Sara: Recently, Gus and I tagged along with Justin while he went to a conference in downtown Indianapolis. We had so much fun and the city was beautiful. We had the pleasure of staying at one of the hotels downtown, so it was fun to be able to walk outside our hotel and see the restaurants, museums, and the hustle and bustle of city life.

I was especially excited to go to Indianapolis because I had attended the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) there eleven years ago as a sophomore in high school. I had had so much fun both at the conference and exploring downtown Indy. I was very excited to have the opportunity to visit with my husband and son all these years later.

We had so much fun exploring the city, including the Civil War Monument (and viewing the city from the top of the tower). I also really appreciated meeting some of Justin’s colleagues from other universities.

However, one of the best parts of our trip came when we visited St. John’s church across from the conference center. I remembered going to confession at that parish during NCYC all those years ago, and thinking the church was beautiful. I actually have a picture with a couple of my high school friends and me in front of the church. In the fun of our trip, I wanted to be sure to take a few minutes to at least walk by St. John’s. Justin had been there during a previous trip to Indianapolis as well, so he was more than willing to accommodate.

Amazingly enough, the church was open when we visited around dinner time. We chose to stop in quickly and take two or three minutes for prayer. I couldn’t help but be amazed by all the changes that had taken place in my life since the last time I had set foot in this church. I had grown and changed so much since that day eleven years ago! Instead of being a high school sophomore, worried about boys, which college I was going to attend, and my part-time job, now I am a wife. We have a beautiful son (who sometimes manages to drive me crazy with his exploring).

When I went to NCYC eleven years ago, I had no idea just how much that trip was going to change my life. It was so neat to meet other young people that were on fire for the faith. NCYC was really the beginning of a new chapter in my life, one that exposed me to the beauty of a relationship with God. While there have been a lot of bumps on the road, it was so good to compare the snapshots of my life then and now and really see God’s hand in my growth these past eleven years.

Since a lot of the growth has been slow and gradual, I realized I usually don’t take time to see the big picture of where I’ve been and where I am now. These days, I feel Gus and I live a very structured routine of eat, sleep, and play. Sometimes, it’s good to get out of that routine simply to see how much I’ve grown and changed and how God’s been working in our lives. Some days, it’s hard to be patient with Gus as he explores and gets into everything. However, this trip was a good reminder that God is working in our lives, and the time will go more quickly than I can ever imagine. I’m looking forward to seeing what changes God has in store for our family in the next few years.