more pix of the north shore.

loves in Northern MN

a and i recently went up to north. min for a few days. we stayed in 2 harbors for a night. very relaxing. candles. jacuzzi. food. and QT. it was past due. we drove up the shore 2 hours and hiked, chilled. we ate at one of my fav. restaurants....coho cafe'. back in college, xa would eat there on our retreats. then we hit up duluth and stayed at our bfs the rowans....blast. lots of convo, hugging jodes buddah. ha. and walks...right, luke? got to see marissa and dave's new house. i sure miss the neighborhoods in duluth. sigh. but yes...thanks for a great time andy, duluth pals and timms' for letting us crash in FL for lunch!

another pix to remind everyone that cass' christmas cards are coming!

live out loud

one of the things that andy and i have been challenged in 2007 is SACRAFICE! we have been touched in many ways to reach out to others. simpfly our house/ ways of living. we are a bit delayed in our "ebay" habits. we just posted a large amount of things "we don't need" as andy says. it is a good feeling though..simpflying. getting out of debt. college loans getting smaller and smaller. another way we have been called to do is sponsorship for a child. over a year ago, we heard a statement...bold and to the point. " if you say you are a christian, and don't sponsor a child, you are not a christian." after pondering on that, we teamed up with compassion for our first child. http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm

Then after going to mex with the g8, i knew instantly that we needed to sponsor Dolce! So after talking with a, we decided to sacrafice our tv channels/ CABLE for her. He didn't want to add another bill to the cass list. so we sacraficed. and it is so rewarding! so the verse that has been layed on my heart is in James 1:27:Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. you see, some would be impressed with sponsoring "2" kids in mex. we are not... it only the begn. some day we will have a wall of pix of children we sponsor. so yes folks, cass is a dad. ha. jk.

i want to have dancing bones in my life. i want to dance through it. i don't want to allow the enemy to suck me up dry with the cravings of this world. clothes. brands. money. time. busyness. i want to simpfly my lists.......busy-ness and lazy- ness are both sins! so yeah, God is REAL! Powerful! and my healer. my heart is rather soft lately, a lot of dreams i am putting in the forefront, reality. i dream today!

c3

an attitude of gratitude will always produce a attitude of praise, joy and laughter......thelma wells

this weekend, i had the opportunity to go to the women of faith conference with my mom in St paul. it was amazing. hearing the insight and wisdom from all the ladies on the "porch". i will defn. be returning another year. My fav was the worship from Nichole Nordeman.....on piano. she was so candid and real. my fav. song was "i am"

Pencil marks on a wall, I wasn't always this tall
You scattered some monsters from beneath my bed
You watched my team win
You watched my team lose
Watched when my bicycle went down again
And when I was weak, unable to speak
Still I could call You by name
And I said, Elbow Healer, Superhero
Come if You can
You said, I Am

Only sixteen, life is so mean
What kind of curfew is at 10pm?
You saw my mistakes
And watched my heart break
Heard when I swore I'd never love again
And when I was weak, unable to speak
Still I could call You by name
And I said Heartache Healer, Secret Keeper
Be my best friend
And you said, I Am

You saw me wear white by pale candlelight
I said forever to what lies ahead
Two kids and a dream, with kids that can scream
Too much it might seem when it is 2am
And when I am weak, unable to speak
Still I will call You by name
Shepherd, Savior, Pasture Maker
Hold onto my hand
You say, I Am

The winds of change and circumstance blow in and all around us
So we find a foothold that's familiar
And bless the moments that we feel You nearer

When life had begun, I was woven and spun
You let the angels dance around the throne
And who can say when, but they'll dance again
When I am free and finally headed home
I will be weak, unable to speak
Still I will call You by name
Creator, Maker, Life Sustainer
Comforter, Healer, my Redeemer
Lord and King, Beginning and the End

I Am
Yes, I Am.


the lyrics are so true. all the times we use so many different names for GOD and forget what they mean. who he is to me? what he has done for my life. he is my comfort. my GOD. my life sustainer. Do i trully remember this daily? No.... but he is still there. waiting to be with me. teach me. love me.

we laughed. cried. and had a blast this weekend. good mom/daughter time. thanks mom for a great time. loves. if any of you women want to go next yr, lets do it.....go to http://www.womenoffaith.com

that is how we roll

most people do proex. we do fagan. most people do harley (we are ex-harleys). we do sunl.....aka the moped. most people wear denim. we do hardcore. this is our claim for the"environment"...the moped that is. right? last friday night we had a blast shooting our annual xmas pix with shawn. just a sneak peek of what is to come. hope all of you are anticipating your mail! christy

dance it up

more pix of the fam, pies, and etc. dad and i hit up the dancefloor. and let me tell you it was amazing. he sure knows how to bounce. ha. loves to all of my crew. peace. cass-ette

liz and dave reception.

on sept. 15 we celebrated dave and liz's marriage up in big lake. mn....it was a blast. laughter. good times. congrats. cara showing off her new necklace made by jodes. liz, jill, jody and i all had lived together in the pie house in duluth, time goes fast. i will love these girls forever. bode nickelson pratts danielson....pie

breathe

fall is a favorite time for me. leaves. apple sauce(homemade). walks. color. cinnamon. new.

with a and i doing youth ministry i feel like we are still on school year mode....with seasonal change with scheduling...goals....and hopefully slowing down a bit.

i want to breathe life into people. breathe God's truth and promises into those that are in need.

i want to be bold in my lifestyle. i want to be content with the blessings that he has given me....not searching or longing for more. more. more material. more clarification. another sign. more things.....

i want to be a child of his. i want to hear is voice.

this fall is different for me. lots on the plate that i am playing with.....a and i are trusting.....we will continue to serve. live out our call. trusting you.

c

new land

while we were down there....we had to the opportunity to check out the new land.....after12 yrs of pryers. fundraising. dreaming. etc. the time is here. they are in the process of purchasing the land. so excited to go next time and be apart of a new chapter. hope all of you enjoyed the pix. thanks for all the support for a and i. loves.

tears.....

farwell service