Church shopping

Franciscan Renewal Center / Casa Church

With a tagline like this, I am intrigued!!

Faith in Action Ministry - About Us

Faith In Action Ministry is a response to the gospel call to

 build the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

Rooted in scripture and supported by Catholic social teaching,

 we reach out in compassion to love, 

heal, liberate and bless the world. At the Franciscan Renewal Center, 

we seek to embody Francis and 

Clare's connection with the poor and

vulnerable in our own life and actions.

The following is a list of social action projects that the

 Faith in Action ministry is involved in:

Outreach to the Franciscan Missions

Apache Fair Trade Crafts

Valley Interfaith Project

Season for Nonviolence

Casa Advocacy Network

Andre House

Pax Christi

Gospel In Action

Liturgy and Justice Study Group

Educational Programs and Retreats

Duet/Partners in Nursing

Casa Grounds for Solidarity

Various Collections responding to community needs

Other seasonal projects (i.e. back-to-school)

And then there's this great portion:

Catholics Can Come Home

If you feel alienated, have been hurt by the Church or are drifting away, let's talk.

Fall program info

Statement of Purpose

Contact by email

I think I will start with this church on Sunday and then go to St. Francis Xavier Jesuit Church in 

downtown Phoenix the following Sunday. . . thank goodness I sat by the President of Creighton 

University on my flight the

other day-- he mentioned these briefly. Grace working? We will see :) 

Fitness with Spice: Mini Egg Frittatas

Fitness with Spice: Mini Egg Frittatas

Ok I did a bit of a spin off of these- but it was great having a muffin pan full of these to grab in the AM.

A good neighbor, A good friend

Korey and I were saddened to hear Friday that after a long fight with terminal cancer, our neighbor Bill passed away 2:30AM Friday. His wife Jacki shared with me Sat. that he was surrounded by over 25 friends. I first met Bill when I moved to AZ after Boston. He knocked on the door and I was groggy and in my PJs (it was still the days when unemployment was blissful). He introduced himself and said, "Hey, I got some extra scorpion spray- would you like me to spray the rest of it on your place?" I laughed and said YES ASAP!!:) Since then it was a relationship built by quick exchanges over the fence or getting out of the car. He was always quick with a joke and loved to give Korey a hard time. Korey has been Bill and Jacki's neighbor for 10 years and they were close. In fact, it was Bill's leaky plumbing that brought Korey and I together. His pipe busted and flooded Korey's driveway, causing Paul to help Korey with the repair and then invite Korey back to the house for dinner (and I was at Kate and Paul's house for Spring Break). Bill helped me with gardening tips and planting my first cactus. For the past couple of months, when it got really bad, Korey and I helped take the trash out and water their plants. We will continue to do so for Jacki. This weekend she had a drum circle in his honor and used sage to bless the house. Everyday Bill made sure to smile and stay positive. It was inspiring. There will be a void in our lives and in the neighborhood that is truly irreplaceable.

 Geist, Bill
Bill Geist, 60, died peacefully on April 12, 2012 at his home in Tempe, Arizona with family and friends by his side. He left behind his loving wife and partner, Jacki Jones and his loving daughter, Kate Stevens. His immediate family living in Kansas includes his mother, Phyllis Rowland; and siblings: Gina Ramsey, Shane Geist, and Susan Arnold. He now joins his sister Robin Geist-Wick and his father, Gene Geist. Bill was born on January 7th, 1952 in Scott City, Kansas. He graduated from Scott Community High School and went on to be an avid Wildcats fan, as a Bachelor of Sociology graduate from Kansas State University (1975). He moved to Arizona after graduation and did numerous jobs in social services working with troubled children, most notably at Big Brothers of Arizona. He also found a calling as a recruiter, where he was recognized with dozens of awards. Bill found joy in this occupation as he could find amazing people to work in the healthcare and automotive industries, in hopes that it would lead to earth-friendly and humanitarian benefits. We cannot talk about Bill without mentioning his devotion to recovery and his support network. His life truly began when he found recovery. Bill always had a hug for the newcomer, words for those who were in need, a listening ear, and a welcoming spirit. He held several service positions over his 18 years of clean time and was a source of strength and hope to many. When he was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, he continued serving by volunteering for cancer treatments at both early and late stages of research. The service will be on Saturday, April 21st, at 1 - 5 p.m., at Phoenix First Congregational United Church, 1407 N. 2nd St., Phoenix, AZ 85004. In lieu of flowers: practice the seventh tradition, send a newcomer to ARCNA, donate to a charity benefiting children, or contribute to the charity of your choice . Bill would want to remind you that "Live is Good."

yoga- round 2!

tonight i had my second yoga class and the good spirits/bloodflow must have me really going because its 11 and i am not tired at all. . . uh oh. I did the Groupon for an org called Metta Yoga. They have all sorts of class offerings, and so I figured I would ease into it. But tonight's "candle evening yoga" was actually titled "power yoga" which i saw on the calendar when i arrived at the studio. Ooops! But, it was a GORGEOUS location, 6 blocks from work and the perfect escape. My body is happily healing since November... the spinal twists tonight were pure bliss!

Some of the classes are at The Phoenician resort. Hadn't been there to explore, but now I plan on walking the resort grounds/golf course after work or over lunches. They have a Center for Wellbeing where class was held.
Check out the org Metta Yoga and let me know about your yoga experiences. If you want to join me- please do!!!  Fly to AZ!!

http://newmettayoga.com/

Omaha Showers!!

Last weekend I had the good fortune to return home to celebrate the double wedding shower mom and her sisters were throwing for cousin Maddy and cousin Steve's fiancee Kate. It was the perfect day. Some ideas were mine- but I left mom to do it all b/c I took the job in AZ! Luckily I arrived just in time to fold napkins. Easy!

table 1

a "monogram" theme

Cutest bridesmaid and sister of the bride Maddy 

just the beginning of the many presents to pike up

letter shadowboxes- moss letters with fabric backdrop

Guests were greeted with Champagne poured on top of a splash of pear nectar. Yum!

The girls!!! Enjoying their pear juice :)

Aunt Kathy (Steve's mom) and one of her best friends

Julia - maddys sis with Kate- the bride to be 

Mom and daughter

practice for the wedding!

Easter Baskets

One of the Easter traditions we used to enjoy every Easter were Aunt Beth's rice krispie nests with jellybean eggs :) I decided this was the year I try my hand at making them. They were delicate lil' guys! I wanted to make some for family friends in Scottsdale and our neighbors as a thank you gift. Korey and I met the neighbors through yard work and they invited us to dinner a couple weeks ago- it was awesome! They are very neat people. Anywho- I bought these adorable green plastic baskets and wrapped them in cellophane that had prints of little chicks all over. Then tied them up with a big bow. I dropped it off at the friend's house and later got a voicemail saying her boys exclaimed when they saw the gift "Mom- the Easter bunny LOVES me!" How adorable is that? Made all the nest building worth it!

Oh yes, and made individual ones for my bosses grand-daughters

Caine's Arcade- Amazing :)

I smell progress!!

And paint fumes!! :-) This weekend I took these chairs, 2 from the table we had last summer and 2 from the Goodwill. The backyard is coming together but I wasn't sure which direction to go with the chair colors. Korey mentioned bringing in purple b/c its on the wall. . . but I stuck with my gut feeling and went with navy blue (main color in the tile table) and then some mismatch chairs- green & yellow. It was also my first time trying to recover a seat cushion! Totally easy. 

a before shot

Bringing this table back to life (Korey worked hard to make it sturdy after we realized it was breaking down the middle- eeks!)

Front yard 

2.5 tons of rocks... to add to last weekend's 1.5tons- Way to go Korey!

Rocks in front of master bedroom-- that wall will one day proudly hold the succulent living wall i am going to attempt.  thats what those little plants are doing back there. 

Korey's amazing garden divider. See those new rocks under the trees?!! That is going to be the agave/aloe/Kaffir Lily corner. 

So many rocks-- but so great- no cat poop :)

Trailing top cover- two types of succulent sod that is drought-resistant and will last years--if we can keep it alive in its transition period!