So much to do; such minimal internet access.

The past few days have kept us pretty busy, and we are thankful for all of the good times and hard work we have been able to do to keep us busy. Such busyness combined with a lack of available Internet in our home has limited our blog updating; however, we hope to provide some good reading for you and a satisfying update.

Let's go ahead and jump right in. Monday morning we woke up bright and early, ready to start the day praying it up. After reflecting on our lives in solitude and action, we got to breakfast and to work. One car group went over to the Senior Center, met some new friends, and spent the afternoon delivering meals and exploring Mount Horeb. The other three quarters of the group drove into Madison to St. James School and revamped two of the classrooms by giving them a new paint job.

After all of the hard work for the day, we were able to get back together for a quick dip in the pool at the Bishop O'Connor Center before we hit the showers and got ready for Mass. With only a couple minor detours, we all arrived safely in the bustling town of Paoli, WI. The St. William community was looking pretty proud of their newly cleaned Church, and Mass with Fr. Vernon was the highlight of the day. And, it was really great to have Greg Ihm around for Mass, too. We love our seminarians and Fr. Vernon's advice and tips on discerning vocations.

Monday evening came and passed with some discussion of the dignity of the human person, an intense scavenger hunt (and two mile sprint), stop at the local ice cream shop, a couple rounds of the sign game, and laughter long into the night.

We woke up even earlier on Tuesday ready for a journey back to Verona to see Fr. Vernon and celebrate Mass with the community of St. Andrew's. After Mass we were not only treated to a "second homily" further encouraging us to embrace the grace and accept the invitation to salvation, but also a delightful breakfast at McDonald's by Father! We were happy to have the time to enjoy each other's company and the sustenance to get us started for the day.

During the working hours of the day, the crew split into two. One group hung out around to deliver meals and eat with some folks at the Senior Center before heading off to a mobile food pantry. (Check out the coverage they got on the news last night: http://www.nbc15.com/news/headlines/50167382.html. Watch for Dave Carrano's face in the midst of the story.) The other group spent the afternoon using their extreme makeover skills on a local gentleman's backyard.

After gathering together competitions of all kinds continued on, including gnome searching, sliding at lightning speeds on the Mount Horeb pool's slide, nerf gun wars, and more than a few games of Cherry, Cherry. After taking a quick trip through the history of the Church's social teaching, we headed off to bed.

Once again, we are expecting the best today and are excited for what Jesus has in store for us. We hope to get one more post out to all of you before the end of the week - keep checking back in. Happy New Encyclical Week!