Please...

Ready, set, something exciting happen to me. And make it a beautiful male. Thank you and goodnight.

What a long day it's been. It's a very rare occasion that I stay home sick from school and lay on the couch for hours, but that's exactly what I did today. Tonight has been a little better though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow I'll be cured. :)

I can't believe it's almost Thursday. Where in the world did Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday go? Not that I'm complaining... I'm just that much closer to the weekend. Speaking of the weekend, this should be a good one! Tomorrow I've got a Nutrition study group with Kristalyn starting at 4, then at 7, she and Jaden (another Nutrition buddy) and I are going to get sushi and study some more. Not that I'm any kind of sushi fan, but I think it will be fun! On Friday, I'm getting together with several people from last year's Chamber Singers, because we haven't seen each other since graduation. Not quite sure what we'll do, but I love catching up with friends that I haven't talked to in a while. It's always so fun to see what everyone ends up doing and where life's craziness takes them.

I should really be writing two papers and studying for a test and quiz. Yaaay college. But hey, almost one year down. It's so crazy... this has felt like the longest year of my life, BY FAR. But at the same time, I can't believe the school year's almost over! I'm ready to move on past the phase of life where every RM says "Oh, you're a freshman? Hm..." and then you never hear from them again. I really can't wait to meet new people in my ward at the Elms! I feel like I have some great friends and some great experiences just around the corner.

I'm going to be a good student now and start studying. I won't wait two more weeks to write, promise. At least I don't think I will. Have a great night!

:) Happy me.

I got a job I got a job I got a job!! I'm so excited. Come April, I will be a secretary for the BYU Neuroscience Office. I love being a secretary! What do you know... prayer works. :)

Tonight we had a Women's Chorus concert at Maple Mountain. I really miss seeing my great friends and teachers! Going back there is always a little bit bittersweet, because I absolutely loved my senior year and almost wish I could've spent more time there. HOWEVER, at the same time, it's fun to revisit those memories and know that I've moved on to bigger and better things.

I've decided that I really want to get into a leadership position at BYU. Mom says that I need to make a huge poster titled "I've decided..." and add to it every day because I say those words so often! I just have so many things I want to do, and sometimes I get frustrated that I can't do it all! I want to learn piano and guitar, be on student council, improve my dance skills, go to London for Study Abroad, be in another musical, do so much more with my voice than I'm doing... the list goes on and on and on. One thing at a time, right? Ah, sometimes I hate time.

Last night I went to the BYU game with two of my future roommates. Well, we attempted, but apparently paying $200+ for an all-sports pass does nothing, because we didn't get in. No, I'm not bitter. But we ended up getting frozen yogurt and hanging out with Jake and Joe, a couple of their UVU friends. We made it a fun night. :) Kristalyn and Korinne (the future roomies) are the greatest. I really am so excited to live in the Elms with them! They're the sweetest girls, and they love to party. Hooray!

Everything really is falling into place right now, and I couldn't be happier. I'm still taking dance, but I've decided that Young Ambassadors probably isn't for me. Yes, it would be an amazing experience, no doubt. However, I don't think I fit the persona that is required; they all seem to be very dramatic and very loud, and I don't really want to surround myself with that nor be like that. Not to mention that I'd live with the girls and I'd have practice 20+ hours per week. Don't get me wrong, I think they are amazing people! It's me, not them. :) But I really want to keep trekking down this singing route I'm on. I think that if I do more with singing alone, rather than dance and acting, I could really improve to where I want to be. Sorry, I'm thinking out loud again.

Oh boy, I'm exhausted and have yet to start my homework. I gotta get on that. Have a great one!

This is my SECOND time writing this month. Proud, much? Thank you, thank you.

Right now I'm listening to Carrie Underwood's "The More Boys I Meet" and I'm agreeing with the song 100%. Now that we have a puppy, I can legitimately say that "the more boys I meet, the more I love my dog"... oh, how true that statement is. I'm really ok with having my own Cassie time right now. Not Cassie + boy time, just me and myself figuring life out one day at a time.

This morning Mom and Marci and I attended the Mapleton Stake Women's Conference. It was so good! Sister Lant was the guest speaker, and she talked about appreciating ourselves more and focusing on what really matters most. It is so easy to lose perspective, isn't it? I don't know about you, but sometimes I definitely fall into the traps of self guilt trips and self-criticism. I never do enough, I'm not pretty enough, I can't I can't I can't... why is it that we're always beating ourselves up and not giving ourselves the credit that we deserve? "We're doing better than we think we are." (Sis. Beck) I always try to pack SO MUCH into one little day and add unnecessary extras to my to do lists; I'm going to make it a point to convince myself that more is not always better.

I'm starting to get really excited about my future career. Not necessarily my major, because it's only a stepping stone to my master's degree (Although Communication Disorders is VERY interesting as well!). But the other day in my Acoustics of Music and Speech class, we were learning about the vocal tract and potential problems with vocal cords, and I think my neighbors were about ready to duct tape my mouth shut. We were watching videos of Vocal Specialists doing their thing in the medical field, and I was telling the people next to me lots of obnoxious facts about vocal cords and ENT doctors and how vocal nodules affect singing and how I have a "granuloma" on my vocal cord... you get the idea. Anyway, I'm feeling confident that I've chosen the right field. :) Even though some days go by oh so slow and the homework load is often overbearing, I really do love school. I love to learn!

Mom and I are completely redoing my room. I'm going to post pictures very soon. It's black and white and red... all over, like the newspaper. (I'm really hoping you've heard that one before.) But I'm getting really excited about it. We just bought the magnet board yesterday that will hang above my new desk, and we ordered the bedding today! We've been shopping everywhere for bedding and finally found a good deal. Hooray!

I should REALLY be doing homework. But before I go, I wanted to share a great thought that I heard today, especially because the darn snow tends to dampen our days around this time of year: "Those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves." Isn't this so true? It's short and simple, and I love it. There isn't a better time for us to be happy than right now. We don't have to wait for a new stage of life, a new day, a new hour, or even a new minute to be happy. :) It's a simple choice. Have a great one, friends!

Rising Rays

Hello, friends! What a crazy ride it's been since the last post. Life never ceases to both surprise and excite me. :)

Aaron left in December. I have to say that the past couple of months have been quite the struggle, but I'm definitely on the up and up, and the sunshine is making me ten times happier! It's difficult when your best friend leaves. You always hear that "you don't know what you got till it's gone"; I thought I knew perfectly, but as it turns out, I didn't know the half of it! I'm just even more grateful now for the wonderful friend that he is. If there's anything I've learned the past little while, it's the importance of making new friends and being a TRUE friend. Anyway, I'm so excited for Aaron. He just left the MTC on Monday to serve in Tampa, FL until his visa comes, then he'll head off to Brazil. He's loving the work and was already a zone leader in the MTC. So proud. :) I'm feeling much happier now and the lonely feeling is leaving little by little as I make new friends and keep myself busy with school and singing and dance and everything.

School is so great, and I'm SO happy to be here at BYU. I really do love all my classes and professors, and call me a nerd but I kind of even enjoy studying. This semester is much better than last. And I'm sure next will be even better, right? I've been branching out the last little while; I'm taking two dance classes right now (jazz dance and private lessons) because I'm working up to my lifetime dream of being a BYU Young Ambassador. What I really wanna do is prove to myself that I'm brave enough to audition, because dancing in front of people happens to be a phobia of mine. I picked the perfect dream, right? Ha, but I'm enjoying dance very much! I love doing things that push me. Still on the topic of the arts, voice lessons are also coming along very well. Without a doubt the highlight of my week. We're actually going to begin recording my first CD (LDS hymns) within the next two weeks! I love to sing. I really really do. :) So thankful for music.

I thought I'd throw in a picture of Darby (Sharon's new dog) just because she's adorable. She's definitely brightening up the home...

Oh, right, did I mention I moved home? I decided to save some money by living at home until Fall semester, because next Spring I'm planning on going to London for Study Abroad... hooray! Super excited for that. Anyway, living at home has been great. I love hanging out with Mom every day, and being able to see Dad and Chris and Ryan more often has been fun. Not that I wasn't home half the time last semester anyway. :)

That's about all I have time for today, because my kind friend Jenna Higgins offered to take me to lunch at the MOA Cafe! Love her! I will try to update more often. You'd think more often than a few times a year would be manageable.... so I'll work on it.

Enjoy the sunshine and have a great day!!

Cassie

Brazil Happy.

I know this is late news, but Aaron got his call to the BRAZIL, JOAO PESSOA mission, Portuguese speaking!! He leaves December 22nd, which means that we'll celebrate Christmas early, then he'll really only be gone for one Christmas! Looking on the bright side. :) I'm so excited for the boy! And I'm also happy because now we'll be able to add/check off a hundred more things on our bucket list before he goes.

I've decided that if TIME had a taste, it would be the most bittersweet flavor in the world. Why does it fly by so fast?? And why do some days drag on and on and on? Why can't a semester of school go by as fast as the summer, or the summer slow down to the pace of the school year? It's a hard thing to grasp. Maybe it's bittersweet because I can't decide what I'd like it to taste like.

McCaye and Andy went back to Nashville on Sunday. You'd think it'd get easier to have them leave when they've come and gone several times, but every time they pull out it's still hard. I wish they lived close, especially now that Nash is just weeks away!

Kel and RC have moved into an apartment in RC's parents' home. I'm excited because it's about... 5 minutes closer to home. :) Even though I'm moving 20 minutes away in a week haha. A WEEK! Man, I've sure got a lot to do before I leave. Besides packing, I have so many people I want to spend time with, and I've still got some textbook/apt./school clothes shopping to do! Most of my friends have already moved away to college, and I'm thankful that I've had a little more time at home than most.

I'm gonna be late for work so I've gotta run!

The Perfect Summer

After reflecting on the sunny days of the last two months, I've come to the conclusion that it has been my perfect summer. I've done so many fun things and spent all my time with my favorite people... I'm not sure how much better it can get.

I've got a lot to fill you all in on! On the 17th, I went to a Jenny Phillips songwriting/singing workshop all day. It was amazing! I learned so many new things and got to know people very similar to myself. As you can imagine, there were also quite a few oddballs at the conference, which made the day even more entertaining. :) The whole thing made me seriously consider a major in Media Music; I guess we'll see if the interest sticks around!

The 24th was such a great day as well... Pioneer Day might just be my favorite holiday. I'm a huge fan of our little hometown parade and annual fair. What can I say-- I'm a small town girl. I love the primary kids riding the float, the horses and cowboys, the pooper-scoopers, the entertainers at the park, the happy sun, family and friends, the whole lot of it.

Saturday afternoon, I had an audition with Jenny Phillips herself in SLC for a vocal competition I'm doing; everyone records a demo singing the same song that Jenny wrote, then she and Tyler Castleton review the demos and choose a winner to record a song on their 2011 CD. The top ten vocalists also get to sing a combined number. The audition went well and I had a lot fun doing it, so I don't even care about the outcome! After I was done recording, she asked me if I'd like to be on the cover of her next YW CD. Pretty sweet, eh? I'm excited for the shoot!

As if the day wasn't good enough, it was topped off with Mapleton city's AMAZING fireworks. I have an obsession with fireworks, really with anything that glows in the sky. Not long ago, Aaron and I bought a book about constellations and have been using it to our stargazing benefit.

Speaking of Aaron, his papers are officially in. The long-awaited call will be here shortly, and I'm so dang excited to find out where he's going. Hooray! He's going to make a very incredible missionary; as much as I'm going to miss him, I wouldn't want him anywhere but right where he's supposed to be serving the Lord. I'm going to have to work hard to keep up with him while he's gone... I've got a LOT of studying to do!

Have you all read the Hunger Games series? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it. I've been stuck on them lately, and I found out today that I have to wait until Aug. 24th for the last one to come out. :( So very sad!

Well, it's time to get my car registered before I get pulled over a third time. :) Have a great day, everyone!