Candy, Pumpkins And The Monster Mash

Hello dear readers, one and all! I've finally returned to the world called reality. Yes. Reality. Not so magical as my dream world but oh well.


As you all probably know, today is October 31, otherwise known as Halloween. Now I know people who say that we should completely ignore the holiday and not have anything to do with it. I also know people who have no problem with it and go all out to celebrate. I personally walk the fence. 


There are certainly parts of the day that I don't agree with. Focusing on ghosts and ghouls and the scary things of life for instance. And I will never understand why anyone would have the desire to go through the haunted houses! However there are also parts that I don't think are bad. Like dressing up and going "Trick-or-Treat"ing. 


My family hasn't done a lot of that. As a kid, we'd dress up, go around to my immediate neighbors for candy and then to my church for a harvest party thing. I've only actually gone trick-or-treating once in my life. Tonight my parents took the three youngest to a nearby neighborhood to get candy. And, in my opinion, no one can tell me that there's something wrong with candy! Especially when my siblings are nice and share with me. :)


Another bit of the holiday that I enjoy is carving pumpkins. My family has carved pumpkins ever since I can remember. We have a book that we read every year called "The Pumpkin Gospel" and I pretty much know it by heart. It talks about how, just like we carve a face on the pumpkin and replace the yucky stuff inside with a candle, so God replaces the yucky stuff inside us with His light and puts a smile on our face. That's good stuff right there! That and eating the pumpkin seeds. 


We also watch Charlie Brown And The Great Pumpkin every year. But that's the extent of our Halloween celebration. We don't make it a big deal but we don't completely ignore it either. 


Now then, being Halloween, there are two songs that are Must Post songs for today. The first is an oldie but quite fun to bob your head to. The second.... a little more popular and Halloweenish. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxcM3nCsglA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMBVbEUd7o

Keep your smile on! Until next time!

Family Fun, Cheesecake And Perfect Fall Days

*pinch* Yup! I'm still not dreaming! This is real life! Amazing huh?


Well I woke up entirely too happy today. *pinch* Nope! Not dreaming! After a cup of coffee, some cinnamon rolls and a shower, I started in on my big project for the day. Making a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake! It took some effort but it was well worth it. Everyone loved it so I think I'll definitely be stocking away that recipe for later. 


Garrett hung out with me all that while (he took the credit for crushing up the graham crackers for the crust) and we talked and listened to Owl City. Then we had an hour to kill while we waited for the cheesecake to cook. *pinch* Yup. When it finally finished, we ran an errand for my mom. Car jam time! :D La Roux was our music of choice for this ride. What fun!


When we got home, my grandma was here for dinner (it's her birthday today). We ate pretty early and it was great to have my whole family at the table together! That doesn't happen very often at our house. We all had a lovely time chatting and eating the delicious cheesecake and then Gavin helped me clean up the kitchen. *pinch* Still real!


It was sooooo nice outside today but by the time I finished with the kitchen, we were losing daylight too fast to take a bike ride. So Garrett and I headed to the park for a walk! 'Twas ever so nice! The last of the colored leaves, the cool breeze, the setting sun. And I made sure to step on every single crunchy looking leaf on the path the whole way. *pinch* Still awake!


We got back and instead of folding laundry like a good child, I took some cheesecake next door to my grandparents. I've discovered that you can't make cheesecake without sharing the wealth! Anyway, my grandma and I sat and had quite an interesting talk. Courting always comes up in the conversation because she doesn't understand it. She thinks I should be getting into more relationships so I can gain experience and eventually find the perfect guy. Heh..... no thanks. I'd rather not set myself up for more heartbreak than necessary. Ok, off my soapbox. *pinch* :D


What's all the pinching about? Eh, I think I'll leave you in suspense. But it's the reason why I've been smiling and uncontrollably happy today. :) 


Now for a song! This song has been stuck in my head all day and I'm not really sure why. But anyway, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEwVAV3VPw4

Keep your smile on! Until next time!

Feminine Friday: Reread

Your Feminine Friday for today is the Feminine Friday post from two weeks ago. It seemed appropriate for my situation and worth reading again. So here you go:

http://theconfessionsofapastorskid.blogspot.com/2010/10/feminine-friday-broken-things.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWw24s5gG8

Keep your smile on. Until next time. 

The Pearl Necklace

Today was horrible so I'm not even going to talk about it. Instead, here is a story that my mom reminded me of this morning. Hope you like it.

The Pearl Necklace

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. 

"Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.

"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.

On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess--the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."

"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver,she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. 

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

What are you hanging on to?

Keep your smile on. Until next time.

Photo Randomness

In my last post, I mentioned that I was playing up some pictures tonight. Well I figured I might as well share them with you since I already told you about them. And I'll give you fair warning. These are just a bunch that I took with random stuff around my room. Anyway, enjoy!

Choosing Joy

I'm sure you're sitting there saying to yourself "What!!! She has more to say?!?" but I do! So read on if you dare! If not, get out of here! ;)


Today was an interesting day. My first thought when I woke up was "My. Life. Sucks." But being a 8 am class day, I didn't have the time to just lay there and mope like I wanted to. I went about my morning routine, holding back the tears and doing a pretty good job of it. It was when I climbed in my car to head to class that this song popped in my head:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXi5iq1zAl4

"Come on Casey! You really think that moping around is going to do you any good? Choose to be happy! Ditch the sad face!" So I did my best. And He made it easy! Class went quite well today. The lecture was as boring as watching water drip from a leaky faucet but lab was fun! Christina, Remon and I had a great time, joking around with each other and trying to figure out how to use our concave and convex mirrors and stuff. Too many pieces for our group. 


When I got home, Garrett treated me to Starbucks. Cinnamon Dolce Latte with white mocha. Yum! I wasn't really hungry for lunch but Gavin gave me a couple of his french fries anyway. I then had a pleasant conversation with Rachel (Fredrich Oppenheimer Johannasburg!!! XD ) and finished up some homework before it was time to leave for work.


Ah work. It's a good thing I chose to be in a good mood today because if I hadn't, I would have gone insane! 37 kids today! 37!! And two of us. I'm sure there's probably some laws against that. So, while we were inside, Brittany and I played the drill sergeants, getting everyone to clean up and sit quietly for snack and such. I lost count of how many shoes I tied and how many cardboard books I read. Oh! But Charlie was there today which made me smile! He's my favorite. Little 3 year old boy who follows me around and wants me to hold him all the time and randomly gives me hugs. He's great! Anyway, we got everyone outside for the rest of the afternoon (the wind made it FREEZING!) and Brittany and I were out of there by 6! 


I got home and ate my first real meal in two days. Was I hungry? No. But headaches require Ibuprofen and Ibuprofen requires food. My mom had half a grilled cheese and some tomato soup left from dinner so I managed that. After cleaning up the kitchen, I went to my old church to watch the new mimers and see my old mime teacher. I was soooooooo glad to see her! It'd be so long! Watching their practice, I was jetted back to the seventh grade and all the time I spent in that room, being told to smile or straighten that arm or use the other hand for this or that gesture (being left-handed made it difficult). Very good memories! 


It ended too soon for me so home I came again. Garrett and I finished off the pumpkin ice cream that Rachel brought me Monday (Garrett had the brilliant idea to put chocolate chips on top!) and sat on the couch, watching Sense and Sensibility. The rest of my family returned from Bible study and joined us. So I got to watch the movie, snuggled up on the couch with my two brothers. 


Now, what did I do when I wasn't busy today (and honestly, even when I was)? Prayed. Asked God for strength and peace. But most of all, begging Him for that trapdoor. From my present position, I don't think I'll get it but I can still ask right? So yeah, it's been tough to keep my smile on today but I succeeded! Now I'm listening to Owl City and getting ready to play with some random pictures I took tonight. And yes, I am procrastinating on homework.


I hope your day was good, my dear reader. And smile! No matter what your situation, don't deprive the world of that one bright spot! Until next time!

God's Gifts

Hello for the second time today. Oh boy, what a day it has been! Oh the adventures I've had. It just wasn't my day today.


First of all, I got in my first fender bender on the way back from class. Minimal damage: I just have to have one of my front headlights replaced and there was only a scratch or two on the other car's bumper. Thankfully the people were very nice and helpful. It will suffice to say that I HATE slippery roads. 


Second, I had a not so pleasant conversation with a good friend today. And I'm going to open up a little bit here so grab your violin. During the short conversation (about five minutes), I thought I was holding it together fairly well. However, his hug at the end broke me. I was able to get in the car and drive away before the tears came. Honestly, I haven't cried that hard in a long long time. And I don't think I've ever cried for such a lengthy period of time in my whole life. Imagine the car filling up with water and me swimming around inside, water pouring out the windows. But two hours later, I ran out (amazingly) and found I had a pounding headache. I need to learn not to cry so much....


After a few more hours spent moping around at home, I went to the Kern's to babysit the boys. We sat and watched a movie and I fixed them popcorn. It was then that I realized I hadn't eaten all day, however I had no appetite so I skipped dinner. When I got home, I talked to my mom a little, talked to my dad a little and talked to Rachel a little (she dubbed me Cry Baby which is probably appropriate). Then I went outside.


I ran around the backyard until I couldn't breathe and I found that the pain in my side was a welcome distraction from the pain of my heart. In the dark, I finally collapsed on the ground and just stared up at the stars. God moved the clouds for me so I had my own little piece of sky. And I prayed. I begged God for an answer. I begged Him for the trapdoor, the way out. And you know what? I didn't get either. However, I did get something better. Peace. His peace. It washed over me like the cold wind and I knew. 


I don't need to know why. All I need to know is that I'm doing what He wants. He has a reason. There is a purpose for all this pain. As Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." There is not one single tear that I shed today that He didn't collect in a bottle (well.... probably a few bottles by now). I gave this to Him and in return, I got His peace and joy. The hardest part will be not taking it back but I know that, with His help, I can leave it at His feet. 


He also reminded me of how many wonderful people He's put in my life. I've gotten so many messages today in the form of texts and e-mails and phone calls. People who don't even know what's going on but just felt they needed to tell me how much they care. Also, my family is a huge part of that list of wonderful people. All of them, parents, grandparents, siblings, everyone that knows, has been so encouraging and made many attempts to cheer me up. I love my family. Each one of them is such a special gift and I am lucky to know them. I am blessed!


Now here's another song for you. As I was laying outside, staring at the sky, this song came to mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPPSG_SpojY

So, to repeat my earlier comment, I will be okay. I will! Know why? Because I know that God has something amazing in store for me and I can't wait to find out what it is!


Until next time!

No Matter What

I don't know why. I just know He asked me to and my heart is broken. But He knows why and I'm letting Him carry me. I will trust no matter what. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA3MSqufJP4

I WILL BE OKAY.

Not Just Leaning

Boy what a day today has been. Lots of people and talks and hanging out with Jesus, part of it good, part of it not so much. 


The highlight of my day was definitely the worship service we had at my church this evening. We invited another inner city church to join us (a black church actually and no I am not racist :P) and it was AWESOME!!! They got really into the songs, even if they didn't know them, and consequently, so did we! Then the pastor gave a short sermon on fear. I'm positive he had no idea how badly I needed to hear it but I did. Fear is a choice and it is contagious. Why fear when we can give it to God? So, after that and some more songs, Hannah and I did our mime performance. I have never received so much encouragement for mime before! We got a standing ovation AND everyone was yelling "Encore! Encore!" I had sooooo many people come up to me afterwards and tell me that I need to go to their church and perform for them some Sunday. What an opportunity! So yes, definitely the highlight of my day and most likely, my week. 


As to the title of this post, you know how people tell you to lean on God in times of trouble? Well I'm not leaning. You're looking at a girl who is being CARRIED through life by her Savior. This being the case, I figured my life's theme song was appropriate: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA3MSqufJP4

Until next time. 

Looking Back

As I was thinking about what I should put in this post, I thought back on my past week and I realized how incredibly productive, fun and amazing it was! Seriously! I started my two new college classes, put in 11 hours at work, got all my homework done by Friday night, saw my best friend twice, had good long talks with two other friends, went to a family dinner, had mime practice, took my sister on a date, went to a fall party with a bunch of friends, and only missed one day's blog post! Good stuff!!! 


Now for my "deep" thought of the day. Have you ever wanted something so badly but then again really really not wanted it? Like, being happy and heartbroken at the same time. Welp, that's kinda where I am right now. There's soooooo much I've had to pray about and really it's all kind of hit me in the last two weeks. How I wish God sent us e-mails, just telling us what to do. Sometimes, I wish I had a magic wand so I could bibbity bobbity boo things to the way I want them. But unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. So I gotta live with what I've got and trust that God will guide me where He wants me. 


Now for a little rock n' roll. :) Two songs from one of my new favorite bands. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyiXq5GL9Ow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Etv-cA0tI

I hope your week went well, my dear reader. Until next time!

Feminine Friday: Rejoicing In Singleness

Here we are again! Another Friday and another feminine aspect to look at. Today's verse is 1 Corinthians 7:34:

"...In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband."

I have to admit, I struggle with this. For years, I've had a desire to be coupled with someone. To be loved and admired. To know that someone thought me the most beautiful person in the whole wide world. But not too long ago, I stumbled across the above verse. And isn't it true! 

As a single young woman, I am free to serve the Lord in any way I choose. I can focus on where He's leading ME and not US. I can put my full attention on pleasing Him and Him alone!

More importantly, I know that He loves me and cherishes me for who I am! This time of singleness should be spent growing my relationship with my Heavenly Husband, not moping about for lack of a diamond. 

So, if you my dear, are single and wish not to be, then remember that really, you aren't single! You are the Bride of Christ and He makes a better Husband than anyone here on earth ever could. Take delight in His adoring eyes and remember that no one could love you more. You are cherished!

Until next time!

Running Running Running

Remember how I told you that my day was full today? Well I'm literally writing this on the fly so you won't feel neglected. I got some grief for not writing a post the other night. ;)


So, today. I meant to get up at 7 but that didn't happen. 8 rolled around and by then, I figured I'd better get up. After getting ready, eating some pancakes and gathering up my books, off to math class I went! It was pretty good this morning. We went over three subjects so we got two breaks. :D Now I'm home, eating lunch. In about 20 minutes, I leave for work until 6. When I get home from work, I'll engulf more food, grab my little brothers and head to church for mime practice. I should make it home by 9 ish and then I have a loooooooong night ahead of me, writing a Summery and Response paper for my English class. Oh the joys of college huh? Too much to do and not enough hours! So there you have my day. Now no scolding me for a terrible post. At least I posted something! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnr0iVnZFQ8

Until next time!

Forgetting To Breathe

Hello hello my dear readers! My apologies for a lack of post yesterday. I meant to in the evening but, due to a majorly pounding headache, I went to bed quite early. So, let me catch you up a little bit!


Yesterday was great! Since COM 101 is done and finished, I've started MATH 118....... which starts at 11 am baby! BOOYAH!!!! I really really like my prof too! He explains things very well, gives good examples (both from the book and from his own knowledge) and is pretty easygoing. So, even though it is math class, I can suffer through it tolerably. When I got home, I ate lunch and Carl came over "to change the oil in my car". Pretty sneaky excuse if you ask me. ;) I trapped him into answering some questions and we ended up sitting on my porch, talking and laughing for about two hours. It was wonderful! However, all good things must come to an end and our time together ended too soon for me (though I'm sure he was ready to get away from my antics ;) ). After he left, Garrett and I ran to Danni's to give her a balloon (she had her appendix out last weekend!) and we stayed for a few minutes to talk. When we got home, I ate a little bit of dinner and decided to just go to bed. It was then 8:30. 


Hello 6:15 am! And going to bed so early last night, I had no trouble getting up this morning. I took my time getting ready and was out the door by 7:15....... to find that I had to scrape the frost off my car! Looks like I'm gonna have to start asking my daddy to start my car for me. :) To class I went (Physical Science this morning) and I was actually the first one there, though the rest of my classmates weren't far behind. We had a sub this morning and let me tell you, she didn't stop talking! She was a little more interesting than our usual prof but she was sooooooo breathy. We didn't even get all the way through the lesson before it was time for lab. As usual, my group was the first done and boy did we fly outta there! 


Now I'm taking some time off to write this before I do some homework and go to work later. I have soooooo much to do and so little time to do it! Tomorrow is completely full, Friday is mostly full, Saturday is half full, Sunday.... well you can forget about homework. Hopefully I don't forget to breathe through all this!


Here's your song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy_qlYjAh8o

Farewell and until next time!

*sigh* Life

Today was..... okay. It didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped but oh well. Class went well. I got my paper turned in which is one more thing to check off my To-Do List. Then, since we had a test today, I got to leave early! I also started my English Comp. class which is an internet class. There's LOTS of work but I like how you don't have particular class sessions that it's all due. You have the syllabus and a weeks worth of work to get done by Friday. Good stuff! 


So, if today was ok, why the title? Well, it's just life right now I guess. Sometimes I wish I could get an e-mail from God, giving me a very clear cut answer. In my devotions today, I read this poem which describes my feelings exactly:

Being perplexed, I say,
"Lord, make it right!
Night is as day to You,
Darkness is light.
I am afraid to touch
Things that involve so much;
My trembling hand may shake,
My skilless hand may break;
Yours can make no mistake."


Being in doubt I say,
"Lord, make it plain;
Which is the true, safe way?
Which would be gain?
I am not wise to know,
Nor sure of foot to go;
What is so clear to Thee,
Lord, make it clear to me!"
~ Anon

And there it is. My thoughts and feelings in a cryptic little nutshell. Can I give you more to explain? Mmmm........ nope. Sorry. But your prayers would be much appreciated. 


Oh! I almost forgot! I really should give you a song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUykOG0xhEk

Until next time!

Mime Practice, Piles of Leaves And Pizza

Today's been a pretty good day! I actually got to first service this morning (on time too!) so I got all my socializing in with everyone. Dad's sermon was fantastic as usual! Second service Garrett and I sat and talked. I discovered that I'm pretty much the only reason he looks forward to coming home anymore. It's kinda sad but I'm glad I could be the bright spot for him! It's great to live with one of your best friends. 


After church, Garrett, Hannah, Matt and I all went out to Chinese for lunch. There are so many memories at that place and I love making new ones! When we finished, Hannah, Garrett and I headed back to church to run over the mime song a few times. It amazes me how good Hannah is! She's caught on so fast and I know our performance next Sunday is going to be awesome! 


We figured everything out and took her home and of course, Garrett and I jammed on our way home. We have fun in the car. :) When we got back, we changed out of our church clothes and headed to the park for a walk. It was a perfect day for it! Just cool enough but not freezing cold. Of course I had to jump in a few piles of leaves along the way but hey! That's part of Fall right? 


Our walk ended too soon and home we came again. Then I started the task of studying for tomorrow's test. I didn't get far before Garrett brought me Dr. Pepper (he knows me pretty well ;) ) and a hug. I LOVE Garrett hugs!!! Anyway, he left me to it so it was a while before I left my hole to get some pizza. I got to socialize with my parents a little bit then which was great. I have some pretty awesome parents. :) 


I also discovered today that crying gives me headaches. I don't like that. 


Well, I think that's about it. Now I'm off to review one more time before going to get some shuteye. Until next time!

My Favorite Things

Hello again. Today wasn't all that good. Yes, I was productive, but it's Saturday so to spend the day doing homework wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Especially on a beautiful day like today! But, instead of writing a long drawn out lament, I decided to write about my favorite things. Obviously it won't be ALL my favorite things because that would be a VERY long list but at least some of them. So here goes nothing!


My favorite things: lazy mornings spent doing devotions, walks down my street, my phone chirping to a new text message, stargazing with anyone but with my brothers especially, daffodils in full bloom, making people smile, hugs, Lucy's laugh, dancing in the rain, long phone conversations, pearls, late night errand running, good books and hot chocolate, when it snows on Christmas Eve, valentines, feeling pretty for a day, handwritten letters, smiles, watching chick flicks with my mom, butterflies, thunderstorms during the daytime, twirly skirts and hair ribbons, washing dishes, happy endings, baking cookies and pies and stuff for people to enjoy, finishing homework, rocking babies to sleep, being asked to dance, randomly singing whatever song is stuck in my head, writing poetry and blog posts


Ok ok I'll stop now! I know. That list may be a little bit too much sunshine and pink prancing ponies for some people. But hey! That's just me! :)


Now you can't have a post entitled "My Favorite Things" without featuring this song. So, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw2VX5wQYQg

I hope you had a good day, my dear reader. Until next time!

Music

While I've been writing my paper this afternoon, I've been listening to Chris Rice's 'Living Room Sessions' and I really really wanted to share a few with you! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5C-5fpf19o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyi97DPsOlk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLfYt0Qx7wc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpF3-YQpqZU

P.S. The pictures in the videos, I took them. :) 


Until next time!

Feminine Friday: Broken Things

Good day to you, my fair readers! This week's Feminine Friday is pretty special! Why? Because it's not written by me! I ask my mom if she would consider writing this week's post and she gladly accepted. So here you go, the thoughts from someone much wiser than I.

Psalm 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

As females we hear all the time that true beauty comes from a “gentle and quiet spirit". How I struggle with that one!! But I think true Christ-likeness goes far beyond just a meek, gentle spirit…it goes all the way to brokenness! God uses broken things and while it’s easy to say it, it’s hard to BE one of those “things”.

Joseph, Jacob, Gideon, Peter, Paul – all of these amazing “giants” of the faith all had to be broken in order for God to use them and for the Kingdom to be increased. Again, how easy to look and say “yes, they all were used for God’s glory” until it’s YOU that is being broken! I believe that our gentle and quiet spirit often must come from being broken! But this is God’s work and not ours and we usually don’t have a say in how or when this brokenness will come.

In the last years of my life, I’ve seen so many dear friends face situations that I have thought “I don’t think I could live through that”. From becoming a young widow with 2 small children to another being almost  bedridden with a mysterious illness and constant pain that the doctors are still guessing at; God uses unthinkable pain and trials to bend us and cause us to fall at his feet in broken heaps begging for His strength, hope and grace. But it doesn’t stop there!

The very souls that have been through the dark valley – and some are still there- are some of the sweetest, most faithful, joyful people I’ve ever met in my life!  These women truly have a patience, gentleness and clinging faith that makes believers and unbelievers alike shake their head in wonder.  In all those different women’s lives and situations the common thread is their Lord, Jesus! They have said what he said in the garden, “not my will but Thine” and have gone on to trust their Father no matter what their lives ended up looking like.  

He then pours out his mercy, presence and strength and fills them up with His joy and comfort.  Their lives are so full of HIM that they spill over in radiance, peace and love which cause others to become more thirsty for Him! What more could we ask for? What more important “work” for the Kingdom is there? 

So I say to you out there who might be broken or are in the midst of picking up the pieces – lean hard on Him! He is faithful and will never waste a single teardrop! He will give you so much of Himself that His deep gentleness and quietness will flow out of you without you even being aware of it! This inner beauty will be a testimony of our Lord’s love and mercy, your faithful trust and the beauty of broken “things”. Thank you, Lord Jesus! 

Until next time! 

Success!

Good evening my dear readers! You're probably wondering why I'm posting when I have so much to do. Well, I have decided not to do any homework tonight. Why? Because I am "sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well earned comforts." 


This morning, I got up at 7, nervous as anything. I managed to eat some toast which just upset the butterflies more but oh well. I left the house at 8:30 as usual and got there by 9. Surprisingly, I was the second one there. I would have thought, being our last day, there would have been more there early but whatever. We actually started on time. I was ninth to go but thankfully two people before me didn't show and two more whipped up speeches before getting up there which made them like two minutes long. So up I went, took a deep breath..... and started. 


I felt like I did okay but not as good as I could have. When I got back our speech evaluation sheets: 199 points out of 200!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D I got lots of grief and questions and "You're crazy"s afterwards but the grade was totally worth it! I have to say, now that we're done, I am going to miss a lot of things about Speech class, but there's other things I won't miss. Guess that's how life goes. 


So, after I got out, Carl was the first to hear my news (I'm sure I squealed too much in the five minutes we talked) and then my Dad. When I got home, I found that sweet Gavin had a pizza ready made to share! Then he and I ventured to Wal-mart to get a few odds and ends. We got back and fooled around the house until mom got home. Then I left AGAIN with her to run her errand. 


This seems like a theme. "I left and then I came back. And then I left again and then I came back...." So can you guess what I did next? That's right! I came home! And instead of getting on my computer, I was a good child and helped my mom make dinner. After eating, I even cleaned up the kitchen! Then I got to play piano for about half an hour.


By then, it was about 6:30 and Garrett and I headed to Frosty Boy to meet up with two of my favorite guys! That's right. Zach and Joe! We had a lovely evening laughing and joking around and eating ice cream. And I got to be the "girl on their arm" at some point for each of them. Silly boys. :) 


So there you have it ladies and gentlemen. The reason I'm not doing homework tonight. I am going to stay up late, do exactly whatever I want to do and sleep in tomorrow! 


For your song, I picked the happiest one I could find and it happened to be from one of my favorite soundtracks! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4o5-f6dGAg

I hope your day went as well as mine! Until next time!

Wait Wait!!

Before you accuse me of negligence, let me have a chance to defend myself! The reason why I didn't post last night was because I was busy all day and then from 9 pm to 1 am, I was writing up my persuasive speech. And at 1 in the morning, when you have to get up in five hours, you don't exactly want to write a blog post. So, I'll now get you up to date. 


Tuesday: Speech class as usual. It went well but Ms. V was a real stickler for keeping to the schedule (which is understandable). There was lots of lecture, very little free time and we barely finished when we were supposed to. When I got home, I took a much needed nap. Then it was off again, this time to the Kern's house! I babysat them for the evening and we had a lovely time! I took them to the apple orchard for apple slushies and then we went by the park for a while. I took my camera along and they let me take their pictures! Some of them turned out pretty good too! So, when we got hungry, we went back to the house and watched Hercules while eating dinner. Then Angie and Scott got back and I came home. From that point on, it was writing writing writing writing (with an occasional text to Carl in there). I got it done though and crashed right after. 


Today! 6 am came too soon as it usually does and this morning, I was moving a little slower than usual. I won't go into why. :P Anyway, I made it to class right on time, took notes for the first half of the lecture, slept the ten minute break away, gave up on notes for the second half, laughed with Remon at Christina trying to figure out the lab, left early! On my way home, I ran by Starbucks to use up the last of my gift card. Pumpkin spice latte! Yum! When I got home, I found that my sweet mother had gotten everyone french fries and burgers from Frosty Boy! Another treat! 


After lunch, I worked in my speech a little more before going over to my grandma's for a bit. We had a nice talk before I had to leave for work. Today was an easy day at the daycare! We didn't have as many kids as usual and they were pretty calm today. Brittany actually let me leave a little early too! So, got home, ate dinner, worked on my speech some more and then I got to talk to Joe for a little bit! That made my night, let me tell ya. Oh how I've missed that boy! Anyway, when I emerged from my room, I found that almost my whole family had gone to Bible study! So Garrett and I had the house to ourselves! After he timed my speech, we ate ice cream and watched some of 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring'. Good movie that! Except as we were watching, I lost track of the time. 9:30, "Oh my word! I have a speech tomorrow and my note cards aren't done! Goodnight everyone!" *door slam* So, an hour later, all my homework is done for tomorrow and I'm sooooooo nervous! 


The rest of this week is pretty busy too. I have class tomorrow morning and then I'm hopefully getting together with Zach and Joe in the evening! *crosses fingers*. Friday is homework day, work from 3 to 6 and then an evening free and easy! Saturday is the day for studying. I have so much homework to be done before Monday! A paper, a current event and a study guide as well as studying for our test. Oh the joys of college huh?


Well now I think you deserve two songs since I missed yesterday's post. So here you go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bugC1_3-cU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqZq5fM4TBo

Until next time!

Good Moods..... Uncanny That

Today I woke up in a wonderfully good mood! Don't ask me why. I had to get up at 6 this morning. I also caved and had some coffee with breakfast. I left my house at 7 am. Well guess what! At 7 am..... THE STARS ARE STILL OUT!!! How cool is that!


So, off I go to class. Remember how I'm stuck on Owl City at the moment? Well, they played Fireflies on the radio this morning! And yes, I sang along, very off key but you couldn't tell for the radio. And come to think of it, I was by myself anyway so it didn't matter! So, got to class, dozed for half an hour before it started, listened to the two girls in the back row complain about how horrible their life is (most of it self inflicted) and finally the lecture started. We got our tests back today and......... I got a 95%!!!! *does a happy little dance* Feel free to applaud. :) 


Mr. Weir stopped talking about 20 minutes early and everyone practically ran out of the room. The drive home, I listened to my new favorite program which is on exactly after my class on Mondays. A whole hour of old big band songs with singers like Frank Sinatra (yes, dearest Frank) and Doris Day! Those were the days.


Dad was home today but I didn't see him very long as he was either doing outside work or gone at the Co-op thing. I did a little of homework (mostly just figuring out a tentative schedule for this week) and listened to some OC. Theeeeeen it was time for me to leave. And you know what? I think OC has a song about where I went! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDZ5sesb6B8

Yup! The dentist. No worries though. No cavities or issues. Just your regular cleaning with the nasty flouride. Fun huh? Not. 


When I got home, I decided to take on dinner for my mom. So after raiding all the refrigerators and freezers in my house, I decided on sausage, green beans and Italian noodles. It all turned out pretty good too! Everyone liked it. And while I was cooking that, I had the urge to make something sweet. So after I had cleaned up the kitchen, off to the store I went with Garrett to accompany me. We had to get the ice cream and peaches for the cobbler. When we got home, out came my new apron and the sugar bowl! Soon, I had a lovely pan of steaming golden peach cobbler! And with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top... delicious!


Gavin and Maisy had Bible study tonight so the rest of us watched Father Of The Bride II. I'd forgotten how funny that movie is! My parents and I had some good laughs together. However in the middle, Jess called me (my mentor Jess) and we had a good conversation. It was soooooo good to talk to her! I love having someone besides my parents that I can talk to (not that I don't talk to my parents mind you, but it's nice to have another's opinion too). So after catching up with her for a bit, I went back to finish the movie. When it ended, I said my goodnights and sat on my bed, finishing homework and "listening" to Carl's scary driving stories. :) 


Tomorrow is speech class and then I'm watching the Kern boys in the evening! Remember Blacksmith and Skunk Monkey from the summer? Yeah! Them! I'm excited. :)


Now for another OC song (feel free to groan)! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J7UPSh2Xxw

Wow.... there were a lot of smiley faces in that post. And though my day contained a bunch of little good things, it wasn't that good overall. Ok..... well maybe it was. So maybe my good mood wasn't that uncanny after all. Until next time!

Good Stuff

Today was rather a good day! I went to second service this morning and the car ride there was incredible. There's been a lot on my mind lately and I've been a little overwhelmed by it all. In some things, I have no idea which way I should go so this morning, I was talking to God on the way to church, out loud (and yes, I was by myself in the car). As I'm chattering away about all my insecurities, I heard Him say "Hang on to me." It kind of shut me up. Duh! I don't have the strength to do this on my own and thankfully, I don't have to! I can cling to a God who will carry me through when I can't stand anymore. Just one of those God moments that make you feel like you can face the world again. 


Church was amazing as usual. My daddy is a good preacher. :) After church, Matt came over for lunch. Apparently he is giving Gavin guitar lessons so he stayed for that and then most of the afternoon. What did we do? Sat on my floor and laughed and talked and listened to him play guitar. He even sang for me a little bit which is a rare privilege! 


After he left, I decided to watch Music & Lyrics again. :) Hey! It's a good chick flick! (and don't you say a word, Carl!) Now I'm going to eat my pizza and probably watch another movie. But of course I'll go to bed before midnight. Tomorrow's a 6 am day. Heh, and a dentist appointment in the afternoon. Joy.


Until next time!

Just Keep Writing...

Well hello there! I'm ashamed to say that I almost forgot about you! But as ever, my faithful readers always manage to wiggle their way back into my memory. What can I say? I love you all too much! 


Unfortunately, I don't have any interesting stories or experiences for you today. It's been quite boring actually. I woke up late, took Garrett on a date to lunch, spent the entire afternoon in my room writing this silly paper, went to the park for a walk with Gavin and then back to my room for some more writing. And guess what! I'm still not done with this thing! Joy... 


So because that's all I have for you today, I thought I'd give you a few songs. At the moment, Garrett has me stuck on Owl City so here's a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tShKvvd7l0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx77HRbRKQQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usR7mMHUhlY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C21g0t49iy8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytBR7ET_6uU

Until next time!

Feminine Friday: Falling In Love

Falling in love. It's a nice fantasy isn't it? I think every girl dreams about falling in love with her knight in shining armor. The only problem with that is they deceive themselves into "falling in love" over and over again, consequently breaking their hearts over and over again. Here's what I found on the subject:

"Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." ~ Sol. 2:7

A while back I made a decision and so far, it's worked out pretty well for me. I decided that I don't want to fall in love. I want love to fall into me! Meaning, I'm not going to go looking for it. Oh sure, I've had your usual girlish crushes and such but I've never gone so far as to call it "love". Waiting on God's timing is probably the best decision I've ever made! It amazes me how girls insist on falling in love when they know in the back of their minds that it will just end in heartache. Why not save yourself the trouble? Why not wait for God to bring you His best?

Ok, I'll put away my soapbox now. Until next time! 

Untitled Because I Couldn't Think Of An Interesting Title

Ah Thursday. I kinda like Thursdays actually. They seem pretty laid back and comfortable. Probably because it's almost Friday. 


Today was certainly laid back..... well after about 9:45. As you know, we had to give our informative speeches in class today and the butterflies were running rampant in my stomach until about 9:45 when I finished. After that, I got to sit and watch the others give their speeches. Needless to say, some of them were...... interesting. But anyway, at the end of class, there were only three people left (which is pretty good for that class!) and everyone said their goodbyes.


When I got home, I thought my schedule would look like this: lunch, nap, homework, dinner, mime practice. Well, not quite. I did eat lunch. However, instead of taking a nap, I cleaned up the kitchen and went with the boys to the apple orchard for apple slushies! A worthwhile trade if you ask me. Then instead of doing homework, I wrote in my journal, shamefully getting my journal self up to date for the first time since March. Yeah, not too happy about that but oh well. 


Two hours later, dinner time had commenced. Mom has been craving my shrimp for a while so I told her I'd make dinner. On the menu: shrimp, rice and salad. It was pretty good too! After I had cleaned up the kitchen (heh... again), Carl dropped by on his bike. He stayed for about an hour or so, all of which Lucy didn't stop talking. That little girl loves him like none other! I can barely get a word in edgewise! While he was here, I discovered that Hannah forgot about our mime practice so I told her not to worry about coming and we'd meet next week. She's doing great so it really wasn't needed anyway. I just wanted to see her. :)


When Carl left, Garrett and I made an ice cream run and came home to watch a movie. Tonights genre: Western. And both my brothers stayed up to watch the whole thing with me which made me happy. When we had said our goodnights, I finished writing in my journal and here I am!


Ok, now for your song of the day. My absolute favorite Beach Boys song ever! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4FRtrD9aQ

Until next time!

A Producti....... Nevermind

Hello hello! This post is going to be just a bunch of odds and ends about my day because I did a whole lot of things and all in all, wasn't really that productive. Oh well. It was a good day!


First was class and that test. I got to talk to Christina before class started and then we were handed the test and I took about half an hour to finish it. Honestly, I have NO IDEA how I did. There were some questions that I knew without a doubt and others that..... well I didn't. So we'll see I guess. 


Since I got done so early and I happened to have my Bible with me, I stopped by the park to do my devotions. Best idea I've had in a while! It was so nice! The park was completely empty and I just sat on the hill, listening to the birds and talking to God. As I walked away, I had that overwhelming sense of peace. If He's in control, why worry right? Silly me. 


When I got home, I took my open book multiple choice speech test. Easy peasy. After that, I spent the rest of the afternoon working on a poem and a little addition to my blog. Ladies and gentlemen, the blog button! I was ever so proud of my computer illiterate self for figuring it out! So there it is. Feel free to grab it and post it on your own blog! 


By then, you can say hello 3 o'clock and work time. It actually didn't go too bad today though. We had a lot of kids but Brittany and I had a good time. And we got to leave by 6!


Home again home again, just in time for my mom to leave for Bible Study. Lucy and I danced around the kitchen, made some vanilla tea and I gave her a bath. Garrett was kind enough to take a few minutes away from his music to listen to my speech twice. And then Lu and I watched some good old Doris Day!


Tomorrow is speech day! EEK!!!! I'm a tad nervous now and tomorrow will be even worse. Thank goodness I'm going second so I can get it out of the way. But still! I'm hoping that I do well. Keep your fingers crossed!


Now for a song! I know I've used this before but I absolutely LOVE this song and for those close friends that read my blog and may be thinking about Christmas presents already..... this sheet music would be incredible. *wink wink* Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYN0qYG1egs

Until next time!

Speeches, Visits And Growing Up

Today...... was..... a FABULOUS day! Even if I did have you endure a tad of the creepy flirtatiousness, that couldn't dampen it! 


Being Tuesday, I had speech class this morning.... which meant I could get up at 7! But this morning, I didn't feel like getting there absurdly early like I usually do so I took my time getting ready. A hot cup of apple cider and some Owl City later, I was on my way with the rising sun. Class was interesting today. We're giving our informative speeches Thursday so today was our speech "Practice Round". Well, the two people I was paired with...... didn't have their speeches done. Like, no outlines, no nothin'. So after running through my speech once, we spent the next hour and 20 minutes brainstorming for their speeches. Heh, I wish them the best of luck. By the time we finished, it was time to leave though first I had to check and make sure my mp3 would play. So when I inserted my USB into the computer, I clicked on it and..... NOTHING!! Grrrrrrrr. So there I sat, trying to figure it out, when Robert came up and asked if I needed some tech support. He was kind enough to help me get it working (it was quite simple once we figured it out) and I got to leave, knowing I'm all prepared for Thursday! 


After class, I got to go see my adopted sister Rachel! :D I was ever so glad too! I hadn't seen her in quite a while so that hour and a half was very nice. We sat on her couch and talked and laughed and caught up on life. Finally I figured I should go since she hadn't had any sleep the night before so off I went. 


When I got home, I discovered that I had the house to myself! Along with not having to work this afternoon, I decided to watch a chick flick. Music & Lyrics was the choice of the afternoon and may I say, I do love that movie. :) Anyway, by the end, everyone had gotten home from their various places and my parents left again, taking Gavin out to dinner for his birthday. Since they were gone, you know what comes next. Right. Dancing around the kitchen to some awesome tunes. Lucy was in a jammin' mood tonight too! We ate frozen pizza and I listen to her sing along to stuff while I cleaned up the kitchen. 


Then I settled Lucy and Maisy on the living room floor to watch a movie and left them in Garrett's charge while I started on homework. It was all studying tonight. I have a test in Physical Science tomorrow which means no lecture and no lab which means I get home early! Anyway, I've spent about 4 hours studying and my brain is thoroughly tired. So I have my tea and almonds for a snack and my music and I am quite happy! 


Oh! Ok so Gavin is a teenager now right? Well today he got a Facebook!!!!! It's not fair! Last time I checked, he was seven! But oooooooh no. He went and grew up on me! *sigh* Guess he isn't a Peter Pan after all. 


Speaking of Peter Pan, my music today comes from that soundtrack! I always forget how much I love it until I stumble across it again. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H3adifFTfg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtxT-bn18OY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8O0tIJRu28

Until next time!

Bounce Back

I think I should apologize for yesterday's post. Yesterday and today just weren't the best days. You know, when you get in that mind frame of "Life stinks and then you die." Well I personally dislike that mindset. And really, I know people with problems WAY beyond mine so I have NO right to complain. God has gifted me with the opportunity of education and I should be thankful. 


I had a very good talk with my dad about it today after class. Honestly, talking to him, I felt like I was just singing the same old song that I did all last summer. And he said the same thing he always has. "You have to do it Casey. So buck up and do it." So I guess if I have to, I should at least try to enjoy it right? After our talk, he took me to lunch which was nice. We moved on to other subjects like missions trips and dreams and boys and stuff. The things you usually talk about with dads. :) It was lovely!


When we got home, I finished a good piece of homework while listening to a bunch of awesome soundtrack songs that Carl was kind enough to send me. It definitely made my homework bearable. Theeeeeeen it was time for work. It wasn't too bad today! I worked with Liz and she's really nice in general but when it's time to come down hard, she's the one to do it. So I get to be the nice one! :D I even got to leave a little early today which was nice. 


Dinner was with mom and dad since the kids where scattered around elsewhere. Then my mom and I ran to get apple cider finally! It's been fall for how many weeks and this is the first time I've had it! I know, shocking. But it's fixed now. So while I drank my hot apple cider, I did my homework and listened to more music. After a little while, my mom came in and pleaded with me to go get Garrett from a friend's house. So, like the good daughter I am, I hurried off to fetch him. Now I'm home, it's 10 pm and I'm done with my homework for the night! 


Now, to make up for my lack of happiness yesterday, here are some happy songs that I hope you'll enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RjNcOqwpRk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxEP_UrdJD0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy_qlYjAh8o

One last little thing. Today is Gavin's birthday!! He's 13 years old and the kid is almost taller than me!!!!! How time flies. Happy birthday buddy!


Until next time!

Today And A Lament

Today wasn't too bad of a day. Church this morning was excellent! I've said it before and I'll say it again, my daddy is an awesome preacher! (Listen in! http://www.livingstreamscc.org/sermons.html) I also got to talk to several people this morning that haven't been at church for a while so that was nice. 


Lunch was leisurely. Tomorrow is Gavin's birthday but we let him open his presents today since Mondays are pretty busy for us. Of course he had no objections to that. :) After we ate, Maisy and I ran an errand and took a nice long time about it so we could talk. When we got back, I decided to grab Garrett and head to the park for a walk. It was the perfect fall day today and thankfully I took my camera! Here's a selection of pictures:

On to my lament that I eluded to in the title. But first, you need the proper background music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXyPnFjeeww

Ok. Now then, Thursday I was sitting in Speech class, listening to Ms. V lecture when this thought popped into my head. "What am I doing here?" Upon some elaboration, "What am I doing here? How is what I'm learning going to help me in the long run? Is this aiding me at all in God's calling for my life?" I hear about Shannon taking sewing lessons and find myself insanely jealous that I can't. I spend a Saturday doing loads and loads of laundry and find myself completely satisfied with the day. I help my mom make grocery lists and I'm disappointed that I don't have time to help her cook the meals. I have to turn down an opportunity to spend time with someone that needs a friend and I'm saddened beyond compare that they can't come first when they should. See where I'm going here? I'm only 6 weeks in and college has ruined my life! I can't do most of the things I want to do! Things like cooking and helping my mom homeschool the kids and learning to sew and being there whenever anyone needs a friend. Why not? Because I have classes and assignments and studying that has to come before everything else. Classes and assignments and studying that, next semester, won't matter one little bit. Four years of wasting my time and money, all for a piece of paper that the world requires. Four years of being educated in ways of the world that I should wish to remain ignorant. My constant prayer at the moment is that God would provide that escape. That trap door that leads to my heart's desire; the life of a homemaker in training. There's so many skills I'm going to need before I leave home that I'm not going to have the time to learn while I'm taking classes. It makes me want to cry! 


And as everyone knows, a good lament always ends in tears. So here is where I will bid you goodnight. Until next time.