catch up

I have definitely been slacking in the blogging area this week. So I will just give you the highlights of what is going one with me :)

I went to the driving range last weekend since it was soo beautiful. I'm so glad I got my fix then because the weather this week has been so COLD!

I mentioned in an earlier post that my sister was cutting my hair. I'll admit I was a little nervous. But lets think about this she's still in school and still learning, so I defiantly had my reason. But WOW she did so good. I was so proud of her.

 

I got to serve with some of the amazing people in my ABF class. We were the last leg of the volunteers. They had people in and out helping all day long. We helped validate Compassion Kits. We made sure everything was in there that was needed and took out things that were not. Throughout the day this was done to 7,000+ and now they are ready to be shipped to India. This is such a great ministry if you haven't heard about please take the time to check it out.

 

 http://www.compassionkits.com/

 

 

 

This past Sunday I sang a song about heaven. It was such a beautiful song and my prayer was that people would be reached through it.  My friend Carmen was watching from home with her son and daughter. Is this not the cutest picture ever!

 



 



So one of the highlights of this week was I got in my very first car accident. Ha! Thankfully nobody was hurt, there was only minor damage to my car, and it wasn't my fault :) All and all this week has been a great one. Looking forward to the weekend though.

 



sushi date

Last night I went to one of my favorite restaurants. Sushi King!! Most of my friends, for some strange reason, are not big fans of sushi. So when Haley suggested that we go there I said yes PLEASE. I might have been  was very excited. That evening I not only got my sushi fix I also got to spend some good time with a friend. It was one of those thing where you just talk and talk and don't even realize what time it is. I consider myself blessed to have the friendships that I have. I don't know how I got so blessed but I pretty much have the best friends ever. :) You know you've found a great friend when you can just talk and not worry about the other person taking things the wrong way. You can just be honest with them. That's what last night was! Looking forward to many more like that in future.

 

 

On a different note I booked my first hair appointment with my sister.  More on that later!

 

 

-Cassie



weekend review

The weekend came and went so fast. I have gotten accustomed to 4 day weekends...which I think we should totally always have by the way.

Friday was pretty fun. Hanging out with friends and playing games. You can't really go wrong with that :) You might not know this about me but I am extremely competitive. Like BAD. I do have the privilege of saying that I won both games of Nerts that night (which if you haven't played you need to) Just call me the Nerts Queen ;)

And then I guess it really isn't a normal night until Beau goes and does something silly. Like eat a HUGE bowl of Chex with an ice cream scoop. haha

I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts about our Christmas program and how a great majority of our class stepped up and served :) We also got to watch the program that evening. And this boy is obsessed with watching "Jesus" all the time. I guess he could be watching worse things. Lets just say I have all the songs memorized now, even the ones that I didn't sing in haha.

So let me start off by saying that Wednesday night I made a purchase. I bought a set of golf clubs. Everyone was doing it so I thought I should too...but in all seriousness I had been thinking about it and saving money toward this purchase. So Saturday Beau, Andrew and I went to the driving range. And it was love at first sight.

 

 

It is very possible certain that I am addicted. Already. WHAT?!?!

Saturday night was spent with Nikki and Beka (who came into town) eating pizza, watching movies, and hanging out with Parker. Look at this boy...how can you not love him.

So our class did a little competition with Amazing Race. We have a point system...long story short I was one of the winners. Woot Woot!! The results of me winning was a free lunch on Sunday! Can't beat that. Did I mention that I was competitive?

And of course it was Sunday afternoon I didn't have to teach choir so what did I do. I went to the driving range...again. And I loved it. I can already feel myself getting better which just makes me want to pursue it even more. Ha!

And I ended the weekend with some more Nertz...that I won again. (was there any question?)  :) just saying! So here is to the first full work week in two weeks. I think I can I think I can I think I can.

-Cassie

that was fast

It feels like Christmas and New Years has just flown by. Its already 2013...WHAT?? Christmas was a little different this year. For the first time we didn't go and visit my family in Texas. I missed going and spending time with my extended family. It was nice and relaxing to stay here though. We had a non traditional meal and had two of my guy friends over so they didn't have to spend Christmas on their own. It was different yes but great none the less. I even got to go to go to our church's Christmas Eve service! All and all I had a great Christmas with my family. So thankful and blessed.

 

 New Year's Eve Service with the Wolf Pack (Donnally Via phone)

 Christmas Day

 

 

The Saturday after Christmas I had the privilege of singing with Durgan in my friend Julie's wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding. I was so glad to be apart of it. Such a fun day and such a fun wedding. So happy for Dustin and Julie.

 

 

One of my favorite parts of break was going to see Les Miserables. I saw it twice in one weekend. Once with Nikki and once with Emily. I loved loved loved the movie! I might have even loved it more the second time around.

 

And of course what break would not be complete without a Disney movie with the bestie. So that is exactly what we did :) Pocahontas was on TV so we took advantage of that greatness!

I also got to bring in the New Year with this fun group of friends!





Christmas With the Weavers

I have mentioned in my earlier posts that I spend many of my Tuesday evenings with my friends the Weavers. I just absolutely love our time together. We have such a nice evening eating dinner, playing with the kiddos and just really enjoying each other's company. Yesterday we exchanged Christmas gifts. I love that they know me so well. I got a book and my favorite game Quelf (that I now own!!) Side note: if you are looking for a fun game to play with your friends, get Quelf. You will be laughing for hours. Love it!

One of my favorite things to do is give gifts. I got Saul a dress up costume. He is just the cutest :)

I also got to get some cuddle time in with Audrey. She is really just the sweetest baby. Love her so much :)

I just realized that I got no pictures of me and Carmen and Andrew. I guess when you are surrounded by these cuties that you tend to forget about the adults. I am so blessed by this family and they mean so much to me. So thankful that I have them in my life!

Weekend

The weekend for me started off pretty rough. I was so saddened about the shooting that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut. It just absolutely broke my heart. I cannot imagine what the family members of those who lost their lives that day felt. It made me cling to the fact that this horrible world is not my home. This weekend I counted my blessings, meditated on how thankful I was to be able to hug my mom and dad brother and sisters. My thoughts and prayers are with the families that lost daughters, sisters, brothers, sons, Mom's...

I actually ended up having a pretty nice weekend. I get off at 3 on Friday's and I got to spend the rest of the day hanging out with Parker. He's such a joy. Friday night consisted of game and Christmas movie night with friends. Frozen Hot Chocolate (which the boys did not understand ha!)  and then a sleepover with Jessica, Parker and Lori. Fun times :)

Saturday was sooo lazy. Jessica Parker and I laid around the whole morning/early afternoon. We didn't even eat lunch till 3:30. (one of those days...you know what I'm talking about) And of course what Saturday would not be complete without some shopping :).

Sunday was our last performance at church. It went absolutely beautifully. I didn't make it through one service without crying. So thankful that God sent is only son to be born in a manger, live a sinless life, and crucified on the cross for  MY sins. And so blessed in knowing that Jesus rose from the dead and He lives! Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow :)

And of course the girls got together to watch one of our guilty pleasures. JP and Ashley's wedding. :) Looking forward to a great week ahead!

-Cassie

The Story

This Sunday is going to be the third Christmas Program. Like I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. We are doing something a little different this year. We are telling the life of Jesus in three parts. Announcement/Arrival/Atonement. This week is Atonement. This week is probably one of the most drama heaving Sunday's. We will get to see Jesus grow up, witness the miracles that He performed in the bible, His death and resurrection. My ABF class is very involved with this. Such a blessing to serve the Lord alongside some of my favorite people. If you are local you can come see our program Sunday at FBC Rogers 9:00 and 10:15. You can also stream it live at those same time at www.fbcrogers.org Here are couple of teasers.

This is a clip from part of the miracles. My friend Alex plays the dead girl's dad. He does such a good job.

This is part of the song that my friend Beau sings. Jesus grows from a baby to an adult during this song. 

 



 

I couldn't resist putting a picture up of my three favorite Roman Soldiers :)

 

I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store this week. We have already had many salivations and many people wanting to join our church. God is good!


-Cassie

Love :)

I was checking out one of my favorite wedding blogs The wedding Post and to my surprise the post today was covering my best friend's engagement session. So sweet :) I'm hoping this means that they will be covering the wedding too! So So Fun! Congratulations Donnally and JR.

http://www.theweddingpost.net/2012/12/arkansas-engagement-donnally-jr.html?showComment=1355331368716#c2846229024999249951

Go check it out you won't be disappointed. Their pictures are to die for. They are one of the most beautiful couples you will meet (inside and out). I'm so blessed to be apart of their big day in June. Love you guys :)


-Cassie

Quick update

Once again it has been a LONG time since I updated my blog. Maybe it should be one of my new goals to start blogging more. I really do enjoy it I just keep forgetting to update things on here. So here we go again I'll just start from December . I'll try to update more often :)

One of my favorite things to do is go see Christmas lights. The first weekend in December me and some of my friends went to Fayetteville square and spent the evening enjoying each other's company and the lights. It was weird being the first day of December and not needing a coat at all. The weather was absolutely perfect .

One thing that has taken up a lot of time the past couple weeks is getting ready for our Christmas Programs. We are doing things a Little different this year and I am loving it. We are telling the whole story in three parts. Announcement/Arrival/Atonement. It's been keeping me busy but it is all worth it. Last week my precious 4 year old choir got to sing. They did so good and are just the cutest.

As you read in some of my earlier posts one of my best friends Donnally is getting married next summer. Me and a few of my friends went to meet her at a local dress shop to look at her final two choices (by the way we have been to multiple stores in different cities, and even states and she has tried on 65ish dresses). We were in for a big surprise when she found a special way to ask us to be in her wedding. It was so sweet and we had a blast. Not to mention that she said YES to the dress. She is going to be gorgeous :)

Have I mentioned lately that I just love my church family? Because I really really do. We have a great small group with some of my very favorite people and some of my very best friends. We always have the best time together and our Christmas party was no exception. I am beyond blessed to have these people in my life and serve along side them.

On another note. I found out last Thursday that my Grandpa Rudy had passed away. He hadn't been in the best health but it's still hard. I wanted to go and be with my family and my grandma especially but there was just so much going on here that it didn't work out. I know everyone understood but it was still a little sad that I could not be there. My mom and dad were able to make the 11 hour trip though. I will miss him but I know that I will see him again. So thankful that I have the peace and comfort of knowing that.

So there is my December so far in a glance. I'm looking forward to more great things to come. It is the Most Wonderful Time of Year :)

Memo

I haven't blogged in a little while. I have been thinking about what I want to write about and I couldn't think of anything better than a tribute to my sweet sweet grandma. My Memo recently passed away. It wasn't a total surprise since she had Alzheimer's but it was still really hard to deal with. She was put in the ICU and then an hour later she was gone. My family and I left the next day and headed for Texas. One thing about funerals is that it brings people together. We had a lot of really good family time and had some good conversations remembering Memo.

My grandma was one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. She never met a stranger and she was always eager to help out in any she could. I would say that she was a great example of a Proverbs 31 woman. I am honored to call her my grandma. She did a lot of good and touched a lot of people's lives in the 81 years she was on this earth. She is missed dearly and I think of her often. I am so thankful that I will get to see her again in heaven.

One of the fun things that I got to do while I was there was sing with my cousins and my sister Chelsea. Joel played the guitar, Jonathan did vocals and guitar, and Chelsea and I did vocals. It was such a fun experience and blessing to sing with them. We sang 4 songs at the memorial service and two songs at the funeral. And I actually sang in Spanish!! I know that it was something that my Memo would have loved so much. At both the memorial service and the funeral it was like a worship service. All in all, even though it was really really hard at times, I spent a wonderful weekend with my family. I am blessed to have an amazing Godly family.

 This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandma

All the girl grandkids with Empo

All the boys

Story time with Empo after the funeral

The handsome Paul Bearers

All the girls with Empo

Crazy Fun Weekend-Sunday

Sunday morning started early for me because I went to the 8 o'clock service so I could leave right after the music portion of the 10:15 service. Jessica and I had to pick up a few things and then head to her house to start decorating for the surprise engagement party. Yep that's right, the surprises for Donnally were still not over. We had been planning this party for 3 weeks! She had no idea that I had been in contact with her mom and JRs mom to get this whole thing put together :) it was great. So we spent the afternoon making cupcakes, decorating, getting food together, and getting pictures together of their weekend. All and all it was a major success. Donnally was so surprised and she was so happy to be able to celebrate with family and her closest friends. The party concluded my eventful fun filled weekend that I wouldn't change for anything. I got to spend it with some of my favorite people. Enjoy some pictures from the party. Congratulations JR and Donnally love you both!

 This one of the tables we decorated

The food table (yes those a re more pinwheels you see) I am now the pinwheel making queen :)

 Fun times

 The besties celebrating after everyone left :)

 

Me and my best friend Donnally. Can't express how excited I am for her :) love you!!



Crazy Fun Weekend-Saturday

So we got back from Joplin about  12:30 and then Jess and I went to Walmart to get the stuff I needed to make for Carmen's shower. Walmart at 12:30 am is a very interesting place to say the least. Once I got home I had to make the punch and prepare the food. I was up for  24 hours before I actually got to sleep! But it was all worth it for my sweet friend Carmen :) Lindsey and I had spent part of Thursday making the decorations. It was so much fun to catch up with her and be crafty. And it turned out great if I do say so myself. The shower turned out great and it was a great fellowship of friends and family and celebrating Carmen and Audrey. I am so thankful for Carmen and I was happy to help out with her shower.

 I spent most of my time making pin wheels but look how cute they are

one of the tables

 my sweet friend carmen :)

All the hostesses. We can't wait to meet Audrey!

 

 

After we cleaned up from the shower I went home and took a much needed 2 hour nap. Boy was it refreshing. Then went to Fayetteville with some friends for dinner and a late movie. Then it was to bed as quickly as possible because I had to be at the 8 o'clock service in the morning.