1.
Welcome Conversion Diary readers! As you’ve probably heard, Jen is in hospital with bilateral pulmonary embolisms. Please keep her in your prayers! She’s currently awaiting test results and in the process of making treatment decisions but I know she plans on updating you all soon!
2.
Many of you have very sweetly asked me how we might all come together to help the Fulwilers in their time of need. I checked with Jen and for the moment she only asks for your prayers. If a need arises, though, I’ll be sure to share it!
3.
I’m delighted to have been invited to speak to the women of St. Mary’s Parish in Mobile, AL on January 15th at their Vino and Values event. Coincidentally, Dan and I were married at St. Mary’s in 2001 so it will be such a treat to return for a visit! I’ll be speaking about what it means to thrive as a Catholic woman. If you happen to live in the area, I do hope you’ll come to the event! I’d love to meet some of you in person!
4.
After years of resisting, I finally caved and bought a Nexus. My love of “real” books was finally defeated by my insatiable love of reading and desire for instant gratification (thank you, Kindle app).
Actually, that’s not entirely true – iPhones just hate me. Despite having Verizon send me replacement after replacement, I could never manage to get reception when I was inside of a building. Finally, someone in the know informed me that quality phone reception isn’t what smart phones are known for (though I have yet to find anyone else who’s had as many problems with the iPhone as I have) so I traded it in for a basic flip phone and will use the Nexus to check email and such when I travel.
5.
What should my first e-read be? I think I’m in the mood for a good novel. I recently finished reading Gone Girl, The Language of Flowers, and The Homecoming of Samuel Lake (and LOVED them). If you have a similar taste in fiction, what novels have you recently enjoyed?
6.
So, um, I just realized that Charlie’s due date falls on Holy Saturday. I know that due dates are only rough estimates but seeing as four out of five of my other little ones were born smack dab on their due date it’s not unreasonable to think that he may enter the world right as Lent 2013 wraps up. Methinks that God has quite the sanctifying Lenten experience in store for me this year. For my husband‘s sake, you might want to start praying now. ;)
7.
Thanks, again, for all the love and the many prayers you’ve been sending Jen’s way. I know it means the world to her. I’ll be sure to share any updates I receive regarding her condition over on Twitter.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
A sweet EASTER baby! Yes, I imagine that Lent will definitely be “interesting” for you ALL, but God is good and clearly has a plan! Not sure if I’ll get my 7QTs up this week, however……Blessings, and happy weekend! :-)
TracyE recently posted..2012 Photo Review, linky loo
Thanks for hosting, Hallie. I bought your husband’s book for my Mom for Christmas. She is really enjoying it. Thank you for keeping us updated about Jen.
Ann-Marie recently posted..Seven Quick Takes (Vol 80)
Easter baby! yay! I can’t seem to stay away from “smack-dab” in the middle of summer myself! :)
Michelle recently posted..7 Quick Takes – 37
Thank you for hosting, Hallie! And thank you for the updates on Jen, we will keep the prayers coming.
Holy Week babies FTW! I have one as well whose birthday was Holy Saturday last year.
jen @ Saving Kaia recently posted..Prayer Requests: December 31, 2012
Thanks for hosting, and thanks to Jennifer for allowing us to pray for her speedy recovery.
St. Bernadette, pray for us!
Thank you for hosting the 7 Quick Takes and for keeping us updated on Jennifer’s progress. We’re praying here for her and we will certainly be adding you and your Holy Week baby bunting to the list as well!
Christie @ Garden of Holiness recently posted..7 Quick Takes and a Prayer
My 4th was born last year on Holy Saturday. I normally am 2 weeks late with kids so was sooo surprised to have a baby born a day after the due date. Needless to say I wasn’t prepared and my father-in-law had to bring the ham and all of dinner for Easter. It made for a good story.
EML recently posted..New Year’s Organizing Revolution – Week 1
Being pregnant during Lent is no joke, girl. No joke! Oh my gosh. Prayers for you in the coming months…
Dwija {House Unseen} recently posted..7 Quick Takes- kitchen fire. frizzy hair. screaming toddler.
Thanks for pinch-hitting, Hallie! It’s always fun to see the party when it’s at your place. I had an April baby and her birthday has fallen on Easter on occasion (and in Lent on many years). I appreciate the updates on Jen, and am sending prayers her way.
nancyo recently posted..Quick Takes: Cathedral Light Shows
I totally agree on the Nexus tablet! It’s my favorite gadget ever! I have never used a smart phone because I can’t stand the small screen or keyboard, but I have found the tablet to be the perfect size. Yay!
Kendra @ The Nerdy Wife recently posted..I Didn’t Have To Dream Of A White Christmas: We Got One!
Sending prayers so much for Jen. Having one of those genetic blood clotting disorders myself (I have the more common Factor V) this is very close to my heart. This is terrifying for anyone but for those of us who have lived with these difficult pregnancies, let’s just say I am STORMING heaven right now. Can’t wait to see/hear if baby boy shows up on Holy Saturday! (And Dan, the prayers are there for you too! :)
Kristen @ St Monica’s Bridge recently posted..Seven Quick Takes Friday
What a Lent! Definitely praying for you guys already!
Thank you so much for updating us all on Jen! You have no idea how greatly appreciated it was/is. :)
Katie @NFP and Me recently posted..What I Wore on New Year’s Eve!
Being 8 to 9 months pregnant during Lent sounds like the best Lent ever!! And by best Lent, I mean hard and full of sacrificing!!
Thanks for hosting, Hallie and we’re praying for Jen!!!
Colleen Martin recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday
If you haven’t read A Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, that would be my recommendation. It was my favorite book of 2012 and judging by your recent reads, I think you’d enjoy it!
Thanks for hosting. Sending prayers to Jen!
Larissa Heart recently posted..My Foray into Link-Ups, Soup and Lost with Zombies (7 Quick Takes Friday Vol. 1)
Thank you for hosting, Hallie and for updates on Jen.
M@Team Horning recently posted..Quick Takes Vol. 18
Yay Lent babies! Praying for you! And Jen!
And thank you for the updates!
Emily recently posted..7 Quick Takes (83)
I highly recommend Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson (free Kindle version available at Amazon.com).
From the review: “Can a timeless book become timely 100 years after its first appearance? In this profound and prescient novel, Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson gives us an imaginative foretelling of the end of the world. All stories, Aristotle said, have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but most ends are relative, the terminus of this chain of acts or that. But what of the end that terminates all human action as we know it, the end of time itself, the Second Coming? Since this novel appeared in 1906, many others have been devoted to nuclear disaster, destructive comets, and other hair-raising possibilities. What sets Benson’s story apart and makes it as readable today as when it was written is the Catholic and biblical context that provides the ultimate meaning. Robert Hugh Benson (1871–1914) was the son of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and his conversion to Catholicism caused a stir. He became a great apologist for the faith, in spiritual works as well as in works of the imagination. Lord of the World is first of all a tremendous “read,” but it is also spiritual food for thought.”
I’m always trepidatious about reading today’s best-selling novels. I’ve opened too many at Barnes and Noble in the past, only to be offended on page 1. Can you tell us something about the moral content of the books you mentioned? Amazon reviews aren’t generally good for that.
Lately I’ve been reading Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, which my husband bought me for Christmas. It’s sort of Pride and Prejudice meets Bleak House. I highly recommend it for anyone with interest in 19th-century novels.
Connie Rossini recently posted..Should school focus on work or leisure?
I can give you an idea of books with acceptable moral content if you tell me what specifically you like to avoid in literature! :-)
Larissa Heart recently posted..My Foray into Link-Ups, Soup and Lost with Zombies (7 Quick Takes Friday Vol. 1)
Thanks, Larissa. I particularly avoid explicit descriptions of sex. (Implied immorality is okay.) I’m also very sensitive to bad language. A little bit here and there, I can handle, but I don’t want those words to get into my head. Now you can see why I like the classics! Seriously, I am always looking for thoughtful, beautifully written novels I’ve enjoyed some of Anne Tyler’s works in the past. Thanks again.
Connie Rossini recently posted..Should school focus on work or leisure?
In that case, I’d echo my recommendation for A Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes as any sexual impropriety is implied and only in the context of a man’s memory of his school days. Gone Girl has plenty of bad language and discussion of sex, in The Language of Flowers it is largely implied and poetic and The Homecoming of Samuel Lake is very much like To Kill a Mockingbird in that there are disturbing themes (violence, not sexual) but are told from a child’s viewpoints so they exist largely obscured. I hope that helps!
Larissa Heart recently posted..My Foray into Link-Ups, Soup and Lost with Zombies (7 Quick Takes Friday Vol. 1)
That helps. Thanks!
Connie Rossini recently posted..Should school focus on work or leisure?
I really enjoyed “Falling For Your Madness” by Katharine Grubb. Fun, sweet, and a quick read.
One of the best books I’ve read recently was The Kitchen Daughter: reviewed it here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/330560527
I like in the area but I hadn’t heard anything about the event. I’ll have to check it out!
Ashley recently posted..A New Year
I just bought your husband’s book right after I read the one I’m about to recommend so obviously I have good taste :) You must read “The Light Between Oceans”. Fab-u-lous.
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
My last baby was an Easter baby. :-) It was very fitting to suffer the pain of the cross/delivery and then rejoice in the new birth of our little one. :-) Also, thanks for hosting and keeping us posted.
bobbi @ revolution of love recently posted..7 Quick Takes (1/4/13): New Years, Boy Bands & Hobby Lobby
Thank you for hosting this!
Your last three reads are at the top of my list for this year. I’ve been hooked on non-fiction for the past few years, so I’m looking forward to some fiction for this year.
Stephanie recently posted..Frosted window panes…
Read Love Anthony (or anything else) by Lisa Genova!
And um. Come visit my blog today? You’ll know why when you get there. :)
Hallie, I am *this* close to dumping my “smart” phone for a flip phone, too. I have an iPad and do so much with it. My phone has been giving me tons of issues, too, but it’s a Droid. Really no reason to keep paying for a smart phone when it’s not performing like one.
Lisa Schmidt recently posted..Giving Epiphany a Little Respect