Happy Feast Day!

It's been kind of a joke around here that I've barely left the house since returning home from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception last year after Midnight Mass. Karoline was conceived a week later and I spent most of the pregnancy at home, very sick and very happy. So, today was a momentous event. We returned to the Shrine and we visited the same little chapels where we lit candles and prayed last year. This year, there were tears of thanksgiving for the miracle I held in my arms. Oh what a joy to introduce our babe to this beautiful, holy place! What sweetness to honor Our Lady who has so cradled us this year!

It must have been Meet Your Favorite Author Week because after Mass, I wandered down to the bookstore and had a chat with Scott Hahn. I told him how the upper shelf of our library is lined with his books and I had the privilege of introducing him to Catholic Exchange's newest regular contributor. We talked a bit about blogging for Catholic Exchange and he signed my new book for me. It says "Happy Feast Day."

And it was. It really, really was. Here are more pictures from this place that feels like heaven on earth.