7 Quick Takes Friday #1

First time joining in and doing "7 Quick Takes."  Thank you Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting.

1. So we began this blog while we were engaged and he was away in Italy doing research for his dissertation. We thought a blog would be an interesting outlet for expressing various observations and opinions, and would give us a collaborative activity.

We intended to have a post once a week, and alternate posting. That way, we would each do a post every other week. That was a good intention, but, well, at least it was a good intention.

So, the main "scope" of the blog is to share our viewpoints of various things, and for the most part it is not really about us personally. I will use these quick takes to share some random tidbits about us.

2. I have two betta fish. Well, I guess I need to start someplace, and they are on my mind since I just changed the water in their tanks. Their names are Pontos and Nereus. I have had them for about a year and a half. They have been doing well for the most part. Pontos's fins have been shrinking lately for some reason, though. Taking pictures of them is fun, and using the flash makes them look as if they are glowing. Pretty cool.

Pontos

Nereus

  

3. We try to go on walks around our neighborhood regularly. We like hiking occasionally. Ok, I like hiking occasionally, as long as it's not too difficult. My husband would probably hike almost every day if he could. We are going hiking this Sunday with a few friends. I finally now have a proper pair of hiking shoes. I wore them on our walk today to get used to them.

4. Over the summer we will go on an annual week-long extended-family vacation with my husband's family. We will be staying in rented cottages near a lake. He actually missed it the last three years for various reasons, so he has been looking forward to it.

I have never done this before. To me, going on vacation involves at least a motel. Air conditioning mandatory. Continental breakfast appreciated. So I am nervous about staying in a cottage, especially without air conditioning. Other than that, I think it will be a fun time.

5. This summer we are going to learn to be catechists. We are going to take a catechist training course to be certified by our diocese. We are not yet sure if we will teach kids or adults. Our diocese is beginning to require that parishes do "whole family catechesis," which I think is a great idea. I am looking forward to helping others learn about our faith.

Something we would really like to do at some point is to teach engaged couples the "God's Plan for a Joy-filled Marriage" class. Our diocese requires that for engaged couples, along with the regular pre-cana class. It is based on John Paul II's Theology of the Body, which we are interested in studying more formally at some point.

6. I am going to be taking a graduate-level Church history course this fall. This is a course at the institution that I am a librarian at. I work part-time, and was not eligible for tuition remission until now. It's pretty cool. I hope to eventually pursue an MA in theology. For now, I'll just take courses here one at a time, since I can.

7. My husband is now (for all intents and purposes) ABD. This means he has finished coursework, passed the relevant exams, and has done "all but the dissertation" for his PhD.  Yay for him!