Vital Adventure's

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Prayers

With the election behind us.  I felt that I should share these prayers for protection.  Please pray for the President that our country has elected, pray for our children,  the protection of our people, country, and wisdom for all.  May God continue to bless us and most of all protect us.

Prayers for God's Protection
As I arise today, may the strength of God pilot me, the power of God uphold me, the wisdom of God guide me. May the eye of God look before me, the ear of God hear me, the Word of God speak for me. May the hand of God protect me, the way of God lie before me, the shield of God defend me, the host of God save me. May Christ shield me today. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lay down, Christ when I sit, Christ when I stand, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
O Lord, support us all the day long of this troublous life until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. 

 ThA Prayer for Children
God, Our Father, we pray that through Your intercession of St. Nicholas You will protect our children. Keep them safe from harm and help them grow and become worthy in Your sight. Give them strength to keep their Faith in You; and to keep alive their joy in Your creation. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
SPIRITUAL ARMOR PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we ask You today for Your truth as a belt tight around our loins. We put on the zeal to announce your good news of peace as shoes for our feet. We put on Your righteousness, O Christ, as our breastplate, And the hope of salvation as a helmet for our head. Father, we take up faith as a shield which is able to put out all the fiery darts of the enemy, And the sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word, O Lord. Father, may the love with which you have loved Jesus be in us, and may Jesus be in us. We ask You for the grace of a servant heart. Amen.
Prayer to Vanquish Satan and his Agents
All you great number of enemies of the Holy Death of my Master Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary, the prince of darkness and iniquity, the father of all liars, I stand on the death of my Master Jesus Christ and offer His pains, Wounds, and the Precious Blood from His left Hand to the Eternal Father for your downfall, your destruction and your scourging. Amen.
Precious Blood of my Master Jesus Christ - reign in me and in the lives of all men. Amen.
~~ from Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Greatest Devotion of Our Time
Prayer for the Protection and Unity of the Flock
Eternal Father, I offer You all the Wounds, pains, and the Precious Blood from the Sacred Feet of Your Son, Our Lord and Master, for all Your children who are wandering like sheep without a shepherd in this terrifying forest. Protect them against wild predators and give them peace that they might be one, and united in the same way as the nail held fast the Feet of my Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Precious Blood of Jesus Christ - reign forever. Amen.
~~ from Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Greatest Devotion of Our Time
Prayer for Refuge in the Sacred Side of Jesus Christ
O Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Who protected the Israelites of old in His Holy Wings in the dryness of the cold and hot desert; I offer You the Holy death of my Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the protection of Your people who are scattered all over the world. May the Blood and Water wash and strengthen, save and cleanse us that we might find home in the Sacred Side of Your Son which opens for all men. Amen.
Sacred Side of Jesus Christ - be our home for safety. Amen.
~~ from Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Greatest Devotion of Our Time
Prayer for Sustenance of the Faith
Omnipotent and Omniscient God, God of Elijah and the prophets, look at the Sacred Head of Your only-begotten Son and have mercy. Arise and save Your people. I offer You all the shame, the pains, the Wounds and the Precious Blood from the Sacred Head of Your Son for all Your children who are living in these perilous times. Strengthen our faith through the mockery of Your Son Jesus Christ and save us through the Precious Blood from His Sacred Head. May we, through the sufferings of Your Son Jesus Christ, learn to suffer in You and die in You. Amen.
Holy tortures of Jesus Christ - increase our faith. Amen.
~~ from Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Greatest Devotion of Our Time
THE CHAPLET OF PROTECTION
(pray on regular rosary beads)
On the Crucifix - The Apostles' Creed
On the large bead - 1 Our Father
On the group of 3 small beads near the Crucifix:
On the first -
1 Hail Mary, in praise of God the Father
On the Second - 1 Hail Mary, in petition
On the third - 1 Hail Mary, in thanksgiving,
with confidence that your petition will be granted.
On the next large bead- "Holy God, Holy Omnipotent One, save us who dwell in this land."
Every Decade, on each of the 10 small beads -
"Jesus Savior, merciful Savior, spare your people."
On each large bead- "Holy God, Holy Omnipotent One, save us who dwell in this land."
At the end of the 5th decade -
"Son of God, Eternal Son, thank you for the things You have done." (3 times)
Oh St. Agatha, who withstood the unwelcome advances from unwanted suitors, and suffered pain and torture for your devotion to Our Lord, we celebrate your faith, dignity, and martyrdom.Protect us against rape and other violations, guard us against breast cancer and other afflictions of women, and inspire us to overcome adversity.
Oh St. Agatha, virgin and martyr, mercifully grant that we who venerate your sacrifice, may receive your intercession. Amen.
St. Agatha, pray for us.
Prayer For Guidance And Protection To Those I Love
O heavenly Father, our Protector and Guide, You are the greatest Friend and Joy we have! To be able to come to You in prayer like this is the most beautiful part of our lives!
It is not for myself that I want to pray today, dear Father, but for those who are near and dear to me and about whom I am worrying. You know what they are facing, dear Father. And You know most of all the deepest reasons why these things have come upon them!
And You know how I want to help. Truly I think it would be easier if I could only face what they are facing. But You know how helpless we are to help another even though we know what is just and right.
Only You are left, dear Father. Do be with them in all things at all times. Protect them from enemies and evil, my Father. Forgive them their sins and put love of others in their hearts.
Do make them happy in their lives at home, dear Father, and help them live as You would have them live. Above all, put love in their hearts for You.
And thank You, my Father, for Your goodness to them and to me. Thank You for Your love and guidance and protection! May we honor you all the days of our lives. And be happy and uplifted even as I feel right now! Amen.
Prayer for Protection
~~ from the Church's night prayer
Visit this house, we beg you, Lord,
and banish from it the deadly power of the evil one.
May your holy angels dwell here to keep us in peace,
and may your blessing be always upon us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Endurance through the Coming Chastisement
Merciful and Loving Father, Your wish is that all men should be saved. Kindly look on Your rejected and condemned Son Who suffered many tortures and will suffer many tortures through the sins of Your people. Look and see what sin has done to Your only-begotten Son. I offer all people who are living in these ungodly and wicked days, all the tortures, pains, rejections, and shame of Your son Jesus Christ to You, for faith to withstand trials and patience to withstand long tortures. May they, through the sufferings of Your only Son, fight to the end. Amen.
Our Lord's torture - increase our faith. Precious Blood of Jesus - save us. Amen.
~~ from Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Greatest Devotion of Our Time
Prayer for the Reign of Glory on Earth
O Loving and Merciful Father, all knowing and all powerful, the Alpha and the Omega, the Eternal Father Who created all things, that You should forsake Your children, Your nature forbids. Look kindly on Your begotten Son Jesus Christ Who came to save men and bring Your Kingdom down on earth. We offer You all the agonies, tortures, pains, and the Precious Blood of Your Son Jesus Christ for the defeat of all the enemies of the Holy Cross of Salvation, the Antichrist and the Red Dragon who are fighting against the truth now and in the end of the age. May they, through the Precious Blood of our Redeemer and His last breath on earth, disappear like foam exposed under the sun, so that Your Kingdom may quickly come on earth. Amen.
Precious Blood of Jesus Christ - Thy Kingdom come. Amen.
~~ from Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Greatest Devotion of Our Time

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Eventful Weekend

This past weekend Tristan and I traveled over to Mississippi to support Kati in the opening of her store during the Peter Anderson Festival!  Abode Design is beautiful, and I know she will be very successful.

I love going to the Peter Anderson Festival every year, the food is delish, and I love seeing all of the artist and vendors.  Unfortunately, when Tristan and I arrived in Ocean Springs it was starting to storm we took refuge in Kati's shop where several of our friends had the same idea and were already there.  Poor Tristan was fussing because mommy was trying to get to O.S. so quickly, and that left him starving (poor baby, I know terrible mother...)  We relaxed, had a bottle, diaper change, and then the rain let up enough for us to explore.  I knocked out two Christmas gifts and ran into several friends that I had not seen in a while and was able to show off my handsome son.

Yesterday Tristan and I went back to Abode for Kati's advertisement photos, visited my Dad and toured the school he is teaching at, and then headed to Spanish Fort to shop for his upcoming Baptism!  We had another fun weekend!

Today, when I arrived at work I found out that one of my prior co-workers, Josh Bruner, was killed in an automobile accident on last Thursday.  I called Kati and we reminisced over the fun we had with him and what an incredible person and artist he was.  We are both still going through the initial shock of the news.  It leaves me with the feeling of nothing less then how precious our lives are.  Even though I only knew Josh for a short time he holds a special place in my heart.  Rest in peace friend, and I know when I see the sunset tonight you will have added your artistic touch to it. 

Give your loved ones a hug,

Tina 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

October Highlights!

I woke up this morning feeling very sluggish, maybe it was because of the candy I should not have had yesterday, or maybe this past month is finally catching up with me!

October is by far my favorite month of the year, and now that I have Tristan I know it will become even more fun with Fall Festivals, Costume Parties, and Trick or Treating.  This year October has been busy busy busy between traveling for friends and events I think I have been home only 1 weekend this month!  This exhaust me just to write it.  I have had so much fun, but I am glad November is here and there is far less on my calender.

Yesterday Tristan and I played it low key and just handed out Halloween Candy.  He was a cute little pumpkin and was a huge hit with the trick or treaters.  My Mom, Nana, and Papap are in town so we sat out front on my tiny porch, handed out candy, and drank wine.  I purchased 15lbs of candy!  I get a ton of trick or treaters because of our neighborhood.  I think when I walked back into the house I only had 20 pieces left.  It is so much fun seeing the crowds of people walking down the street and it really made me think about how much fun it will be to take Tristan next year!

Here are some highlights of the fun month we have had!
 Dressed up for the Wedding!
Kati and Luke's Wedding
 Jeremiah's Baptism
Two pumpkins in a pumpkin patch!  Cousins hanging out together!
Sisters with our babies.
We were hoping for a win against Alabama!  
We still believe 7-1 Baby! 
Kati's beautiful shop!  We are so excited about her opening!
Tristan as a pumpkin!  "Next year I will be walking and can trick or treat too!"

Tristan is almost 31/2 months old!  He is a big baby weighing (I am guessing) 15-16lbs!  He is wearing some 3-6 months, a lot of just 6 months, and some 6-9months!  Tristan's hair has almost fully come in and it is tow-head blonde (he looks bald still, ha ha).  He has big bright blues eyes, and a perfectly round Charlie Brown head!  He eats 8-10 ounces of milk in one sitting (hopefully the Pediatrician will give us the okay to move to food this month!)  He is so sweet, and GOOD, God could not have blessed us with a better baby!  He is holding himself up, rolling (likes to sleep on his side), sleeps in his own room in his crib from about 9pm-5/6am depending upon the day (mommy and daddy are loving this!)  Entertains himself with all of his toys, his hands, his cartons, you name it!  He can focus his attention and not too much bothers him (I personally think we have a genius on our hands!)  He makes baby squeaks and will hold a conversation with you!  When he gets upset his bottom lip sticks out, but he is easy comfort!  Tristan you make parenting seem easy, but I know it is just how sweet you are!  You make me want 6 of you, but I don't think they will all be this good ;).

It is a beautiful day in Florida.  I really just wanted to stay at home with my little-mister-Trister and my family but alas I need to pay the bills!

Have a great November 1st!

Tina V

Monday, October 29, 2012

Ocean Springs Fun!

One of my best friends, Kati Lockley, is a talented designer.  She has worked in Fort Lauderdale on yachts, Santa Rosa Beach (in the beautiful area of 30A) on gorgeous homes, and is now expanding her services to Ocean Springs, Mississippi with the upcoming opening of her shop Abode.

Her shop is located in the quaint downtown area of Ocean Springs.  It will be the place to furnish your home, get design ideas, bridal consultations, or hire her to create a beautiful space for you to live.  She has access to GORGEOUS lines that no one else does in that area:  Lillian August (love love love!), Precedent, Visual Comfort, Cooper Grey, Ro Sham Beaux, Low Country Originals, the list goes on and on.

Check out the sneak peak of her shop below:


Her Grand Opening is the weekend of the Peter Anderson Festival!  Please stop by and say Hello and check out her amazing shop!

I am so excited for you Kati!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Jeremiah's Baptism

This past weekend Drew, Tristan and I drove to Cummings, GA for Baby Jeremiah's Baptism!  I have been anticipating this weekend for a while now.  My Aunt Jeanne flew in from Arkansas and my Nana and Papap flew in from Pennsylvania!  I was so excited to see Jeremiah and also for everyone to see my ever changing (and growing) sweet little man.

Lauren and Rin asked Drew and I to be Jeremiah's God Parents.  I can speak for both of us and say how much of a honor it was to be asked.  Jeremiah is such a blessing from Heaven and an answer to so many prayers.  He is truly an angel on earth.  We arrived at The Church of the Good Shephard and came forward to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism!  I learned so much when Drew and I were catechist for our church, and I came to love and have a complete understanding of the Sacraments.  Being able to speak for Jeremiah and being a part of the gift of his Baptismal Promises was a wonderful experience.  He is such a lucky little boy for the parents he has and the family he will be raised in.  I feel that I will be able to answer any questions he may have about our faith and offer him an understanding of the Catholic Church.  I said a silent prayer for the children that are not as lucky as he.

Sweet Jeremiah Smiling!
The whole crew!  Can you pick out my little man?

After the Baptism, Lauren had a reception at her house.  Everything was decorated perfectly and the food was delicious (especially the cake pops).  Check out her decorations below.




Later on that afternoon, with the babies in tow, we went to Uncle Shuck's Pumpkin Patch.  I have to say everything is 200% more fun now that we have babies.


My Nana and Papap with the babies!
Tristan and Jeremiah with their Nana and Papap!
Aunt Jeanne
     Auntie Erin!
 Rin, Lauren and Baby Jeremiah
Me, Drew, and Tristan

Tristan and Jeremiah sat in the pumpkin patch, took photo opp pictures, and went on their first hayride.  This is just the first of the cousin's many adventures.  It was such a perfect fall day, along with a win for our bulldogs, and being with our family made it even better.  I was sad to see the weekend go, but I am looking forward to Tristan's Baptism coming up in the next few weeks!

3 month update :).  3 months is so much fun with our little active boy!  We watch Mickey's Club House every morning and he laughs when the club house pops out of the ground.  Tristan has also discovered his voice so he will talk and talk.  He is starting to teeth and I feel bad because I can tell he is hurting.  We go through a little fussy period every day now when he can't get comfortable (infant Tylenol and Sophie are lifesavers)!

Happy Tuesday,













Tina V

Thursday, October 18, 2012

DIY Baby Door Announcements!


This time of year typically slows down for me with less trips and beach days I find myself at home working on my hobbies... D.I.Y- Crafts!

One of my favorite craft projects to make is baby door-hangers! This year definitely has seemed like the year of the babies. With many friends having babies this year I was able to experiment a little bit with the cute door-hangers.

The idea is to remember the door-hanger and bring it to the hospital whenever you go into labor. Make room to add the size, weight, date and time that the baby has arrived. When family and friends come to visit you they will know which door to enter. Also, with being so tired after giving birth you do not have to repeat how large the baby is they can just look at the door!!

The first one I made was earlier this year for my friend Stephanie. I had an idea of how I wanted to create it, but I just needed to figure out the execution. The first thing I do whenever I start any project is do some research. I typically start with Etsy or Pinterest to see how other people have created them. I then think long and hard on how I want to make mine look, and what supplies I need. After I figure out an idea of what I want to do I grab a picture of the baby's nursery or talk to the mom to find out favorite colors, etc! I then head to my favorite store Hobby Lobby.

Stephanie was decorating Madison's room in mainly pink, green and brown. She found a really cute crib set, and I used that as the inspiration. While walking through Hobby Lobby I was trying to figure out how I was going to execute her door-hanger. I decided wrapping fabric around canvas and placing it in a painted frame was the easiest way to go. I secured the canvas together by using a fun ribbon. The top canvas was 11x14, I purchased large wooden letters with the initials MBW and painted them the same color as the frame. Along the sides of the frames I also painted a butterfly and flower and placed pictures of Michael, Stephanie, and Madison inside. On the smaller 8x10 canvas I used stick on letters for the birth announcement! Here is the finished project.


The next one I made was for my sister Lauren who was expecting my nephew Jeremiah! When Lauren chose the name Jeremiah my mom immediately thought of the song "Jeremiah was a bullfrog." Well that started the frog buying :). It is an extremely cute theme especially for LO's. With Lauren's being the second one I made, I was kind of learning which adhesives work the best (hot glue is not the best). I bought wood glue this time because I had some challenges with Stephanie's letters staying on the frame. Another challenge was having to ship Lauren's. I was very very pregnant at the time and not able to attend her shower. When using the wood glue take the stickers off of the back of the wood pieces that way it should stay better (lesson learned). I still used the hot glue on the wood to fabric and found that regular Elmer's glue is better!

Here is Jeremiah's! I decided to go with other reptile's too. Something about the lizard climbing up the side of the frame is adorable :).


The last one I have made is for my friend Mindi and Baby Everett! Mindi was using the colors grey, light-blue, and a tiny bit of orange (love love this color scheme together). She had the bedding made and used a light-blue chevron print. Hobby Lobby happened to have a grey chevron print (how perfect). I didn't have the exact color's Mindi had used, but I tried my best to eyeball it with a picture of her bedding. When I went down the wood isle the zebra, and giraffe caught my eye. The zebra had grey in it and the stripes reminded me of the repetition of the chevron. The giraffe looked similar to the orange ribbon I had just picked up ;). It was starting to come together!

Finished product.

These door-hangers can be made anyway really! You can use your imagination and really come up with some great ideas! My friend Tara made one for me and Tristan. Tristan's nursery is decorated with a nautical theme. Tara used that and made an adorable door-hanger for us! Everyone at our hospital loved it. It also drew attention to how large my baby was! Stranger's wanted to see this huge almost 10 pounder :). We definitely had the cutest door down the hospital hallway ;).

Monday, October 8, 2012

Gautier Wedding!

The Vital family had another fun weekend!  On Friday we headed over to Mississippi for Kati and Luke's wedding festivities.

I have known Kati and Luke for a while now, and I was also there to witness the day they met.  Luke and I both attended Perk our Freshman year of college; he is one of those people that you do not forget with a fun personality who always has the entire room laughing.  Kati and I met at MSU and we seemed to have every class together.  Kati is such a good friend and always goes above and beyond for everyone she knows.   

In the Spring of 2010 Kati and I made a trip over from Florida to Mississippi for Tara's bridal shower.  After the shower we headed down to the Grocery (a fun bar in Ocean Springs).  Tara, Allison, Kati and I were hanging out and catching up.    Tara interrupts the conversation with "Was that Luke Gautier?"  At the same time I felt a gust of wind as someone had run past our table.  I look up to see  Luke run past us again, and Tara yelled his name.  He slowly came over to us and immediately tried to lock eyes with Kati (who didn't seem interested at all, although Luke tells it a little differently).  I really didn't think too much of their meeting until Tara called me and said Luke tried to get Kati's information.  Tara  responded to him that he had no chance at all.  As I got off the phone, Kati walked in texting and giggling (hmm...)  She looks up at me and says "Tina, so what is the deal with this Luke guy?"   I can not remember my response, but I probably told her the conversation I just had with Tara.   From that time on to now Kati and Luke have been together.

I have been looking forward to this wedding for a while.  I knew it was going to be a lot of fun, and I was not disappointed at all!  Kati's attention to detail is incredible.  She put the entire wedding together on her own.  She did the flowers, centerpieces, handmade the lawn games, decorations, the list goes on and on.  Before the wedding I walked around and took pictures, because everything looked like it was straight out of a Bridal Magazine.  By the way she will be offering wedding consultations with her new business!

The wedding was held at "The Old Place" in Gautier, Mississippi; where Luke Gautier's ancestors lived.  The house was a perfect sight for a wedding with a large wrap around porch, tables over looking the bay, and huge southern oaks with spanish moss hanging from their limbs.  For the food Kati and Luke had arranged for vendors to set up (like you would find at a festival).  We could walk up to their tents and order pulled pork sandwiches, home made chips, garlic potatoes, chicken, sausage dogs, funnel cake, popcorn, and of course cotton candy (I was not dieting this weekend)!  The wedding was very family friendly.  My mom, dad, sister Erin and Drew all attended and were very helpful with Tristan.  Tristan danced, walked in the grass, and I think had a taste of cotton candy thanks to Tara.  I had a wonderful time catching up with our close friends and taking pictures!

Luke and Kati I wish you a long happy life together with many blessings!  Kati you should throw another party soon; we had such a wonderful time!

Happy Monday!  Tina
Kati's creative programs!

Gorgeous Centerpieces

Event Posters!

Me, Tristan, Melissa, and Finnley!

Stephanie, Allison, Tara, Kati, Me, and Emily!