This Moment

William Joseph 4 Months . Mr Crazy Hair!

Off to Canada, eh?

All Pete wants to do is wrestle these days!

Things are looking a little sad on the blog here so I thought I'd write a post! Must mean you all have a life or something. ;)

 Summer is slipping away pretty quickly over here, where did it go?!

We had a rather uneventful summer with the exception of last week. Grandma and Grandpa Doll celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary so we drove up to Calgary.
It takes about 14 hours to get there and the kids were GREAT on the way up. What makes traveling with toddler's easier? Plenty of stops, TONS of snacks and Mommy sitting in the back seat entertaining! Toys and books help a lot too - I was so impressed with how well they handled the drive. We were so lucky as to see two HUGE grizzly bears, a moose, two mountain goats and a handful of dear. The bears were incredible, I definitely would not want to get on their bad side!

Cyril loves going home and the kids bring SO much joy to their Grandparents. We tried to make it fun and went to Heritage Park (a little historic village) and a military museum with the kids. The visit was also filled with lots of barbeques, laughs and seeing old friends and distant relatives. And Tim Hortan's! You can't leave Canada without having their coffee at least everyday!

Cyril's parents attend the Ukranian Catholic so there was a Divine Liturgy followed by a blessing for his parents. It was beautiful. Marriage is certainly not easy. It takes a lot of hard work - so I would say 50 years is quite an accomplishment and witness! My children are blessed to have both sets of Grandparent's in it for the long haul. Not a lot of people can say that these days. Cyril and I are blessed to have our parents witness to us the beauty and goodness of marriage as well!

Cyril's oldest brother Ian is a paraplegic. He broke his neck when he was playing rugby in college. He is one of the most amazing men we know. He is in pain every day and offers it all up in union with Christ. Talk about another witness! I complain about my duties and hardships, being with Ian reminds me that I have nothing to complain about. Peter loved lounging on Ian while he showed Peter around the yard. They were looking for dragon flies and other such creatures. The kids love all their aunts, uncles and cousins!

 Peter found his true love just like his Daddy. Hockey! These were Cyril's hockey sticks when he was a boy. Peter LOVED them. He would walk around the house all day saying "shteeek." Gianna sure wasn't talking at 15 months and we are blown away by Peter's vocabulary. Maybe it's normal, but we love it. I love this little boy.

















We are coming up on celebrating our anniversary as well. Four years! It's incredible how fast time flies having babies. Before you know it you'll be getting an invite to our 50th. ;)

The kids love their grandparents!

We hope you all are having a wonderful summer! We can't wait to hear more about your adventures, big and small. God bless you!

{this moment}

This Moment

William Joseph Gallaher 3 months

Spain Trip: Lourdes!

       One evening in Zurita, Spain at the dinner table we were discussing what sites we would see the next day. Someone said that Lourdes was only 4 hours away! I couldn't believe it. Mary really wanted to go. What an opportunity! We left really early. Arrived by 11:00 a.m. , got Grandma a wheelchair and here we were walking towards the grotto:

 I wanted Grandma to get a bath but she wanted nothing to do with that.
I think she needed one. What do you think?

Praying a rosary at the grotto was an awesome experience.
 I even was able to touch the spot where
 St. Bernadette knelt when she was seeing and talking to Our Lady. 

Even the French love Our Lady of Guadalupe!
 This mosaic was on the outside of the big church as you walk up the stairs.

This was three churches on top of each other.
The grotto was to the right of the churches. See the crown in the middle?

Dad loved this crown, he thought it was quite fitting for our Queen!

This was a short day at the Grotto. There was so much to see so we will have to come back again the next time we are in Spain. Mary loved the idea of being where Our Lady was just a few days before her entrance. The novitiate years are placed under the Blessed Mother's care and protection. This was a very appropriate side trip for us all to make. Thank you Jesus. 

Spain Trip: Sr. Mary Rose's Home!

Words....words....they cannot tell or describe the feelings and emotions that Dad and I had for these beautiful grace filled days. It was a grace that we hope all parents can experience. So enjoy the pictures...they really do speak a thousand words. 

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel below. The Home of the Mother follows the spirituality of the Carmelites. If you want to know more about that you need to read St. Teresa of Avila's works. Notice the other parents standing outside-we are getting a tour.

 This was taken at the convent in Barcinelle where we all stayed. The radio and t.v. station are also at this location. You can see the ocean (Biscay Bay) from here on a clear day.

This in the entrance to the convent in Barcinelle. Pretty rustic looking!

This is the Zurita home, the new and the old. The printing press, study/library, gardens, laundry, cooking and chickens are here. This will be Sr. Mary Rose's home for 2 years:

Mary and I, the day we arrived, also at Zurita:

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These next two pictures are in the waiting area outside the chapel. The crucifix is typically Spanish style being more realistic and bloody. All of the stone that you see comes from around the property.

Here we are all working. Saturday was work day and the BBQ Spanish style!

   

Dad got an oil filter off the tractors that the sisters tried to do several times. He had Fr. Rafael run to the store to go get the special tool that makes it happen. It is all about the tools!

Dad is happy plowing the field!

 We found something for Grandma to do: folding the magazine. I'm helping with the magazine also!

 

Behind the scene: chefs at the bbq, chefs in the kitchen, and of course Mary modeling the wonderful bread we ate that week.

Behind the scene's scene are the awesome chickens and the garden. There is nothing like fresh eggs and produce.

The most important part of everything is Christ! I have saved Him here for last, mea culpa, mea culpa....The chapel is beautiful in a very Spanish and simple way. All the building and art work is done by the sisters themselves. Sr. Karen over sees all the artwork, paintings and stained glass. It is truely amazing. As you will see each pieces give you much to meditate on.

 

JESUS!

From this picture you can see how the sisters painted on the walls. Here are some details....

The Passion.

The words from Mother Mary's mouth are, "Do whatever He tells you."

The Queen of heaven and the humble stepfather.

My favorite painting in all the homes!!

"God love us with a Madness,"

-Fr. Rafael in several of his sermons.

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures. My next post will be of Mary's entrance in the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. Talking and looking at the pictures still brings tears to my eyes. I have not experienced anything so beautiful this side of heaven. God blessing on all.....