Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Mother’s Day May 16, 2012

Filed under: Family Time,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 1:19 pm

So far, I’ve been writing about my own Mother’s Day experience with preaching. However, since I am not a mother, I want to emphasize the point that Mother’s Day is not about me. I want to take few moments to thank some ladies in my life who mean a lot to me. They are the reason this day is special!

First off, I think it goes without saying that I have an awesome mom. She’s seriously the best! She’s not like most moms and I appreciate that. She didn’t pretend to have all the answers, she didn’t raise me to be a girly girl, she always had my back and made sure I was safe. I might not have a traditional mother, but her wisdom and encouragement over the years have shaped me into who I am today. I can look back on my childhood and know that my mom made Jesus a priority in our home. The faith that parent’s lived in front of me was a foundation for my lifetime relationship with the Lord. I’m thankful for the honest conversations I am able to have with her and for her prayer support in my life. My mom is seriously one of the biggest blessings in my life!

I am blessed to have a mother-in-law that loves deeply loves her family. I can see that in how she has raised her boys to be the men that they are today. I am so thankful for Jeremy’s parents and how they have influenced him. I can say that they did a good job! Since my mother-in-law had all boys, it’s been fun to watch to her have daughters now that all her boys are married. I appreciate all the prayers and support she lends to our family. I get the  joy of having monthly lunch dates with my mother-in-law and I know from these times that she cares about what is going in my life and has a genuine interest in the things I care about. I am blessed to be a part of her family!

I have ladies in my life who I would consider mentors. They are women I can talk about life with. I know that I can trust them and that they love me simply as I am. Jeannie Collins has been a constant source of strength and encouragement in life for over a decade! She’s been with me through a lot of life’s ups and downs. She’s shared many tears, smiles, hugs, and mornings of red cup day with me! Jeannie has always been there to cheer me on and her voice in my life has made a world of difference! Vicki Judd has encouraged me to step up in ministry. She is an advocate for women in ministry and has been a firm supporter in me following after the big dreams God has place in my life. Getting to share the stage with her on Mother’s Day was a big deal for me. It’s a memory that I won’t forget. Our theme was In Her Steps and let me say, Vicki’s shoes will be hard to fill as leaves Bethel Church at the end of this month.

I’m thankful for the many ladies that God has placed in my life. Each is unique blessing! Honestly, I could write endlessly about the love I’ve been shown from the women mentioned above and many others who are not listed. There are so many great women who have poured into me and helped shape me into the woman I am today. I’m thankful for their influence, prayers, encouragement and support. I can’t say thank you enough!

 

More Often May 3, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 5:52 pm

Oh, the words “more often”… They can bring up good feelings like – I should eat dessert more often! However, they can always bring up bad feelings like – I should really clean the toilets “more often”. As a person who tries to keep life in balance, the words more often tend to bring up guilt in my mind. They usually mean I’m not doing enough.

Today I started to think about the things I should do more often. They aren’t things that I feel obligated to do, but the things that make me happy. These are the things that fill up. After our church ladies retreat, I would say that these things fall under my spiritual gifts and my values. The month of April was incredibly busy for me and during my busy seasons something usually doesn’t happen as often as it should. For the month of April it would be mentoring and hanging out with students. My free time was just too limited. So now that it’s May, I’m happy to say that I have two dinner dates on the calendar with some lovely ladies that I am long overdue to catch up with.

The other thing I started to think about is something that I’ve gotten out of the habit of doing. I dearly love sending notes of encouragement. I used to be really on top on sending cards to the kids in my class and to my friends who live at great distances. I’ve gotten out of the habit of sending cards so I thought I would make a change and start today! I spent part of my evening writing some cards as a way to do something I love and hopefully something that will bless others. If I’m super cool (which I haven’t been months… possibly a year…) I’ll make and send a homemade cards. Crafting… that is another thing I should do more often! I always enjoy it when I do it. I’ve just gotten out of the habit of it.

I don’t want the little things in life that I enjoy to go by the wayside when life gets busy. It’s important to do things that fill you up and make you feel like yourself. Living out your gifting will not only be a blessing to others, but I’m pretty sure it will be a blessing to you as well!

What are somethings you should make time for? What should you do more often? Remember I’m talking about the things that make you happy! Not the things you feel are expected of you. No guilt! Just joy!

 

All the Days April 20, 2012

Filed under: Recollections,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:06 pm

April and I being our silly selves in the Malibu - Summer 2005

I’m a very nostalgic person. I have lot of fond memories and they are easily triggered.  This week it has been happening a lot as my husband and I have decided to sell my car. I know it’s not mine, but ours… it was given to us as wedding present from my parents. It was the car that they let me take off to college and in a lot of ways I have bonded with it. So many memories actually take place in the car. It seems strange to think of, but it’s true. I can think of the deep and meaningful conversations I’ve had in this car and the fun moments of being silly and singing at the top of my lungs!

Yesterday I drove my car into work and thought to myself this may be one of the last times I drive it. Turns out later that morning was Jeremy making plans to meet a lady in Tacoma to sell it. I associate driving in the car with my music. I was joking that I wished I had time to make a mixed CD of all the songs I wanted to hear one last time in the Malibu. While no special “Last Drive” CD was made, I spent the ride up to Tacoma popping CDs in and out of the player so I could have the same effect. However, the lady was a no show. I know Jeremy needs this car to sell before he can buy himself a new truck and I had worked myself up trying process the fact the Malibu would soon belong to someone else. It was a little bittersweet – more time with my car, but more waiting for it sell.

I was still in that place of wanting to relive the songs that I love in the car that I love. Truthfully, from my music choices I can tell that my taste in music is stuck right in the early 2000s. I popped in a CD that I loved from high school and rocked out on my way to dinner last night. One of the songs was all about getting ready to leave for college and that last day with all your friends before you all go in different directions. Back in the summer of 2004, I really connected with this song. This was my reality. The song was anthem of my situation.  As I sang along last night, this line of the song really stuck out to me:

All the days we’ve been traveling together, I won’t even look over my shoulder till I find the cure for getting older.

Suddenly I felt old!!! Now I know at 26, I’m not old.  But I sang these words 8 years ago! The song talks about not slowing down and being ready to move on to what’s next. In a way that’s what I’ve been doing. I went off to college in Portland, I got married, started working in ministry alongside my husband, bought a house, got a dog. Life keeps moving!  However, unlike the writer of this song, I do stop and look over my shoulder from time to time. I’m amazed at how far I’ve come and how far I still have to go. I’m thankful for the memories I have. I’m even more thankful I’m still making memories with friends from that period of time in my life.  There are people in my life who knew me deeply then and still know me deeply now. That is a gift I cherish!

So I might have been reliving those moments, those high school glory days as I drove to dinner last night with the music blaring in my car. They were good times. I keep thinking of the line “all the days we’ve been traveling together” – God has definitely been at the steering wheel guiding me. Some of the passengers in the car are newer friends, but some of them have been there a long time. Even though it might seem like those days are forever ago, I know they are sweet memories I choose to hold on to. I also know that I’m not done yet. Even if I’m not driving my trusted Malibu, there will be lots of deep conversations in the car and lots of singing at the top of my lungs. I can see God’s hand on all the days behind me and all the days still before me! I’m buckled up and ready to go!

 

Just a little different April 18, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:21 am

All this personality and gifts assessing reminds me how truly different we all are. No one is exactly alike. God has wired us all different! Sometimes I think God might have mixed up a few wires, because I often compare myself others and desire to be different. However, God is good at reminding me who I am. He won’t let me forget that he made me on purpose.  I guess I better trust with all of me – even the weird stuff!

I’ve been formulating this blog in my head the last couple days and really trying to pin down the strange sides of my personality that you may or may not know. This is a small glance in the very unique creation God made when he created Amy Scott. Here we go:

  • I mentioned this in an earlier blog, but I don’t like odd numbers. They rub me the wrong way. I love even numbers. They make me happy. Why? I have no idea!
  • I don’t eat breakfast, but if there is chocolate cake in the house then that will be my breakfast of choice! Yum!
  • In an ideal world, I would get up around or after 9:00am and go to bed sometime around or after midnight. I’m a night owl, but I’ve had to learn to curb my tendencies so I’m well rested and nice to people in the mornings.
  • I would rather get lost in a book than in the mall – shopping is not one of my favorite things.
  • I usually only go clothing shopping twice a year. Once for fall/winter clothes and again for spring/summer.  Why go shopping over time when I can do it all at once and get it out of the way!
  • I like to start Christmas shopping in October.
  • I used to collect things when I was growing up (i.e. Cherished Teddies, Cabbage Patch Dolls, stuffed animal monkeys), but now I’m very anti-collection and anti-clutter. Apart from a few pictures, I don’t display personal things in my house.
  • I love Hostess products! Twinkies, ding dongs, crumb donuts, cherry pies! Yes, please!
  • I have to sleep with all the doors in my room closed.
  • I can’t picture things in my head very well (this frustrates me a lot) – like imagine this room with (insert changes) or picture this wall gone… It hurts my head.
  • I don’t like to get wet. Everyone jokes when I say this about how I shower everyday – that is different. I love being clean, I just don’t like being wet. So swimming isn’t high on my list of fun things, I also can’t stand being in wet clothes. It’s the grossest feeling ever.
  • I always lock doors – safety first!
  • If I’m home alone while watching a movie or reading a book – I will usually sob over happy endings or touching moments. Not so much when I have an audience!
  • I order the same 2-3 menu items at certain restaurants. I almost never try something new. At some places I only order one thing and that is it.

Those are the few things that make me who I am. I know I have ton more that I haven’t listed. If anything, I want to remind us all that we are weird. No one is normal. God made us this way on purpose. Instead of spending your energy trying to be someone else, free yourself and be yourself!

 

 

One Year April 6, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 7:04 pm

Today is a special day for me. It’s the one year anniversary of my blogging adventure. This will be my 156th post. When I started this blog, I had a lot of fear. I love to write and I want my voice to be heard, but I’m so worried about what others will think and what I’m “supposed” to say. I told myself when I started this blog that it would be a good outlet for me to express myself in writing. I love to write. I’m passionate about writing. If this year has done anything for me, it has continued to fan into flame my dream to be an author and have a book published. I daydream a lot about what my book will be about… I’m still clueless in that matter. I know I have something I want to say. I just have to decide how to say it and format it. In a lot of ways blogging has been so good for me. In other ways it’s been discouraging.

As I started this journey, I set off thinking that I would freer to say what’s in my head. While this has been somewhat true, I also find that I struggle with my mental filter. What can I say? How honest can I really be? I want to be known, but that means putting myself out there. This has been a hard balance. I truly believe that not every thought needs to be shared with the world. I struggle with life and ministry and faith, but how much can I say before I cross that line? The line where people will think of me differently or feel uncomfortable… I don’t know. I know I mentioned it about a month ago, but God really has been calling me to speak up. Of course, I need wisdom and discernment in my words, but I don’t want to hide anymore. I don’t want to a wear a mild mannered mask when there is a fire in my soul. I don’t want to sit back, I want to be a part of the conversation. I have lots of thoughts and opinions. In a lot of ways, I’ve felt inferior to others. I assumed that what I had to say was nothing in comparison to what others had to say. I was second string… now I realize that in a lot of ways I’ve put myself into that box. I don’t want to sit on the bench. I want into the game (figuratively, as we all know I’m not one for sports).

At times I’ve told myself it doesn’t matter what I write. Unless I link my blog to Facebook (which I’m not 100% sure I want to do on a regular basis), I get about 5 views a day on my page. Doesn’t really seem like I’m changing the world or anything. The one thing that I have held to is even though my blog might be viewed by only a few, I am still working on my writing skills and finding my voice on the page. This is a positive and something I believe will set me up for future opportunities. All I know is I am a writer and I will continue to write. This year has been a learning experience like no other. I’m continuing to find myself and discovering what makes me tick. I am happy to report that even through the ups and downs of this past year, I am just now starting to be free to be me. My prayer is that I continue to venture out into the world and not hid in my shell.

Here’s to another year of writing and another 156 posts!

 

Crazy Coincidence February 27, 2012

Filed under: Recollections,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 9:47 pm

In the last blog, I mentioned my post-it notes that were discovered at my old high school and my love for my Spanish class and the good times that I had. I was talking with my husband today and telling him that I could think of so many more stories that were blog worthy about Mr. Chappell or Profe as we called him, but there is only so much space. I contacted my teacher earlier today to let him know about the notes and how funny it was that they were still there after all these years. He added me as a Facebook friend and I discovered that today is birthday. So weird that this would all happen on his birthday. So Profe, if you’re reading this, consider my last blog a birthday present! I hope it brings some honor to the legacy you have left as a teacher!

 

 

Weekend Away February 9, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me,Travels — Amy Scott @ 4:19 pm

My wonderful husband surprised me on my birthday by telling me that he had planned a weekend away at the beach for the two of us. He had already found a dog sitter and made the reservations. It was a great surprise and I was looking forward to our trip. This last weekend was the weekend away that he planned. It was neat to stay at a new place in Cannon Beach, OR. We stayed at the Surfsand Resort. The best part of this hotel is the beachfront rooms are super close the lovely Haystack Rock that Cannon Beach is known for. Also, the room had an amazing soaking bathtub and I was able to enjoy some amazing bubble baths. It was a very special treat.

I was super excited for our trip, but by the time it rolled around my hubby was super sick. Poor Jeremy had a fever between 100-103 the entire time we were away. This made our trip a little more on the quiet side than we expected. Jeremy didn’t want to head home to rest. I guess he figured resting at the beach would be just the same. It was beautiful weather the entire time we were there. It was sunny and 60 most days. That weather is a treat in June let alone in February! It was sort of a miracle in my book! Even if we weren’t out on the beach as much as usual there is still something refreshing about watching the waves crash into the shore on a lovely sunny day.

Now, there are things that must be done while one is at the beach… at least in Jeremy and I’s humble opinion. I thought I would share with some of the things we love to do each time we visit. First off would have to be lunch or dinner at Mo’s. Best clam chowder! In a sourdough bread bowl! Enough said! It’s perfect! Normally Mo’s is packed with seafood loving foodies, but we were amazed to find that including us there were only 6 customers in the entire place. That’s what you get for going on a Thursday night in February. It was crazy! The next must stop place would be breakfast or lunch at Pig’N’Pancake. I love breakfast for any meal of the day and this pancake chain is one of my favorites. There is always a stop in at the Cannon Beach Bakery. Jeremy gets a loaf of their apple cinnamon bread every time. I’m a fan of their donuts and many other sugary sweet goodies.  If we’re at the beach for more than one day, we love to take the drive down to Tillamook for a tour of the cheese factory. I have taken Jeremy to the cheese factory two times before and both times the plant was closed for maintenance. You can still get in and get samples and buy cheese, but there is nothing to observe. This time it was not only up and running, but we had the whole observation deck  to ourselves! It was great. We bough some squeaky cheese (cheese curds) and had a blast having the place to ourselves.

Normally we’re only at the beach one day so that means Mo’s, the bakery and P’N’P fill up our meal needs. Since were there a couple of days, Jeremy and I got to try some new places. The first would be Pizza A’Fetta. We went there because they sold pizza by the slice. I had a triple cheese pizza slice that was very tasty. I’m not really the type of person that rates pizza… to me it’s all good usually. I was informed though by the waiter that they are in the top 50 pizza places in the US. Pretty cool. The other place we went to for the first time was the Lumberyard. The food was good. I had fish & chips and Jeremy had a turkey pot pie. The highlight for me was their bumbleberry cobbler that I had for dessert! Very good!

The trip was still a lot of fun even though Jeremy moved at a slower pace than normal. We watched the sunset on Thursday and took walks each day. Jeremy went out at low tide and collected 31 sand dollars. I thought that was pretty impressive! It’s hard to beat a sunny, warm weekend at the beach. It was a great surprise and I’m so glad we went!

 

Simply be you! January 23, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:27 pm

For 2012, I have mixed up my Bible reading routine. Crazy, I know! Everyone has a favored translation of the Bible and for me I’m a solid fan of the NIV. Going to Bible college, I heard many a debate on which translation was the best. Translations fall all along the scale from extremely literal to more modern day language. At Multnomah, it was accepted that the NIV fell in the middle between literal and modern. I was used to the NLT being the top choice at my church and I was surprised to find that it wasn’t a favorite at my school. My first Bible that I used for personal use the NIV so it felt a bit like going home when I settled back into using my NIV as my Bible for both study and devotions. Ever since then I’ve been hooked on the NIV. However, this year I’m changing the translation… in fact, I’m not even using a translation. I’m using The Message which is technically a paraphrase. Bible college peeps really don’t like you calling The Message a translation… oh, those were the good ol’ days! So many details mattered back then!

I’ve been reading from The Message as a way to get a new perspective. Sometimes reading the same thing over and over can cause my heart to become numb. I’m no longer absorbing, I’m just reading what I always read just like I’ve always done. I find that things really jump out at me when I can switch to a new version of the Bible for a while.  I was reading in Matthew 23 and a verse that I highlighted many years ago, jumped out at my yet again. I thought I would share it with you.

Matthew 23:11-12 “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.”

I may be 26, but I still feel like a newbie to adult life and to ministry. A lot of times, I feel inexperienced and I feel the need to make myself appear more confident then I really am. When I put on this confident mask, I’m hiding the fact that I really don’t know what I’m doing… I don’t want to puff myself and make myself appear like something I’m not. I’m reminded by this verse that if I’m truly okay with just being me then my life will make a difference. More than anything, I want my life to count for something. I want to give my all to be an influence for good in this world. I’m not some deep scholars, I’m not some gifted speaker, I’m not really that impressive in anything… not trying to be self-deprecating, but really I’m not much. I can see how inadequate I really am in light of all I feel I need to be. I’m still searching for the balance of contentment in myself while striving to keep growing and changing into a better person. I am constantly reminded by my loving, heavenly Father that it’s not about who I think I should be. It’s all about who He made me to be.

 

Ice Storms and Power Outages! January 20, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 12:48 pm

I have to admit, I’m pretty happy that I have the ability to be writing this blog! Yesterday around noon we lost our power due to an ice storm that decided to move in right after the snow storm. The combination of lots of snow and ice made for many downed trees and branches all around the area.

Remember how I said in my last blog that things could be rescheduled? Well, that is exactly what had to happen! I made some calls yesterday and learned that most places were closed and want everyone else to stay home. Since Jeremy and I were still trapped in our house, now covered in ice, we knew that it was another snow day for us… I mean, ice day! Jeremy got the house all warm with our wood stove and then sat by the window with it open. Why would he do this? To listen to all the trees cracking, of course!!! It was like the 4th of July around our house. You could hear trees and branching going down all around us.

The power being out wasn’t too big of a deal. We had filled the bath tub with water so we could use our toilets. We had charged our laptops so we watched a couple of Smallville episodes. Jeremy’s parents were super sweet and offered to pick us up so on the main road so we could go to dinner with them. It was nice to get out of the house for a bit since I’d been home since Monday afternoon (I didn’t mind being home all that much). When we got home it was dark, no more natural light for our house. I pulled out a bunch of tea-lights and candles that I had stashed away for such a time as this. It’s crazy when you have no lights on how late it feels. We got home around 6:00pm, but with the darkness I seriously felt it was 8:00-9:00pm. After a few more Smallville episodes, Jeremy and I called it a night. It was amazing how dark things were with no house lights.

This morning, Jeremy discovered water coming out our freezer. It was starting to defrost from the lack of power. We called Jeremy’s dad, who had offered to let us borrow their generator the night before. Jeremy and I went outside to shovel the driveway so his dad could pull in. However, according to Bill we would still need chains to get into or out of our driveway. Jeremy and Bill got the generator all set up and our fridge all plugged in. Of course just a few moments later the power came on! That’s how it works!

So we are a still house bound. We have chains, but we don’t need to use them so we won’t. We’ll let the rain melt the snow a little more. Maybe tomorrow we can venture out without the help of others! It seems that wind is moving into the area tonight. The trees are still a bit icy and already slightly damaged from the ice storm. I’m still in power-outage preparedness mode. We’ll be ready if lose it again tonight. Along with wind, the snow melt poses a threat for flooding. Crazy times in Lewis County, folks!!!!

 

More Snow Creatures January 18, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 8:21 pm

Okay, I thought 9 inches of snow was cool yesterday. Today, I woke up to 22 inches of snow! It was a pretty amazing sight! This morning my hubby, puppy and I set out to explore our extremely wintery wonderland. It was crazy to have the snow come up over my boots. Since I don’t own snow pants, it was sort of a chilly walk, but totally worth it. Toby, our dog, was bounding through the snow or following behind our paths we created. We called them snow tunnels and our yard is now a maze of them. When we walked on the road, we could find ruts that would make it easier for Toby to walk. It was fun to see the snow piled up higher than Toby.

We went back out again tonight since we weren’t sure what tomorrow holds. Jeremy kept brainstorming the next snow creation we could make. The snow creature took on many different possible shapes. It started out as snow horse…. it sort of looked like snow seal. It then become snow sphinx… then snow lion, snow tiger, snow…. dinosaur? We’re not really sure that he is! But I think he is cute no matter what he is!

It seems the local schools are already decided to cancel for tomorrow. Even though snow plows are clearing up roads, most people just like us, still can’t get to them. Our driveway is still buried in over a foot of snow! I’m not sure what tomorrow morning holds… I feel like tomorrow is the day I have to go back to being an adult. The kid in me wants another snow day, but somethings can not be avoided. I guess it really all depends on if we can drive out of the our driveway. Part of me knows I need to go back to the real world, but part of me hopes we can’t make it. Things can always be rescheduled, right???