotta love it...

Still a kid at heart :-)

It's a wonder we ever got anything done.

Catchin some z's

Nail polish on faces = BAD idea. Trust me.

Love, Love, Love all you girls :-)

Missing our un4Gettable freshman year,

Marissa

Epic Fail.

Ok, so I was struggling with how I was going to start off this blog of mine. I have never been a good writer, and was reluctant to even start a blog until Bridget literally set the entire thing up for me. So here goes.

Yesterday, my friend Nikki and I were leaving the Bean after having “studied” for a couple hours. We were walking down the stairs in the BSC, you know, that spiral staircase by the Bean with the fountain below it. We got down maybe two or three steps, and just like slow motion I see my Vera Bradley ID case/keys falling. I don’t even know how it happened, but that Vera managed to fit right between the cracks of the stairs and fall perfectly in the middle of the fountain below the steps. Fail. Everyone started staring as Nikki and I ran down the stairs, hardly able to control our laughter and disbelief. Before we could even reach the fountain, this wonderful man who didn’t even know me had rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt to stick his arm in that gross fountain and save my Vera! Seeing as it had fallen in the middle of the fountain, it was out of arm’s reach. Without a second thought, this kind man immediately disappeared up the stairs to find a stick. Nikki and I sat patiently waiting…just staring at my ID case in the middle of that over chlorinated fountain. Seriously, epic fail.

Minutes later, my saving grace returned with a stick to "fish out" my Vera....

After thanking this kind soul for all for all of his help, Nikki and I surveyed the damage...

Just in case you ever wondered, that fountain has a lot of chlorine in it. Like a lot. My hands smelled like chlorine for the rest of the night...and let's not even think about the Vera.

Patiently waiting for everything to dry out,

Marissa