Most of you probably have heard about the #snowpacolypse (to use a Twitter-ism) that hit DC and apparently is coming back for more tomorrow. I know that I've bragged in the past about being from a place that can endure snow and it being no big thing for a couple feet of snow to fall. Well, this time, the snow has left me "Speechless" a la Lady Gaga (LOVE THAT SONG).

Once again, I faced the storm with friends. This time, I was the trap-ee (? I blame Twitter for my made up words) and was "stuck" with a few friends at someone else's house. It was kind of a planned isolation. We knew the storm was coming. But I don't think any of us were truly prepared for the amount of snow and the number of hours we were trapped together.

72+ hours, people!!

But I wouldn't have had it any other way. For one, my house actually lost power and heat while I was trapped, but our friends' place had it the whole weekend. AND the friend who was hosting us really thought about food and took really good care to make sure we were all well-fed and taken care of the whole weekend.

We joked about taking "snowwives"- in case this truly was the apocalypse (clearly, it was just an excuse for the guys to tease us)- and becoming an isolated commune of sorts, but as someone who has lived community a time or two, I was really impressed in how we each took on our own roles and tried to anticipate one another's needs. (Now, no doubt, if we would've been stuck there any longer we might have killed each other, but for three days, we ROCKED that community living ;)

When you are stuck in a house for 72+ hours with people, you have a conversation or two, and one of our conversations throughout was about the book "The Five Love Languages". I myself haven't read the book, but I found it interesting to hear what the five professed love languages are and how each one of my friends applied different examples of each.

Apparently, the five ways to express love as proclaimed in this book are: gift-giving, acts of service, verbal affirmation, affection, and spending quality time. We definitely saw a little bit of each this weekend, and it did give me hope for the work God is doing in all of our lives.

My friends also sure do know how to have a dance party :)





I didn't make it to Mass this weekend, but I wish I had, especially reflecting on this week's readings. The first reading was incredibly convicting: ("For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.." How did Isaiah know I watched Jersey Shore all weekend??!)

And the Gospel is another message of hope. I try again to place myself in the scene as Jesus gets into Peter's boat. Just thinking about how you feel when someone you love comes to pick you up to take you someplace (a #snowparty, perhaps? ;) or how I would feel if Jesus came to spend quality time with me (Quality time is one of my love languages, I've decided, btw...)

And doesn't Jesus speak all the love languages? With the whole "gift-giving" example of Jesus over-flowing the apostles' nets with fish... Such a beautiful gift. Jesus is spending time with his apostles in the boat, with the people, and exceeding the apostles' reward for their labor- all to prove His love.

Love you all! Pray for us in DC- we are supposed to get more snow tomorrow. I just don't know how that is possible in any way. It's a little freaky the whole rationing food, living with bare necessity thing...but also good for community building, I suppose :)

Peace,
Julia