Hilton Head

I never really blogged about our summer vacation, did I?
I guess sometimes life is just so busy and crazy...and then other things are stuck on my mind (and the best way to get them out are to blog about them) that I just moved right on past vacay.

So sorry if you were all salivating at the thought of seeing our vacation photos.

So for you photo crazy blog readers...here is a blog full of pics.

In mid July Chris and I, along with our fabulous friends, Dan and Kristin, headed down to Hilton Head. 

We left LATE Friday evening so that we would arrive around 12 the next day.  *There are no pictures of the drive down because I slept most of the time ;0) 

 But you will all be very jealous (I'm sure) of the fact that WE got to sit at the Cracker Barrel round table (you know, the one that you and your 7 closest family and/or friends always hope to get when you arrive after church, but never can get seated at because it's ALWAYS filled...yep, that one). 

Why you ask did a party of 4 get to sit at the exclusive round table??????  That would be because we OPENED the Cracker Barrel.  We arrived before the rooster crowed, right when they opened their doors.  We were the first customers in and got our pick of the tables.  And let me tell you, it was everything we dreamed it could be and more.  YUM!

We rented a condo with a 5 minute walk to the beach.

Where we spent a majority of our time...

Dan and Kristin

Yours truly

The HOT hubby..."DINO TIME" with the sand scoops

Beth (my ducky tattoo), she enjoyed the water running over her ;0)

If we were'nt at the beach, we were most likely eating...

This was the first night after we took naps ;0)

This was our dressy night.

*Please ignore the fact that it appears as though I have nothing covering my chest but a large hot pink flower!

See, I wasn't inappropriate.

The White Reese Cup donut from Flamingo's Donut Cafe

YUMMY!

We took a day trip to Savannah and visited Paula Deen's restaurant.
Best meal we had all week!

Dan and Kristin after the amazing yumminess that was Lady and Son's Restaurant

Gooey Butter Cake...it was a party in my mouth and I could have had 15 more pieces except my belly already appeared as though I was having triplets after the mass amounts of food I had eaten prior to this...*I bought the recipe though ;0)

Some other exciting things we did while in Savannah:

We went to an Antique Mall...

This 1918 US Navy Diving Helmet was priced at $9,800.00

We visited a Plantation...

But the drive was as far as we got, they were closing for the day :0(

We visited Old Fort Jackson...

But they were closing too...so we got a few pics of the outside.

We walked around Forsyth Park and saw some GORGEOUS historic Savannah Homes...

My Favorite!

Other exciting vacay visions and experiences:

Tandem Bikes ;0)  Though I never got a picture of us on them ;0( BOO!

Shiv's..located in the heart of Savannah...hahaha

"Shark Bite, Ooh Ooh Ah"

Yes, I was attacked by a shark...listen, I'm part of an elite group! 

GHETTO Turbi-twist

I move my body like a Cyclone

Rum Covered Pineapple

Red Black

The Sunrise

I miss it!

Wish you were here!

It's interesting...the things your mind perseverates on.

Have you every been laying in bed at night, trying to fall asleep, but for some reason your mind won't stop.  You think about an upcoming meeting or situation and how the conversation will go.

"If he says this, how do I respond?" 

"If she brings this up, will she be mad if I tell her EXACTLY how I feel about it?"

I can't turn my brain off.

And then, it's almost worse after the encounter.

"I can't believe that I didn't speak up." 

"I did it again, I didn't say how I felt."

"That irritates me so much when they do that."

"Why does it seem that I'm the only one who can't say what I want?"

"Why didn't I think to respond with that right then, instead of now."

"When everyone else is hurting me, why don't I stop it?"


I blew up a month ago...at some people that I dearly, dearly love.

I don't regret the things that I said, because I needed to say them.

I needed to get them out.

I didn't lie.

I wasn't mean.

I said how I felt.

But I haven't been able to since...

and I think part of it is because I feel like putting myself out there did nothing.

Was it really worth it to say all of those things?

When I'm in such distress and pouring my heart out, with blank eyes looking back at me.

Then to hear the same things over and over again...the things that have been said so many times before I even spoke out.

It's hard...and it makes it difficult to put myself out there again.

I don't want change for my sake. 

I didn't do it for me...I didn't do it because I wanted what I had to say to make my life better.  That's not why!

I couldn't take it anymore.

And I thought what I had to say may have opened some eyes...because they're words that no one has spoken.  Maybe hearing something new would make a difference.

Keeping it inside was eating at me...and honestly, now that it's out, I still think about it.

But in a different way.

I think about the words I said, and how they may have hurt the people I said them too.

And while I know everything I said was truthful, and the way I feel...I still don't want them to hurt those people I love.

They're hurting enough as it is.

Did they even hear them?

No, that's not what I mean.  I really meant to ask, "Did they even listen to what I said?"

Hearing and listening are two very different things.

Did the words sink down inside their brains?

Did they take them to heart?

Do they think about them...even now, more than a month after Hurricane Holly hit?

Or did what I have to say breeze in one ear and out the other...never to be given a second glance?

Some days I feel that way.  Like the things I say and do have absolutely no weight to them at all. 

I want them to have listened to what I said.

I want them to think about the words.

I want them to understand that I didn't say them to hurt them...but that it's how I felt and feel.

I hope that they know I love them.

I hope they know that watching their hurt hurts me more than anything else.

I hope that somewhere deep inside they'll understand that the things I said aren't just how I feel, but most likely, how others are feeling too.

And that the hurt they're feeling...others are feeling it too.  Maybe not as immediate as they are.  Maybe not on the same level.  Maybe it's not as personal to me and to others as it is to them...but the pain is still being felt.

I grieve for what once was.

I want change for their sake.

I want change for others that I love.

I want relationships rebuilt and hurts to break away.

I need to pray more...not just about this, but about so many other things.

I need to thank God more, for all the blessings he's given me...even in the rough patches.

I need to tell others how much I love them.


...and that I will, no matter what!

Just Drama

It's been rough around here lately.

School started back up last week and the first day with kids was the day from the Devil.  Today wasn't a whole lot better. 

Just drama.

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE my job and my freshmen.  But there are some things that are really frustrating about working at a school. 

And some of those things are issues that are only things the nurse has to deal with.

I guess I shouldn't say only...I know other people have a hand in them...but some days, being the only medical professional, and being the only person with a closet full of clothes, and being the only person doing whatever it is I'm doing in the building, makes you feel like you are the only person dealing with those specific issues.

Anywho...needless to say, it's been kind of rough the past few days.

Plus, there's other stuff going on in my life that is truly ALL DRAMA!

Things that we get caught up in without meaning to be or wanting to be.

Things that can't be avoided, no matter how much we desperately want to put them aside and pretend like they don't exist.

I'm trying really hard not to let this drama effect me in a way that it shouldn't...especially because it's not my drama to really be dealing with to begin with.  But it still does.

So say a prayer for me...

That some day soon I'll be completely drama free!

A Week Ago Today

A long awaited day came to the Elliott's last Wednesday!



We're Homeowners...well, we're homebuyers!



Chris and I are excited to finally have purchased our first home.

Many of you may remember that the house we are living in was my Grandparents.  Chris and I were blessed to be able to purchase the house and make it our home. 

Here we are, signing our lives away ;0)

With Mom and Dad after all the paperwork was done.

It's officially ours!

Right now, at this moment...

It's obviously been a while since I've blogged...and it's almost been equally as long since I've caught up on the blogs I follow.

I was looking over some of them just now, and saw an old post on one that was about what that person was thinking, doing, feeling, etc, right at that moment.  I thought it seemed quite interesting, and decided that since I didn't really have a specific blog post in mind, but knew that I hadn't blogged in a while (so of course the probably 2 people who regularly read my blog ;0) are most likely super annoyed) so I need to, I will blog about my "right now" happenings.

Right now...

~ I am waiting on my super awesome husband to get home from work, or to call me and let me know if we're participating in Thirsty Thursday!

~ I'm missing my Grandma W.  In one of my old posts I had mentioned how last Christmas was the first one without her...it made my heart ache :0(

~ I'm hungry... ;0)  Sheila, the fat girl inside me (in case you weren't aware that she now has a name), has not been fed in quite a few hours!

~ I'm excited about our upcoming vacation with D & K!  We'll soon be on a beach, visiting wineries (hopefully), relaxing, eating yummy food, and no doubt laughing often.

~ I am happy that summer school is over at Hamilton Heights.

~ I'm a little nervous about second session at Noblesville tomorrow.

~ I am sad that it took me so long to update my blog...it's a little odd too, since I've had more time at home since school got out.

~ I am stoked that after reading over my 2011 Hopes post I have stuck to many of my hopes for the year, and am moving right along.

~ I should be unloading the dishawasher and folding laundry...but that's not fun ;0)

~ I wish that we were going to the lake this weekend...

~ I want to water ski!

~ I don't want to replace Tiki!  I love her and will cry if we do.

~ I LOVE my husband! ...

~ I hope he didn't spend a ton of money on fireworks.

~ Just got off the phone with him...

~ I'm pretty sure he spent a ton of money on fireworks.

...Game over

A "Funk"

“The heart of Psalm 63 says, “Give me a thirst and a hunger for You, God. Not just a discipline. Give me an ache and a longing to know You, to be with You, to abide in You always.” ~Beth Moore from: A Woman and Her God





I’ve been in a bit of a “funk” lately…which may explain the fact that it’s taken me so long to update my blog.


I don’t mean a “funk” with work or home. Because honestly things have been going relatively good lately.


We’ve been revisiting our Craziness at Crosspoint.


A year ago we did a Crazy campaign to move forward with finding a permanent space for Crosspoint. So a year later we’re revisiting that and looking at how Crazy we were and are for God.


This past week Curt spoke about us being Hot/Cold or Lukewarm.


God wants us to be Hot or Cold…He says if we’re lukewarm for Him he’ll spit us out.

YIKES!!!!!



Ya know how sometimes you sit in service and you’re thinking, “Man I really wish _______ was here. They REALLY need to hear this!” ? This week I was thinking how glad I was that I was right there where I needed to be.


I NEEDED to hear this message.




Until sitting there in that seat with my yummy coffee in hand, I hadn’t really realized the “funk” I was in.


Things had been off…I knew that much.


But what?


What was it that wasn’t fitting or connecting in my life?


Sitting there, listening to Curt talk about how God wants us to be Hot or Cold really sunk in. I want to be Hot for God.


I’m not purposely setting out to be lukewarm or cold…but I just am.




I’ve had moments in my life, like anyone else, where I feel so incredibly connected to and close to God.


I’m HOT!


I’m on fire for Him!


I see his beauty and work in everything around me!




And then there are times like now.


When I’m in a funk.
I’m stuck in a round-a-bout!


I can’t seem to get in the outer lane to get to my exit.




Monday at LTG we were asked the question of what we’re going to do this week to get out of our round-a-bout.


I didn’t answer because in my head I was thinking, “Good gracious, if I knew how to get out of this round-a-bout I’m in I would’ve done it already!!!!!”


We’ve been getting ready for the State Rd 38 garage sale. Last week Chris and I were going through the bookcase and pulling books out that we are ready to part with. There were two books on the shelf that I decided I’m ready to sell but realized there were quite a few dog-eared pages.


*As I read books if a quote jumps out at me I dog-ear the bottom of the page. When I’m finished reading the book I go back and write down those quotes in my Quote book notebook.


Apparently I never wrote down the quotes from these books. No big deal…I took them and my Quote book notebook to work with me on Tuesday.


As I’m flipping through these pages, writing these quotes down, I’m realizing that a lot of these words that jumped out at me when I initially read these books are striking me again.
They are exactly what I need to hear.








So here I am…round-a-bout bound.


Searching for my exit.


Trying desperately to get into that outer lane.


Horribly tired of hearing the clicking of my turn signal!


Pissed off at the idiot (Satan) who’s taking up that whole outer lane.






AND THEN…


I look up into my rearview mirror.


God’s there!


He’s right behind me.


He’s been following me.


Chasing after me.


Seeking me.






I look to my right


there’s an opening in that outer lane.


I move over, and just ahead…






I see my Exit!

Church, Life, and Airports…they’re all one in the same!

This past Sunday we celebrated Crosspoint’s 4th Birthday!



4



I can’t believe we are 4 years old.

 I say “we” because we are part of the Crosspoint Tribe!




We Are Crosspoint!






So on our 4th birthday, Curt mentioned during his message how the church is like an airport. (stay with me here).


When you go on vacation, and you fly, you have to go to the airport.


Then you get on a plane and where does it land?


…Another airport, right?


But you don’t stop there…you continue on to that sandy beach, or the snowy mountain, or possibly even Disney World.






The point is…the airport isn’t your destination.


Just like church…Church isn’t your destination.

 Church is your connection.




So, Today I was looking at the newspaper and recent obituaries online.


It got me thinking.


A lot of times they mention that his/her “final resting place” is Something Something Cemetery.



That’s not really the case though!



Because the truth is, for Christians, we have eternal life!



When I die, I’m going to heaven.

 My life will continue in the presence of God.


My body will still be here, and it will have a final resting place here on earth.


But it will just be my body…


I won’t be there.

 I’ll be partying it up in heaven with my Buddy Jesus and his Dad.




So REALLY, it’s not just church that’s like an airport…


Life on earth, in general, is like an airport.


My ticket was purchased LONG ago…


And, although I don’t have the flight information yet, I know I’ll be flying First Class.







The truth is…

We’re all just waiting for our flight HOME!