Visiting the Relics of Saint Padre Pio

A pilgrimage is a journey to a place associated with someone or something well known respected. So I guess you could say I was blessed to have the opportunity to go on a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver to see the Relics of Saint Padre Pio this past May.

I was more excited than words can express to go out to this Basilica because last year I created the Ultimate Guide to Holy Places in Colorado and this particular location made the list! It has been on my Bucket list ever since! Let me tell you that I was not disappointed! The Basilica was absolutely gorgeous and being blessed to be in the presence of Saint Padre Pio's relics was amazing.

In case you weren't aware, a relic is a part of a deceased holy person's body or belongings kept as an object of reverence.There are several different relics that are available to visit in Italy of Saint Padre Pio. His blood, glove and hair were on display when I went to visit at the Basilica. You can see more up close pictures below:

The glove, blood and hair of Padre Pio are encased to protect them while on display to the public. First class relics are the body or remnants of the body of a saint, such as blood, bone or flesh. Second class relics are something that a saint personally owned, like Padre Pio's glove. Third class relics are those items that a saint touched or that have been touched to a first, second, or another third class relic of a saint. Something VERY important to remember in regard to third class relics is that the touch does not have to be a direct touch to the relic itself.  Merely touching the container that holds the relic is sufficient to bring about that transformation and effect a new relic.

“Moses took Joseph’s bones with him; because he had adjured the children of Israel, saying: God shall visit you if you carry my bones from hence with you.”
Exodus 13:19

If you don't know much about Padre Pio, I highly suggest doing some reading about him. He is an inspiration to many. Padre Pio was born in Italy in 1887. He was one of eight children and had visions of angels and demons as early as five years old! He grew up and became a priest that was sought out due to his healing prayers and loving heart. There are many stories that are shared about this wonderful man regarding the devil, bi-location, stigmata, levitation and much more.

During my pilgrimage, I attended Mass and was truly touched by the reverence that was shown to both the Eucharist and the relics. During Communion I witnessed a man get on his knees and bow before the Eucharist. He then received the Eucharist while still on his knees. 

It was beyond soul-gripping. 

I think this image will be one that I will never forget. The love and respect shown by this man to Our Lord touched me in such a way that I nearly cried. It lit a fire in me to do a better job of showing reverence while I am in Mass and in the presence of the Eucharist. 

People also waited in a line that stretched around the Basilica to stand before the Relics of Saint Padre Pio. The awe and wonder that filled the air was magical. 

I won this beautiful rosary during a giveaway hosted by my friend, Mrs. Andy, who writes over at Anchored by Faith and with me at Everyday Ediths. I brought this rosary with me and pressed it against the relics. Although there was glass between the relics and this rosary I know that there was a special blessing that was transferred and I will forever have this as a way to remember my pilgrimage and the special experience of being in the presence of Saint Padre Pio's relics. I created a third class relic. There were many visitors that did this same thing with crucifixes, rosaries and other religious emblems.

The Relics were being moved across the United States over the next few months. Have you had the pleasure of checking out these relics? Or the relics of another saint? If so, I would love to hear all about it! Interested in more information about Padre Pio? Check out Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.

Our New Beginning in Colorado: 2016 in Pictures

I have read and seen so many negative comments about this past year. It breaks my heart. I truly believe that you have to see the good in the world and when we marinate ourselves in the negativity, it changes our perception on everything. I am refusing to allow the negativity into my house and into my mind. Life is full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, it is what makes us human and this time on Earth meaningful. This year was amazing for me and my family and I would love to share how and why!

In January.... I met my cousin Sheldon because we so happen to live in the same state now! This was actually a picture taken on New Years of 2016! My kids still try to call him "Uncle Sheldon" all the time and it makes me giggle but this was an amazing milestone for our family! I honestly could not think of a better way to ring in the New Year and I am looking forward to continuing this again this year!

I also became a Nanny to help with my families finances and my kids registered for school here in Colorado for the first time! This is also about the time I started contemplating on bringing back and revamping my blog... at least the first time I mentioned it to my family out-loud.  

In February... everything was CRAZY! We experienced our first Snow Storm and the boys had their first taste of a snow day! There was actually snow non-stop for 3 days! The picture above was from the first day... maybe I should have shared the last day where our car was buried?! LOL

Spring Football for Little Man and Spring Soccer for Goalie also began, although it did not look or feel like spring at all! This was their first experience with sports in Colorado.

We also enjoyed a fun Super Bowl party (again with my amazing cousin, Sheldon) and he was pied in the face MULTIPLE TIMES because of his Super Bowl bets.

I also made the big decision to bring back my blog and renamed it, Pinot Noir and Prayers!

In March... We enjoyed our first Easter in Colorado! Unfortunately, we missed Mass because I was new to the whole "defrosting your vehicle before you can drive it when it's freezing outside" thing. I learned some valuable lessons in cold weather living.

This is also the month we surprised the boys and redid their entire room with Star Wars bedding and decor! They were the happiest little boys in the world!

Our first Easter in Colorado Springs was absolutely amazing and a wonderful way to end March.

In April...  we were able to enjoy the outdoors more and I spent more one on one time with my baby boys. We did a lot of Kids in the Kitchen and Clean Eating too.

This was my final month as a stay-at-home mom. I did Nanny a few times during the week but it was only for a few hours. I volunteered at the school as much as possible and finally got Goalie back on track for his therapies.

In May... we attended our first ever baseball game! It was an awesome experience! Check out Colorado Rockies: Our First Baseball Game for more pictures and fun. 

This was the end of the school year for the boys and the beginning of our first summer vacation in Colorado. I began my new job this month too!

We also enjoyed a Kentucky Derby Party. 

In June... we always celebrate A LOT! We have Little Man and my husband's birthday plus our 2nd Wedding Anniversary and Father's Day all within two weeks! It was Harry's 31st and Little Man's 9th birthday this year and we celebrated them together with a Finding Dory theme and went to watch the movie as a family.

We bought a membership to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and went on several breath taking hikes, including the Seven Falls. 

 In July... Little Man was able to train as an Altar Server at our new parish. In Florida, he had already been serving for a year so he was excited he was able to start in our new church too!

This month was full of Reading, swimming and working out!

In August... we had a 4th grader and a kindergartner! This was the start of the boys first full year at school in Colorado. 

My husband and I made a promise to plan dates to have special time together too.

This was the month I was invited into The Zelie Group and it has been an amazing experience so far!

In September... our family grew! We adopted two more cats, Shadow and Cloudy because we felt that they would be special additions to the family even though they were 10 and 6 at the time of their adoption. We were right! You would never guess they were older because they are just as active as our spunky 2 year old cat, Lemon!

We had our first experience at the Labor Day Lift Off!

We also became a scouting family and joined the Cub Scouts! We have a Lion Scout, which is a pilot program, so we are one of the first! And a Webelow! I'm still new at this so I would love some suggestions on how to help the boys with their badges etc.

We attended my cousin's wedding in Kansas and Little Man was an Altar Server! I also volunteered to be a catechist at the church.

In October... we finished our second seasons of football and soccer! Both boys had an amazing season! They learned so much and made some amazing friends. 

I received my first Little Catholic Box this month as a gift from my dad! 

The boys received their Cub Scout uniforms and attended their first big event as a Scout, the Boy Scout Centennial Campout! They shot BB guns for the first time and made their very own emergency cable bracelets. 

This was Goalie's birthday month and he turned 6! To celebrate we visited Diana's Pumpkin Patch and the boys even earned a Cub Scout Patch for completing the corn maze!

We were forced to buy a new car this month as well because our older one decided to crack an engine block while my husband was driving home from work one night.

This was our first Halloween dressing up together and we decided on a Star Wars theme: Little Man was a Flame Trooper, Goalie was Captain Rex, my husband was Darth Vader and I was a Storm Trooper. It was so much fun, I can't wait to plan another family costume.

In November... was filled with amazing food! We were blessed to attend a Friendsgiving and still do a traditional Thanksgiving at home and invited new friends to share the experience with us! 

We also participated in our first Turkey Trot (yes, we did dress like turkeys!)

Let's not forget...Goalie lost his first baby tooth!

This month was the end of our OFFICIAL first year in Colorado. We have learned so much and are ready to fill this next year with more neat experiences!

In December...there is so much to share, I barely know where to begin!

I was asked to join the committee at church to help with our Parish Faith Nights and this month was my very first one! It was Advent themed and we made Craft Advent Wreaths and sang songs.

I won a Mass Box during a Giveaway and hosted my first ever Giveaway during December!

We attended the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Electric Zoo Safari as a family! So many beautiful lights and even got a chance to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus while we were there.

Goalie was in a Winter Musical Production called the Big Chill at school and both boys won awards for Outstanding Student and their participation in the 100 Mile Club!

I also have found myself pulled into the Bullet Journal craze and am currently working on my first ever Bujo and adding some Liturgical Pages and trackers along with so much more!

To end this month, I was able to watch my children sing in the Christmas Eve Christmas Choir and it just made my heart so full, I could have burst! There were so not so fun things that we endured this year but as you can see, the good far out weighed the bad! And it will continue to be that way as long as we realize all the amazing blessings around us and never forget what is important! How was 2016 for you and your family? I hope it was filled with many blessings and that the upcoming year is even more amazing. You still have a couple more days before the end of 2016... let's go out in a bang! I am linking this with Revolution of Love.

God Bless!

{SQT}: The Feast of Saint Martin of Tours and Veterans' Day

Friday was both the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and Veterans' Day. One really neat thing about these two celebrations coinciding with each other is that Saint Martin was also a soldier. He is the patron saint of soldiers and winemakers. It is said that as a young soldier, Martin encountered a beggar in Amiens. The beggar was unclothed and it was freezing outside. Martin removed his cloak and with his sword, cut it in half. He gave this half to the beggar and dressed himself in what was left. That night, Martin had a dream in which Jesus appeared to him. Jesus spoke to him saying, "Martin, a mere catechumen has clothed me." This dream changed Saint Martin and he ended up leaving his military service to do other good works. The goose became a symbol of Saint Martin of Tours because of a legend that when he was attempting to avoid being ordained bishop. It is said that he had hidden in a goose pen, where he was found because of the loud cackling of the geese. It is also a custom to enjoy a white wine, which is prominent in the areas he lived.

Today is a day to celebrate our soldiers that have gone away to keep us safe. Veterans' Day is often confused with Memorial Day, which is a day to honor those who have lost their lives. You can checkout my post about Memorial Day called In Honor and learn about some friends and family we have lost along the way.

I thought it would be nice and honorable to share about some special Veterans that I have in my life during my Seven Quick Takes. I am from an Air Force family and was raised to have a love for God and Country. We live in an area near the Army and Air Force and the boys school even hosted a Red, White and Blue Day so the boys wore their 4th of July shirts they made. A special day indeed.

{ONE}

My husband is always the one trying to be funny and make people laugh. He served a couple tours while in the Army. I think that he misses the Army at times, the friends you make while in service are truly lifelong friends. We were not married during his time with the Army but he contributes it with making him the man he is today. He is my number one Veteran for obvious reasons. Thank you for being you, I love you always!

{TWO}

My dad served 28 years in the Air Force and was deployed more times than I can count. Most of my childhood he was away and we didn't have a real relationship until I became an adult. My dad is such a special man and he has such faith in God that he often says that it is either through his mother's prayers or God's desire for him to live another day that he survived all the deployments he has gone through. Thank you for everything you sacrificed for us Dad!

{THREE}

My sister-in-law was in the Navy. In fact, her and all her siblings served in different military branches for at least one term. This is a picture of her with my beautiful mother-in-law. We love you sis and thank you for your service!

{FOUR}

My father-in-law was also in the Air Force for over 20 years like my dad. I have not had the pleasure of asking him much about his experience but I know he was deployed quite often and is the reason his children all decided to join the armed forces as well. He is truly an inspirational man and my children are so glad to have him as their Grandpa. We love and miss you Grandpa and Grandma!

{FIVE}

My cousin Mark Jr. was in the Army, like my husband. I really love this picture of him with my Uncle. I am so proud to be in a family that has heard the call to offer protection to their country and dedicate themselves to a higher cause. Love and miss you both!

{SIX}

My beautiful cousin Angie's husband is in the Army as well. We didn't have the pleasure of living close to each other but I always love the big family get togethers where we have seen each other. They have a beautiful family and they are always on the move, as most military families are. We love you guys!

{SEVEN} 

My brother-in-law, Raymond, is in the Navy too. We keep him and his family in our prayers always.

This is not a complete list of Veterans we know. Or even a complete list of Veterans within our family. That list would be extremely long. But I want to make sure that all Veterans know that we appreciate all that they have done and the sacrifices they have made. Although my children are still very young, my oldest son has often stated that he wants to join the Army. I do not know what God has planned for my children but I am so proud that I am raising children that respect the Flag, our Country and the Veterans and their families. Thank you again to all the Veterans out there! May God bless you and your families immensely!

Prayer to St. Martin of Tours:

Blessed saint, You were born under pagan ways but since your childhood you were chosen to be a Prince of the Church and , as Bishop of Tours, many souls were redeemed and liberated from the satanic forces through your prayers, austerities and blessings.

We humbly ask for your intercession before Our Lord Jesus Christ because we want to be worthy of the grace and mercy of the Holy Spirit that lead us from darkness to light into the eternal kingdom, for ever and ever. 

Amen.

St. Martin of Tours, Pray for us!

The Feasts of All Hallows Eve, All Saints' and All Souls'

This past weekend was a whirlwind of Autumn activities, family fun and making memories! All Hallows Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day were amazing for my family and we had a blast celebrating! To start all the fun we celebrated Halloween! As I stated before, you cannot have All Saints' without Halloween and vise versa. Check out Seven Ways to Have a Very Catholic Halloween if you don't believe me.

Halloween:

As everyone knows, this past Halloween was on a Monday so the school decided to host a Halloween Parade where all the children dressed as Super Heroes! If you follow me on Instagram, you are already aware that I barely made it to the Parade. I was scheduled to work and assumed I wouldn't make it at all but God blessed me with a quick and easy shift so I hurried over and made it just in time to join Little Man in his classroom. Little Man was Batman... well sort of. He wore a Batman hoodie because he is starting to think he is too cool to join in certain activities. I told him to enjoy being a kid because childhood goes by way too fast. He still seemed to have a great time!

My smart husband had remembered to request Halloween off (obviously I did not) and he was with Goalie walking through the parade. Goalie was so excited to show off his daddy and trick-or-treat throughout the entire school. Goalie decided to be Captain America. I absolutely LOVE that the costume has padded muscles because he is always talking about how big his muscles will be when he grows up. He wants to be just like his daddy who works out everyday.

After the parade, we headed home together and got changed into our first ever family costume! We decided to do a Star Wars theme. Harry, my husband, was Darth Vader. I was a Storm Trooper. Little Man was a Flame Trooper and Goalie was Captain Rex. I will be the first to admit that I have no clue what the difference between the storm trooper and flame trooper are and I also don't know if Captain Rex is on the Light or Dark side but we all had a good time and were asked several times to take pictures with people. You can also see our "melting" jack o' lanterns in the background.

As the Star Wars family we conquered the Haunted House in Old Colorado City (kid friendly of course) and did a little trick-or-treating as well. I was told some of our family photos would be posted by a few businesses on Facebook but I haven't had a chance to look for them yet.

I was so grateful a friend had invited us to do trick-or-treating as well because we have not been in the area for this season and had no clue what to expect. The kids walked away with two huge bags full of candy! I asked the boys to keep in mind as many people as they could so they could say a special prayer for the nice people that handed out candy... especially the ones that seemed to be home alone. We ended the evening as a family and the boys passed out. Me and the hubby enjoyed a glass of Spellbound Merlot and watched Gremlins.

All Saints' Day:

All Saints' Day is the real party. The kids had school so we had to wait until the evening to celebrate but we still had a great time. Which Saints did your children choose to dress up as this year? Little Man was Saint Dominic for the fourth year in a row and Goalie decided last second he didn't want to wear a costume. I felt sad but he has sensory issues so I didn't want to push the subject... he was Saint Michael the Archangel last year but had requested to be Saint Joseph. Maybe sometime before the end of the month I'll get a cute picture of him as Saint Joseph.

Also is it wrong that as an adult I really want to dress up for All Saints' Day too?! Are there families that do that? I need to know!

Do you have All Saints' Day traditions? We do! We decorate the house with saint medals, medallions and prayer cards. We also make a special dinner based on different Saints we love and cherish. Since Goalie wanted to be Saint Joseph and couldn't wear his costume, we decided on Spaghetti Squash Marinara and Turkey Meatballs. Italians have a great devotion to Saint Joseph and it is also customary to wear red on his feast day. Spaghetti Squash as a substitute for pasta made it a bit healthier and the baked turkey meatballs were a perfect companion to this Italian meal. 

All Souls' Day:

All Souls' Day is the day we use to remember ones we have lost. I had a great idea to do a more elaborate "Day of the Dead" book for our home altar. It was a bigger undertaking than I originally anticipated. I wanted to create a book that includes at least one photo, the dates of birth and passing and a brief history or story. I will continue to work on this and I will share the final product. 

In addition to the craft and extra prayers for our family, we made Soul Food for dinner. As you can imagine... dinner was demolished in a matter of seconds and I was unable to take a picture of it. We enjoyed some Baked Chicken, fresh garlic mashed potatoes and corn. Lots of comfort food and we all ate until we were ready for bed. 

I am Mexican decent and El Día de los Muertos is a great big celebration there. I am hoping to make All Souls' Day a more elaborate celebration with Soul Cakes, Day of the Dead Bread and Sugar Skulls. What do you do to celebrate these amazing days with your families? traditions? recipes? I can't wait to hear all about it!

God Bless!

Boys Scouts: Centennial Family Campout

This year my family made the jump into Scouting. Little Man is a Cub Scout, a Webelow to be exact, and Goalie is a Lion Scout, which is a new program that is being piloted this year for Kindergarten aged boys. This new adventure has already made my kids so happy and I am so glad we decided to give the Boy Scouts a try. The first BIG event we participated in was the Centennial Family Campout.

When we first arrived to the Campout location, all the troops present participated in an absolutely beautiful Flag Presentation complete with horse calvary. Both of the boys stood and watched the Presentation with such reverence and stood with a Scout Salute during the Pledge of Allegiance. I can tell you that seeing that I am raising my children with a love of God and Country has become one of those things that can bring this mommy to tears.

I love that the Scouts offer uniforms for the children that participate in their programs. I was raised in a military family and learning to have respect for the meaning behind a uniform is something that has ben instilled in me and I hope that I pass that along to my children. I am absolutely IN LOVE with the morals that the Scouts teach to the children.

The Boy Scout Oath is as follows:

On my honor, I will do my best 

To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; 

To help other people at all times; 

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

To start off the day we made our very own paracord bracelets! The boys actually have several of these because they like the look and they are aware that in emergencies that the cords can be used to help you survive.

In addition to learning important things when you are out in the wilderness, the Boy Scouts brought the wilderness with them to show the kids and teach them about animals and their habitats!

Two big events that happen when you are a Scouting family is the Soap Box Derby and the Pine Wood Derby. Both events involve creating a vehicle to compete with in a race. Well, at the Centennial Campout we were able to make potato cars! We made cars from potatoes and raced them down a ramp. I think the boys learned that peeling potatoes takes a lot of work!

Have you ever attended a Lowe's event called Build & Grow? I think all kids' should have the chance to build something with their hands and this program is a great way to do it! There was a Build & Grow station inside one of the vendor buildings and the boys had such a great time building their very own boats! What made it so much more fun was that they had to rely on the instructions because there were so many people attempting to complete these boats that the attendants were very busy! The boys had so much pride in their hard work and it really was heart warming to see them work together to complete their boats.

As an adult, I have NEVER seen rope be made. I was able to experience that for the first time and watch my boys make it! Their favorite part was playing tug-of-war after all the hard work of creating the rope was completed.

In addition to the crafts, vendors and displays, there were several survival areas that allowed the children to learn survival skills. One such skill was how to light a fire. Unfortunately, the boys only created sparks and never actually got a fire going but they are so ready to give it another try. They have been begging to go out and start a fire so we can roast marshmallows for s'mores and cook some hotdogs. 

Archery was a tough task to master but both boys were super excited to give it a try for the first time. Neither got a bullseye but they have been asking when they can have another chance to practice.

To end our time at the Centennial Celebration we had to end on a high note. What's better than BB guns to children? Nothing! My boys were crawling out of their skin while waiting in line to tryout the BB guns. They had a briefing on "Range Safety". I loved that they even had the boys request permission to enter and leave the range. 

I do not think we could have had a better experience out at the Boys Scout Centennial Family Campout and i can guarantee you that we will be participating in the Boys Scouts upcoming events. I have never had any contact with the Boy Scouts prior to my children wanting to be involved but I think that these group of men and boys will really be a great influence on my boys and teach them lifelong skills. If you have been thinking about finding something to have fun with the entire family, Scouting is the way to go!

Autumn Hometown Hunt: Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

Our family has thoroughly enjoyed the variety of family fun activities that are available to us in this amazing place we call home. It just wouldn't be Autumn without a trip to a Pumpkin Patch! Living in a state that has many farms, there were a lot of locations to chose from. Originally, when I created the Colorado Autumn Bucket List we thought Anderson's Farms would be a great location but I did not look to see how far of a drive it was at first. We picked a farm that was not necessarily closer but allowed us to avoid tons of traffic. Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze did not disappoint!

Once we arrived, we had to take your typical family picture together. I sometimes forget how hard it is to get a good picture of us all together, smiling and looking at the camera at the same time! I really like how cute this picture turned out. 

I don't know if you can really see that we are all wearing matching shirts but we are! I am "that mom" and I love dressing my family alike and having my boys were similar and/or matching outfits during special events. I honestly don't know why seeing us dressed accordingly brings me so much joy but it truly does and thank goodness my boys have accepted it and don't put up to much of a fight when I set out the outfits.

I LOVED that Diana's Pumpkin patch offered this adorable photo opportunity with their "How Tall this Fall" sign. It is crazy to me that these two boys were once so little they were inside my belly! Look at them! Both over 4 feet tall! I think the backdrop of the corn stalks made this even better because you can see how tall those amazing things get too.

We are Florida natives and we are accustomed to playing in the white sand beaches often. This wondrous corn bin was more exciting than any sand pit my boys have ever played in before. Little Man and Goalie both took turns burying each other and making corn angels as Goalie called it.  

My husband is a big kid at heart and thought that the corn bin looked like too much fun for him to not join in! He took his boots off and jumped into the corn bin and the boys instantly started to bury him. I am so glad that everyone enjoyed themselves. Plus the nice shade from the covering was a welcomed break from the sun. 

When we decided to purchase a few drinks to calm every one's thirst I noticed a sign for Boy Scout patches. We just recently joined the Boy Scouts as a family this past year and we have had a blast so far! I couldn't pass up the chance to but these for my boys. It took us about an hour to complete the corn maze This small patch will be something that will remind my boys of the awesome time we had together as a family and make them just a little bit more proud to be a Scout!

Here's a few more pictures of our experience on the farm at Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze:

Rubber Duckie Race

My Little Pumpkin Patch! 

One of the best things about Diana's Pumpkin Patch is that the price of admission includes all the great activities AND a pumpkin! We walked through the Corn Maze, took a Hay Ride, played in the corn bin and tried out the other play areas throughout the farm. 

Here are our perfect pumpkins! My boys watched The Great Pumpkin for the first time and that is all the boy's spoke about while we were searching through the patch for our pumpkins. You have to have the perfect pumpkin to carve a great Jack O' Lantern. 

This last picture is what I live for! My sweet boys had such a blast at the pumpkin patch and devoured their caramel apples so fast that they just passed out in the Jeep! Remember your children won't stay small forever so give them an extra hug and kiss while you can. I know mine are getting tons! I hope that you and your family are enjoying Autumn and making memories. If you are in Colorado, I highly suggest taking the drive to Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze!

God Bless!