April 20, 2013 Was a Very Good Day!

So I've finally gotten around to posting about my Confirmation! I don't even know where to start. It was an absolutely amazing day. It started out with a 3 hour pre-Steubenville retreat. Steubenville is a weekend-long annual retreat for Catholic teens. And they're big. 800-1000 teens attend each retreat every year. Some of the weekend's highlights include midnight Confession and Adoration, powerful guest speakers, awesome music, and simply the chance to meet other Catholics like yourself. The pre-Steubenville retreat that I attended two weeks back was a very small taste of what you would experience at the actual weekend. We had talks, ice breakers, and adoration. It definitely got me pumped up for Confirmation that evening - and that's saying a lot, because I was already hoppin-off-the-walls with excitement.

After the retreat, I went home to change into my dress and do some family pictures. I'm going to have them posted at the end because, for some reason, when you blog from an iPod, you can't write something, put a picture, and write again. You have to post all the photos at the end. :P Anywhoo, after getting all the "necessities" done, also known as trying to get every wild hair in place and applying and reapplying mascara, it was time to head over to the church! ;) Ok what's next... Oh yes! All of the candidates had to meet in the basement of the church before the Mass started. From there, we went out the side doors, walked down the lane way, went through the Church's front doors, and processed down the aisle to our seats. When were walking outside from the side doors to the front, I really pitied the girls who were wearing shorter dresses. Because it was windy outside. Very windy. Yeah. Skipping ahead to the Mass, the homily the bishop gave was phenomenal. The bishop said that all relationships are founded on promises. When you get married, you promise fidelity for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. When you baptize your child, you promise that you will raise that child in the Faith, feed them, clothe them, educate them, and love them. Same goes with God. He promised that He'd send the Holy Spirit to guide us. We believe Him; we trust Him. We build a relationship with Him, knowing that he will be with us, and will help us.

My friends and I had joked beforehand about the amount of oil the bishop used to anoint the candidates. They were like "Oh yeah, he's very generous with the oil! You'll have it drippin' down your eyes, making your mascara run, etc. etc." I was also told by a catechism instructor that we would most likely get slapped. So so far our prospects were an oil bath and a big bruise. Very nice. But that wasn't the case. No slap and no drippy oil. (I was actually secretly hoping that we would get slapped.. Haha XD) I seriously believe that getting Confirmed is one of the best things you'll ever experience. And it does have after effects. Mine just so happened to be a crazy happy joy. I seriously hugged everybody that talked to me. It was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

After the Mass we went downstairs and ate very good food. 'Nuff said.

So, like I said above at least two other times, Confirmation has been one of the best days of my life. God works in wonderful ways! :)

So now I present to you the pictures. The first is of me and my mom, the second is of my dad and I, the third is of me and my sister, Ashley, and the last is mah buddy Kelsey and moi!