We are His BELOVED

Watch the whole thing!!!! It's really powerful :)

Soulja Boy

This is the new dance craze these days. I love the boy in the front and the girl in the middle! I'm sure it was an interesting conversation when these kids got home from BALLET class. I can see it now: Mom, "So what did you learn in class today, son?" Little Boy, "The Soulja Boy!!!!"...... And this is the Soulja Boy. Watch and enjoy!!!

Armed Forces Championship

I'm at the Men's Basketball Armed Forces Championship in Cherry Point, NC this week. For the ice breaker they had a guy come and perform a writing that he had put together... As I sat there and listened to this man chills ran over my body... I was thinking to myself, "this guy is good, he should perform at a coffee house or something. Well, look what I found today. He's on youtube and has been on Good Morning America and everything for this poem. Do I know talent or what!? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BETZxl_itYg (by the way, if anyone knows how to put the video embeded in this blog let me know). I hope you all enjoy and realize that we should be thankful for the freedoms we have in this country! :)

Here are the words if you have a hard time understanding it all:
She called... Blacks, Whites...wait African Americans and Caucasians, Asians, excuse me. Vietnamese, Philipenes, Koreans and Jamaicans or Haitans, waitin' Hispanics y'all. Please be paitent Mexican, Puerto Ricans, Venezualean, Cuban, Dominican, Panamanian Democrats I beg your pardon, you partied with the late, great Reagan? Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters, Hindu, Sunii Muslim, Brothers and Sisters who never seen the New York city skyline when the twin towers still existed. But still She called. From the bowels of Ground Zero she sent this 911 distress signal. Because She was in desperate need of a hero, and didn't have time to decipher what to call 'em, so she called 'em all Her children. The children of the stars and bars who needed to know nothing more than the fact that she called. The fact that someone attempted to harm us this daughter who covered us all with her loving arms. And now these arms are sprawled across New York City streets. A smoke filled lung, a silt covered faced, and a solitary tear poured out of her cheek. Her singed garments carpets Pennsylvania Avenue and the Pentagon was under her feet. As she began to talk, she began to cough up small particles of debris and said, "I am America, and I'm calling on the land of the free." So they answered. All personal differences set to the side because right now there was no time to decide which state building the Confederate flag should fly over, and which trimester the embryo is considered alive, or on our monetary units, and which God we should confide. You see, someone attempted to choke the voice of the one who gave us the right for choice, and now she was callin. And somebody had to answer. Who was going to answer? So they did. Stern faces and chisled chins. Devoted women and disciplined men, who rose from the ashes like a pheonix and said "don't worry, we'll stand in your defense." They tightened up their bootlaces and said goodbye to loved ones, family and friends. They tried to bombard them with the "hold on", "wait-a-minute's", and "what-if's". And "Daddy, where you goin?". And, "Mommy, why you leavin?". And they merely kissed them on their foreheads and said "Don't worry, I have my reasons. You see, to this country I pledged my allegience to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic. So as long as I'm breathin, I'll run though hell-fire, meet the enemy on the front lines, look him directly in his face, stare directly in his eyes and scream, "I AM AMERICA! WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED! WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED! I REFUSE TO BE AFRAID! I'LL FIGHT YOU ANY COUNTRY, ANY CONTINENT, ANY TERRAIN. I'LL FIGHT TO MY LAST BREATH!" And if by chance death is my fate, pin my medals upon my chest, and throw Old Glory on my grave. But, don't y'all cry for me. You see, my Father's prepared a place. I'll be a part of his Holy army standing a watch at the Pearly Gates. Because freedom was never free. POW's, and fallen soldiers all paid the ultimate sacrafice along side veterans who put themselves in harms way. Risking their lives and limbs just to hold up democracy's weight, but still standing on them broken appendages anytime the National Anthem was played. You see, these were the brave warriors that gave me the right to say that I'm Black. Or white. Or African American or Caucasian, I'm Asian, excuse me. I'm Vietnamese, Philipene, Korean, or Jamaican. I'm Haitan, Hispanic Y'all, Please be paitent. I'm Mexican, Puerto Rican, Venezualean, Cuban, Dominican, Panamanian, Democrat I beg your pardon, you see I partied with the late, great Reagan. I'm Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters, Hindu, Sunii Muslim, Brothers and Sisters We're just Americans. So with that I say "Thank You" to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, for preserving my rights to live and die for this life and paying the ultimate price for me to be...FREE!

Deep Thoughts...

"For so long i chased fantasy he was too fast.... and i found love when i embraced reality."

(the original quote says "she" instead of "he" but I changed it for sake of my blog. And I don't know who wrote it, so don't ask... )
This quote or poem really hit me when I read it b/c it's so true not only of our culture today but of myself as well. I think in some way or another single people (and a lot of couples as well) have an "idea" of what love is supposed to look, feel and be like. Whether those ideas came from movies, tv shows or idolizing some couple you once saw that "looked" so happy, they are there and there's no denying them. We have expectations of love and if we don't realize that our love checklist might not be realistic we may chase this fantasy called love the rest of our lives. Obviously there are some must-haves that you should hold firm to. But maybe he won't have "a body like Arnold, with a Denzel face," those of you who know Salt 'n' Peppa from the 90's should appreciate that last line! lol. or maybe he isn't a handy man or maybe she can't cook... but she tries and that's what love is about. Love is embedded in reality, which is never perfect, but if guided through God's love, a million times better than all of our expectations... or fantasies. Not one of us will ever be able to love someone enough to make them whole or make them complete. We were made for more, more than any human relationship could ever give us but our worldly imposed expectations are what lead us to chasing these fantasies. Not until we "ebrace reality" will we find love and realize the depths of it's character and the power that comes from it's commitment. ps- I haven't blogged in forever, I know... Been busy, tired and just not motivated. Write about it all later! :)

"Joe," my backpack... NY cont'd....

If anyone knows me and my packing habits, you know that I am NOT a light packer. You have to have options in my opinion. I mean, what if someone in Central Park noticed my athletic prowess (chuckle) as I walked by their practice and I asked if I would join them in their game later that night b/c they needed big boomer and I only had my open toed shoes or flip flops?!?! Disaster I tell you!! So I tend to 'over pack' and take home a few bags of mostly unused clothes and shoes... in order to be prepared of course :) So I decided to pack light and only take my backpack for my two and a half day trip. That's an attainable goal right? It was!! My poor backpack was busting at the seams and when I got off the bus and hit the streets of Manhattan I started to feel like I had someone hanging on my back. Not only was this backpack way heavier than really should be possible, it stuck out about 3 feet past my back side. Needless to say, moving through the over capacitated streets of New York is not an easy feat for one person alone.... But I was walking for two. "Joe," (yes, we decided he was so big he needed a name) was constantly getting in the way and knocking into unsuspecting people as they passed on the street. It was Joe's first experience in NY and he experienced it all... he took the train, walked downtown, rode in a taxi and got the full deli experience. We were quite the group of tourists and looked the part. But we didn't care, it was a blast. And for the most part, I had enough options to make it through the weekend, kind of :)

NY cont'd... Is it the person or location?

Okay so you've all been anxiously awaiting to hear about my trip to NY. Just calm down! This girl is busy and I can't really expect the government to pay me to blog so I have to do it in my spare time, what is that, when I'm not working. I'm going to blog a few different times about my trip being that we packed so many different things into a little over 48 hours....

The trip started off at Dupont Circle where I waited to catch the bus up to the City that NEVER sleeps! I was way excited to get away for the weekend and to see Carrie and Carrie (McKee and Nygard) as well as an old college aquaintance (now friend), Katie. Yes, you just read that correctly. It was Katie, Carrie, Carrie and Katie. But let me tell my first adventure before I even stepped foot on the bus to head north. I was handing my ticket to the trip coordinator in order to get on the bus and all of the sudden I was doing a 360 and almost fell over. I look up to see what gust of wind could've been so strong to spin "Joe" (my backpack received a name b/c it was so heavy it was almost like carrying someone on my back) and me completely around and stumbling back a few steps before being able to catch my balance. But I see no hurricane, tropical storm, tornado or even a slight breeze. But what I do see is some woman storming off shaking her head. I can only imagine what was going through this 5'5'' woman's mind as she pushed me, and Joe, out of her way. What would give such a small woman (I'm using the term woman loosely by the way) the idea that she was justified? I'm gonna have to go with the fact that I must have looked like her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend that he just went back to b/c of her anger issues. That's the only thing I could come up with. It's either that or she was apparently having a really bad day and the two steps it would've taken her to walk around Joe and I just caused her way to much effort. The thing is, I DIDN'T EVEN SEE HER COMING.... I didn't even get a chance to get out of her way. There was no "excuse me miss" or "can I get by" or heck, even a "move!" would've been better than being made a tackling dummy. After I realized what had happened AND that she wasn't sorry, I thought to myself "I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be the rude ones. If it gets worse than that, I think I may just take the Metro back to Vienna."

Thankfully, it didn't get any worse. In fact, it got better. Being the tourists that we were, it was quite an adventure to get uptown, to downtown over to the Eastside and Westside. But the Carries were very good for the most part in figuring out what train we needed to take and how to get around... and when all else failed, we'd ask somebody. To our surprise, New Yorkers are very nice. The seem to be very proud to be from NY and were more than willing to help you take delight in their amazing city. I suppose that everyone in NY isn't like that, but as far as I'm concerned New Yorkers are A-OK in my book. Even a couple drag queens helped me find my way back to the Upper Westside after a long day of walking around in Chinatown. I got the full New York experience! I wonder if people were nice to us b/c we always had our map out and it was painfully obvious we were trying to make our way in this big city of theirs!! Either way, I don't care. They were helpful and nice and not once did I feel nervous when we weren't sure of our direction. Thank you New York, we enjoyed you and your residents!

More to come.... :)

New York New York....

I'm on my way to New York right now... I plan on posting updates and pics as soon as I can! I already have a story though.

Food for my soul

I have a friend. And I think everyone needs a friend like this friend in their life. Her name is Carrie and she is literally feeds my soul...through laughter, wisdom, Godliness, and love. It's been one of those weeks for me. You know, one of those weeks that you feel like your world is turning upside down and this can't possibly be MY life? Yeah, one of those weeks. But God is so good to me. He planned it perfectly. You see, Carrie lives out in Colorado. But not this week!!! God brought a little piece of Himslef to me through Carrie. I don't know how she does it but she somehow can put all of my of thoughts that I can never really put into complete sentences and help bring clarity and direction to them. If you only knew how hard of a task that is, you would be impressed. She is so wise and I admire and love the way she encourages me to continue to seek God and who He has made me to be through every situation in life. It's amazing how she can see God's story in everything. Well, I'm super tired b/c it's late so maybe I'll write more about how much everyone needs a Carrie in their life but for now I'm off to bed and am thanking God for His gift to me today! :) Hebrews 3:13-15!

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.

Excellence

I went to my first ever golf tournament last week and weekend (no pictures b/c they wouldn't allow cameras or phones)! It's funny to think of me watching golf and actually enjoying it b/c I use to think it was soooo boring. It's funny b/c one thing I've realized as I've taken up this new sport is, I love excellence. Things like a basketball team executing a play perfectly, a swimmer slicing through water with a stroke that makes their arms look more efficient than oars and their kick like a motor, a note that is perfectly in tune to the acustic guitar in the background, a perfect stroke of a paintbrush to tie a picture together, or a group of dancers all moving to the same beat together as one. Excellence, it makes me happy.
Those of you who don't know, I have picked up a new sport and by no means would I or anybody else consider my golf game a form of excellence. But I have realized that it takes a great amount of skill to be able to hit that little ball and make it go to where you want it to land... eh hem, the little hole at the end of the fairway, not the creek or behind the ONLY tree on hole 15. As I was watching these professionals at the tournament, I was in awe. It was like some of them could just look at the spot they wanted their ball to go and the ball would obediently fall right to where they were looking! They could make their ball slice or hook around a tree and land right on the green 5 feet from the pin. Needless to say Tiger did not have the best tournament he's ever played, probably one of his worst. But the crazy thing is, when I watched his swing I saw excellence. Just b/c the end result didn't fall in his favor, he still was doing everything right and it was amazing to watch. Okay enough about that....
The reason I started writing this blog was b/c I got inspired after going to the tournament and have played golf quite a few times in the past week. And although I am far from excellence, I did have an excellent moment on Tuesday. I shot my first ever BIRDIE!!!!! It was on a par 3 at Reston National! Thank you, thank you very much! And then to add to my terriffic week of golf, I shot another birdie at Hidden Creek Country Club yesterday! Back to back birdies, well not really back to back, but two birdies in two days. And for right now, that's as close to excellence as I've come in this silly little game. :)

My soul city....

This is dead on for me!! I love Atlanta and Austin!! What city is the best fit for you!?

American Cities That Best Fit You:

70% Austin 65% Atlanta 65% Washington, DC 60% Honolulu 55% San Diego

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

Hallmark Writers Wanted

So I was looking through some old pictures and came across this one. It's undoubtedly one of my favorites of all times. A friend of mine saw this pic and said that it looks like it could be made into a Hallmark card. So she started thinking of what the card would say and I thought, hmmm, this would be a fun blog. I could post the pic and if you feel like it, create your own Hallmark card on the comments section. My friend's comment was: "Hurry back soon. Look what's happening to me while you're away!" lol. I thought it was funny. Anyway, everyone was getting on my case about not blogging lately so I thought I'd put this one up b/c I just really haven't had time to sit down and write something that takes a lot of thought. I'll vote on my favorite and maybe eventually actually make it into a card (I got skillz like that). And since this is a competition, I expect all Scotts to put their best foot forward...as we are quite the competitive bunch. If you don't want to be judged, please preface your comment with that fact!! lol. But what's the point of playing if you don't want to compete??? Right Adam?! (that could be a whole different blog that I just remembered while writing this)

Personal Policies

50 Toes has tagged me for a Personal Policies meme. They want to know my personal policies - not moral rules, like "Do Not Kill," I'm talking about the silly policies we impose on ourselves, like "Never eat anything you can't identify," or "Don't step on sidewalk cracks." Like Char said, I really can't think of any right off the bat but I'll sit and ponder for a while, then come back to the blog and let you all know what my personal policies are.

1. I hate being late. But I think more than being late, I hate having people wait on me. I don't mind being late or behind schedule if it's just my day I'm working around. But if I'm messing with someone else's schedule, you can rest assured that I will most likely be 5 mins early (but if I'm not, you will get a call and reason as to why you are waiting on me).

2. I always wear 30 sunblock on my face (started last summer).

3. Breakfast is not essential. If I wake up with enough time to mix my carnation instant breakfast (chocolate milk) then I will have breakfast, but if not (which is most of the time) I will go without.

4. I like to dip things. Whether is french fries, vegetables, steak, whatever.... It needs some kind of condiment. Period.

5. I don't watch a lot of tv but I definately do not miss Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights (Thank you Lord for my friends with Tivo).

6. I always check my email at the begining and the end of my day... and whenever I'm bored.

7. I refuse to buy basketball shoes for myself. Ever.

8. I don't like for arguements to go unsettled. I will do everything in my power to come to some kind of resolution any time I'm in a disagreement before walking away.


That's all I can think of right now... Carrie, I'm tagging you!

AMENDMENT:
9. (Should be number 1) I hit snooze EVERY MORNING my alarm clock and cell phone alarm clock go off. Mornings are the devil.

10. I always rinse the sink out after I brush my teeth. I can not STAND for there to be dried spit/toothpaste in the sink. HUGE PET PEEVE!

11. I don't shop a lot but when I do, I splurge!

12. I love to be surprised but often times ruin the "surprise" b/c I have to know everything going on around me at all times... I'm working on that.

13. When I go to the golf range I always start off hitting my Pitch and Wedge then work my way down from there.

14. I keep my cell phone ringer on vibrate.

15. When I want to let someone know I'm thinking about them and just want to say hi, I text them instead of calling. If I have something to talk about I will call, but sometimes all I want to do is say hi and let them know I was thinking about them.

Summer time!

Okay, so I don't look nearly as cute as little Ainsley (my niece) in a little two piece swim suit so I'll spare you guys the scariness of it and just write a little about my trip to the pool. This pool that we (Carrie, Sarah and Mom) went to was awesome! It has a huge slide, and by huge I mean, they should be charging us water park admission fees huge, and it has a one meter diving board (so fun)! Where were these type pools when I was growing up. I mean don't get me wrong, I lived at the pool (just ask Charlotte) when I was little and if it had a slide like this one I probably would've never seen mom and dad, even for meals. lol. But anyway, we all decided to take a venture down the slide (yes, even mom). I felt like a kid again. Running up the stairs to wait in line for my turn to rip down that slide! Sweet! I learned quickly that crossing my arms would prove to be appropriate as the first time I splashed into the pool I would not have been considered "G-rated" if you catch my drift! So I situated myself under water and was ready to hurry up and wait in the line at the top of the stairs! What fun... I remember going to Cameron Run Waterpark a few times a summer and the memories we created there were endless. Anyways, this was just a quick blog in remembrance of being a kid during the summer time. Cheers to all of you who can act like you're a kid again and hit the pools daily during the summer. Think of me, while you're out catching some rays and I'm sitting here in my kind of pinkish cubicle. Who decides on pink for a cubicle?!

Speech Speech Speech!

I had to give a speech on Tuesday (the day after I got back from OBX). Let me tell you, I was stressed. As I was preparing for the Women in Sports Awards Ceremony I kept thinking to myself, "Why on earth did you agree to do this? You hate speaking in front of people." You would think with the amount of times I've been in front of hundreds of people dribbling a little orange ball around, speaking to a couple hundred people for 15 minutes would be a snap. Not so much. I love to talk and inspire and try to make people see things that they don't normally see by challenging them to look at things from a different point of view. But for some reason, the second you put a mic in front of my mouth, I start to fear that my words will not be eloquent enough, or I will sound like a dumb jock to a group of people I really don't know or I will start talking and make absolutely no sense to whoever (whomever?) is listening.

I started writing the speech while I was at OBX and quickly realized why it may be a bad thing if I ever got to work from home. It is VERY hard for me to stay motivated and focused when I have things going on around me (people coming in and out of the house from the beach/pool, music playing, sun shinning... I mean really, how's a girl supposed to work?). Thankfully, one of my friends, Chuck, knew I had to work on this speech and he kept me a little more focused. He was such a help! He would listen to me blurt out ideas and brain storms of what I wanted to say and then he would come up with ways of how to organize them and or suggest ideas to give it a little flavor! He was a huge help to starting the process... THaNkS CHUCK! (this is Chuck)

I decided that I really needed to dedicate all Tuesday to finishing and going over my speech so I left OBX on Monday night instead of Tuesday morning (and boy am I glad I did that b/c I had more work to do than I realized).

I woke up Tuesday and got to work. I had hand written everything that Chuck and I had brainstormed about (he even had me outline most of my speech... thank God for organized people in my life) but I realized that my thoughts are much clearer for some reason when I'm typing. So I typed out what exactly I was going to say and then went over it outloud probably somewhere around 15 times (no exaggeration... I was nervous and when you're nervous the best thing to combat that is practice).

It was 6:00 when I left the house for the Ffx Co Govt center where the Women In Sports Awards Ceremony was taking place. This gave me 15 minutes, just enough time to go over my speech one last time, until I arrived. Finally, I was there, it was game time baby! I felt like I was going to throw up the second I walked into the building and realized just how many people were going to be attending. I had originally thought I would just speak without reading at all (being that I had gone over the speech so many times, I didn't think it would be a problem) but the little girl inside of me was panicking and decided I needed to take what I had written up with me to serve as a back up.

Mom ended up showing up in order to give me a little encouragement and support which was nice. Well, now was the time. I hear the M.C. (Coach Priester) start to talk about me and the path my life had taken. "There's no turning back now! Lord, help me...a lot!" And He did. I got through it, and unscathed at that. I may have stumbled over a few words or so and had to read a few lines of my speech from my paper, BUT from what I know, there were no boogies hanging from my nose, my skirt was not tucked into my underpants (you know how that happens sometimes after going to the bathroom? The back of it just gets caught and you don't even notice) and I think I actually got a few chuckles from the audience when telling some funny stories from my life when I played sports.

So all this to say, I still hate speaking in front of people. But, as a friend reminded me, it's so good for me b/c it stretches me and makes me depend on God to do something that I honestly am not skilled at doing. The fact that I could get through the speech is a testiment to the fact that God does not call the equipped, He equips the called! And I am so thankful for that!

oh and p.s.- Mom cried. lol.

OBX- A get away much needed :)

I got to go to OBX in North Carolina for the long weekend and here are a few pics! I will blog a little later but as for now, enjoy the pictures! There was a group of about 20 of us in this amazing house (with a pool, hot tub, pool table, ping pong table, fuseball and 3 hammocks)! It was a great time for a little r & r as well as adventure! I went jetskiing and HANG GLIDING!! Just call me little MISS Adventure! :)

He loves his Poppy :)

I love this picture! I took it when we were going on a walk around our pond in Virginia. Beckham was so excited to go on a walk outside with Poppy, we could barely keep up him. I love watching Beckham's face when Poppy walks in the room.... he gets this big grin on his face and runs over to him with his hands out! There's not a big story to this picture, I just really like it so I wanted to post it! :) Look at those baby blues!

More than a FREE MEAL!

A fun day. Yesterday (sunday) was such a good day. Not for one particular reason or another but it was just one of those days that when I get older and try and remember the good old days, I will think of this day fondly. It started off going to my church and they just happened to sing all of my favorite songs (well maybe not all but that's only b/c I have a million favorites). And the msg our pastor spoke on was diversity, another one of my favorite topics whether it's a spiritual conver (as mom would say- short for conversation) or just diversity in general. I think diversity is a way that a church can show God's love and power without even saying a word. When you see people of all different ethnicities and backgrounds worshipping together, it shows that Christ can bring different PEOPLE groups together through Himself that love and care for one another! Okay that was a tangent but it just was a great sermon and I love being a part of that church for many reasons, that being one of them. As if the worship/sermon didn't put me on cloud 9 already, as we walked out the doors there was cake celebrating some church members graduation for everyone!!!!!!!! Just another reason I love my church! lol.

Then I had a basketball game. Those of you who know me know that if I could I would play pickup all day everyday. I hurt my knee a little while ago and the doc said I shouldn't play anymore.. yesterday, my knee proved the doc right but b/c the team we were playing was not so stellar, I was still able to play and have a really good time! I love just being out there... I don't think I stopped smiling the whole time I was out there (other than when my knee would catch, not fun).

After that I went to pick up some stuff from mom and dad's which proved to be a little bit of a project. Luckily AJ was there to help dad with some of the lifting and such. :) And of course you can't go over to Mom and Dad's without them inviting you to stay for dinner... so we did. But Carrie and Sarah were also invited (two of my friends), and they can't invite one daughter and not the other. So they called amy up and told her to come too... which she then invited 3 of her friends! so it turned out to be quite the bbq!!! Us girls (minus Carrie, she helped Dad and AJ outstie with the grill... mainly they just sat around, talked and had a couple cold ones) helped mom inside preparing some side dishes and the meat to put on the grill. I'm trying to make myself more marketable by learning how to cook ;) lol.

When we finally sat down to eat outside (it was beautiful out), it was just relaxing and fun. Dad was in rare form and mom followed suit. My friends were saying how funny mom and dad are and I just kept thinking, "yeah, they really are. When did they become comedians?" By the end of the night we had all of mom's Nebraska paraphernalia on the table (I'm still not really sure why, but it was funny) and we had successfully discovered what everyone's favorite icecream, m&m color (why do people have favorite m&m's they all taste the same!), and random childhood stories. Oh and I can't forget to mention mom telling David to "holla!" randomly in the middle of dinner. I think I almost wet my pants.

When I finally got home, I was exhausted! I think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I must've fallen asleep with a smile on my face b/c yesterday was a good day. There were ups and downs throughout the whole day but the tough parts are what make you enjoy the good parts so much more! I love my family and my friends. I wouldn't want to do life without them and I know that sometimes I take them for granted but days like yesterday make me realize my life is better b/c they are a part of it! I wish we could all live close together but I guess we just have to take advantage of the times we do have together and the many different ways God's given us to stay close! :) Food, Fun and Fellowship.... I guess I should add two more F's- Family and Friends (but maybe that goes with Fellowship. It sounds better with just 3F's!) Well, lunch break is ending... Guess I gotta get back to work. Thanks mom and dad, not just for the meal, but for the memories as well!

I've been tagged!

I have been tagged by "50 Toes" to list 8 random facts about myself. Here are the rules: 1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Here it goes:1. I am the 4th of 5 siblings 2. I love to PLAY basketball but my knee is busted so I've run into some problems doing that lately. 3. I love french fries. 4. I love the 3 F's (Fun, food, fellowship) together! 5. I love my family and friends. 6. I am a new golfer, quickly becoming addicted. 7. I am a rockstar on the inside (I love to sing and listen to music). 8. When I want something, I rarely ever give up (can be a good thing AND a bad thing!).

Now it is our turn to tag 8 other bloggers, (although I dont' know 8 bloggers. And the ones I know have already been tagged except Carrie.... so Carrie,You're It!)

Mom's having surgery

Last night we celebrated Amy's birthday and Mother's day together (b/c mom was supposed to be out of town on Mom's day, so we decided we would celebrate them together). We ate dinner at a Thai restaurant in Chantilly and then went home for some yummy cake. The whole night Dad kept telling mom she couldn't eat b/c of her surgery tomorrow (now today) and then she would proceed in telling him that she can eat up until midnight. But that got us talking about her surgery and she is so funny. I think she thinks that she'll be running marathons by next week or something. She had my crutches to take to the hospital for after surgery (so they don't have to pay for another set... we've seemed to collect crutches from all the injuries we've had). But then as I was leaving she said "well I probably won't need these will I?" And I'm thinking no, mom, you're only having some guy stick these hard objects in your knee to look around and cut off anything that may be hindering your movement. No surely you won't need crutches the SAME DAY OF YOUR SURGERY to get around. I mean, she's a fighter and you gotta love her for that. But I've had that surgery twice now and I think I remember using the crutches to get out of the hospital, so my guess is, she will probably need them. All that to say... say a prayer that the God is leading the docs hands and mom recovers quickly b/c if she doesn't she may be throwing her crutches at the people who convinced her to get the surgery... gulp.

Go Big Red!

I was going through some old pictures and came across my trip to Nebraska last October. For those of you who don't know, Mom and her side of the fam is from Nebraska. If you have ever met my mom I don't think that little tid bit could slip by you, especially if you've been to the house. There's Big Red paraphernalia everywhere. Even the bathroom. One of my guy friends came out of the bathroom one day and was like, do you guys know Barrett (I think that's his first name) Rudd? I was like, no why? He was like, "oh. I just wondered why there was a newspaper clipping of him on the back of the door." lol. But back to the trip.

This trip was extra fun b/c 3 out of the 4 Scott girls were out there (sorry amy). I love going to Nebraska for some reason. Maybe it's b/c it's fun to hang with the cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents or maybe it's the football games, I'm not sure. It's probably both. None the less, I have many fond memories of good ol' Lincoln. Slots anyone? (only my siblings/cousins would understand that) :)

Every year that we go to Nebraska we try to make sure we get to a Corn Husker game and man are they fun. People are fanatics there! I love it! Megan and I ended up sitting next to each other b/c the tickets we got were grouped by twos. The game went into one or two over times and the Corn Huskers pulled it out. Thank God b/c we had to ride home with mom and she's just no fun after a Corn Husker loss. During the game Meggo and I were literally squished b/w these two guys that in a perfect world should've bought two tickets per person b/c they were too big for their spot on the bench. After we figured out how to sit just right so we weren't rubbing sweaty elbows with them all game or every time they cheered we were finally ready to root on those Corn Huskers. As you can see in the pictures, we were big fans of the blackshirts (that's what they call their defensive team) which is the sign Megan is throwing up in one of the pictures. I must admit for a few minutes we might've been more into capturing the moment than we were into the actual game (this was of course before the OT's) and found ourselves creating the scene for our pictures. Here are the pics from the game. Enjoy. I can't help but laugh when I look at these b/c if you look at the people around us, they aren't cheering and that's b/c when the game was actually exciting neither one of us wanted to be snapping photos of the other. Come on, we're athletes, we live for games like that and we definitely don't want to miss the excitement just so we can have some candid shots of us cheering. So we "recreated" the scene. Just thinking about our efforts to get our "candid" shots make me laugh. I remember that more than I do the game. I honestly don't even remember who Nebraska played that night. So here's to good memories, crazy sisters, Blackshirts, and Nebraska... GO BIG RED! N-E..B-R..A-S..K-A!!

Chocolate Lava Cake

I think I have discovered my favorite dessert that mom makes. Last night Mom and Dad had some business partners/old friends over for dinner and invited Amy and I too. It's always amusing to be there when mom and dad are getting ready for company. You would think the Queen of England was stopping through by the way mom stresses! Mom always seems to have some new trinket that she's bought in order to give the house just the right touch for their guests. As most of you know mom and dad are trying to down size b/c they are moving this summer so it gets at my dad's last nerve every time mom "finds a bargin." lol. I got to observe first hand the comedy of this little drama last night as I was helping. Mom asked dad "will you go get the mats I just got at the HomeGoods store..." Which dad responded, "Mats, what do we need mats for?? We're moving out remember, not moving in." "Honey they were on sale," Mom points out. "So I guess you saved us a bunch of money by buying something that we don't need because it was on sale," "Honey (for the second time in 30 seconds, she's really trying to convince him), they were both normally $40 and I got them for 7!!" "oh boy," dad says in the most apathetic voice he can. We all kind of chuckle as we know that it probably really was a great deal but did they really need the mats? One will never know. They found a place to put both of them and they look good. So, mom wins and they are keeping the mats. The funny thing is, is I think Dad saw the usefulness of the Mats and appreciates Mom's desire to make the house he comes home to a home. But he loves to give her a hard time, it's one of the ways he flirts with her. Kind of cute if you ask me.

So onto dinner and then my favorite dessert! Our guests, Dick Hewitt (I think that's his last name) and Jerry Ledzinski ('95) finally arrived and we sat, ate some appetizers and chatted. I've never met Dick before and only met Jerry ('95) at his brother's wedding a few years ago in Arkansas, which by the way I think we were the only people (my sisters and I) that didn't know either the bride or the groom. Talk about feeling like you're crashing a wedding! So as we were waiting for dinner to cook we got to know our guests a little better and had a few laughs.

Mom made lasagna and it was soooo good (did I mention I don't really dabble in the kitchen so a home cooked meal is Heaven to me). Then we sat and talked some more about different things, some funny, some business (these guys are part of a company that dad is an investor so they talked a little about that too) and of course some about sports (you really can't come to our house without talking about sports in some way or not). But ironically, it wasn't mom or dad who brought it up.

So then mom went back into the kitchen and brought out these Chocolate Lava Cakes and let me tell you, I couldn't believe how good they were. I almost passed on dessert b/c she said what they were and I thought they can't be anything like the ones in the restaurant. But I decided I would just try it and if I didn't like it I would leave it on my plate.... I think I practically licked my plate clean. These things were BETTER than the restaurant ones. So needless to say, I'm going to have to get that recipe (even if I do have to employ someone to make them for me). This dessert was amazing, so if you want the recipe let me know and I'll get it from mom. All in all it was a great night.

It's sad that soon, I won't be able to just drop by, say hello and sit down for a quick meal. It's fun having mom and dad close but I know they are going to love their new place in SC. Hopefully I'll be able to go visit them more than a couple times a year. But for now, I'll keep making sure their pantry doesn't get too full and enjoy witnessing them loving life and each other! The three F's are what their house revolves around: Food, Fellowship and Fun! I think I could do a whole blog on the three F's but I'll save that for another time. My lunch break (leftovers from last night) is almost over so I have to get back to work... :)

Celebration!

I got the chance to go to Virginia Beach this weekend and spend some time with good friends of mine! My friend, Janetta, just finished her Masters in Education at ODU.. Congrats J! The trip, in itself was a whirlwind starting at 10:30pm in Northern VA on Friday night when I started my trip down there. I was debating whether to leave Friday night after I got home from work and took a nap (I wasn't feeling well so I thought maybe a nap would help) or the next morning. Well I decided that I didn't want to risk hitting traffic in the morning and early mornings to me are like the plague, I try to avoid them at all costs, so I decided I would leave after taking a nap. Well... of course, I was exhausted but was too excited about going to see my friends and I couldn't fall asleep. So I talked to AJ about what I should do and he volunteered to come along for the weekend and drive me down there! Do I have wonderful people in my life or what?! The ride down there was pretty smooth, no traffic and just lots of music, talking and laughing.. which by the way, is so much better than having to preform live concerts to your ipod in your car alone just to keep yourself awake!

We got to Shal's at about 1:45am or so (we stayed with my friend Shalimar who has a cute little 3 bedroom house in Chesapeake, VA). His roommate, as Naval SWOs are so often, was gone so it was perfect! The next morning we all rallied and got ourselves ready for Janetta's graduation. But not before we stopped by the McDonald's to shovel some greese and more greese into our stomaches (which was the second time in 12 hours I was eating McD's... yuck). We met up with Janetta's brothers and they took us to where the fam was sitting. I must say it's been a while since I've been to a graduation... but I was glad that I could be there for this moment in J's life! She's worked very hard for this day and although to me it seems like just yesterday she moved up to VA Beach to start school, it's been a long two years for her and she deserved a lot of celebration for this achievement! We watched her walk accross that stage and cheered as she received that precious piece of paper. If you know Janetta, you can't help but remember her smile... And that's all we could see as she walked off the stage... And her little dance she snuck in!

We went to dinner with her family plus 4 (Shal, AJ, Nya and myself) and just sat and enjoyed Janetta's big day with her. It was nice. Of course the celebration doesn't stop there though! We all decided we would go to her friends partake in a few adult beverages (none for me, I was driving, just to be on the safe side) and then go dancing. Well, the night started to take a turn when we couldn't get into the establishment because one of Janetta's brothers, Steven, was wearing shorts and sneakers instead of being "dressed to impress." Janetta had to go to the bathroom so we asked if they would at least let us in for that... the lady at the door was not too friendly and turned us away. So Janetta did what any woman who had to potty badly would do... went around the back and popped a squat. Not the ideal situation but when you gotta go you gotta go. She had just finished and we (I was the guard and made sure no one intruded) started for the car and the owners met us half way there. I was thinking "oh goodness, this isn't going to be good." Well little did we know the owners must have heard the door lady telling us we couldn't use the bathroom and they were coming to apologize. They felt horrible and told us that if Steven would go change we could come back and get in for free!!! yay! So that's what we did. To make a long story a little shorter. We got everyone to their respective houses safely and have a lot of memories to smile about!

As I've gotten older, I've realized that it gets harder and harder to make time and go see friends. It's kind of sad but at the same time it makes the times that we do get to spend together very special. This was a special day for Janetta and I'm glad I got to help her celebrate it. I know that I will remember this weekend very fondly and I think she will too... I'm just glad I got to be a part of her "special" day! ;)

All in all, a great weekend. A lot of driving but a lot of fun. Looking forward to my next road trip.. not sure when that will be but I know the next "planned" trip will be in June... But planning means nothing, I'm single AND don't have a family, remember?! I can do what I want at the drop of a hat! That is a blessing and I have to remember that!

Grandma Jean

For all of you who don't know Grandma Jean, let me give you a little background. She can be a sweet old woman, but very stubborn at times (yes, probably where us Scott girls get our hard headedness). She loves to take care of her loved ones and one way she likes to do this is to make sure we're clothed for the season. It was always a joyous occasion when we would finally get to open that precious box from Grandma Jean on Christmas morning. I can remember one Christmas, not too long ago, that I unwrapped a present from Grandma Jean just wondering what T.O.B (thing of beauty) she had so graciously given me that year. As I peeled back the tissue paper, I sat in amazement... a Bright Pink, almost fluorescent looking, sweat shirt with a huge Tweety Bird on the front of it saying "Don't call me cute!" (thank you for the correction Megan) You can imagine my gratitude, being a 22 year old college girl at the time. All I could do was smile at the precious little gem Grandma Jean had given to me. And by smile I mean laugh uncontrollably.
So now that you know a little bit about Grandma Jean, you will be able to appreciate the spring outfit that she blessed my younger, 24 year old sister, Megan with! Vogue Meggo, Vogue! :)

Brown Baggin'.... or not.

I don't know if all of you had the luxuary of having a mom that packed you a lunch for school practically every day of your early childhood/young adult hood life, but I did. I was spoiled, I guess. But since those days I have found more than a couple ways to survive and get through my day without starving (haha, obviously). Most days it's one of the stellar, health conscious establishments across the street: Wendy's, Taco Bell, Five Guys or even the gourmet, TGIF. The other alternative is for ME to prepare my lunch and brown bag it... which I wouldn't mind doing if I could just remember to do it the night before. Those of you who know me (that should be all of you), know that mornings are not my best friend and I will do whatever it takes to get that last minute of sleep. Which normally means no time for brown baggin it, (b/c of course I didn't get around to making my lunch the night before) I'll just buy... again.
Well this week I actually brought my lunch twice. But then with a twist of my arm from a couple of my co-workers on Wednesday, decided I would leave my lunch (left overs) and eat it Thursday. So today, yes, I know it's Friday (they talked me into going out to lunch Thursday too. lol), I went to get my lunch out of the community fridge (I'm not even going to comment on that... it could be a whole blog in itself) and it wasn't there! I took everything out and searched frantically for my carefully planned, home made lunch and it was no where to be found. Someone stole my lunch!! Who does that?? So I carefully double checked to make sure I wasn't going crazy and didn't start using my fork as a weapon to stab anyone who had a rectangular tupperware thingy in their cubicle prematurely. But it still was not there. I guess whoever took my lunch really needed it and I should be glad that I could provide for them what God provides for me daily. But seriously, do people still steal lunches past elementary school? Just ask me for goodness sakes! I'll take you out to lunch if you're that hungry! So now, I'm missing a tupperware (sorry mom, it was hers) and I'm stuck eating Taco Bell.... again. I guess my health kick just wasn't meant to be. At least for this week. I'll try again next week and maybe try to set up a camera and catch the brown bag thief in action (he apparently knows how I get down and that any lunch I would bring in would be nothing less than off the chain!!! lol.) Until then, happy brown baggin...

Road trip SOUTH! :)

This past weekend I traveled down yonder for a bridal shower in Charlotte... Since I was going down that way I wanted to make the drive worth it so I made sure that I got to see Janetta, one of my best good friends from college, Danielle, one of my teammates from Oakton, Julie (cousin) and of course, the Watkins clan (my sister, Julie and her fam). The plan, which if you know me you know that I make plans but never have a problem altering them, was to leave after work on Friday night or leave in the morning on Saturday (it's always good to have options) and then depending on which day I left, see Janetta and go to the shower and then go to the Watkins in SC (just south of Charlotte). Well, I decided Thursday night that I wanted to get there Friday so I could hang with Janetta a little longer. I guess I need to work on my communication skills a little better b/c while en route I got a call from Janetta and Julie asking what time I was leaving that night and what my ETA (military for estimated time of arrival) would be. I told both of them when they called that "I'm on my way now," and they were both surprised (wierd). lol. I forget that everyone I know does not live inside my head and when I change my plans I should probably let them know especially if it involves them. But luckily they are both very flexible and were excited I was coming early.
So I spent the day driving and then hanging out with Janetta and her family and even got to go to her fathers awards ceremony where he was pronouced Mr. Shaw University for the year as well as President of the SGA for next year... Go ahead Mr. Heggins! Janetta and I did what we do best and just chilled the whole time I was there. We went to Dave & Busters to partake in some adult beverages in celebration of her passing all of her tests and obtaining her Masters from ODU!
On Saturday I headed to South Charlotte and got to see my old friend Tosha Jamison (from Western Carolina) at her bridal shower. It was so much fun to see her and a whole bunch of other people that I haven't seen in years. It was so crazy to see how much has changed with people but still stayed the same. Tosha's getting married in June so I plan to be down there again for that! It's gonna be a heck of a celebration!
I got to the Watkin's home on Saturday night and was happy to get to sit and talk with Jules and Monte for a while before we all went to sleep. They told me stories of the kids that made me laugh and realize how different my life is than theirs. I just can't believe the little amount of sleep that they have to function off of. I need my 8.5 hours if I am going to be anything close to functional... makes me wonder if I will make a good mother lol. (speaking of, it's bring your kids to work day here where I work and this kid keeps riding by my cubicle on one of the big mail carts like it's a scooter... where the heck is his mother?) We went to Sonny's for lunch, which happens to be one of my favorite places to go and I was in Heaven because we don't have Sonny's up here. We took the kids to the park, took a walk, sat outside with cousin Julie and just chit chatted about what's been up. All in all a great trip to the Watkins mansion, I mean house!
So on Monday I headed home but not before I went to lunch with Dani and got to see her cute preggie (yep, it'll be her and George's second) self! We laughed and cried, mostly b/c I was PMSing but it was great to see her and a good way to start my trip home!
It was a lot of driving in one weekend but it was totally worth it.... I hate driving, mostly b/c I'm always worried about getting a ticket but if there's a good reason to drive I'll do it! Oh and I'll be happy to report--- I arrived home from my trip ticketless!!!!! Praise be to God! :) See miracles do happen every day. I haven't gotten a chance to download pics from this weekend but when I do I'll put them up with this blog! PS- Roadtrips are much more fun when you have someone driving with you.... HOPEFULLY IN JUNE I CAN FIND SOMEONE TO RIDE WITH ME.... Any takers????

One more Scott to enter the blogging world

Okay, so this past weekend I convinced Julie, my sister, to start blogging b/c it's an easy way to let people into your world and kind of feel like they're doing life with you. Or at least aware of some of the happenings going on in your world. My brother, Adam, and his family started one and it's been so fun reading the stories of their everyday life. The reason I hadn't started one was b/c I don't have kids and a family so I really didn't think I would have anything to write about. But I realized that just b/c I'm not married and don't have a family yet doesn't mean that I'm chopped liver. I don't have to wait until I'm married for my life to start (although sometimes I have to admit I subconsciously must think that the way I look forward to that day... pathetic, I know)! So in my efforts to make myself believe that I don't have to wait for my life to start, I opened a blogger (applause please) and I'm going to share my glorious, fly by the seat of my pants (single people can be like that, right Jules), adventure. That was not sarcasm folks! I do love my life and hopefully you will think it's as interesting as I tell myself I am all the time (okay, maybe just a little sarcasm). Hopefully this will be just another fun way to keep in touch with people a little better and let them know what's going on in the wonderful "Katie Scott Show," starring who else, but me, myself and I! Hold on for the ride.... (okay my life really isn't that crazy that you need to hold on but just make sure you keep your arms and legs inside the car) as you join me in my journey to live life empty handed offering nothing but myself to our God. :)