Baking Biscotti

   So, my family started this Eat Clean diet about a month ago and all the recipes call for everything to be organic and basically "clean eating" so you can cut processed foods out of your daily life. Well, when you're really busy most of your options for what to eat are limited but if you're like me and currently trying to find a teaching job lol you get really tired of eating the same thing everyday. For that matter, you get tired of sitting around and watching the TV every single day. This blog post is the result of getting tired of my usual routine. 
   After awhile I found my Mom's Eat Clean cookbooks around the house and I decided to start cooking stuff for myself everyday- mind you, I've never cooked anything a day in my life besides the occasional macaroni or pre-made cookies. Well, because of this I have now have some very interesting stories about my cooking experiences lol. However, today topped them all when I attempted to make homemade chocolate almond biscotti. Apparently the dough that you end up making is so sticky that you can not get it off your hands unless you use a multiple spoons, a fork, an extra pair of hands, and a WHOLE LOT of flour. 
   Here are some pictures of the experience after Brittani stepped in to help: 

(this is the dough before we tried to touch it lol)

(the kitchen counter after we had already tried to clean some stuff up)

(Brittani was excited BEFORE we tried to roll the dough)

(attempting to roll it after we added LOADS of flour)

(yeah, it totally looks like poop)

(and the finally product- we have biscotti!!)

(so pretty! yet flour-covered)

(and of course we cleaned the kitchen after the disaster)

   The moral to this story is: when cooking be prepared to get chocolate all over yourself, the kitchen  your family, and your pet (poor Scully was not happy being covered in flour from head to tail)... but hey- I MADE BISCOTTI! 

Life After Graduation

   So, I haven't really blogged in a long time and that is mainly because I really didn't think I had much to blog about. Well, now that I'm sitting down trying to write one, I realize I was right. 
   Since the last time I posted, I finished my student teaching, graduated college with a degree in education just in time for Texas to have a huge budget crisis leaving my new shiny degree nearly obsolete. A month or two later, and I find out I have a heart condition that, although not life-threatening, is still a pain to deal with. 
   However, through all of this junk, the ups and downs and all of my new struggles that have popped up along the way, God has remained a constant, and has blessed me more than I was giving Him credit for. I've had time to really focus on His purpose for my life, my passion for missions and what my next step would be. I've had time to focus on my family, be there for my friends, and enjoy every moment I have with my church family and Frontline. It's really amazing that during all that time complaining, and even wallowing, God has been blessing me beyond anything I ever imagined. 
   And until He opens the right door for me, job-wise, I will continue to enjoy this time and be at peace. And Scully is definitely enjoying the quality time with her mom :) 

I Am Free

I am free to live for the one and only true God. 

I am free to worship, to praise, to love, and to honor my Savior and Lord who deserves more than I will ever be able to give. 

I am free to live for Him and only for Him. 

Are you?

June 15th recap

So, here are some pictures from my 21st birthday :)

21

   So, Tuesday I am turning 21! :) It's really odd thinking of myself as 21, because I think I'm still trying to get over the fact that I graduated high school and have nearly finished college. Anyway, I'm really excited about everything that is going on in my life even though when I list it out, it doesn't seem like much... 


   Also, I realized today that I had never done a New Year's Resolutions list before, which seems silly, cause I am very indecisive and sometimes bad with follow-through, so resolutions do not make a lot of sense for me, but I thought it'd be kind of fun to at least list 21 things I want to do while I'm 21! Let's hope I can think of that many...


   Alright, here we go!


1) Read my bible every single day. 
2) Take Scully on more walks (she's gotten some poundage on her) :P
3) lose 25-30 lbs 
4) get my first teaching job!
5) graduate college!!
6) ....think of the rest of my 21 items... eventually...maybe? 

Yay!

I passed all of my state certification tests! Now all I need to do is complete my student teaching in the Fall and graduate!! :) Yay! 

My Life Lately

   I feel like my life is so crazy lately but mainly it has just been busy! School is coming teasingly close to being finished (at least the classes are, I still have a semester of Student Teaching) and I'm getting closer and closer to my mission trip this summer! I am really excited about helping out New Life this summer but I'm also really nervous because this is way outside my comfort zone, but God doesn't usually work within our comfort zones. :) Anyway, if you're reading this, please pray for me, and pray for the work that God will be doing this summer- not just in Newfoundland but in all of the places Go Now is sending student missionaries. 

Going and Gone to the Chapel

   Yesterday evening my sister Katie became Mrs. Smith (Yes, like the movie). I got to watch my Dad give her away and watch her new husband try very hard to keep her from face-planting as she climbed up the stage at church in her BEAUTIFUL dress. I have never had more fun at a wedding reception in my life- everyone was dancing and being goofy, especially my wonderful, dork of a brother :) I'm so excited for Katie & Rod, and I absolutely CAN NOT wait until they can move back and settle in Texas. 

Just another manic Monday

   So, today I had an unwelcome surprise in one of my education classes- my final was no longer online but was an in-call test, so Katie and Rod took me along on the errands so I could go to TWU and take my test. And after spending half an hour on my yucky test over Classroom Management, I went with Katie & Rod to I (insert heart-shape here) Sushi. If you don't know who Rod is yet, he is my soon-to-be brother-in-law (man, that's a lot of hyphens) who is marrying my sister this Saturday! They're both absolutely perfect for each other because they're both freaks, so congrats Rod & Katie! :P 

(this is Rod with Katie's teddy bear)

    Anyway, so after all the errands and my yuck and a half test, I also found out that I passed my state PPR test with a 92%! Very very excited about that! And now I'm getting ready for tomorrow's practicum and relaxing by watching Gilmore Girls with Katie & Rod.

Crazy Year

   2010 has barely made a dent and my life is already changing drastically. So, I just realized today that my sister, my best friend- is getting married in less than two weeks! All this time I've been planning showers, buying a dress, and helping with decorations and it just occurred to me that Katie is getting married and moving to Mississippi. 

   I'm also really excited about this summer because I'm going to Canada for a mission trip and I absolutely can not wait to see what God will teach me throughout the summer! :) Well, I'm currently typing this blog post in lieu of my biology assignment, so I'm thinking it's time for some studying! 

Saturday is never a good day for a test

So, pretty exciting weekend for me- well, except for Friday because to be honest I spent most of it doing nothing, which if you consider my 19 hours of class time and 9 hours of observation per week, is actually a rare and beautiful thing. So, where was I? Oh right, my weekend was pretty exciting because on Saturday I took one of my certification tests (my PPR EC-4 to be exact) that I must pass in order to become a certified teacher in the state of Texas. Woohoo! And here is a lovely picture of the high school in Dallas where I had to go to take said test.
Now, I know I'm from a place where my elementary school used to back up to a herd of cows and a view of the neighborhood Burrus and all, but really, I walked into this place and saw metal detectors and realized that clearly I was wonderfully sheltered in my old alma mater, and as a result, have gained a new-found respect for it.
Anyway, five hour long test on a Saturday= unpleasant for Cassie. My wonderful experience was added to by the assigned seating in which I was given one of the desks they put the tall students in, which literally came up to my chest! :P All I can say is, I better have passed that thing!!

Severe Sunburns & lack of Sleep on the Frontline

So, my college church group had our first retreat this weekend for our new guys entering into Frontline. :) It was a lot of fun- we got to watch a movie at our house, spend the next day at the Compton's swimming and having bible study, then at the Monaghen's to end the night. It was a really great weekend beside the severe sun burns involved- poor Jake- his has to be the worst. But aside from the aches, the weekend was amazing and God really touched all of us in our walks with Him. I loved this weekend and couldn't have imagine a better way to spend time with Frontline and with my Father. :) God is truly amazing...

Anyway, I hope all the incoming "freshman" into college had fun and enjoyed our little wacky group. I can't wait until our next event! But here are some pictures (thanks to Ms. Monaghen) of our retreat!


Bible Study time!




Swimming and getting burnt ;)

Brittani & me on Daniel's awesome waterslide!
*I was a little scared to go on it*

My Crazy Youth Group

I've always loved my church's youth group, and I know I'm a little biased cause my parents are the youth leaders ;) but it's still amazing the hearts that those kids have. What's even more amazing is that they now have a monthly NEWS video they film and here's the link to their very first one! :) Goofy goofy kids.... You have to take a look because we worked so hard on it and it's hilarious!!

IMPACT YOUTH VIDEO


Also, we had WHATEVER WEDNESDAY tonight and it was great- I actually got to participate as well, and here's some pictures that Brittani took:

Brittani stuck a leaf to my head, right before Ryan licked one and stuck it on (yuck)



Ryan tried to stick one on Brittani too- and didn't succeed.


Still playing with the marshmallows :P

Home Sweet Home

So, I'm finally home! Sarah and I had a flight out of Nashville at around 1:00 this afternoon, but then our flight was delayed *boo!* and we didn't actually leave until around 2:30 and got home around 4:00. Anyway, I had a blast at The Gathering and with Sarah all weekend and I really want to go back next year.
Now, for a re-cap: Saturday morning Sarah and I woke up SUPER early and got a cab (now, this is where it gets interesting). So, our cab driver kept asking us how to get where we were going (a place called The Factory in Franklin). That's right- the driver was asking us for directions. Ok, so I don't get out much, I know that, but aren't cab drivers supposed to be the ones who know the directions, and not the passengers? So, we made it to the Gathering and we were safe... annoyed, but safe. And then the day began, and lasted until around 9:30 at night when I finally got my book signed by Ted Dekker! (who must gave been exhausted at this point) And then another great adventure of getting back to the hotel began! :) We waited for our cab (because the cab company was terrible) for an hour or so, and finally, three or four phone calls to the cab company later, we were safe and sound inside a cab and headed back to the hotel. Sunday, we woke up, ate, took a shuttle to the airport in Nashville, and sat for 4 hours while our flight kept getting delayed. BUT, now we're home! And happy! :)

Hotel California...in Tennessee

So, Sarah and I landed in Nashville today at around noon and took a shuttle to Franklin. Once we got to our hotel which is called the Ramada, we were all excited because it was tucked out of the way near some trees, which meant it would be quiet. What we didn't realize is that it was a little too quiet...for example, Sarah and I have been here for a little over 7 hours, and all we've seen is Jan, the lady at the front desk and the pizza guy that we called. So, our window overlooks the parking lot- which is empty.

Anybody else thinking of the song Hotel California? Cause I certainly am... I want to call random room numbers to see if anyone picks up, but Sarah won't let me.

Girls Night

So, I got to finally spend some time with Lindsay after canceling maybe 5 or 6 times. lol I had a blast! :) We got to hang out, and mostly talk, watch movies and get extremely sunburnt! I love talking with her and remembering all of the crazy jokes we've had since elementary school :)

Today is the Day

So, I haven't written on this blog in a few days, and I thought an update might be nice. I finished my finals on Wednesday afternoon, and then Thursday night, I found out that I passed my science class! :) Now, I'm just waiting for my Math grade to see if I passed the class. I also decided not to do summer school, and instead I'm going to take a larger class load in the fall. The good news is that I am done by Wednesdays next semester! :)

So, I've been spending the first few days of my summer being a sub or watching movies with Katie, which is what I'm doing right now. I've had a very long weekend and I'm glad it's finally over, so for now, I'm just trying to relax and enjoy my summer vacation! :)

Suddenly

"Sometimes it's in an instant
Sometimes we wait for years
But it comes down to the moment when faith eclipses fear
Your wandering is over
The other side is real
You've broken through
Your mountain moved
And mercy is revealed
His mercy is revealed"

~TobyMac "Suddenly"

Summer Has Begun!

This week has probably been one of the most stressful times of my life so far- I never thought school could be so hard. However, I am now a senior at Texas Woman's, and I passed my Earth Science final with an 86 and got a C in the class!!!!!!!!!! So so happy!



Now my stress-free summer can begin...starting with me going to bed.

Finals Countdown

So, I am taking five classes and I have two of my finals this week, but guess what? Those two are for the same class! No, I'm not joking. Why would I joke about something like that? But, in spite of those gross finals, I also have a reprieve- in one of my math classes (the one I'm passing), I have a high enough grade that I don't have to take the final. :) :) :) As you can see, I'm very happy about this. But then, I had more good news- my EDUC 2003 final- it's open book/notes. And guess who hasn't sold her books back yet? ME! :) :) :) Now I have three classes to worry about.

Schedule:

Thursday, May 7th- Reading Finals (1 & 2)
Monday May 11th- EDUC 2003 Final
Earth Science Final
Tuesday May 12th- Math Concepts I Final

Oh, wait- and then I'm DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!