Grateful and Undeserving

 

So, I promise I haven't forgotten to write a blog about Haiti. It is quite difficult to put into words exactly how it effected me and what kind of thoughts and feelings came from that experience. But more than anything else, I am thankful for my life and all the wonderful things in it. Because it is Thanksgiving, I thought that would be a good place to start. 

-I'm thankful for taxes. (it's crazy right, but they help pay for schools and roads do a lot of things for us that we don't think about on a daily basis.)

-I'm so thankful for clean water to drink and to bathe in. It is amazing how much that can negatively effect you and your health.

-Of course, I am so blessed with a wonderful husband. I love him so much and I'm so glad that God brought us together.

-Thankful for family! Two new members this year, Charlie (Anna's new husband) and Issac (my new nephew). Both are treasured additions to our crazy family.

-Thankful for a great job. One that can provide for the family, but still allows for plenty of time to spend with family and friends, what more could you ask for??

-Blessed beyond belief with a wonderful group of friends who love and support Duane and I

-Grateful to live in a country were women and men of all races can follow their dreams and pursue what their heart desires. (This is definitely not the case in Haiti and other 3rd world countries)

Thanksgiving this year means more to me than it ever has after spending even a short time in Haiti. I definitely feel much more thankful for everything than I ever have in the past. Knowing how things could be, and seeing how much God has blessed me and my family, it is incredibly humbling and I praise God for His blessing and that we are able to give back to those less fortunate.

Cas  

Wedded Bliss :)

So, I am going to interrupt the Haiti talks for a little walk down the aisle.  :)

On October 13th, a little over a week ago, I supported my seester (aka my half-filipino sister-in-law) and my newest brother ;) as they said "I do" 

The weekend started off with some last minute decorations and preparations for the ceremony and reception. I learned how to tie a fancy bow as we decorated the church. That will be invaluable come christmas time! We rehearsed walking up and down the aisle and then went back to the hizzie for the most scrumptious filipino food, made by Lula :) I got to know a few Kiwi's (the affectionate nick-name for New Zealanders) as Charlie had so much support from home!! I thought it was really awesome for  Kirk, Peter, Andrew, and Rory to all fly over from New Zealand to be in Anna and Charlie's wedding. It was great getting to know all of those really awesome and down-to-earth guys.

Come saturday it was time to get done-up and the salon, put our make-up on and get dressed to walk down the aisle. One of the special moments of the day was being alone at the house with Anna as we did our make-up, then later, getting to do the make-up on my filipino Mom. Those quiet moments were very special times that I got to spend with the both of them and I won't likely forget them. Then it was off the the church to wait. 

The ceremony was beautiful and the bride brought tears to my eyes as she walked down the aisle. She was glowing! The music was absolutely beautiful, everyone look so gorgeous/handsome and it flowed so smoothly. It seemed like it was over in the blink of an eye, then my seester was married! I think most of the audience was a little misty in the eyes and I know the maid-of-honor, Erin, spent the entire ceremony sniffling. Nobody fell down, no wardrobe malfunctions, over-all, it went much smoother than my wedding. (not only did someone fall down the stairs, but a groomsman got a nose bleed before the ceremony and blood got on his shirt!!) 

At the reception, we had some really tasty food and some amazing red velvet cake from The Boll Weevil. Then we boogied down!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.phpv=10151079910385825&set=vb.696240824&type=2&theater (you can click the link and see a fun video of the bride and groom dancing) It was so much fun dancing and visiting with friends and family. Everything came to an end far too soon though and we had to say some pretty tearful goodbyes. I'm still on the verge of devastation at the fact that Anna now lives halfway around the world. So I will desperately save my money to go see her ASAP!! 

-Cas

Silent Auction!

I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone involved in our silent auction this past friday! Everything went over very well and hopefully soon we will have an update as to where we are with our fundraising efforts. Everyone has been so generous, I am absolutely blown away with the love and affection that has been shown in our direction. So here is a run-down of how the night went, from my perspective :)

So, all of us dedicated servers and auction staff arrived about an hour before to prepare and make last minute adjustments. I had been trying to get rid of a bad headache all day, so I didn't come early to set up, but everyone did a wonderful job! It was a perfect set-up for a fall evening with the decor. I brought in my contributions (shout out to Anna, Catherine, Crystal, Anna, Jill, Jillane, Dennis and Zhao-Zhao for putting things together for us to auction) and got things set up...then I twiddled my thumbs and wandered around the room...trying to figure out what to do. It was a little discouraging, but everyone was so efficient, that there wasn't anything that I could do to help at the moment. Every work station had two or three people there already, so my desire to help was overwhelmed with the lack of a need and no more space for me to work in. It all got done, that's what matters right?

So about 7p, people started coming in and I was super pumped to start serving people their food and drinks. But everyone just wanted to stand around. Yes, some people were milling around looking at auction items, but some were just standing and chatting. Once again..it had me feeling a little awkward and out-of-place as I decided what to do. I did start to serve some people with drinks and then we had the food blessed and got down to business for real. 

Well, I've never been a waitress. Never ever. I don't count the two mornings that I worked in a hospitality tent at the Masters Golf Tournament. One, I was probably not even old enough to be working there, and two, it was a total of about 3 hours or so. But you would think, even with the lack of experience, I would be familiar with the basics. Drinks first, then salad, entree and finally dessert. I had my two tables of 8 picked out to serve, so i just started serving them. Whatever kind of food that came out of the kitchen, that's what they got. Whoops. So much for everyone at the table having salad, then their entrees. Some got everything at once, others got one at a time. People came in later and had to catch up...I give props to all the waitresses out there because not everyone is cut out for that kind of work. Anyways, everyone got food. I didn't drop any food (not on anyone, or the floor thank you very much!). So in my book, it was a successful first time as a waitress. 

images

My wonderful mom came and supported us!! She came away with some really great things at AMAZING prices. I'm still flabbergasted. I even did some last minute bidding and came home with a beautiful stella and dot necklace. 

It was a good night and it was great to see the team put in such hard work. I know if we're all such hard workers, the trip will definitely be an awesome success :) I really can't wait to see what God is going to do through the people on this team for the people of Haiti! ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ -Matthew 25:45

Stay tuned for wedding bells via my lovely sister-in-law, Anna

oh the countdowns!

So one of the things I didn't mention last week when I wrote my blog is that I hadn't gotten my passport yet. See, I had one. Then there was this whole thing where I got married to a crazy person (Loveyou!) and decided to go with his last name. So I pulled it out a month and a half ago (the passport) and the pesky thing still had my maiden name on it. How dare it! Well, I went through the hoops and send off a chunk of my paycheck and looky here...a passport. It came last week in the mail and then it hit me. I'm going to Haiti. I have no excuse not to. I'm raising money, I have my shots, I have a passport. This is happening, and I may or may not be freaking out just a little inside :p It's all so real now! 27 days from now, I will be on a plane, flying across an ocean and landing in a foreign country! 

That's not the only thing coming up worth counting down to.

My Seester's wedding (a.k.a my hubby's sis) .............12 days

My Sister's due date (Baby M!!) .................................... 31 days

Visiting previously mentioned new baby .................... 1month and 17 days

Trust me. These are not the only things going on in my life either. Unfortunately work and church and school and gigs don't stop coming just because a few extras are thrown in there. I feel tired just thinking about it. 

-Cas

Where has all the time gone?

Hello All! So I feel like I always start my posts the same way, but it's been awhile :) I'm here. I didn't fall off the face of the earth. Life has been busy so I will give a quick synopsis of what has been going on before I get to my main point. 

-moved to a new unit, the cardiac catheterization lab at EGRMC. It has its perks and those not so good things. No weekends/no holidays are perks, free food from stent/pacer reps is a perk. Not so good things include never knowing how long or short my day will be and whether or not I will get all my hours (definitely NOT good). But God is still providing with plenty of hours even when it seems like there will not be enough.

-Helped to host a baby shower for my beautiful sister Hollie :) She got tons of love and support and fabulous things. Overall, it was a wonderful success with the help of our Mom, Holly, and Jenn our sister. I'm so excited to meet Baby M come November!!

-Hosted a Bridal/Lingerie shower for my sister Anna! It was so fun with all of her friends there supporting her. It makes me sad to know that she is moving so far away and we won't get to see each other very often. But I am very happy to know she is marrying such a wonderful guy! I don't think either of them could ask for better spouses. 

So those are the major things that I have been doing, other than church services and events, working and the daily things like food, water, sleep, cleaning and working out. But thats pretty mundane so I think we will move on. 

Haiti.

I am going to Haiti.

First of all, I am very excited. To know that God called me and asked me to move and I said "Okay." Since my sophomore year of college, I have know that I was suppose to go into medical missions. I never knew how that would look, whether full time or yearly, I just knew that it was something that I needed to do. Who knows, this could be the only trip He ever calls me to. But knowing that, I chose to go into nursing school. So two years of nursing school and two years of working as a nurse later, here I am, going on my first ever, full-fledged mission trip. Woo hoo! I honestly can't wait to have this life changing experience. 

Secondly, I'm nervous. I hate bugs. That's probably my most selfish fear right now. Mosquitos love me, I loathe them and I don't want to be eaten alive! I am afraid of the language barrier, since I didn't study french in high school like my lovely sister, I have not the slightest clue as to what they will be saying. Haitians generally speak Creole, so I am very iffy about how communication will be established because I know that we won't have interpreters 24/7 for each of us. I am also nervous about the work. I am still unclear as to what I will actually be doing in the clinics and I would like to have a little more information on that, but I'm sure it is coming. 

Last, I am nervous about the stability of the country itself. I know that witch-craft/witch doctors are still fairly prominent in the area and I trying to prepare my self for upcoming spiritual battles as I try to love on these people. I am almost afraid at how different it will be and what a culture shock it is going to be coming back home. 

So there you have it. 

Anyone with mission trip advice is welcome to advise me. Anyone who wants to give to support the mission trip is also welcome to do that as well. :)

Love you all!

Cas

Too Cool for School

Just for you guys, on a wednesday...A pretty awesome pup to help get you through your mid-week crisis.  :)

Casey

So, I am here again...trying in ernest to come up with stuff for the good ol' blog. I guess the best thing to do is to catch up on whats been going on lately.

1. Duane and I both turned 24. It is always interesting with our birthdays so close together, a lot of the times we say the money from gifts and go on trips. We've visited friends out of state, family, and even taken some rock climbing trips in the past for our birthdays, but this year, we both opted for quiet times at home with friends and family. (we are saving the trip for the summer when a certain cirque du soleil show will be headed to an atlanta arena near here).

2. I am once again trying to eat healthier and exercise more. Why? do you ask? I know in part of my brain, some of what I am doing seems a little excessive. Everybody tells me I look great and they give me compliments, I just do it to feel great about myself. I enjoy the stress relief that jogging and exercising provides. I like the way I feel better when I am eating fruits and veggies instead of ice cream and candy (although I did have a salad for lunch, followed by ice cream :P). It helps me to feel good about me and that's what counts.

3. My friend Crystal and I are coming up on the end of our study of the book of James, following Beth Moore's DVD's and viewing guides/homework, etc. We have both really enjoyed the study and are hungry for more. If anyone has any suggestions of something to do next, we would gladly take them.

4. My dermatologist is starting me on Acutane. As much as I am dreaded the monthly blood-work, the never-ending paperwork and accountability, and the expense of it all, I will be so incredibly happy if it works and my skin is clear. I would love to be able to pick and choose when I want to wear makeup without feeling like I need to hide my acne. I'm ready for this battle to be over with because it is just stupid and petty. Still...I am ready to have a day without acne/blackheads.

5. I don't know about anyone else, but I love The Hunger Games. I read all the books before I knew about the movie coming out. In fact, I've read them multiple times now and each time is just as captivating and thrilling. Duane and I saw the midnight premier (for my b-day) and we both loved it. I thought the actors were very well chosen and the director/producer did an excellent job. Of course, it would never beat the books, but it was still awesome in its own way. I want to see it again!!

I guess thats all for now :)

Having fun, wasting time :)

So, to satisfy my lovely sister Hollie, in her attempts to have me continue blogging, she tagged me in a cute survey. I will attempt to fill it out, although I don't have 11 people to tag when I am done, So I will just be done with it. Here goes :)

Rules For Bloggers: (you must repost these)

1. Post these rules.

2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

5. Go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them. (ok, so I probably won't actually do this.)

6. No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ blah blah blah, you legitimately have to tag 11 people!

Hollie's Questions :

1.What's your take on the Twilight phenomenon? Are you a fan? Are you strongly opposed? I have given Twilight every opportunity to have me like it. I saw the movies, I even read the books because I was quite curious as to what all the commotion was about. It still does not appeal to me. I thought the books were good, but it is just not my cup of tea. Can't say I didn't try, and no I am not strongly opposed either.

2. What's your favorite form of exercise? Window shopping is a perfectly acceptable answer to this question. For exercise, my favorite thing to do is go rock climbing, in the gym or outdoors, it makes no difference. Sadly, its not all that fun without a partner to climb with and I have a hard time finding someone who shares my vigor and my schedule. So I turn to running or strength training and core exercises. Not my favorite things, but I do enjoy them.

3. Running along with the shopping theme, if you could max out your credit cards (without penalty or paying them off!) at any one store, where would that be? This is actually a tougher question than I originally anticipated. Immediately I would say Ann Taylor Loft, but I really would like new furniture and decorative things for the house, so maybe some place like Anthropology that has clothing and furniture, decorations, etc. However, gut reaction girlish desires equals The Loft.

4. If you could pick a movie title to describe your life, what would it be and why? (just the title- not the movie subject or premise... like if you pick "Pretty Woman" it just means you're a pretty woman, not a prostitute who falls in love with Richard Gere.) It's a Wonderful Life.

5. What (in your opinion) are the ideal condiments or toppings on a hamburger? Cheese and Bacon. yum.

6. If you could learn a new musical instrument, what would it be? I've always wanted to learn a string instrument, something different like a hammered dulcimer.

7. Are you an Apple or PC person? Apple, I am on my Mac typing right now.

8. If you could re-do a day in your life, what day would it be and how would it be different? I don't think I would re-do anything. I know I've made some mistakes and hurt people and I wish I could take it back. But I learned from the experiences and I don't want to loose what I learned.

9. What is your ultimate guilty pleasure? (i.e., that trashy tv show? romance novels? ice cream??) Cookies. Warm, gooey, chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, soft, cookies. With milk of course.

10. Do you have any brothers or sisters (or siblings-in-law?)? Are you close in age? Are you close in relationship? I have two sisters, Hollie (4 years older) and Jennifer (14 years older) and I love them both tremendously, trust them without a doubt and would do anything for them and feel that they would do anything for me. Hollie is hilarious and may seem quite outgoing, but she can also be very quiet and reserved in new situations. Jennifer is kind and generous, fiercely passionate about her family. They are both awesome sisters who married awesome men. Jordan and Tim are my brothers by marriage and they are great. Jordan is funny and hard-headed. He has a hilarious laugh. Tim is hard-working and dedicated. Finally, I have a sister-in-law, Anna (2 years younger). She is a very talented artist and is super sweet and funny. She will be sorely missed when she moves away to be married this year :(

11. Will anyone actually fill this out? It's taken me like 2 days. I did :P

My Questions:

1. If money/time/school was of no issue, what would you want to do for a living?

2. If you could go anywhere for a vacation, where would it be?

3. What would you do on said vacation?

4. If you could have the life of any book character, which one would you choose and why?

5. Tell us about the most ridiculous event that you've ever seen at a wedding/party/family event. Who did the crazy? How did everyone react?

6. What's one thing in your life that you wish you could do more of? (i.e. reading, spending time with friends, exercise, etc.)

7. What kind of online media are you addicted to? Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube..

8. If cost/wild instincts were not an issue, what kind of exotic animal would you own?

9. What is your dream home like, and where would it be?

10. What's the last movie you saw in the theater? Was it good?

11. What was the last new fact or new skill that you learned?

If anyone reads this, they are welcome to answer my questions :) If you do, please comment and leave your blog in the comments so I can read. Have fun!