Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Some weeks… February 15, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 4:49 pm

Okay, some weeks are pretty free and life is fairly easy going… then I have weeks like this week where I am filled to be brim with good stuff. I’m talking about things I like to do, things I enjoy, things that matter to me. However, add them all together and it starts to feel like a bit much. So here is a glimpse into the first half of my week and my projection for the second half of my week. (Note some of you will read this and think that I’m a wimp and have accomplished really nothing of worth… that is fine if you are super human and super cooler than me. I am not super human and I like naps).

Sunday started off like any other Sunday. I get up and get ready while my dog sleeps snuggled into my bed. I’ll be blow drying my hair and look over at him so peaceful like and I am reminded that life is not fair. I am certainly not a morning person, but a lot things happen in the morning hours – like church. So I must get up and take part in these activities with people who enjoy the morning. I try to smile and pretend that I wouldn’t rather be in bed. By the time children’s church rolls around I’m usually pretty alert, but starting to get hungry for lunch. I know it’s so silly, but I often think a lot about lunch while I’m helping with the kiddos. Maybe I should pack a snack??? But then they all look at me with those eyes that say “did you bring enough to share with the group?” and of course, I didn’t… so I scrap the snack idea and just wait for my first meal of the day to happen around 1:00pm. Sunday was a life group Sunday and the group was meeting at our house that night. I got home and started to eat almost immediately. After my late lunch I started to clean my house in anticipation of the company I would have over that evening. Once the house is clean enough to make my conscience happy I then decide to spend my last few free hours sleeping – oh yeah! Gotta love a Sunday afternoon nap! I wake up to discover my hubby has fallen asleep on the couch. That never happens! We are both dopey but welcome our company shortly after 6:00pm… After 2 hours of meeting and listening to Jeremy talk on the phone with his brother about blinds and my favorite TV show, it’s off to bed.

Monday morning has a way of being different than all other mornings… It’s a beginning of a new week. This week happens to hold the Missionettes sleepover where I can expect to be responsible for 80-100 girls and volunteer leaders. Needless to say, Monday morning is spent focusing on nothing but the sleepover. Monday at noon I head off to lunch with my mother-in-law. We have a monthly lunch date to spend some time together out of the office and develop our friendship. After lunch, I head to the store to by eggs, flour and an onion. The eggs and flour are for baking project later that evening. The onion is for my husband. I have a few quiet hours at home and then I have a youth student over to bake cookies with me.

Tuesday while getting ready I hear my cell phone go off saying I have a text message. I find that my mom has decided to give Jeremy and I a couch and an over-sized chair. I tell Jeremy and he gets excited because these are nice pieces of furniture. We accept and make plans to pick up the furniture next Thursday… then on Monday… and then we decide to pick it up after work! Yep, we’re decisive. Since Tuesday was Valentine’s day Jeremy was sweet and got us take-out for our staff meeting meal. After work we headed up to my parents to pick up the furniture. We realize the furniture doesn’t fit through the doors well, so have to load it by going round through the backyard where there are double doors that make things a bit easier. We load up a church van almost completely full with furniture. Jeremy and I decide we’re starving and stop to get fast food on the way home. We know that with furniture in the van we’ll want to set up ASAP when we get home. The rest of the night is spent moving what seems like all the furniture in our home around to various places and then moving them back again. Good times.

Now we come to today. I woke up and cleaned my entire house, steam vacuumed all by one room of my house (I didn’t do our guest room because pieces of a disassemble futon are scattered around it n0w – yes, you better believe that drives me crazy). I have finished a book and started a new book. I have responded to many emails and phone calls regarding the sleepover because the deadline to register is today. I will dress up in clashing mismatched clothes for a class dress up day tonight and I will come home and pass out. Tomorrow I will set up and decorate for the sleepover. Than I will go shopping for all the food and door prizes for the sleepover. Soon enough Friday will be here and I won’t stop moving until midnight when I make my class go to sleep. However, I won’t sleep because every sound I hear I will assume that some student is trying to sneak out.

Okay… this got quite long! Sorry! I just thought I would share the fast paced, high action life I live! It’s a fun life, but let me tell you – I see another nap in my future… most likely a 6 hour one when I get home on Saturday!

 

Shout out to my parents! February 8, 2012

Filed under: Family Time,Recollections — Amy Scott @ 5:31 pm

The inspiration for this blog came to me a few weekends ago. Jeremy and I were helping his brother and sister-in-law move into their first house. Jeremy had been down there the weekend before that as well helping them to paint before they moved their stuff in. I started to think about how great it was of my in-laws to help them paint two days in a row and then help them move the next weekend. I was reminded of the week we moved into our house and how much Jeremy and I were both blessed by the help of our parents that week. My parents helped pretty much paint our entire house. We moved Easter week so Jeremy was super busy at work, but I was able to take time off work and help my parents paint. One day I had to work and I remember my parents painted our house when we weren’t home. Now that’s love!

My mind started to wander and remember all the times and different ways my parents have been here for me since I officially graduated and move out. Now I get them being awesome parents while I was home and a kid, but I’ve been amazed by the relationship I’ve been able to have with my parents as an adult. I know there are families who are not as close as mine. I take the relationships I have with my family seriously. I know I am blessed. I am able to be real with my parents and they have been beyond helpful to me as I’ve grown into this adult role. They’ve been supportive but they’ve also let me go. I know that they respect me as an adult. I’m sure it’s a delicate balance to raise a child and then release them to be themselves once they are grown.  My parents have done this transition with grace and I will admit that I am impressed and hope I can be the same way when I have grown children.

Now I will admit that growing up, I had moments just like any other kid. I wondered if my parents really got it… You know, back when I knew everything and thought I had all the answers. It wasn’t perfect. There were disagreements and hard moments. However, I remember other moments more than I remember those. I can remember vivid conversations with my parents where I was completely honest about what God was calling to me to do. I can remember talking over my options and my future with them. I can remember them truly listening to me and not projecting their own desires on me. They always encouraged me to be my best and hold high standards for myself. The ability to be honest with them from the beginning has given me a great foundation to the relationship we now have.

This might seem weird for a lot of people, but I love hanging out with my parents. I really value their friendship and the wisdom they can share from their experiences. Jeremy and I truly enjoy having both our families live so close to us. They are active parts of our lives and we love that. Yes, it sometimes makes Thanksgiving and Christmas complicated, but the year around relationship is worth the holiday juggling. We have been forever shaped for the better by being raised in good solid Christian homes. We knew our parents loved each and loved the Lord. I am so thankful for all they offered to me growing up and I am so glad that still have them as influence in my life. My parents rock! Just thought you should know!

 

A new year and another year January 7, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Recollections,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 9:28 pm

Right now I’m smack dab in the the middle of the New Year and my 26th birthday. It’s a very contemplative time as I ponder 2012 and turning another year older. What will this year hold? This might sound strange, but I’m not a fan of odd numbers, so I’m always happy when I enter an even calendar year and even year of age. As much as I don’t want to be another year older, I am somewhat comforted by the fact that it will be an even year. Like I said, I’ve been thinking a lot… it’s something I probably do way too much in general. Here is what has been bouncing around in my head…

When asked what my new year’s resolutions are I had to say none. I have no goals set for 2012. My mom said this was healthy since according to her I’m scary when it comes to goals. I will be the first to admit that I like to be working towards something and that I have pretty high standards for myself. I’ve been thinking about a lot about my standards. I’ve been looking back in my mind to the standards I set for myself as a  youth student. I’ve been remembering the things that I was passionate about and that shaped the adult I’ve become. I was blessed with a group of friends and family that held me accountable to the high standards I set for myself. Because of the high standards I’ve always had in place, I find that I hold others to equally high standards. Now I don’t judge when someone isn’t like me or not on the same page as me. I just care a lot about my friends and family. I want the best for them. This leads me to holding a pretty firm line in some areas of life. It’s been a challenge for me to watch some people that care about deeply make choices I don’t always support. I can give my two cents when it’s asked for, but really, I’m not in control of others (DUH!) and I’m not responsible for their choices. As a teacher at my church, it’s hard when this happens with students. I feel in some way that I let down in my training. While, I know that isn’t true, I feel the weight of their choices.

As I’ve been pondering the standards that I hold for others, I started to evaluate the standards that I currently have for myself. If you’re going to teach, the Bible says that you’re going to be held to the standard of your own teaching and higher. I started to look at myself deeply and wondered if I’m really walking the walk that goes behind all my talk. Now, I haven’t had any major revelations about poor standards in my life, but I have come to the conclusion that I need to do better. I have so not arrived yet… I’m so far off from being the person I need to be. Even today, I had to apologize for a blunder I made and a lapse in judgement. I’m still human no matter how hard I strive to be perfect. Tonight at church, we sang two songs that mentioned weakness and being weak. In the car ride to church I was praying about that is how I felt, so it no surprise for me to see the theme of weakness coming out in worship. I feel so weak. I know that in my weakness God can do great things. I also know His strength and power is revealed in times of weakness. I just don’t feel like some strong spiritual giant. I feel small. I’m a bit of a control freak who has through a lack of control in life turned a bit paranoid. I can see healthy tendencies in my thoughts and perceptions. I know there are roads I don’t want to go down. I need to refresh my mind and my way of thinking.

All being said, here is what I came up with as my solutions and in a way somewhat my resolutions for the this coming year. I need to pray more. I find that I’m good when I have time to write out my thoughts, but I need to be praying a lot more than I am now. When I try to do things on my own, I fail. I need God to be a conscience part of my every moment. I need to invite him to live each day with me. I know the lines of communication need to be more open for me to see growth in my life. I believe that a focus on prayer coupled with my Bible reading will be a backbone for growth in me this coming year. Bottom line – I want to be better. I want to be a better wife, sister, daughter, friend, employee, teacher, mentor and overall follower of Christ. I know that the people in my life and my Savior deserve my best. I pray that God will give me the strength to make changes in my own heart. If I start with making a difference in my life then I can truly do a better job of making difference in the life of others. This is what I look forward to in 2012 and hope being 26 will be defined as – a year of change – a year where I get better. I believe the this desire to get better will be something I struggle with every year. I think it’s the desire for eternity in my heart. It’s my desire to be truly made right and whole by the love of my Savior. I will someday know this feeling to the fullest, but for now I will make small strides towards the woman God wants me to become.

 

New Year’s Eve January 3, 2012

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 8:58 am

New Year’s Eve is an extra special day for me. It’s my sister’s birthday and ever since I can remember we’ve celebrated her birthday right up until midnight. She’s got in good in that department. Most people celebrate their birthdays with loved ones into the evening, but April really get a full day of birthday honor.

Celebrating April’s birthday this year was super meaningful, even though we did all of things we normally do. April has been living in Kansas for the last six months, but is home for a couple week for the holidays and to celebrate her birthday with family. It’s been great having April and her husband, Andrew, around to hang out with. We last saw each other in Chicago which was very fast paced trip. It’s been great to have some down time with them and just be chill. Many days have been spent playing video games, watching movies and eating a ton of food!

This New Year’s Eve was very much like those of the past. April always requests Chinese food as her birthday meal, so we went to the Great Wall in Salkum for dinner. We all enjoyed a yummy meal and fun conversation. They have these place mats at the restaurant that tell you what your birth year is on the Chinese calendar. Even though we’ve read the descriptions thousand of times, we still discuss them. I finally put together that half of our family our rabbits – Mom, Andrew and April. Rabbits are supposed to avoid Cocks which would be Jeremy. I’m a tiger and I’m supposed to avoid monkeys which would be my father! What strange family dynamic we have if this silly place mat were true!

After dinner, we headed back to our home for dessert. We played some Wii party after dessert and then my parents took off for the night. They aren’t night owls and didn’t feel like welcoming the new year with us. I’m sure they were happy to be home in bed at midnight. April, Andrew, Jeremy and I settled in for a night of video games, board games, a mini dance party, and lots of laughs! This is the first time that I’ve gotten to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home since I’ve been married. Most of the time, Jeremy and I travel to my parent’s house or April’s house to spend the evening. It was harder for me to stay awake this year because I knew my own bed was right around the corner. This lead to me drinking a lot of soda to stay awake. That was great when it got me through midnight. Not so great when I couldn’t fall asleep when I went to bed.

It’s been a fun vacation. I’m still out of the office this week. My hubby took off this morning for work as per usual. It was strange to send him off while I’m still in my pajamas on the couch. We’ve really enjoyed time with friends and family over the last few weeks. I’m blessed to be the family that I am. I’m so grateful for what each member of my family brings to my life. In a world of family dysfunction, I know it’s something special that I can say I’m friends with my family and I genuinely enjoying spending time with them. In fact, that is what my plans are today. I’m going to head up to my parent’s house and just spend the day hanging with family. Hope that you’re enjoying your start to 2012! I know I am!

 

The Simplest Things December 28, 2011

Filed under: Bible,Family Time — Amy Scott @ 1:43 pm

Right now I’m in the midst of my Christmas break which has been awesome, but sadly brought down by a massive head cold. I’ve been able to do all that I wanted and hoped for – just while being medicated… kind of a bummer, but a break is a break and I’ll take it! We spent a lot of time with Jeremy’s family over the weekend and yesterday my sister and brother-in-law arrived from Kansas. We’ve had a great time connecting with them and playing lots of video games. They boys will play Call of Duty MW3 and when we all play together it’s Wii Party. Good times. Tonight we’re heading up to my parent’s house for our immediate family Christmas celebration. It’s fun to push the holiday out just a little longer.

As you can tell my normal blogging schedule is a little off. I apologize to all readers, but I think it’s a good thing when there is so much life going on that I don’t have to write about it. Makes me feel like I’m really living! Nothing dramatic, just filling the time in good ways! Today I was reading my Bible while everyone took turns getting ready. I found myself in Matthew chapter 6. It seems the simplest things and the simplest sentences can be the most powerful. This verse is highlighted in my Bible and I’m always so profoundly hit by it. I wish I could really own this verse and live it out. “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27. I suffer from anxiety. I get nervous about everything and worry all the time! It’s amazing! I know it does NOTHING, but yet I am prone to it. I should really post this verse all over my house, car, and office! Worrying does me nothing. Even on Christmas break, I have found myself worrying about what others think, worrying about the schedule, worrying about this, worrying about that. I’m on a vacation and worrying seems to follow me! So today I am remind that worrying will not bring me more time or a better outcome. Give up the worry and just live!

 

 

Balancing happy and sad December 12, 2011

Filed under: Family Time,Recollections,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:43 pm

This time of year has a strange mix of emotions for me. As you can tell, I LOVE Christmas – all things Christmas! I can’t get enough Christmas music, Christmas goodies, Christmas movies, Christmas decorations… Christmas just makes me happy in a way very few holidays can. However, this time of year also brings about the 1 year anniversary of my grandpa’s death. There are a lot of moments when I get lost in a memory of last year. It’s hard to not be sad as I remember the pain of letting go. It’s strange for me to be on two extremes. It seems like I can be at the peak of Christmas joy and then transported to a valley of sad memories. I don’t like this swinging feeling.  To make the season feel even more heavy, my dad’s boss away a week ago. You might wonder why that would affect me. But it does. This man has been in my life for the last 21+ years. He was a good boss and very generous to my family over the years. The business was family owned and operated. The employees are close and his death has shocked them all because it was sudden and unexpected. I know that my dad was very close with this man. I feel the sadness of him losing a friend and having the anniversary of his father’s death all happen in  he same week. It’s a lot to process. It’s overwhelming to my emotions.

Before all of this the holidays were busy and always involved navigating family and friends. I wanted to see everyone and balance the social calendar. It was a full season, but for the most part it was just full of fun. I wonder if this is what being an adult is like – having to say good-bye more often than I would like, living with memories that make me both happy and sad. It’s hard to balance my holiday happiness with the sad emotions that seem to spring forth from time to time. I know that life isn’t going to get easier. I know that death is 100% inevitable and is never convenient. People will die at the holidays and other important times throughout the year. I can do nothing about that… so now I must learn how to take the good and the bad and balance them in my life. I must learn how to process difficult emotions during joyful seasons. It’s not easy. I’m sure that I won’t master it, but I’m trying.

I want to live life to the fullest. I want to truly live in each moment and not take it for granted. I am joyful this time of year as I celebrate my Savior coming to earth so he could die for me. I am joyful as I wrap presents and wait for the reactions of family members and loved ones as they open them. I am joyful as I bake goodies and I’m joyful as sing along to Christmas songs. There is a lot to thankful for and happy about. To be joyful doesn’t mean I’m ignoring the sadness, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not letting it over take me. I know that my grandpa wouldn’t want me to view the holidays as a sad time every year. I know that he would want to be remember, but not in sadness – with joy. I guess I’m learning that the life really is layered. You can feel conflicting things at the same time. Managing it all and learning from it has a way of making me feel older. Life lessons have a way of aging me. I think it’s a good thing though. I can still be a kid at heart with the wisdom of time and experience on my side.

 

I still miss you… December 6, 2011

Filed under: Family Time,Recollections — Amy Scott @ 8:39 pm

It’s hard not to think back to last year at this time. The memories have a way of floating to the top even if I wish they wouldn’t. They aren’t bad memories, but they do make me sad. At this time last year my grandpa was in the hospital. He had entered the hospital just after Thanksgiving with pneumonia and later discovered some serious heart issues and infections. At first it looked like he was going to be fine, but as things progressed it became obvious that he going to be with us for very long. I knew his health was frail due to being on dialysis, however, I didn’t expect him to pass away so quickly. I wrote my grandparents a letter over the summer letting them know how much they mean to me. After losing Jeremy’s grandpas so suddenly, I didn’t want anything left unsaid between my mine. When I composed that letter I assumed that I still had years with my grandpa. Turns out, I only had months.

I can still remember the last time I saw him. I had been trying to make it up the hospital as much as possible even though I lived over an hour away. My parents had called me that day and I left work early so I could spend a couple hours at the hospital. It was hard to leave that night. I told him good-bye and continued to wish him well on getting better. I told him I would be up again tomorrow to see him. Inwardly I knew that I wouldn’t see him the next day. I knew that I was saying good-bye. I remember smiling at him as I left the room.  There was a heaviness as I had a late dinner with my parents and headed home. That night I put my phones on silent – something I normally do so I can sleep in on the weekends. I had a feeling I would get a call in the night, but I didn’t want to take it. I knew if I answered the phone I would feel the need to head up to see my grandpa as he passed away. I’m not really good with death. I didn’t want to see the life leave his body. As I expected when we got up in the morning, there was the message that grandpa had passed away in the night surrounded by family who all got to say their good-byes and be there with him.

I was good at first. Grandpa was no longer suffering and was with his Savior. Not a bad deal and I was happy about that. I went into help the family mode. As long as I could do something I was good. Shortly after the funeral, I started having stress dreams. There was nothing more for me do, so I dreamed about having stuff to do. I would dream about funeral planning and about the funeral a lot. It was strange for me to go from being so good with things to being stuck on repeat. Over time the dreams did pass. I was back to being “good”. Around October I noticed that I was starting to really remember a lot of the last year and started to feel a lot of sadness again. It took me by surprise. The last couple of months leading up this week have been harder as I remember a lot of things that take me back to my last days with Grandpa.

I still miss him… a lot. I know I probably always will. I’m sure it will come in phases where I feel fine at one time and not so much at another. It’s strange that he isn’t sitting in his spot on the couch at family gatherings. I miss hearing his laugh in the background of conversations. I miss him calling me “Amos” (he was the only person I would let get away with that). He was such a good grandpa. He loved his family. I didn’t get a chance to live as close to him as the other grandkids, but I knew I was loved. I have a favorite picture from my wedding and it’s of Jeremy, Grandpa and I. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but I remember that he had us laughing! Our photographer snapped a shot of us all laughing together. I love that picture. It means a lot to me. When I look at the picture I see the grandpa I want to remember. I see the grandpa who was there for me during life’s big moments. I see the grandpa who made me laugh and saw the funny side of things. I have so many happy memories… but I would take the man over the memories any day. I look forward to being able to see him again someday. What a sweet reunion that will be! I wonder if he’ll call me Amos?

 

Adventures in Chicago! Part 6 September 23, 2011

Filed under: Family Time,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:35 pm

The final installment of the Adventures in Chicago blog series. Oh my! Just like the trip, I am sad that it all has to come to an end!  Maybe I need to visit another new city so I keep up my travel blogs. It’s been fun to recount the details and relive the moments! Here are my ramblings on our final hours in the Windy City.

I’m sure by now you’re guessing that our last day in Chicago started off with Starbucks… and it sort of did… April and Jeremy really like Caribou Coffee and try to visit their stores when they are in an area that has them. So we set off on Thursday morning in search of the closest Caribou Coffee. Turns out its actually right next to a Starbucks! I needed one more purchase so I could get my free drink, so I headed over to Starbucks while the others went to Caribou. What I did next was very brave – a took a competing beverage into Caribou! They didn’t kick me out so we spent the next little bit of time enjoying our morning beverages at Caribou.

As usual, we had some time to kill before the places we planned to visit opened. After a little more research I discovered that the Cultural Center was right next to our coffee shop and it was open at 8:00am! That was good news! The Cultural Center used to be the old public library and it has two beautiful stain glass domes in it. Admission is free and along with the beautiful architecture of the building, they have local artwork displayed on the many levels.

Once we had completed our tour of the Cultural Center we took off down the street toward Barnes and Noble. I needed a new journal and this one of my favorite places to shop for journals. The building that B&N was located in was also used for a local university. B&N doubled as their student store there was all sorts of university merchandise everywhere. It was well stocked with school supplies and textbooks. It was the strangest set up I’ve ever seen. It was certainly interesting and I had a fun time exploring.

We spent the rest of the morning, looking through shops. Jeremy and I both started our fall clothing shopping which is weird for us, because we don’t normally buy “practical” stuff on tourist trips. We had room in our suitcases so decided to go for it. It’s hard to be beat a well-stocked store with good prices. We didn’t have a lot of time in the morning before Dad’s classes ended, so after the shops, it was back to the hotel to check in with Dad.

Dad didn’t have the opportunity to souvenir shop with us the day before, so we stopped by a store we thought he would like. He successfully found some souvenirs of his own and we went around the corner for lunch location. Since we enjoyed the Corner Street Bakery so much at the Field Museum, we decided to check out their store next to our hotel. I had an amazing apple chicken sausage panini (which I copied Jeremy in ordering) and a slice of pumpkin pound cake. Oh my goodness, I couldn’t finish both of them, but I’m so glad I ordered them! Amazing! I’ve never had pumpkin in pound cake form before and it was worth every bite. I even shared with Jeremy so he could experience the goodness!

We finished our lunch in time to head back to the hotel for check-out. Our hotel offered to keep our bags secure until we were ready to leave. Since our flight wasn’t until evening, we had some time between check out and when we needed to be at the airport. With the hotel storing our bags for us, we didn’t have to take them along with us everywhere we went.

Chinatown had been originally on our list as a place to visit and then had been taken off the list because it wasn’t super close to anything. Since we had a couple of hours before we needed to meet our airport shuttle, we decided to put Chinatown back on the agenda. April really struck gold in Chinatown when it came to shopping. She walked away from our time there with many Chinese treasures! We went through the stores and the thing that stood out to me was the smell of them! Some were very intense and very unique smelling! Also we saw some pretty unusual things for sale… Like really expensive dried shark fin and caterpillar fungus.

Once we felt like we had roamed Chinatown to the fullest we headed back into the heart of downtown so Dad could stop by Millennium Park. The boys had mentioned how cool Crown Fountain was and my dad wanted to see the Cloud Gate since it had been featured in a movie he had recently seen. Along the way we got Starbucks because it was very cold with the wind and it was nice to have something warm in our hands!

We got back to the hotel and claimed our bags. We didn’t have a lot of time to venture off and do something else, so we hung out at the hotel and just chatted until our airport shuttle arrived. Everyone was very tired on the ride to the airport. My dad chatted away with the driver, Jeremy and Andrew stared out the window, Mom dozed, and April and I chatted in the back seat. It was a hard conversation because I knew once we got out of the shuttle we would have to part ways and say good-bye.

At the airport, our group of 6 had to split. Andrew and April needed to look for the shuttle back to their car and we needed to check our bags and begin the long process of going through security.  I don’t think anyone was really ready to keep going forward, but it had to be done. Hugs were exchanged and we talked about seeing each other again in December. Knowing that it would be another 3.5 months before I saw my sister and her hubby again was hard on me. I will admit that I was in a bit of funk as we waited for airplane and flew home. It just didn’t feel right to be flying home and not having them be with us like they had been the whole trip.

Overall, it was amazing trip! We got to see and do all we planned and more! We walked a ton and ate a lot of good food. It was an awesome experience to all be together and explore a new city. The memories made on this trip were priceless. I sure hope the warm glow of those happy memories keeps me through to December! Family is a precious gift and this trip was a wonderful family reunion! I look forward to our next reunion – here in the Northwest!

 

Adventures in Chicago! Part 5 September 22, 2011

Filed under: Family Time,Travels — Amy Scott @ 3:20 pm

Wednesday started the last full day of our adventures in Chicago. It was a different day because it was cloudy and up until then it had been sunny all week. Jeremy promised me that the forecast didn’t call for rain, so I left our hotel that morning wearing a light jacket that didn’t even have full sleeves. This was a bad decision… If I would have known the cold and wet I was going to experience that day, I would have bundled and put on my rain jacket. There is nothing worse then packing something for a trip and not having it when you need it. I’m guessing you’ve figured out – it rained!

We hit the L that morning and headed out toward the Lincoln Park area of town. Instead of stopping by a Starbucks near our hotel, we went to a HUGE, 24 hour Starbucks on our way to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  It was the biggest Starbucks I’ve ever been in! Very cool! We continued to make our way toward the zoo. We stopped by the Green City Market which is a local farmer’s market that takes place in the park.  Once we had wandered through the market, we kept trekking toward the Zoo.

Around the time that we reached the zoo it started to rain. Also the animals weren’t out for another hour even though the zoo gates were open. We decided to switch our plans up and head to the Lincoln Park Conservatory so we could stay dry and hopefully let the rain pass. The Conservatory is a beautiful structure and over 100 years old! The plants are lovely and well taken care of. One room we entered said that a small dinosaur would enjoy the plants and climate in that space. Someone must have a sense of humor, because small dinosaur toys were hidden throughout the room. We all had a really good laugh about that! I enjoyed taking pictures of the flowers and plants. I also really enjoyed not being rained on.

Once we were done with the conservatory, we headed back outside to find that it was still raining. Oh joy! So much for the weather passing! Our game plan for the zoo quickly become all about the indoor exhibits. We headed into see the wild cats. The tiger had just eaten and was passed out in his space. The lion was released into his home with a fresh piece of meet waiting for him. All the other cats looked very hungry because they had been watching the lion and tiger. At one point the tiger made a noise which caused the lion to respond and the whole exhibit was filled with loud cat noises. It was quite the sound! After the cats, we headed into the monkey house! They have great monkeys at the Lincoln Park Zoo. They were very active and expressive! Next stop was the small mammals and reptiles. Most of the exhibits after that were outdoors. We had a great lunch at the zoo – I had an awesome cheese quesadilla.  We wander the zoo for a couple more hours after lunch. It became very apparent by the loss of feeling in my hands that we needed to move on from our outdoor activity. It rained even harder on our walk back to the L. We stopped by a pastry shop so some of our group could get a snack. Aside from that stop, we made a very quick wet walk back.

Getting back to the hotel felt amazing!!! We all were able to get warm and dry. The cool thing about our hotel was there is a washer and dryer in room. April and I were able to dry our jeans and it felt so good to put on warm jeans after being so cold. I know this is girly, but I had to redo my hair and fix all the water damage. Luckily, the weather dried off going into the evening.

We set out again after drying off and getting warm. We didn’t have any major plans and stayed around the area of our hotel doing souvenir shopping. We went over to Fannie May which I know sounds like a branch of government banking, but in Chicago they are a local chocolate company. We got some souvenir candy as a gifts and Jeremy and I each bought one of their specialty candies. Jeremy got a white chocolate covered pretzel and I got a coconut treat called a Pink Lady.

As usual we met up with Dad once his class was over. Tonight we were going to dinner with some of his accounting peeps from the northwest. They decided on Pizziaria Uno, which is a Chicago landmark for deep dish pizza. We ran into some trouble with finding enough seats for the group and the ordering process… it was quite the ordeal. By 7:30pm we were finally seated and ready for pizza. Just as before I was in love with the deep dish pizza. I’m positive that I will try to recreate it at home because it was amazing! After dinner we went to the Grand Lux Cafe for dessert. April and I had gotten dessert their before my dad when we had gone to Las Vegas.  The portion sizes there are huge and it was sooo good! I had strawberry shortcake that looked almost too pretty to eat. I’m glad I did because it was worth every bit! Jeremy got a burnt cream duo – one vanilla and one chocolate.

We were all sad for the last day to be over. The trip was certainly packed full of good times and Thursday was another almost full day together, so we knew we had to make the most of each moment while it was there.  Once we got back to the hotel, everyone started to work on their suitcases and packing so we could have the most free time possible on Thursday!

 

 

Adventures in Chicago! Part 4 September 21, 2011

Filed under: Family Time,Travels — Amy Scott @ 3:59 pm

I will admit that giving these play by play accounts of my trip really makes me want to go back and do the whole thing all over again! Reliving the memories has been fun and it’s been a joy to share them. Nothing can replace time spent with family. This trip was truly a blessing for the fact that I got to share these experiences with the people I love the most. I miss them greatly and I look forward to us all begin together again in December. Until then, I will have the memories of this fabulous trip to keep me going.

I left us at a cliff hanger in the last post. Tuesday afternoon turned out differently than expected! After walking around the park, we were all a little warm and wanted to head back to the hotel to freshen up and regroup. The rest of the afternoon’s plans hadn’t been solidified, but I’m positive they would have involved more walking. We had thought about maybe hitting more shops on the mile that we had yet had a chance to go in to. However, our plans ended up keeping us very close to the hotel!

To explain our afternoon I will need to fill you in some details. My dad invited us all to join him on this trip because he was taking a class in Chicago. He walked about 2 blocks each morning to the location of his class. He mentioned to us one day that they were filming a movie in the hotel he was taking classes in. Another class attendee mentioned it was the next Superman movie. Now we had noticed some unique things around our hotel – specifically people wearing earpieces standing on all the street corners. When asked about the movie these people would respond saying they were apart of a movie called “Autumn Frost”, in fact some had shirts that said that. I didn’t know this because I’m not a movie buff, but while filming a movie they will give it a code name so people don’t know what’s really going on. Autumn Frost turned out to be code name for the new movie Man of Steel coming out in 2013. When my dad mentioned this I instantly hopped onto my IMBD app to see who was going to be in this movie. Turns out some big names like Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, and Amy Adams.

I’m not really the type of person to stalk a movie set, but there was something exciting about having a movie being filmed so close to us. After we returned to our hotel, Jeremy noticed that people on the street below were being asked to stand in place. It would seem that people were being selected to be in the movie. Jeremy and Andrew got very excited about this so we all headed downstairs and outside to see what was going on. There were crew members all around and you could tell that people were being placed and staged. Jeremy went up to one of the extras and asked he had been told to stand there like that and the man broke out in a big smile and said yes.  We could tell they were preparing to film a scene and we wanted in on the action.

Now we were not chosen to stand there… I’m actually glad because those people stood in their spots for over 2 hours before there was really any action. We decided to sit in front of a coffee shop on the street to see if we could see a movie star or a watch a scene being filmed before our eyes. Since we were seated in the coffee shops outdoor area, we went in and bought some water and coffees so we would actually be paying customers. We ended up sitting and watching the crew and the extras for about 2 hours. Nothing exciting did happen, however, at times it seemed like it might. We generally chatted about how cool it was to be on a set and to see the extras in place. We talked about how awesome it would be to see a movie star and maybe even be included in the movie.

Our time at the coffee shop ended when we realized that we need to connect with my dad and that the scene were hoping to see filmed wasn’t going to start rolling for a while. We headed back to our hotel rooms across the street and met up with my dad to discuss dinner plans.  As we discussed the rest of our day, we noticed that something was going on down below. The extras were now moving! They had been standing in the same place for hours, so something must have happened! Then we saw a Metropolis cab and taxi… Then we saw a film crew following a man on a bicycle riding down the street! It was Clark Kent! We’re assuming he was riding his bike to work at the Daily Planet, but I guess we’ll have to watch the movie to really know for sure! In a flurry of excitement we again ran downstairs to get in on the action.

Once on the street again, we could tell that they were looping the block and would be back for another take. We stood across the street as Clark Kent again rode past us on his bike! It was very thrilling and I must say I got a bit star stuck and giddy! We had literally been feet away from the filming of a major motion picture! We set off down the street and round the block so the guys could show us some fo their finds (Jeremy and Andrew had gone exploring around the set just a few hours earlier). Just a block away from our hotel, you could see the trailers they had set up and the extra vehicles – police cars and taxis all saying Metropolis on them. This was the last day they would be filming in Chicago and you could tell because everyone was packing things up. We turned the corner just in time to see Clark Kent flying by for a third time. We were told by the crew member on the corner of the street to not look into the camera because it was riding right past us. So… who knows! We might be in a split second of the movie!

After watching the same scene being filmed three different times and from three different angles, we decided to leave the set and search for dinner. Our dinner location was The Cheesecake Factory. This restaurant is always a special treat and it was just as yummy as I always remember. The store front looked like a mushroom (weird, I know) and the inside decor had the same feel. My family joked that it looked like we were heading into a hobbit version of Cheesecake Factory. It was a very funky experience. It was certainly decorated differently then the other ones I’ve been to. I ended my meal by ordering my favorite lemon raspberry cream cheesecake! I was a very happy camper.

With dinner over, we took off to do some looking through the mile shops. April, Mom, and I explored a four story Crate and Barrel. The boys went to the Harley store! We enjoyed looking through some nice stores and letting our tummies settle a bit after all that good food and cheesecake. Once our window shopping experience was complete, we headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep before another busy day!

Thus, Tuesday came to an end!