Cassie's Chronicles

A Plea to the Members of the Sister Wives Club

2011-03-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Dearest Sisters,

I would like to formally request special permission access to events of the Sister Wives Club. The reason for this request is that today, my boyfriend brought me homemade chicken noodle soup, the noodles also being homemade, because of my illness. In other words, my boyfriend is MAJORLY kicking my booty in the domestic department. I have to learn to cook things that DON'T come in a box, ASAP!! Thank you for hearing my plea, I await your hurried responce

The youngest (and only unmarried) sister
Cassie

I'm a Symphony Member!

2010-08-17T20:08:00.001-07:00

Today we had auditions for the Idaho State Civic Symphony. For auditions, we had to perform 4 orchestral excepts. They included Beethoven's Leonore Overture No 6, Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dram, and the exhibition to Mozart's Concerto for Flute in G. These are all intensely hard pieces that I have been practicing for a year and perfecting. This took a lot of work and a lot of practicing. AT the auditions, I was VERY nervous! There were 4 people going out for 1 chair - one of them was 60, one was 30, and the last was nearing 24 and just graduated with her music degree. Needless to say, I felt at a slight disadvantage with myself only getting ready to begin sophomore lessons. However, I just got a call from my flute professor. I was one of the 2 best auditions! What they decided to do is to give the technical chair to the 30 year old - and I made what's known as a 'sub list'. However - my professor will be putting me on at least 2-3 concerts this year. In fact, if I hadn't rushed (which I was doing because I was nervous), I would have been the only one to make it! How exciting is this?! How great to see those hours of practice paying off! If only I'd spent a little more time with a metronome... but that's ok! I made it!!!

Oh and yes - I did cry when I found out. The only times I've ever cried from joy have been flute related.

Why Vinegar kicks all other salad dressing's bootys!

2010-06-17T13:56:00.001-07:00

I used to be the queen of ranch. I loved it - and the perfect salad for me included black olives, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, cucumbers, and ranch (over ice burg lettuce). However, since visiting Europe I have taken a particular loving to Oil and Vinegar or Light Vinaigrettes on my salads (I now prefer bolder flavored lettuce, like Chopped Romaine Hearts or Dole's European Blend). In Europe, there is no such thing as ranch, thousand island, Italian, or any other of the USA's THOUSANDS of dressing options (or at least that's how it seems when walking down the dressing isle). If you get salad, you either get the house dressing (which in Paris is usually this yummy light cream that has a hint of horseradish in it), vinaigrette of some sort, or oil and vinegar in their seperate bottles. That's it. They don't even ask you! There are no options. Well if you compare the slimmer figures of Europeans to our bubbly American selves, you have to assume they are doing more than one thing right! Perhaps keeping their salads healthy is part of this. I mean - do you even realize what ranch is? Basically, if you really get down to it, it is flavored lard. That's right, flavored lard. Mayo (lard) with some ranch (flavor). GROSS! And NOT healthy! Drowning lettuce in flavored lard does not a healthy option make. Besides, you eat it more for the creaminess than the flavor, and, remembering back my ranch days, you can't really 'lightly toss' your salad with it. I mean you can - but it doesn't taste near as good.

This is why I LOVE vinaigrettes. Their flavor is STRONG. I mean, I use probably half as much as a vinaigrette on a salad as I would ranch. Also - because it is liquid instead of liquified lard, it dresses the salad itself as it slides over the leaves of lettuce. No intense mixing or redressing required here. Also - even if I put it on a salad in the morning, the lettuce isn't too soggy at lunchtime because it's lighter. To be honest, when they put oil and vinegar on my table, I'll sprinkle a little oil and mostly use vinegar. Oil is fatty-ish (but in a good way according to scientists), but vinegar has a bunch of health benefits, besides being lean!

Check this out:: Olive oil provides the body with healthy monounsaturated fats, which fights heart disease and has antioxidant benefits. Vinegars help regulate the body, controlling blood sugar level, increasing mineral absorption and replacing unhealthy substances (fats, sodium) with healthy ones. Cool huh!! Vinegar goes through your bodie and replaces unhealthy substances with healthy ones!

Also - there are so many different Vinaigrette options! You can go with the normal good ol' oil and vinegar, straight. It's delish- I promise! A little too 'rustic' for you? Try Light Basalmic Vinaigrette! (Yes, because its premixed sometimes they try to add extra fats in, but light will keep the fat content, and calorie content, down). Want some salad for desert? Ken's Steak House Light Rasperry Vinaigrette is my latest addiction - it will give you salad CRAVINGS! There's not really the bitterness you get from other vinaigrettes, just sweet goodness!

Check out my other blog

2010-06-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

In order to separate real life from my hobbies, I created another blog with a very specific purpose. Reading (really, are you surprised? REALLY?) Check it out! I'm super excited! http://1000novelsthroughlife.blogspot.com

Favorite Things (Friday) Vol 1 Ed 6

2010-04-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

FRUIT LEATHER BABY!

That's right, now that I've become a Bountiful Basket-er, I have a lot of fruit, too much to consume alone! So, instead of letting my dear fruit go bad, I am making delicious, homemade fruit leather! That's right! So, I'll walk you through the simple process. Make sure peel and chop your fruit in semi-bite sized-ish pieces. I like to put my fruit in a large pot and boil in so it gets a little soft and doesn't hurt my blender so much. So, 1/2 a cup of water for every 4 cups of fruit, bring to a simmer, and let simmer with the lid in for around 10-15 minutes. Then mash the fruit up with whatever you can, and taste it. Add sugar as needed and let the mush thicken up a bit more and make sure all the sugar is dissolved!

You can let it cool a bit here if you want, but now you want to puree your fruitness. I use my blender, but if you have a food processor or something else that you prefer, then it will work. Make sure it gets super smooth! Taste the puree and make sure it is to your tasting. You can add lemon juice (just a little) to bring out the taste of the fruit. You can add cinnamon and/or brown sugar to apple, like I did, but I just added regular sugar to the pineapple example.

Now you want to super spray your baking pan with some sort of Pam (or substitute), or you can cover your pan in heat-proof plastic wrap. Anyway, pour your puree into the pan. A trick I have for smoothing it out is to shake the pan left and right and up and down, so you even out all the ridges and stuff. Be soft so you don't spill, just be gentle.

Stick it in the oven at the lowest setting. In my oven it is 'warm', try not to be over 150ish, and then close the oven door. This is when patience takes place. It could take 8-10 hours to dry properly. You know it is done when the middle is no longer gooey, of if you touch the middle and it doesn't leave an indent! It always peels off the pan pretty well for me, and then you just slice it and put it in a plastic bag. I guess you can put it in a freezer or fridge or whatever. As if there will be any left in time for you to do this!

Trust me, it is worth the wait! (YEah, I bit that piece, what of it?)

Favorite things Friday Vol. 1 Ed. 5

2010-02-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

this Friday (Saturday) is First Dates! Why - you may ask - is something so awkward a favorite thing. Well for one - because I had an awesome one last night. I love the adrenaline. The shy awkwardness of both parties - it's adorable and kind of humorous if you think about it! I love the way you both are kinda wondering what will become of it. The awkwardness of who will pay. And then the cute 'Oh thanks!' when he offers. Besides - first dates means your dating new people. Which means you're meeting ad getting to know new people. I love how attentive he was when I was explaining my family situation - he wanted to see the picture of my niece I was showing around to the girls in the car. It was fabulous!

Favorite Things Friday Vol. 1 Ed. 4

2010-02-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

FLUTING!

That's right! I'm not sure you guys realize just how much I absolutely love my flute. There is nothing in my life that I care about more than my music. It's hard, it's expensive, it's time consuming, it's degrading (at times), it's competitive, it's painful, and yet, I still do it! It's a common fact around the music department that music majors cry at least once a semester when we have our breakdowns. It just happens. It's also a little known fact (to others at least) at how crazy of a course load we have. I am currently taking 18 credits, and yet that still amounts to over 10 classes! Class goes from 8 in the morning til 5 at night, and I have a few night classes every now and then. It doesn't even matter though, because when I get up on that stage (or even in that practice room) and just make beautiful music, it is the most amazing feeling ever! You have no idea the glory that comes out of the realization that I am the one creating that glorious music. I love Music Theory, I love everything about music. Sure, there have been times that I have gotten frustrated, REALLY frustrated, and thought about changing majors. But then I realized, what else would I do? There is nothing else I want to do in my life. I love that Dr. York is my professor now - she rocks so bad, and I don't know what I'd do without her! I now know that with her help I will succeed in this dog eat dog music world! I am starting to teach beginning students now, and I couldn't be more excited! It will be so much fun!

Favorite Things Friday!

2010-02-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Glad to be checking in ago!

This favorite thing's Friday topic? GOALS! Indeed whenever I hit a block or downer in my life I get out my journal and start some goaling! Goals about a bunch of stuff! Recently I decided a goal that I want to develope a meaningful relationship with as many of my nieces and nephews as possible! It felt great to write letters this week - and I intend on continuing to write or send little treats or whatever as much as my time and wallet will allow! If your kids ever question anything - I want them to know that I love them and that I'm there for them! Sometimes you just can't go to mom and dad about an issue - but I want to be there for them (and honestly - for you - I'd rather have my kids going to family than their 'friend' or someone who may not have the same values that we love and embrace. I love you all - and your chillins!

Favorite Things Friday - Delayed

2010-02-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

Haha - Favorite Things Friday was delayed this week because of this week's favorite thing:

APOSTLES!

We were blessed enough to have Elder Richard G. Scott come to Pocatello this week to speak to the ISU Institute students! Because it's a HUGE deal to have an Apostle in Pocatello (they usually just drive through to Rexburg) I had to go to the institute building STRAIGHT after class so I could make sure I got a good seat. The speech started at 7:30. I got there at 5 and DJ and his brother Jared joined me at 5:30 and, 2 hours before, the entire front part was full. We got seats very near the front of the gym but WOW! It is so powerful to have an entire institute building filled from the chapel, through the gym, back through the lounge area, and even some class rooms had to have overflow! Even though his message was ALL about marriage (we're kinda used to that now) Elder Scott let his personality shine through and we all got to see how great of a sense of humor he had! Really - it was hard to remember I was at a devotional sometimes because I was laughing so hard! He is such a great man and his speech was such a blessing in my life. The spirit was so strong before he even walked into the room and he really helped me remember that my Heavenly Father and the Apostles we have on the earth today love me.

Favorite Things Friday

2010-01-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

So as some of you may know -my amazing sister Sara does this weekly blog post called 'Five Sense Friday'. I was thinking about it this week and decided I was going to steal her alliteration idea and make my own version (since my blogging has been lacking - this can be a weekly catch-up of something that made me smile.

So this Favorite Things Friday is my new Favorite Foods/Food Like Thingies

My new favorite snack/latest craving is a mixture of Dole Mediterranean Blend Lettuce (Taste Intensity of 4 and a Texture of 3). It reminds me of the salads you would get at any restaurant in Europe - and the different types of lettuce add to the taste, not to mention e add a bit more crunch than others. An AWESOME blend!

Add to that some Raspberry Vinaigrette! (I prefer Newman's Own, but it doesn't matter!) Which has a sweetness added to the bitterness of the vinegar. If you let it soak in a bit it is DELICIOUS! The sweetness makes the vinegar taste tart instead of bitter.

For lunches lately I have been using my brand new Bento Box! It has reusable compartments that are specifically sized for healthy portions, and you don't waste plastic baggies when you use them! My pack even came with a little drink bottle so I could add some juice (I usually carry around a Nalgene with water). One of my favorite meals? Summer Sausage and Cheddar Cheese for a 'Main Coarse' (I'm also loving Oroweat's Health Nut Bread with Organic Peanut Butter and Raspberry Preserves), then my salad from above or celery, carrots, and broccoli with ranch, and then some pretzels for some salty. Delish! Anyone who has kids - I HIGHLY recommend these for cold lunches. Mine has an insulated outer carrier - so no ice pack needed, and since everything is in its own plastic container, there are no smooshed sandwiches and you can actually have a salad! It even comes with fork and knife!

And finally - I am in LOVE with the Pocatello Co-Op! It's a free trade store where you can get locally grown goods. I go here for my milk because I don't like stuff with hormones or additives - and this is practically straight from the cows at Clover Leaf Farms. I cannot get Reeds here - well I can - but only gallons and they expire quickly and are EXPENSIVE. These are slightly pasturized so they last long, and they're still 'organic', but cheaper. They come in glass containers - so I feel all old school as I rinse out my glass container to take back. I also bought some bulk uncooked Jasmine Infused Rice there. It was DELICIOUS - easy to cook - and didn't come in a box! They sell bulk spices and herbs and a bunch more! I got my organic peanut butter there. It takes some getting used to, but I love this place. They have locally grown fruits and veggies, and everything is fairtrade which makes it that much better! I know IF has one - their fruits and veggies aren't the best but I suggest their bulk spices and dry goods to anyone! The lady there is so sweet too! Whenever I have a question about cooking (or which rice is closest to the rice you'd get out of the box) she goes through the co-op with me til we find it. It's great!

Kappa Kappa Psi!!

2009-09-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

So as some of you may or may not know, my old flute teacher and her husband, who was our Assistant Director of Bands/Marching Band director left this summer to get their Doctorate. After an intense process of interviews, they got an AMAZING new director (whose wife happens to have her Doctorate from Texas Tech in Flute Performance :D). Mr. York showed his great skills at Marching Band Camp a week before school started with ease. It didn't take long for me to notice his Kappa Kappa Psi clothing. I had heard of Kappa Kappa Psi before, since many of my friends at other colleges are involved with it. It is a Co-ed Fraternity, the National Honorary Band Fraternity. It is solely for kids who play band instruments in a college-sponsored ensemble. I had wanted to be a member of KKPsi for a long while, but ISU didn't have a chapter. One day when Mr. York was wearing his KKPsi hat, I asked him if it would be possible to start a chapter here at ISU. He said yes without pause, which was exciting for me, I never would have even thought to ask any of our other professor about it. Luckily for us, he had recently helped his previous school, GVSU, establish a KKPsi chapter too.

After some Facebook conversation with him about how we would get it started, I started advertising the idea to my peers. I made an announcement at every band rehearsal, asking people who were interested to talk to me. We have a small school, so we were hoping for an interest level of 15-20 people and we got it! We then had to set up a meeting time. Sometime along the way my friend, Cassie McBean, became a super help, becoming my 'right hand woman'. We established a meeting time, that would be the same as GVSU's meeting time so we could have a video conference with them. I posted signs, posted facebook events and continued making daily announcements, not to mention bugging people to ensure their attendence. We had the PERFECT attendence, and by the end of the meeting, and having all their questions answered, everyone was still interested!

I cannot believe that after a month and a half this is really happening! We are sending in the application in just a few weeks! Our colonly will start out with somewhere between 10 and 15 people, not huge, but all my hard work is paying off! I never thought this would happen! I am so happy that Mr. York was willing to help and we had such an interest. We will be a colony for a good year before we become and actual chapter, but it will happen if I have a say in it! I am going to be the President of the Kappa Kappa Psi Colony at ISU! It is awesome to be such a huge part of the Music Department's History, especially because I love this department, and this college, so much!

Basically the coolest story ever

2009-07-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

So as many of you know I've been working at Papa Johns as a delivery driver. A few weeks ago, I got into a fender bender on the job, and so I cannot be a driver anymore. My manager decided to switch me to in store and slowly train me to be a manager. On the 4th, I was supposed to work as an in store and help out the manager, but the manager decided to get another job and got 'sick' on the 4th. (Yeah, convenient, right?) So anyway, I had only been trained to close once, but I was on my own that night, my first time being a manager with only one previous night of training. I had been working hard to get ready for that night, because we all had a feeling that this guy was going to bail on us. It wasn't easy, but I ended up doing a great job of managing, everyone was telling me how proud and impressed they were. My general manager came in at the of the night and showed me how to do the closing procedures again, and checked to see how I had done. I did so well, I'm now going to be managing shifts on my own n a regular basis!

Isn't it cool how what I thought was the worst day of my life (the wreck and loss of delivery job) turned into an amazing promotion? I have so much more faith about how struggles can be rewarding now!

I Need Food!

2009-04-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I am moving into my own apartment in a few weeks, I will, thank GOODNESS, have a kitchen so I can cook my own food and quit eating this sick cafeteria food, but I need some recipe ideas! I know that all my sisters are amazing cooks, so I would love if you guys would give me some of your recipe - Especially your homemade cinnamon and orange rolls Eliza, oh and that salad you made for Thanksgiving Sara!

The Curses of my Major

2009-03-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so there are a lot of things in my life that have changed since I switched to flute performance which I think you might find funny.

I had the option of parting my hair on the other side to get rid of my callic. However, I have to continue parting on the left side because I tilt my head right when I play and if I part on the right the excess hair goes into my eyes and mouth while I play

When trying on shirts, the first think I do is put my arms in playing style to see if I can play in it, since i practice daily, if it's not playable, it's not worth it.

I now cannot sleep in past 9. I usually wake up at 6 or 7, hopefully 6 so I can be in a practice room by 7. Once I went to bed at 9 and woke up at 4 but stayed in bed til 5... I got to the practice room by 6. Yeah... it's bad.

The other day I was havin a conversation with my roommate. I would be performing 3 times in 2 days, so she was asking me about one performance, and I was answering for another. I was confused by her questions, she was confused by my answers.

Mom and I are going to New York for spring break. We will see 3 musicals and see all the sights and everything. The highlight of my trip: Visiting the Manhattan School Of Music and hopefully getting a lesson with one of their flute professors for less than 100 dollars. Yeah, I'm excited about school.

This summer, I will be playing at my cousins wedding, and I was SUPER excited when she asked me. When I'm in New York, I will also go shopping for music. Mom has to keep herself from swearing when we pass a music store, because I always go in for hours. In New York, they have streets full of music stores. She doesn't even try to resist.

Flute players are VERY in tune with their mouths. I haven't worn my retainer since I got my braces off because my ortho said I didn't need to. I have recently felt my teeth shifting (a very minute bit, but boy can I feel it) and it was messing up my embochure. So I went to the orthodontist and recommended a retainer. They found it humorous that I actually went in on my own accord and ASKED for a retainer. I got it today, and I was sooo excited. The ortho who checked me out (different than my first) said that I had teeth shifting and I said "I know, that's why I came in." It was funny. I also promised to be their pickiest customer.

I can keep a practice journal better than a regular life journal. I write in it at least once a day. It's a pretty big deal. I write at least a page per practice session. I love practicing too. There have been times I've forced myself to stop so I could make class (and yes, I have skipped class to practice a few times.. sorry mom)

Splatter Paint!!

2009-03-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Ok so as I mentioned in my last one, I have been planning on splatter painting the black coffee table for a while. I was waiting for my roommate, Sarah, to have time, but she has been very busy with her boyfriend and such, so I got together a random group of friends to work on it together! We took the coffee table tout to the courtyard by my room and went crazy! WE had 5 colors; 3 neons: pink, yellow, and orange, and 2 metallics: blue and purple. We also did some mixing. It didn't take long to get the table done and we had SO much fun doing it!! It was definitely worth the mess!

The Before Picture

Preparing the Paint

Our Mess

Splatter Painting!

My Action Pose

Cami's Action Pose

Amanda's Action Pose

Brenda's Action Pose

Finished Product Group Picture

Coffee Table Capers

2009-02-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, so there's really no 'caper' involved, I just thought it was a cute title. Last week I found the most amazingly sweet coffee table at the DI (we had been looking for one) for only 15 bucks!! However, a sweet ghetto coffee table just wasn't enough. We wanted to paint it and then splatter paint it! So I went out and got the sand paper, base coat, some brushes, and a finishing coat from Lowes. Today was the base coat day so I sanded down the table myself and then Sarah helped me paint it black. I'm planning on buying some colors for splatter painting today and we plan on doing that part of it outside next weekend, and then adding our finishing coat! Here are today's picks! It seriously looks great!

Before

During

Finished Product!

IHOP's Free Pancake Day!

2009-02-28T10:42:00.000-08:00

As a college student there is one golden rule that I've learned you NEVER mess with: Never give up free food! Therefore it was a necessity that my roommate, our friend/RA, and I attend Free Pancake Day at IHOP this Tuesday. Everyone gets a free shortstack of pancakes and then they ask for donations to the Children's Miracle Network. Sarah and I of course brought our cameras. We didn't have time to do it until night. Jessie had Symphony til 9:30, so Sarah and I got there early so we would make sure we all got our pancakes. Sarah and I goofed off until Jessie got there, lugging in her cello because it was too cold to leave it in the car. She had been in such a hurry and so excited to get her pancakes, she hadn't noticed the big mud hole until she stepped in it. It was evidently 'sick', and so she had to clean out her shoe while waiting for her pancakes and, since her sock was also sick, went around wearing only 1 sock the rest of the day haha!

Free Pancakes

The Free Pancakes in all their Glory

Jessie Endulging in her Pancak

Jessie's Sick Shoe

Sarah takin pics

The end of the pancakes

Jessie's shoe

Megan Nicole Hamblen!

2009-02-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

This post is to welcome Baby Megan Nicole into the world. Lori and David were finally in the hospital at about 1 PST when there was an open bed. Emily stayed at her Grandma's playing with cousin Kendal. Megan finally came after 10 minutes of pushing at 9:05 PST. She was 8 lb 7 oz with a head full of dark hair.

The Family with Megan, Emily was too tired to go to the hospital.

My first 'college' experience

2009-01-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

I think I can dub this moment as my first college experience. I have recently moved in with new roommates for 2 reasons. 1) I was having serious contention issues with one of my old ones that she was not willing to resolve and I didn't want to have the tension from. 2) Me and my REALLY good friend (who was also having problems with a roommate) wanted to move in with each other. So it just happened that 2 other girls in our ward had an opening in their room! 'Convenient', right? Haha, anyway I LOVE my new roommates. We're always sitting in the living room watching Gilmore Girls together instead of being in our rooms with our doors clothes like my old roommates. Even better, when we're watching TV, we aren't really watching because we're too busy talking. Last night we had the TV on, but one of my roommates brought out her old journal so we all got distracted with tales of high school and past loves. We started at 9, and I was thinking that I should go to bed in like an hour. Right about when I was getting ready to take a shower, another of my roommates took a shower. Ok so I'd wait til she got out and take one. She got out, I was still talking with my roommates (at that point reading a 3rd person story of my roommate Sarah's day). So then it got later, another roommate took a shower, I still didn't. Finally it was 12:30 at night, and we were STILL talking when we hear a ukulele outside our door. Sarah went to look out the peep hole and see what the HECK was going on. She starts laughing and tell us that this creepy guy is looking in our peep hole seductively and playing a ukulele! Scary! I looked, as did my other two roommates, Brittany and Megan. Then, he knocks on the door, and we all run into our individual bedrooms and slam the door haha! He got the picture pretty fast, but it was soo funny! We stayed up til like 1:15 when I FINALLY took a shower, didn't blowdry my hair (and it actually looks hot today too) and crashed in my bed! I was sleepy today, but it was SO worth it!

The Happiest Moment of My Life!

2008-11-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is going to sound SO geeky, but this is seriously the happiest moment of my life! So as some of you may know I decided at the beginning of this year to switch my major from Music Education with an emphasis in flute to Flute Performance. This is a huge deal, it requires a new audition and it is twice as hard to get into, Flute Performance has a suggested 4 hours of practice a day, Music Ed only suggests 1 or 2. BIG deal! When I first told my flute professor this she said 'Ok... well maybe you'll be ready to audition by Spring Jury." Whenever I brought it up on lessons she sorta just blew it off, like I wouldn't ever be ready for it. Last week she told me that she was acting that way to make sure I was motivated enough to get it myself, and she knew that I was now ready for it! So yesterday she told me that we were moving my audition up to the jury in December!! It is so amazing to see my hard work pay off!! I couldn't help but be the most excited person ever!

The "Boy"

2008-10-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Ok... well you all asked about the boy. Here it goes. He isn't the boy anymore. There was this guy I met in band. I thought he was really great. I thought he was really cute. I thought the fact that he wasn't a member wouldn't be an issue. Boy was I wrong. I didn't have a problem with him. We cuddled and held hands the entire trip. People noticed. And then, when I should have started liking him more, I began to feel uncomfortable. It felt so wrong. I kept thinking about my future. I kept thinking of my Heavenly Father. I prayed about it... a lot, and today, I told him that it just wouldn't work. I have dreams of having a very religious family, of being married in the temple, of a husband who respects me as a Daughter of God and loves Heavenly Father just as much as I do. I need someone who will go to sacrament with me, someone whose mere prayers will make my heart swoon. I realized that he was a great friend, but I was more crazy about the idea of a boyfriend than the actual boy. I feel miserable. I wish I could take back the hand holding and the hopes I gave him, but I can't. I just knew that I had to stop it now, before we grew even closer, and I definitely didn't want any more regrets. We have decided to still be friends.

I'm so happy for trials such as this. It makes me realize how true the church is and makes me feel even closer to Heavenly Father. I'm so happy that He was there to listen to my prayers and let me know what I needed to do. I wish I had listened to Him sooner, but I'm so happy that He knows me and knows what I need in life. I'm so happy to know that He will always be there, and that He has someone out there that will be right for me.

So... the REAL "Boy" Requirements:

Must be a strong member of the church, temple marriage is non-negotiable.
Being cute is definitely nice
Cannot be overly prideful, it is SUCH a turn off
Must be light and playful sometimes, but serious at others
Must be able to understand that practicing 4 hours a day is a BIG requirement in my life
Must be interested in going to Broadway Musicals, Symphony Concerts, etc.
Ability to at least pretend to understand my musical jargon, excitements, etc. is helpful
Must be able to provide for a family, flute playing doesn't bring in that much money
MUST be good with kids, and be ok with having 4-8 children
And Finally...
Must have a crazy fun family, and be able to keep up with my even crazier family!

My Motto:: "Every day I pray that God made someone tolerable enough to put up with my unique ways, and that I'm understanding enough to put up with his"

If anyone knows a guy of this description... WHY AM I NOT DATING HIM YET!? Seriously folks, hook the little sister up!

My Dearest Sisters

2008-10-24T05:37:00.000-07:00

While packing today for the band trip that will be taking place over the weekend (yes, there will be pictures), I finally realized how my sisters have taught me the most important lesson of all. It's ALLL about the size of your cosmetics bag! I remember as a child being befuddled as how Rachel could have enough stuff to fit into that giant bag (which was always amazingly cute). Being in college, I've grown a little older, a little wiser, and evidently way more interested in my looks! I'm sure I wouldn't pack 1/2 this stuff if there wasn't the cute guy on the band trip to impress, but I now have a bag the size of Rachel's that is packed full. The sad part is: I still feel like I'm skimping out on myself!! No hairspray... I'm praying someone else will have theirs, no straightener, my hair looks hot without being straightened now (:D!), I'm planning on using the hotel's free body wash, covering up all body parts so shaving won't be required. The things we do for boys, or more, the impression of. So girls, remember life's biggest lesson, which I was lucky enough to get from my older sisters, it's ALLL about the size of your cosmetics bag!

The New-Doo

2008-10-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

So I just barely got my hair cut today, I wanted something different. Mine was really unruly and wasn't keeping form very well. The girl who cut my hair had very similar hair to mine, fine, flat, and unruly, so she gave me some great hints on how to make it look good when styling, and gave me a great cut for my hair and face!! I was super happy, so I wanted to show you all the new look!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

We had a floor decorating party last night. Not many people turned up. Actually, at one point, it was just me, my roommate, our RA, and his girlfriend decorating, but it doesn't matter because it still looks beyond awesome if you ask me. Sadly i don't think you can see any of the decorations in the pictures.. well... besides the ones we're playing with...

Our RA, Matt, making the torn creepy cloth look more torn and creepy. We now understand why cats get such a kick out of destroying things, it's super fun!

The decorating crew. Janis playing with balloons up front, Matt taping behind her, and Lauren streamering behind him

It wouldn't be fun if we didn't have a balloon sword fight

Me with sexy spider web hair.

Matt making another Torn Creepy Cloth live up to it's description... except I think he's stuck...

Luau Laughs and Sudsy Service

2008-09-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Time to fill you all in, once again, on the joyous ways of college! The institute program here is really great. They hunt you down to get you into classes and basically force you into involvement. They have free food at the institute building almost everyday (I shouldn't be talking about food on fast Sunday... I'm STARVING!!). Also, once a month, they have a dinner/dance for singles and couples (but mostly singles go). It's a great way to get to know other LDS Students who aren't in your ward and get a nice, free meal. Brittany and I went, and we brought Danny, the boy from across the hall, with us. It was great amounts of fun!! It was a luau, complete with plastic leis, sweet and sour chicken bowls, hula hooping, and a 'fire eating' (aka chili peppers) contest. Brittany and Danny left a little early, they aren't much into dancing, but I stayed and found some people from my ward to hang out with. I didn't get a date... but I did have a cute guy ask me to stop by his work and visit him some time.

Hula Hooping

I destroyed a lei!! Great fun!!

The finished lei destruction, there is a lot of plastic in those

The opportunity for service is EVERYWHERE at college, and you really have to learn to take the chance, because if you do the service, you get SO many evident blessings!! IT is so great! Such an example happened last night. Mom came down and took me and my roommates out to dinner. It was great. However, we usually go to dinner with the boys across the hall. At night, Brittany and I often go to the dorm room of the boys across the hall to play video games and just hang out. So last night we went over after dinner, and one of the boys decided to make himself some dinner, because evidently they can't gain the initiative to go up the hill to Turner if we don't knock on their door. He couldn't find a clean bowl in the cabinet, so he decided to pick one off the counter... the dish had been there so long it was stuck to the counter and took significant strength to remove. YUCK! And he was going to use it!! He found another from the sink with some scum in it. Brittany and I ordered him to sit down. We began doing their dishes, despite the protests from Danny and Doug that they could it themselves. We weren't sure how well they would be done. It was DISGUSTING, but SOO much fun.!

Me doing the dishes.. some of them had cheese crusted on!

Brittany cleaning dishes

Cleaning the inside of their microwave, while lecturing them on proper kitchen care!

Hooray for first posts!!

2008-09-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

So I was actually quite shocked to see the immense amount of my family that uses Blogger, so I decided to keep you all updated as well. In case you didn't know, college completely rocks! ISU is so much fun, the people are amazingly friendly, and the campus is beautiful! Being a music major is a lot harder than I thought, especially since I'm switching to flute performance, I'm practicing hours each day, and music classes aren't exactly a walk in the park, but I'm tough! I love it, actually, it's surprising how much practicing is growing on me! My roommates and I get along great and I'm also getting along with a lot of other people too. My ward beyond rocks! I'm a primary teacher in the ward, haha, the bishop and his counsellors bring his kids, so we have 1-9 kids depending on the week. I miss you alllll and I'm so happy I can keep in touch! I would love to be able to write the older nieces/nephews, or families as a whole, because I do have some sort of time for that. My address is:

Cassie VanderSloot
921 S 8th Ave
Rendezvous Center A306D
Pocatello ID 83209

I feel super loved to get mail, so I think writing me sounds like a great FHE activity for this Monday! And for those of you who aren't facebookers (why wouldn't you be a facebooker?) I'll add a few photos of my college experience thusfar

Me and Brittany (roommate) eating dinner at Turner. Evidently we're twins..

Members of my ward at FHE

Inside of my Building, the wall you see is housing, but the other side is classrooms

My building from the outside, the Rendezvous Center

The view from my bedroom