tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78244838624944084912024-03-13T16:00:51.053-05:00www.askanne.comAnne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-19969667651162847762016-08-02T13:50:00.001-05:002016-08-02T13:58:10.445-05:00Honor's Woodland First Birthday PartyIt's August 2nd and I am just now sitting down to write a little something about Onnie's big party. Now that all the traveling is over and visitors are gone I am finally getting back into my normal routine. <br />
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Sean and I decided that I would fly with the girls to Tennessee two weeks before the party so that I could have lots of time to make decorations and spend some quality time with my mom, sister, and four nieces. I am so thankful for that time!</div>
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They live in McMinnville, TN which is a quaint little town. The pace was a nice change from busy south Florida. </div>
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I have been wanting to do a woodland themed party for a long time, so I knew that this was my chance. I found wedding invites on Etsy that I loved, so I just had them change the wording.</div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/idoityourself?ref=l2-shop-info-name">shop idoityourself</a></div>
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Awesome, right? They really helped me to get a starting point for all the rest of the decorations. So without further ado...</div>
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It was a wonderful day, and I am so blessed by having such a wonderful family to celebrate with. </div>
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Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-65922159250113856822016-07-27T11:17:00.001-05:002016-07-27T11:17:25.318-05:00Singing the body partsYou know you are in for it when while you are getting dressed your preschooler is dancing around singing about seeing ALL your body parts. Smh. Can a mom get some privacy please?!<div><br></div><div>And why do I feel the need to correct her pronunciation while she is singing said song?! Sometimes I take a step back and think, is this really my life? Face palm. </div>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-53655684291521666202016-07-26T14:19:00.001-05:002016-07-26T14:19:50.084-05:00Holy crap. Holy crapola. Before I opened this blog my thought was, "it hasn't been that long." B-S! It's been over four years! I mean seriously...I wasn't even pregnant and now I have two kids. We were just buying a new house and now we've moved three times. I've been a little busy. Nope. A lot busy. <div><br></div><div>I won't bore you with the details. Today is a new day and all that mess, so here goes...</div><div><br></div><div>My mom is leaving today. She has been here with us in South Fl for over two weeks and in only a matter of hours she will be gone. I answered a question yesterday about my favorite baby/kid product. My honest answer is my mom. She has been a lifesaver. She's done laundry, played with kids, changed diapers, laughed, and made the chaos of parenting just that much easier. What oh what am I going to do??</div><div><br></div><div>On the upside: I can now watch unapproved TV in the living room again 😂</div><img id="id_a08b_da6e_131_76e3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Tu9wuqLX1K4/V5e31LbsO3I/AAAAAAAAAP8/I5adli0jdnk/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-21863447739556646002012-01-19T10:16:00.000-06:002012-01-19T10:16:02.674-06:00Consistancy…I'm learningSo, here I am again, opening my blog after almost of year of not writing. I guess I am consistent in my inconsistency. I am trying. I need to get better. I think that one of my problems is that I don't have a specific thing that I want to write about. I have lots of interests, but yet I haven't settled on one thing that I want to share with the world on a regular basis. Just writing about my everyday life isn't as inspirational I I guess I need it to be. I need a topic to keep my mind focused. Anyway…moving on.<br />
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My husband and I are on the verge of being homeowners again! We close on our new house on the 27th. I am more excited about this new chapter of our lives than I have ever been. Everything about this house is more than we could have asked for and more than we deserve. God is blessing us daily with His grace and mercy. <br />
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This past year has been interesting. A lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same…but that's true for most people right? Sean and I are in a great place in our marriage. One of our dearly beloved danes passed away. I have a new position with in the church that I work for. The church has started a brand new venture in opening a community center. I met new friends who I love dearly. I have depend relationships with others that were already in my life. My dad has been visiting two weeks out of every month for almost a year now. And God is teaching me new things about Himself everyday.<br />
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So do any of you have tips on how to blog on a more regular basis? Or how to pick a topic to blog about? I would love any and all suggestions about how to be a more successful blogger.Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-22552622044977093352011-02-08T17:57:00.000-06:002011-02-08T17:57:27.598-06:00Three things I learned from Elaine<div style="text-align: center;">Dearest Elaine, </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have been thinking about you lately and how you taught me three things about life that I will never forget.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1. Bring them napkins before they ask</div><div style="text-align: center;">Anticipate the needs of others. Don't think only about yourself and what you need to do, but think of others before yourself.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">2. Take good care of Old Joe in the corner booth</div><div style="text-align: center;">Build relationships with people. Remember their names and their stories. It will enrich your life, while also building a community of trust.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3. Never come back from the dining room empty handed</div><div style="text-align: center;">Always keep busy. If you take care of what needs to be done now, there will be less to be done later. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank you for the years that you looked out for me and taught me so well!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-20470118495469512812010-09-03T16:28:00.000-05:002010-09-03T16:28:41.423-05:00Can't Grow This...<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I stepped outside this morning and was instantly drawn into the perfectly beautiful overcast day. I could no longer deny myself the pleasure of creation. I love my garden. It's not graceful, it's not sweeping, but it's mine...well, for now anyway. I could spend all day out there. Pruning, picking, stress free and quiet. I am breathing in and out, marveling at that beauty when I walk around the corner and I see this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HXdiWWD2Cgc/TIFmfsicheI/AAAAAAAAACM/AkNBC_FOC7U/s1600/fishpond.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HXdiWWD2Cgc/TIFmfsicheI/AAAAAAAAACM/AkNBC_FOC7U/s320/fishpond.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I love my fish pond. But my pond does not love me. I can grow just about anything...anything but aquatic plants. What the heck, they live in water!!! And thats the key to gardening, water, water, and more water...well unless you are working with succulents and lantana, and some other stuff, but I digress. So, dear readers, anyone know how to help me? </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-86533965651280323642010-09-03T16:09:00.000-05:002010-09-03T16:09:40.880-05:00Balance, Baby, Balance<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Stained carpet, vinyl seats in 70s colors, poles that have been touched by who knows what. Can anyone guess where I am? No, it's not a strip club...you are gross!! It's the metro, and I am on it. After an eventful morning, and a little bit of Jersey Shore (yes, I watch that crap...and I pray for them), I am off to meet my husband for a day date. We are going to try some restaurants he has been talking about for awhile, since seeing them while commuting to work. I don't know who is more excited him or me...which leads me to wonder how many times has he asked me on a date and I mercilessly squashed his attempts. Not that I did it purposely mind you, but often I am so consumed with myself and what I need to get done that I view him wanting to "just hang out" as lazy or unproductive. Wow, there was a lot of "I" in that last sentence. But the reality is that it is productive. It keeps us connected, it keeps us happy. That's why we got married isn't it? Because we liked hanging out together. So where does that bring me? I guess it brings me back to balance. I can't just stay home all the time and just hang out cause that leads to us not having anything to talk about, but the flip side to that is I can't just do do do do do do do and do all the time. So although it feels funny, I have actually started a little system...I have started writing down things that I want to talk to him about so that when we are "just hanging out" we have plenty to talk about. That and so we don't have to fight about "yes, I did tell you about that." You might be seeing a common thread here for the next bit as I try to wrap my head around balance. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-92110398946087748922010-09-01T14:32:00.001-05:002010-09-01T14:35:14.384-05:00Some things we have done<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">Beautiful Lord<br />Awesome and mighty<br />I'm captured by this love I see<br />Beautiful Lord<br />Tender and holy<br />Your mercy brings me to my knees<br />It's Your mercy that has made me free<br />Beautiful Lord -Beautiful Lord (Leeland)<br /><br />This is the cry of my heart today as I sit and write this update. The<br />love that I have seen out pouring from the hearts of New Lifers has<br />brought me to my knees in awe of the One who died on the cross for you<br />and for me. We are seated at the table of the Lord and I am rejoicing<br />to be able to celebrate this with all of you. God brought my husband<br />and me to New Life in April and I never expected to be so utterly<br />devastated by the love of the people here. So thank you, all of you.<br />I want to thank all of those who selflessly gave their time, talents,<br />and energy by coming and having a blast at Starlight Cinema. Each one<br />of you are why it was a success. Not because of what you did, but<br />more because of why. Because Christ loves you. Thank you for sharing<br />the joy that so evidently overflows out of your hearts. I would love<br />to thank each one of you personally, but this is already going to be<br />too long. :) Ya'll are stealing this Mississippi girl's heart! If<br />you weren't there and you are reading this, find someone who was, I<br />guarantee they have an awesome story of what happened on Saturdays<br />this past August!<br /><br />As if that weren't enough to make a passionate person all fired up,<br />then you guys hit me with the backpack drive. We collected almost<br />$10,000 in supplies and backpacks!!! Yes thats right I said TEN<br />THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! We were able to touch the lives of 300 students<br />with backpacks alone, not to mention the teachers and classrooms that<br />will benefit from all the extra supplies. Again, its all because the<br />people of New Life understand firstly that God LOVES them with a<br />unending and unchanging love. Only because of that. I am so excited<br />I am starting to sweat! You guys get it. You get that God loves.<br />Thats it, He loves, and thats what people need!<br /><br />That is what New Life has to offer. Love. Thats why we do what we<br />do. Thats why we are having this Block Party. Because "we have have<br />caught a revelation that nothing can separate us from the love we<br />received through salvation. It fills your daughters and your<br />sons!!!!" People are calling the office as I write this asking about<br />our building and our Block Party because they want to be where the<br />love is. People wanted to be where Christ was. Why? Not because He<br />was some amazing speaker, or He had a lot of money. It was because He<br />loved. Jesus is here. Jesus is in your heart and people want to be<br />where you are. They want to be here. So sign up to be at the Block<br />Party, so people can be near you!!!</span>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-53171059069697326572010-09-01T14:23:00.002-05:002010-09-01T14:32:09.803-05:00The little girl in the purple shirt<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> I was standing there manning the castle moon bounce when all of a sudden she broke into my world. In the eyes of the world she is insignificant. She is tiny, she is ignorant of the ways of the world, she is impolite, but at that moment, the precise moment that she came into my life, The Creator allowed me to see her God label. All she wanted was for someone to say she was beautiful. For someone to recognize that she, by merely being alive, was Gods prized creation. Too often little girls in purple shirts, and little boys in green shirts, are looked over...they are harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. You see I was once a little girl in a purple shirt, I too longed for someone to see ME, not just my circumstance or as the inconvenience that got in their way. It wasn't until someone took the time time to brush the mess off my face and just love me for me that I could even begin to fathom that there was a God out there and He loved me. I bet you were that little girl or boy too. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">So what do we do with that? When we are caught up in a love relationship with Christ we are called into action. We are called to share good news! Here at our church we have AWESOME news. Some of our news is we have just bought this amazing building that is going to fill some major needs in our community. That means that no matter who you are or what you believe you can have a place to come meet people, have fun, and maybe even learn something. So the staff here at our church wanted to come up with a way for you to share this good news. That's the whole point of the Block Party...it's to find the girl in the purple shirt and say "hey, we love you just for being you!" It's to bring the community into our space and show them first hand ALL that we have to offer. And let's be honest, we have a TON to offer. I want to encourage, no implore you, to take a major part in this Block Party. Don't let this be just another event where you let the harassed and helpless pass you by. If you call our church your home church and you have a growing relationship with Jesus, you should want to be apart of this perfect opportunity to share some good news. And don't just take my word for it. “</span><span style="font: 10.0px Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b>35</b></span><span style="font: 16.0px Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.0px">Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. </span><span style="font: 10.0px Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b>36</b></span><span style="font: 16.0px Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.0px">When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. </span><span style="font: 10.0px Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b>37</b></span><span style="font: 16.0px Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.0px">Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. </span><span style="font: 10.0px Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b>38</b></span><span style="font: 16.0px Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.0px">Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Matt 9:35-38</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The staff of our church is praying that the Lord of the harvest will send us His workers. Not for our benefit, or because we don’t want to work (trust us we will be working, too) but because the harvest is so plentiful. There are so many people in our community who need to be loved, and we simply can’t love on all of them by ourselves. So, maybe you are saying, “I don’t have anything to offer,” or “I don’t feel comfortable talking to people I don’t know.” This is the perfect opportunity to learn how. We have tons of games, food, music, and more to help you connect with the people that walk in the door. We will also have seasoned veterans (don’t lick them though, Tom Smith tried and some people got really offended plus he said they didn’t taste good) who will be there to help get you started.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Come on, sign up to work a game, or make sno-balls, or even help people find a place to park. You never know, you might be the one that begins to change their view of eternity.</span></p>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-48159684239253959932010-09-01T14:12:00.004-05:002010-09-01T14:23:27.167-05:00Its been two years...wowSo, its been two years since I have written something. I am not totally sure why I stopped, butI think it might be because I was in such a state of upheaval. Well, I am settled now...for the most part. My husband and I have relocated to the DC area (which is where I was born by the way), we both have new jobs, and guess what, there are new pets. I know, that last one is a big surprise. So I am not going to really try and fill everyone in on all the new developments, that's way too much ground to cover, but I think that it should be easy enough to catch on once you start reading, and more importantly I start writing again on a regular basis. Lets just start with this...there is a movement afoot. A love movement, and I am pretty excited about it. You can see it everywhere if you are looking. I am going to post a couple of things here in just a second (they may seem repetitive, but I don't want to lose the information plus I was crying as I wrote some of it so to me its important...it may not be to you but whatever) that are my gut reaction...lets just call it brain vomit. Ok, and away we go.Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-36150342303995506822008-06-30T07:53:00.002-05:002008-06-30T08:07:11.328-05:00Fresh new day...same old ACSo I wake up today feeling much more rested and refreshed. Sleeping on a soft flat surface is so much more desirable than being crunched in a van seat. Not to mention there are no screaming teenagers, and no bumps to send my neck aching. So I am rejoicing. Even though there are mountains of laundry in my kitchen, our air conditioning has finally kicked the bucket (which is terrible news if you live in south MS), and I have three giant heads staring at me from the side of the bed. I am rejoicing because I serve a great God. I serve a God that can bind people together even though they are miles and miles and miles apart. I serve a God who can mend the broken and stir the hearts of men. I experienced some wonderful things during my time with the Tohono O'odham people this past week. I am amazed that even though they go without or have so little they still praise God for their blessings. Many of us would look at what they have and what they have been through and not be able to see how God has blessed them. To me, they are a constant reminder that we should thank God for the little things and only rely on Him. Thats hard for me to do in my culture of huge TV's and big bank accounts that go with even bigger debts. It is so much easier to rely on the things that the world says I need. Maybe I should just go live with the T.O. or maybe even the persecuted Chinese. I would really be able to see God then. Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-43254796819872772582008-06-29T12:48:00.002-05:002008-06-29T12:54:50.169-05:00Dear anonymousYour comment struck a chord with me. But not a chord that made me feel all warm and happy on the inside. Now granted, I have just gotten home from a 24 hr van ride from Az, so I am not in the greatest of moods but come on. Suck it up?? A little rude don't you think? I understand that with being in the military you have to expect to move and to do so often. I wasn't saying I was against it. I wasn't saying that God can not work in many different places. But do you think that just because I am part of a military family that it automatically makes leaving friends and family easy? I was merely commenting on the fact that my heart wasn't fully at peace with either choice. So I do not believe it is your place to tell me to suck it up. A more appropriate comment might have been..."wow, you really have a lot going on. It will all turn out for the best." Now, that would have struck a chord that made me feel all warm inside.Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-57415917966604032752008-06-18T11:26:00.003-05:002008-06-18T13:39:00.438-05:00Too much too much too muchWow...so its been quite awhile hasn't it. I doubt anyone is still reading this. I am not even sure what I was talking about in the last post. But I know that a lot has happened. Things have been very busy since my wonderful husband has been home. It seems like this week is the first break we have had since his arrival. Lets see, we made a trip to Tn to visit family and also to pick up a bunch of furniture from my sister. She and her family are moving to London as missionaries and had to get rid of EVERYTHING they own. So we basically got a new house full of furniture. I am so thankful for Matt and Myra's generosity. You two have no idea what a blessing that was, even though it was painful for ya'll. <div><br />Anyway, after that we had Camp Create at our church. The only way I can describe it is that is a Vacation Bible School on 12 types of steroids. This years title was Meet the Weirdys and the theme was "there's a hero in everyone." So my role for the week was Paddler. I was a superhero who's powers included pin-point ping pong accuracy and flight. I even have my own trading card...pretty crazy to be famous! <br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HXdiWWD2Cgc/SFlQBpzi9pI/AAAAAAAAABc/Sgp_TjYAMvA/s320/Camp+Create+%2708+Superheroes+18-57-51.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213286032990205586" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HXdiWWD2Cgc/SFlQCLlGnsI/AAAAAAAAABk/8yRARytZxAo/s320/Camp+Create+%2708+Paddler.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213286042056433346" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So now that Camp Create is done Sean and I are preparing to head to Arizona for a week. That should be an amazing time of seeing God work in peoples lives and how He is at work on the T.O. reservation.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the real reason that pushed me to post today was the fact that so much is changing. My sister is moving to London, and I don't think that I have processed that. I read her blog today and cried through pretty much all of it. Seeing as how I lived with them for 5 years. Along with the fact that Sean and I are going to be (unless the Lord intervenes) relocating in December. I am not ready for this. I am not ready to leave this church, I am not ready to leave the friends that I have made here, and I am not ready to leave the security that I have here. This is the first place that has truly been my home in many many years. This is a place where I really do belong. Its not that I don't want to go live in a really cool place like Hawaii or San Diego, its just that I have made a place here, a place where people love me and don't want me to leave. But the fact is that either we move somewhere else or we stay here and Sean deploys again to Iraq. I don't fully like either choice. Not to mention the fact that I don't handle change well at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember the first time that my family moved from one house to another. I ran from room to room crying because I was leaving the only home I had ever known. Granted, we only moved to another neighborhood in the same area, but it was still traumatic. Not to mention the fact that after that move my family fell apart. So yeah, I don't handle change well. And we are up for a LOT of big changes.</div>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-9491867603895140252008-05-12T22:10:00.002-05:002008-05-12T22:26:43.828-05:00Do I look like Ace Ventura???So ever since Sean and I have been living here in Gulfport we have kind of become the unofficial animal haven. First of all we have never had less than two dogs, at times there have been as many as 6 dogs and two cats in the house. Yes, crazy, I know...but its a gift or a curse depending on the day. Anyway, not only do we bring animals into our home by our own choosing, they seem to flock here on their own. There was one time when we came home from being out for the day and let the dogs out of the back yard, well after a few minutes we realized something didn't seem right. There was an extra creature running around. It was a small chocolate lab that had dug under our fence to come hang out. Yeah, its sad that it took us a little while to realize we had an extra, but oh well. Well, this past friday we had just arrived home from our trek to Tn (mind you, it was about 9:30 pm) and Sean saves a little Boston Terrier from being run over in front of our house. Of course the dog has no tags and no owner in sight. So we canvas the neighborhood for about an hour and finally give up. We had the dog for the majority of the next day until his owner finally saw our sign. The next incident took place today during the hours of 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. All morning long I kept hearing this weird noise down stairs and I thought it was the dogs getting into something. Well, I eventually go downstairs and I am doing something when all of a sudden I hear something clawing around frantically in the flu of the chimney. So I am kinda creeped out by it...just a little. But I can't just let it stay in there and die, I don't want it to suffer, so I finally work up the nerve to open the flew. So I get a basket to place under the hole and a towel to throw on top of my catch. When I get the flew open soot comes out, and then shoots out this little bird, who jets to the window. Well, at this point my dogs are spastic and I am screaming cause a freaky bird thing just flew in front of my face. So I grabbed the towel and caught the bird. I cleaned it up some with a wet paper towel and put him in the basket to rest. At dusk I set him in the basket outside in front of the chimney. His parents knew he was there and they kept circling. But what intrigues me the most is that God guides animals in need to people who will help them. Isn't He a cool God? Very.Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-57767644236400836372008-05-12T21:42:00.002-05:002008-05-12T22:09:35.041-05:00To be or not to be...busyAs I sit and process the last few weeks there is a theme that keeps popping up. Busyness. Since my husband returned from the war we have been going 90 to nothing. We have been apart of major productions at the church, lead the youth group, attended our own small group, played in softball games, learned some killer moves in dance class, made a whirlwind trip to Tn, loaded and unloaded tons of furniture, and re-arranged the house, among a myriad of other things. We are tired...very tired. But we are happy. But here's the thing. As I was sitting in church this past sunday God was pressing upon my heart (through the songs we sang and verses we read) that busyness is not the answer. I know most of you already know that, but how many of us actually practice it. How many of us are still and know that He is God. How many of us practice stillness? Women, how many of us strive to the the proverbs 31 woman? She seems pretty stressed out to me. Although I am far from it, I have a desire to learn how to be still before the Creator, my Father and sustainer. In one of my classes in college, my professor gave us the assignment of going someplace quiet and just sitting before the Lord. No talking, no singing, no reading, just being with God. Its amazing what you will hear if you just listen. I desire to be known as a peaceful person. Not someone who is constantly scurrying around like an ant without purpose. I want to be able to sit back and enjoy some Rocky Road with Jesus (if you haven't done Tommy Nelson's "A life well lived" I highly recommend it). Not that working for the Lord isn't awesome, I mean, I work for the church and I love it. But what I am saying is that so often I find myself going this way and that and really God is just saying "STOP, I want to spend time with you. I want to hang out and hear about your day." So this is what I am going to resolve to do this week. I want to do only what God wants me to do. Not what I think I should be doing for him, but only that in which He leads. I believe that not only will I get to slow down and enjoy life more, but I will be more productive because I won't have so many irons in the fire. It's gonna be great!Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-25475496600827978502008-04-13T20:41:00.002-05:002008-04-13T21:06:51.752-05:00not only needsEveryone goes through Storms. Everyone...but everyone's storms are different. Some storms are worse than others, some storms blow over more quickly. But for the time that we are experiencing those storms we feel utterly out of control. Sometimes, we get angry, frustrated, depressed, and most of the time we wonder "why?" A lot of times we feel like God is causing us pain. Actually He doesn't cause the pain, but He greatly desires to use it. He wants to use it to get our attention and pull us back to Him. Recently I have been going through a storm. The past week has just been rough. So I was very frustrated and I was letting God know how frustrated I really was. I wanted Him to fix the situation and do my will. Anyway, so I was feeling sorry for myself and I was out running errands, so I decided to stop for lunch. I pulled into Chick-fil-a and placed my order for a chicken sandwich combo. I start around the corner and see a sign for their milk shakes. I LOVE milkshakes. And I think to myself, man, I have been craving one for weeks...I should have ordered one. So I get to the window and pay and the guy hands me my food and then proceeds to say "oh, we made an extra milkshake and its for you." I was floored. I pulled out of chick-fil-a in tears. God spoke to my heart in a time when I was in a small storm and said, "my darling, I want to care for not just your needs, but also your wants. I hear you my child and I love you. I know you, I know everything about you, from your favorite things to what hurts you the most. I am here even when you don't see how things are going to turn out. Trust me, my beautiful princess." Now some of you may be thinking, "you got all of that from a milk shake?" And the answer is sort of. See the thing is that I know my God. I know he loves me, even when I don't feel like He does. He wants to use my storm to pull me closer to Him. So the question we should ask is not "why is this happening" but "what". What is God going to do to redeem the situation. How is He going to make it beautiful. You see, thats what God is in the business of. He redeems things. Now that doesn't mean that we won't grieve, or hurt, but it will help us not to give the situation control. It will help you to remember that God is in control and that "I know that plans I have for you. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and future."Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-20607232559669986182008-04-02T08:31:00.002-05:002008-04-02T08:58:44.903-05:00Dear AnonymousA couple of days ago I made a post about my church's current sermon series. After that post I got an anonymous comment that only include and address to another blogger's site. The post that it led me to was from a man who says he is a Christian. The post was on, and I may be wrong, how sometimes Christianity or actually humans interpretation of the Bible can lead to spousal abuse. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that lots of people have taken the Bible and used it to support their own evil actions, but that was not what I was talking about. I was merely commenting on our culture and how it is going to take MEN standing up for their sister's in Christ and protecting them from the evils of the world. When I said that Adam's first sin was passivity I was not saying he should have been controlling Eve's every move, but that He didn't stand up and protect her from the enemy. Which is sadly still occurring today. But really, both people should be submissive to Christ first and all things will flow from that.Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-6239143742051358912008-03-31T22:59:00.003-05:002008-03-31T23:05:54.754-05:00Ok, seriously??I am currently watching nightline which is covering a story of people who are getting cryogenicly frozen. Really?? Are they kidding? Is this an April Fool's joke?? Do people really think that this can happen? Basically what happens is that the people die and then their blood is replaced with this stuff that protects the tissue and then they are placed head first into liquid nitrogen. Then they are loaded up 4 to a cylinder and stored until who knows when. Don't people realize that when you die, you are dead? This whole god-complex really vexes me. This is simply the largest, most expensive, pointless scam of all time. These people are all like the emperor and his new clothes.Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-30988995968151897392008-03-31T10:08:00.002-05:002008-03-31T10:28:04.584-05:00Crosspoint's Bringing Sexy backYes, you heard me right. Crosspoint church is bringing sexy back...well not really, but we are currently in the middle of a series entitled Sexual Revolution. "Do ya want a revolution, whoop whoop??" I know I do. I am SOO tied of our over sexualized culture. Its everywhere you look. Its even peddled to our kids (i.e. Bratz, Barbie, any of the disney princesses). So many times I am shocked when driving down the road, there are even billboards for Air Conditioning companies that have a sexed up woman rubbing ice on herself. GROSS. But really, its not me that I am so concerned about, but for the youth that I work with and even the grown men that I know, including my husband. How are they supposed to keep their mind clean and focused on the Father when every two seconds they are bombarded with boobs in their face. No wonder they say that the average male thinks about sex every 10 seconds...they can't help it, its everywhere. But you know what is really upsetting, I can talk about this till I am blue in the face, but a woman is NOT going to be able to solve this problem. We can shout womens lib, and how we are humans not a piece of meat all we want...to society we are just white noise. This sex epidemic will not be put to rest until the men in our culture decide to get up and take a stand for purity and holiness. Thats where it starts. We women are only looking for approval and we get it anyway we can. Now, I am not trying to take the blame off women, cause lets just face it ladies, we can be pretty sinful ourselves, but what I am saying is that our first sin was not being sexy...thats inherently how God made us and He made men to be attracted to us...we can't help that. Our first sin was taking control, and man's was being passive. So men, stop being passive and stand up for your sisters, cause really thats what we are, your sisters. Start thinking of women like that and it will really change your mindset. That is unless you are into that sorta thing, and then you are just sick.<br /><br />Also, you can get Crosspoint's message audio here: http://www.mycrosspoint.org/default.aspx?pid=38Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-27842839843897029972008-03-23T23:24:00.005-05:002008-03-23T23:29:38.230-05:00Just some of my crew<object id="A535617247160637952" quality="high" data="http://llnw.jibjab.com/content/player.swf?content_url=http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/api/remote/YJEURYi77wV8C8oujsetWoEb.xml" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="369" width="435"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="movie" value="http://llnw.jibjab.com/content/player.swf"></param><param name="scaleMode" value="showAll"></param><param name="quality" value="high"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="FlashVars" value="content_url=http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/api/remote/YJEURYi77wV8C8oujsetWoEb.xml"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never"></param></object><div style="text-align:center; width:435px; margin-top:6px;">Don't send a lame <a href="http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/category/52/starring_you">eCard</a>. Try <a href="http://www.jibjab.com/sendables">JibJab Sendables</a>!</div>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-68092688346660537432008-03-19T20:32:00.003-05:002008-03-19T20:43:54.465-05:00Bad poetry goes a long wayI found this old poem that I think I wrote in highschool...<div><br /></div><div>Not that I think thats its good or anything, but its just interesting to get a snapshot of where you were a few years ago. Even if that snapshot is a bad poem.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I stare into the sunrise, I let go of the dreams that I once held of my moon. I realize that the day is drawing near and the night that once hid me was vanishing into the glory of the sun. The darkness that surrounded me was no more oppressive and think but more like the smell of a lilac bush in full bloom. The stars began to go to bed and twinkled their last goodbye. I told them one last secret and my pain that was like a thick butter on the sunset was now being blown away with the dew of the early morning. The soft smell of daffodils wafted into my brain as the early morning rays laughed and played across my bare skin. The same rays that were so soft and gentle against my skin, were at the same time strong enough to burn away the cloud that fueled my anger and disappointment, and then there were the rosey colors of a new born morning. I could feel the sweet breeze of of hope flick across my brow and flirt with my eyelashes as the possibilities of all that lay ahead came to life with the crowing of the rooster. I lay in the same field that used to conjure the dreams of the moon but not the field was lush and green and fresh and bright. There was no where to hide and nothing to hide from. There was no getting lost and no reason to be found. The morning sun was gentle and complete. It took away the dark folds and replaced them with meadows and places to explore. With the coming of the sun, I also saw the coming of my childhood.</div>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-8506194647309124092008-03-16T21:07:00.002-05:002008-03-16T21:21:03.951-05:00Blame it on the brainThe date was friday the 14th of March and it was around the middle of the day. I decided that I needed to get an envelope from the very top shelf and so I climbed on a chair. As I was turning around to get down, I felt the chair begin to pitch forward. I leaned back to counter balance and thats when I realized I was going down. At first I thought that I had just tipped it a bit, but after it was all said and done I found that the leg of the chair had given way (heavy blow to the self confidence). The back of the chair met my forehead and the legs met my left ear. Once on the ground I laid there until I knew I wasn't going to cry. When I got up there was a second forehead growing above my brow bone at an alarming rate. And I was nauseous the rest of the day and I STILL have a headache two days later along with my lovely lady lump. The lump is decreasing, but only because it is migrating down my face and making my nose and eye puffy. Its quiet enjoyable really...yeah right. Anyway, ever since then I have not been quite right...I have been testy, sleepy, slightly confused, and in a little bit of pain. Yeah, never went to the doctor, but I am not in a coma (obviously) so I think I am out of the woods...or so I am telling myself. It would be just my luck that I end up with some delayed brain hematoma or however you spell it that drastically changes my quality of life. Anyway, so if I don't post, or if I do and it doesn't really make sense, at least you will know why. Oh yeah, and if I have or do piss you off/hurt your feelings/insert something bad here, I apologize. It's the concussion, not me. Blame it on the brain, yeah, yeah.Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-37928205335724981122008-03-04T09:58:00.005-06:002008-03-04T10:18:56.243-06:00Constantly AmazedThats right, I am constantly amazed by God. Constantly. Over the last few days as most of you know, I have been rather frustrated and downtrodden. But this weekend God showed up in a big way. This past weekend was Student Life Tour in Hattiesburg, Ms. I, along with two other chaperones, took 10 students ranging in ages from 12-17. Crazy big age range, I know. Prior to the trip I was having a fairly stressful week. I had a looming meeting with my volunteer staff that I was dreading, and I was racing toward a weekend with teenagers that can only go two ways... awesome, or terrible. Needless to say I was in a lot of prayer. A LOT of prayer. So friday rolled around and we were set to leave at 4:30 pm, but as things normally go, we didn't leave until about 5:20. So we were going to be late. But in God's amazing providence they didn't start on time so we were able to get registered and find good seats all before it started. And what we experienced over the next two days was most definitely engineered by God Himself. The high school students loved on the middle school students and people who never have before payed attention. But the best part of it all was sunday night. We decided, instead of doing a regular sunday night, to take the students to Krispy Kreme just because we love them. Of course it was a hit, but what was so amazing was the time that we had when we went back to the church. When we got back, we gathered in the circle of couches and talked about what everyone brought back from Student Life. The responses that some of the kids gave blew me away. So often you think that they aren't listening, and many times they aren't, but this time a few of them really got it. And whats really cool is that they are normally the kids who don't get it. God you are so awesome. You totally blow me away when I most need it!<div><br /></div><div>Oh yeah, and that meeting I was dreading...God showed up there too. We were all in such agreement. We were coming up with the same ideas and I believe that through prayer that we have become a team. God is good.</div>Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-29934682528593859062008-03-04T09:44:00.002-06:002008-03-04T09:54:25.776-06:00The Greatness of AnneThe greatness of Anne is that I am not great at all, but it is Christ within me who is. I am made great by His death on the cross for me. I am great because I am everything but. I am just a simple, fallible, human who in every aspect is NOT great. I am humbled by the fact that even through my human-ness God desires a relationship with me, and He desires to use me to do His work. He has chosen ME. Just like Peter, He has called me from the water side saying, " Little Girl..." He called me to sit and then He took me back to where I failed him and re-broke my heart, only so that He could heal it in full. It is because of Jesus' love for me that I am made great in His sight. And although I am not great by any worldly standard, and there are those who say I am a nothing, I know that I am precious and valued by the CREATOR of the universe. And that's pretty darn great.Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824483862494408491.post-91843174583666400242008-02-28T18:17:00.003-06:002008-02-28T18:26:34.202-06:00Financial FREEDOM!!It is one of the greatest feelings to be out of debt. We no longer owe money to the MAN!! I am so thankful for my great Uncle Sam who has enabled us to become free. Not just by acknowledging our unalienable rights, but by also blessing us with extra income when we sacrifice for the good of our country and others. I know, I know, there are a lot of dissenters out there...but can I just say one thing. There are so many good things happening over THERE, that we NEVER hear about in the news. And the troops that are there are there because they want to be. They believe in what we are doing because they see, and talk to the people who we are helping. They see the difference that they are making and it feels GOOD! So don't feel sorry for them, don't hate the government because our boys are over there. They are there because they want to be. They are there because they love our country and have a desire to help others feel the same way about their own. I am proud to be a Navy wife. I am proud that my husband is making a difference all the way across the world. I am sure of the decisions that our country's leaders have made. And yes, I am proud to be an American!Anne Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146672763274014556noreply@blogger.com1