Friday, July 27, 2007

Dear Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa,

Sitting here, against your headstone I feel as close to you as I have since you were alive. I also feel the most at peace. I miss you guys so much. There were so many things I didn’t say, so many things I didn’t ask you. You two were always there for me. You were a constant in my life that I took for granted.
You were looked up to, respected people of the community. But I never thought of you that way, no, you were MY grandma and grandpa. You were mine and I was very selfish that way. When people would call you Grandma Mary, Grandma, it would make me so mad because you weren’t THEY’RE grandma you were MINE.
I would always be amazed, Grandpa, with your unspoken dignity and wisdom. You wouldn’t even have to say anything to make your presence or opinion known. You are the wisest person I have ever met. You were strong in your beliefs and loved unconditionally. I hope some day I can be half as respected as you were and are.
Grandma, I miss you so much. I miss your hugs, how you would whisper in my ear and tell me how proud you were of me and how much you loved me. I miss the look of pride in your eyes as you would sit and watch your grandchildren play. I was as close to you as I was to any other of my great grandparents. I still miss you and think of you all the time.
Your faith in God still ceases to amaze me. How comfortable you were in your faith, and how you always knew that right thing to say. I hope someday I can have faith like both of you. I want to carry on your legacy. I want to be like both of you.
I know that right now as I’m writing this you are both where you want to be and belong to be. With God and with each other. We all know that, but we all miss you just the same. I’m so happy to have known you, you have helped make me the person I am now. I’ll miss you but I’m not sad because I know that you two are always with me, in my heart and as my guardian angels.

I love you so much…

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Amanda's Poem

I like being on an airplane
Being way up high
Up where lives the sun and rain
I don't quite know why

Playing with my cousins is my favorite thing to do
We run and play all day
And sit and color too

I love to come to Cassie's house
To sleep all night and day
I'm glad she doesnt have a mouse
Or I don't think I'd stay

Pretty good for a five year old! :)


Amanda and I

Friday, July 20, 2007

Romans 7:15-20

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Romans 7:15-20

Free

Free. I want to be free. I want to be free from the chains, from the negative world that we live in. From the expectations of perfection, to just be who I want to be. To have the freedom to decide my future. To make mistakes along the way and not have to worry about what others think. To be able to live my life, the life I want to live. To be free of the judging gaze of others. To go out into the world and discover new things. To learn from the wrong directions I may take and be able to find my way back, even if it takes time and some pit stops along the way. To find what I love, what my purpose is on this earth. To find the guy that I love and that is perfect for me. To walk down the street and be proud of who I am and where I’m going. To learn and grow in my faith. To have people to walk beside me; not ahead or behind me. To look in the mirror and like what I see. Free from guilt, sadness and disappointment. To wake up in the morning with anticipation and not dread. To be able to look people in the eye. To be there for someone the right way, not the wrong way. To help someone in need, with my talents, no one else’s. To not have to worry about being deserted and forgotten by people I counted on. To be what I want to be, not what everyone else wants me to be. To know that God will be there, whenever I want to come back. To live my life for what it is and what I want to make of it. I want to be free as wild horses running in the mountains, as free as an eagle soaring in the sky. To be able to let it all go and know that everything will be ok. To be able to be my own person and be proud of where I’m headed no matter what. I want to be free. Just free.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

ME







Captive

written May 2007

Will I ever get rid of this? This monster, that holds me captive inside my own body. This monster that hides away, sometimes for long periods of time only to pop out again at the strangest and most inconvenient of times? Will I ever be who I was before and not have to worry; to hide from certain feelings or thoughts that plague me from time to time? This monster that attacks when I’m almost out of the woods, this monster that knows when I am most easily persuaded. I sometimes think I’m done with this crazy, screwed up piece of my life. I sometimes think I can finally rebuild and put all this behind me when all of a sudden, I’m blindsided with the indescribable, shameful, terrifying feelings once again. And it makes me wonder if I will ever be safe. Safe from myself and this monster who has made it’s home in my body, my mind and my soul. When I will ever have a day that I don’t think about my past and feel shame. Will I ever escape this monster? Am I willing to fight, get it out of me once and for all? Or will I let that one little thing, the strange feeling I can’t describe that wants to keep that monster; win the fight over my body, mind and soul over and over again until it’s too late?

Friday, July 13, 2007

What to Do...

written May 2007

Emptiness. There is nothing there
What to do, when you can’t feel
When you can’t cry, hurt, feel anything real
What to do, when you don’t know where you are
Where you’re going, or even who you are
What to do when you can’t believe
In yourself, or people that always leave
What to do when you’ve hurt for so long
That you can’t remember whatever went wrong
What to do when lies take over
There are so many, just made another
What to do when you’re so confused
That it seems like there isn’t anything to lose
What to do when you’re living a lie
But no one knows, they walk on by
What to do when you’re so lost
To remember your actions will and do cost
What to do when those scars you look at day after day
Will last all your life, forever they’ll stay
To remind you of when you lost control
From that time when the pain was so dull
All those times that you couldn’t feel
Will anything ever again be real?

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Good 'ol County Fair

Fair. What do you guys think of when you think of the fair? Do you think of carnival rides and lots of stuff to do? Well at least here…WRONG! Fair to me means a lot of stuff. The start of the week means stress and lots of it. Because then is when we START to do our projects! J We have adopted the “procrastinate all year and do the projects a day before they’re judged” routine. After that stress is over the fair is pretty fun.
Again though…what do you consider fun? Do you consider lots of games, rides, and stuff to do fun or hanging out with your friends playing cards and sitting in a not-so-sweet smelling barn all day fun? If you picked the latter, then welcome to the county fair! If not, then don‘t bother coming.
Here, fair is a big social gathering with the occasional competitiveness of showing animals. I love it. You meet so many new people and get to see your friends after a long summer of being busy with sports, vacations and jobs.
A lot of people that you would talk to that actually show animals may not agree with the “fair is so fun” part. Because they have to be there all day to “watch” their animals and I’m just there by choice. But me, who has never really had the chance to bring her livestock to fair to show, used to think it was great to help out. I’ve spent many Thursday’s of the fair in the sheep barn shearing and washing sheep (doing my cousins jobs) while they went out and found something better to do. Because, in the end I could leave when I wanted to and they couldn’t. Now that I’ve grown up a little bit I see where they’re coming from and they are back to doing their jobs but I’ll never forget the responsibility I felt when I was little being able to take care of their animals.
Fair is a lot of things to a lot of people, but I think its unanimous that it is one of the most looked forward to times of the year. (at least until show day)

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

A letter to every young girl...

To every young girl….

The next years of your life are going to be some of the best, worst, most memorable and most defining of your entire life. You need to start cementing your values and morals right now and cling to them for dear life. Never, ever compromise your beliefs for anyone or anything. Never.

You need to have confidence in yourself. Without self confidence and good feelings of self-worth you are nothing. You are weak and susceptible to falling into bad things and bad groups of people. You are all you have and you are going to have to deal with your actions and who you are/were for the rest of your life. So be wise.

Surround yourself with good people. People who are supportive, wise, trustworthy and that truly care for you. Without your support group, you are nothing. They pick you up when you fall down, they give you advice on your biggest problems and they believe in you no matter what; sometimes more than you believe in yourself.

Live your life your own way, not by following others. Do not let others define who you are. Be your own person and keep your head held high no matter what. People respect that and will respect you. Stand up for your beliefs. It may be the hardest thing you ever do, but it may also be the most rewarding thing you ever do.

Be bold. Don’t be afraid to try something new or challenging. Mistakes aren’t bad, if you learn from them. The worst thing you can do is to be afraid to try things. Be confident and put yourself out there. You will be rewarded in the end.

You are going to go through rough times. Never, ever give up. It may seem like the world is falling apart around you and there is no way out but there always is. These rough times, if you persevere; will define who you are. You will be a stronger person for it.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Chances are those people are jealous of you and don’t want you to succeed. Prove them wrong. Work hard for your goals and believe in yourself and your abilities. No one knows your abilities better than you. Never give up.

Be kind. One little smile or encouraging word to someone may mean the world to them. Be supportive of others and open to new ideas. You never know who is watching you and looking up to you. Be a good role model to others.

These next years are very important to you and who you will be. Be confident, wise, hardworking and strong and you will persevere. Cling to your values and don’t ever change who you are for someone or something. Be proud of yourself, your achievements and abilities and never take “no” for an answer. Believe in yourself and follow your dreams. With faith and hard work….dreams do come true.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

People Say...

written October 2006

People say best friends are forever. Well they’re not. No matter how much you promise yourself it won’t happen to you or how close you are, it only takes a split second for that all the fall apart. Maybe they lie to you or stab you in the back and it’s all over. Then what? Are you supposed to just forgive and forget? What happens when you do and it happens over and over again? Is it really supposed to happen that way? Do they really expect you to forgive them over and over?

People say friends make your life complete and give you the balance you need, but what if they aren’t there when you need them? What if your best friend moves away, stabs you in the back or lies to you and it all falls apart? Then what? It will take a long time to find a new friend and to get to the point you were with your old one. What are you supposed to do in that time you have no one?

People say secrets between friends are sacred and should never be shared. But what if it puts you in a situation between choosing the right thing or your friend? Then what? Are you supposed to risk your credibility and virtues for your friend or do what you think is right? What happens if you choose the wrong thing and your friendship is ruined because you betrayed them and told the truth or your kept the secret and can’t live with yourself? Should you really have to make that decision?

People say that friends can heal your soul. What if you spend your whole life trying to reassure them and heal them and you miss all the good times? Maybe they can’t be healed, maybe they don’t want to be. Then what? You spend the whole time trying to fix things that can’t be fixed and put yourself through hell. Is that really how it should be? Friends are supposed to be there, but what are you supposed to do if they don’t want help? Are you supposed to put yourself through that; watching your best friend hurt when you can’t do a thing about it?

People say to never give up. But what if you’re just fighting a losing fight? What if you are just pretending everything’s alright when it’s not? Then what? Are you supposed to keep pretending and putting on the fake smile to keep that friendship going? What does it take to finally push you over that edge when you just can’t take it anymore? When is it ok to finally let go and end it? And why if it hurts you so bad to be friends, does it hurt so much to think about letting it all go…


When people say best friends are forever…don’t believe them. Hold on to what you have because you never know when it will all fall apart.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

How Little Girls Saved My Life

That year had been the worst of my life, I was so sick and tired of fighting a losing fight. I came close to giving up on everyone and everything, I struggled to find anything, to the world, I could bring.

When I went there I expected to have some fun. To play dress up, color and run around under the sun. But I had no idea why I was really there. God lead me there, showing me finally that He really did care.

Everything started out as normal as can be. But as the days went by , I sensed what they really could see. They looked in your eyes and right into your soul. Knowing just what to say, they started filling the hole.

It hurt me to see how much they loved me. “I didn’t deserve it,” I thought “They didn’t know the real me.” When she said “Cassie, I love you as much as I can love,” as she looked me in the eye. I realized I had to change for her and myself and started to cry.

I hadn’t realized that they had been changing me. Crumbling the walls I had put up, opening my eyes so I could see. All that pain I had been through and still felt. With their smiles and laughter, they slowly started to melt.

I never truly wanted to quit what I thought had helped my pain this the last year, No one could say something that could make it all clear. But something about how those little girls looked at me. They made me realize the person I needed to be.

Those little girls may never know what they did for me. But I will always remember how they saved me.


Amanda, Janelle and I


Margaret, Jane and I
Well I had to add this to put this on my display picture but I thought I'd keep it on here for the heck of it because basketball is a humongous part of my life! This is my freshman year during districts. If you can't figure it out by the name of my blog, I'm the green #51.



Saturday, July 7, 2007

Vacation...

Ahh….vacations. Aren’t they just wonderful?! Ok, really they are really great but there are some things that just drive you crazy. For example…I am going on my 204th hour with having my family no more than like 100 ft from me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family but you can only spend so much time that close before people start getting cranky, crazy, or both.
So I’m sitting here in a Colorado hotel on our last night away for vacation 2007 and reminiscing the good…and bad times this vacation. First, some background. We left last Friday morning and from there we have been in 9 states and seen Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, the Cliff Dwellings, the Grand Canyon, seen a cool mine, drove on the highest road in North America and seen a lot of cool stuff in between. So this vacation has been pretty cool and we’ve gotten to see a lot of cool things.
The bad…well, what can of crazy things can you argue about? Well there’s the “meaning” of a random song on the radio, where we’re going next, what kind of hotel we want, who sleeps with who and who gets what seats in the car. Really, if you think about it, you can argue about just about anything. Plus…hikes. Absolutely HATE them! I mean I don’t mind an occasional jaunt through some trees to have a better view but I hate walking for hours and hours and seeing nothing but the same thing you did when you started! I don’t know…they just aren’t some of my favorite things. Next, sleeping with my little brother. I don’t know about you, but I need my own bed. I need to be able to spread out and waking up with an 11 year old laying on you just really pisses me off!! Lastly, not being able to find a hotel. Usually at least once on vacation we get carried away and lose track of time, then have trouble finding a hotel. Unfortunately, tonight was one of those nights. Finally you find a hotel but it’s nothing like the ones you stayed in. They may not be the cleanest, or friendliest or have the things you want. That’s the worst.
The good…you can’t really get any better then driving in the beautiful Rockies of Colorado seeing all the wildlife, occasional mountain streams and all the amazing scenery with good ‘ol John Denver singing in the background. You really can’t. Colorado, is my second home. We visited the mountains for the first time last year and it felt like I was at home, in this random place I’ve never been to before. Let’s just say I fell in love. I could sit along one of those beautiful streams forever, away from the rest of the world and the craziness that comes with it. The mountain streams are my favorite thing to see because they are so amazing. They trickle down the whole mountain, sometimes 14,000 feet or better without a care in the world. (ok so they don’t have brains or emotions, but if they did they would be totally free)
I would come back to the mountains for the rest of my vacations, my whole life, if I was able. They are so amazing. The views, the peacefulness that lies in them, the wildlife that knows nothing but being free and breathing the freshest air you can get all while being “on top of the world.” What a feeling….
Finally, the time you spend with your family. No matter how bad it sometimes seems, how sick you get of listening to your little brother talk, how tired you are of sitting in the car or how crabby your parents can get; you should always remain thankful. Lots of kids don’t even know what a vacation is, have parents to take them or siblings to annoy them so no matter how bad it seems sometimes I’m thankful for this time with my family.
~Later


Us at the Grand Canyon

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Ok...this is the start of a new beginning. I love to write and I love feedback from people about what I've written. I also want to have a way to keep people updated on things I'm doing so I thought this blog would be a fun, cool, easy way to do all those things. I'm so excited to start writing!!!