It's Official

This morning Collin and I went and got our Colorado driver's licenses. I was kind of a bittersweet moment because it brought us one step closer to our life here and one step farther from our life in Texas. I think the worst part is that they punch a hole in your old driver's license, which I thought was kinda sad. The only thing now that we didn't think about is that we have to fly back to Texas tomorrow and now both of our licenses have holes punched in them so we are hoping that doesn't cause any problems for us at the airport.

Yesterday was also a really great day. We were officially introduced to the congregation. It was so awesome to have everyone be so welcoming. We met so many sweet people and even though I can't remember hardly anyone's names, I can already tell this is going to be a great place for us to live and start a family in the future. Collin and I can definitely tell that this is the place that God had picked out for us and we can't wait to get here and get settled.

We have a home!!

Collin and I have found an apartment and we are so excited. We really like the place we have chosen and think it is going to be a great place to live for the next year. I did take some pictures of the place but left my camera cord back in Dallas so I will have to wait a few days to post them. We are so glad to have gotten that taken care of. We looked at 7 different places and are very pleased with the one we decided on. And now that we have an official Colorado address we will be able to get our Colorado driver's licenses on Monday (we were going to do it this afternoon but I didn't like how my hair was going to look for the picture...typical Holly).

Now our next big hurdle is getting the moving company set up. We thought we had it all set up but when we called today to set the exact date the guy said they were completely booked :( . What a pain...I immediately called 2 other big companies and am waiting to hear back to see if one of them can accommodate our date (which is a week from Monday...cross your fingers one of them is available). Once we get that settled we will be doing pretty well...we already have our cable and internet set up and our gas and electricity as well. Once we get here for good we will need to register our cars, which we have heard can be a pretty expensive endeavor but something we can't get around so we will just get it taken care of. We also have to find a new bank to use which is a pain but thankfully there are several big branches out here to choose from...of course our bank right now isn't one of them. Other than that we have things pretty much taken care of, which is a huge relief!! Right now let's just hope we can get the movers set up because that is the most pressing thing at the moment!! But we are so glad to have found an apartment...check back on Tuesday or Wednesday for some pics of our new place.

House Hunting Trip

Well tomorrow morning, Collin and I are headed to Colorado to look for somewhere to live. I am so excited because everything else is up in the air until we get that settled. So much of the stuff we need to do to get moved requires us to have a local address so it will be so nice to get that taken care of. We need an address to set up the movers, to get our Colorado driver's licenses, to get a new bank account, and I'm sure for several other things that I haven't even thought about yet. I have done some research online for potential places and hopefully we can get something set by Friday.

Also, on this trip we are getting introduced to the church. We are so excited to finally get to meet everyone at LCC. We have almost all of our meals scheduled with different people from the church to have time to get to know them and also we will be formally introduced on Sunday morning.

We are so excited about this trip and feel like it will make the move so much more real. I can't believe time has gone by so fast and it is almost time for us to move up there. But Collin and I are so excited about this change and can't wait to get settled in our new home.

A Fun Knight....

M'chelle and Jeremy have headed back to Abilene after a fun-filled weekend here in Dallas. They got here pretty late on Friday night so we didn't do much then but Saturday was a day packed with fun. We got up and got ready and headed to Freebirds for some lunch and then went to North Park Mall for a little shopping. M'chelle and I both got a few cute things and Collin and I got to introduce M'chelle and Jeremy to Orange Cup (which I blogged about recently). After the mall we headed back to the house and just hung out for a little while and watched the movie, Fever Pitch. After the movie we got ready and headed out to Medieval Times (hence the title of this post). We had a great time. It was M'chelle's first time to go so that was exciting. Of course our guy didn't win but we still had so much fun cheering on the Blue Knight. After Medieval Times we came back home and just hung out and watched TV until bed time. Then today we got up and went to church and then had lunch at mine and M'chelle's favorite place PF Changs. YUM! We finished our lunch with their banana spring rolls, which are amazing if you haven't tried them.

Here are some pictures of our night at Medieval Times:









We had so much fun having the Reedy's here this weekend. M is the kind of friend that we can pick up right where we left off no matter how long it's been since I have seen her. Most likely, September will be the the next time I will see her but I know that after a little catching up we will be right back to how we always are and I love that about our friendship.

Thanks guys for coming out to Dallas to hang out with us!! We had so much fun and hope that you did too!! Next time you come visit us we might be able to go skiing or something crazy like that :D.

Weekend Preview...

I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve right now. Tonight my bestest friend M'chelle and her husband Jeremy are coming to Dallas to hang out with Collin and I for the weekend and I am so excited. We don't really have anything specific planned to do at this point but I know we will have tons of fun doing anything. Check back after the weekend for full details of our weekend and maybe even some pictures!!

Dependancy

Today I came to a new realization - I am 100% dependent on electricity.

It was a normal Tuesday until about 11:30 A.M. when a small storm rolled in and knocked out our electricity. I mean that is a fairly common thing, who hasn't lost electricity for a short while during a storm at one time or another?!?! For the first couple of hours we just tried to entertain ourselves by playing pool and board games, things that don't require any electricity. But after it being off for about 8 hours we started getting a little annoyed. We couldn't watch TV, we couldn't get on the internet, we couldn't turn on any lights, I couldn't finish straightening my hair (which I was in the middle of when it went out), it was starting to get hot because the A/C was out, and we couldn't cook anything for lunch because all the appliances were off.

It is just so amazing to me how we become so dependent on things without even realizing it. I never even think about all the things I do each and every day that require electricity. And really its kind of sad because it takes something like that to get us to turn off the TV and put down our computers and even then instead of enjoying the time without those things we go into "withdrawals" after not having them for only a few hours.

If only we could become that dependent on God, having Him as a part of our lives all the time and when we are apart from Him having those feelings of withdrawal and cravings for Him. Unfortunately, we far too often become dependent on other things like our computers and the TV and a lot of times without even realizing it. But thanks to an unexpected 8 hour power outage, I have now realized this dependancy. Hopefully, I can use this realization to make some changes in the things I depend on the most.

Daddy's Day

I have a somewhat interesting situation when it comes to my dad or dads I guess I should say. My parents got divorced when I was pretty young and my mom remarried when I was in the 1st grade. So, I suppose you could say that I have 2 dads now because of that.

Let me start out by telling you about my dad. For a while my 2 younger sisters and I stayed close to him and did the whole every other weekend thing that most kids from a divorced family go through but as time went on we grew further apart. I do remember loving the times we got to stay with him because we always did something fun. But I also remember times when my sisters and I waited on the front porch for him to come pick us up and my mom having to come out and tell us she didn't think he was going to make it that day. There have been good times and happy memories but it has also truly been a struggle to deal with hurt that comes along with having a dad who isn't there for you when he should be. Despite everything that has happened though at the end of the day he is still my dad and I will always love him.

My dad, my sisters and me

Now let me tell you a little about my step-dad, Greg, or as my sisters and I call him, Gregie. Like I said before, my mom married him when I was in the first grade. It was a difficult adjustment, as it often in for children, to let another man be your "dad." But Gregie was patient with us and no matter what treated us as if we were his daughters. I mean there aren't many men who would take on the responsibility of being a father to 3 young girls, but he did it with patience and grace. He has been there for from the start. He took us to church, he insisted on sending us to private school even though it was a sacrifice for him, he taught me how to drive, got me my first car and showed me extreme grace when I wrecked it a week after I got my driver's license (but that is a whole different story), he was there when I graduated from high school, he sent me to college and he walked me down the aisle when I got married and I am certain he will be there for many milestones in the future. I am so thankful and feel so blessed to have a man like him in my life. He has done so much for me and made more sacrifices than I will ever even know about.

Gregie, my mom, one of my sisters and me

While it has been hard at times, I know God brought me through all of these things to make me who I am today and I am thankful for that. I know I have been blessed more than I could ever deserve. I know I am nowhere near perfect but I hope I have handled the situations in this area that have been thrown my way in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. I continue to pray for both my dad and Gregie that they can be the men that God wants them to be. I know both of them have shaped me to be the person I am today and I am thankful for that. So, happy father's day to both of my dads as well as all the other dads that might be reading my blog.

My new favorite place...

I have found a new place, with the help of my mother-in-law, that I absolutely love!! This place is called Orange Cup. It is a frozen yogurt shop that is amazing. Right now there is only one store open and it is at North Park Mall here in Dallas. I am not one that is extremely fond of typical yogurt but this stuff is great. They have 3 different flavors that are all very healthy and loaded with anti-oxidants and vitamins. They also have 24 different toppings to chose from, 12 fruity and 12 crunchy. I had it for the first time several weeks ago and had been craving it like crazy ever since (no I am not having pregnancy cravings :D), so I decided to have it for lunch today and it was just as good as I had remembered. I order the acai berry yogurt with strawberries on top and it only has like 118 calories. If you are ever in the area you should definitely check it out because it is wonderful and you don't have to feel guilty about eating it!!

http://www.myorangecup.com/

Blog Design

As I said before my wonderful blog design was made by a girl named Jenny who has a business called Pink Armchair designs. She does great work and occasionally gives away free blog designs in a drawing for people who post a link to her blog on their own blog. She is doing that again so I am posting a link to her site in order to get entered into the drawing. You should definitely check out her site, she does some amazing work!! http://pinkarmchairdesigns.blogspot.com Hopefully, I will win :D.

A quick trip filled with blessings

Collin and I just got back from a quick trip out to Abilene and even though we were only there for about 24 hours several awesome things happened.

First of all, we were able to get together with 4 of our friends for dinner. We have always enjoyed spending time with Chris, Mal, Kyle and Annie and it was good to be able to see them again and catch up a little. We are so excited for Kyle and Annie who will also be starting a new ministry job at about the same time as we are. And Chris and Mal always have something new going on with them, so it's fun to catch up.

After dinner, we were able to meet up with several seniors and college freshman to be from the Littleton youth group who were finishing up a trip where they visited several different Christian colleges. It was such blessing to be able to meet them and the interns. We were able to be a part of a devo with them and also experience a tradition on theirs where they all go around and encourage and challenge the upcoming seniors. It was so awesome to see them encourage one another and see the love they have for each other. It was also a huge blessing to receive advice from all of them as we look forward to our move to Colorado. I also made a point to remember every one's names (which I am usually really bad at): Rick, the youth minister; Jared, Anna, Jennifer, and Bryant, the interns; Haley and Matt, the soon to be freshmen in college; and Jessica, Abby, Kaitlyn, Hannah, Zach, and Jessica (forgive me if I misspelled any names :D) I am so glad that we were able to meet each of you and am looking forward to getting to know others at LCC.

After a late night with the youth group, I got up early to get my hair highlighted and cut by my previously mentioned friend, Maloree aka Mal. It has been so great to have such a talented friend to do my hair over the past year or so. I don't know what I am going to do when we move and I don't have her near by anymore. Thanks Mal for making my hair look so pretty :D.

After my hair appointment we had a guy from a moving company come out to the house to give us an estimate for our move. We think we have finally decided on a company which is a relief. I think we have come to the conclusion that its better to pay a little more for a big name company in order to feel at ease about loading all of your earthly belongings on a huge 18 wheeler and sending it across the country.

Then Collin and I were able to go to lunch with M'chelle and Jeremy. If you have read my blog at all, you know that M is one of my dearest friends. I love any time that I get to spend with her and have truly missed being able to see here several times a week like when we lived in Abilene. Her and Jeremy have just embarked on the journey of building a house and I could not be more excited for them. Hopefully, the house will be finished by lectureship so that we can have a sleep over :D!!

Finally, two of our close friends had their baby today, which was a great surprise because he was not expected to come until next week. We were so happy to be able to go up to the hospital and see them and the baby when he was only 2 1/2 hours old. He is so precious and both baby and mom are doing well! We are so excited for them and wish them the very best in this new phase of life.

What a great trip we had. We were blessed in so many ways even though it was super short.

The Bachelorette

I love ABC's show The Bachelor and it's female subsequent The Bachelorette. Right now we are 3 weeks into a new season of The Bachelorette. Let me start out by saying, I do realize that the concept of the show is wrong on so many levels but at the same time it is so very intriguing. I have watched pretty much every season of both shows and for the most part end up disappointed at the finale because they never pick the one I like, but without fail I always tune in for the next season in hopes of a fairy tale ending.

I had gotten a bit behind on this new season due to us being out of town but yesterday I was able to get caught back up. This time a cute girl named DeAnna is The Bachelorette. She was one of the final 2 girls remaining on The Bachelor two seasons ago and ended up with a broken heart.

For whatever reason there have been far more Bachelor series than Bachelorette, so I don't get to see it as much; however, while watching this season of the Bachelorette something occurred to me. It seems to me that girls usually get this wrap of being really catty (or however you spell that?!?) on the show, but when I was watching the three episodes I was behind on, I realized that the guys are just as bad as the girls always appear to be. They still get jealous of the front runner, they still talk about each other behind their backs, and still throw one another under the bus any chance possible. I just found it really humorous that guys always try to play it macho and smooth but when put in the same situation the reactions are very similar. Guy and girl alike the tears still fall when the rose doesn't come.

Right now I have three favorite guys on the show. Jeremy, a real estate lawyer from Dallas, TX, who seems very nice and genuine. Graham, who is a pro basketball player from Raleigh, NC, who so far seems to be there for the right reasons but lacks a little experience in the dating world which isn't necessarily a bad thing but might end up leaving him without a rose. And finally, Jason, an Account Executive from Cleveland, OH, who is a single dad of a 3 year old son but still seems very genuine about the situation. There are still 9 guys left on the show so its a bit early to make any real predictions but those are my favorites at this point. We'll just have to wait and see what happens and hopefully DeAnna gets her fairy tale ending this time.

This is harder than I thought...

So, Collin and I have begun the process of moving. Right now we are trying to find a moving company to use, which is turning out to be much more difficult than I thought it would.

I figured I could just get online, type in moving companies on google and pick one. But apparently that is NOT how it works. There are tons of companies and it is beginning to seem like more of them than not are scams and try to rip you off. I found this website called movingscams.com that has a forum that I have been looking at and it also has a "black list" with hundreds of moving companies on it. I never expected this task to be so daunting.

I have no idea what a fair price is for a move like this and really no idea which companies are good. I know of a few big names like United and Mayflower but other than that I am clueless.

So, if you have any advice at all on moving companies I would love to hear it. If you have someone you would recommend or someone we should steer clear of please let me know. As Collin and I are looking at our summer calendar it is becoming more and more real how close our move is. I keep hearing that we need to book our movers early because the summer months are fairly busy, so I am trying to get on that but like I said I really have no idea on how to pick the most reliable and best priced company. Please share your advice if you can!!