*This Christmas*

*Song of the Day* Any Christmas song :) (I know, I'm not creative right now)

I am finally done with finals and so excited to enjoy the Christmas season, and even more excited to go home to Turlock for a couple of weeks.
This morning after my last final I went straight to get all of my Christmas shopping done, and I did it!! In one full SWOOP! Which is exactly how I like to shop. I'm not a lingerer. When shopping, I have to know what I'm getting...get in, and get out :).
The Lord has blessed me with a pretty good pay check in order to get gifts for the people I love.

The other night, as I was avoiding studying for my last final....I enjoyed a classic Christmas movie, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. I'm not gonna lie, I usually am up for the original Home Alone, but I was so excited to watch this because just last year with my family WE were in New York City for Christmas and it was so beautiful, exciting, and memorable. We don't often take big vacations except about every 5 years, and last year was probably our last family vacation before there might be additions to the family (brother might be married in a few years, so exciting).
So I wanted to dedicate this blog to showing how fun our trip to NYC was for Christmas last year. We also went to Washington D.C. It was amazing!

The streets of New York









Shopping on Brother's birthday in Time Square


Rockefeller Center
















Family Photo on top of the Empire State Building

*It was a great, memorable Christmas with my amazing family*

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Friday Mornings

*Song of the Day* "I'll Be Home for Christmas"- Michael Buble, just because I LOVE him!

I just wanted to post something really quick about how thankful I am for Friday mornings. This whole semester Friday mornings have been the one morning (besides Saturdays) where I can sleep in, and enjoy my morning. I have an eventual afternoon shift at work, but I can still wake up slowly, enjoy a cup of coffee, slowly, and just relax before work....slowly.

Another thing that makes my Friday morning so enjoyable is the switch-on fireplace we have in our apartment. Not going to lie, it's so nice that we have a fireplace where WE don't have to start the fire. I mean come on, 4 girls..totally incapable of starting a great fire in the fireplace. Trust me, we've tried :)


So right now, I am sitting next to my fireplace, watching The View, in my PJs, with a cup of coffee. Thank you Lord, for Friday mornings*

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I'm Back!

Wow! It's been so long since I've posted a blog. But I guess I've been pretty busy.

School kept me busy for a while because of certain projects and papers due. And now, almost all of my end-of-the-semester assignments are due Thursday December 10 (last day of classes). So I have my work cut out for me until the end of the semester. No worries, the end is almost here and I'm so excited for Christmas :).

Also the Thanksgiving holiday kept me pretty busy. I had a great long weekend at home in Turlock. I got to see great friends, and my family in Watsonville and San Jose.

*My sister Maddie, me, and my cousin Lindsay*

*All the grandkids on mom's side, with Grandpa Glenn*
(boyfriends, and girlfriends included)

While the holiday was a great way to relax, I have lots to do to end my last Fall semester well.

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Something to Look Forward to

*Song(s) of the Day*- Pandora Radio: Type in "Piano", and the greatest contemporary piano music will play. It'll put you in a good mood, or put you to sleep (in a good way). I love listening to it when I'm studying or doing homework.

Just wanted to write a quick post. One, to make up for the slightly depressing posts I've put up recently, and Two, to say that I'm really excited about this weekend, because my momma is coming to visit!
She is flying down just to hang out, and I'm really excited to see her and just spend time with only her. She hasn't seen my apartment yet, and she's also going to come to my Jesus' Life and Ministry class on Thursday. Because one, I'm a dork who brings her mom to class, and two, it's an AWESOME class :)
Just wanted to share my excitement about the end of my week, and how it's motivating me to get a lot of work done. God has definitely given me a push to get things done :)
YAY*

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...Advice...?

I am really struggling with something. And honestly want feedback. I feel that I was hurt by someone in the past couple of months. And haven't talked to them about it. I've tried to just get over it, and move on. I pray about it constantly, but sometimes I continue to ask God "why?" I hate this. It seems to be hindering my relationship with God, and I don't know whether to call this person up and tell them how I've been feeling, and demand an explanation. Or to just continue to rest in it, and pray that I'll just get over it. I'm not bitter towards God, but I'm still hurt. I know it's normal, but I'm getting sick of it. Sometimes I get so angry about it though. Please help!!

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A Memory...

Boy it's been all this time
And I can't get you off my mind
And nobody knows it, but me
I stare at your photograph
Still sleep in the shirt you left
And nobody knows it but me

Everyday I wipe my tears away
So many nights I've prayed for you to say...

I should have been chasing you
I should have been trying to prove
That you were all that mattered to me
I should have said all the things
That I kept inside of me
Then maybe I could have made you believe
That what we had, was all we'd ever need

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*Blessings*

*Song of the Day* "All We'd Ever Need"- Lady Antebellum- I've been having this weird obsession with break-up songs, and this one is great. Don't ask why, but I LOVE break-up songs :)

Hey everyone! I know it's been a good week since I blogged. I guess I've felt that I haven't had anything too interesting to tell everyone. So I'll just start with the weekend.

Friday was great. I just worked, and then I went to Disneyland with my good friend Taylor. I've known him for over a year, and he's been a really great guy friend, we're basically Disneyland buddies, because he's usually the one I go with to Disneyland. The main reason for our adventure the night before Halloween, was because I had not been to Disneyland since they re-did Space Mountain for the Halloween festivities, and they had a new fireworks show for the occasion as well. Since it was such a crazy/busy night, we only had time to do those 2 things. Which I was fine with :).

Saturday was Halloween, which was really fun. I realized I'm not one to be really excited to "go out" or to a big gathering of people. I truly enjoy just hanging out with close friends and relaxing, or just doing something fun. Which is exactly what I did. Me, my roommate Kimi, and Taylor dressed ourselves in aluminum foil and went to Chipotle because they were giving away free food to whoever dressed like a "burrito". Which basically means, wear lots of foil. So that was fun. Then we came back to the apartment and watching the classic horror movie, "The Shining" with Jack Nicholsen. I've seen it 3 times, and I still love it. I hate scary movies, but this one is just tense, with that extra creepiness mixed in. It was a good Halloween movie.

Sunday was a typical laid back day. Attempted to get homework done, but didn't. It was nice :)

Then Monday came around, which was my interview at Yorba Linda Friends Church for a worship internship. And they gave me a position!! God is so good to answer prayer. It's really hard to be in that posotion where you "want" something, and you want to pray that God will say "yes". But then you want to pray, "Your will be done, Lord." The night before the interview I really struggled with letting it go, and giving my worries and nerves to God. I know it's normal to be nervous, but my roommate pointed out that night, that I was probably more nervous that if I didn't get the internship, I'd have to continue looking for one. Which is EXACTLY what I needed to give over to God, and trust him in. It was hard, and God is so gracious to take those worries away. But I know I am still learning to trust that His will is perfect, and not only that but He WILL take care of us. I don't have a lot of information on the internship yet, but I'll keep you posted. Hope everyone had a good and safe Halloween!

Blessings*

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Worship Internship

*Song of the Day* "You Hold me Now"- Hillsong United- An amazing song looking forward to heaven, and the beauty and purification it brings. Something encouraging and something to look forward to :)

As a worship music major we are required to do an internship at a church. Whether it is helping out with leading youth group in musical worship, bible studies, or the main congregation. There is a lot more to the internship requirements, and I won't bore you with them. Basically, the point is to put us, as worship leaders, "out there" to learn about how particular churches run their Arts Program, or Worship Ministries, whatever you want to call it. If I'm going to be honest with all of you, this part of my major has been one that I have tried to avoid and never looked forward to. Obviously it is unavoidable, when it has to be done in order for me to graduate. What I mean is that I have waited until my very last semester at Biola to fulfill this requirement. And if you know me at all, you'd know that I tend to procrastinate with things like this. Even in my procrastination and attempt to avoid the inevitable, God is still faithful. I've never been comfortable with "putting myself out there" with what I can bring to the table, and along with that, I'm not incredibly confident in the "leading" aspect of worship. I have been apart of worship teams, and it's a huge reason as to why I became a worship major. But leading a congregation, makes me a little nervous. All of this said, I need to find a church that will take me, for the amount of units I need, (6 units=12 hrs/week) this next semester. Along with that, ideally I would like to intern with a youth group, rather than the main congregation, because I have such a heart for kids, I would love to learn and grow along with helping out with jr/high school kids. SOOOO with ALL of that said...back to stating that GOD IS FAITHFUL! I have a meeting with the jr. high pastor at the church I have been attending for a couple of months, and the internship coordinator. I need to remember that this is just a meeting, and we'll probably just discuss what I can bring to the table, and if they want to mentor and teach me this coming semester. I am so excited, but actually kind of nervous. I feel like it's sort of a job interview even though they know I need to fulfill this requirement for school. The meeting is Monday, Nov. 2 at 10:30 AM, and any prayer would be appreciated. This church would be my first choice to intern at especially with the youth group :). Also any tips on how to "put myself out there" without going the "arrogant" route would be so helpful too. Thanks for tips and prayer. I know the meeting isn't for another week, but I just got the email today to meet with them! And I'm really excited/nervous!

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The Beauty of Feeling at Home

*Song of the Day* "One Time"- Justin Bieber- This is a 15 yr old kid, who is like a mini Jesse MCCartney. This is what I get for coming home and listening to music with my 14 yr old sis. But it's such a cheesy fun song :) Enjoy!

________________________________________________________________

I could go on and on about how great it is to have such an amazing family and friends. I'll just quickly post that I came home to Turlock this weekend and it was a great time to relax, reflect, laugh with my family, and catch up with friends. Instead of boring you all with the random things I did this weekend I'll just show pictures of, not this weekend, but merely of what Turlock brings when I come home :). (Some of these pictures are old..forgive me if you hate them lol). Momma and sister

Fun times just relaxing

Seeing my newly married bestie Megan Creel



*Lifelong Friends*

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People Suck

For some reason a stupid comment someone made on my Facebook wall really made me mad, and I feel the need to vent. Even typing it out I feel like like the comment has defeated me, and it shouldn't because I'm better then that. And I also don't need to prove anything to anyone!! For this reason of me being pretty heated right now, I won't be posting this particular blog on Facebook....but whoever reads it...well I don't care.

I guess I want to say, for the record, that I am really happy where I'm at in life. Yeah I happen to be the girl who, basically, all her friends are either married or very close to it. Believe it or not, I've had the most amazing time seeing my friends get married, and some move on to totally different lives. It's seriously a joy! I've never been the type of person to do something just because everyone else is doing it. Sure, we've all conformed to certain things that people do, but never in the same way, and hopefully for different reasons. I just hate that someone made me feel like I was "odd" for not being married or close to it just because most of my friends are there. I know it's stupid, because the person who said it doesn't know what's going on in my life. But that's also why I'm mad...they DON'T know what I'm doing in life, they DON'T know where I'm going, or ANYTHING!! I know I'll get over a comment like this.....but it's hard not to be mad, when I've definitely had my moments of wondering why I'm not in the same place is, it seems, everyone else is. Like I said, I'm happy. And it's all because God is so faithful to remind me that He has a plan for MY life, and it doesn't matter what everyone else is going through.

UGH! This is just me venting...you're welcome to see the comment on Facebook...I've already commented on the post, somewhat sticking up for myself :)

God is good, and He has a plan!

And people are stupid sometimes!

Love ya :)

*Song of the Day* "Rock and Roll" Eric Hutchinson- My new favorite song, that will definitely put you in a better mood....definitely needed today :) (3rd track on link)

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The Narrow Path

*Song of the Day* "Dream On" Kelly Sweet- She covered this song by Aerosmith, and it's totally in her own style, very blue-sy. I'm also singing this song for my voice lesson :)

Prayer is such an amazing thing. I feel like I pray so much throughout the day God gets sick of hearing my voice. I know that's not true. Anyways, what I know I need to work on is constantly being in the Word everyday. When I pray, I know and feel that God is listening, but in this past week of being more in the Word I was able to hear God speak to me more then ever, and I've forgotten what that feels like. Yeah it's hard to admit that I'm not a diligent reader of the Word, but it's obvious that God is showing me that I need to hear His voice through the Word, just as much as I need to come before Him in prayer everyday. Another hard thing to admit is that, sometimes, I don't know where to go when I open my Bible. So any suggestions, or comments about your favorite books/passages in the Bible would be great :). WOO God is good!

Something that has been on my brain for a while now, has been the fact that I'm going home to Turlock for a couple days next week, and I'm sooo excited!! I've been pretty homesick for a while, and I'm ready to go home and see friends and family! It's funny, but the more and more I go home to visit the more and more I appreciate my home, my family,my friends there, and even the small town life. I really miss it. And I'll be getting into this more and more, but I'll probably find myself heading back to Turlock after I graduate in May. Don't quote me on that, but at this point I'm not seeing it any other way. I need to save money, and I might have to go back home in order to do that. God is so good, and I've been feeling really okay about the whole idea, especially because I have no money to my name. Enough about that...bottom line is I miss Turlock...people from Turlock probably think I'm crazy for saying that, but it's true! I still have amazing friends there, a great church, and my family. I've made the most amazing friends down here in LA, but I think after 4 years of living in the city, I'm gonna be ready for small town life again :). We'll see what God has! Even saying all of this, and what my expectations are, I know God is saying right now, "You have no idea what kind of plans I have for you, and how great they are." So either way, I'm excited for the future, even though it's scary!

This is a long post..but thanks for your input about anything :)

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A Quick Thought

*Song of the Day* "New Beginnings" Ayeisha Jones- A fabulous Jamiacan Gospel singer who can rock it on a live stage!

First off I wanna thank God for the rain He's given LA today. He knows how much we need it, and I busted out my suede flat boots this morning for work...yay!

For the past day I have been working on studying for my music history midterm and it's starting to stress me out! I honestly hate the era we're studying right now, Medieval/Early Baroque Period. The songs I need to know all sound the same and have the similar "story line" of Christ or Christmas or wrath. I've been dreading the studying process because I don't appreciate this particular music period. However, just with making my study guide, I'm learning more and more, and finding out that so many composers in the early 11th-14th Centuries invented the ideas and concepts composers have been using for so many years. Yeah...it still sounds pretty boring...believe me it is. All I know is that I need to sit back and thank God that I get to study music, listen to music, and analyze it for a grade. Now the only thing I need to learn is discipline when I don't want to study. Thanks for reading....wish me luck :)

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Song of the Day!

Today at work I realized that music is all around us. For the most part we listen to music everyday, whether it is in the car, on our iPod, in our room, or on TV. Music really is everywhere. Besides the fact that my Lord and Savior gets me through each day, music also gets me through each day. It puts me in a great mood when that great song comes on the radio, or when I just got to my piano and start playing anything that comes to mind. Music is also my personal form of worship.
The reason I am saying all of this is because I want to share with everyone my "Song of the Day" each time I post a blog. It might be a song everyone has heard, or it might be a weird genre no one has ever heard of. I like all kinds of music, so we'll see what I think of each time I post. It might be a song that I haven't heard in a while that just popped into my head, or a popular song that everyone's heard. Who knows. But I am really excited to share with everyone my musical taste, and who knows, maybe you'll look one of the songs up and end up loving it! That really is my goal here. To share with everyone my musical notes :) haha.

To start things off....
*Song of the Day* "I Hope That's Me" Brad Paisley- My favorite song off of his new album :)

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First Blog!

Hi Everyone!! So...I am very new to the blogging world, but I'm really excited to start this up and share with everyone what's going on in my life. I realize I'm starting this blog during the start of my final year of college, so I fear that my blogs will only be about boring classes, and nothing more than that. So, with that, I'll try my hardest to write about things a bit more interesting then my daily routine of school.
However to start things off I want to talk about how great my roommates are that I'm currently living with: Jennifer, Kimi, and Kristen! They are so much fun, and so sweet. We can always find time to laugh at the most random things, and it's so easy living with them! I'm so thankful for the friendships that have been built through living with them.
There is definitely a long list of all the things I am so thankful for, and everything God has given me, but I'm going to go help Jen make us dinner :). I'm excited to keep blogging...follow me :)

Cassie

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