baseball

if you know me very well, if you don't let me enlighten you, i did not grow up a baseball fan. in fact, after the 94-95 MLB strike, i said i would never watch it again. i did not play baseball growing up, ever! no little league, no jr. high, no wiffle ball, no soft ball, no nothing. i didn't like it, why would i play it?

well, it is funny how your kids can change you... eric played baseball all summer and i help coach. we went to springfield cardinal games, we went to st. louis cardinals games, we practiced two days a week and sometimes had two games a week. we started practicing in may and played games until the very end of august.

eric improved so much through out the year and i had a blast. i was like a kid learning how to play. (i didnt let the parents know about my baseball knowledge or skill level...lol) i helped to coach with a buddy of mine from HS and a friend from down the street. it was a blast!

but now, i am a fan. a cards fan. not much cheering after their weekend elimination from the ALDS. and i have to ask my self, how do life long fans handle the disappointment? like cubs fans, year after year... you lose. how do you get geared up for the next season? now, let me say, i love wrigley field. eric and i got to go there last summer with a HS friend of mine and his son...and it is awesome! so much history and tradition and such raving fans....how do they do it?

anyway, just some random thoughts... i have a goal of getting back to more regular blogging. no promises, we'll see how that goes.

playing

uncle daniel...get outta my face.

uncle daniel...get outta my face.  

i'm sitting on my meme with my peepers.

i got out of icu today...  

thanks for all the prayers.  everything that could have gone right, did.  thank you LORD.

prayer update...

well, he made it through the surgery great!  thank you LORD. And he is now in recovery and very heavily medicated to keep him from feeling the pain.  so, now we need to pray for a speedy recovery!  he is so young and been through so much! it really is a reminder how fragile life is....  

another post maybe....  keep praying for now!

AND thanks to all of you who have been praying!!!  God bless you all!!!!

pray

this is lincoln.  he is 2.  he is a stud.  he is my nephew.  he is having open heart surgery in the morning to remove a growth on his heart.  the doctors say it isn't a big deal.  they don't know how much he means to us.  so, if you would...please, remember him in your prayers.  

i believe this passage in scripture, so i am asking in Jesus name.  keep this little boy safe.  give his parents a peace when they hand him off to the nurses.  let him recover quickly.  praise God for every moment he gives us.

thanks eric cooper

my boy is a little like his dad sometimes.  he is a bit obsessive from time to time.  every since he was little, i am talking like 3 or 4, he has worn his socks inside out.  not only are they inside out, all of his socks are one particular kind.  why?  because the others hurt his feet...

i have always poked fun at him because of this...well, today, i would like to say i am sorry.  i am realizing how brilliant he really is.  i never can find matches to my socks, b/c they are all different kinds.  so, i need to eliminate all but my favorite kind and i won't have that problem.

i told you he always wears them inside out.  why?  b/c of the line at the foot of you sock where they sow it together...it bothers him.  so, when you turn it inside out....your toes have the same smoothness the rest of your foot enjoys!  this morning, i found the pair of socks that i believe to be one of my favorite brands.  put them on, went to the gym to run.  the socks feel really good, except for the toes...hmm...turned them bad boys inside out and voila!  perfect socks! 

it is taking me a while, but i am coming around to his way of thinking... 

vacation

vacation first morning in the condo from Daniel Scott on Vimeo.

vacation

tug o war from Daniel Scott on Vimeo.

vacation

i know i said i would post some, but that just has not been first priority on vacation.  so here is some, a little late but...oh, well.

my little rock star from Daniel Scott on Vimeo.

hectic

as if things were not crazy enough around the scott household... I, me... I decided that we should go roller skating on sunday afternoon.  why not, it was kind of cold and very windy outside and we have never taken the kids roller skating.  so, skateport here we come!!  it was exactly like i remembered it!!  seriously, i don't know of anything that had really changed.  ahh, the rink surface was different.  it is now a wooden floor, where as it used to be this powder blue colored some type of hard surface coating thing...

anyway, i had told eric all about the suicides we used to get from the snack shop, you know...where they give you a fountain drink with every kind of soda in it!  it used to sound really good to me for some reason???  and this was where i was introduced to ring pops!  anyone remember those?  oh my goodness, i was so excited to bring back a piece of history and pass it along to my kids! lol  

it took me a few minutes to regain my roller skating prowess...but it came back rather quickly.  it must have been the exact same roller skates they had from 25 years ago.  kinley had NO FEAR!  unbelievable...she was a mad woman, bound to get hurt if someone didnt hold onto her.  she calmed down a little after falling down several times.  eric did awesome!  he picked it up really quick.  i told him that if he could make it a full circle around the rink, i'll buy you the infamous suicide!  he thought that was pretty cool...so he did it!  we met up with the girls in the snack shop and they young girl working the concession stand didn't seem to get the significance of a suicide???  and apparently they are not quite as popular as they were back in the day....but she obliged and eric loved it!  

a little later, kim decided she was going to venture out onto the rink with eric.  and for a while, i think it came right back to her as well.  but only for a while...  she was making her way around the rink and i was watching kinley up on the carpeted area, i looked over to see how they were doing and only saw eric on the rink.  then i saw kim headed back our way on the carpet...i thought, she must have fallen and she is done!  she did and she was!  

we finished up there about an hour later, headed over to mcsalty's for a little pizza and kim said her arm was really hurting if she tried to use it.  i was like, ahh...it's probably sprained or something.  so, we finish up there and go the grocery store.  same deal...she says, i cant lift anything with my left hand.  ok, we'll get home and put some ice on it, i lovingly said.   so, we head home, and when we got here, she started talking about it again.  finally i suggested she go get an x-ray.  this way we will know it is sprained and it will relieve some "worry stress" from her. 

so, she DROVE herself up to the urgent care!  sent me a text about 45 minutes after she got there...it said, "it's broken".  i felt like crap!!  still do!  i hate it for her, she had never broken a bone! 

so, the scott household, which was slammed busy...just picked up a little more!  pray for us if you would.  we are both traveling for work this week!  kinley is flying with meme for some girl beach time.  eric is going to mama's and papa's while we are out of town.  and please pray for kim as she is going to be at a sales meeting, with a broken radius and ulna in her left arm...

that was our weekend.  how was yours?

sour milk...

this is how this morning conversation went...

eric... daddy, can i make me some chocolate milk for breakfast?

me...  sure buddy.

eric... daddy, this milk is out of date.  but only by three days.  mommy said it would be fine yesterday when i got some.  is it ok today?

me...  when is the expiration date?

eric... like, the 18th??

me...  i dont think so, buddy.

eric... (with a serious, grown up look on his face) daddy, it smells fine.  really...it doesn't smell bad at all!

me... (after laughing at his rationalizing) sure buddy.  go for it!

hopefully the expiration date is only a suggested expiration date...lol

tired and longing

it is 5 am.  i cant sleep.  i am in my third hotel room in five days.  i am ready to get home later today. i have been away from home 10 out of the last 15 days.   i really really miss my family.  

yet i am extremely blessed and thankful for this time in my life.  

just saying....

upwards basketball...

i help coach eric's upward basketball team.  each practice, half way through the practice we have a devotional time.  this is how tonight's went down.

we were talking about why Jesus came.  what it is like to be found versus being lost, Luke 15...etc...  so, i asked the question.  do you guys know what sin is? eric raised his hand and started to answer...  this is what he said, 

sin is what Jesus came and died on the cross for.  and it is what gets in our heart and keeps our heart from beating and....

i looked at the other coach, and we both started laughing out loud.  not at him, but just his answer...  the other coach said, that is exactly right buddy!

and i guess, if you think about it... theologically, it is exactly correct.  sin keeps your spiritual heart from beating and bringing life to the rest of your life.  thanks for the insight eric cooper !!! :-)

daddy

i had a moment this afternoon when God spoke to me.  not like, HEY DANIEL, or anything like that. but like this, i told my little girl..."i love you baby!"  she kept playing at her table. the rest went like this:

me -  kiki...do you love your daddy? 

kinley - yeah

me - why?

kinley -  just because

me - is it because i love you?

kinley - uh-huh

the Holy Spirit - that is why you love me, right daniel? that is why you love me.   that's  how it works with you and me.  and i love you way more than you could ever love that little girl.

 

it is from this verse

a little serious...and a lot funny

we went to dinner tonight at angeli's.  i asked if eric would like to pray for us at dinner.  he said, "sure!"  he started praying and about 1/3 of the way through, kinley yelled, "AMEN!".  eric replied, "NO!".  then resumed praying like nothing had happened, saying..."sorry about that Lord...." 

kim and i have had quite the laugh over that all night tonight!

who i am...

who i am...i am reminded today, and quite a bit here lately, about who i am.  fran had left this comment mentioning that she had been digging into a particular verse in lamentations.  It sparked an interest with me...i read lamentations 3 and then i had to do some digging of my own.  who wrote this book, what was the context, who was he writing to...  i kept coming back to chp. 3 though, and i couldnt help but notice the change that occurs in the believed author Jeremiah. he is mad at God at first, or at least he is willing to be honest about how he feels, which is revealed in v. 1-20 .  then something happens, he says this in v. 21, "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope." this isnt a bible lecture, so i wont un-pack the rest of the text...but the verses that follow describe that hope.  it describes an understanding of sorts, a peace.  

Oct. 24, 1972.  Scotty was born.  my brother...he has been gone nearly 6 and a half years now.  he would have been 36 today.  man, i miss him.  and although i was angry and i don't understand why, i now have hope and i know that it is ok.  and who i am today, is largely due to what God has done in my life, through scotty's death.  that is why i have hope.  that is how i know that Jesus Christ lives.  that is who i am...

(the pic is of scotty and our nephew, julian...several years back!)

the picture...

i have told several of you the story behind the picture as the header of my blog.  for the others that i havent...here it is.

we went on a family vacation 2 years ago to california.  we visited my sister and her family up around sacramento.  while we were with them we traveled to san francisco for a weekend.  we got to visit alcatraz, ride the cable cars, tour the city, go across the golden gate bridge...as i think about it, we accomplished a ton in a short amount of time!  anyway, the picture came from one of the piers at san francisco, i cant remember which one.  we were walking around by pier 39 and we just decided to walk up a ways and there was this thing(the pic).  i am not even sure what it is called.  there are signs in the pic...but of course, i didnt read those!   the sun was setting and that ship was out in the bay and everything just kind of fell into place for what turned out to be a great picture.  (i took about 20 to get that one...gotta love digital!)

if you are ever out that way, check out the pier.  there is a ton to see there, including the sea lions.  that could have been one of our best vacations.  

have a great weekend!

lazy ... funny

so i have been pretty lazy this week, in respect to blogging.  i had several ideas throughout the week, but the thought of picking up the computer and hashing it out went by the way side.  i know what excuses are like, but i did have a busy week...so cut me a little slack.

something that was funny, last night, we were out on the deck most of the evening.  had the tiki torches burning, had the big green egg bbq'ing a little papa murphy's pizza. (you would think there were sponsors for this post...lol)  kim's brother and his family were over, the kids were playing outside...we just had a great evening!  

well, after chance and his family left, it was get ready for bed and unwind time for us.  so,  i think i fed the cat and the kids were "be-laxing" in their room.  kim went out on the deck to snuff out the tiki torches, and all of a sudden i hear her yelling.  "daniel!!  come here, hurry!!!"  i ran in to the living room to hear this, " i think there is a skunk out there.  it is eating the cat's food, i almost stepped on it!"  sure enough, there it was. (we will call the skunk pepe from here on out.) as if it were not bothered by anything, just chowing away on poor little sadie's food.

so, i had to devise a plan, quickly.  i went to get my gun, which one to grab?  well, i was just telling my brother-in-law, i need to buy a good shot gun.  so, no shot gun.  in that same conversation, i said, "i wish i had my .22 rifle back."  so, no .22 rifle.  the most logical choice was the .22 pistol.  (i didnt think i need the stopping power of the 40 or a deer rifle...lol) so .22 pistol it was.  kim was right behind me, saying, "you cant shoot that thing on the deck!" well,  i was concentrating on how to get out there, WITHOUT GETTING SPRAYED, all while maximizing my opportunity to get rid of this thing.  the best i could come up with was, wait until it gets done eating and gets off the deck and try to sneek out there and ... well...you know, eradicate this varmint. 

pepe got done eating, waddled all around the deck and finally made it's way down the steps.  i, quietly as i could, sneaked out onto the deck.  and the skunk takes off!  those little suckers can move pretty fast...and it was dark.  (those are my excuses!) i ran after it and squeezed off 5 or 6 shots...pepe was bobbing and weaving as she ran and dodged the lead i was slinging at her...she got away....lucky little critter!

so, kim walks outside, laughing at me, and this is how the conversation went...

kim  " honey, what happened!  you didnt hit it!?" 

me "no honey, i didnt hit it!  did you see that thing's moves?"  

kim "well, the good news is you didnt get sprayed!"

me "well, the bad news is there are probably  some holes in the dora play house!"

we both had a good laugh.  the great white hunter lives to strike another day.  little pepe knows i mean business now also!!  

great weekend...busy week

so, me and eric had a great weekend!! we went camping at my in-laws cabin down at bull shoals lake. just the guys!!! that is b/c the girls were having a girls only weekend and kicked us out of the house!!! but that is another post...lol

there really is nothing like spending time with your son when there are NO distractions. i value that so much and it means so much to me when i see him enjoying himself and having a great time. it was one of the weekends that i will carry with me for a long, long time.

i wonder if it is like that with our heavenly Father? i wonder if He thinks, "that time I got to spend with you this morning...man, that was awesome. I will never forget that as long as I live!!" (hello...that is a long time) i wonder if he cherishes moments with his kids as much as I do. a smile comes across my face as i think about that. the moments when i have completely let go and forgotten about all the stuff going on and just had great time with Lord. i carry them with me...i have a feeling they are special to him as well. just like this weekend was special to eric...

alas,  now it is on with the busy week ahead. meetings, long days, trial runs, leading, etc... but throughout this busy week. this weekend will hold a special place in my heart, as it will in the place of the Father's. i believe He was with us every step of the way this weekend. you see, sometimes time with Him is not always "quiet time". sometimes it is a special weekend with your son, that somehow becomes...holy. it was as if it were sacred. and i kept telling eric this weekend, "there is no other place i would rather be on the face of this earth, than right here with you!" somehow, it felt as if the Lord were saying that to me as well...

visit is winding down...

well it seems impossible, but 2 weeks has almost come and gone! 

 this week we have: went shopping, went fishing, ate good chinese, went to silver dollar city, had a birthday party (tonight for andrea!!), me and julian are going to shoot guns tomorrow, rode 4-wheelers, and jumped hay bales...(see pic below)

this was one of my favorite memories growing up around a "farm".  hay bales lined up and my brother and i would race across the top of them!  well, like father like son i guess, this is eric's new favorite thing to do.  julian opted to take time and teach kinley how to drive the golf cart..such a good cousin!

some time tomorrow we are off to the branson landing.  eric's "grumps" (self-named g-pa) has landed eric a gig playing the street drums with some young men who are street performers at the landing.  these young men use anything from 5 gallon buckets to 55 gallon drums to make a drum beat on.  grumps works at the landing and got to know them and he asked if his grand-son could play along for one song with them...they said they would love to have some help.  eric is pretty good at drums, he got an electronic kit for his birthday that he can play pretty good for a 7 year old!  should be a lot of fun.

anyway, going to go and enjoy the last couple of days with the family!