April Wrap-Up

Did I literally just wrap up March two weeks ago? Yes. Is that going to stop me from wrapping up my April on time? Of course not! It was an insane month, with a lot of blessings, and I am happy to be here to share all of that with you! 

(And yes, that is a foal in the bottom right corner of my graphic. Isn't he adorable?)

So here's what happened:

-The retreat that I talked about in the last wrap-up, where we had the tornado warning and had to hide in the basement, straddled the break between the months--and the whole thing was a really big blessing! We had a great team working in the kitchen, and I loved working behind the scenes to pray for the participants and team, as well as cooking for them. We were, as I've said, in a tiny town, which has a TINY chapel, and we were there for Palm Sunday, and in that tiny little chapel, with one priest, two servers, and less than forty people, we had one of the most beautiful Palm Sundays I've ever seen. Not for the same reasons that past Palm Sundays have been beautiful, but because it was so small and intimate, and I was there with most of my best friends. 

-And then, of course, was Holy Week, which was absolutely INSANE because I had an exam, a pre-review for my landscape architecture studio, and a TON of other homework, in addition to singing for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, coordinating the living Stations of the Cross that we do on the quad on Good Friday, and sponsoring someone at the Vigil.
It was a crazy time, but SO beautiful. Some of the highlights:
    -Watching my home parish's livestreams of Tenebrae and seeing my siblings in the choirstalls
    -Singing the Pange Lingua while processing through the courtyard of the Newman Center to the altar of repose on Holy Thursday.
    -Doing the Seven Churches devotion with my friends after the Mass of the Lord's Supper--driving through the dark to seven different churches (well, five, with Newman counting twice, because we don't have six other churches in the area) and trying to get back to the Newman Center before midnight, when Christ is taken from the Altar of Repose. 
    -Prepping people for Living Stations of the Cross, including smearing one of my friends with copious amounts of fake blood. 
    -Hearing someone say, as the actors were walking to the quad for Living Stations, "look, they're LARPing!" (Um, sure? Sort of? If reenacting Christ's Passion with devotional intent counts as LARPing?)
    -Making my family's traditional hot cross scones on the afternoon of Good Friday and having my friends descend like a horde of locust on said scones, because they remembered them from last year. (And they also told others who hadn't been there last year to descend like locusts. It was insane, I tell you, and made me very happy.)
    -Watching The Passion of the Christ for the first time with about twenty other people on the evening of Good Friday. That was...a lot. I didn't think I was going to cry. Reader, I sobbed.
    -Having one of my friends carve the Pascal Pumpkin (a new Fr. M tradition).
    -The whole Easter Vigil--so many people, SO many baptisms & confirmations, and so much joy.

-This is a small thing, but one Saturday I went downtown all on my own to wander around and then do work at a cafe, and I felt like a real grown-up, and it was really fun.

-One of my friends works in the front office, and we spent a lot of time hanging out in the office during her work time. One of the nights, she had a six-hour shift, and someone ordered a pizza, and we watched National Treasure, and it was a grand old time. 

-I learned how to play euchre, and the same friend who works in the front office and I have played twice against the same set of boys (who talk a big game) and skunked them both times. (This, it must be admitted, is more due to the friend's skill than mine. I still make stupid mistakes sometimes.)

-I went stargazing to a dark sky preserve with a set of friends, and we were there for Many Hours, which involved (obviously) looking at the stars, but also teasing, joking, storytelling, and eating of goat cheese with chips. And then, as one does, we ended up at a 24-hour diner at 3 am. (My friends are still teasing me about toast and whipped cream. In my defense, it was 3 am.)

-Sang hymns in harmony for two hours with a group of people including several of the graduating seniors. (This is an excellent way to get chills, fyi.)

-One of my friends turned twenty-one, and we celebrated in an Irish-style pub (well, as much of an Irish-style as one gets on a college campus) with several people, including one of the priests. Beer was drunk, songs were sung (yes, in a public bar), nachos were consumed, and a good time was had. 

-Lest my life sound like sunshine and roses (which, given, a lot of the time it is, because God is good) let me say that I stayed up way too late many nights, and thus exhausted myself for practical purposes (on the day I'm writing this, I was tired enough that I had to jam in a nap before my afternoon class), I have had way too many exams this month, many of which have overlapped and not given me enough time to study for them (hello first B of the semester on an exam), and I'm currently trying to figure out how to study for my first ever lab final while studying for two other exams this week (this past week, when you read this), which is, shall we say, not a piece of cake.
Plus, I have a million other things to do, including things for my part-time job, and a competition I agreed to enter, and Summa readings to do for a small study group I applied for (because I'm insane), and emails to send to figure out next year's housing, and with one thing and another, I'm not sure when I'm going to, um, sleep this week.
It's fine. Everything is fine.
(It actually is, because God is good, and when I just trust Him and don't freak out about everything I need to accomplish, I tend to actually get everything done. Which is kind of strange, but it works?)

Fun Quotes:

Thomas: (to me) "I need someone who speaks Horse. Or something Horse-equivalent. Like Goat!"

Dr. Digger: "It is a beautiful thing, finding the love of your life. Hopefully, they reduce your mental suffering. And if they don't, guys, they are not the love of your life. Just so you know."

Animal Repro prof: "So, if my arm is a seminiferous tubule..."

Mary: "You can't trust people with more vowels in their name than consonants. Especially if it's the same vowel."

Me: "Sorry, I'm not paying attention, I'm neck deep in male reproductive anatomy."
*horrified laughter from the not-insignificantly sized group of people around me, including Father M*
Kay: "...care to reword that?" 

Me: "So, instead of conquering countries, you're putting a book in your office?"
Father M: *defensively* "And grabbing my hat. I need my hat!"

Dr. Digger: "Please don't fight wolves. Wolves will win."

Student: "Is trisomy 21 always caused by the woman?"
Animal repro prof: "I believe so, yes."
*audible female gasp*
*classroom erupts in laughter*

Studio classmate: "But people are going to die!"
Studio professor: "I don't care about that."

Mary: *to me* "That's it, you're not my cuddle buddy anymore."
Lewis: "WHAT?"

LA reviewer: "You guys have GOT to stop saying 'just'! "This is 'just a drawing I did, this is 'just' a Rhino model!" Just jump in!"

Thomas: *does a squat*
Mary, a kinesiology major: "No! Your knees never go over your toes! Stick your butt out!"
Thomas: *attempts this* "Eww!! Absolutely not!"

Diet Dr. Digger: "Amino acids don't make my kids laugh like fatty acids do. It's strange for a nutritionist, but when you tell a twelve-year-old that you're talking about fatty acids this week, they giggle."

Diet Dr. Digger: "When you see a container of L-Leucine on a shelf at a health food store, that's taken by 'bros' who want to get 'swole'..."

Worth Reading...

...if you enjoy L. M. Montgomery

A Tangled Web by L. M. Montgomery
I discovered this one through Hamlette's post about it, and then ended up winning a copy through her giveaway, which made me happy, because I was really intrigued by her post. And the book didn't disappoint! Montgomery has this knack for describing people that she puts to full use here--there are many characters (since it's somewhat of a family drama), and they are all described so vividly, especially at the beginning of the book, and it is a delight. 
The book revolves mainly around three romantic couples, with a couple of other 'main' characters, which was a unique structure, but one that I quite enjoyed. Each of the couples had a different issue, and different flaws to overcome, from a couple who parted on their wedding night and haven't spoken since, to a young couple in the throes of calf love (look, I'm just calling it like it is), to a pair of people who've hated each other for years, only to suddenly experience love-at-millionth-sight. And then there's also the spinster who longs for a home of her own, but isn't sure if that's worth marrying any of the men she knows--even if they were to ask her. 
I think my favorite pair were Joscelyn and Hugh, the couple who separated on their wedding night, but my favorite storyline overall was that of Gay and Noel, the calf-love couple. No spoilers, but I really loved the way it turned out. 

...if Jane Austen is more your speed

Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge
Yes, I know, this isn't by Jane Austen. But it is one of the best Jane Austen retellings I have read. (This was another recommendation by Hamlette.) Sense & Sensibility is not my favorite of Jane Austen's books, mostly because it feels like it goes on forever with not much happening, and then everything is jammed together at the end. However, this book somehow takes Sense & Sensibility and turns it into a story that feels like it adapts the original perfectly, while also having a much better sense of pace, and stays engaging the whole time. (It was extremely impressive.) Also, the fact that they kept the 'dead leaves' quote, except this time in relation to tea, made me unreasonably happy. I listened to the audiobook, which I would recommend.
The sister relationships--both the good parts and the hard parts--were excellent! I loved Celia & Jane's relationship especially, of course, but Margo is also very well-written, and I think carries on the legacy of Margaret admirably. I thought having Jane be the MC was a really interesting choice--she's the one who is the equivalent of Marianne--and I think it made the book a more balanced experience for me, since I am an Elanor myself, I could understand what was going on with Celia without being told but getting the "Marianne's eye view" was needed for me to 'get' her. So that was cool--but I don't know if it would work for everyone. 
Of course, I'm sure you're wondering what I thought of the male leads, too. Callum was wonderful, and having chapters from his perspective was also unique and interesting. I didn't think we saw enough of Teddy (the Edward character) to care as much as I thought we should about him and Celia, but that's a small quibble. And I thought that the character who is the equivalent of Willoughby was the perfect analogue in the modern world--despicable in all the right ways, and charming in all the right ways, too.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this retelling, and would definitely recommend it!

...if animal-related humor is up your alley

Kitty Corned by Bob Tarte
This author has also written a book called Enslaved By Ducks, and if those two titles don't give you an idea of who runs his household, I'm not sure what will. This book is not something super deep, but a humorous memoir of the author's life with his six cats (and his wife), and all of the hijinks they get up to. He has a hilarious writing style, and I found myself chuckling all the way through. So, if you need a light read, consider this one recommended. 

...if you enjoyed To Kill A Mockingbird or Okay For Now

Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
THIS BOOK. THIS. BOOK.
I picked this book (well, audiobook) up because when The Story Sponge reviewed it, she mentioned that there were goats involved. Specifically that there was a character who kept goats in her bathroom. And while said character is fantastic, not only because of the goats (ROXANNE. Such a girlboss without being a girlboss.), there is so much more to the story than the character with goats in her bathroom. 
As my heading would imply, it's basically a mix between To Kill A Mockingbird and Okay For Now...more or less. It reminds me of TKAM because of Reuben & Davy & Swede's dad, who also is just a Good Man, who wants to Do What Is Right, even when that means wrestling with God over what is right vs. what he wants to do. He stays in the background a lot because of Davy's narration, but honestly, on reflection on the book, he is such an AMAZING character. One might even say the real main character, perhaps? (I think that's also one of the things that reminds me of both TKAM and OFN about this book--the MC is an unreliable narrator. Not because he's doing so on purpose (unlike Doug of OFN), but because he's young, like Scout (or at least, I remember her being unreliable in that way). 
It also reminds me of TKAM because it has that feeling of being an American Novel in a way that I usually hate, but in this case, I loved it? (Dangit, my mother, Frodo, and another of their friends have been on a stealth campaign to make me like American Literature, and it's WORKING. Galling.) It feels like one of those books that everyone has read, except that apparently not everyone has read it, because my mother has never even heard of it. (I am going to fix this over the summer.)
I don't think I can say much about this book without ruining it, because not knowing what comes next is one of the things that makes it awesome? But let me just say that Swede is WONDERFUL and Sunny Sundown is the BEST and I love that there are excerpts of Swede's stories in the book that also illuminate the narrative, and GAH
It's just a really good book.
You should read it.
You really should.

...if you like fairytale retellings

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
This was the last of Naomi Novik's books (except the Temeraire series, which intimidates me) that I hadn't read. I didn't read it for quite a while, because my parents said that there were a couple of inappropriate scenes in it, but when I found it randomly at the library, I decided that Naomi Novik is probably worth having to skip inappropriate scenes. (I did skip them; there are actually three scenes with inappropriate content, so caveat emptor.) 
As the kids say, hot take: even though I skipped the inappropriate scenes, they still made the book worse than her other books that don't have such scenes. (*cough* Spinning Silver, *cough* A Deadly Education *cough cough*) Because somehow, Novik expects that the inclusion of two inappropriate scenes between the male & female lead will be enough to convince us that they are in wuv. Despite the fact that there is WAY too little development of that relationship outside of the time they spend in bed together. They could have used, like, at least twenty more pages interspersed throughout the book with scenes between them to show that the Dragon is actually tolerating Agnieszka, and maybe that he actually loves her and doesn't just find her hot?
ANYWAY. That disclaimer aside, it was an excellent book. (I know, I know, I know...I didn't make it sound like it. I had quibbles. Sue me.) It was the kind of fairytale retelling where I kept thinking throughout the book "how did you think of that? this is genius! how on earth did she come up with this?!" It was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but in the same way that Spinning Silver is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, which is to say, it takes inspiration from it, but departs from it pretty quickly, while still keeping that fairytale feel. 
The enchanted wood part of the plot was fascinating and really well done, and the way the climax worked with that was *chef's kiss*. 
I also loved the fact that a female friendship was actually the biggest relationship in the book, and almost the biggest *love* in the book (philia, friend-love, of course) for the MC. That was, in fact, one of my favorite things about it, because real friendship like that, where your friend will face down an evil sentient Wood for you, doesn't feature nearly enough in fiction.
My other favorite part of the book was the way that the Dragon's magic vs. Agnieszka's worked. It's sort of a woman's-brain-vs.-man's-brain thing, where the dragon is like "I will follow these exact steps and it will work", and Agnieszka is like "I sort of have a vague idea of what I'm doing, and I'll figure it out", and it drives the Dragon crazy, and it's hilarious. (See, more of that would have been excellent relationship development for the two of them.) The interplay between those two things was an important theme of the book, too, and I liked that a lot. 
Also, there are the sweetest two child characters, including a seven-year-old who will do ANYTHING to protect his little sister, and if he can protect his parents, too, all the better. (I LOVE this kid.)
So: I liked it, even if it wasn't, in my opinion, Naomi Novik's best book. 

Have you ever heard of Peace Like A River? How was your Holy Week? And how was your April?