California Mission Trail

"Always to go forward, never to go back" - Blessed Junipero Serrra

For a few years now, Christine and I have had a dream to bicycle along the California Mission Trail; retracing the steps of Blessed Junipero Serra, a Spanish, Franciscan friar who helped found and build 21 faith-filled communities along the Western coast in the 18th century. 2013 is the 300th Anniversary of the birth of this courageous missionary, appropriately coinciding with this Year of Faith.

This past Monday morning, while I was routinely online job searching I remembered this dream and decided to do some researching about the California Mission Trail, and I believe that God willing, we can make this dream a reality.

I hope during April of 2013 to make a pilgrimage along the California Mission Trail via bicycle visiting the 21 mission churches along the Western coast. I am blessed to consider myself "free" during the month of April because I do not start my summer position until the beginning of May. I have experience planning trip logistics, a love for Catholicism and the Franciscan spirituality and have a zeal for adventure.

And I could use your assistance. Would you participate on this pilgrimage with me? You can participate either through PRAYER, PAYMENT or PHYSICAL PARTICIPATION.

Here are the deets:
1. Starting in San Diego, CA we will travel north on bicycle taking hiking/biking trails closely following the old El Camino Real route that its founders traveled. The approximately 800 mile route will end at the last mission in Sonoma, CA.
2. Depending on the availability and physical ambition of the group members this trek could take 3-4 weeks to complete.
3. I am in the process of conversing with several people who have through-hiked this ancient trail and am currently planning the exact route that we would travel.
4. We will try and reach a new mission church every day. With this in mind, we will be living out of our packs and bicycles. We will be either setting up camp on each of the mission church's land (I am starting to call each of the churches to see what our possibilities are) or camping at a nearby camping ground.
5. My hope is that we would be biking consistently 4-5 hours each day, leaving time to visit Jesus in the sacrament of the eucharist, purchase necessities, set up camp and learn about each of the mission churches and their history.
6. The cost of this trek depends on many factors: your form of travel to and from California, the amount of food you like to eat and the gear that you currently own. You will need transportation to San Diego and from Santa Rosa, a dependable bicycle, a helmet and camping gear.
7. I have been speaking with several people who have seemed interested in physically participating, but in order for this endeavor to take off, I need at least TWO COMMITTED INDIVIDUALS. If you are at all interested in participating on this pilgrimage: please contact me as soon as possible!

If you are interested in participating in this pilgrimage through prayer, please pray through the intercession of Blessed Junipero Serra. Your prayers are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. May Christ's peace be with you.

If you are interested in participating in this pilgrimage through payment, that would also be appreciated. My goal is to be frugal with traveling and I will be purchasing minimally, but if you feel called to donate please contact me.

Blessed Junipero Serra always moved forward to spread the Gospel. Let us also move forward, never to go back: to grow in wisdom, faith and delight in Him.

For more information and brainstorming please email me at teresaboever@gmail.com

Blessed Junipero Serra: Ora Pro Nobis!

“God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next... I have a part in a great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons..." - Blessed John Henry Newman

Touch the Top of the World

Winter storm Rocky has been a heavy hitter today here in Thornton, Colorado. Which is a great thing, especially when I have been meaning to finish the book that I have been reading for the past week. The book is authored by a man whom I had the absolute pleasure to listen to last fall in Lander, Wyoming as he told his his inspirational life story.

"Despite losing his vision at the age of 13, Erik Weihenmayer has become one of the most celebrated and accomplished adventurers in the world. Re-defining what it means to be blind, Erik has opened up the eyes and minds of people around the world. In 2001, Erik became the only blind climber in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 2008, he completed his quest to climb the Seven Summits – the tallest peak on each of the seven continents. Since then, he continues to inspire others through actions and deeds." (http://www.touchthetop.com/About-Erik.aspx)

When he spoke in Lander, he relayed that there are three types of people in this world: the quitters,campers and climbers. When we face adversity we have one of three choices, to quit our endeavor and give up on the goal; to camp and stay stagnant or to move forward through the challenge and journey onward. Through his book he exemplifies what it is like to be a climber, both theoretically and physically.

His book is entitled: "Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Father Than The Eye Can See". Being an outdoor enthusiast myself, I was attracted to his story, but having such a immense impairment and thriving with it, made reading his book an inspiring adventure.

Of the many things that I enjoyed about reading this book, I think his humor was the most heart-warming and inspirational. He never lagged in wit and his fellow climbers certainly kept up with wit and humor, even when faced with difficult challenges and decision-making. To illustrate: while attempting to climb Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America, the winds were too strong to attempt summiting for several days. Throughout these days the team maintained patience and cultivated their humor. One of his buddies, "Chris, was famous for practicing an attitude he called  'positive pessimism'. 'It sure is cold, but at least its windy.'". . . to which Eric responded "It sure is dusty, but at least there are rocks in our food."

This realistic and funny way of phrasing things makes me smile and realize that it wasn't sarcasm that they were using. They really did love these things, their team (and Eric is especially evidence of this), loved challenge and veiwed things not as a quitter or camper would, but as true climbers.

Please check out his site to learn more about Erik Weihenmayer and his inspirational journey. www.touchthetop.com

Flowered

The other day I posted a picture of the hat I recently crocheted. I want to post a picture of the hat with a felt flower I had sewn onto the hat today. Please let me know if you like it better with or without flower.

Pinterest Crafting

Hi my name is Elyahu Weatherford and I discovered Pinterest last winter, during one of those chill-you-to-the-bone evenings when all you can reasonablly do is to stay indoors, drink tea and put more clothes on. So I did; and last evening, I did exactly the same thing + crafting.

I pin happily and am ever energized with the recipes, crafts and resourceful ideas that people share on Pinterest. It's grand. I have mostly cooked and baked recipes which were then shared and devoured  within a couple days. But last evening, I upcycled!

The Rug; happily crafted from the (old) shirts off my back.

 

As I was cutting and weaving through my elderly t-shirts I remembered all the good times that I had in them: summer camp, wilderness first responder training, trading Chicago and Nebraska t-shirts with my best friend and roomie in college. . . it was great; and I was on a roll. As the sun set I sat there weaving, feeling like Penelope weaving her magestic tapestry. . . I must have sat there for a good two hours in the dark wooping and warfing with my t-shirts and imagination. I finally got up and took the hoop to the light. What looked crafty and fun in the darkness looked like a sloppy second graders craft of woe. Don't get me wrong. I think the rug would have turned out the same even if I'd been under the Tuscan sun in July. I had a hoot putting it together and it will look great hanging on a wall, as a decorative rug in a bathroom or as a very large pot-holder on a kitchen table. If you have around 5-10 old t-shirts and want to get crafty and up-cycled this is a fun way to pass a chill-you-to-the-bone evening. Here's the link with directions: http://spoonful.com/crafts/hula-hoop-rug 

Cutting up the t-shirts left me with this pithy saying from one of my "Life is Good" t-shirts that I made into a bracelet! :)

 

 

Crochet; latest addiction

In the last couple of months I have gone from being a normal 24 year old to a domestic dork.

To name a few things, I sewed reusable lunch bags for my husband, crocheted various baby hats, and today I have officially made a droopy crocheted hat!

  Now I would like to brag that I have taught myself these domestic skills, but that is not quite the case for youtube's various members have been my guides on all my endeavors.

   Here I would like to give a shout out to Emmy! She happens to tell you on each video who she is and most of her videos start, "Hello everyone this is Emmy." My husband has become quite acquainted with her voice and likes to rhetorically respond with, " Hello Emmy this is Mark".

   But aside from all humor, I would highly suggest everyone checks her videos out. I am not an affilate in any which way of hers but a big fan! The video I used to make this hat is:

This is a very quick and easy project, but if you have never seen or picked up a crochet needle I highly suggest you watch her videos on how to crochet first.

My hat which I finished in a few hours looks like this:

Let me know if you think I should add the flower like she did. 

Thanks for reading! 

Verbs

Verbs: actions we think rock!

Nouns

Nouns: People, Places, or things that we think rock!