Twitch.

My cousin, Gracie, had her fifth birthday party on Sunday. It was Halloween themed so all of the kids were dressed up in adorable costumes. I was there for a while just hanging out with my sister and the rest of the family when my uncle handed me the camera and asked if I would take pictures when Gracie opened her presents. I, of course, said yes.

I had plenty of time to kill until it was time for her to open presents, so I walked around and took pictures of everything and everyone. To be honest, I was a little trigger happy. I had forgotten how much I loved taking pictures of people, especially my cousins. I really miss it, so my aunt and I decided that when the leaves start to change, we are going to get all of my cousins dressed up and take them out on a beautiful day so that I can take fall pictures. I am rather excited for it. :)


Speaking of fall, it's finally the time of year that my roommate and I set out a bowl of peppermints in the living room. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but to me, it is. This is when the weather gets colder and we spend late nights in our house with friends. (Although, I'm not quite sure if it will happen as often as past years, what with having friends off at school, friends finally having big girl jobs, and so on..) I guess we'll see.


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Right now, it is 7:43pm. My left eye started twitching at about 5:50pm. It has been twitching nonstop for almost two hours and it is driving me insane! UGH.

Surprise Field Trip.

Earlier in the week, my friend Emily texted me asking if I had to work on Friday. After telling her I did not, she told me to keep that morning open and that I would receive further instructions later in the week. A few days later, she texted me again to say that I needed to be ready and waiting on my front porch at 8:15 am on Friday. I agreed but was very curious. She would not divulge anymore information. I complied.


So, Friday morning finally rolls around and I get up and get ready. She comes to my house to pick me up and still would not tell me where we were going or what we were doing. Emily did, however, allow me to ask yes/no questions about our activity. I kind of had a hunch...


Me: "Does it have to do with school?"
Emily: "Yes."


Me: "Are we touring a school?"
Emily: "Yes."


Me: "Is it in Dalton?"
Emily: "No."


Me: "Is it in Chattanooga?"
Emily: "No."


Me: "Hixson or Cleveland?"
Emily: "No."


I was so confused. I proceeded to tell her there weren't any other schools around here that I knew of. I even had to guess Fort Oglethorpe and Ringgold knowing there was no college in either location. She was having too much fun with this.


Finally, she told me we were going to Covenant College on Lookout Mountain. Emily called and made an appointment for me to have a tour of the campus and conversations with a few of the staff members. I was really excited because I have heard how beautiful it is up there, and it was even better than what I expected. The mountain is already one of my favorite places to be but after being on this campus, I really saw what an amazing view into the valley looked like. There is nothing like being on a mountain.


Anyway, my tour started out with me being able to talk to one of the English professors (since Emily told them I was interested in majoring in English). I really enjoyed that conversation. He told me about a few of the classes offered and gave me a rough outline of the courses required for an English major. He also was just very encouraging about doing something you love even if you don't think your degree will be put to use right away. Which, that makes it sound bad, but he worded things better. 


I then talked to someone from financial aid, the records office, and someone from admissions. They were all extremely helpful in things I didn't really have a clue about. And everyone was so nice. This being a Christian college, you kind of expect them to be nice people, but they were also just so genuine and interested in what I had to say. 


After talking with people, Emily and I got to attend chapel. This weekend is Homecoming weekend for the school, so we were told it was going to be a little different than usual, but I loved it. The students attend chapel every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They worship in song and have someone speak from the staff or a guest speaker. The guy that spoke today was so funny! And his message was so good. The students are very fortunate to have that.


After chapel, we were given a tour by a very lovely girl named Lydia. She didn't really show us much, but we went in the library and Liberal Arts department. We talked about so much with her though, so I didn't really care to see everything. She had lunch with us in the Great Hall (the "Great Hall"... like Harry Potter! :D). We talked about school, relationships, jobs, and she told us her and her fiancé's story. It. Was. Adorable.


I learned that the building that has the Great Hall and dorm rooms was once a hotel. It was shut down durning the Great Depression and is now part of a college. How cool is that?!


Every person that we talked to was so excited that Emily made this a surprise visit. Apparently word got around before we even got to the campus and they were overjoyed to meet us. They kept telling me what a great friend I have... and I can't help but agree 100%. :)


All in all, it was a very good morning. This doesn't mean I am going to Covenant, but just being able to talk to people about going back to school was a big help to me. And seeing what an incredible community Covenant is makes me want to be in school so I can experience college like it is supposed to be. (I had a bad experience at UTC...)


So, for now I am looking into schools and seeing what all is out there. :)

F I F T Y T H R E E

53 facts, people! It's getting harder to think of this many facts about myself.


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1. Bellatrix Lestrange is my favorite Death Eater.

2. I loathe confrontation of any kind.

3. A friend of mine showed me silly bands before they were a fad. Yay, friend!

4. I get nervous when I have to go somewhere I've never been before (i.e. a doctor's office, car place, store, anywhere...) especially when I'm by myself.

5. Team Edward.

6. Playing Sudoku on my iPod is really increasing my chance of getting Carpal Tunnel.

7. I own leopard print ugg-type boots.

8. I wear my Nana's necklace almost everyday.

9. I know one of the UofTennessee cheerleaders; his name is TJ.

10. I lived at UTC for a year; my roommates would have people over and get drunk. They once banged on my door like idiots as I was falling asleep. Needless to say, I locked my door everynight after that.

11. I won a Halloween costume contest when I was younger. I was a bubble bath.

12. I love to play host when I have people over.

13. I helped a little girl in a wheelchair win a race in the Special Olympics.

14. I like to randomly talk in a British accent.

15. I am not a girly girl.

16. My intense laugh is ridiculous.

17. I have the greatest best friends ever.

18. I love bonfires in the fall/winter.

19. I've never been out of the country but I have so many places I want to go.

20. I am still best friends with my very first best friend (of 18 or 19 years?).

21. I was one of the Cheerleading captains in middle school.

22. My migranes radiate from behind my left eye.

23. I can count to at least 102; maybe more.

24. Some friends and I hiked ten miles on Lookout Mountain.

25. I miss my childhood.

26. My favorite flowers are the daisy and the calla lily.

27. The farthest north I've been is New York, NY. The farthest west I've been is Nashville, TN. (Well, technically Memphis, TN but I never left the airport.)

28. I was baptized as a child at Christian Heritage Church.

29. I helped Matt Tudor start a blog. (Click here to view it.)

30. I can do the Soulja Boy dance.

31. I am still searching for Narnia.

32. Disturbing dreams are not rare for me as I sleep.

33. I like night/darkness.

34. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie; and I finally own it on DVD.

35. When I get really stressed, I cover up one eye... it seems to help calm me down.

36. I make bracelets; and I am thinking about selling them.

37. Ryan Cabrera told me I was beautiful. :)

38. <-- I do not like the numbers 3 or 8.

39. My middle name is Brooke.

40. I have two older sisters and one younger brother.

41. I had an online diary when I was in high school; I think it was grade 9.

42. My brother and I got lost in Walmart when we were very young. I distinctly remember being scared that we were lost forever.

43. The wallpaper on my phone right now is the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie poster.

44. My shin was "kneed" really hard probably over two months ago and the feeling in that spot has not completely come back yet. It also still has a nasty pain if it has pressure put in the wrong place.

45. I loathe getting up for work in the mornings, but I love the time between waking up and actually making myself get out of bed. Those few moments of just laying in bed resting is pure joy.

46. I have a scar on one of my toes where a bug bit me while walking on the beach in Daytona.

47. Proud YouTube nerd.

48. I've seen the Naked Cowboy in person. He was kind of a pervert.

49. I shut my hand in the trunk door of our van.

50. I played shortstop in softball for most of my life.

51. My hair was strawberry blonde until I was about two or three.

52. Ashley and I shared a room for about 18 years.

53. I pray for my future husband every night (even though I don't know who he is right now).

Response to: A Leap of Faith.

Mat, my brother-in-law, is a youth pastor and an amazing Christian. He will reply to my blog posts every now and then and critique my stories or give me his thoughts. He is such an encouragement to me and I just really wanted to share his response to my blog post entitled A Leap of Faith. 

Thank you again, Mat, for always encouraging me and telling me what I need to hear most. I am so blessed to have you as a brother. I love you!

-----------------------------------------

Cassie, (In reply to "Leap of Faith")
What an Amazing realizaion you have come to! I say this with encouragement. It sounds like yes, Fear is a definate deterant in your life but more than that ... its what you aluded to many times "it's a trust issue" (stepping out in faith). By not making choices we do not allow God to lay out His will. Therefore, we never discover it. It also sounds as if you may not fully understand who you are in Christ.
I have lots to say (go figure) and could not post it on your blog because it was more characters than is allowed. Forgive me if I am redundant but I am just typing out loud so bare with me. Here we go:
Christians sometimes find it difficult to determine God's will for their lives in certain situations. Times when you don't find a clear direction can be very confusing and frustrating. God gave Moses the burning bush, he showed his will to Gideon with the fleece, and he spoke to Saul with thunder and lightening. When he does this for us, it's easy to understand God's guidance. But he seldom does it this way. To truly find God's will for our life we often must step out in faith. This can be scary, but we need to realize God is there beside us and he will not allow us to stray as long as we trust in him. Proverbs 3:6 promises us, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Psalm 37:23 tells us, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...." And Isaiah 30:21 informs us, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." God's word plainly is saying that God will help us find his direction, but how does he do it? 

I believe God reveals his will to us in two or three stages. Initially, we may get a feeling of direction from God from different sources:

1. Prayer. In order for God to speak to us, we need to be in his presence listening for his voice. As we spend time in prayer, we may sense God's leading in our lives. 

2. His word. God speaks to us through his written word as we study and meditate upon his holy scripture. 

3. Circumstances. Many times God will cause doors to open, or others to close. If we are walking in obedience to him, we have to assume that events in our life are ordered by God. They don't just happen by chance. Maybe the reason why a door has opened up to us is that God wants us to go through it! 

4. Our heart. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will minister to our spirit and reveal God's plan for us. We will have an assurance deep in our heart. We will feel God's voice guiding us. 

5. Others. God can use other believers to bring us his direction. Sometimes we will be singing a song in church, or we will be reading a Christian book, or hear the Pastor's message, or one of our friends will say something that will show us God's will. 

God can reveal his direction to us through any of these five ways. But even when he does, it's sometimes difficult to discern that what we sense or feel is truly God's plan for our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 18:16, "...by the word of two or three witnesses every word may be established." Jesus is here quoting Deuteronomy 19:15, "...by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established." I believe this is a good principle to follow in trying to figure out God's plan for you. Initially, you get the direction from one of the five ways mentioned above, but now God will confirm his plan to you in the mouth of two or three witnesses: in other words: one or two more things will confirm God's direction for you. When you see this confirmation, then you will know it's time to step out in faith. There have been times in my life when I simply had to take that first step of faith, and when I did, God confirmed his plan for me as I went. You may sense God asking you to do this, but remember, God understands our human weakness. If we sincerely seek him and are willing to obey his word, he will usually affirm his will for us in other ways. 

He confirms his direction for us the same way he revealed it to us in the first place — through one of these five ways

My name is Cassie. Not Cathy.

It happens far too often at work for me to just laugh about. I suppose the people on the phone don't really listen to begin with, but I clearly say "Cassie"... you know, with a "ssssssss" sound; the person on the other side of the line always feels a need to repeat my name. The wrong name. How annoying.

-----------------------------------

Well, I've got some exciting news about a new, young writer. Her name is Hali, and she is my 10 (very soon to be 11) year old cousin. Apparently, there was a young kid in the news or on a talk show or something that wrote a short story or novella about a group of fictitious people on the Titanic. This child was getting all kinds of attention about it.

My cousin, the diva that she is, decides that she is going to write a book about people on the Titanic too because one way or another, she IS going to be famous. I just love her "it's all about me" attitude. She's so cute! :)

Anyway, she has written about four chapters already so my sister and I got to read what she has so far. Apart from grammatical errors (which is expected; come on, she's only 10!), it is starting out quite beautifully. My aunt told us the gist of the plot and it is going to be amazing. She already had me tearing up and it hasn't even been written yet.

The crazy thing is that the story has tragedies in it that my cousin has never experienced; her imagination is so vast and grown up. I am so impressed by the plot she has created. I really do believe she will make something of herself someday. 

Oh, to be young and determined...

;)

So let's spend the afternoon in a cold hot air balloon.

It's October 2nd, which means there is less than a month until November starts! I have been waiting on November 1st in anticipation since February and I can't believe it's almost here!

I still am not set on a plot yet. I would be happiest if I could come up with an awesome sci-fi/fantasy type novel, but in all honesty, I am not ready for that yet. My first novel may come out to be Nicholas Sparks-esque because that's the way I'm wired. I feel a tragic romance stirring in my head.

Speaking of things stirring in my head, for the past couple of weeks, I haven't been able to fall asleep like normal or stay asleep once my body finally gives in. Because of this, I took Tylenol PM a couple of nights which helped me fall asleep faster, so it helped in that aspect, but it wouldn't keep me asleep. Anyway, every time I took it, I had strange dreams with horrific plots. Seriously, they were awful; I don't even want to repeat them. I'm starting to think drug-induced sleep is not the way to go.

In lighter news...

On the way to work this morning, I saw two hot air balloons in the sky. I now know what I want for my birthday. :)

Where words fail, music speaks...

Of course there are the usual artists that will forever have their place on the top of my list such as Mayday Parade, Nevertheless, Cartel, the Cab, Rascal Flatts, and Michael Buble; But here are some new (and not-so-new) additions to my constant playlist:

Emarosa- The Past Should Stay Dead; that is the only song of theirs that I have on my iPod at the moment but I will be putting more soon.

Cady Groves- One in the Same; I'm Still Here; Life of a Pirate; Real With Me; Refrain; You'd Say; Last Straw

All Caps- Mirror Song (ft. Alan Lastufka); Hey Kristina; Summer of '09; Happy; You Kissed Me at the Dundies; Lumos Flies; Your Song

Sam Tsui- Don't Want an Ending; If I Die Young; Love the Way You Lie Mashup

Lady Antebellum- Need You Now; I Run to You

Coffey Anderson- Umbrella (Christ remix); Can I; You Gave Me You

Yiruma- Kiss the Rain; River Flows in You; Fotografia

Katy Perry- Not Like the Movies; Thinking of You; Teenage Dream

Hot Chelle Rae- Bleed

Framing Hanley- Slow Dance; Hear Me Now

Hey Monday- 6 Months

Paramore- Only Exception; All I Wanted; When It Rains

Give me more to add to my list!

What are some of your favorite songs right now?