• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe

Celebrating 16 years and counting and other highlights from our week (7 Quick Takes)

September 25, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

~1. Wedded bliss~

Sixteen years ago, my father walked me up the aisle of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore, and John was waiting for me at the altar.

Our wedding day was a day of incredible joy, and I have so many wonderful memories, especially of the people who celebrated with us and made the day so special. John and I have 16 years’ worth of beautiful memories from the days since then. But I love thinking about how we started it all that day.

You don’t fully know what you’re saying yes to in that moment, but you’re so full of love and hope and faith. Then you receive God’s grace through the sacrament. It’s all so amazing.

John and I haven’t always had an easy road to walk, and there have been surprises along the way. Who knew we’d find ourselves traveling around the world twice to become parents? But I am so very grateful to be making this journey together.

~2. Sweet sixteen~

To celebrate our anniversary, John picked up Pappas crab cakes and other treats for dinner, and I made him cupcakes for dessert.

“Did you notice that they’re in the shape of a 16?” I said.

“No,” he said, as he ate a cupcake. “I just noticed they were cupcakes.”

But we were both happy. I enjoyed trying to make them in the shape of a 16, and John will enjoy eating them. That’s how our marriage works.

~3. A biscuit, a basket~

During a pandemic, you try some things you’ve never tried before. This week I decided biscuits would go well with our crockpot dinner, but I didn’t have any store-bought biscuits on hand.

So, I googled a biscuit recipe and made some.

It was so quick and easy. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to make biscuits myself before. Maybe it was because I was scared to find out how much butter is in them. But I’ve tried many more complicated recipes without hesitating. I have a feeling we’ll be making them again this winter.

~4. All about the babies~

Did you know a baby joey is the size of a honeybee when it’s born? My friend Annie tweeted that today after reading a book to her preschool class at school. Somehow, I find it fascinating.

Meanwhile, we are watching our baby finches grow. They are bigger every day—really, every few hours—and having the chance to witness this is miraculous.

The parents do all the feeding and care, and we just have to make sure the parents are well-fed. We’ll have to separate the babies from the parents in a few weeks, but for now we get to just watch them grow. The chicks’ eyes could open any day, and I am so excited for that stage, too. But I also don’t want it to go too quickly.

~5. Show and tell~

The other day during school, our younger son carried his Chromebook over to show his teacher the baby birds, and I thought it was so beautiful. Having the boundaries between school and home blur has been an unexpected blessing to me. It can be challenging too, of course, but I see some delightful interactions as we connect with one another.

I thought it was sweet when our younger son’s math teacher told him to say hi to his brother for her, and he said, “He’s right behind me!” They had the chance to wave. And I popped onto the screen one day to see how her daughters are doing.

I was telling our fifth grader that I was reading that finches recognize their owners’ voices, and he said, “Maybe they’ll get to know all the students’ voices!” I thought it was so sweet that he would want the birds to know his classmates’ voices.

It’s a small world, even during this time of strange isolation.

~6. A piece of the shepherd’s pie~

When I made shepherd’s pie this week, I made part without potatoes on top and part with just potatoes and not cheese. I figured more people would be more likely to eat it with more options.

I know there are parents who make one thing and serve it and expect the children to eat it, but that’s just not my approach. I am not going to cook four separate meals, but it doesn’t take any more effort—just a little more care and consideration—for me to make the shepherd’s pie a few different ways.

Our younger son was excited and wanted some of each—plain meat, meat with potatoes, and meat with potatoes and cheese. Our older son ate none of it. And John and I would have eaten whatever. So, it totally defeated the purpose. But it was worth a shot.

~7. Making our own fun~

We aren’t expecting Halloween to happen in the same way this fall, so we will be figuring out ways to make our own fun. As sad as that will be, I have a feeling we can make this work. The other day when I said we couldn’t go to a skating rink, our boys pushed everything out of the way in the basement and told Alexa to play 1980s rock. I have loved watching them skate around and around to songs that take me back to my own childhood.

As we head into the fall and winter holidays, we might just have to be a little more creative.

Read more quick takes at Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a wonderful weekend!

Copyright © 2020 Catholic Review Media

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

Rita Buettner

View all posts from this author

| Recent Commentary |

Our faith is not afraid of questions

Artificial Intelligence, wholeism and prayer

Question Corner: Does reception of the Eucharist replace confession?

A butterfly lands on a flowering bush with purple blossoms

A Miracle for a Baby in Rhode Island (and for all of us)

Kids need lots of people who love them

| Recent Local News |

Archdiocese of Baltimore offers resources for parishes to assist migrants

Third annual gun buyback scheduled for Aug. 9

Driver arrested after crashing into entrance of Esperanza Center

Construction underway on new north addition to St. Joseph’s Nursing Home 

Prince of Peace merges with St. Francis de Sales in Harford County

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Warsaw archbishop ‘devastated, crushed’ by priest’s arrest in brutal murder of homeless man
  • Jubilee of Youth chance to celebrate hope, fraternity in world at war, panel says
  • New York archdiocese sees hundreds of responses to ‘Called By Name’ program
  • Can’t afford a Catholic college? Think again. Many offer full tuition options
  • Detroit archbishop fires theologians Ralph Martin, Eduardo Echeverría from seminary
  • LA archbishop, joined by business leaders, starts fund to help families affected by ICE raids
  • FBI surveilled SSPX priest amid probe of suspected neo-Nazi’s plans for violence
  • Poland’s ‘living memorial’ to St. John Paul II marks 25 years of transforming lives
  • Our faith is not afraid of questions

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

en Englishes Spanish
en en