Blog fail.com

Despite my best effort to blog over the weekend… It was an epic fail! I promise to update everyone on the second leg of tour soon!

But for now:: I’m alive! On a bus headed for Corpus Christi, Texas.

Howdy!

Tour Week 1

Where to begin?

Last week was one of the most exciting and exhausting of my life!  We traveled more than 3,000 miles in five days…Starting in Phoenix and ending in Chicago where I sit now, trying to think of how to summarize the past week. 

God is so at work in this tour.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by 89 intentional and authentic Christians.  I cannot explain the feeling of knowing that at any given moment there is prayer covering the work that we are doing.  Both behind the stage and for the cities and hearts of those that will hear us. 

I am learning so much and feel lucky to be part of such an amazing crew. Each day brings new challenges, laugher, and learning experiences.  I can’t wait to update you more along the way. 

I’m spending tomorrow in Chicago with a friend from Huntsville and will be sure to add lots of pictures! 

 

Tour Prep Week = Little Sleep Week

I want to begin this post with an apology to those who were offended, or offered a thumbs down, to my last post.

In other news…The Road Show is one week away! One week people! It seems unreal that just two weeks ago I was getting settled into Phoenix and now I’m getting ready to hit the road.  We have been so busy this week finalizing plans, getting materials packed and shipped, tweaking details, and running errands.  Needless to say, Starbucks has appreciated our business.

Our trunks have been labeled and shipped to Nashville, full of the goodies we’ll be handing out at each of the concerts.

Tuesday I pushed these bad boys across campus… stacked 2 high…in a dress…in high heels! The guys think I deserve an award, I just think “if I can do that, I can do anything.”

Please continue praying for the tour.  We have such a great opportunity to speak hope and truth into the lives of the concert goers and each other over the next 7 weeks.  18 cities. 26 shows.

I can’t wait to see you all on the road! Especially my mom, I hear she’s got a cheesecake with my name on it!

Whether the weather be hot…

 

I don’t mean to brag…but I can’t help but share my Weather Channel screen shots from today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. We are two weeks away from our first show! In fact, Phoenix time (6:00pm) it is EXACTLY 2 weeks away from our first show.  I hope Biloxi, MS is ready for us…

 

week 1 progress report

Food::A
Excitement:: A
Dorm Life:: B+
Weather:: A++
Job:: A++

I cannot believe I’ve already been in Phoenix a week! At times it feels like I just got here yesterday, other times it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been home.  I have spent the week training and preparing for tour as much as possible.  The past three days have been almost exclusively dedicated to testing technology.  Those of you who know me well are probably laughing… but I am learning. This experience, and opportunity to be part of such a dynamic team has been a blessing in every way.

But this week has been difficult too; my niece turned 5 and not being around to see her dressed up as a princess was a bummer… lucky for me though she drew me a picture that my sister forwarded along to me.

Another bittersweet happening is morning coffee.  Although I love  (can’t emphasize this enough) the free office coffee each morning {I feel like such an adult walking in…getting settled…pouring my morning coffee…and checking my calendar for the day} It’s not the same as having coffee with my mom in the mornings.  Maybe we can start having coffee together over facetime??? {hmm I may be onto something}

In happier news…The students are back on campus this week!  After living at home for six months, I had forgotten the excitement that a college campus brings.  It is so refreshing to be around this many young people who are in love with the Lord.  I had the privileged of going to a student led worship service on campus, and I was blown away!  The sincerity of the students’ words and message was something that my little blog cannot illustrate.

As we get closer to tour dates I cannot help but think of the prospective students we will be meeting.  Students just like the ones I worshiped with last night.  Please be in constant prayer for our interactions and relationships built;  specifically, that God will give us the words to express our message clearly.  I know that God is going to use the Rock and Worship Roadshow in so many ways, I am just blessed to be part of it!

Is this real life?

This week I::  Enjoyed a wonderful goodbye see you soon dinner with beautiful friends.  Moved 1,675 miles west.  Started a new job with Grand Canyon University.  Enjoyed a run outside…in shorts…without leggings…in JANUARY!  AND Found my way around Phoenix to “Big Burrito” for dinner without a GPS or Smart Phone, and I only got lost once!

Yesterday as I marveled at the fact that we were having an outdoor lunch meeting on January 5th it was pointed out that on July 5th we’ll be having indoor meetings…moral of the story I’m enjoying the 70° January days and preparing for the 130° July ones.

We have been so busy each day getting ready for the Rock and Worship Roadshow 2012.  I never knew work could be so much fun!  The hours spent in meetings, brainstorming sessions, planning, and calling volunteers is going to lead up to an amazing 26 city tour! The guys here have welcomed me into their team and made me feel at home; I am learning so much each day my brain literally hurts a little on my walk home.  Even with as busy as we’ve been and all of the “officialness” of our work, I still can’t believe this isn’t a dream.  I have been so blessed with this opportunity and can’t wait to see what else God has planned over the next 90 days!

Thank you so much to everyone who’s called, emailed, sent text or facebook messages, and prayed for me this week.  It has been an exciting first week in Phoenix and being able to share the ups and downs with so many of you has made the move that much sweeter!

This week’s prayer requests::
A weekend of (safe) adventure
Technology that works
Volunteers for each city we’re visiting

Why Hello 2012

2011 brought a National Championship [War Eagle!], my 21st birthday, Graduation from Auburn, and six months of living at home with my parents. I’ve said goodbye to friends, felt the pain of a broken heart, and been blessed with new friendships.  2011 was a year of seasons and stretching, and growing.  God has constantly reminded me of His greatness and the plan that He has for me; I am full of hope for 2012.  In anticipation of the New Year, and in good Stephanie-fashion, I have made a list of my goals for 2012.

I was inspired to write my goals down after reading a post on Today’s Letters.  In the blog post Em suggested “breaking down” goals into 4 categories::Spiritual, Physical, Relational, and Professional.  I added to this list Financial, because of the accountability a written goal provides.  After a lot of reflection and prayer my 2012 goals consist of::

Spiritual:: read the Bible in a year
Physical:: run a 2:00 half marathon
Relational:: write a letter to a loved one each week
Financial:: fully fund my 6- month emergency fund
Professional:: tbd

2012 began with Genesis 1:1-3:24, New Years Day Shopping, and a “I finally have a job” dinner with my family at Connor’s…talk about an excellent way to bring in the new year!

 

 

Cashin Family Christmas

This Christmas was especially exciting for the Cashin Family!  Val  (the youngest Cashin sister) came home from her very first semester as a college student and I celebrated my last Christmas at home [ just kidding mom, you know I’ll be back].  After celebrating with a  Traditional English Christmas we loaded up the car and headed for Tennessee to celebrate “Christmas 2” with Jes (the oldest Cashin sister) and her family.

Our Family Christmas was filled with so much laughter and fun..lots of memories to take with me on the road!  Monday:: We were able to visit with family friends and share the exciting news of my new job and enjoy a meal at Tomato Head.  Play wii- Jeopardy until ridiculous hours of the morning.  Tuesday:: We braved the cold rain in our custom-knit ear warmers to shop at the outlets…ALL DAY! Don’t we have an awesome dad?

I am so blessed to be surrounded and supported by my family.  I hope your holiday was filled with as much love as ours.

This week will kick off more frequent posts…  Lots of travel updates, my 2o12 goals, and my first post from Phoenix! Whoop-Whoop!  Thank you all for reading and keeping the tour in your prayers, I can’t wait to share more about life on the road.

(click here to purchase an ear-warmer of your own)

This week’s prayer requests:
Sanity as I try to pack my bags
Safe travel on January 3

P.S. The Tour Postcards are complete! If you want to receive a postcard from a specific city please email me your request and address.  You can see a list of cities I’ll be visiting here.

10 to go

I’ve always taken comfort in planning, making list, and having a routine.  But the past few weeks have challenged me to grow and redefine my normal…

This has been a big week for change and I finally have time to update and share everything that has happened beginning: with I “announced” on Facebook the “officialness” of me accepting a job with Grand Canyon University.

On Tuesday, I received a phone call that was both exciting and heavy. Exciting because it brought official timelines of travel (I am wanted in Phoenix January 3^rd) and heavy because the enormity of a cross country move began to set in.  The adventure became even more real when I received a package in the mail Thursday morning….luggage!!! Real Grand Canyon University official traveling luggage!  But, I must admit, I’m not convinced my life for the next 4 months is going to fit.  I’ll be sure to post pictures of my attempts though…

Wednesday, Spencer called me with a list of things I need to bring with me on tour.  I feel extremely lucky to have a co-coordinator on this tour with me! He has already provided such great insight into tour life and answered more hypothetical questions than I care to admit asking.

I cannot explain in words how ready I am to begin this chapter of my life! I am anxious to see the Lord work in every situation as I’m literally moving to a city where I know no one to begin a job where I will live on a bus for 3 months!  The assurance that I feel about this decision is unlike any other confidence I have ever felt.  The decision and journey to this opportunity have been so bathed in prayer that I have complete peace and joy in allowing God to take control.

In the same breath, there is an enormity to this adventure that reminds me daily that I can’t do this alone.  I have been reminded daily that this opportunity is something that is so much bigger than my dreams and I pray that I am able to glorify Christ through daily interactions with the people I meet and work with.   As I struggle to work through the emotions of change and transition and excitement and adventure please pray for peace that surpasses understanding.

The Beginning…A very good place to start

Unfortunately I’m not even sure where the beginning of this story is… I should note however that “tour coordinator for a major christian concert series” never once entered my mind as a career choice as a child.  I was never musically talented enough to dream of touring the country, so I can’t even really say to people “I’ve landed my dream job.” Simply because, my dreams weren’t big enough.

This journey vaguely begins this summer when I volunteered for my mom’s radio station.  They needed a volunteer to represent a sponsor who couldn’t send someone out to two local shows.  My mom gave my name to Grand Canyon University, or GCU, and they contacted me a few days before the first show to give me the 411 on their college.  I literally received my “training” in a 45-minute telephone call.  After that, I was expected to represent (and essentially sell) this university that I had never even seen to hundreds of concert goers.  The concerts went well and it was a lot of fun meeting all of the prospective students and hearing their stories of why they wanted to go to/ go back to school.  I jokingly mentioned to Bret (my GCU contact) that if they ever thought about hiring someone for the position to please contact me, I even sent him my resume.  Honestly though, I never expected to hear from him again.

Fast forward three months.  I had been living at home, working four jobs, saving as much money as possible, and praying…a lot.  I received advice to wait upon the Lord for guidance about the next step in life (Acts 1:4).  There were days and weeks where heartbreak and doors closed seemed to seek me out.  In panic, I applied to an internship in Sacramento CA…anything that had the illusion of moving on or doing something with my life was appealing.   I even mentioned to my parents going back to grad school…which I’m sure they loved.  (I can just hear the conversation now, “She’s unemployed and in debt as it is, why would she go back to school?”)  But I know school, it’s familiar and predictable…I can do school.  Dave Ramsey would be proud though, as a Financial Peace Graduate I knew that going even further into debt was not the way to move forward in life.

31 October.  Halloween night I sent an email to Bret.  It was a complete shot in the dark… After searching on the GCU employment webpage I requested more information about an enrollment adviser position.  Bret wrote back the very next day to set up a phone call.   The phone call was one that I will never forget…

Bret agreed to speak with me about the enrollment adviser position but he asked that I ‘hear him out’ on another position that he would like to recommend me for.  GCU was looking to hire a second Tour Coordinator for an upcoming music tour;  since I had volunteered for them in the past, Bret had already printed off my resume and sent it to his boss.  Bret and I spoke for about 30 minutes and I was literally dancing around as he explained that the position would require me (uhm…more like allow me) to travel for three months on the Rock and Worship Road Show.  I would serve as an ambassador for the University and recruit students.  We set up a phone interview with Scott, Bret’s boss, for the following day…

After an initial 30minute phone interview and a follow up interview the next day I was invited to a final interview in Phoenix AZ.  GCU flew me out the Monday before Thanksgiving to meet me in person and tour the school.  Although I was only in Phoenix for about 20 hours, I knew that it was someplace that could eventually be home.  The interview itself was both relaxed and daunting.  Relaxed because I felt comfortable, daunting because essentially my every move (chewing at dinner, getting in and out of the car, being able to walk and talk at the same time during the campus tour) was part of the interview.

More Waiting… my favorite! I didn’t hear, except for an email thanking me for my visit, until the following Wednesday from Scott.  Those seven days felt like seven years and honestly deserve a blog post of their own.  The call came on Wednesday at 2:30, I know because I was sitting in the car line to pick up the children I babysit every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Scott called to more than congratulate me, he actually offered me a full-time position with their team as a marketing analyst.  I was absolutely shocked…I don’t think I even used real words in my responses. He offered me some time to think and pray and seek council on his offer and we followed up a week later.

So now what?
I have accepted a 90-day position as a Tour Coordinator with Grand Canyon University.  I will be on the Rock and Worship Roadshow from January- March visiting cities and meeting with potential college applicants.  I am praying about what will come next, there is potential for me to relocate to Phoenix, AZ and work full time as a marketing analyst for GCU but those details haven’t been finalized yet.  I’m excited to see how God uses the next 3months to stretch and teach me.

Prayer Requests

• That God will prepare the hearts of those I will be speaking with in each city
• Safety in all of our travels
• Discernment for after the tour