One Time Around: Antonia's Confirmation

I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow, our first niece... our first godchild... our first connection as a family went from being this sweet little baby...

September 2001

... to this sweet little girl...

December 2003

... to this sweet young woman!

February 2015

I feel like it was just yesterday that I held Antonia on her baptism day, and suddenly, here I was, flying out to Peoria to celebrate her Confirmation. I was honored beyond words last year when Toni asked me to be her sponsor, and I couldn't wait to be there to witness her receiving this incredibly special sacrament.

Since her Confirmation fell on a Tuesday evening, we decided I would take this trip on my own so that the boys wouldn't miss school. They were pretty disappointed to miss out, and although Anthony wanted so badly to be there too, it meant the world to me that he sent me to represent :)

I was able to catch a flight right into Peoria, just in time to get some lunch with Toni, Aidan, Uncle Andrew, Grandma, and Papa. Anthony and I had decided before I left that we would Face Time him when I got there so he could give Toni her confirmation gift over the phone.

We can't wait to share the experience of seeing Pope Francis in Philadelphia with Toni this September!

That night, Toni had a volleyball game, and I was pretty excited to watch her play. I had honestly never seen a volleyball game before. It was so much fun, Toni is a natural, and her team continued their undefeated streak!

Toni's Confirmation dinner (well, really night before Confirmation dinner) request was to go to Flat Top Grill. I hadn't been there in ages, so that was a really fun treat.

On Tuesday, everyone had work and school, so I got to sleep in (*gasp*) and hang with my canine nephews. Seriously, what could be better than a lazy morning, drinking coffee with Knute and Rockne?!

Tuesday night was Toni's big night. The mass was absolutely beautiful, and presiding was the Bishop of Peoria, Bishop Jenky... C.S.C! Bishop Jenky is not only a Holy Cross priest but a member of Notre Dame's Board of Trustees. As he spoke in his homily about the great power of God, and likening it to this awesome, powerful storm he had witnessed at Notre Dame years ago, I couldn't help but remember being a senior at ND and getting the phone call that Antonia was born. Who would have guessed that I would now be sitting here 14 years later as her godmother and sponsor, listening to the homily of a Holy Cross bishop?!