12 Days of 2011

I have been inspired by several friends who have used the "12 Days of Christmas" to review their year. Here on this 12th day of Christmas I would like to share my review of 2011.

12 plus sermons
One of the best gifts of internship was getting in the habit of writing sermons...and I know I wrote more than 12!

11 papers written
Once I was back to school the paper writing began again...I would much rather write a sermon!

10 cupcakes eaten
My greatest discovery in DC was cupcakes and I made sure to share my new found love with plenty of visiting friends!


9 hour bus ride
At the end of Internship I took the Megabus for 9 hour to Boston, MA and then took the train to Gloucester, MA where I spent a week vacationing by myself!


8 days of mission
In July I led a group from DC to the Lake Traverse Reservation in SD for a mission trip...It was a wonderful time!


7 months in DC
I successfully completed my Internship in DC during July...and am thankful for the wonderful memories I created and people I met!


6 grad school classes
In December I added 6 more completed courses to my seminary transcript...only 4 more to go!

5 K complete
In May I completed the Susan G. Komen 5K walk...and even jogged across the finish line. Take that cancer!


4 airplane tickets
Throughout the year I flew to Birmingham, AL to visit a friend who was doing her internship there, South Dakota for our mission trip, Denver, CO to visit a friend from college, and back to South Dakota for Christmas!


3 regions preferenced
In December I submitted my paperwork for Assignment in the ELCA...which allowed me to preference 3 regions of the country. In February I will find out where I am headed!

2 friends engaged
This fall two of my greatest friends at seminary got engaged -- to each other! I am so excited for their wedding this coming summer.


1 Starbucks gold card
In July I managed to achieve GOLD status at Starbucks...which really just means I drink too much coffee and get some perks!

Wishing you the greatest 12th day of Christmas and a blessed 2012!

On Being 25

I turned 25 a week ago and it has been a whirlwind ever since. I had a wonderful time celebrating my birthday, but I was also in the midst of packing, cleaning, and saying farewell to all of my new friends in Washington, DC. On Sunday I completed my year long internship at a Lutheran congregation in Washington, DC. I was so busy that I kind of didn't even get a chance to reflect on what being 25 was like. Today I got the chance to reflect.


I am currently in Gloucester, MA on vacation. I took the Megabus from Washington, DC to Boston, MA. Then I took the "T', Boston's Public Transportation. I had to transfer trains once and then I had to board the commuter train that would take me to Gloucester. After arriving at the station in Gloucester I had to hail a taxi to take me to the house I would be staying at. So, I left my house at 7:30AM on Monday and arrived at the house in Gloucester at 9:30PM. It was a crazy day of traveling, but worth it. It was dark when I arrived so I had to wait until morning to see the beauty of this place. It was totally worth the wait. It is so serene. I can see the ocean from the window of the house and spend most of my time sitting at the kitchen table watching the waves crash into the rocks.

So how is being 25 different than being 24?

• At 24 I didn't know anything about public transportation. At 25 I trusted myself to figure out a new public transportation system in Boston.
• At 24 I never would have vacationed by myself. At 25 I am vacationing by myself and loving it (except that I don't have anyone to take my picture).
• At 24 I struggled to eat dinner without some other form of entertainment. At 25 I am content to eat and not turn on the television or surf the internet.
• At 24 I didn't really like the way I looked in a swimsuit. At 25 I look a lot better than I did last year.
• At 24 I had never lived alone without the instant community of college or seminary. At 25 I can say I survived living alone for an entire year.
  
• At 24 I couldn't rent a car without paying an arm and a leg of overage fees. At 25 I can rent a car without the extra fees.
• At 24 I would have an occasional drink at Starbucks. At 25 I am a Gold Club member (not sure I should be proud of that).
• At 24...well I was 24. At 25...now I am 25.

Here's to a wonderful year of being 25 and loving every minute of it!

A Quarter Of A Century

Today I am 25 years old, a quarter of a century. My 24th year of life was a great year. I have lived alone in the big city for a whole year. I have mastered public transportation. I have carried pepper spray. I have had my credit card stolen. I have had someone try to break into my house. I have walked more than ever before. I have completed a 5K walk. I have cooked almost all of my own meals. I have made more money than ever before. I have done a ton of sight seeing in the big city. I have learned a lot. I have been strengthened in my call to ministry. All of those are great things to celebrate.


However, today I am really celebrating something else. I am celebrating weight loss and health. In the past year I have lost over forty pounds. I am feeling so much better and am excited about continuing to become more healthy. My initial goal was to lose fifty pounds in one year before my 25th birthday, that would be two pounds for every year that I am old. I didn't quite make it, but I am so close that I can smell it. Take a look at the difference between these two photos, taken about a year apart. And even though I didn't meet my goal, I am so proud of myself. I have lost two to three sizes and shrunk out of between twenty and thirty pairs of pants. That, my friends, is a great accomplishment! Now it is time to set my goal for my 25th year. In the next year I hope to lose one pound for every year of my life, so 25 pounds by July 20, 2012. Here's to being 25!

What is in a name?

I have a name. My name is Cassandra. I have lots of other titles and hats that I wear. I am a daughter. I am a granddaughter. I am a sister. I am a friend. I am a South Dakotan. I am a seminarian. I am a graduate student. I am a child of God. Yet, in all of these situations I am still Cassandra.

Those of you who know me well know that I do not like titles. I am not someone who wants to eventually be called "Pastor Lamb." Sometimes I don't even want to be called "Pastor Cassandra." I am reminded more and more why I don't like these titles. These titles are easily shortened. Instead of having a name your name becomes "Pastor."

For this year of internship my title is "Vicar." Some people call me "Vicar Lamb." Others call me "Vicar Cassandra." And some people even call me "Cassandra." Yet my title is easily shortened and very quickly my name becomes "Vicar." It is not people's fault that they shorten my name like this. It is very easily done.

The other day I was at work and got a phone call. I should have known they were a telemarketer when they asked for "Vigar." I corrected them and explained that my name is "Cassandra" and I am the "Vicar" at this congregation.

My parent's gave me a name at my birth. Now there is no real story or reasoning behind my name. Yet, it is still my name. And, quite frankly, I like my name. It is unique. It is hard to spell. Sometimes it is even mispronounced. However, mispronunciation and misspelling bother me a whole lot less than losing my name all together. I have a name. My name is Cassandra.

A Heavy Heart

There are several different blog posts that are on my mind, because I have some catching up to do. Yet, this one I can't stop thinking about.

I have a heavy heart. Death does that to me. I think death does that to a lot of people. This past weekend my brother's college roommate died. A 22 year old whose life was ended far too early. Yes, I knew this young man. We went to the same school when we were growing up, but we were not close friends or anything. Regardless, this hits close to home. This impacts my brother. This impacts my community. And this impacts me.

And I just can't seem to shake it. I think it is because each death brings up every other death I have ever experienced in my life. And even though I believe in the resurrection and eternal life it still isn't easy. Even though I am a candidate for ordained ministry in the church and I have a faith lens with which to view the situation of death, my heart is still heavy.

I can't help but think of these words from Third Day. "To everyone who's lost someone they love, long before it was their time. You feel like the days you had were not enough, when you said goodbye." -- "Cry out to Jesus." That is what I am doing this night. Me and my heavy heart, we, are crying out to Jesus.

The Top 10 of 2010!

1. I rung in 2010 in Time Square in NYC. It was a great (likely) one time event for me. It is a bit rediculous to stand in the huge crowd of people for several hours on end just to see a ball, that really doesn't look that big, drop, what appears to be a relatively short distance. Regardless, of how bad my feet hurt or how lame it really seemed after standing for so long, it was a cool experience.









2. I was privileged to spend part of January traveling in Nicaragua and Honduras. The people I met there were some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. They would give up their bed, their food, and anything else they had to offer to make us feel welcome. It was truly a moving experience of God's presence made manifest in God's people.






3. I spent spring break in Ocean City, NJ with two great friends. It was so great to relax and get away for a bit. We also made a stop in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and have a Philly Cheesesteak.













4. Since I had a few months at home, I went on a few mini-vacations. My mom and I went to Omaha and tried our luck at some casinos. My friend Brandi and I went to Minneapolis for a little bit of shopping and to see Footloose at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater.












5. This summer I was able to attend the 120th Anniversary of Good Hope Lutheran, my home congregation. It was so special to celebrate the ministry that has happened in that place over the past 120 years and the ministry that will continue to happen in that place.













6. While I was in SD this past summer I got to spend several weeks at camp. I was reminded just how much that place/those places mean to me. It is absolutely amazing to be in God's creation, with wonderful staff and inspiring young people.








7. This year was filled with weddings! Angie and Jesse. Tracy and Marc. Melissa and Billy. Brandi and Casey. It was an absolute joy to see these four couples enter into wedded bliss. I was especially honored to officiate at Angie and Jesse's wedding. Being the Maid of Honor and standing next to my beautiful best friend, Brandi, on the biggest day of her life was also an honor and delight.






8. At the end of July I began a year-long internship at a church in Washington, DC. It has been an interesting experience learning about how the church operates in a large city. It has also be a wonderful experience to work in God's kingdom each day.









9. Living in DC has given me the chance to do a lot of touristing in the city. I have been to the Natural History Museum, Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, The National Zoo, the Capital, the White House Gardens and Grounds, the National Cathedral, and The National Christmas Tree.








10. As always I am blessed with a great family and some incredible friends that have made 2010 a wonderful year. Here's to 2011!

The Month of November in Review

1. My Best Friend's Wedding. At the beginning of the month I traveled to South Dakota for Brandi and Casey's wedding. It was such an honor to stand next to my friend Brandi in a beautiful white dress as she married a wonderful man. This was the first "friend" wedding that I have ever been in and it was truly a blessing to be the Maid of Honor in this wedding. A lot of pastors talk about how they like funerals more than weddings, but at this point in my vocational journey I am almost positive that I will like weddings more than funerals.

2. Time At Home. Over the years I have learned to adjust to new places to call "home." Yet, it still isn't the same as being in a place that is really my home-home. It was absolutely wonderful to sleep in my bed, to shower in my shower, and drive in my town, to look out my window, to shop in my favorite stores, and to be in the same place as my family. Even though it was a very busy time...it was still wonderful to be HOME.

3. My First Sinus Infection. After I came home from South Dakota I started to get sick. I had never had a sinus infection, so I didn't even consider that the symptoms I was having were related to a sinus infection. So after letting myself continue to get even sicker, I decided to go to a doctor. The first doctor, yes I ended up at more than one, though I had pneumonia. She sent me to an urgent care. The second doctor took one look at me and said that I had a sinus infection. The medicine seems to be helping and I am starting to feel much better. Once again I am reminded how hard it is to be so far away from the people who will take care of you when you are sick.

4. My First Time Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner. On Thanksgiving I was blessed by the presence of Diane, Andrew, and Katie. I managed to prepare a turkey breast, stuffing, squash, cheesy potatoes, and a caramel apple cheesecake without burning the house down or even setting off the fire alarm. It was so great to surrounded by friends on a day filled with much Thanksgiving!

5. Visits With Friends. Diane spent the night and on Friday morning we had a pizza lunch at Pete's, which was incredible, and went to the movie Tangled in 3-D. I learned that 3-D movies freak me out a bit...I tend to duck at flying objects. Then Diane headed back to Alabama. On Saturday Matt stopped by for a quick visit on his way back to Virginia, too. It was so great to spend time with friends!

6. A New Year. Yes, one church year has ended and today another one began. Today is the First Sunday of Advent and we begin preparing for the coming of Jesus, both a babe born in Bethlehem and the Savior of the World. As we prepare our homes for this holiday season may we also prepare our hearts for the unexpected promise of Jesus Christ the Hope of the Nations and the Light of the World. If you would like to read my sermon for the First Sunday in Advent click here. Blessings to you this Advent season!