My Faith + Finding Mr. Right

I love getting e-mails from my readers. So many of them start off with,
"this might be weird, because you don't know me, but I feel like I know you!..."
So, even though a part of me wasn't sure if I should share this post...
I felt like my readers might appreciate hearing this part of me too.
I feel like this is.. really personal. but it'll be good to share!
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Growing up I was a good girl. no angel, but I barely got in trouble.
In all the home videos you see craziness going on and then me in the background either poking my finger into the birthday cake and eating it..or cuddling a baby doll like a little mama. I'm sure I gave my mom head aches..but she has told me that I was definitely easy.

In high school I went to multiple youth groups...I was really picky when it came to boys and only said yes to a handful of dates. Never having a serious boyfriend but having an amazing group of guy + girl friends. (I blog about shannon often, she was in that great group.) We would go on retreats and nights of worship.. along with doing the typical high school fun.
Here's a video from Christmas one year. Since losing my best friend shannon, this video has brought me so many tears. happy and sad ones. I was sooo lucky with my high school years.... blessed with a great group of friends that made it "normal" to be active in your faith and church.

Everyone has a cross in their life. I had hard things happen in my childhood that gave me the choice to either run from God or run TO Him. And luckily I had really holy people around me that helped me realize that He had a plan for me. and not to waist a single tear, to offer up any suffering you may have for others who might need a prayer.

I grew up around some very Holy Consecrated Women and Missionary of Charity Sisters (Mother Teresa's sisters).. they were beautiful, holy AND normal?! triple threat. they inspired me. I even spent a day with Mother Teresa when I was ten. She put her hands on my head and blessed me...pulling my dad down to her height with his tie and saying "you have a good family."(we still have that tie) at the time I really wanted to be a sister.. and looking straight into mother teresa's eyes, I told her, "I want to be a sister!" She laughed at me!!! and with a smile she held my hands in her soft wrinkled ones and told me, "Pray 3 hail mary's every day for your vocation".. I figured she knew what she was talking about. and took her advice to open up that conversation with God to discover HIS plan for me.

Through my parents, and these holy women's examples, I learned how to really pray.
I prayed those 3 hail mary's every night... at first for my vocation and then, once I discerned, for my future husband.. I started a deeper personal relationship with God...prayer was a real but simple conversation with Christ. I learned how to use my talents to tell people about Christ. I was VERY active in my faith. I ran retreats, fundraisers, went on missions, flew across the country and overseas to speak at events for young girls. Right after high school I did a year of volunteer work for the church. they send you where they need you. I ended up meeting/traveling/living with some incredible holy crazy girls who I'm still close with. We did mainly youth ministry at schools and parishes. one of the hardest but most rewarding years of my life. My prayer life was the best it had ever been and the sacrifices we made really helped us mature and go deep. plus we had a lot of fun adventures. We once had no money and needed food for a retreat we were running.. I went with another girl to a grocery store and asked the manager if he could make a donation.. he gave me a shopping cart and said fill it up. It was those kind of experiences during that year of service that I was able to see how God provides.

Then it was time for college.

I chose a VERY small Catholic college.

I immediately met my amazing roommate and a fun group of girls.

They were loud outgoing and we laughed...ALOT.

I love being around people. and having fun and being spontaneous and silly.

I found myself in the "party crowd"... (it was a small school......there was a defined group?)

I had so much fun with these people. But there were times I found myself getting into trouble...ALOT. and I was not respecting myself or others.

I wasn't focusing enough on studying and was going out too many nights.

There are certain friendships, that I made during that time,

that I'm still connected with and cherish.

But there were others where it felt completely superficial.
I didn't feel like myself and didn't like where I was going.
I decided I didn't want to party as much.
It was quickly becoming my identity at this small school.

One day, I was on the phone with my mom.
And I was talking to her about all of these things on my mind...
She suggested that.. when my friends go out to a party...
I should go to the gym on campus and shoot hoops.

So I did.

I'm horrible at basketball.

But I did it.. I would go and shoot hoops.

and one night....

My future husband was there...and that's where we had our first real conversation.

We had "met" earlier that week when I was in the gym talking with a mutual guy friend while watching an inturmural game. Ben walked over and said
(this is the truth. it's in the scrap book. it happened. even though ben denies it. ;)
"Hey girl, I see you all around campus.. I gotta know your name."

BAHHHHHH ::insert melting college girl here::

He was so cute and charming. I didn't even remember his name after he told me it because I was so in shock with how confident and sweet he was. and cute. did I mention cute?

So when I was in the gym that night, while my friends were at a party, we started talking.

He had on those breakaway basketball pants and was showing off his game ;)

We walked together to the campus library to check our e-mail/facebook.. (what else?) and then we were talking outside and I remember being  in complete shock when, after saying goodnight, he didn't ask me for my number.. we just said bye and walked opposite ways.
I remember making that face like what??? haha.... Makes me laugh now looking back.

We eventually ended up exchanging numbers...and he took me on a date.
I was in my notre dame sweater and yoga pants. we went to eat n' park. classy.
He had his baseball hat to the side with stud earings in.

And he interviewed me on my family, how many kids I wanted etc. etc..

He jokes that he knew I was the one when I ordered a huge burger.

But in all honesty, we both knew very quickly...this was IT.

I had never felt that way about a guy before. It was more than the butterflies that did it.

He was sweet, kind, funny, but most of all.. a holy guy.
He was my first and last exclusive relationship!
We weren't a perfect couple..but we both had the desire to strive for holiness.
We prayed and went to church together. Ben had a passion for ministry and
He started doing part time youth ministry while we were still in college..
and, as the girlfriend/fiance, I was there a lot too! Doing ministry together was really fun.

THE PROPOSAL: "ben told me that we were having a dinner with our youth group kids and that everyone was dressing up..but when we got there...he got me into the church and I saw that it was all glowing with candles down the aisle to the altar..100 roses everywhere..candles all over the altar with the monstrance. it was so beautiful. he walked me down the aisle I was freaking out haha and at the end he said all this amazing stuff and then knelt down and said natalie catherine will you marry me?? and I said yesss and we hugged and kissed and some of the youth group kids who set up all the flowers and candles for him screamed from the cry room where they, and our priests, were hiding haha. then we knelt down infront of the tabernacle and said a prayer then everyone came out and we took photos and the priests stood over us and blessed us and my ring with holy water (which they gave us at the end) then ben and I took more roses to the statue of our lady and we prayed together and he gave me a couple gifts that he got while we were in medjugorje over christmas. then ben said we had dinner reservations so we left for the george town inn that looks out onto the skyline of pitt. we walked into the restaurant and there was his family and my family!!! all waiting for us to get there and celebrate. I was so suprised I cried haha. it was the most amazing night ever. and the festivities carried on all weekend. I am so thankful for the amazing man God put in my life. "

It's funny because I had texted my mom "false alarm" on
thinking it was proposal night...only to it really being the night..and her in town!
He tricked me good.
When he proposed, Ben told me how since he was younger he had been praying for his future wife. So even though we didn't know it..we were praying for each other!
We occasionally are asked to speak at high schools and retreats, and we always share that detail. how we felt God working in our lives through that unknown prayer from the other person!

I really feel like God put me right where I needed to be... in that gym.
I was there trying to be faithful to Him, and He blessed me with ben...
and we were able to start our life towards the path of where we are today.
It's amazing how God works in our lives!

We ended up getting engaged within 8 months. married 8 months after that.

Looking back it went FAST. like.. super speed fast. But we really stayed close to God during that time and prayed a lot as a couple and He led us. Every day we prayed those 3 hail mary's to our Lady asking to interceded for us and our engagement.. then we continued those prayers after we were married.. and to this day, we still include in our pray time every night, those 3 hail mary's for our children's vocation. We pray that they will know how amazing they are and that God has a plan for them in their life.

I'm so lucky to have a man who randomly asks "do you want to go have some prayer time?".... "do you want to go to novena tonight?"... "do you want to go to that talk on ___?"...

Having our faith helps us get through the tough times that come with family life.
We had children right away.. and we love it. I can't imagine not having sophie.. sienna.. micah... they are amazing and a blessing even when they drive us insane + to exhaustion. haha. There are days...we feel like crazy people. not gonna lie. This past sunday....was one of those days. we arrived to church, only the underneath part of the bottom part of my hair was straightened. (as far as I could get) ben's shirt was on INSIDE OUT... and sienna had dressed herself and we just "went with it".... BUT.. we made it to church. we were there and had that hour with God and got a bunch of blessings to help us through this week.

It's been incredible seeing how God has worked in my life.

Taking me where I'm at and helping me discover His plan for me.

Sophie asks me all the time right now...
"mom..what do you want to be when you grow up? You'll be a superhero"
 and to tell you the truth, sometimes when I get through
a day with 3 kids under the age of 5.. I feel like one. ;)

I always had the desire to be a wife and mom.. that's what I "wanted to be when I grew up."
And I always had the passion to be creative and to connect with people.
I feel blessed with where I am in life right now. Who knows the crosses that might be ahead of us... but I know that I have a partner in my
husband who loves ALL of me and who wants to help get our family to heaven..
so with our faith and family as our rock.. I'm excited for our life.

ps. we were made for each other.