QandA: How do you pronounce "Lucia"? & other random facts you wanted to know

(Did you know you can't use an ampersand in a blog title, at least not on Blogger?  The title was meant to read Q&A, but my lack of computing/internet knowledge and underability to self-host has foiled me again.)

I recently asked readers to ask me any questions they might have had about me.  I've had this blog for going on three years and would you believe me when I said that I am still amazed that anyone reads it or actually cares enough about me to want to know more about my super interesting life.  That was facetious. (The super interesting life bit, not the amazed bit - I seriously am dumbfounded that anyone reads this blog.  Maybe you just haven't discovered actually interesting blogs like Grace's or Dwija's.  If you just clicked over and are exploring their blogs now never to return to little ol' Messy Wife, Blessed Life, don't worry, I totally understand.) 

Anyway, here are the answers.  You might just learn something.  (P.S. If you asked a question and it's not answered here, that means I decided to make your question into an entire post.  Be on the lookout for the answer.  Although it might not show up for months.  I'm that prompt.)

Rochelle asked:

What did you and your husband take in college? I was a Spanish liberal arts and history secondary education double major and I also got an endorsement (similar to a minor) in English as a Second Language.  David was a chemical engineering major in undergrad with a minor in bioengineering.  His Ph.D. is in biomedical engineering. 

What college did you attend? I went to the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. Greeley always gets a bad rep. (It's a small agricultural city that often smells like, um, cow poo and has also interestingly had some gang problems.)  While I can't say I loved Greeley, I liked it well enough and I though the university and education I received there were excellent.  I should probably write a post sometime about my college experience. 

Is your husband looking for a job in Colorado or will you look in other states/ countries? David hasn't applied for any out of the country (as far as I know) but he is applying for any job he comes across or hears about in the US.  We're concentrating on ones in Colorado, but he's applied in many other states as well (some I'd prefer to live in over others).  I'm not sure if he would apply for ones of out country or not.  I'm up for an adventure!

When your husband find work in his field will you stay at home with Lucia or will you continue teaching? I would love to stay home with Lucia again, but we won't make that decision until he does find a job.  It will definitely depend on what he makes, childcare options, and if I could even find a teaching job in the area (if we have to move). 

How do you pronounce Lucia (Lu-chi-a) (Lu-sha)? Actually, neither of those ways!  It's pronounced Loo-see-uh.  Kind of like Lucy with an "uh" at the end.  It's the Spanish way of pronouncing it.  (In 2009, Lucia was the most popular girl's name in Spain.)  I'm glad you asked because it seems so obvious to me, but it certainly isn't.  In fact, when we are out and about and someone sees her name, it's pronounced "correctly" maybe half the time.  Obviously, there is no "correct" way to say it, just our preference.

Natalia asked:

Favorite Catholic artist / speaker? I've had the pleasure of hearing many great Catholic speakers over the years.  Currently, I would say Barbara Nicolosi is my favorite speaker.  I saw her speak last month and she was phenomenal.  She speaks about the relationship between Catholicism and the arts (or the lack of relationship) and the need for the Church to step us as the Patron of the Arts once again.  The topic is refreshing and thought-provoking.  I saw her at a conference that my entire school faculty attended and I had a nearly two hour conversation with other teachers about her talk afterward.  And then shared it with my husband and parents later that evening.  I can't remember the last time a speech has had a lasting impression on me like that!

As for artist, I can't say that I really know of any contemporary Catholic artists (I'm sure Barbara Nicolosi would have something to say about that).  I am acquainted with many of the great Catholic artists throughout history and some of my favorites include Cézanne, Dalí, and the at least nominally Catholic Picasso.  I'm also a huge fan of the architect Gaudí.  (Can you tell that I am particularly biased toward the Spanish?)

If you were referring to musical artists, I adore the music of Matt Maher.

Kelly asked: 

As a fellow Catholic, I'm curious if/what areas or teachings of the Church you struggle or disagree with.  Would you believe me if I said none?  It seems rare that people agree with any religion 100%, but I truly believe in all the teachings of the Church.  I believe that the Catholic Church was started by Christ and while it's members and leaders are flawed (we're all sinners, right), its doctrine is not.  There was a time when I was in my early years of college that I didn't necessarily follow all the Church's teachings, but I didn't believe they were wrong, I just chose to ignore them anyway.  It seems one of the biggest topics that Catholics disagree with the Church on in modernity is its stance on birth control, but I was well catechized on the Church's teaching when I was in high school and I've always recognized the wisdom of it. 

Rita asked:
How did becoming a parent change how you view/participate in your Catholic faith? My parents raised me Catholic (even though my father isn't Catholic, he was very supportive), but we didn't really have any Catholic traditions in the house.  Now that I'm a parent, I want to incorporate more traditions into our family life - celebrating feast days, Catholic images in the house, family prayer, etc.  I'm learning so much more about faith traditions outside of the obligatory Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation.  I'm learning to incorporate Catholic CULTURE into our lives.  And I love it.  It's so enriching and helps me to focus more on Christ and to make faith a family thing. 

What do you love most about your parish? There are so many things.  It's where we married, where Lucia was baptized, and where my grandfather was baptized, confirmed and had his first communion (all in one day).  Well technically, my grandfather's Mass happened in the rectory next door, but you know what I mean.  But by far, my favorite thing about the parish is the priest (who is also my boss).  He is a good and holy man, and an exceptional speaker.   He really went out of his way to get a dispensation to bring my grandfather into the Church without having taken RCIA classes (he was going through chemo at the time and couldn't leave home and be around a large group of people because of his weak immune system).  I also really enjoy seeing some of my students at Mass every Sunday. 

Have these titillating answers sparked new questions?  Finally brave enough to ask what you've always wanted to know?  Leave more questions below and you just might get lucky enough for another of these fascinating posts.