So.  this is the new phusebox, huh?  i haven't really even had a chance ot check it out... very nice!
my life is absolutely insane right now.  but i love it!  awesome awesome things happening!  here's the rundown...

• YoungLife is great this year - i am lovin it!  God has really given me a peace and stregth for it!  My talk this week went well - thanks for your prayers!  it keeps me really busy tho - i'm gonna try to keep going to campaigners on monday, then there's leader meetings on tuesdays, and club on wednesdays.  not to mention that the past few fridays have been spent up there as well (we do younglife 30 miles away)  it's a lot!  but it's gooood!
  


• darin was hired at our church to run the sr high youth group!  so i am his sidekick!  i teach sunday school every week and help him out on sunday nights... it's a blast!  and a great opportunity!  it came out of nowhere but i absolutely love it!  they've never really had a youth group before, so we just made everything up!  it's crazy for me to think that we're doing all that as seniors in college!  definitely a God-thing!
  


• i'm pretty far into my practicum at Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School.  it was scary to actually teach the other day - i just can't believe that this class of juniors was completely in my hands!  and i'm teaching the sophomores on monday!  it's so fun!  my teacher is great - he has 2 reg eng classes but then he also has journalism, creative writing, and broadcasting!  so i'm learning a lot about putting together a newspaper and how they run their school tv program!  when on earth did i become this adult in the real world??

so that's my crazy life.  that takes up 5 nights a week for sure, sometimes more.  not to mention 18 hours of classes and 10 hours of regular work!  thursdays are reserved for planning the upcoming weekend at church - so that pretty much leaves saturdays!  IF nothing else has overflowed onto them!  the past couple saturdays i went to chicago with darin - my absolute favorite thing to do!  so there's still a little time for careless fun! 
all this to really say that i'm really sorry if i'm not keeping up with you!  i can't even keep up with my friends here on campus!  so don't be afraid to send me an email or call me yourself!  i miss you all!  and love you very much!  i'm coming home *i think* november 11, but it'll just be a short trip!  catch me then!

**4 weeks till ARUBA!!**

sooo... tonight... i'm giving "THE TALK" at YoungLife...

so if you see this before 8:15-ish - or i guess at any time - a prayer would be great!

hello from eaton rapids, michigan! it's cold here. but i s'pose it's cold at olivet too. crazy northern states. i love it tho
i have recently realized that i have become the biggest wuss of all time. (is that how you spell wuss???) my friends from high school would be so ashamed of me... i would never make it through nashville's haunted prison. how sad. darin, brady, kady, and i went to this haunted apple orchard thingy... and i back out. even cried. BUT, to my credit - i went through a corn maze! do you know what that means?? i am terrified of corn fields. in the light. much less the creppy dark. this was a big deal. so am i really a chicken? not totally. just partially. i'm like artificial chicken i guess.
see ya

so... fall break is a day away and i can definitely feel it. i love how every prof likes to pile it on before breaks. this week has been insane. and it's not going to stop tonight. i cannot wait until tomorrow is OVER!
but anyway... that is not what i logged in to say...
tonight i cried. ok. i cry often right now for some reason, but it was a good cry. check this out:
i have been having the hardest time with these two projects for my visual literacy class. it really shouldn't be this difficult, but it's just been unbelievable.
enter - susan bailey.
now, susan and i rarely talk. we occasionally leave each other messages or quick updates on lives, but it's not an every day occurance - not even every week. she hasn't heard about my issues lately. but i had an away msg up about being frustrated with my stupid projects, and when i come home at midnight, this is what i found on my screen:
Dear Lord, please bless Cassie as she works on her projects and give her strength and peace as she finishes them. Thank you for Cassie and the joy she brings to all who know her :-) In Jesus' name, Amen.
that's it. that's all she wrote. and is that not incredible? susan is amazing. that's twice recently that someone has just instantly prayed for me like that and i cannot even explain how awesome that feels! it's a habit i definitely need to pick up.
just wanted to share :)

photo from bouclee
the titans are on tv!!!!!! :) this rarely happens here... just on those lucky days when they play the colts!! i'm not extremely confident in their ability to beat peyton and his crew today (afterall, he's a tennessee original too), but i am still WAY excited about actually getting to watch the game! AND it's in nashville... ahhh... it's like i'm right at home! that just made my day

today's my dad's birthday!!! wish i was home... but he's not there anyway, so i guess that's ok... i also wish that i had been paid more than $16 in the last 6 weeks so that i could send him somethin special... but c'est la vie. instead, i think everyone should call and leave him a happy birthday message! ;) ok, so many of you don't know him, but some of you do! and you know he's the greatest! 243-1811... any takers?
so allison is teaching me to list good things in the morning... when we walk to our terrible 7:40 class together, we try and list the good things about the day... so let's see... it's saturday! that's good enough as it is! i'm going to wear my new jeans that i found last night (in a surprisingly short amount of time)... i already ran today... it's gorgeous outside... my favorite little brother and favorite little brother's girlfriend (and family) are in chicago!... only 6 more days until fall break!... its free weekends!... (?)
ok, i'm not real creative right now. not bad, tho... alright. back to trying to get ahold of my dad!

life is insane. i just started my 45 hour practicum today and it is AMAZING! my teacher is awesome! i'm so excited! more on that to come, i'm sure...
the parents were here this weekend - it was nice! we went to the museum of science and industry - very cool! my favorite chicago museum so far! and we ate at the FlatTop Grill - which is always fun!
AND! justin and jami are coming tonight!!!! i miss them SO much! i cannot wait!
AND i'm going to see "The Merchant of Venice" at the Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier tonight! i LOVE Olivet's fieldtrips!
Okay... tons to do! to be continued.......

photo from bouclee
this is my best friend. and this is why.
she is amazing. seriously. you all should get one.

holy design
this place in time
that I might seek and find my God
my God

Lord I want to yearn for You
I want to burn with passion
over You and only You
Lord I want to yearn

Your joy is mine
yet why am I fine
with all my singing and bringing grain
in light of Him

oh You give life and breath
through Him You give all things
in Him we live and move
that's why I sing

Lord I want to yearn

my roommates gave me flowers! and a sweet card!


photo from bouclee
today in chapel we sang how great is our God... love that song. and then they added the love of God. wow. it hit me, as i was singing how measureless and strong just how strong His love is. that there's nothing i can do - no attitude i have or emotions i feel - that can extinguish that love. nothing. this morning i asked God to meet me today - and He did. darin had sent me these great verses about crying out to God - so i did. i wrote down everything i had been feeling and what i so desperately wanted God to do and He answered through this song. i had this thought - of God's love being like a firm grip on my life - something that i cannot shake. it is powerful, secure, unyielding, intense, fervent. i usually see His love as such a gentle, caring thing. and while it is that, today i realized that it's so much more. that He has a hold of me within that love and that He is not letting me go anywhere. i still feel sort of melancholy. but it sure feels good to be aware of His presence.

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song

quick update from last time - my great-grandmother is still holding on - barely though. my mom told me this morning that her eyes have glazed over - there's no color in them whatsoever - no pupil or anything. i think that might be the creepiest thing i have ever heard. so this weekend may be tough - keep my family in your prayers please!
and as far as prayers go you can add me to that list as well. i don't know what the deal is but i am having the hardest time lately. it is so frustrating. i know that the devil knows my weakest points - and, gosh darnit, if he hasn't hit me the hardest in those areas right now... it's awful. i don't usually ask for encouragement, but if you've got something right now i'd be okay with that. i feel so lost, lonely, unwanted... and i know it's satan. i know it is. i keep getting ahold of that for a little bit, but then i just lose it again. i need to conquer it. but i'm not there yet. it's a completely selfish thing. i know that. and i hate it. but i can't get on top of it.
life is not all bad, though. don't get my wrong. some really awesome things are happening - as always. that just seems to lurk in the back of my mind... and perhaps over my heart... and comes out frequently. for now i have laundry to do. and homework. and i'd like to get my room put together. and it's free weekends, maybe i need to make a few phone calls home... and to OKC of course. and florida. why are my friends so far away??

i love tennessee. and i love not working. and i love not going to class. and i love my family. and i love darin. this has been a nice week.
however... if you could pray for my family, that would be great... my great-grandmother (mom's side) is dying - we got the call sunday. she's in her 90's... been very sick for as long as i can remember... so it's really a relief, just a lot of things to take care of and such. my grandma takes care of my grandpa full time so it's hard for her to leave him and take care of her dying mother... especially without feeling bad. soooo... ANYHOW! prayers would be great, thanks!
more on this trip to come.....

photo from bouclee
so. ever since junior year of high school, when i heard about this magical place that was just out of my reach... and then the seniors went there... i've had this dream of the day when my life would be completed, and i would get to go to cedar point. heck yeah i went to "the best theme park on the planet"!! :) and it was awesome. lemme tell you about it...
first of all, it was a gorgeous day. i only got slightly toasted, which is a pretty big feat for me. darin and i went to sandusky with his mom, kady, and brady... and it was a blast! we started with Millenium Force...


photo from bouclee
and i would have to agree. fast, smooth, thrilling... definitely a good one! the newest addition to the largest amusement ride park in the world is maXair...


photo from bouclee
kind of an interesting way to turn your stomach in knots... swingin from a gigantic pendulum while rotating counter-clockwise. 70mph. 140ft. definitely unique. but not quite as unique as the WickedTwister