7 Quick Takes Friday (Take 83)

--- 1 ---

God bless Pope Francis!  What an exciting, exciting day we had on Wednesday!  In the morning, my lesson with my middle schoolers consisted of reading an article on and discussing the possibility of having a Latin American Pope, what it would mean for Latin America, and some of the Latin American Cardinals that were likely "candidates".  About 45 minutes after my last class, there was white smoke and shortly later we learned that there was indeed the first Latin American Pope!  Although his name was not one mentioned in the article.

--- 2 ---

I don't really remember the last Papal election.  I clearly remember the day Pope John Paul II died and the incredible sadness I felt, but I don't remember the conclave or when I first found out about Pope Benedict.  And in fact, I didn't know much about Pope Benedict until just a few years ago.  This time, it's just so different, I've been so involved and I don't think that I've just developed a greater interest.  Although there was certainly the internet during the last conclave, I think that the rapidity of news and the amount of information disseminated is much different now than it was then.  Within hours of Pope Francis' election, my Facebook and Twitter were filled with links to articles about our new Holy Father, quotes that he's said about a variety of topics, and stories about his great humility.  We live in a fast-paced, information-filled world now and it's so wonderful to see it being utilized for the right reasons!

--- 3 ---

Did you hear that Google Reader and Google Friend Connect are going away?  If you use these to organize the blogs you read, you'll want to move to a new reader.  I wrote this post yesterday about bloglovin' and how I'm loving it (yes, pun intended).  If you'd like to follow me there, here's the direct link to my blog on bloglovin'.   

--- 4 ---

Tomorrow is my birthday, Sunday is Saint Patrick's Day, and next week is my spring break!  I don't have any big plans which is just the way I like it.  I'll be spending my week painting my nails, taking baths, and having fun with my baby girl!

--- 5 ---

Have you check out It's Just Called Spicy's 40 Days of Saints?  I have been following along and am surprised by how many Saints I've read about whose names weren't previously familiar to me.  It's a great reminder of the diversity of the faithful: men and women, old and young, powerful and poor, shy and outspoken.  I guest posted about St. Helena a few days ago; she was actually a new Saint to me when I decided to write a post on her, but she has really been calling to me. 

--- 6 ---

Bedtime =  awesome.  Naptime = better.  For the last week or so, we put Lucia in her crib, give her Zooey (her glow worm) and Bre (her baby doll), one in each arm, cover her in her blanket, and she smiles at us and goes to sleep without a peep.  Naptime is still hard though.  Sometimes she goes straight down, but not usually for me.  We don't nurse before nap, but I think she still equates mommy with milk.  I really wish I could get her to just nap with me in my bed (oh how I want to hold her and cuddle her as she falls asleep) but it's been over six months since she's fallen asleep in someone's arms.

--- 7 ---



Lucia is totally 100%, no-denying-it, a toddler!  She looks like a toddler, acts like a toddler (in ways both good and bad), and steals the heart of everyone around her. 



For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!