Unexpected Blessings

Moving to Louisiana was a big change for all of us; physically, mentally, and emotionally. We have slowly adapted to our new life, however there was one aspect in our lives that we both wanted to regain, our faith. We had been away from the Catholic religion for a few years simply because we had a bad experience. We gave up to easily on our faith and our trust in God and before too long a few years had passed us by.

Soon after moving here, we found Holy Trinity. From the moment we walked through the church doors, we felt like we were at home. Monsignor Provenza welcomed our family with open arms. Just about every single member at one point or another has walked up and embraced our family. It is one of the most amazing communities we have ever met.

Over the past couple of months we have been trying to arrange for Kalyssa and Travin to be baptized. Planning this special event has been a challenge with us being so far away from our family and friends. Both sets of Godparents are military and live in other states. Like most military families, their schedules are hectic and unpredictable. Needless to say timing was always off.

The month of December quickly came upon us. Monsignor was pretty adamant about having the children baptized before Jason deployed. Well, deployment was fast approaching and Jason didn’t have orders. Things got put on hold until we had a definite date of departure. Jason finally received his orders. I made the phone call to Monsignor explaining our situation. Friday December 10th, we received a phone call back. Jason and I had to answer a few questions about the children. Monsignor already had the date picked out. Kalyssa and Travin were to be baptized on December 11th at 10 am. After going over a few simple procedures, Monsignor wanted to know why our 12 year marriage hadn’t been recognized by the church. Of course we explained to him the choices we had made and the plans that we had. Our intentions were to renew our vows once Jason got back from deployment. This was unacceptable. He did not want Jason to go off to defend our country without our marriage and our family being blessed by him personally. He asked us if he could make a phone call. Ten minutes later we received another phone call. Monsignor called our Bishop and got not only an approval but a full blessing to have our marriage “gold plated” in the eyes of the Catholic Church. We were both completely speechless. We had less than 24 hours to get everything together for two baptismal ceremonies and a wedding ceremony. We spent the rest of our day trying to gather all of our paperwork and shopping of course.

A huge THANK YOU to Jason’s mom and Phil for sending Jason's baptismal certificate and THANK YOU to my parents for finding a way to gather all of my records in California all the way from Louisiana.

Saturday December 11th, 2010

~A very memorable day for our family of 5~

We got up bright early. We had three kids, a bride, a groom, and the bride’s parents all trying to get ready. We had to be at the church by 9 am. We arrived at the church a little late but, we all managed to make it out of the house bathed, dressed, and without tears. That's an accomplishment within itself! We filled out some paperwork for our church marriage license and answered a few questions about our relationship. We went over Kalyssa and Travin’s paperwork and by 10 am we made our way into the church.

Kalyssa and Travin were baptized together. Monsignor blessed our children and allowed God to shine in their hearts in ways that I could never express. We were both impressed over the fact that the Holy Water used to baptize our children was mixed with water from the actual Jordan River (the same river where Jesus was baptized). My parents stood in as the Godparents for both Kalyssa and Travin.

To our dear friends Erik & Kristin Brace and Danny & Holly Dupont,

We wish that you could have been with us on this memorable day. Please know that you were with us today just like you are every other day. You were a part of today’s ceremony and we are honored that you will be helping us guide our children through life. Your names were mentioned today and the kids know exactly who their Godparents are and who their "God Siblings" are :-) We love you all so much! Thank you for wanting to be a part of our children’s life this way. It means so much to us!!

After the baptismal ceremony, we all helped Monsignor rearrange the church. In a matter of minutes the church was transformed from a baptismal site to a wedding site. I literally stood in the middle of the church in complete shock. Everything had happened so fast. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but having a complete ceremony was not even close to being in my thoughts. Monsignor definitely pulled out his special bag of tricks for us.

As the procession began, I looked up and saw My Jay standing very handsome in his Dress Blues (my heart still skips a beat every time I see him in his uniform) with one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on his face. Monsignor stood at the altar with Travin who had two special roles (altar boy & ring bearer) by his side. Kalyssa lead the way as our flower girl and Bryanna (my maid of honor) followed right behind her. I looked at my dad with tears in my eyes and let him guide me down the aisle. My mom and dad gave me away. Jason and I stood before my parents, before our children, before Monsignor, and before God and recited our vows. We promised our hearts, our souls, and our lives to each other all the days of our lives.

This afternoon we attended mass. Our family along with my parents was blessed in front of the whole community. Monsignor prepared a special service honoring our family. He said a special prayer for Jason and all of our military members. The adults received communion together with the blessing of our church family members. It was one of the most beautiful moments I have ever experienced. As our new family made their way through the communion line, they stopped by our pew just to shake Jason’s hand and to let him know that they would be praying for him and for our family. As if my day had not been full enough of tears :-) We lead the procession out of the church. After mass, we stood with Monsignor on the beautiful marble steps of our church. Once again, we were hugged and offered support by our new family. Before we were getting ready to leave, the church secretary and her husband came up to us and gave us a card. They have reserved a table for us at their restaurant on Tuesday evening for a party of 7. A special gift for our wonderful family and a special tribute to Jason before he leaves (yup the flood gates opened up).


What a day!!! I apologize for not getting the word out to all of our loved ones. Everything happened so fast and was completely unexpected. Jason and I are still in a bit of shock over all that took place in the past 24 hours. Please know that you were all with us today!

We have been blessed in more ways than we could ever have imagined!