In a mere three months Kyle and I have become Catholic (I know!) and licensed attorneys (an even bigger I KNOW!)!
Life is going quite smoothly (except for yesterday when I um, "bumped" into Kyle's car in the driveway...) and I couldn't ask for more.
So, let's get updated: the whole Catholic thing...
Religion and faith have always been very important to me. I will never push it on anyone but when asked, I will happily divulge my thoughts and my beliefs. When Kyle and I began dating, he never went to Church. It isn't that he was a "non-believer", he just didn't think about it much. I prayed a lot about how to approach this, and my answer from God was just to not do anything differently, just witness through my devotion. As months went by, Kyle would see me reading my devotional, reading the Bible, praying and never wavering in my faith. Eventually, we began talking about Church and he expressed an interest in Catholicism. I have always been very intrigued by the Catholic church, two of my close friends growing up were Catholic and I would frequent church with them. In high-school, my boyfriend was Catholic and I would go to church with his family. I have always felt comfortable and so I told Kyle, "why not? let's try going to church at a Catholic church and see if you like it". We began attending Saint Joseph's in downtown Lakeland. After a few services Kyle mentioned that he'd like to learn more. I had happened to see a flyer while we were at mass one evening about 'R.C.I.A.'--the flyer stated that if you were interested in the Catholic church to attend an informational meeting. So we did. It just so happened that classes were beginning for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) into the Catholic Church. In order to be confirmed in the church as an adult, you must attend classes for 8 months and participate in the various 'Rites' of the church. It was perfect timing. The class is only held once a year, from September-April and we had just so happened to call before the first class. God's timing is always perfect. Every Sunday we attended class, and some weeks we had to be at the church 2-3 evenings. It was an amazing journey and the more I learned about the Catholic church, the more at home I felt. There are so many misconceptions and misunderstandings about the church and the values and principles the church teach are really love and Jesus. The evening before Easter, there was a beautiful service and Kyle was baptized Christian and confirmed Catholic and I was confirmed Catholic (I was baptized at the age of 6). It was so special. I am so proud to be Catholic and am so grateful for Saint Joseph's and all of the people there that helped us through our journey. Our families were there which was very special and one of my closest friends growing up, Gina Caprara (now Olsen!) drove from Tampa to come and watch! I will never forget that evening and I'm forever grateful to God for bringing Kyle into my life; through Kyle my faith has strengthened.
The McNeal's, Esquires: We got sworn in on Wednesday, April 17th. Kyle and I were able to take our oaths together and in front of several of our peers and families, we held up our right hands and pledged to be honorable attorneys. That is a day that I will never forget! So many people from our work came to watch and I had tears in my eyes as I walked into the courtroom and saw and felt all of the love and support. I have the BEST job in the world and everyday I wake up and make a promise to be the best lawyer I can. I am now officially Victoria Hall-McNeal, Esquire. Feels pretty flipping amazing...and to accomplish this with my best friend? Ever more amazing.
I have had a heavy heart this past week because of the turmoil and pain in Boston but I stand firm in my belief that there are more good people in this world than evil. Our country is a wonderful place and will always stand resilient. I am SO proud to be American.
My nephew continues to grow, my parents continue to renovate their Maine house, my dogs continue to eat things they shouldn't and wake up tooooo early, and life moves along, quite wonderfully, actually. Until next time!
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| Kyle with his business cards |
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| Taking the oath! |
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| Photo shoot in Admin |
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| Whoops! |
