Andrew's Mission Trip THANK YOU

Hi everyone!

My mission trip to Loretto Catholic School in Douglas, Arizona has just concluded, and I wanted to follow up and update you all on what happened over the past week. First of all, thank you to everyone who supported this mission through financial donations and through your prayers. I would not have been able to experience this without your help. Please know that I have been praying for all of you over the past few months and especially throughout this past week.

As the week went on, I kept thinking about how I would never truly be able to put this mission trip into words because of the joy it brought me, but I will do my best. During the week, we spent time with the kids in their classes and at recess, led a retreat for each grade, went on two beautiful hikes, led a holy hour for the entire school and their parents, and organized a youth group night for the middle school and high school students in the area, along with many other activities.

The kids I spent the week with truly opened my eyes to so many amazing things and helped me grow in my faith in such a short time. They are clearly so in love with the Lord and have such childlike wonder in everything they do. Seeing that in person was incredible. It can sometimes feel rare to see kids living their faith so openly today, and it gave me a lot of hope for the future.

One of my biggest takeaways from the week was the joy that comes from serving others. For the first time in my life, I was able to spend an entire week focusing on others without needing to think about myself. There was so much grace in that experience. Sharing the love of Christ with others is so important, and it is something I will continue to challenge myself to do.

I am incredibly grateful to have experienced this mission, and I am so thankful for all of you who made it possible. Please continue to keep the Loretto School community in your prayers so that the good work happening there may continue.

Love,

   Andrew

Week in Review: A Retreat, A Mission, and a Full House

Happy Friday!

Today Phil and I have our annual skin checks at the dermatologist, an appointment I dread all year but still make myself go, with the promise of a lunch date after.  Moles and Rolls, Derm and Dine, Basal and Basil, and that's enough, Colleen.  

Lots happening this week, so without further ado...

Maggie and Xander went on a retreat over the weekend.  Maggie was a leader and Xander was a participant, and they both said it went awesome!  

Maggie with her team

I can suddenly picture Xander as a future clergy member

It was really, really weird only having two kids in the house on Sat and Sun, but then JP and Eamon and Eamon's friend arrived in time for dinner on Sunday, and the retreatants returned home, and all the beds in the Martin Casa were once again filled.  We were just missing Andrew, who is loving life on his mission trip in Arizona this week:

They have been helping at a school all week (and playing with the kids at recess!)

Look how close to the border of Mexico he is!

He said In n' Out was legit

Cacti!

Andrew and his partner leading a retreat for 4th graders

The crew before leaving Ohio

Week in Review: Spring Break in Winter's Wake

Happy Friday!  

The rain this week has washed away a lot of the snow, and we can finally see some grass again.  The big guys are all about to start their Spring Break week, with Andrew flying to Arizona for his mission trip tomorrow, and JP and Eamon and Eamon's friend driving home this weekend - yay!  Franciscan held an Irish fest last night, which they were all able to attend.  Eamon (only 19) says he just held the beer for the picture "to look more Irish", as if that kid could look anything but Irish.

Grandpa enlisted Declan and Brendan to help him build a snowman, as Grandpa loves to do:

They also used the bed boxes to pretend to camp outside.  They lasted about five minutes.

What Would You Do?

(Asking for a friend, obviously.)

Scenario One:

Husband and Wife watch tv together in bed each evening.  Wife wants to turn the tv off and fall asleep around 9:30 but husband wants to keep watching tv for awhile.  

Should wife just try to fall asleep with tv on, which is difficult for her?  Or should husband leave their comfy bed and watch tv in the family room, which may result in sleeping on the couch?

Scenario Two:

College boys report Honda Odyssey is being weird.  They bring it to a mechanic who tells them it's unsafe to drive anymore and it needs a whole new engine.  They now need a replacement.

Should parents buy a used car, though they were not financially ready, to have available for the boys at spring break, so that they have one for the rest of the semester?  Or should college kids have to go without a car for the rest of the semester, and parents postpone buying one until the summer?

Scenario Three:

Husband and Wife work three jobs each in order to provide for all of the expenses of a family of nine with three in college this fall.  Husband and wife now make enough income to barely cover said expenses, but also "too much income" when it comes to some of the benefits they used to get when they earned less.  Financial aid packages are stingier, some scholarships are now non-eligible, tax deductions/credits are going away, and discounts we received in past for certain services are not available to us anymore.

Should we keep killing ourselves with work to provide to our best ability, even though it means we lose money in benefits?  Or should we figure out the income necessary to qualify for all of the benefits we used to receive, and earn only that much?

(Yes, my friend is aware that these are first world problems.)

Week in Review: The Blizzard of 2026 and Other Things

Happy Last Day of February!  

I don't know why people don't love February - it's such a short and fun month...with Valentine's Day, and my birthday, and a week off from school...and also Ash Wednesday, and snow storms and freezing temps...okay maybe I do understand a wee bit!

Maggie came home from her mission trip on Saturday, and was immediately missing the beautiful Florida weather:

Final day was a fun one at Disney Springs

The Maggies painting.  They also gardened and sorted food at a food shelter.

The Maggies dancing next to their future selves :) while visiting the nursing home.

Maggie was missing home-cooking, so we (Phil) made a thai chicken and noodle dish to welcome her home:

Declan had a fun day bowling with friends on Saturday:

Xander went out with friends to the mall and Brendan had his best friend over for the day, so everybody had fun before we were snowed in:

Lunch time!

Play time!

Week(s) in Review: Valentine's Weekend, Winter Break, Maggie's Mission and Lenten Days

 Hello!  Welcome to Lent 2026!

I am trying to go through the Crux program on Ascension this Lent, because after hearing the Irish Franciscan priest speak, I just couldn't refuse.  Irish + Franciscan = me in a nutshell :)  Lent never seems to get any easier for me, but I'm hoping it's a lot like exercise and I'll keep plugging away:

This week has been February vacation week here in Massachusetts, but we stayed home and did a few fun things, scheduled a few appointments, and I went to work but only for four days since Monday was a holiday.  

For Valentine's Day, Phil and I went out to dinner at our favorite local Italian restaurant:

Chicken Parm for me and Chicken Florentine for he

The next day, we took the youngest three boys to a hotel on the Cape for an overnight.  They swam and we went out to dinner and ice cream, shopped a little, drove by the houses of my childhood and went to Mass at the church where Phil and I got married.  It was lovely!

The hotel has a little arcade

Not Your Average Joe's in Hyannis

Shake Shack (our first time!) in Hyannis

Our Lady of Victory in Centerville

We shopped at Trader Joe' before driving home & Declan begged us to buy a dragon fruit.  Disgusting!