I'm Not Blogging Today

So, I'm not going to blog today.
I'm going outside
to take a walk around campus
and enjoy the leaves
and trees
and to smile at people.

Here's an unedited beauty of a postcard.
I think it's adorably awkward.
I don't know who I'd ever send something like this to.
So instead of sending it to someone, I took a picture of it.
So I could give it to you.
So here you go!

Alright, I'm going outside.
You should do the same.

- C

Hobbling through MA

I never know how to begin blog posts that are slightly pointless, besides simply giving you a peek into my life. So I'll just go for it.

I am sitting somewhere in Massachusetts, at a seminary.

The building is very big and echo-y.

Outside is deliciously cold.
I forgot my headphones in the car that is parked 3 miles away.

And I'm struggling to keep this desk from looking like my desk at home 

(slightly difficult with my many books, camera card importer, and empty beverage cups that formerly held an amazing caramel coffee and a Naked smoothie).

(The empty coffee cup is the reason I'm a bit antsy.
Blogging mid-morning after a coffee and a power-boost smoothie probs isn't a good idea. But, whatever.)

To make more sense of why I'm here in Massachusetts, let me share something that for some VERY ODD reason I haven't shared yet:
These two....

are getting MARRIED.

Yep.

I've been sworn to secrecy of this great news for so long, sometimes I forget I can tell people!

And while I could go on and on about how I'm so excited two of my best friends in the world are finally getting married, I'll just let ya'll use your imagination.

Imagine your two best friends

getting married

finally.

Now multiply that excitement by 478.

And you know how excited I am.

So, they're the reason I'm in Massachusetts. Because, when Eric wants to check out a school 11 hours from home, why wouldn't he want to make it an awesomely, super-fun road trip with his fiancé and her loud, annoying best friend?
I'm taking the opportunity to take a lot of spontaneous cute couple pictures (they'll thank me for always sticking the camera in their faces later) and catching up on some reading/writing. And, because we left Wednesday night, it means my weekend came all that quicker and lasts that much longer. *WIN*

In other news,
I've been on crutches the past week and a half.
Which is awful.
And my friends at school now affectionately call me "Hobbles."
But, it's okay because my awesome mom just rented me a scooter.
And, now that I'm technically handicapped, people get out of my way quite quickly.

Also, I'm planning on sharing a bunch of Italy pictures with ya'll soon! Hopefully my homework load the next week or two will allow time for that...

And that's all I can think of for now. I hope ya'll are headed into a GREAT weekend! The beautiful fall weather is finally settling in VA, and it's in full swing here up north! Go out and enjoy it.
Bundle up,
take a walk,
collect some leaves,
press them in some books for no purpose,
and,
because it's October,
and because you can,
make something pumpkin-y.
Or buy it.
Which I'm all for, since I can't bake or cook for my life.

October's almost over!! Live and love it up:)

Love, Case

Happy

So in all my time of catching up, and striving, and downing gross coffee just to keep myself going, sometimes I forget to just enjoy the things that are happy.
You know, the things that are completely pointless and inconsequential outside of the fact that they just make me happy.

So. I'm gonna make a list of HAPPY.

1) LATTES: Especially soy and caramel and ultra foamy.
2) RICHMOND: Especially in the fall.
3) KNITTING: Especially red things.
4) FUZZY BLANKETS: Especially all the time.
5) LEAVES: Um, it's fall. Duh.
6) DENIM: Especially the denim shirt I just bought, which isn't the one in the picture.
7) BOOTS: Especially my grey ones that I can where with everything and it feel like I'm wearing slippers.
8) PURPLE: Especially when it's the color of my new sweatpants, and the color I put in my hair (and, for some reason, I've just been drawn to that color recently...)
9) SHOPPING: Especially in the form of a free clothing swap.

And, there's nine.
For some reason ten is supposed to be the proper number to list off,
but I feel like nine is plenty proper.
So, there.

Hopefully, your Monday has been fantastic, and you are enjoying lots of HAPPY today :)

Love, C

Creativity Crisis

Deer Circus is one of my favorite blogs ever. She's kind of one of my blogger role models. And this particular link will take you to a post that has put my thoughts into words very well. I feel like I have endless words, and lovely bits of poetry crammed in my head next to an overdose of assignments and emotional burdens, but when I go to put them onto paper, or try to get them out of my mouth, they seem to turn into ugly concoctions or a mushy vapor.

It's frustrating. But it's cool knowing that I'm not the only one. (Especially when the other one is the blogger I aspire to be like one day.)

I've been having a bit of a creativity crisis lately, if you couldn't tell by my lack of presence here at Cattails. It doesn't just show here, though. It surrounds the entirety of my creative existence right now. And I think there are a few reasons for that:

1) I'm learning to balance a new season of life (which is practical, because work and school and family are practical)
2) I'm not reading other blogs (and, just like you can't be a good writer without being a good reader, you can't be a good blogger without exploring good blogs)
3) I'm figuring out some new priorities.

Let me elaborate on that last one...
In an effort to be a good student, an exceptional employee, a functional family member and a consistent community-dweller, I'm having to evaluate what is good for me. What is causing me to thrive? What am I meant to do? I obviously don't have too much extra time to be investing in things that have no value, so this is an important question to answer.

Anyways. I don't know what the point of all of this is, besides to let ya'll know where I'm at. I've developed some interesting introverted tendencies lately, as I'm needing to process more and talk less. Which I think is why I've been writing less.

Fall break began today. I'm camping with the fam this weekend.

Let the processing begin.
And let's get some creativity going again.

HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEKEND
LOVE, CASEY

Delight

The Lord has been teaching me a lot lately. Which is good. And hard. But mostly good.
One of the subjects we've been discussing is delight. It's taking quite a while for me to accept the fact that I bring Him indescribable delight without even doing anything. Just by simply existing and by being I am delightful.
I am delightful.
Not because I did anything delightful today. Not because I spent time with Him today. Not because I tried to be delightful. I just simply am.
How could a perfect Father be delighted in an imperfect daughter? without her even trying to earn His pleasure? I'm still not sure.

This is Liz, by the way. She's my friend, and she's beautiful.

What have you and the Lord been discussing lately?
Have a beautiful weekend.
Love,
               Case