Stuff On my Heart

Humility Vs. Pride: The price of humility is our pride. I would rather be humble for an hour than proud and never learn anything. We can all at some point use more humility and situations that force us to look deeper inside.

Perseverance Vs. Waiting: I was going to say Vs. Procrastination, but waiting seemed nicer. Perseverance is pushing forward despite hardship, difficulty and delay. Perseverance grows our muscles; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually we all need to learn the art of perseverance. Whenever i hear the word, i think of a football game. Friday nights in the Fall. Darkness pierced by the field lights. All ages huddled together under umbrellas. Cheering, moaning, screaming, silence. Victory. We all want our team to win, sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't, but i am sure they tried to. I see the sweat, I can almost feel the mud and grass between the fingers, i can see the clenched jaw and the tight muscles. They for sure tried. Perhaps the other guys were bigger, perhaps there was an injury, perhaps... but they tried. I don't know any football player that would admit to not trying. It's about the fight, the perseverance, that no matter what the circumstance and situation they tried. Some people don't try in life. They focus on the mud, grass, rain, injury, or the bigger guy and give up.
James 1:2-4 has always been a favorite:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

NOT LACKING ANYTHING! oh how my heart cries for more people with a heart that heads these verses. MATURE AND COMPLETE.

Love Vs. Selfishness: If you have never read 1 Corinthians 13 you should, and if you have an know what i am talking about... read it again, but in the Love is_________ part instead of LOVE put your name and see if you match up. I get stuck on the first one "(Cassie) is patient". Anyone who knows me knows that me and patience have a battle everyday. (sometimes i win). I am pretty sure if you take the opposite of each attribute of love from that chapter you could boil it down to one word: Selfishness. I have said it many times on this blog, but i will say it again; can we just stinkin' love people? And when we have learned to truly love the people closest to us, let's show it off.... let's (please) love the world and show people Jesus.

Purity Vs. Immorality: Can we please STOP selling purity as abstinence? There is so much more to a life full of purity than saving sex for marriage. (more to come on this one)

Having a Family: I think one of God's greatest ideas was family. I just moved in with one. (yes i moved again) Mike, Ally, Sienna and baby(still in the oven) are wonderful. I love watching families. I love (and miss terribly) my family, but am so thankful that i have one, and not only have one, but having a family with Parents who started a new legacy and line is awesome! My parents understand the value of being humble for an hour. My parents understand that hard times will come and situations may be bleak, but perseverance is worth the pain. If you check out my "About Me" you will see that i consider my parents an incredible example of Selfless Love. I like to call my dad(mom too) the "Purity Nazi"... and am SO glad he is/was!!! They didn't come from "normal" or "wonderful" families, but they knew that it was possible, and for that i am eternally great full.

Lessons from the Zebra

i think they got in a fight...

Secret to relational success: communication is the key... not ignoring each other.

a week in pictures

This week was... a lot of things, but no matter what word i choose to use to describe it, nothing does it justice like a few photos!!! I had a random week off and took the oppertunity to head up to Washington to see my family!!! My dear friend Ali came along for some fun...

we stopped at the Washington State capitol...

Birch Bay...

Joshua loves his M&Ms...

Me and Katherine...

An oddly-long log that Ali and i walked on...

We went to the Zoo...

Tigars are my favorite...

Pike Place is a Seattle must...

One of my all time favorite places in the World...

It was a great week... check back later for a lesson from the Zebras. Seriously though...
check back tomorrow.

7

Sometimes i take pictures of the little man in my life...

I am pretty sure i nanny the cutest kid ever.

in case you wonder...

...what exactly i mean when i say i love High Schoolers and Oneighty.
this is a video from Wednesday night:

The Gathering February 11 2009 from Oneighty on Vimeo.

(sorry for the talking real fast.)
limited time+lots to say+passion= cassie on a roll. =)

i've been tagged

i've been tagged in hide-n-seek.

i've been tagged in freeze tag.
i've been tagged in 2-hand-touch football.
i've been tagged in capture the flag.
i've been tagged on purpose.
i've been tagged on accident.
i've been tagged on myspace.
i've been tagged on facebook.
And now tagging has now moved on to the blog world...

Here are the rules:

1. Go to the 4th folder where you keep your pictures on your computer.

2. Post the 4th picture in the folder.

3. Explain the photo.

4. Tag 4 fellow bloggers to join in the fun.

So, here is my 4th photo in my 4th folder:

Now the funny thing about this picture is that it's from the 4th of July 2007!
This is the LOVELY Christie Dunagan blowing bubbles from a float! I was visiting Hood River Oregon for a random 4th of July trip and ended up in a parade and on a float!!!
So many good memories!!!!

And now i tag...

#1. My awesome brother Benjamin
#2. The #1 Shelbi it's her birthday.
#3. Branden, because he rarely posts photos and i want to see one!
#4. Miss Joann Renee she inspires me to pursue my dreams.

One Year

I can hardly believe it's been a year since posting this video!!!! WOW, God has done a mighty work in our family since then, and I am blessed more and more each day by Jacob, Sarah and Rachel!!!!

Beware, if you in fact missed this the first time around you might cry... and even if you have seen it... you might cry!

lovely weekend

i had a lovely weekend...

Friday i spent all day at a wedding... well the wedding was only a few hours of it, but i helped coordinated the reception decorating and such so i was there a lot longer than the average wedding go-er.

wedding with ice cream bars are brilliant:

this is the glorious place the cake went,
however the cake was a little late so i don't have a picture of it:

This is Jesse and Taylor. Such an amazing couple! I am so blessed to know them!!!This is Jesse and Seth(the best man). Seth is brilliant and funny, so therefore the ring was tied to a very long string hidden inside the jacket:Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Hinrichs:Saturday took me to Portland for the day! Stephenie, Michelle and i went to see our AMAZING Joann Renee DIRECT Narnia (the musical)... so technically we didn't see her direct, but the actors and actresses executed her brilliance incredibly!

classic road trip self portrait:We stopped on the way for lunch/coffee/tea at Rosie's in Mill City.

Free Advice;
Guys surprise your date and take her to Rosie's. The drive is beautiful, the food is YUM, the pictures that could be taken would be brilliant.

Stephenie getting into Acts 7:

Michelle getting into Great is Thy Faithfulness in Latin:Left to Right: Michelle, Joann(the Director!), Michelle Parker, Me & Stephenie

Sunday i went to a Superbowl Party. It was a delight, the 3D glasses didn't work. The Steelers are my enemy. Kurt Warner is a stud. Larry Fitzgerald is fast. Harrison(#96) should be embarrassed that he made Superbowl history and wasn't MVP (due to being a JERK on the field). Big Ben seemed to have gained a lot of weight since ripping off the Seahawks a few years back. The Office episode could have been better. The Guac dip was INCREDIBLE (thanks Katie and Lindsay)! But seriously the funniest part was Bruce Springsteen shouting this at the camera.

"Step away from the guacamole dip and put the chicken fingers down!"

...and so you see it was a lovely weekend.

doing what i love...

My brother Ben took this while he was here and i just found it today(!);

One Cold Day

Today i went for a walk and froze my face taking these shots...

Totally worth it if you ask me!

Name your son Benjamin...

...you'll be glad you did.

Benjamin means "son of the right hand". I am not sure what exactly that means, but it sounds neat. In the Bible Benjamin was the 12th son of Jacob and was the "favorite son" after Joseph was sold out to Egypt. I know a few Benjamins. Three of the amazing Benjamins all have one thing in common... they are photographic geniuses!!!! (click on each name to see what i mean.)

#1 (and my favorite) - Benjamin Jacob Diacogiannis. Number 7 in the "D" family line up, I had the priveledge to be inthe room when little Ben was born. He has always been a rad little brother, and i think if you have to have a little brother this Benjamin is the one to have. He is fairly even tempered. He has the biggest servents heart of any 15 year old i know! He love's God and loves life. In the past 2 years "my" Ben has become a little brother after my own heart; he fell in love with photography!!! Click on his name and experience his blog and the beginnings of his photographic genius.

#2- Benjamin Edwards As i mentioned in my post regaurding the close of 2008... Ben is my photography "hero". I found out about his work long before i thought about moving to Bend, and when i found out the webiste i most visited for inpiration was in my "new" city, i was elated and couldn't wait to meet him in real life. Ben and his wife Lauren are 2 of the most kind people i know. They love the Lord and are not shy about bringing his love into their work. They take pictures that caprute my attention for hours. They live with a passion to see lives changed. They have a super cute son named Parker... who someday will be my good friend. =)

And so you see, you should indeed name your son Benjamin, but please refrain from calling him Benny.... most likely he won't like it. Ben, Jamin', benji. Ben, B-E-N-bennen, B, BenHamen or other variations are ok, but not Benny.

Starbucks; Quote #17

The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you’re not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don’t take it personally when they say “no” — they may not be smart enough to say “yes”.

– Keith Olbermann

Post Script (P.S.)

Oh how i love the comments that the last post has generated!!!!

This is my P.S. to that post.

Although i am single and most defiantly am waiting/longing for "Mr. Wonderful" the previous post was not only thought up in the mind of a 23-year-old who desires to have a man by her side. It was written by a 23-year-old who desires to see real change in the World around her....a change not by any political party or group of people who have their panties in a ruffle, but change that is inflamed by the Word of God and HIS desire to be loved, see others loved and serve the World. Love is a central key to change. And more specifically unselfish love. Think about real change. Perhaps change you have seen or dreamed of. If it is change only God can bring about then it is fueled by His love for the World and desire to see all people come to a knowledge of Him. If it is change people can bring about... on a large scale it needs to be fueled by a love that has no selfish ambition.

I will not sit here and pretend that the previous post came solely from a place of "world change". But please read it again. Please don't read it through lens of a girl desiring a man. I wrote it as that girl, but also because of SO MANY MORE THINGS going on in my life... and RISK is involved in every step. I once heard it said like this; Faith is jumping over a river. It takes a small amount of faith to jump over a 10ft. stream of rushing water. Risk is still involved, yet on a small scale. It takes a larger amount of faith to jump over a 15ft. stream of rushing water. More risk is involved. It takes a lot of faith to jump over a 25ft. stream of rushing water. There is a lot of risk in even thinking about jumping 25ft. However it's faith in this situation is not just believing that God will catch you, build a bridge or give you wings. It's believing that you are actually hearing the voice of God and you believe in your self to actually make that jump.

Peter did not start sinking because he didn't believe Jesus. Jesus was doing just fine. Jesus had in fact told Peter to walk to him on water, so in fact Jesus believed that Peter could do it. Peter didn't believe Peter could do it.

My hope is that we all would be in the Word, and listening to the voice of God, so that when we have waited. When we have prayed. When we have heard the voice of God pointing us in a direction. We would indeed be ready to take the risk and jump... and then change would come.

**the C.S. Lewis book is The Four Loves**

C.S. Lewis... on Love

This right here beautifully sums up a lot of things i have been mulling over the last couple weeks:

"There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."
-C.S. Lewis

It's all about RISK people. What kind of risk are you willing to take to possibly love and be loved by another person? Is it worth it to stay safe inside yourself and feelings? Or to take a risk, with the possibility of failing or hurting?

"Are you afraid to be the only one to fail?
What's worse, to try and fail or never live to tell the tail?...
...When did the skeptics get to define you?"
-Elliot

Those are the lyrics to a song that is fast one the heels of my top favorite 5! They have been haunting me for about 3 weeks. What RISK am i willing to take to possibly live a dream? Should I just continue to sit and "wait" for life to hit me in the face or take action and embrace the life that God has given me? Should I let the opportunities to see something miraculous happen pass me by? If I let them fly by with the wind that won't stop blowing I know I will wonder and over-analyze "why" or "what if" until I fall asleep.

It's all about RISK people. What RISK are we going to take to see life, real life... and really if I fail... I know that God is still working to make me look more like Jesus, and perhaps the mud I attain from failing(falling) will actually make me more beautiful!
**Thanks and shout out to my good friend Elizabeth Fischer for reminding me of this quote from C.S. Lewis.**

Hello, My name is 2009 and I'm full of Wonder!

*Please tell me the title at least made you smile a little tiny smile?*

2008 was a year to remember for sure. So many good times. I'm sure there are many moments i wish i could remember better; and one's i know i will never forget. As i ponder the last year there are many was i could write this blog, by the number or events or hardships. I could make some really great spiritual allegory or try and paint a picture. I could upload a thousand photos from the last year or one that i think captures the whole year. I could just tell you to go to my blog archives and start with January 2008 and work your way forward. I'm still pondering, so please forgive what may come as a random jumble of moments as i remember them.

Favorite Photos of 2008(6 of 9000+ taken in '08):

January 2008:April 2008:May 2008:June 2008:December 2008:Yes i really did take over 9,000 photos in 2008!!! I know I'm a little shutter happy.

The following is(sort of) what i wrote for my family's Christmas Newsletter and sums up my life nicely:

This year has been full of so many joys, surprises, pleasures and excitement I could fill a book! The faithfulness of God was exactly what got me through the first year of living in Bend, and I am so grateful that he never let’s go of us when we surrender to Him completely!!!

Ministry. I am still volunteering with the High School ministry at Westside Church and weekly have moments that make me want to JUMP, DANCE and SCREAM: This IS what I was made for! I counseled cabins at both Winter and Summer Camp, I mentor a few girls one on one and spend lots of time letting my creative ideasrun wild with themselves. My goal: to see young people follow hard after God and His purpose for them on the earth. Few things bring me more joy then to see a student “get it”.

Friends. Oh, how the Lord has blessed me with incredible friends this year!!! I remember the lonely times, but I praise the Lord that those moments are fewer then before! Boating, coffee, hiking, coffee, wake boarding, coffee, games, coffee, laughing and more coffee. I love that each of those things reminds me of great times with friends. Watching my brother fall in love with
Heidi was something i will never forget! Watching Jenna walk in Faith as she gets ready to head to Botswana is something that makes my heart dance. Watching Stu fall into real life with Jesus brings tears to my eyes. Watching lots of friends DO what they were made for makes me want to shout for joy and smile lots! Seeing Paige and Whitney head off to college made me a proud "big sis". Sitting at Backporch with (Joann, Mekenzie,Katie, Stephenie,Lisa, Jessie, Karlee, Jordan, Michelle, Cliff, Casey,Dave, Majell, Jenna,Bo...)Did i leave anyone out? Basically Backporch Coffee+(amazing)Friends= LIFE!

Work. After a year and a half at Red Robin, I took off my blue polo and khaki pants. I put away my apron and birthday songs. I picked up a blanket, binky and a BEAUTIFUL baby boy named Seven! Becoming a nanny has been one of the biggest blessings of my Fall. Seven and I
have lots of fun together. He is one of the sweetest-tempered babies EVER! We like to go for walks, read books and play pee-a-boo.

I have also had the pleasure and blessing to start developing my photography business here in Bend. God totally blessed my socks off with a great Photography mento who is incredibly gifted and fun to learn from. Benjamin Edwards finally relented from me web stocking him and let me come along to a few shoots!!! I feel so blessed with the learning and with the business! My goal is to expand, get a website, and take double the pictures in 2009!

And so to answer my wake up call this morning(aka the title) I say this: BRING IT ON! I am thrilled and full of Hope for this year i have ahead of me. I can't wait to see God act on His Word. I can't wait to hear His whisper. I am anticipating His challenges. I eagerly look forward. I stand on my tip-toes and crane my neck to see what's ahead. Oh, the moments that are waiting to be captured. Oh the stories that await to be walked out. Oh the dances of Joy that await and the tears of growth wait to burst out! Bring on the Wonder. Bring on the year.

First Comes Love...

-Gregg & Heidi-

first comes love...
...then comes marriage; June 14 2009!!!

Eric and Melissa