Tea Time in Scotland

wow twice in one week

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:57:00 +0000

I may be on a roll folks!!!

It is Labor day weekend and I have been working on a ton of stuff. I spent all day Saturday chillin around the house and watching a Katherine Hepburn marathon on TV. Sunday I spent the day cleaning the kitchen, doing my laundry and cleaning and rearranging my bedroom. I also worked a couple of hours at Ebz. My room looks more open and clean now that I have moved some stuff into the spare bedroom. I was able to move my desk over next to the window that gets the most sunlight and the bed now has my fall/winter bedspread on it. Tomorrow I will probably spend the day working on some jewelry, shopping at Target and dinner with friends.

I really do love these long weekends. I get so much done and it is much more relaxing than a two day weekend. I wrote three letters and finished one of two lanyards for a friend at work. I picked my crocheting back up and am working on making some cool notecards. I finally downloaded all my pictures and am working on uploading all the pictures of the jewelry I made to my jewelry blog and the etsy site to attempt to sell some. I spent all day today listening to music instead of watching tv and I must say I LOVE MUSIC.

whoa

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:05:00 +0000

So it's OBVIOUSLY been quite a long time since I last posted.

Lets see... I've done a lot of traveling this summer. Some beautiful weddings and some first time visits to places. Watched Dark Knight four times, watched Michael Phelps become the worlds #1 athlete, and the US dominate the Medal Count in Beijing. Finished grad school in May, increased production in my jewelry line and kept extremely busy at work. Really really busy.

Let's see, with traveling I've added San Jose, San Francisco, and Monterey, California to my map of places visited, Key West, Florida and Connecticut. I've been to Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, California and Florida. I am pretty exhausted and looking forward to a weekend or two of relaxing at some point in time.

Favorite weekends had to be going to California, visiting Beth in Iowa (cutest pregnant woman I have ever seen!), and the Highland games coming up next weekend with dad.

Now for real I will try to keep this updated more often.

Full MOON?!?!?!?!?!?!

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Okay so last week felt like it was nothing but a full moon and nothing could go right.

Things were ridiculous at work with me still learning things and also trying to get things done correctly, which I couldn’t seem to do. We finally got her taken care of by 1700 on Friday the 29th but it was very very last minute and I don’t like things being that last minute. The whole week was draining as I was at work between 0730 and 0800 every morning and not getting out of work before 1800 each night. By the time I would get home around 1845 and 1930 all I wanted to do was eat and go to bed. Now don’t get me wrong, I STILL LOVE MY JOB!!!! I love being busy as opposed to my old job. I just need to figure out how to balance the stress so that I don’t continually break out the way I did this week and get myself into a rhythm for sleeping.

Then came the weekend……

Friday night was the church Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. I attended but didn’t stay too long as I was utterly exhausted. I was almost asleep later that night when I got a call from my “little bro” Dan. His Mum and my friend had almost passed out while driving them home from the dinner. She was taken to the hospital and sent home later that night. It was all really crazy though because I couldn’t get down there to help and I felt so bad that Dan was all by himself until his aunt and uncle could arrive. Then Saturday morning on my way up to visit a friend in Bel Air, MD I got a message from my father saying that MY MUM was in the hospital. She had fallen at work and been knocked out. They had taken her to the local community hospital and done a CAT scan. They weren’t satisfied with the results and because they didn’t have a neurologist on call for the weekend then sent her to Danville. At Danville they found slight hemorrhaging on the brain and decided to keep her overnight for review. They finally released her Sunday afternoon and sent her home with instructions to not drive or work for a week.

I am utterly drained physically, emotionally and spiritually right now and can’t think about anything. ARRRRGGGGHHHHH Prayers are much appreciated by any and all who read this.

It's been awhile

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:59:00 +0000

Wow, I obviously am not staying on top of this very well. Lets see what have I been up to since New Year's?

Well I have been at my job for almost three months and I still love it!! I am getting some really great experience and opportunities. I don't know if I can express just how much I really love my job.

Let's see, what else? I have been keeping busy with school and recently I went through an abcessed tooth and root canal. NOT FUN!!! Discovered I really don't like the company that I am employed through, though I love my job. I pampered myself at a spa with a massage, pedicure and really expensive hair cut that didn't turn out the way I wanted. Been up to see my little nephews twice. Started to set life goals and am working on a piece of jewelry for a friends wedding this summer. Found out another good friend is making me an Aunt, which I can't wait for!!! I am taking swing dancing lessons, finishing up my last two classes for my MBA and cooking a lot more.

Otherwise can't think of much else to write here, but I just wanted to update what has been happening.

Out with the Old and in with the NEW

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:50:00 +0000

Well it is officially the start of a new year and I have yet to finish recapping the old year.

The rest of November...was basically boring with a great trip to NC thrown in to visit my sis for Thanksgiving. My Mum flew down Monday before Thanksgiving and I surprised my sister and drove in late Tuesday night and stayed until Sunday. We went all out and cooked a turkey and all the fixin's. We had a couple of guests over and chilled. Janis and then went to the beach for a couple of hours. It was a good time but then it was back to the grind in DC.

Once back in DC it was time to break out the Christmas decorations. It was pretty nice this year, we had painted, added our copper accents, and rearranged the furinture.

Then I got the wonderful opportunity to attend the National Christmas Tree lighting. It was okay but kinda cheesy. However the friends I went to see it with was time well spent. We froze our butts off and then hit up the local Capital City Brewery for dinner. It was wonderful!!! (I'll even post a pic of how close I got to the Pres. I didn't say it was actually close though :-/)

Then we closed the semester from small group with a small Christmas party. Good times with Good Friends.

Then it was Christmas time with both my immediate family and my best friend family.

Okay New Year's later plus new goals for the new year!

Wow!!!

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:23:00 +0000

Yeah so I had an amazing rest of the week last week and a fabulous weekend.

First of all on Friday I got a call from one of the women I have been interviewing with for this new position. She wanted to know if i could stop by really quick and meet with the other person I would be supporting. I had no other plans but to leave early that day because it was so slow and boring at work so of course I went. It was amazing! Both women are impressed and love me and basically without actually having been offered the position in so many words, I know I have the position based on their comments and the next steps they have me taking. I AM SOOOO PUMPED!!! The position is amazing and will be sooo fulfilling. Instead of going home tired out of my mind from boredom I will be going home tired from actually having worked hard. I look forward to it more than some people can even fathom. :-)

Now Saturday was every bit as good. I had rented a car for the weekend to be able to get out of the city and enjoy the last of the fall foliage along Skyline Drive in Virginia. My friend Courtney and I grabbed breakfast at a little french cafe in the city, had the best french toast ever and then hit the road. We went south before going north because as I have discovered on past occasions going west on 66 and heading south will tack on an extra hour or two to your trip. Plus the traffic would have given me a massive headache.

So by 11:30 AM we were on our way. It was sooooo beautiful and the day was perfect. For those of you who know the quirkiness of me, you know that even though I suffer from sun deprevation depression my favorite days are cloudy gray days with bright autumnal leaves offering a magnificent contrast. That is exactly what we got to start the day. We had intermitten shots of sunshine as well but few and far between. So back to the trip itself, we stopped at a Wawa on our way out of the suburbs and grabbed lunch. Then we continued on and slowly but surely all signs of the city and suburbs fell away to mountains, forests, intermitten houses and numerus apple stands. At one such stand we decided to stop and grab some apples, cider and honey. The farmer had some cups at the stand so we grabbed them to go with our cider and the honey, man it had actual honeycomb in the jar. Then we continued on. The leaves and the scenery continued to get more and more beautiful the farther we went.

You know I seriously wonder sometimes how human beings could possibly explain all the wonder and beauty that can be seen around us as a result of evolution or a big bang. It is soooo obvious to me that it's only description for being can be a magnificent and wonderful Creator who wants to show us just how wonderful and beautiful He is. I mean to see all the different colors and so much of it, its well its indescribable. (thanks to Chris Tomlin for putting it to words)

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea

Creation's revealing Your majesty

From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring

Every creature unique in the song that it sings

All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and

You know them by name.

You are amazing God

All powerful, untamable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go

Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow

Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night

None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and
You know them by name

You are amazing God

All powerful, untamable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Alright back to the trip, we both got many beautiful pictures.

And when we reached the top of Skyline Drive we got a wonderful surprise!!!

SNOW!!! Courtney loved it as she is from Texas and I was okay with it cause I knew I would be leaving it behind. But I did throw my first snowball for the season! It was a good time.

Then it was back to the city, take a nap and then Courtney came over for pizza and we watched Miss Congeniality. Then to bed.

Sunday was a great day too. First of all Pats had a bye so I didn't have to stress about a football game. Though I was rather shocked that the COLTS LOST TO THE CHARGERS?!?!?!? Pastor Joel covered the next movie in the God at the Box Office series. His was The Pursuit of Happyness. I haven't seen the movie but what I did see of it this weekend I need to go rent it. It was an excellent message. The rest of the day was full of other such fun events as well. I took JennO to Tunnicliff's for lunch and then we ran to Target for some quick pick ups. The best part of the whole day was when I met up with my friends Michelle and Amy and we headed up to the 930 club to see the David Crowder Band.

Talk about the most amazing time of my life!!!! A group called the Myriad started the concert and they were phenomenal. Then Phil Wickham played and I have found two new artists that I really love. Then by the time DCB got up there I was ready to sing some praise and worship myself instead of just listen to it. AND PRAISE GOD DCB invited everyone to sing along with them. It was amazing. I believe I experienced the Holy Spirit for the very first time. I have never felt so free to worship ever before and in such a public place. I almost literally felt the Holy Spirit come in and lift me up. IT was all I could do to not try and crawl up into Heaven with Him. It was amazing!!!

Okay this is taking awhile to type up so I'll post more later. God Bless. Oh yeah enjoy Veteran's day fr all you who get the day off.

Update

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:13:00 +0000

Well to start Cayd Elijah was born November 2nd, 2007 at 9:35 PM. He is 9 pounds 8 oz, 22 inches long. He is the spitting image of his big brother when he was an infant. Red hair and all. I can't wait to say hello to the little guy.

As for me, I had both interviews and they both went well. The one I actually withdrew my application later because I realized that I wanted the other one more than I did that one. Now I am basically just interviewing all over the place looking for a new job.

I am really excited because I met Sunday with the group of folks who have all expressed an interest in going to India in the Spring with NCC. There was about 12 of us and all had different backgrounds. Some of the folks had been on prior trips with NCC and know what to expect. Then there are others who are more like me, never been on a trip outside the US and freaked beyond reason to go. It is going to be an expensive trip and a trip that requires complete faith in God. I will have to take a week and a half off work, it costs approximately $3000, I have to have a bunch of shots (and for those of you who know me well, know that I am a 27 year old baby when it comes to needles), and it will be a huge step outside of my comfort zone.

I was encouraged however during this meeting by those who said that if you are fighting with whether or not your supposed to go then you are definitely supposed to go. That is most definitely satan fighting hard to make you stay when he knows if you go he will lose more. That is both encouraging and discouraging. I get tired of constantly fighting to do the right thing. Sometimes I feel that no matter how hard I fight I just keep getting beat down and I just don't want to do it anymore. I feel like throwing in the towel and going up into the hills and becoming a hermit. Never having to deal with people again and thus never really having to fight. All I would do is read my Bible and pray. There would be nothing there to make it hard.

Now I know this is foolish and extremely selfish because this world and my life is not about me and my creature/spirit comforts but rather about God. I know that I made the decision to be used by Him which means that my life will never be easy. I have made the choice that I will honor and glorify Him in everything that I do. Thus, I will keep fighting, I will keep reading and studying and learning more about Him. I will keep allowing Him to put me in situations that require complete faith in Him. I know by just saying that I have opened myself up to more hardship than I personally can probably handle but I know that if I continue in His word and in daily prayer with Him I will be able to make it through and come out the other side more refined than before.

well that's all for today. Thanks to all who read this and pray, especially Beth. I covet everyone's prayers.

My fabulous weekend and "star" experience

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:28:00 +0000

This last weekend was a ton of fun! Sarah was stilll prego, the little one just wants to hang out inside mummy, so I ended up staying in DC for the first weekend in a very long time. I still went a head and rented the car for the weekend though because I had a lot to do. So Friday was nice, I got off work, picked up the car and went shopping. I got all my grocery and necessity shopping done and made it home in time to watch Numb3rs.

Saturday was gorgeous! A large group of us met up near-by and headed out to Virginia to go apple picking. we stopped at this little restaruant called the Apple House for lunch and then it was on to Stribling's Orchard. It was beautifully cool and still sunny and the picking was good. I had so much fun and now I am planning to make a couple of apple pies with my pickings. That night I hung out with a couple of other friends from church and we ate chili and cornbread and carved our pumpkins. Overall it was a great day.

Sunday was one of the best days ever!! Pastor Mark's message was amazing and very convicting. He finished off his series on the Elephant in the Church by confronting the Apocolytic Elephant. To hear his sermons check it out on itunes Podcast National Community Church.

But the best part of Sunday morning was actually getting to meet Dave and Kate Schmidgall. They are the missionaries that I have mentioned a couple of times previously, who are working with a church in Edinburgh, Scotland called Eikon. I didn't get the chance to meet them last year when they were at NCC's Mission conference but my friends knowing my passion for Scotland told me about them and I was able to find them online through their website. I have been following their work there in Edinburgh since shortly before they left, via their blog. Let me just say that what the team at Eikon is doing in Edinburgh is AMAZING!!! You should see the way that God is working there. All that to say that it was so wonderful to finally meet them in person. I felt like I was getting to meet my version of movie stars. I am really hoping that God will allow me the awesome opportunity to go to Edinburgh in the Spring and help with my church's Buzz Conference!!

In other news...pray!!! I have an interview tomorrow for a job that I would really like. It would be a cut in pay but the job would be amazing! I would get to work in a great environment, with great people, and actually be busy doing great work. I will tell more after the interview!!!! Please pray though!!!

On a more serious note...please be praying for my co-worker John. This past Friday night two of his daughter's were in a terrible accident. The youngest at 16 Sarah was killed and the oldest at 21 Melissa is in critical condition, in an induced coma with brain damage. Please please pray for him and his family. He has three other children as well. It could be months before he comes back to work due to the extent of Melissa's injuries. Please please pray God's will in his life and for the recovery of Melissa. Please also pray for peace, comfort and strength for the rest of the family to make it through this extremely difficult time.

The best and the worst of it.

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:06:00 +0000

This past weekend was both good and bad. Let's start with the good.

I finally made it to the West Coast for the first time in my life. I went to Oregon to attend the wedding of a friend. It was absolutely lovely there. It reminded me so much of Scotland that I just wanted to stay. I got to go with a friend and have a lovely time driving the scenic highway to Multnomah falls and then on to Mt. Hood. It was lovely and quite enjoyable. I also got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life. I was like a child running at the waves coming in and running away when they got too close. It was amazing!! We were there at night for a bonfire and just to see two of God's greatest pieces of work in the same place was breathtaking. The sky was blanketed in stars that ran down to meet the wide expanse of the mighty Pacific. How can anyone say that a big bang did all that? Really?!

I got to see and spend time with old friends and make new. It was great! The wedding itself was beautiful. The bride was out of this world gorgeous and the groom was handsome in his tux. Everyone looked dapper and beautiful. The reception was an elegant affair in a renovated old JC Penney building. I'm talking the good ole building with wood floors and ornate decorations. I spent more time at the reception reacquainting with old friends and making more new ones. I met the Reber's a wonderful family. Carissa and I share a passion for cars that I have never found in any other girls I have ever met. It's nice to know that I am not the only girl who enjoys "boy" things. :-)

Then came the after-party. All the folks from DC and all the groomsmen trotted round the corner to a local bar. The reception ended before 9 PM and none of us were ready to hit the sack quite yet. Spent time shootin the breeze and then shootin some pool.

The worst part of the weekend then hit like a gale force off the bow. My friend that came out with me decided to do something that I and a lot of other people really didn't think was wise. We all loved them and didn't want them to get hurt or make a fool out of themself. Well let's just say, I confronted them and it did not go well. I and another friend spent the rest of the night worrying about them, where they was, how they were and if we would actually see them again the next morning. It was awful. We also worried about the person on the receiving end of their decision. They were drunk and had no clue what was going on. They didn't even no the other had decided to stay until they walked back in and we didn't.

That was the worst part of this whole trip. Two people that I care about deeply and neither one coherent to make a good decision. I hate fighting with people, I really do. I love my friends and would do anything to ensure that they never had to deal with pain in their lives. However I can't back down from what I said to the one. I still believe that what I told them was true and I stand by it 100% but that doesn't make it any easier that they still won't talk to me and that they hate me. I hope that someday they will realize this and see that I only cared about them. Until then I want them to know that I still love them and am here for them if they need me.

How depressing :-)

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:12:00 +0000

I think I have finally figured out my "purpose" for men in life. For some I am their ego booster, meaning when it is good for them they'll not discourage my liking them but when it isn't they'll be rude and cold shoulder me. jabg For others I am the carrot to be dangled in front of the woman they really wants nose. dnfc The last group are the ones that see me as the permanent "gal pal". The Gal they can hang with, who likes cars, football, soccer and more. apjggtss

Maybe my Dad was right, I do act too masculine. However ,though I may like lots of "guy" things I wear a ton of pink. I wear skirts all the time in the summer. I have an unmistakeably unavoidably prominent chest. I wear make-up, like to cook, love my kitty, love bright colors and find Tom Brady, Matt Damon and George Clooney highly attractive!!! YUM!!! Maybe I just have really bad luck. If that's the case, 27 years of bad luck does not bode well for the future. :-/ :-)

Soo....maybe it's the guys who are the problem not me. Maybe they are the ones who can't handle the idea that a girl can be a girl and still love "guy" things. Maybe they are the ones that can't see a good thing when it is staring them in the face. Oh well, what to do. I won't change me (to a point, I do know that everyone has things they need to work on) to make a guy happy.

oh well not going to dwell on it too much but just needed to put it down on "paper".

10 years ago today

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:48:00 +0000

The People's Princess, Princess Diana

10 years ago today we lost one of the most amazing women in the world. There are many others out there but Princess Diana will always stand out as one of the most remembered.

I can still remember how I felt when my Mum informed me that Diana had been in an accident. I remember thinking, there's still hope because she isn't dead yet, they think she's alive. Then that awful moment when they finally announced her death to the world. It was devestating! She was one of the most influential women in the world and was 100% worthy of the title "The People's Princess". I mean she was one of the few people that was on my list of folks I wanted to meet. She showed the world that not everyone in the royal family was immune to the world around them and the difference they could make if they chose to. She showed the world that Aids patients deserve the same amount of dignity and respect as the next. She showed the world that all it takes to bring everyone together is a little bit of love and caring.

To this day I still get teary-eyed when I think about her and about her sons. She did a good job instilling in them the reality of life and responsibility to the people. They have grown up to be wonderful young men who reflect her love and character on those around them.

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:54:00 +0000

Well I will be done with Grad school in April of 2008 and I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!! It has been a long three years in coming. I didn't realize just how hard it would be to go to school full-time and work full-time. I mean, I knew it would require work but I figured being able to go online would balance out the time that I would have been sitting in a classrom. Yeah doesn't work that way. It actually takes a lot of self control and self discipline. I have had to really crack down on how I spend my time so that I am not up into all hours of the morning. Now that isn't to say that I've done a good job. I have slipped a lot and because of that have really pushed myself to the limit. But in the end it will all be worth it. I will have my MBA, be eligible for a raise, have the option to look for "better" jobs and much more.

On another note, I may have found a way to spend next summer working in Scotland. I have to do a bit more research but who knows. I really hope it works out because it could open doors for me to be able to move there in the future.

I DID IT and here are my results.

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:15:00 +0000

Next year these numbers will be much better, but for my first time, I am proud of myself.

The first number is my place finish (oy!) then obviously my name age and where I am from. Then the first time is the overall amount of time it took me to complete(3:45:38.05, we had a total of 4:20:00 available to us to finish it in) then the next number is my place finish in the swim (1659) and how long it took me (54:32, we had an hour to complete). Then my place for the first transition from swim to bike and the amount of time it took (1421, 5:49). Next is my place finish in the bike portion (1652) with 2:10:00 available to me I finished it in 1:52:03. Next is my place overall for the swim/bike combined (1658) with a time of 2:52:22. Then my place and time for the second transition from bike to run (192, 1:25). Finally is my place in the run (1632) and it took me 51:52 which is worse than my previous 3.3 mil run but I also did have to swim and bike before my last run. So that in a "nutshell" is my results for the RYKA IronGirl Triathlon.

1656 JOYANNA NEINER 27 WASHINGTON DC 3:45:38.05 1659 54:32 1421 5:49 1652 1:52:03 1658 2:52:22 192 1:25 1632 51:52

I acutally can't wait to train for next year, but I think I'll give myself a week first to stop being sore :-).

J's Jewelry Designs

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:55:00 +0000

So I have finally begun to create pieces of jewelry that I am actually putting out there for the world to see. I have been making jewelry for friends and family for years as gifts but now I have been encouraged by a good friend to set-up shop and offer my pieces to the "world". I create made-to-order jewelry, you tell me a little about yourself (the colors you like, your personality) and a little of what you are looking for. I draw up a design and create a unique piece of jewelry to fit you and your personality. I also make copies of certain pieces I have made in desired colors. I love doing this. I would love if someday this became my full-time job. (One can only dream right)

Here are a couple of my most recent pieces.

Cherry Pop Bracelets (set of three)

Cool Breeze

Lime Lolly Necklace

(there is a set of earrings as well just no photo at the moment)

Orange Sherbert

Orange Sherbert2

Linkin Gems

Peridot Heaven

Red Rhapsody

Red Rhapsody2

Red Rhapsody3

Silver Lining

Silver Lining2

ZigZag

Transformers and Harry Potter

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:21:00 +0000

I LOVED TRANSFORMERS!!!!!!!!!!!! I have seen numerous movies where you know there is going to be CGI and unfortunately you can see it but not with Transformers! I grew up with these guys as toys as a child but never watched the cartoon. So the movie was great on two levels for me. First it was like seeing something for the very first time that didn't have a book or previous show to it (at least that I actually saw) and the CGI was AMAZING. It was so well done that you could almost believe that the Autobots really changed from cars to robots and back. The interaction with humans was quite real as well. I have to say this is the first movie since I was a youngster that I would pay to go see it in the theatre again.

Now as for HP and the O of the P, well that's another story. I didn't go into the movie with any pre-thoughts though some friends said it was great and others said it was disappointing. I sat and I watched and I generally enjoyed but over all I was disappointed. About the only thing I definitely enjoyed where the action scenes. I don't really know what else to say. I thought they could have done a much better job.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out RIGHT NOW. As I am staring at my computer it changes from 2359 to 0000!! MIDNIGHT!!! HP is officially on sale and my copy will be in my hands at some point in time tomorrow when UPS delivers it!! I CAN'T WAIT!!! I am so excited and kinda worried at the same time. I know someone has to die and that this is the end but I am worried about who it will be. I'll let you know what I thought of the book in about a month when everyone has had a chance to read it. I don't want to be held responsible for someone googling it and getting my site and having the book spoiled for them.

My new life verse!

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:45:00 +0000

With everything that God has been teaching me lately and impressing upon my heart I discovered a new life verse. As many of you know I have finally decided to let go and obey God and stop making excuses. I am headed to Scotland next year to start my new life. I discovered this verse the other night while reading through 1 Thessalonians and it really struck deep.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

FAITHFUL is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to PASS.

What a strong reminder to me that no matter how hard I fight it, His will will be done and He will see it through till the end. It is a constant encouragement to me that I am not in this alone and that I will do this this time.

In another note, I found verses in 1 Thess. that will hopefully help me with my no complaining restart.

1 Thess. 5 16 - 22

REJOICE ALWAYS;
Pray WITHOUT CEASING;
In EVERYTHING give THANKS; for this is GOD'S will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not QUENCH the Spirit;
Do not despise PROPHETIC utterances.
But examine everything CAREFULLY; HOLD FAST to that which is GOOD;
ABSTAIN from EVERY form of EVIL.

OY!

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:53:00 +0000

This whole not complaining thing is harder than I thought. I haven't gone one day without complaining at least once. I have cut back but it still slips out. I blame it entirely on the job right now :-).

On another note, I both like and dislike change! You know in some ways change is great because it increases the spontaneity in life but on the other hand it comes with much "growing" pain.

Relationships~all kinds not just that annoying boyfriend/girlfriend one but the friends one. I realized recently that I am very selfish. When it comes to relationships I have a hard time maintaining them if I can't physically see the person. For example, my best friend Beth lives in Iowa and I rarely see or talk to her.

Now some of this I attribute to the fact that she is now married and has someone else that she has to consider in life. Not that I hold that against her. I am happy for her. But I was thinking the other day that it sucks that our friendship seems harder to maintain now and that is when I realized that it is solely because I am selfish. I expect her to call me or contact me all the time instead of me MAKING the time to maintain a friendship that I hold dear. I never thought I wasn't selfish but I guess I just didn't see myself as that selfish.

The other thing that I realize is that when I do talk to my Best friends I usually am also working on something else at the same time and not giving them my undivided attention. What A JERK!!! If they have taken the time to call me and check up on me then I should give them the same consideration and pay attention. I realized this when I was talking to my best friend Shrig a couple of weeks ago. She is always so good about it and I always promise to call back when I have time, but do I? No! I am a selfish jerk.

Then there is my best friend Sarah who I probably dedicate more time to than all the three put together and that is so unfair of me. I don't know why, it's not that she is any better than the other two. I don't know, maybe its because she challenges me on a level the other two don't. NOt that they don't challenge me in their own ways but somehow it's different. I don't know how to explain it.

Each of them has had a direct and infinite impact in my life. Shrig has been the one person I could count on to treat me as an equal since that wretched time of life called highschool. She has taught me to laugh at myself when I do something stupid and to be strong in what I believe. She has been a part of my life for years and without her I sometimes think I would have forever remained living with my head stuck in a hole in the ground. (you know what I mean Shrig :-))

Beth I met in college when she was dating a guy I was interested in. (It's always best to be friends with your "friends" girlfriend) We built an amazing friendship out of it and have been there for each other through the ups and downs. She has taught me to find the beauty inside myself, to persevere and to trust that God is in contrl.

Sarah I also met in college and have known for years now. Sarah is the one who showed me the grace of God through her life, she showed me that there is always hope and opportunities for second chances. She has shown me that it is possible to live solely on faith alone when there really isn't much else to live on.

Then there's a friend that I met online who I have had the HARDEST time maintaining any kind of a relationship with. We seem to miss each other somehow. Course that might be because he lives in Portugal :-). But you know... He's fun to talk to when we get the chance and it takes me outside of my small world of DC and the USA. Who knows moving to Scotland next year may even give me the opportunity to actually get to meet him in person. That might make the friendship work :-) seeing as I do better with "physical" friendships.

I have numerous friends here in DC and am afraid of leaving next year purely for the reason that I know I struggle with maintaining long-distance relationships. I don't want to lose my friends. They mean a lot to me and each one has made an imprint on my life. What will I do without them?

Tryin something out and Scotland

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 02:34:00 +0000

So our Pastor mentioned this challenge that another Pastor presented to his church. I have decided to give it a try. Basically the challenge is to not complain for 21 days. Supposedly the result is no more complaining because you have created a new habit of finding only the good. This is something I definitely need to work on so here goes...

Have you ever finally let go and let God take the wheel only to realize that DUH if I had just done it sooner maybe I would already be where I should be? Boy I really do feel like an idiot when I look back at just how clear God has been for as long as I can remember about going to Scotland. I mean I am talking all the way back to the age of five!!!!

I have always dreamed of this country and had an intense passion for her that I couldn't quite explain and still in fact have a hard time putting into words. When I tell people that I love Scotland and that i can't wait to get there and they ask why all I can say is I know that's where God wants me. I really have no other way to explain why the passion is so strong and so intense.

Before last September '06 Scotland was a mere dream and not even a "possibility" in my mind. Then I actually got to go and visit with my Grandmum and God just made it 100% clear that I was home and I should have already been there. I have a passion for the country who's land flows through my blood. I have a passion to reclaim the youth and college age of Scotland for GOD.

It's funny to think that Scotland is the home to John Knox and had such a strong Christian past yet 67% of all Scots no longer claim any religious affiliation. Some say this is due to the fact that the church has remained in the past while the rest of the world contiunes to change and move forward.

A very belated Father's Day post

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:37:00 +0000

I LOVE MY DAD! I truly believe that I have one of the best Dad's out there. Without him in my life, I would have never become who I am today. (I wonder how he sleeps at night? :-D) He took care to raise us with an instilled fear of the Lord that helped me to grow into a faith and love of God that I can call my "own." He taught me by experience to work hard to pay off debt. He taught me to respect my elder's. He created in me my passion for camping, history, designing my own home, the smell of fresh earth and timber (he built homes and we would visit him on the job site), football and my Scottish heritage.

Though I am told I look exactly like my Mum, I believe I act a lot like my Dad. I have a strange and inane hatred for the telephone (which I am pretty sure he gave me), but it's a good thing. It allows me to be able to break free like other people can't. I tend to both think things through and do things on the spur of the moment which he definitely does. I am a complete introvert at heart, which I definitely got from him, but I work hard to combat it and step out of my comfort zone to be part of an "extrovert" life. I most definitely have his nose!!! (it's big :-D) I generally tend to hold my frustration and annoyance in until I reach a point where I can no longer do so, but I don't have a tendency to yell at all. I don't like to be told that I am wrong unless you can show me how I am wrong. Definitely qualities I get from him. To think of it, I don't know if I have ever even heard my Dad yell in anger or frustration. I have heard him yell to be heard above the work site and to get people's attention from a distance but HHHMMMM, yeah can't think of a time.

My biggest frustration with my Dad is that he refuses to see how great he is!!!! I fight every day to not feel like a failure because HE believes he has failed in raising his children which in turn conveys to me that no matter what I am doing it isn't enough and I am a failure. That is rather frustrating to deal with every single day. I mean none of us still live at home or rely on him to care for us. My brother is an amazing Marine and wonderful man, my sister is growing into her own person and learning how to do life, and I am living in my dream American city and soon to realize a whole nother dream. I mean SERIOUSLY!, I call that a man who has definitely succeeded.

Now that is not to say that at times things haven't happened that make life look bad but there comes a time when a parent has GOT TO REALIZE that they have taught their children to the best of their ability and that no matter what that child is still a human being with their own free will to make right and wrong choices. I mean seriously. It would be pretty sad if at the ages of 24, 25, and 27 my Dad was still teaching us right from wrong and disciplining us. NOW THAT would be utter failure.

At the same time, his utter refusal to accept success makes me fight even harder to do something that will make him realize what an awesome job he did and to say he is proud of me and what I have become. I hope that some day he will view me and his family as a success and in turn I will finally feel as if I have accomplished something in my life.

Things I remember doing with my Dad that I love:

Camping at Gettysburg
Camping in general
Highland Games
Snipe hunting
Job site visits
Pink things (Canada mints)
Spearmint leaves
Campfires
Family devotions at the table
Sunday nights playing boardgames and eating popcorn
Cookouts (master griller)
Long drives to Virginia
Vermont
Dirt Roads (he has a thing for finding at least one on any give trip we take)

"milestones"

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:01:00 +0000

I chopped off my hair on Wednesday night and I absolutely LOVE the result! It is so short, easy to care for and refreshing.

Today I finally paid off enough on my school loans to break under 12,000. I am so excited. While I was paying on them between school, it felt like all I was doing was paying interest and I wasn't seeing a reduction in the overall at all. Since being in school and getting my new job I have decided to continue paying on the loans though they are in forebearance. Because of this I am paying on the principal and not the interest and actually starting to see a reduction in how much I owe! I LOVE IT!! It makes me feel like there is hope and someday it WILL all be paid off. Yippee!!!!!!!!!!

verrry interesting thoughtful skeptisism

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 02:19:00 +0000

I am not sure if I 100% agree with this, but then I am not sure where I stand on theology anymore. Being from a Baptist upbringing and attending a Baptist College where theology has been shoved down my throat, I have found that theology is the grounds for a lot of division in the church.

I do know that I firmly believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that we are here on this earth to bring Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that without Them I am nothing. I believe that as a believer it is my duty and privilege to tell others about Them. I believe that the Church is a global body of believers and not a building where believers meet. I believe that God has granted us all gifts and we are to use them to glorify Him. I believe the Bible is 100% right and true.

As for the other things I choose at this point in my life to not deal with them. I don't believe that what you believe about the rapture and the millenium will make a difference to whether or not you will get into heaven. I also do not believe that being a Calvinist or Arminian makes a difference. The Bible specifically remains unclear about many things. Also it seems everyone who has a differing belief or opinion can each back it with Scripture.

Seems to me that this means we should spend less time fighting and arguing about who's right about what and more focusing on telling others about the awesome and amazing Grace of God.

You scored as Reformed Evangelical, You are a Reformed Evangelical. You take the Bible very seriously because it is God's Word. You most likely hold to TULIP and are sceptical about the possibilities of universal atonement or resistible grace. The most important thing the Church can do is make sure people hear how they can go to heaven when they die.

Reformed Evangelical

61%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

57%

Fundamentalist

57%

Emergent/Postmodern

50%

Neo orthodox

43%

Classical Liberal

43%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

36%

Roman Catholic

21%

Modern Liberal

11%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

My Bug-a-boo

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:09:00 +0000

My precious little Bug-a-boo
Happy Birthday you're TWO!!

I pray you'll grow in knowledge and grace,
And always learn to seek His face.

When push comes to shove
May you always show/know love.

How exciting that soon you'll be a big brother
And you'll get to be Mommy's extra special helper.

As you enjoy your toys, especially Thomas,
Know that this I solemnly promise....

Your Aunt Jo will always love YOU!!

Things to do today

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 04:06:00 +0000

___ Talk to a friend about getting a ride to the airport early Friday morn.
___ Write Aunt Karen in PA
___ Write Andee in Virginia
___ Write Kate in Iraq (I've been very bad about this) SORRY!!!!
___ Write Aunt Karen in Scotland
___ Finish writing discussion paragraph for the first part of this weeks assignment
___ Clean kitchen
___ Fold and put away clothes
___ Call Virginia State Police :-/
___ Read chapters 2 and 3 and take quizzes
___ Call Beth and Sarah

My Brother the Marine

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:48:00 +0000

I think that way too often I have taken for granted the fact that I have the best brother in the world and he came back to me and my family from Iraq not once but TWICE. I love him so very much and wish there was some way to express how much I love him and am so proud of him. He is an amazing man who overcame, what he was told were insurmountable obstacles, to become an extremely competent and respected United States Marine.

I also had the awesome opportunity to see my Grandfather honored on Memorial day this year. It was amazing and had me crying. My PopPop is WWII veteran who served his country with honor. He was honored by a local TV station in Southeast PA.

I also had the chance to be able to stop at Ft. Indiantown Gap National Cemetary and pay my respects to my Grandpop. He served in the Navy during WWII. Unfortunately he died before I ever discovered my passion for understanding the war and hearing my grandparents stories. I miss him and wish that I could have just one more day with him.

I know it's a little late but a great big THANK YOU to all our men and women who have served and are serving our Great Nation!

How big is your God?

noreply@blogger.com (kiltsandthistles) — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:56:00 +0000

We finally finished the last night of our small group going through the book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You have to get out of the Boat. The last chapter discussed how big is our God. It talks about worship and how our lives are to be worship, that what we do on Sunday at church is only a small part of what worship is. I really appreciated this excerpt from the book.

"We are to worship God, not because His ego needs it, but because without worship, our experience and enjoyment of God are not complete. We worship God not so much because He needs it, but because we do.

I need to worship. I need to worship because without it I can forget that I have a Big God beside me and live in fear. I need to worship because without it I can forget his calling and begin to live in a spirit of self-preoccupation. I need to worship because without it I lose a sense of wonder and gratitude and plod through life with blinders on. I need to worship because my natural tendency is toward self-reliance and stubborn independence."

I need to worship because without it I have forgotten Who takes care of me and gives me the will to live each day.

And on the subject of getting out of the boat...I now have a one year plan to get to Scotland by June 1st, 2008. Here is the plan..

DESTINATION SCOTLAND!!! (5/17/2007)

One year plan -- June 1st 2008

Concerns
Books
Degree
$750 for plane ticket
Sarah's baby 10/2007
Janis' Wedding 4/5/08
Getting Fia to Scotland
Storage for all other items
Finding a church
Obtain Ancestry visa
Finding job to pay bills
Save $5,000 for vital living expenses

Solutions
Box and Ship
Start back 6/2007
By August 30th 2007
Enjoy the experience
Enjoy the experience
Purchase cat carrier, and get tranq from vet, research rules and comply
Rent space near folks in PA May 2008
Pray, check out Eikon and other churches in the area
Begin push on May 22nd, and get Grandmum's birth certificate
start search Feb/Mar 08, talk to Walden and the possibility of an internship
Save $500 a month beginning June 07

Tea Time in Scotland

wow twice in one week

whoa

Full MOON?!?!?!?!?!?!

It's been awhile

Out with the Old and in with the NEW

Wow!!!

Update

My fabulous weekend and "star" experience

The best and the worst of it.

How depressing :-)

10 years ago today

I DID IT and here are my results.

J's Jewelry Designs

Transformers and Harry Potter

My new life verse!

OY!

Tryin something out and Scotland

A very belated Father's Day post

"milestones"

verrry interesting *thoughtful skeptisism*

My Bug-a-boo

Things to do today

My Brother the Marine

How big is your God?

verrry interesting thoughtful skeptisism