Hopes and Dreams

Hope: A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. 

Dream: A cherished ideal. 

People talk about their hopes and dreams all the time. They swear that they will never give up on them, and that no one could ever take them from them because they're locked in their heads. I use to think the same way, until last night. My biggest hope and dream was snatched from me, and no matter what i could do, i couldn't hold on to it. It's gone now, and all that remains are a few broken pieces. 

When i think about it, it just reminds me how much i hate this world, and that my real home isn't here, but it is a long way away. Farther and higher from the pain and hurt than anything else in the universe. I wish that the day will come sooner when i can leave this world, and never feel pain, hurt, or that sting when tears start running down your face again.

I am reminded that this is just my temporary home, and that its not really a home, its just a house that i'm living in until i am taken to my real home. I pray for that day to come sooner, and i praise God that we do have one hope and dream that can never be taken from us. 

My Reality

      It has been almost two weeks since i entered the realm of college, and yet it feels like way longer. Not a whole lot has happened physically, but mentally i have had my brain ripped apart. Physically I exist here at Southern, but i feel like my mind lives somewhere else.
      As i look around me, i am surrounded by hundreds of people, and yet most of them don't seem to notice that they too are surrounded by hundreds of people. I know for most of you, you are use to this, but for me, this is a new feeling, and new realization of the world i live in. And as i think back on all the years of my schooling, i have never felt this way. I have always been friends with everyone in my school.
      For those of you who know me fairly well, you will know that i am a pretty sociable person. But when you place me in a crowd of strangers i usually become very quiet and just want to stay out of everyone's way...

Southern = BIG crowd of strangers.

      Because of this, I have found myself doing exactly what 90% of the population on this campus is doing. Living in my own world. Doing what i want. Talking to whom i want to. Eating meals with my friends.(actually, mostly my brother)
      I am not sure exactly where i am going with this whole tangent, but i do know that something is not right. I believe this was not and is not the way God intended us live. I say "us" because i am preaching to myself more than any of you.
      I doubt many people will read this. But for those of you who do, don't let this "state of being, of living in your own world" become your reality too.

      Jesus had a reality. His reality was to go out of His way, to live in someone else's world. To do what someone else wanted. To make a new friend. To eat with strangers.  

Lets make this our reality too...

Introspection

GYC had sadly come to end and i was now sitting in the car, with a 14 hour car ride ahead of me. Thus giving me more than enough time to contemplate the past 18 years of my existence. As i quickly discovered, a rather pathetic existence. 
I thought back on all "great" things i had accomplished in my life, but compared to all the GREAT mistakes i had made, i had not accomplished anything great...
As i sat there staring at the world go by, it dawned on me that up until i went to ARISE, my life has just been a game. I've made the "right" moves and followed the rules to a T, just so that i could get what i wanted. But i'm tired of it... 
This last semester at ARISE, i have fought some of the hardest battles i've ever had to fight, but it has been the most fulfilling four months of my life. I have been able to totally relate with Paul when he says "For what i will to do, that i do not practice; but what i hate, that i do." But i have also seen that when you delight yourself in God, He WILL give you the desires of your heart. I have been the happiest, even though everything that i thought would make me happy was taken away. I have lost everything that i thought would give me fulfillment, and yet once again i have felt the most fulfillment. 
Now, i am off to college. I'm excited to see what great things God is going to do, and what doors He is going to open for me. I pray though that i won't lose sight of this picture i have of my life now, compared to what it used to be. 

"We have nothing to fear for the future, 

except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, 

and His teaching in our past history." 

Leaving for YFJ

Well this first part of the summer has FLOWN by. It seems like just yesterday i left school headed for home, and what i thought was going to be 5 tough weeks of summer school. But im done now and tomorrow im headed to Orlando for Youth For Jesus. Im excited about it but kinda nervous too. So please keep me in your prayers! This is a new experience for me, and im definitely going to get pushed way out of my comfort zone, but i think this is what God wants me to do and i know it will be good for me!

Im not sure how much internet i will have or opportunities i will have to post, but if and when i do i will let u guys know how its going. And when i get back i will be sure to write all about it and post pictures! So again, please keep me in your prayers and i will miss you guys tons!

Life at Heritage

Ok, so its been awhile, i know!  Yes, i have been lazy, but be proud of me! I am updating it!!!  Anyway,  a lot has changed since i last posted something.  I am at Heritage Academy and its been........different.....thats for sure! I am a Junior now, and when people say your junior year is your hardest year.....believe them!!!!!  It is!!!!  

So i am on break right now.  And i am so glad that its break! School has been keeping me really busy so its nice to have a quick break.  But i have to spend the whole break looking for long white dress for graduation.  WELL.....thats about it for now.  As soon as something exciting happens i will post!!  So don't get to impatient!! JK

    

SPRING BREAK

FINALLY... NO MORE SNOW,

Mike and I got home on the 12th... I've been in love with the warm weather here at home. When we flew out from MT there was still 2-3 ft of snow on the ground. This break has been pretty easy going, not much on the agenda, had to write few papers, but besides that I've chilled out with my family and got to watch lot's of good movies : ) and EAT mom's food... yah, no more POTATOES!!! I think I've filled up on the junk food for the next two months.


TSA

snow boarding has been a blast, we got to go to Big Mountain 8 times. Every Monday morning all eight of us students and Jerry would gear up and head south for Kalispel, where we'd spend the whole day just carving the hills. This was my first time on the snowboard, and i must admit I kinda of "stunk" at it... but hopefully I'm getting better and next season I'll be riding with the guys...he..he. : )


I also got introduced to snow camping... yah, I'm from GA... three of us girls had to build a snow cave to sleep in for 2 nights, that was a lot of fun... and we stayed pretty warm under all that snow. Kristi and I even built a couch so we got cozy next to the fire, well... almost cozy, our pants got soaked from the snow melting under our " seats " ... it was a warm and a wet experience.



So school... well we do that too, on our days of the mountain, camping and backpacking...
i've enjoyed my first year of academy just me and Eric my class mate... we definitely get all the teacher attention we need. Some of my favorite classes are science and PE... which consists of rec in the afternoon.


HOME


Major events in the family of the TAYLORS has included a fall from the sky in which my Dad participated, yah in this area it is called SKY DIVING!!! For my Dad's 47th B-day we bought him a skydiving pass, with an INSTRUCTOR off course! After watching my Dad, I've got hooked and I can't wait to turn 18, so I can go... in the mean time I get to dream about hang gliding for my 15th b-day!





I also got to spend some fun time with my newly married sis, Audrey and her hubby Luke. We spent the day in Chattanooga where we went to see an IMAX on the Grand Canyon, that was a 3D and during the rafting expedition down the Colorado River, I was ready to puke... but i didn't.

It's going to be so sad seeing Audrey and Luke go to MI, they'll be leaving in a few days for Grand Rapids, where Luke will be the asst. pastor for the Central SDA church. Hopefully we'll visit them in the summer and for holidays.

I have to head back to the "wilderness" on Monday, so there won't be another post until June!!! So until then... enjoy your last months of school and we'll post later : )

~Elise ~

First blog :)

Hi Everyone!  This is my first blog space ever...so here goes!

    This year I'm a freshmen at Tamarack Springs Academy in Montana.  I'm really enjoying it too.  My brother Michael is a senior there.  We have a total of nine kids.  Two freshmen, two seniors, and five sophomores!  (NO juniors!)  Starting in January - I will officially be a snowboarder (!)  Yikes!  I've never tried it yet, but have my gear and am more than ready to shred some slopes.  We'll go every Monday - all day - to Big Mountain Ski Resort in Whitefish, MT.  I can hardly wait!

    Right now I'm at home for my Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years/Wedding break, and boy is it going to be busy!

    For Thanksgiving, we had 25 people here.  It was crowded, but fun.  I think Christmas, New Years, and the Wedding (my sister Audrey's) will all be one big blur.  Right now we're all being fitted for our wedding dresses, looking for shoes, etc...  It's hard to believe it's all coming so fast.

    It's good to be home.  I was getting pretty homesick towards November.  My dog was pretty lonesome for me too.  He's wild now!  His name is Handel (as in Handel's Messiah) .  He's an English Cocker.  He NEVER leaves my side.  In fact, today I was helping mom carry in groceries from the car, and we nearly tripped over him - many times, as he ran in, out, in, out... "wait-a-minute, did she go in or OUT - I'm SOO confused!" Sometimes we'll be walking down the hallway - he's in the lead (hoping to get food or a treat) and all of a sudden he stops.  You have to learn to quickly sidestep so he goes between your legs, or you both crash.  Anyway, we're happy to be together again.  Then there are Shannon's cats that I have come to rescue.  You see, Meekus got a kidney stone and started leaving puddles everywhere.  That didn't go over well with mom.  Now for mom's benefit, she was tolerant for a time, but it's been almost a month now and it appears he's learned a bad habit. :(  Then, Duma decided to sharpen her claws on mom's new leather sofa.  Youch!  So, mom sent them out with the other four cats.  But I came to their rescue and each night I smuggle them up to my room for the night.  So far, no damage upstairs =) 

    Until later,

Elise