My Life,  SNC Journey

Reflecting on 2019 and the Decade

Each year of my life seems to be a bit of a roller coaster, and 2019 has been no different. Overall, I would say that 2019 was better than 2018, and each day my goal is to make each day a little bit better than the last.

2019 was filled with countless little moments that have made me smile, from something as little as a sunset or laughing with friends to presenting at educational conferences across the country, many amazing things have happened this year. Overall, each day I am growing and learning and each day I continue to surprise myself with how much I can accomplish when I put my trust in God.

I decided to take a look back on this past year and some of the moments that made it great.

Favorite Moments

Each week I took a few minutes to write down my favorite experiences that week and looking back, here are 19 of my favorite moments/memories

  1. Finishing my second and third semesters of college on the dean’s list
  2. Presenting at the Reclaim Hosting Domain’s Conference in Durham, North Carolina in June
  3. Traveling and attending Digital Pedagogy Lab at the University of Mary Washington for a week in Virginia in August
  4. Moving into St. Joseph Hall for my Sophomore year and getting to live with my best friend Lauren
  5. Attending the Kairos retreat at the St. Norbert Abbey
  6. Chiara Retreat at Rankin Lodge with midnight mass, adoration, and more
  7. Working as a student resource at Schreiber Foods over summer and winter break
  8. Coming back to sing with the Spirit Choir at Prince of Peace and getting to see all my friends again
  9. Hosting an end of the year bonfire at my house for the second floor of Bergstrom
  10. Countless hours of Adoration and praying in front of the Tabernacle and deep talks
  11. Abby’s Confirmation and getting to be her sponsor
  12. Singing “Oceans” as a solo while playing ukulele at my last mass before moving back into school after summer
  13. Kelsey driving up to have dinner with me on my birthday and driving down to go to her birthday party the next day
  14. Interviewing my boss Krissy at the Exchange for the Navigate program
  15. Ziplining with Rachel and Maggie at the NEW Zoo
  16. Going to Reboot with Chris Stefanick
  17. Straightening my hair on a random day in February during a Four Weddings Marathon
  18. 11 pm Shamrock Shake run to get 13 shakes before a snowstorm hit
  19. Falling off my loft the night before finals (okay, maybe not my favorite…)

There are countless more memories and little moments that have happened during this year, and I am thankful for them all because they have made me who I am today. One little thing I started this year was reading the Blessed is She devotion every morning and daily readings, and it really helps me to start my day the right way. I am constantly growing and learning especially from all of those around me.

19 Favorite Songs

Music is a huge part of my life and gets me through many of the stressful moments of my life. For me, is also an incredible way for me to connect to my faith. Here is a very small handful of the incredible songs I have listened to the most this year. I have also really been into a few podcasts including the TryPod from the Try Guys, All Things Internet from Rachel and Gwen Ballinger, and the Gathering Place from Blessed is She.

  1. In Over My Head (Crash Over Me) by Bethel Music
  2. Defender by UPPER ROOM
  3. Truth Be Told by Matthew West
  4. Highlands (Song of Ascent) by Hillsong UNITED
  5. His Name is Wonderful by Chris Tomlin
  6. You Say by Lauren Daigle
  7. Build My Life by Pat Barrett
  8. Control (Somehow You Want Me) by Tenth Avenue North
  9. Church (Take Me Back) by Cocheren
  10. Let It Rain (Is There Anybody) by Crowder
  11. Love Like This by Lauren Daigle
  12. King of My Heart by Bethel Music
  13. So Will I (100 Billion X) by Hillsong UNITED
  14. Is He Worthy? by Chris Tomlin
  15. Fear No More by Building 429
  16. Believer by Rhett Walker
  17. Survivor by Zach Williams
  18. Resurrecting by Elevation Worship
  19. Upper Room by Hillsong Worship

Favorite Sayings

19 quotes is a lot, so here are 9 of my favorites. Some of these might take a bit of explanation, but here are some of my favorite quotes/bible verses over the past year.

  1. God is Greater than the Highs and Lows: Okay, listen. I know this is super cliche and overused, but it has a special meaning in my life especially this past year. Last May, I started to send my highs and lows of each day to Kelsey, one of my best friends and each night while reflecting on my day, this phrase reminds me that no matter what may have happened that day, God is always greater
  2. Isaiah 9:6: For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. This verse is mainly incredibly important to me because of how it ends. Prince of Peace will be forever such an incredibly important place in my life because of the people and all of the incredible experiences. A large majority of my faith can be traced back to Prince of Peace and I will forever be eternally grateful.
  3. Proverbs 31:25: She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future
  4. Psalm 46:5: God is within her she will not fail
  5. My heart is restless until it rests in you -St. Augustine
  6. Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I love that this can be summed up into “I have loved you at your darkness”
  7. Jeremiah 1:5: Before you were formed I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart
  8. Psalm 112:7: She confidently trusts the Lord to take care of her
  9. Esther 4:14: Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created

I try to have a bible verse or religious quote as my wallpaper on my phone because it helps to relax me every time I look at my phone (which may be a bit too much…). Here are a few of my favorites

Reflecting on the Decade

It is crazy to even try to imagine how much my life has changed over the past decade. This decade has been over half of my life and I was only 9 when it started and in the middle of 4th grade. Since then, I have attended four different schools and have had countless memories in between. If you would have explained a lot of my current life to nine-year-old me, I might have laughed in your face. From my love of Jesus to majoring in Math, many things have changed. Thank you to everyone who has been in my life for all 19 years to even 19 days.

I have also changed a little bit since 2010! Here is my picture recap of the decade

The Change A Decade Can Make

Thank you to every single person around me, especially for countless phone calls, FaceTimes, rant sessions, laughs, and everything in between. There are way more than 19 of you to thank, so thank you to every person in my life. I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for me because if I have learned anything, it is that no matter what I expect, God will take me in a whole different (but better) direction than I could have ever imagined.

Hello! My name is Cassie Nooyen and I will be graduating from St. Norbert College in the spring of 2022. I am majoring in Computer Science and double minoring in Graphic Design and Mathematics. Explore my blog and learn a little bit about my adventure called life!

One Comment

  • Kelsey

    You are an amazing, beautiful, inspiration to me Cassie. It’s so flattering to be such a significant part of your year, from the Bergstrom shenanigans to the spiritual phone calls and countless highs and lows. Thank you for walking with me through the adventure this year has been and sticking with me in both the highs and lows. I can’t wait to see all thatGod has planned for you in 2020 🙂

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