Spur of the Moment

I will be the first to admit, that since moving to Nashville, my days off are usually pretty chill and relaxed at home with Meah and Duane (a.k.a. I'm a homebody). We usually straighten the house, walk the dog, eat meals, Duane practices, I read a book. It's quite exciting. So yesterday's events were definitely a welcome change.

Duane really wanted to go the Kurdish market, Azadi International Market and Bakery, check out the homemade bread and ask some of the local Kurdish people if there was any live music in the area. I honestly wasn't that interested in going, but was under the impression that the market was only a short drive from the mall so I agreed :) Come to find out, it wasn't :|

But guess what was on the same road as the market and we had no clue until we drove right past it....

THE ZOO!! 

We had an impromptu trip to the Nashville Zoo. It was a blast, the weather was beautiful and it wasn't crowded. It was awe inspiring and I had an amazing time with my goofy husband. The Gibbons were the loudest and most musical primates I've ever heard. I could hear them when we got out of the car. 

Clydesdales! 

Croft Family Home

The old historic Croft Farm is on the land where the zoo is. It's this very well maintained house and barn, complete with horses, cows, bulls, and goats of course. The house looked awesome and had a great garden in the back that I would love to visit in the springtime. It was a neat and unexpected site at the zoo. 

Kangaroo Kickabout

We saw this big girl show off for us (see above), dancing and drinking at the water hole. She was marvelous to watch.  

A really cool feature at the Nashville Zoo is the Kangaroo Kickabout. You can walk in the exhibit and be right up next to the kangaroos. Some of them will even allow you to pet them. One was standing up on its hind legs scratching its armpit. Classy. 

I see a goofy bird in the picture. Do you?

This little guy looks a little like 

"He-who-must-not-be-named"

Maybe we aren't such an old married couple after all ;)

-Cas

hopefully fall means turning over a new leaf

So, I it's definitely safe to say that I am an terrible-awful-no-good-very-bad BLOGGER. I let months of time whiz by with not even a fleeting thought of actually sitting down to write something. Not even posting pictures. I mean, some stuff has definitely happened and I have some pictures to prove it. If I remember correctly, I've broached this subject before and maybe even suggested that I should do better about blogging. Alas, nothing has changed. I read other blogs, and I very much enjoy it. Don't care to write in mine though. 

Moving on, It might be best now that we are seeing less and less of family and friends to try and keep this a little more on the updated side with whats going on in the day-to-day. So here goes, in a nut shell, a recap of whats gone on since March 15th, 2013.

Hubby and I both turned 25. Woohoo, quarter of a century down. 

I interviewed and was offered a job at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN on March 26th. I accepted. 

We found a house to rent, 35 miles away from work :( but with a lovely yard and neighborhood for us to enjoy. And for Meah to enjoy also. 

Meah? Who's Meah you ask? She is our fluffy girl. Our loving and energetic german shepherd that we also got in late March of this year. She was 12lbs when we got her, she's 70lbs now! Although she is still definitely puppy in age and spirit, she is way to big to be called a puppy.

April was a complete blur. Packing, 2 weeks notice at East GA Regional Medical Center, goodbyes :( Lots and lots of boxes. Boxes Everywhere. 

May 1 2013 - Crystal, Meah and I loaded up her Jeep, hitched up an overly full U-haul trailer and hit the road for 7 hours of white knuckled, teeth clenched driving to Nashville. (Seriously, if I never pulled a trailer again, it would be too soon). 

I must add that Crystal was awesome and a life saver. She was such a hard worker, trying to help us get settled in our new place. She was up for anything and had no problem walking up to complete strangers and asking for some help with some of the heavy lifting. Love her. 

Between May 1st and May 5th, my mom, Duane's parents, Duane and Garrett all arrived to help finish off the unloading and unpacking that had to be done.

May 6th I went to work at a new job, on a new unit, in a new city where I knew no one. Eekkk!

Wow, I'm exhausted just writing about all of those things. God definitely laid out the path for us to go to Nashville,TN. He provided the job and the house and the help, all we had to do was step out in faith. It wasn't easy. It's still not easy. But (hopefully) I'll explain more later. 

Cas :)

The Eyes of a Child

Isn't it wonderful to look at life through the eyes of a child? Filled with wonder and excitement around every corner? Always inquisitive and earnestly trying to figure out the world and how things work. It is really inspiring and something I've actually gotten to do the last couple of weeks and it has definitely changed the way I look at my Bible, if nothing else. 

Lemme back up a bit. So since mid-december, a new church called Compassion Christian Church was launched in Statesboro and Duane and I have been blessed enough to be apart of it from the get-go. Next thing we know, my awesome and wonderful friend Crystal is their new Children's Director (she's awesome by the way!). Of course, she weasels her way in and next thing I know, not only am I helping set-up for services every Saturday morning, but I am also leading a kids small group. Never in my mind did I see myself teaching children in any fashion or shape or form. 

Now sure, I had people tell me growing up, "You'll make such a fantastic teacher one day!" While in the back of my mind...I'm saying "yeah right!" I always said that teaching was something I would never do. God got a good laugh out of that I am sure :)

So we are almost there. The Point, that is. 

So here I am, coming in every Saturday and Sunday, teaching this girls 2nd-5th grade small group during the first service, attending service number two and heading home. Wellllll, God had something more in store for me yet. 

You see, we have a fair amount of children who's parents serve as volunteers during a service, then attend a service. The problem with that is there children were starting to get very bored sitting through the same program and small group twice. It actually was starting to hinder the program because they wouldn't participate and were bringing down the morale in the group. That's not good. Not good at all. 

So Crystal (via the divine inspiration of God) knows that something has to be done and decided that I should be the awesome person to do it. So now, each week I attend service number one and serve in service number two by taking these "repeaters" and digging deeper. It is AWESOME!! 

I have to totally rely on God to provide me with material to talk about and He has done that and then some. Every time I open my bible, I read something that I want those kids to learn and know about Jesus. I find verse after verse that I want them to have as their weekly memory verse so they will know the promises of God deep in the hearts. I am excited to see them each week and to help them grow and understand what being a believer in Christ is all about and how that effects our lives and how we should live them. It's helping me see the Bible, worship and prayer through new eyes, and with a new excitement. 

Who knew that I would enjoy teaching? God did. 

-Cas

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