Moments that I Cherish...

To often we end up taking for granted what we used to hold so dear. To often, we allow the day-to-day to overwhelm us. To often, we forget what is truly important. This weekend, I realized that it was time to re-evaluate what was truly important in my life. The moments and the people that I cherish so deeply.

To my Timothy,
Your endless immeasurable love for me has taken our relationship to new and exciting heights. I feel so blessed to have someone so special and true to spend my life with. Every moment that we are apart - I spend anticipating seeing you again. You are my best friend is every sense of the word. You are all goodness and hope, you are everything I want to be and more. You make my life more complete and I feel fullfilled knowing that no matter what - I have accomplished the one thing people strive to accomplish their whole lives... being truly, deeply and madly in love --- with someone who actually loves me back just as much. There are no words to really define our love and our friendship, and a lifetime wouldn't be enough to be able to tell you how much I love you, so I must show you as best that I can with the time that we do have.

I know that our love was not dumb-founded luck, or even something we forced, it happened because it was meant to happen. You saved me from so many things, and together we share with each other the one greatest thing that most people fail to see, Our relationship between us and God. I believe he sent us to each other for many reasons, and how fortunate are we that hand-in-hand we carry each other through hardships towards our main goal - reaching Heaven.

May God continue to bless us and all those we care about now and forever,
With all my love,
Steph

From my Sidekick...

Hey everyone, I'm writing this from my sidekick so I hope this works. Just wanted to drop a line 2 c how everyones doing. I worked both jobs yesterday and went to bed at like 4:00 a.m. I have no idea why I'm up right now. Its 9:59a.m. Guess eventually you just get used 2 the messed up hours. Anywho, my cousin christina from texas came to visit last weekend, and she must have brought the warm weather because the day she left it started to snow. I had a lot of fun with her, and I wish she could've stayed longer. That's the problem with vacations, they never last long enough. CHRISTINA-DONT FORGET TO GET MY MOM A JOB AT THE GOLF COURSE. ;-) ha ha (a little inside humor.)

I hope everyone's doing well down there. I really need 2 take a vacation down soon after the new year. Then I'll have vacation time. I'm all out now though. Tims never been to Texas, so I really want to bring him. Oh, christina took a lot of pictures when she was here 2 so I'll post em up when I get em.

Other than that nothing new here. Its freezing outside and it makes me wanna cuddle up with tim and sleep all day. So with that, I'm going back 2 bed. All my love.... GB everyone. Steph

Minneapolis' Finest - Oh and the police.. :-)

Minneapolis' Finest - Oh and the police.. :-)
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

I really love this picture. Leave it to me to demand a picture with the cops in the middle of all of Minneapolis' night life. It ended up being really cute. (And no - we weren't drunk, just bored maybe!)

Stephanie - Summer 2005

Stephanie - Summer 2005
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Me again!

Stephanie & Janell

Stephanie & Janell
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Definitely not a good pose for me, but we were having a blast, as you can tell. And a moment is a moment whether you look cute or not! :-)

Stephanie - Summer 2005

Stephanie - Summer 2005
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Again, this one looks like a totally different person. But I think it's cute. My favorite part of my outfit is my toes, they are painted in a french manicure, if you click on the picture you can see more close.

Tim says all feet are ugly, true... but at least mine aren't that bad. - for feet. ha ha

Janell - Summer 2005

Janell
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Janell looks so cute here to (like always!) I love her shoes and the necklace was perfect for this outfit. This picture really makes me want to get my butt back into the gym too!

Stephanie - Summer 2005

Stephanie - Summer 2005
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Okay, It's funny - everybody tells me I always look so different, guess the proof is in the pictures... this one doesn't even look like me.

Janell - Summer 2005

Janell
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Here's a cute pic of my girl Janell. Isn't she cute! I love that outfit.

Belinda

Belinda
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Here's a sweet picture of my cousin Belinda, her daughter Lauryn (left) and my cousin Rachel's daughter (Belinda's Neices daughter) Madison on the right. Aren't they adorable!

Ouch!

So I guess I have some good stuff to talk about and some bad stuff to talk about.
Good - My boyfriend Tim surprised me with a gift certificate to get my teeth professionally whitened! I was so excited, and the procedure was pretty quick, and the results were amazing! I love my new whitened teeth, they look really good - now I'm smiling even more!

Bad - I got a root canal as well two days ago. My jaw is still in pain from it, and the temporary they put into my tooth is sooo annoying. It feels like a piece of gum was rammed in there, I can't wait to get the crown put on.
(Is that TMI?)

Bad - My insurance only covers 50% for crowns so it's going to cost a lot to get done.

Good - My cousin Christina from Texas will be here this evening! She is visiting, and I am sooo excited! I haven't seen her in a really long time.

Bad - Still miss my puppy Jeddie. Went over to my moms the other day and she gave me Jeddie's collar. I miss her a lot and it was weird going over there and her not being there. My mom and dad left her water dish and food bowl where it always is though. Sad.

Good - Tim and I are going out to dinner tonight! Yeah! I love spending time with my honey. "He's fun!"

My Jeddie

On Thursday November 3rd, 2005 My Puppy, "Jo Jedda - a.k.a. Jeddie" was put to sleep in the arms of my Mother and Father. She was suffering from seizures and was in a lot of pain. She lived a very long life, about 15 years with us. In her lifetime she brought us so much joy and love and laughter. She pranced around like a little Queen, and was always willing to give kisses. She was a cuddle buddy at night and an alarm clock in the morning. She was my little snowball and I miss her very much. I will forever cherish the wonderful times I had with her for the rest of my life.

I miss you Jeddie.

Love Stephanie

IMAGINE

Imagine with me for a moment,
That we stood at the gates - you and I,
And our hearts started beating within us,
As those gates suddenly swung open wide.

Can you feel the excitement around us?
Do you see all the things that I see?
All the saints on their feet and they're cheering,
With a welcome for you and for me.

See the tables, they're set for a banquet,
With the finest of linen and gold,
In the air there's a sense of rejoicing,
And this feeling will never grow old.

Is that Paul who is coming to greet us,
Saying, "Beloved, you've finished the race!
You have fought the good fight and been faithful,
Now come rest in His Love and His Grace."

Have you noticed the beautiful music,
And the Angels all gathered around?
Have you noticed that on all these faces,
There isn't a tear to be found?

Do you feel what I feel at this moment?
All my fears have begun to subside,
And there's nothing that can be remotely compared...
To the peace that I'm feeling inside.

Wherever I look there is beauty,
And all of the Saints know my name,
And because all my Sins are forgiven,
I can face them without any shame.

And then suddenly... a hush falls upon them,
And they slowly start moving aside.
Do you see what I see in the distance?
Moving toward us, a beautiful light!

I watch as the light moves in closer,
Now my joy I can hardly contain.
It is JESUS! He is walking right to me,
And He is calling to me by my name!

As His eyes look directly at mine,
With His arms He is motioning "come,"
But I fall to my knees and I tremble,
For my body is suddenly numb.

So He smiles and then gently He lifts me,
And He holds me up close to His heart,
Now my mind looks for something to tell Him,
But my heart doesn't know where to start.

And before I can utter one word,
I hear His voice speaking into my ear,
He says, "I've waited so long for this moment,
Now my child you are finally here!"

So I struggle to say, "Jesus Thank-You."
"It is only because of you that I'm here."
But again, in His arms as he holds me,
I feel the warmth of his voice by my ear.

He says, "Daughter, I knew you would make it,
That is why I've prepared you a place."
As I stand to my feet and I face Him,
He is gently caressing my face.

There are no words to express what I'm feeling,
And there's nothing worth giving this up,
Yet, I can sum it all up in a moment,
With a word that we both know as "LOVE"

-Don't just imagine... do what you must to get there.
Jesus will be there, I want to be there, how about YOU?

Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles, but it does ruin today's happiness.

Saint Bernadette...

Today I read all about the story of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette... here are some beautiful prayers I found after reading the stories. I thought I'd share them with you all.


Novena Prayer

Ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comfort of the afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Deign to cast upon me a look of mercy.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, from which you dispense your favors; and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and coporal. I come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession.

Obtain, O loving Mother, the granting of my requests. Through gratitude for your favors, I will endeavor to imitate your virtues that I may one day share your glory.

Through your loving compassion shown to thousands of pilgrims who come to your shrine at Lourdes, and through your special love for your devoted client Bernadette, I ask for this grace if it be the Will of God: (mention your request)

Our Lady of Lourdes, aid me through your prayer with your Divine Son, to be a true child of yours, as Bernadette was, and to grow daily into your likeness.



Prayer to Saint Bernadette

Saint Bernadette, little sheperdess of Lourdes, favored with eighteen apparitions of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and with the privilege of lovingly conversing with her, now that you are eternally enjoying the entrancing beauty of the Immaculate Mother of God, do not forsake me, your devoted client, who am still in this valley of tears. Intercede for me that I, too, may walk the simple path of faith. Help me to imitate your example, at our heavenly Queen's request, by saying the Rosary daily and by doing penance for sinners.

Teach me to imitate your wonderful devotedness to God and our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, so that, like you, I may be blessed with the grace of lasting faithfulness and enjoy the happiness in Heaven of the eternal vision of God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God of infinate mercy, we celebrate the feast of Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, the sinless Mother of God. May her prayers help us to rise above our human weakness. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

NEW ORLEANS PASTOR HOLDS WEDDING RING DONATED TO HURRICANE VICTIMS

NEW ORLEANS PASTOR HOLDS WEDDING RING DONATED TO HURRICANE VICTIMS
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Msgr. Douglas Doussan, pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Church in New Orleans, holds up a wedding ring that was left in a donor envelope at St. Lawrence of Brindisi Church in the Watts section of Los Angeles. A woman who said she had no money to offer left the gold ring saying it was for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, read article below to hear this heartfelt story...

With all my heart....

10/28/2005 (www.catholic.org)

-WEDDING RING ANONYMOUS GIFT 'WITH ALL OF MY HEART' FOR KATRINA VICTIMS-
(By: Peter Finney Jr.)

Baton Rouge, La. -- The second collection taken up at St. Lawrence of Brindisi Church in the Watts section of Los Angeles, earmarked for Hurricane Katrina victims, was not much different from the thousands of other collections at Catholic churches across the country.

St. Lawrence is an inner-city church of 3,000 families, about 80% Hispanic and 20% African-American. They are people of "very modest means," said Capuchin Franciscan Father Peter Banks, St. Lawrence pastor.

The normal parish collection is about $6,000, but on this weeekend, the second collection amounted to $7,000 -- plus one stunning gift left by an anonymous donor: a woman's wedding ring that eventually was sent by Father Banks to a New Orleans church that was hit by floodwater 8 feet deep after Katrina.

When the money-counting team came to Father Banks on the Monday following the weekend Masses, they showed him a church donation envelope with a message printed in Spanish: "Para las victims del huracan, no traia dinero pero esto debe de tener algun valor. Es de todo corazon." ("For the victims of the hurricane. I did not bring any money. But this should be of some value. It is with all of my heart.")

When Father Banks opened the envelope, he saw a gold wedding ring with small notches on the outside.

"It touched my heart," Father Banks told the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the New Orleans Archdiocese. "My immediate reaction was, what incredible kindness and charity this woman had. This woman had nothing and she reached down on her hand and took off her ring... This was all she had, and she gave it with all her heart."

For several days, Father Banks carried the ring with him in his shirt pocket -- close to his heart -- to remind him of the woman's generosity. But he knew the ring had a story that had to be shared.

"I didn't want to part with it, but it was not mine -- it belonged to New Orleans," Father Banks said.

The following weekend the priest shared the astonishing story with his parishioners, many of whom have Louisiana relatives.

"I wanted people to know what happened," Father Banks said. "Watts has this bad image of violence, but Watts is full of goodness. There are saints living in our midst. Our parishioners do relate to tragedy and suffering."

Father Banks then began searching on the Internet for a Parish in the Archdiocese of New Orleans that might need direct help recovering from the devestating storm. He came across Msgr. Douglas Doussan's name and made contact with the pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Church in Pontchartrain Park. The church had been flooded by water 8 feet deep.

Msgr. Doussan, who also serves as the director of priest personnel for the archdiocese, said he was flabbergasted by the story.

"It's incredible that people are willing to make such a sacrafice to help those who are traumatized," he said. "She obviously was not giving out of her surplus but out of her want."

In setting up the donation to St. Gabriel, Father Banks also spoke with Yvonne Spicuzza, Msgr. Doussan's secretary in the priest personnel office. When Father Banks heard that Spicuzza lost her home in Arabi, the parish made a seperate donation to her.

Msgr. Doussan also received a $500 check from a Los Angeles man who read about the story of the ring in The Tidings, the Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The outreach by other faith communities continues to amaze Msgr. Doussan. On October 29th, a group of 40 parishioners of St. Jean Vianney Church in Baton Rouge was scheduled to remove the ruined contents of the church and school buildings at St. Gabriel.

The story of the Hispanic woman from Watts and her wedding ring will be fresh in everyone's mind.

"It is very humbling to realize I am living among the poorest of the poor, but they are the wealthiest in so many ways," Father Banks said.

Copyright 2005 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Who I Am Today

Tim and I went to church last night, and as I sat there and listened to Father Robert Altier tell us in his homily that God so desperately wanted us all to become Saints, my mind started to wander. I listened to and hung on every word that he said, undistracted, taking every word to heart. I began to think about the truth in what he was saying. He talked about how so many people are ashamed to live fully in the faith, or to voice their faith for fear of being rejected by others. He talked about how so many people are forever trying to fit in, and don't want to be looked at as religious outcasts.

That made me start to think about my own life, and the journey I've been on ever since I found my faith. I look at the life I used to live and the way I used to act, and I truly realize how far I've come. It used to bother me when family members or friends used to say stuff to me about going to church and changing my life around. But not anymore. I know what I did was lift myself out of sadness and emptiness. The going out all the time and getting drunk, and then having hangovers all day, and never getting enough sleep, and smoking cigarettes and all that stuff was merely self-destruction. I know that misery loves company, and sometimes people around you don't want to see you change because they begin to look at themselves and their own behavior, and some can't bear to change their own lives. But I did, and I am a better person because of it today.

I'm very grateful for two things in my life, God and Timothy. Yes, there are many other people I am very grateful for, but right now these are two very important people in my life and always will be. I am very fortunate to have found Tim. Nobody in my family or even my friends really know Tim like I know Tim. He is my best friend in every sense of the word. If a mother and father could conjure up the dream husband to come and sweep their daughter away to a life of endless love and happiness, Timothy would be the one they'd create. His heart is like no one elses, he takes everything he has in him and gives it all to me every single day, and then some. He watches over me with the loving protection comparable to a parent, and makes me feel like the most precious thing in this world. He listens and remembers things I say that I didn't even remember I said. He makes me laugh, he lets me cry and he is strong when I cannot be, and he is indefinetely everything I am not. But most of all, he brought God into my life without even knowing it and that is one gift that cannot be topped.

They taught me in my Catholicism classes that when you find your true partner in life, you should never have to worry about anything, because each of you are to only worry about each other. If that is true, then Tim must be it for me. (Not that I didn't already know that.) He's calm waters when mine are raging. He's the warmth of the sun, when It's cold and rainy. He's everything written in fairytales and everything seen in the best romance movies. He is everything, and everything to me.

I thank God for all the people in my life whether I talk to them or not. I thank him for the mistakes I've made, the changes I've made and for the woman I've become. It is the most comforting feeling knowing that I can take everything that comes my way and give it to God, with assurance that it was meant to be, and that he'll be with me to help me through. It's sad that family and friends have held it against me or said little comments here and there, all because I've chosen to live a better life for me and for my own happiness. What is so bad? Why is it so disturbing to some that I took all of the things I didn't like about my life and changed them? Why am I looked at as weird because I want to go to church on Sundays instead of sit home or do other things? Is it too much to ask to spend just an hour of my time to praise and talk to God? Not to me. To me it's not enough, but I do what I can.

Bottom line, as I look back at the road I took -- I am finally proud of myself. I'm no longer trying to please anyone else and I'm finally becoming more comfortable in my own skin. I've accomplished a lot. And I owe so many thanks to God and to Tim for all the support and love and protection. Life isn't about having the best of the best, or partying all the time, or drinking away your sadness or avoiding the truths you fail to see. It's about loving yourself, and embracing yourself and it's about being the best person you can be and growing in holiness. It's about taking time to love, forgive and thank others. It's about giving more than getting, and it's about making your path to Heaven and touching as many lives as you can on the way. I honestly don't know where I would've been without God and Tim. Tim brought a whole new meaning to my life and he lead me into the loving arms of Jesus who was always there, but I was too selfish and too blind to notice. We're all looking for reassurance, for comfort for a meaning to our lives. I've found my reassurance, I've got my comfort and I'm confident in God's plan for me. That makes waking up everyday that much more exciting, because I never know what God will lay out for me next.

But I do know that as long as I stay close to God, I'm always going to be okay.
And as I long as I have Tim's love and friendship, "nothin even matters at all."

Janell & Stephanie Out on the Town

Janell & Stephanie Out on the Town
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Here is a picture of Janell and I at Spin Nightclub in Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. That was a fun night!

Janell & Stephanie

Janell & Stephanie
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Here's another picture of Janell and I at the Wild Onion in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lookin Sexy!

Janell & Stephanie

Janell & Stephanie
Originally uploaded by StephyGem.

Here is a pic of Janell and I at the Wild Onion on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. That was a pretty laid back night. My good friends Gerardo and Dan both met us up there.