Okay...

I lied. It's snowing again! We'll see how long it lasts this time.

White Christmas!

Well, since my last post, we have ended up with yet another 2" on the ground. I do believe the snow is done with us for the year, however. Things are warming up and beginning to melt. It was spectacular to have a foot of snow on the ground and snow falling Christmas morning. Big flakes!

This was Shae's and Kent's first white Christmas ever. It was only about my 3rd. I'm glad the boy is old enough that he'll remember because odds are he won't see another white Christmas for many years.

Christmas Eve morning was spent at the church building clearing pathways, changing signs and attempting to clear the parking lot of all that snow. We discovered it was more than one day could manage. Because conditions would be icy and the parking lot a disaster, Christmas Eve services were canceled. We were all bummed about that. The kids had worked really hard on the Nativity presentation and we didn't get to have our "Starlight Christmas", but it was better to do what we could to keep people off the roads.

Christmas was a quiet, relaxing family time. We awoke to "Get up! It's Christmas! Get up!" Very fun! All Shae had asked for was a toy soldier (the red & black one like in all the Christmas movies) and a hamster. Couldn't find the soldier so we picked up a couple of boxes of 6" Nutcrackers - which he collects - and set them up in formation in front of the tree. "Are these mine? Are they for me?" There was no tag so he didn't want to jump to conclusions, but there was hope as well as excitement in his voice. We're still discussing the hamster.

After dinner, the neighbor came over for a visit. We sat around talking and watching Kent and Shae put together a motorized K'nex contraption - an "octopus" something or other, like an amusement park ride. His Lego people fit in it so great fun was had watching them spin around. I think he wants to make the roller coaster next. Not sure where we would put that!

The house is quiet at the moment. Kent took Shae to work with him this morning. I think I'll enjoy my quiet and my new iPod Nano (yay!) I rarely sit down to read anymore so I thought a Nano might be useful for audio books. Now my dilemma is deciding what book to get first.

Enjoy your day!

BTW, check out the video I posted. What d'ya think?

Another Snow Day!

Kent was going to go to work today, but by the time we got the car dug out (buried by snowplows), he had decided to stay home. The church parking lot is still buried anyway.

Instead, we took the tub we were using to dig out the van to the back yard and tried our hand at "igloo" building. Shae has lovingly dubbed his "Seattle Snow Fort".

We ended up staying outside for about 5 hrs...until my stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten yet today. By then it was about 2pm. We had a great time! The neighbor-lady enjoyed watching our fun. She's a shut-in and has always loved watching Zak play in the yard so we positioned the fort in front of her back door (glass french-doors so she can watch).

At one point, Shae decided to go in because he was too cold. He proceeded to make his lunch while Kent and I continued working on the fort. Struck me as funny that the parents were playing in the snow while the child was inside "cooking".

Ah well. Hope you are all enjoying the winter wonder as much as we are!

More Snow!

Well, we woke up to yet more snow on the ground this morning. Yesterday afternoon it began falling again and continued into the early morning hours. This snowfall added about 3 inches, making our grand total between 9-10 inches of the white fluffy stuff. A rare occurrence in this neighborhood. The last time we saw accumulations like this was back in '96. It snowed about 5 inches one day, the next day added about 8" more. Then it rained - and I mean a downpour. It was crazy! Thankfully, that much has not been repeated this year.

I must admit, I am enjoying the snow. We don't have to get out in it so I can sit and peacefully admire the beauty.

Many blessings to you this Christmas season.

Can You Believe It?

For the first time ever, I think, we have canceled church services due to weather.

We got up early this morning, unsure if we would be driving or walking. The snowplows had come thru so we drove. Roads are a little slick, but we made it to the building without any difficulty. The parking lot was another story. We got stuck trying to get into the lot! We had chains in the van (too small for the tires), and they worked well to give us some traction and get us back onto the street. Needless to say, we determined the parking lot to be inaccessible. After changing the answering machine, posting signs, beginning a phone chain and emailing everybody, we headed back with an extra passenger. Sean, the keyboardest for the morning, had arrived (walking) so we took him back to his place.

We got home and immediately began exploring the complex parking lot & yard (well, Shae & I did). Sure is beautiful! After taking a few pic's (which I'll try to put up later) we played trucks in the snow. The ruler measured nearly 7"! Made great gullies for the trucks to drive into.

Now we're inside, toasty warm, with breakfast and hot chocolate. Hope y'all are enjoying your day wherever you may be!

Merry Christmas!

Hello!

Wow! Where to even begin....

Let's see. Since I last blogged, we've had two birthdays, Trunk-or-Treat and piano lessons. I'm sure there have been other things as well, but we'll start there.

For Kent's birthday, we just did a family thing and went out to dinner. Very low key, but nice. We ate at Red Robin where Shae was very excited to have the work staff sing Happy Birthday to "Daddy". Bonus! They found out he was having a birthday that same week so they both got free Sundays.

For Shae's birthday, we put together a pool party. He invited friends from church and school (and their families) to join us at the Fircrest Pool for swimming, cake and cookies (not in the pool!) Everyone seemed to have a good time. Shae and Dad had fun decorating the cake, for sure! Turned out pretty good!

Trunk-or-Treat was a big success. Kent, Shae, and Ian (a friend) put together a Star Wars themed trunk with black lights, targets and nerf guns. Everyone had lots of fun. It's gonna take a while to plow thru all the goodies he brought back even tho he was generous about sharing the treats. Lots of sugar!

Shae also began piano lessons in October. He is really enjoying it and is excited to show his grandparents when we head to Oregon for Thanksgiving. It'll be a surprise because we haven't told them he's started lessons yet.

As for Kent and I, things are still plugging along. We've hit the holiday season and, although we're not doing a Christmas production this year, there is still plenty to do...especially with going out of town.

We are also hoping to go to the Christian Musician's Summit this coming weekend. This will be the 3rd or 4th time we've gone. It is always so much fun. There's nothing like getting 4000 musicians/worship leaders together to sing and jam. Way cool! I always learn something new, and have an absolute blast. Just wish more people from NW were going. I think it's a really valuable conference. Well, maybe next year. I think it's just me and Kent going this year.

Anyway, in a nutshell, that's what we've been up to lately. I'll try to get some new pic's up soon. I actually have them in the computer now so it's just a matter of putting them on the site.

Hope y'all are having a great fall!

Later!

Wow! I am way behind in my blogging! All kinds of things have been going on, from birthdays to Halloween. I'll get you updated soon...with pic's! For now, I just wanted to pop in and say "Hi!" and "Yes, I am still breathing!"

Love you guys!

Cassie

Home Again!

Well, after two weeks in the great state of Texas, we've managed to find our way back home.

We had a great time visiting with family for the first week. We celebrated "Grandmother's" 90th birthday and met bunches of new people. It was fun to visit with everyone.

The kids really enjoyed each other. Shae was thrilled to be able to catch a little gecko lizard! It stayed in his hand for quite awhile before running off.

Saturday afternoon, Kent and I headed off to Abilene for the ACU lectureship while Shae stayed behind in Granbury.

The classes were pretty good (those that we attended), but mostly we enjoyed visiting with people. We played catch-up with old friends, and met new ones. I finally got to put faces with some names I've heard forever. Kent enjoyed his meeting with several friends, new and old.

We went to church at Southern Hills on Sunday. It was short & sweet, and reminded us of NW in some ways. They had posters all over the walls that said "Transforming Community". Hmmm. Didn't realize it at the time, but it's the same church Jeff Berryman's mom attends. Would've been fun to talk to her.

We all came back with colds. Don't know if it was the plane trip down, or someone at the birthday party, but Kent ended up with a sinus/ear infection. His brother, Trace, was sick for a couple days. Shae is sniffly/snuffly and coughing. Kent's mom is coughing. I've got swollen glands that are pretty sore and I'm wondering if I have an ear infection, too. Ugh.

Oh well. No trip is perfect. Dunno if I'll be at church on Sunday or not. We'll see how I feel. I hope to be better. Jarod, from Kenya (not even gonna try to spell his last name!) is speaking this week. We ran into him at ACU last week. Didn't know he'd be there! Too funny.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing everyone again. Hope you are all well and healthy.

Later!

EEG Report

We just got home from the hospital. It's been a long 24 hrs!

We stayed up till midnight watching movies and playing games. Then we had to get up at 4am after only sleeping about 3.5-4 hrs.

We arrived at the EEG lab early and got checked in with no problem. Shae did really well laying still as the tech measured, marked, scrubbed and attached electrodes...until he got down to the last few. Shae's patience ran out. He was a little scared of the whole thing and being sleep-deprived greatly exasperated things. He nearly pulled out the already fixed electrodes in a grab for "Dad". His melt-down only lasted about 10 minutes - maybe less. After that, things went well again. He fell asleep like he was supposed to and woke up in a much better mood (the "nap" was about 15 minutes).

After that, we headed to IHOP for some food and then back to the hospital parking lot for a nap (it was easier than battling traffic to go home, only to come back). We met with the Dr. at 2:30.

She did some other physical tests in her office (walking on tip-toe, checking peripheral vision...) and pronounced Shae to be perfectly healthy! The EEG showed totally normal and she determined that the episodes with his eyes is a tic.

She said that he may deal with tics his whole life. They may come and go, and change symptoms (ie, it may be a grimace, it may be vocal, throat clearing....). She also said that it does not need any treatment.

Very good news for all of us. We've been researching everything from eye strain to epilepsy, trying to place the symptoms. Now, I guess we'll read up on tics.

Thanks for all your prayers! They were (and are) greatly appreciated!

Shae seems to be doing a lot better today, but we went ahead and scheduled an EEG. We go in Wed. morning, 8am. (A miracle that we could get in this soon! They were talking the end of September unless there was a cancellation - there was! Yay, God!) It's a sleep deprivation EEG so he can get no more than 4 hrs of sleep before the test (so neither can I!)

Doesn't that sound like fun?

He will have time to nap after the test / before the Dr. appointment at 2:45.

Please pray that the test reveals what the issue is (or was) so that we can have some peace of mind.

Thank you!

Update...

So, no pictures of the new glasses. They look really nice on him, and he doesn't mind wearing them (he only needs them for distance). You should have seen him when he first put them on. His eyes are not that bad, but it was like a whole new world had opened up before him.

Saturday (a week ago) was the Shoreline Parade & Festival. NW Church participated and so we were there most of the day. I took Shae up to watch the parade and he was wearing his glasses. About halfway thru the parade, so he tells me, he began to get a headache.

He still has that headache today, although he says it's getting better. He's also doing weird things with his eyes (don't ask me to describe it - I can't). He's been to his dr and his eye dr. Tomorrow we're going to try to schedule an EEG.

Those of you who pray, please do. It's quite disconcerting to not know what's happening. It's breaking our hearts to see him go thru this and not know how to help him. We've been making him rest a lot and are keeping him away from TV/computer screens and reading. Poor kid's got to be going stir crazy, but he's going along with it more or less gracefully.

I'll update you when I know more. In the meantime, please pray for us.

Lost & Found

We spent the day cleaning! Under the bed, off the shelves, around the corners.... It was a very productive day! The best thing that happened....

Kent opened up his acoustic guitar case and found a backpack. A backpack I thought had gotten mixed up with "give away" stuff several years ago. So what? you may be thinking. This backpack was storage for recordings of Shae from birth to age 3 or so. I thought those tapes were gone forever. I cried many tears over them and battled knots in my stomach.

And there it was, tapes and all.

Today, there were tears of joy! God is good in so many ways!

Here's hoping for small miracles in your life today!

Hello!

Things have been hoppin' around here lately. I had a get-together with friends from the past (and present) this week. That was great fun and very encouraging.

Last week was the drama/music camp at NW Church. Zakary Shae participated in the music camp and had a great time - as long as he didn't have to go on stage for the performance. He's a pretty talented kid, but is going through some stage-fright issues. So instead of performing, he passed out flyers to those attending and ran the power-point screens for the drama camp. He did a great job, too!

Zak - I mean, Shae- started swimming lessons on Monday. That's going pretty well. He's doing the M-F thing. It really helps him to go everyday. He is enjoying the lessons and really likes his teacher. There are three other kids in the class (all girls!) so it's very manageable. He can back float now, without the teacher holding him up. Yay!

Today, Kent took Shae to the eye doctor for his first official exam. Turns out he's just slightly near-sighted (go figure!) They went ahead and ordered glasses for him (back to school specials!) and they should be in in about a week. I'll post a pic. I'm sure he'll look very smart. :)

Well, that's about it for now. Not much else going on at the moment. Hope y'all are doing well.

The One That Didn't Get Away!

We went fishing the other day, for the first time this season. I finally got to break in my new pole! 'Course I didn't catch anything but seaweed, although I did feel a nibble once. Kent didn't catch anything either (except more seaweed). Shae, on the other hand, put the net down and pulled up a crab! He was very excited...till we measured it and discovered it was half an inch too small. Back he went.

Now desperate to catch a keeper, he lowered the net and let it soak longer. When we pulled it up, there was another crab - bigger! This one was about 6 inches - well within keeping range. Oh the joy!

We talked about how it was not going to be a pet. It was going to be dinner (at least for Shae - not much meat on it). It would be his first taste of crab meat (and he caught it himself!). So excited!

I felt so bad tho, when it came time to do the deed. He understood the crab would die to become his dinner and he was okay with that, but still a little sad. He said his goodbyes and told the crab "I'll see you in Heaven. Maybe you can live in my room."

If that doesn't just bring tears to your eyes!

We're keeping the shell as a token of his first catch.

Hi Everybody!

We're back!

It's been a busy month! We spent a day in San Diego before joining other ClubRust organizers for shopping and heading down to Mexico. We were in Tecate for about a week - the building went very well. There were lots of new people this year (again!) When we returned to the states, we traded the cargo van for a Kia and headed up to Anaheim (sp?). You guessed it! Disneyland! We spent three days hopping between Disney and California Adventure. We had lots of fun - just ask Shae (most of you know him as Zak - he has decided to go by his middle name. After all, Daddy does!) One of those days, we were joined by NW/ClubRust friends, the Owens. That was very fun!

Now we're back home and still recovering from vacation and possibly mild salmonella poisoning. Kent was sick while we were in CA. So was I, but not as bad. Poor guy did Disneyland anyway. What a trooper! Anyway, when we got back we looked up the symptoms of Salmonella just for kicks and he had nearly every one of them! I had a few. I am still feeling run-down, but okay. Shae never was sick.

Oh, BTW, it's my birthday! Another year gone by. Wow. They really do go fast anymore!

I'm hoping to get some photos of the trip up soon. They're all on the computer, I just have to get them onto the page.

Hope y'all are having a great day! What gorgeous weather we're having (especially after 95+ down south)! Enjoy it!

Good Morning!

How is everyone out there in cyberland? Things here are going pretty well, I think.

Change is in the air- be it the weather, the end of the school year, or the happenings with the congregation- things are changing. I can "feel it in my bones". My own "bones" have some changing to do as well.

I realized the other day that I keep telling my son that if he doesn't like the times he's getting on his math work, to do something about it. "Make yourself focus", I say. "Concentrate. No one can do that for you." It was sort of an "ah ha" for me because there are things in my life I have struggled with for years ("I want to do this, but I just can't seem to...."). I suddenly realized I need to take my own advice. If I want to develop a habit of getting up earlier, then I need to get up earlier...Just Do It! Nobody's going to drag me out of bed (most mornings!).

I guess it's a matter of deciding it's something I really want and going for it. Now, I know I can't do things on my own strength, but God has not left me powerless. I have just failed to tap into that power which is available for the asking.

So this summer, for me, is about tapping into that power. It's about allowing God to do in me what He has wanted to for so long - what I have wanted for Him to do - just not bad enough to do anything about it.

Change is scary, and habits are hard to break - Help me, God. I'm gonna need it!

Later!

Hello!

Boy, who's supposed to be maintaining this blog site? Whoever it is, is sure doing a crummy job! Maybe I should take over.

Hmmm.....well....

A lot has been going on over the last few months. I'm not going to tell you everything. Sorry I've been so scarce.

I will tell you that Kent and I went to a great Phil Keaggy concert last night. It was further south than we anticipated, and, what with traffic, it took us about an hour & half to get there. We were running late - also due to traffic, mostly- so we opted to skip dinner and go straight to the music. We were dog-tired too. The music was fabulous, but mello which did not help with the sleepies. And then there was the drive back.

We picked up Zak (who has decided he now likes his middle name better and requests that we call him Shae) from the babysitter, came home and went to bed. Well, I went to bed. Kent had to finish up a couple things for church this morning.

Services went well this morning. I helped with vocals both services. That was fun. Got a Mother's Day card from my guys who also took me out for lunch (McGrath's Fish House - Yum!)

Now, I'm seriously considering going to bed. All in all it was a good day.

On a sadder note, I received word a couple days ago that my nephew, Lenn, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Conneticut. He and a friend were on the same bike at around 1am, and I guess they failed to negotiate a turn. They were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Bikers out there pay heed! Neither one was wearing a helmet. Lenn was 33 and has a 9 yr old (approx) daughter. She was with her mother (divorced) in Oregon when the accident happened.

Mom said a sort of wake was held for him and they were able to hook things up so that Ivy (his daughter) could participate in it. Hopefully, that will help her gain some closure, or something. Please pray for healing for this family. And guidance for me to know what I should do.

Well, that's all for now. I'll try not to be too long before the next post! Till then...

I am still alive!

Been doing much lurking lately, but not much writing. I've decided to begin writing by reading various books (other than children's literature, that is). Some are on such topics as Faith and Art, others not. I've just recently obtained a copy of Blue Like Jazz from the library and look forward to beginning it. I am finding it hard to just sit and read, although it's something I enjoy. Mounds of laundry and rooms that need attention often protrude upon my thoughts, distracting me from the words and their meaning.

This coming Saturday, I've been invited to share with a new mom's group. I was at one time a preschool teacher, and also spent time in daycare working with the 12-14 mos set. Parental boot-camp, I call it. They are looking for ideas of games & activities to do with their young ones. Boy, it's been awhile for me, but hopefully I'll come up with something useful. It'll be fun anyway! I'll let you know how it goes.

ACU spring break campaigners also arrive this weekend. They come up every year to work around town and experience Seattle for a week. It always proves to be an enlightening time for everyone involved.

We are also prepping for Easter and all that comes with it. It's one of my favorite times of year because of the hope and newness of life that Easter and Spring usher in. My mother will be here for Easter week this year as well. I haven't seen her since Thanksgiving so it will be good to visit. Zak is happy to relinquish his bed for her (plus, he "gets to" sleep in the living room)!

Well, that's it for now. I'll try and update you again soon. Till then....

Remember Good Friday as you celebrate this Easter. It's not all about the chocolate bunny.

Tangible Trust

For all my son's life, I've tried to teach him that God can be trusted-that no matter what happens, we can rely upon God to do the right thing. I do believe that, but often it seems an abstract concept removed from the vigors of daily life....not so today.

You've read my previous posts regarding my husband's accident. What you may not know is that just a couple weeks prior to that dreadful/blessed event, the alternator in my van gave out...while I was driving it. That incident also showed me God's hand in that the van did not quit while driving 40 mph down Aurora. It quit about a block after I turned off and just as I was turning into the driveway of NW Hospital-right in front of a gate attendant with a phone book. He helped me push the van out of the way, too.

When the Geo was totaled, I looked back on this and saw God at work. The van quit then because God knew we would need it later and it needed to be fixed.

So what does this have to do with today? After taking Kent to work, Zak and I headed out for a couple of stores. As we were pulling into the second store, I noticed steam rising from the front end. "Uh oh," I thought. "Radiator's dry." It sure enough was (I've had a slow leak for a while.) We lingered in the store so the engine had time to cool down enough for me to put water in it. A full gallon later I figured we were ready to go. I started the engine and could actually hear liquid flowing over the noise of the van. I shut the engine off and got out to look. All the water I had just put in was pouring out from underneath the vehicle. "Great!" I bought another gallon-just in case-and headed up to the church building to talk to Kent. I ended up taking it in to the mechanic hoping it was a hose and not the radiator.

So which was it? Neither. The leak is coming from the intake manifold (a $900 repair job!). The van's not worth that much. Our wonderful mechanic did a "stop leak" temporary fix on it to try to buy us some time. I left nearly in tears and none too happy with God ("Haven't we been thru enough this year already?") But still I trust-frustrated, tempted toward despair-but still hoping and believing that somewhere, somehow God has a plan for all this. We've been too blessed for it to be anything else.

This afternoon we received a call from friends who said that God has "laid it on [their] hearts" to offer us their extra van.

I am truly humbled. God never fails me-us. When things get hard, and I'm at the end of my rope, God is always there to say, "Don't worry. I've got you." I fuss and pitch a fit and God doesn't yell, He says, "I'm glad you came to me."

I don't get it. But I'm sure glad He's that way.

I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I think I'll continue trusting that God will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Hello Everyone!

Thought I'd pop in and say hi. Not much "newsie" going on. We are still a one-vehicle family. School is going pretty well, as is band practice. It has been quite a year thus far and, I believe, will continue to be "quite a year". NW is deep in the transition process. It's a bit like the Israelites following the the cloud/pillar of fire thru the desert. No one really knows where we're going, but we'll know when we get there 'cuz God will say, "OK, this is it!" Waiting for that day.

Our challenge from the pulpit a couple weeks ago was to single out a command of Jesus and resolve to keep it this year...consistently. My "verse" comes from Matthew 25 (no, not the sheep & the goats - before that). From the parable of the talents, I have derived that I need to be "faithful in the small things". That is my challenge this year. Now what that looks like I'm still discovering, but it has to do with daily life - keeping up with the dishes, laundry & lesson plans. Keeping ice tea in the fridge and ice cubes in the freezer...and to develop the disciplines of exercising regularly and writing daily. These have always been tough things for me. I'm one of those "creative thinkers" that has great ideas, but is lousy at implementing them. Pray for me. I'm gonna need it! Especially when it comes to carving out specific times for these last two. Reason says to go to bed earlier and get up earlier. My night-owl nature is saying, "yeah, right". I suppose I could stay up later to write (and have been known to do so), but then I want to sleep in which gives us (me & Zak) a late start on school. Somewhere there's an ideal plan, but I haven't come up with it yet.

Hope ya'll are doing well. Talk atcha later!

The saga continues...

Kent went to the dr. today to get checked out. The verdict is sprained neck muscles and a mild concussion. He is doing better today, but still stiff and sore. Thanks for all the prayers I'm sure you're sending up.

The insurance agent came by to check out the car this morning. He thinks it's totaled. No surprise there.

The cops and the driver Kent was pushed into both called today to see how he was doing. How nice is that!

Everything that could go right in this situation has gone right. At least it seems that way. No one sustained any serious injuries. There were multiple cooperative witnesses (that in itself borders on the miraculous!). The perpetrator was found and arrested quickly. We're still awaiting the outcome with all the insurance stuff, but our company has already reserved a rental for Kent to use if he wants it.

Crazy way to start the new year, but I gotta say, it's a whole lot easier to replace a car than a husband/father! I am definitely starting this year with a thankful heart.

Later!