UNO!

We are a game playing family. From Hand and Foot, Killer Bunnys, Warrior Knight to UNO we love games. On my latest adventure to Lynden me and 4 of my amazing brothers decided UNO was the game for the week. We played it a lot!!! We decided to document it with pictures! Best part about playing with siblings who love you...they let you win...well at least sometimes!



This is what happens to Elijah after to much Uno...

i don't hate Lynden...

It seems the last post has caused some confusion... Please allow me to say a few things...

Let's review a few things from my post.
The part where i say, "I MISS THIS SILLY TOWN" ... "I LOVE WHO IT SHAPED ME TO BE." ...
I feel like some people may missed the whole point. I love this town. I don't understand a lot of the "cultural musts" of it and the way people treat people, and the questions i get as a person who moved away. I don't like that people turn their head sideways when i talk about my new siblings or my big family. I love the small town feel Lynden has. I love NCCTK. I love the earnestness of it as a church. I love our big BLUE house on the corner. I love that i can drive for 5 minutes and be in a different country. I love that my neighbors have a "dinner schedule" and you can guarantee when they leave and come back from the dinner date. I love that no matter who you are you get the same amazing service at Safeway and Woods. I love that when you come home you feel like a hero... if only because people miss you lots. I love that God is moving in the VERY religious town. I love that everyone takes pride in the state of the front yard. I love the tree lined streets, the lights that twinkle on the Fairway Center ALL YEAR ROUND. I LOVE LYNDEN!

I think if i did not love this town and the people in it...I would not have come back EVERY MONTH for the last 10!!!! I miss my family a heck of a lot when i am gone. I did not leave to try and get away from them. I did not leave to try and get away from my church. I did not leave because of a bad relationship. I did not leave to try to find the "perfect"; church/town/relationship. FYI- they don't exist. I love Lynden and could see myself moving back someday... not any day SOON, so don't hire me yet! But i had to move away. I had to get a perspective on life that was not confined to Lynden. I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT God's best for me was to move to Bend. I cannot say when i will be back for good. I cannot say if i will work at NCCTK again. I cannot promise you that i will live on Front street. But i will promise you this;

I will do my VERY BEST to pursue God, Pursue Righteousness, and Trust that even when i don't see the Big Picture HE DOES! And knowing that i when i listen to his voice, follow in his leading i may indeed find myself strolling down Depot Rd on the way to Lynden City Park with little kids of my own.

shall i make a t-shirt?

Lynden

How odd it is to be a stranger in a place i once called home.

Lynden is a quaint town of 10,000 situated nicely on the Canadian border. Full of Dutch heritage and shops, there is no doubt that this town is full of culture. Supported mostly by the Agriculture of Dairy farms and Berry fields; there is a certain smell to the air. Boasting 2 records in the Guinness Book of World Records (most churches per capita and also Most people attending church in Lynden without living in the town) Lynden is a unique town to be sure.

I am closing in on a year of not living in this nicely situated, Agriculture rich, record holding town. This is the first time being back to visit that i feel like a stranger here... and i like it!!! I like not knowing every 3rd person at Woods Coffee (the baristas having NO IDEA THAT i used to work there!). I like going to church at NCCTK and being "just another person". I like having to process how to get somewhere and what the quickest way is. It's fun one someones says, "oh you're a Diacogiannis?"

However somethings never change; The Dutch are still out-numbering everyone else 100/1. They are all still Blond, Blue-eyed and TALL! If you are "unfortunate" enough to not be Dutch in Lynden, people still try as hard as they can to be Dutch, they dye their hair, play basketball and wear blue contacts in the vain hope that they will be accepted. I will never understand High Schoolers in Lynden. They LOVE high school so much that after they graduate they hang out "pretending" it hasn't ended. They still go to every game. They still go to Dairy Queen after "the game". They wear the "LHS" or "LCHS" sweatshirts and colors. They like high school so much that people volunteer at plays and games;FOUR YEARS LATER! If you are fortunate enough to "get out" of Lynden your choices of acceptable things to do are as follows:

Go to one of the following colleges; Dordt College; Northwestern in Iowa; SPU; Trinity Western University in B.C.

If you don't got to College you might;
- Get Married a month after you graduate and have a kid 1 year later
- Go to Bellingham Beauty School and work at one of the 50 Salons in Lynden's City Limits
- Work Construction
- Go to YWAM IN HAWAII... cause it's Hawaii and YWAM "sounds cool"

Oh Lynden. Oh the silly things that define who you are. I will admit that when i am in Bend Oregon I miss the AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL scenery here. The endless amount of Red Barns and Silos in every green field, Mt. Baker and The Twin Sisters creating the most amazing Backdrop... and the Bald Eagles that flock to Whatcom county every year for about 2 months. I miss walking anywhere i want without fear of being mugged. I miss smell of the cows... as weird as that sounds. I miss the "lame" and silly festivals that grace Lynden every few months. I miss the buzz around High School sports. I miss Woods Coffee. I miss the Trackers. And yet now, i am a stranger. A tourist; silently observing life in Lynden. I love this silly town. I love who it shaped me to be. I always stand out with my dark hair and GREEK last name. I love that although it made me who i am it doesn't define where i will go, who i can be.

Ghana Adventure

This is a picture from the Safari my family went on in Ghana.....


So amazing.... check out my Mama's Blog over there ---> for stories and more pictures!

Elijah Joel Diacogiannis

Elijah, E, Monkey, 'lij.. These are just a few of the nick names we have for our youngest family member! and i'm sure more that i am forgetting. When i think about Elijah I think of a lot of great stories. The time when i lost him for over half an hour and was in hysterics; We found him hiding under the futon. Not funny. I think of his 2 missing teeth that give him the cutest little lisp. I remember all the fun times we have at Lynden City Park. I hear his little voice in the sea of people at my track meets.

The biggest memory is one that anyone who knows it will never soon forget....

It was August 2005. Hot, sweaty August. E was 3 years old and the spunkiest, most energetic 3 year old there ever was. He had a normal saturday, playing outside with his partner in crime and big brother Josiah. That night however was no normal night. I remember waking up at 2am to blood-curling screams. I awoke with a start, and was FREEZING cold. It's august people.... cold doesn't happen, even at night. I could hear Elijah crying. I thought it was probably a bad dream. I grabbed my covers and tried to sleep... about half an hour later i woke again... this time i was having the bad dream! I was in a pool of my own sweat and tears. All i could do to calm down was pray. Sunday morning finally came and life seemed fairly normal. Elijah, however had a fever and was complaining of a stomach ache. As the day went on he was either awake and crying or asleep and moaning. The next 10 days flew by... the details are clear in my head; Seattle. Children's Hospital. Bacterial Menengitas. Doctors. Nurses. Kidney Dialysis. Tubes. Medications. It was Elijah's body, but where was our little guy? Where was the laugh? Sometimes we wished we could hear a cry. After 10 days in ICU. He came through it all.

2 months later, my mom and the kiddos were driving through Seattle and my mom mentioned that the hospital was down "that way". Elijah piped up from his car seat and said, "yeah, i was at the Hospital with Jesus." And though we always knew that we felt the presence of God those crazy 3 weeks at Children's we now wondered what Elijah could mean.

Over a year later Josiah and Elijah were discussing death... Yes we have very deep thinkers for a 7 and 5 year old =) Elijah mentioned "casually" that he had died twice, gone to Heaven, Talked to Jesus, and Jesus had told him that it was ok and that it was time for him to "go home to Dad and Mom". when we asked Elijah what Jesus looked like he very plainly told us, "He was bright and shiney."

I have no idea what God has planned for this little Treasure, but i know it's big. Elijah is our miracle brother. He has seen Jesus. He faced death. Today he is back to our very energetic 6 year old who loves GI Joes, Lego.com, and anything related to computers! He loves to play outside, ride his bike... play football. His laugh is amazing. His smile melts everyones heart. The scars from the Menengitas are the only things remaining from that hot August sickness. The stories of how God moved go on and on. The stories of his healing will never be forgotten.

Elijah Joel, God's plan for you are so huge. I'm excited to see them unfold.

Gregory James Diacogiannis

So for the next little while... i am going to write posts dedicated to some of my favorite people in the world. Let's get started with my #1 real life Superhero....

Gregory James Diacogiannis

Romans 8:35-39
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
This is Gregg. Greggy-pooh, Greekkid31, my brother. I am so blessed. When i was little i didn't have any idea how blessed i am to have such a guy in my life. He has been my protector and hero for as long as i can remember. He has never been afraid of what people think. He is one of the most passionate people i know. He puts his whole heart into everything he does. When he joined the ARMY i was so scared for him. I had know idea that 4 years later he would be where he is. Doing all the amazing things he is doing. He has recently started a blog(see link over there -->) and it has been so wonderful to hear his heart. One of my favorite things ever is seeing someone surrender to God and see where He takes them. Gregg has gone so many places and done so many things but i believe this is only the beginning of what God has planned for him. He is "more than a conqueror" He has overcome everything the Enemy has thrown at him and will continue to battle life out... on his knees and with the amazing perseverance and strength God has given him.

So here's to real life heros. Here's to Gregg. My brother, My hero, My friend.

First Meeting!

There are few words to describe how this video makes me feel... so i will let it do the talking!

This is the first meeting of my Dad and Mom and my 3 new siblings from Ghana; J., Sarah and Rachel!



it's ok to cry... i did.

Super Bowl 42-New York Giants

Can i just say i am really really happy that the Giants Won!!!!

Anyone who knows me knows i LOVE football!!! Even more than that i love a GREAT game!!! This years Super Bowl was packed with amazing plays, heart stopping moments, and guts! I have this thing with Underdogs coming in and playing their hearts out!!! Hooray for Eli Manning and the hole team!!!!! Eli sure proved he can play with the big boys!! I'm sorry Tom Brady, but you got worked! The Giants defense was incredible. Major props to the linemen who pushed the limit when it came to attacking the Quarterback! Woot-woot! I will say that Welker sure had sticking power when it came to catching that ball, but sure enough right there were the Giants to push, pull, drag, knock him to the ground! Amazing.

oh and props to the Refs for calling a fair came!

Better luck next time all you Patriot Fans....

Just a few thoughts....

Yesterday was a day filled with all sorts of thoughts. Some very Happy. and some that just made me mad!.... here are a few i thought i could share with the blogging world.

"Head over Heels in Love"
So in thinking about this statement i began to realize that it is a VERY interesting statement. If i were wearing heels(it's rare, but been done)my head would already be "over my heels"... so what does this mean? If it was "crazy" love you would think it would be "Heels over Head" as if someone were doing a backflip in heels. I have come to the conclusion that it must mean you have your senses about you. You know what this Love is. You are standing (in heels) and you know which way is up and where you want to be and go. I for sure think it has it's moments of backflips, but then you land and you are back to the beginging. HEAD OVER HEELS! I can say for sure i am only head over heels for Jesus. I know what my love means. I know what his cost, and i'm willing to go forward with this relationship. No Matter what! sometimes however... i wish i could do a backflip in heels for him! He sure is AMAZING!

"Did you ever Die?"
This is my shout out to Corey Parnell. Last night at emerge he was talking about endurance and Hoopamonie (it's greek) and was giving an example about someone who can pole vault. He asked if anyone had ever done it.. and i have so up went my hand. Evedently i was the only one in the room who had. Corey turns and looks at me and says, "Cassie you pole vaulted? Did you ever die?" I was laughing so hard! By the fact that i am sittig here writing this blog and was at emerge...Pole Vaulting did NOT steal my life!

"Make sure it's Eberhards 2%"
This was a startling moment for sure. I am house sitting and hanging out with 2 high school girls. Last night as i headedout the door to Safeway for Milk, one of the girls hollered out the door after me, "Make sure it's Eberhards 2%" Upon getting to the Dairy Dept. I was hit with a choice; spend $1.26 more on a gallon of milk just so it's got a green cap and a cartton cow on it, or just save the $1.26 and buy the "general brand". Seriously does it matter? So what did i do? grabbed one gallon of Eberhards and one of "Dairy Glen" and compared the Table of Contents with my dear friend Heidi. GUESS WHAT? THEY have THE EXACT EXACT same thing inside; MILK. All the grams of Fat, Sodiem, Colesteral, Carbs.... exactly the same... all the words i can't spell or pronouse that make up the process it goes throug between udder and Safeway.... exaclty the same! SO WHAT THE HECK IS THE DEAL?????? I bought the "Dairy Glen" Milk and head for home, knowing a volcano would for sure erupt when the girs saw that i had not bought the name brand. Bummer. Sure enough i was right. So here's what i did. Poured milk from the Dairy Glen into one glass and some from the Eberhards into another; time for a taste test. Unfortunatly they wouldn't even taste it. SOOOO it was time for Babysitter Gone Wild; I emptied the last of the Eberhards from the container and poured the whole gallon of Dairy Glen into the empty Eberhards containter!!! Yes. Yes i did. You should have seen the look on "Sally's" Face (name changed)!! Horror. I then returned to the taste testing. I had just taken a sip of milk and 'Sally' asks "Did you stop for Margerita's on your way home? What are you snortting." of course i busted up laughing. Milk went everywhere. Out my nose. Out my mouth. And EVERYWHERE on the floor. In conclusion; Milk is Milk. It does the body good. However it does hurt coming out the nose.

have a GREAT day.

OH and Happy Birthday Carissa and Lindsey; My Best Friends and AMAZING SISTERS!

Backporch, Oh Backporch

I wish i could paint a picture of this morning in Backporch. Perhaps brown would be the color for the coffee, blue for the sky i see out the window, white for the snow on the ground and the 4* weather outside. Yellow and red would help discribe the conversations i am overhearing and purple could be the color of laughter. There are about 25 people in here this morning; all of whom are sitting in little groups, drinking coffee and chatting about this and that. There is a gentleman and lady sitting directly behind me.They are not talking. He is reading the newspaper, evedant by the "krinkle-krinkle" of the pages turning... and i think she is reading a book. Towards the counter there is a group of 5 "older" ladies probably in their50s and 60s but then again i am not good at guessing ages; They discuss Disneyland(one has never been), skiing, churches, and dogs. The 2 young ladies to my right are friends from church.They are talking about the reality of life, changes and struggles. There are 2 guys sitting at one of the tall tables discussing real estate.

Lauhing. Someone keeps laughing.

I hear the quiet "hmmmmmm" of the coffee machine, the "pshhhhh" of the steam wand and the "WAAAAAANNNNN" of the esspresso grinder. The random clinking of cups and sausers. Oh and the music. Ever so often the music comes into focus and i hear the jazz/indie/ "backporch" music. Right now it's more like a fading noise.

Noise. When i stop listening to the specifics it all becomes Noise. ssshhh pppsss ttsshsssmm hmmm wannna krinkle swish muus ha ha ha ha kolk hmmmm. Just Noise.I love Backporch in the morning. I love the noise and craziness. The frantic seach for a table for 2.

Oh Bachporch.......

An hour later;

The newspaper man and lady have been replaced by 2 ladies drinking the uncommon and small 8oz drinks and talking about "carma". They "older" ladies have been replaced by a younger man in a business suit and his friend in jeans and a North Face jacket... they speak to hushed to hear. My 2 friends have been replaced by a young mother, her baby and possible the grandma. They are talking about life as moms. The guys discussing real estate at the tall table have been replaced by 2 other friends. I can't hear what they are talking about, but they are smiling. The music is more in the background than it has been all morning.

Another hour later;

A friend has joined me. All other conversations and noise is now a backdrop to an amazing conversation. We talk about so much! Single living and the pluses and minuses. Dreams and desires. Churches and "un-churches". Brothers and Sisters. Moms and Dads. Tears. We share our crying stories. Movies. JUNO and PS I LOVE YOU. REality. We talk about real things. deep things. The working of God in our lives and how far we have each come since moving to Bend. We laugh out loud at a very funny video she recieved in an email.

Before either of us realize another hour has passed. I look around and realize that there are now more emtpy tables than taken ones. The "WANNNNN" of the espresso grinder is the loudest noise by far. And the music is... funny? Hard to discribe the music, but i laugh when i hear the song that is playing. Not because of the words, but because of the sound. As i gather up my things to leave i sigh... oh Backporch.

Backporch Oh Backporch; Oh Lavendar lattes.

Snuffleupagus

Snuffleupagus. yup that's what it says. Snuffles, Snuffy, Snuffleupagus. this is my newly dubbed nickname, and i am quite fond of it. Mostly because it's hard to say with out smiling! Oh wait did i just say "hard to say"? weird cause that's how i got the nickname... so here's the story;

I love my last name and over the years i have defiantly enjoyed some funny spellings and pronunciations of it. At track meets, baseball games, college classes, and other random events the was guaranteed to be a laugh from the D family when the announcer got ready to say it! It's a great name. It's quite a name. D-I-A-C-O-G-I-A-N-N-I-S. It's pronounced more like this Dee-yakie-anis, but not so harsh. Well most people have a hard time saying it until they practice. Spelling it is the real test. Diacogiannis. It's easy to me. I've spelled it at least 1,000,000 times in my life and I'm sure there will be many many more; D- as in dog, i- as in ice, a- as in apple moments in my life. When i stepped in to 180 HS ministry Casey(youth Pastor) was determined to not only say it right but spell it as well. After only a little while he had it down, spelling and all. Props to Casey. However for some reason he and a few other staff member continued to call me things like, Asodofolous, Hippopotamus, Deahwhatever etc. It was consistently a different name until one day; i was walking down the YLD staff hallway and someone said, "Hey Snuffleupagus!" and not a few moments later someone else said the same thing!!!! I thought, "hmm thats interesting, the same nickname in a matter of moments." Coincidence? oh no. Casey had found the BEST substitute for Diacogiannis and was determined to make sure it stuck... and it has! I am even linked on a friends blog as "Snuffleupagus".

If you would like to hear more about my amazing name sake and his Sesame Street days.. check out this link(thanks Joann);
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloysius_Snuffleupagus

It's awesome. Joyness.

bless you in your day,
~Snuffleupagus

Excitement...

ex·cite·ment[ik-sahyt-muhnt]–noun
1.an excited state or condition.
2.something that excites.
3.the feeling of lively and cheerful joy; "he could hardly conceal his excitement when she agreed" [syn: exhilaration]

this is me in a moment of excitment:


i'm not sure why this is the word that fascinates me tonight, but it is. I assume some think I can be a fairly overexcited person; however, I love to laugh, to see others laugh, to be HONESTLY surprised and see the amazing, often unexpected blessings God gives us.

So come on people, lets get Excited. God is good. His mercies are NEW every morning and He hasn't forgotten about us!!! His timing is PERFECT, His love is NEVER-Ending, He DANCES over us and meets ALL our needs! What a GREAT God we have, what's NOT to get EXCITED ABOUT?!?!?

Yes i know you are all wondering what i am opening in the picture... but let's have some fun; leave a comment and GUESS!!!

***Mom, Dad, Carissa, Lindsey and other family members who were there... please don't give it away!***

Christmas Love!

I love my little; J., Sarah and Rachel and i have yet to meet them.... check it out... don't you just want to hang out with these amazing people?!??!?!??



i am so eager to meet them.

Please Jesus, let things go smooth and sail quickly from here on out! Amen.

Good-bye 2007

Goodbye 2007
Let's start this post by reviewing 2007 and all the great things that happened!

January:
-Confirmation that i was indeed going to move to Bend Oregon
-The Edge had over 100 students on a Wednesday night!!! woot-woot!
-North County Christ the King Annual Kid's Ministry All nighter= 194 kids!
-I gave my notice at NCCTk; i'm moving! So many tears at the staff meeting and with all The Edge students!
February:
-Happy Valentines Day to me; I spent a lot of money on myself, and got a new Car!!!! Oh how i love my 1999 Honda Passport in top-notch condition with only 88,000 miles on it!!!!
-lots of prayer about moving to Bend; main question= timing?
March:
-Visit Bend to find a job and place to live!!!! Red Robin hired me without so much as an interview!
-Came home from Bend and told everyone the news; I'm Moving in A MONTH!
April:
-packing, shopping, packing
-goodbye parties at Church, the Edge and a surprise from Lindsey at home!!!!
-April 20th; the cars loaded(to the max) and we are off to Bend!!!!
-April 21st first weekend at Westside!
-April 23rd Start work at Red Robin
May:
-Emerge Spring retreat!
-Summer at red Robin in full swing!!! crazy business
June:
- Jeremiah, Tim, Matt and Jared come for a visit!
July:
-Adventures with Hood River begin!
Happy Fourth of July!
-CRC with my family!
August:
lots more Hood River Adventures, including but not limited too: falling off a cliff, breaking my foot, being "stuck" in HR for 8 days!
- Coure d' Alene Lake in Idaho with my family!
-home to Lynden for 2days
- my car hits the 100,000 mile mark!
- Gregg comes home for a visit!
September:
-Happy Birthday too me! 22 years young!!!!
-searching for a new place to live!
-loving Bend Oregon all the more
-my first Above the Noise Concert!
October:
-New Roommates and life in apartments!
-Jump into 180 high school ministry
-Start serving at Red Robin
November:
-Happy Thanksgiving! CRC with my family!
-LOVE LOVE LOVING 180!!!!!
December:
-Merry Christmas... home to see the family a week before!

Seeing Triple in Bend Oregon!

This weekend my dear-sweet-amazing sisters visited from Lynden for the first time!!! Carissa and Lindsey are two of the most precious people i know! They have these hearts... that are HUGE!!!!

Carissa. Is the older of the 2 by 7 minutes. She speaks Spanish almost fluently and when she returns from Argentina i'm sure she won't remember English =) Her heart has been moved in Compassion for the Latin American culture for years. And when i say moved... i am pretty sure her heart sits in her stomach and aches to see Hope and Freedom come to a people locked up in hopelessness and fear. She came to Red Robin and pretty much just chatted it up with all "the guys". . . i have on idea what they talked about other than the fact that i DON"T speak spanish... but it sure was fun watching her love people through language

Lindsey. Lou- Lou = Soft Heart. She is so sensitive to the things that move the heart of God. This last year has been a whirlwind of growth and challenge for Lindsey, but through it all she Stands firm in Jesus... pressing into what He wants to teach her. Even though she is not going to Argentina for 6 months. Linds also has a HUGE love for the Latino culture... all those years of working in the berry fields have given her an eye for those who seem "hidden" from America, yet help us stand. She also was so fun to watch speaking Spanish with my buddies at the Bird.

Even though it was a SHORT FAST weekend, i am SO glad that they got to be here to experience my life in Bend. They came to Westside, Red Robin, Backporch, Safeway, Jonny Carino's... all my favorite places! And everywhere we went people asked if we were related... "no we just look alike."
it was a lot of fun.

Thanks for visiting sistas... come again soon!

Some Thoughts about the Year.

As we get closer to 2008 I feel i must post some notes pondering all the things that have happened in my life in 2007... so on Christmas Eve at 1:39 am ... here is my first post in such regard. Here is my little "article" i wrote for our family New Years Letter!!!

I sat down to write this years part of the Diacogiannis Dispatch and started by reading over my journals from the last year or so. I love looking back at 1 year and seeing all the things God has brought me through. It is overwhelming at times; His Grace, Faithfulness and Love.

As most of you know I am living and breathing different air then the rest of my family. I moved down to Bend Oregon on April 20th full of excitement and anticipation of the plans God had for me in this new place. Little did I know or imagine the adventure that lay ahead of me. The story that brought me to Bend is far to long to be held within the pages of this New Years letter. I will do my best to condense this adventure I have been on in a few short paragraphs.

I was hired at Red Robin a month before the move, so I started work 2 days after moving here. Going from full-time ministry at North County Christ the King to Red Robin was so strange. I was not at all prepared for the people, lifestyles and lack of God in that place. On the flipside I was not prepared for the boldness and kindness of the Christians in the very same place! Red Robin soon became a big part of my life. Over the summer I worked 40+ hours a week and loved every minute of it.

Westside Church is my second or third home depending how you look at it. There is my house… the place I sleep and am writing this, there is The Bird were I spend lots of hours a week serving people Smiling Burgers and Bottomless Fries, and then there is my Church. The move to Westside has been the hardest, most rewarded thing I have ever done. After 6 months of tears, prayers, walks with Jesus asking and searching for the reason why I was brought to this place; I felt His releasing into a new ministry and passion. I am now the Lead of Connections for Oneighty. Oneighty is the High School Ministry at Westside and if I didn’t have bills to pay I would spend so much more time there with the amazing team of leaders and Pastors. My goal in Oneighty is to be the bridge between being a “newbie” and “in the family”. I LOVE High Schoolers. They are on such a different planet than most of us, but what they need most is the Love of Christ poured into their lives in a tangible way. This is the goal of Oneighty. I could go on and on… just ask me in person sometime… and be prepared to see the fireworks in my eyes and the spring in my step increase as I talk about the things God is doing in the young lives of Central Oregon!

Grace. Faithfulness and overwhelming love. These are the things that sum up my last year. Grace from all of those who watched me do the craziest thing of my life. Faithfulness that only comes from my Father in Heaven and overwhelming Love from both. I am so blessed. I know where I’m at. I have a piece of the future in mind and I know that my Jesus will be with me every step of the way. He hasn’t let go of my hand yet, but keeps encouraging me to trust Him, and so here I sit; Trusting in the One I can’t see but I know is real. Believing for a destiny and living a life that was not in my plans, but my greatest joy is knowing that I AM right where God wants me. May each one of you find this joy in your life. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Bend Oregon.

Weekend Joyness!

This weekend I went to Lynden... and if you are reading this and didn't get to see me while i was there... it's cause it was a super quick trip. Sorry.

I took my "adopted" little sis from Bend home to meet the family! Paige and i had quite the adventures. We jumped into Canada... literally. Check out the slide show!

While we were in Lynden North County Christ the King(my old stomping grounds) opened it's NEW Worship Center. It was so amazing to be back not only at my old church, but old job... life... and seeing a HUGE DREAM fulfilled. It was so amazing to be standing in a Miracle. I walked in the door to the new Commons (foyer) and just took a moment and praised the Lord. When i moved, i had no idea i would be able to be at the opening weekend for such an amazing moment!

WE also celebrated Christmas a little bit early. Since i won't be going home for Christmas this year, we opened presents to and from me and Papa and Mama gave us our new ornaments. I'll post those pics soon... my camera battery died... But I got a ton of AWESOME stuff. My kitchen is all tooled up for baking/cooking!!! hooray!

On the way home Paige and i had one last adventure... sliding into a Snow Drift!!!! I have never "spun out" before... so i kinda had a WOW moment... but no tears, screams or anything... we just looked at each other and said, "chains?" We hadn't put them on yet =) Much to our joy a very kind man stopped... and he had a shovel. Who carries a shovel in there truck?? He dug us out, showed me how to work my four wheel drive and then gave us a shove out of the snow!!! We got back on the road and praised the Lord for protection and Safety.... no one was behind us or coming towards us!!!! it was totally amazing!




Christmas is just 7 days away. I hope you have your focus on JESUS, and the JOY of his birth! What an amazing time of year this is!
Joy+lots of it= Joyness!

Hooray!

Hooray for Family.

Hooray for Jesus.

Hooray for Friends...new ones and long time ones.

Hooray for dreams come true.

Hooray.

Hooray for Christmas.

Hooray for Lights.

Hooray for guitars... i wish i could play them.

Hooray for Worship.

Hooray.

Hooray for Miracles.

Hooray for children....someday.

Hooray.

Hooray for Blessings.

Hooray for Blenders.

Hooray for towels....especailly red and black ones for my kitchen.

Hooray.

Hooray for Dad and Mom....they love each other lots.

Hooray for Little Brothers.... who are so grown up.

Hooray for little Sisters... the ones who are taller than me.

Hooray for Heroes....my big brother is my very own.

Hooray.

Hooray for love.

Hooray for life.

Hooray for beauty.

Hooray for pain....even though it hurts... healing is good.

Hooray for emotions.

Hooray for holidays.

Hooray for road trips.

Hooray.

Hooray for Canada.

Hooray for 10-19's.... whatever they are!

Hooray.

Hooray.

Horray.

Life with Internet!

Today is a very Happy day for me... yes it's true; I am sitting at my desk, typing on my computer, uploading my photos... with MY INTERNET CONNECTION!!!!!!!! Merry Christmas to me... that's all i'm giving myself... internet.... the connection to the world around me...

i'm not sure i have been missed though... due to the lack of comments... i'm not even sure people read this silly thing....oh welll.... I still love blogging... Funny thoght; my mom is a professional Blogger... she blogs WAY more than me and is always updating pictures, adding slideshows, and linking more blogging friends to her blog. WAY TO GO MOM!!!

Life in Bend Oregon has been AMAZING since i last wrote. God is so so so so faithful. I am LOVING ministry in Oneighty High School. It rocks my tuesdays and sundays!!!! I am super involved in the Connections area... making sure students are not left out on the fringe. It is totally amazing and i am so excited to see 180 grow and be a place High schoolers from around Bend can call family. Last week we had a staff VS Varsity girls Volleyball match/game it was incredible.






Thanksgiving was AMAZING as usual. CRC is defiantly one of my most favorite places ever.




and here are some random fall/winter pics....

Life with out Internet!

I can't believe it's been so stinkin LONG!!!! Oh how i miss blogging!!!

Do you ever wonder what life was like before the INTERNET??? The thought has crossed my mind here and there... but this past month and a little bit has been amazing!!! and weird!!! I didn't realize how much i use the World Wide Web until i had to live without it!!! You see i have this AMAZING new living situation, but we don't have internet at our house...and since i have a 21" imac, going to a coffee shop to use the internet is rare... I did actually yake it to Backporch once... but i was desprate, and that's when i DID have internet at my old house! So here i sit... houssitting and enjoy the internet at my fingertips!!! glory. but tomorrow... i'm back to a life of random friends computers... and checking email on occasion.
Once i do get internet where my computer is... then i will for sure be adding pictures from my last month and a bit and updating as often as my little heart desires, but for now; This will have to do.

Life in Bend Oregon is as exciting as always!!! I LOVE my new apartment and my roomates are great!!!

Work; Since this is where i spend most my time. Red Robin aka The Dirty Bird is a GREAT. I am really learned a lot about what it means to "walk out your faith". I can preach my heart out, but if i am not consistantly living(every day) what i am "preaching" i've got nothing. Sometimes i feel like the non- Jesus lovers are watching me. Just waiting to see what i will do... if i will fail. They love to try and push my buttons; to see if i will ever get mad to the point of exploding. It's been a challenge in someways not to just give up hope for these people. But i know no one else is praying for some of them and if i don't no one will... and then their hope would be lost. So i keep praying... and living as consistant as possible... and just lovin' on 'em. Trying to see them with Jesus eyes and love them with God's heart. I wish they would "just get it".... but it's a battle not easily won. And so back to my knees i go.

Church; I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!! Emerge is averaging about 120m a week!!!!! It is simply amazing!!!! I wouldn't miss a Thursday night if my rent bill depended on it!!!!! I am volunteering in High School Ministry now... 180 (www.180bend.com) pretty much is amazing. I love it so much. On Tuesday night we had a prayer and worship night.... with 3 prayer focuses and then worship mixed in all over the place. I was telling somone the other day that it should be illegal how much i love pouring my life into these student's lives. I think sometimes i am more blessed by watching them grow then they are by me being there. =) Mostly i just want kids to see that life in Christ is SO much better(John 10:9-10) than life for this world and this now. It's also great working with so many of my students at The Bird.... or they all come in and hang out. =)

Future; God's will be done in my life AMEN!!!! I keep seeking wisdom...searching out right living.... and pressing into what God' perfect will is for my life... and i keep going back to my blog entry entitled; The Will of God.... check it out if you haven't.... i believe i wrote it in July.

May the Light of Christ grow brighter and brighter as you run the race He has called you to! I pray that you would experiance more of him everyday and that you would never tire of His Adventure!!!

Don't waste a moment... don't watch your life go by... you only have NOW... live the best Life of your Life... it's all you got.... seize the moment!!! Live for more.