Tag Archives: march for life

Photos For Life

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The crowd was smaller this year, but the heart was bigger.

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Before the March & the snow.

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Two of my favorite people in the world, who both inspire me to always be better.

The Students for Life conference got canceled because of the blizzard. Lots of students & groups got stuck in the snow on their way home. It was definitely not a storm to take lightly.

I am so glad that we made the trip & went to the March.

We were able to safely make it to Caroline’s house before the blizzard started.

The blizzard couldn’t stop the pro-life generation!

March For Life 2016

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This Floridian is travelling to DC tomorrow night.

Yep, even as Major Winter Storm Jonas approaches, seemingly promising to hit hard on Friday – the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade -the day of the march. Even if the forecast was worse, as long as I could physically get my ass to DC I would still go. Hundreds of thousands of people agree with me.

The cause is so worth it.

March For Life 2015, Photo by Matt Barrick from the March For Life Facebook page

5 years ago I attended a pro-life group meeting in college. My friend Caroline was very involved with the group & asked me to come. I did it just because she was my friend, not because I felt strongly about the subject, though I’ve always considered myself pro-life.

During that meeting, someone decided to read the first chapter of Abby Johnson’s book unPLANNED. I strongly suggest you click that link & read the first chapter for yourself. I have not yet read the rest of the book, but that first chapter changed my whole life. I believe God put me in that meeting & laid this cause on my heart.

It was relatively easy to be a pro-life college student. Sure, most people around me were pretty liberal, but I had a great group of friends around me & plenty of outreach opportunities – sidewalk counseling, tabling demonstrations around campus, bringing in guest speakers, articles in the campus newspaper, etc. I was president of our on-campus club my senior year & attended my first March For Life that year & went to the Students For Life Of America conference & everything. At times these activities were emotionally draining, but I always had a pro-life friend near by for support.

March For Life 2012

It is much harder to be a pro-life adult. Sometimes I’m more vocal than others, but these conversations are much more difficult without the catalyst of a campus event. This is one of the reasons that going to the March For Life is so important. It is a sacrifice of time & money. It requires taking time off from work & life & traveling to DC in the winter. Am I going to have fun on this trip? Of course I am, but that doesn’t mean I lose sight of the reason I make such a journey almost every year. I get to spend time in our nation’s capital & reconnect with old friends who live in the area. I get to hear amazing pro-life speakers – from senators to Silent No More. But I think what I enjoy the most is that I get to be a part of something much bigger than myself. And then I get to share about my experience.

March For Life 2013

Last year I did not write about the march. I had just recently started blogging & I didn’t want to make this “too political”. Well, this isn’t a political issue, or a religious issue. This is literally a life & death situation. Yes, I believe that God is the author & creator of all life & that He has given me this mission. However, I’ve become increasingly more involved with Secular Pro-Life because ALL life is precious & ALL people should come to that conclusion regardless of their beliefs (or lack thereof). Yes, I lean to the right, but I follow groups like Democrats For Life because it’s really not about politics. Do politics play a role? Absolutely. It is up to our leaders to pass laws to defend life while also providing funding to programs like welfare, medicaid, & DCF. The scenarios that drive women to choose abortions are never easy or black & white, & it is important for the government to be able to help its people.

March For Life 2015

This year is a little different. This year most of my coworkers know I am going to DC to march for life. This year I am writing about it & will share some photos from the event when I return. This year will be my 4th time at the march; my husband’s 2nd. I am incredibly lucky to have such a supportive partner in life, for the rest of my life, fighting for life with me.

So bring on the snow, Jonas. A little bad weather cannot stop the truth about LIFE from spreading.

If you are interested in seeing what the march is all about from the comfort of your own home, please check out the March For Life website & click “Watch the March For Life Livestream” on Friday, Jan 22.

The Best Banana Pudding Ever

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My husband & I took a break from all the unpacking, demo-ing, painting, etc. last week to attend our Chapel Bells end-of-the-season party. It was pot luck style, so of course I signed up for dessert, which was great because I had been looking for an excuse to make the best banana pudding ever.

I got this recipe from my friend Josh. We were in the Pro Life Alliance together in college, & our meetings often involved dessert. The people in the pro-life movement are some of the sweetest I know (no pun intended).

March for Life, January 2012. Washington, DC.

This is one of those recipes that gets better with each step. Sampling along the way is definitely encouraged.

It was like 10PM when I got around to making this the night before the bell party. By 10:30PM I was finished, had sampled it, & gone to bed. It’s a really easy recipe.

Paraphrasing Josh’s instructions: Line a pan with Nilla Waffers. Then in a large bowl mix 2 cups of cold milk (Josh said whole, I used 2% & it still came out good) and 1 and 2/3 packet of instant French vanilla pudding (two full packets is too strong according to Josh) and let sit.

Using an electric mixer – this was my inaugural use of my KitchenAid mixer in the new house! – mix together an 8 oz package of softened cream cheese and a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk until smooth.

I think the secret ingredient in this recipe is the sweetened condensed milk. I love it. Cubans use it a lot. My mom & I used to pour it over corn flakes & eat it as a treat. Vietnamese people put it in their iced coffee. It’s magical stuff.

Sweetened condensed milk + cream cheese = YUM! This combo must be explored further..

Once all lumps are gone, fold in a thawed 12 oz container of cool whip. This also results in a delicious combo. I wasn’t kidding about the sampling along the way!

Take the cream cheese mixture and fold that into the pudding. Josh recommends to take a large dollop as a sacrificial amount and whisk it in really well to make sure the pudding isn’t too thick then fold in the rest gently.

Cut up some bananas & line the baking sheet with the slices. Josh says to use slightly browned ones so they’re kinda soft but still have texture to them, but it’s up to your individual banana preference. I only ended up using 4 bananas in my recipe. You can add more or less!

Those two little bowls are me & my husband’s sample batch 🙂

Pour the pudding mixture over the bananas in the pan immediately to reduce browning. If you are going to serve the same day: top with Nilla wafers & refrigerate for for 2-3 hours before serving. Since I was serving this the next day at the bell party, I didn’t add the top wafers until then. Don’t snack on too many of the wafers, or you might not have enough! This may or may not have happened to me…

The pudding was a hit!

Banana Pudding

4-7 bananas
2 cups cold milk
1 & 2/3 packet Instant French Vanilla pudding
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 14oz can sweeteened condensed milk
1 12oz tub Cool Whip, thawed
1 box Nilla Wafers

Line a 9×13 pan with Nilla Wafers.
Mix pudding & milk together in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese & condensed milk with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip.
Take a large dollop of cream cheese mixture & whisk into the pudding. Fold the rest of the cream cheese mixture in gently.
Slice bananas & lay over Nilla Wafers in pan.
Pour pudding mixture over bananas in pan.
Line top of pudding with Nilla Wafers. Refrigerate 2-3 hours before serving, or over night.

Mrs. Dessert Monster

Part-time baker; full-time mami