Ready or Not....

"We must move away from asking God to take care of the things that are breaking our hearts to praying about the things that are breaking God's heart."

--Margaret Gibb

Words. They are so powerful. I felt like someone sucker punched me right in the gut while reading these ever-so-eloquent, yet piercing words. This Maragret Gibb character has some nerve, doesn't she? I mean, I wasn't even looking, and most certainly wasn't ready for her one, two combo! I'd like to meet her some day and give her a piece of my mind. For now, a simple note on my blog will have to do.

Dear Ms Margaret Gibb,

Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your heart. I look forward to the day, that those words, and that prayer are the sentiment of my heart. And until that moment, I'll just keep reminding myself that this world does not revolve around me and praying for a new renewed heart and mind.

Love, KT

1000 gifts - A heart of gratitude

Gratitude - a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.

"Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them." -- Psalms 107:15

Today my heart is full of gratitude because.....

0037 - .... You have given me amazing family and friends with tremendous wisdom

0038 - .... You have given me so so so much. Way more than I will ever deserve

0039 - .... Megan will be here at this time next week!!!!!!!!!!!

0040 - .... I live close family (some) and get to love on my little nephew whenever I want to!

0041 - .... You are the redeemer and reconciler of all types of relationships

0042 - .... I know You don't need me, Lord. But even more humbling than that, You amazingly, choose me. again. and again. and again!

1000 Gifts - God's handy work :D

(I know the plan is to do this every Monday but for some reason, I always have too much to do to sit down and put pen to paper, or fingers to keys.... so I'm doing it on Sunday night to start my week off giving gratitude and praise to our God, who is oh so worthy!)

"We give thanks to you, O God,

we give thanks, for your Name is near;

men tell of your wonderful deeds." -- Pslam 75:1

This week I am full of thankfulness - Here's why:

0027 - Spending Thanksgiving on a most beautiful day.....

0028 - ...With some of my favorite people (and missing some too)

0029 - Being on the road for work but getting to see the Candetos and the encouragement they bring JUST at the right moment.

0030 - Community inspiring worship through the season and Christmas Carols being played in every Mall across our country!! (When else does that happen other than CHRISTmas time?!?)

0031 - A fearful, nervous heart made calm when God used the littlest and most peculiar of things, like a Nebraska sweatshirt, to move someone to reach out and give me the words God knew I needed to hear.

0032 - Traveling mercies and LITTLE turbulence!

0033 - The beauty and peacefulness of a first snow as the earth rests and underneath it all is preparing to bring new life....

0034 - Reconnecting with my friends in northern va after traveling for 6 out of the last 8 weeks.... SO FUN (Have you ever played ROCK BAND? I think I know what I want for Christmas!) ;)

0035 - Getting to help Mom with one of her favorite things, decorating for Christmas.

0036 - Being reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness with the sweet, captivating smile of a newborn.... my new nephew of course!

Seasons - A Fall Breeze

I know I missed blogging last week's 1000 gifts, but I couldn't get to a computer to do it. I thought about it though. I love this time of year. After being in Iraq for six months and seeing more brown than I'll ever care to see again in my life, I have noticed this fall especially, how I have been amazed at the beauty God displays throughout his creation. There are days like this weekend that a group of trees will literally take my breath away for a second. Fall seems to be a season, for me, that I can not escape God's presence no matter where I go. It's like He's showing off all over the place! Everywhere I turn I see His handiwork and I can't help but thank Him for being present in this broken world we live in.

0009 - God's revealing His presence through nature....

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." - Psalm 139:7-8

0010 - A call from my sister saying she's coming home from China for the holidays! :D

0011 - Witnessing a blind double amputee competing in the Marine Corps Marathon with the help of four friends (self sacrifice and service).... "uncommon valor is a common virtue" stood to be the resounding theme that day.

0012 - A day off to catch up on "house stuff," relax, workout, and see some loved ones before I leave on a work trip!

0013 - Pumpkin Seeds... Yummo!

0014 - A stroll through the city on the perfect day to enjoy the history and crisp fall weather

0015 - An unexpected reunion with friends made in Iraq.... in my old neighborhood!

0016 - Baby's first night out with little to no crying! Success!!! :D

0017 - Dad healing well and getting back to his old self slowly but surely.

0018 - The comfort of knowing Mom is willing and able to give Dad the TLC he needs and be his outstanding nurse!

0019 - Friends who are willing to come rescue me when my car breaks down (or I run out of gas...eh hem)!!

0020 - A chance to take the said friends out to dinner to thank them for their superhero-ness!!!

"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!" -- Phil 4:4

More Fall and Fun

I was gonna post about my weekend and put a few pics from the different excursions I joined in and some how or another I came across these cutie pie pics and couldn't help put them up. I know I'm not related to J & A's Lil D... but I sure do dote on him like I am! I love going by their place after work just to see this little smile looking up at me as I walk up the stairs and come around the corner. It melts my heart! I can't imagine having to say no to this little man. Thank goodness I don't have to! :) Here are some pics of my weekend (but mostly of Dawson):

Tiny D in his Halloween costume... What a handsome little cowboy! Saddle up!

Playing with Tiny D... The cuteness factor is way ridiculous here.

I asked A if I could take the little guy out and do a photo shoot with him... he didn't disappoint, of course. He's a natural!!

I went to Great Falls with some friends from GCC. It was absolutely beautiful on Saturday! And of course we got to partake in my favorite: 3F's Fun, Food (picnic) and Fellowship

Here's a shot of the crew after our hike!

Needless to say I had a great and relaxing weekend as well as enjoyed God's beautiful creation with some of my favorite people!! I start my early days the week after this one...So this was a much needed time of rest for me. Now it's time to get down to business :)

Happy Parent's Day....

Before I go into all of the reasons I didn't write a Father's Day blog yesterday, I would be remiss if I didn't add that I never wrote a Mother's Day blog either. You see, I got off track with this whole blogging thing... so, instead of blogging about how wonderful my dad is, I'm going to blog about how special both of my parents are. After all, they make each other stronger and sharper, so it's hard to talk about one with out mentioning the other.
Mom and Dad really are a force to be reckoned with... The majority of the adult world can not say they have raised 5 children that are in some manner of speaking, a positive influence to today's society and have loving relationships with each of them to this day. If you ask either of them about how they think they did as parents they would give you a laundry list of things that they should've done better. But if you ask me, or any of my siblings for that matter, I think we'd all say the same thing. Mom and Dad gave us everything they had, supported and loved us always. Even through the times when we acted in ways that to some people would be considered very unlovable.... and trust me, I know there were plenty of times that I was a very unlovable teenager! Mom and Dad cultivated a home that was safe, encouraging, challenging, fun, loving and most of all Christ centered.
I'm not really sure words can personify the ways Mom and Dad shaped our lives. They were never too tired to help us with a project or some homework (Dad, do you remember trying to teach me that the holes on loose leaf paper were supposed to go on the left?? There were a lot of tears and flipping of the paper but you finally got it through my stubborn skull...). Mom and Dad were the parent's that everyone could depend on to show up. Whether it was to a sporting event, band concert, PTA meeting, church gathering or being a field trip chaperone, they were always there. I seldom remember a time that something was needed and they weren't around to help fulfill the need.

Sure, Mom and Dad may not have been perfect. But in their own right, they were Super-Mom and Super-Dad to us. I couldn't begin to count the many sacrifices and ways that they showed their "super humanness" through parenting to us, but I can tell you that I'm thankful God chose me to be their child. I got to grow up in a home that my mom and dad were a team and they made it a priority to make sure we felt and knew that we were loved. It may not have been perfect and I'm sure there were times that they felt like they weren't getting through to us. But we knew. We knew they loved us with everything they had. They loved us in different ways at different times but they always loved us and wanted nothing but the best for us.
So Happy Parent's Day, Mom and Dad! I can't thank you enough for the unconditional love you gave to me from day #1. I know that there are times I don't tell you enough but I love you and am so thankful I am yours and you are mine!

Good bye Bywater, Hello BY WATER! :)

Well, it finally happened. Mom and Dad closed on their 3304 Bywater Ct residence. Quite an impressive feat if you understood what this means. They successfully removed every little "keep sake" that they have saved "in case we wanted to show OUR children's children" from the house. And then not only did they get everything out in preparation for that dreaded closing day, but they managed to make a 23 year old, well lived in home, back into an empty house with only a few reminders that the Scotts were once here (Cinder's claw marks on the front hall closet, mom's scripture in the kitchen, and of course, the bball hoop in the yard). We had to convince mom that it was okay to throw away the spice that she bought back in May of 1978 (that is not an exaggeration) for a recipe she wanted to try. Can you see why Dad's idea of putting a bomb in it and lighting a match looked very attractive at times? I'm pretty sure spices go bad with in a couple decades. But maybe I'm wrong. I've never claimed to be kitchen savvy. Granted her food is always off the chain (mom that's EBONICS for really good or wonderful), so maybe we could all learn something from her 30 year old spices!

Mom and Dad worked really hard to get everything done this past week. I would go over there periodically and help do whatever I could but in all honesty, every time I went over there I felt like Mom was Mary Poppins and their home was like her purse. More things came out of that structure than should be possible. I went over after the movers had come and gone and I swear I about fell over when I saw all of the stuff that was left in the house. I was like, "Are they coming back to get the rest tomorrow?" But somehow, we got it all out, cleaned and ready for inspection. Good thing for Dad, they taught him how to clean a bathroom at the Naval Academy b/c he was down on all fours with a toothbrush in hand ready to tackle the mildew anywhere in site! Poor mildew, it never stood a chance!

After the walk through it was time to sign the papers. This is the stuff Dad loves. He gets to show the world how organized he is and how together he has everything! If you know Dad (which all of you do) he has binders for his binders of organized stuff so this should be a simple deal right? Just go in, sign the papers and write a check for closing. Well I was wishing them luck as they realized that the closing was actually 30 mins earlier than they thought and oh yeah, Dad can't find his CHECKBOOK! WHAT?! My dad can't find his checkbook 30 mins before closing time???? "Who are you? And what have you done with my father!?" This is the part where I get to come in and be the hero. I actually knew exactly where his check book was b/c I had helped move all the computer and bill stuff to the Allen's house and I remembered seeing it when I was taking it out to the car! yay! The day is rescued and they rush off to their closing! IT IS FINISHED!

It was really weird to see our home so empty. That home has brought so many people together for so many years, which is I'm sure what it will continue to do with the next owners. But I guess that's why it was so weird b/c it's not our home anymore, it's someone else's. They seem like nice people and their son actually goes to Oakton, plays lacrosse, wrestles and is in the chorus. Not bad for one kid. But then again, he's only one kid. They probably won't have quite as many sleep overs, team dinners, baby showers (pretty positive about that one), Christmas parties (do you think anyone will just show up this year?), or game nights as we did but it will be home to them and I think they will love it just like we did. I don't think it's as much the actual house that we loved but the support, love, laughter and growth that we received from within it that makes us so fond of 3304 Bywater Ct. So see, you thought this was going to be sad... but my point is that we can make this new house into a home in a matter of minutes b/c it's not about the actual physical structure but it's about what's inside. And who knows, we may have a few more laughs and a little more love b/c Dad doesn't have to sit in Northern VA traffic anymore (Hallelujah!)!!! :) I will post some pics from the day as soon as I get them from Mom and Dad (maybe next Christmas). So for all of you who have called to see how closing went, there you have it. It went well.