Thursday, May 29, 2008

A day with my Grandparents

Today was a special day because I got to spend a few hours with just me and my grandparents. That is not something that happens very often in my family growing up with 3 others siblings. I honestly can not remember the last time I was able to do that. The three of us went to the mall and just did a little shopping (ok maybe a lot of shopping :D) and had some lunch together. I kind of felt like I was the only grandkid for a little while. It was a fun day and I really enjoyed the time I had with them. Even though I am 24, I still love hanging out with my Nana and Papa.

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Vacation by Land

We have arrived back safely so I thought I would fill you in on the rest of our vacation.

Like I said before, we got off the ship on Friday morning and headed to our hotel by LAX to get settled in there. We then headed to the Getty Museum on Friday evening. It was a really neat place. It had several gardens, a lot of neat works of art and a great view of the city.



After visiting the Getty we headed down to Santa Monica to see the pier and beach. It was a really cool area. They have an amusement park on the pier and lots of little shops and restaurants.



On Saturday, we headed to Hollywood and Beverly Hills. We walked down Hollywood Blvd. and looked at all the stars in the walk of fame. We drove around the ritzy neighborhoods and looked at the huge houses and got a great view of the Hollywood sign. We also drove down the famous Rodeo Dr. and looked for famous people but unfortunately did not see any.



That evening we drove up to Malibu and checked out Pepperdine University, which is an AMAZING campus!! The views from the school were breath-taking. We also ate dinner at a local seafood restaurant.



On Sunday, we got up and went to Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park. According to them it was the first theme park in America. Whether or not that is true, I don't know. It was a lot of fun and they had some great rides.



Sunday evening we went to downtown LA and attended a service at the Mosaic Church. It was really an amazing experience. This was honestly one of my favorite things from the entire trip. Mosaic is doing some great things in the greater LA area. It was such an awesome thing to be able to worship with all the different of people that attend that church.



On Monday, we had our first day of sunshine and we were so excited. We drove down to Newport Beach and spent several hours just hanging out there. It was still a little chilly but we had fun and got a little bit of sun.



That evening we went to Anaheim to watch the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim take on the Detroit Tigers. It was a great game that stayed tied at 0-0 until the 12th inning when the Angels won on a walk with the bases loaded. I was rooting for a walk off grand slam but at that point anything to get the game over was ok with me. Since it was Memorial Day we got to watch fireworks after the game was over and I am like a little kid when it comes to fireworks, I love them.



And today we headed home. We flew out of LAX and into Austin and then drove home from there. Here is a view of the California coast from our airplane.



We did see one more famous person at the airport in Austin, William H. Macy. It was a fun way to bookend our trip, seeing two famous people.

We really had a great time and are so glad we were able to take this trip with our dear friends, Eric and Sarah. We feel so blessed to have friends like them. We look forward to the day when we can take another trip with them.

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Monday, May 26, 2008

Vacation by Sea...

I'm here blogging from sunny California, well cloudy California more like but California none the less. We finally have internet here at our hotel so I thought I would update you on the first part of our trip.

We flew in to LAX on Monday morning, where right off the bat we saw Nick Lachey, which made me certain this was going to be a great trip because I REALLY wanted to see some famous people (he is the only one we have seen so far).



We then headed straight to the pier to board the Monarch of the Seas in order to set sail Monday evening. We spent 4 nights aboard the ship and had a wonderful time, despite the rough seas.



Our first stop was San Diego where we spent some time on Coronado Island looking around Hotel Del Coronado and checking out the view of downtown San Diego. It was overcast weather and a bit cold but we still had fun.



Our second stop was supposed to be Catalina Island but due to the rough waters we weren't able to stop, which was a bummer. Instead we had a day at sea, which we just spent hanging out and playing cards.

Our third stop was Ensenada, Mexico. At this stop we took a tour of two of the area's largest wineries. It was absolutely beautiful!! All of the green vineyards were breathtaking. It is not something we would usually do but we had a great time and really enjoyed the scenery.



We really enjoyed dinner each night as the food was wonderful and the service was even better! Below is a picture of us and our waiter, Richard, and our assistant waitress, Althea. Collin and I both agree that this was some of the best dining service we have had on a cruise!



We then got off the ship on Thursday morning and headed for our hotel in LA. We are spending five nights here enjoying the city of Los Angeles. Since we are still exploring here I will wait and post again later about our adventures by land.

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

Money from Heaven...

Funny Story...

This evening Collin and I were walking around downtown Ft. Worth with 2 of our closest friends, Eric and Sarah. The weather was beautiful and we stopped for some ice cream and just had a lovely time. We were on our way back to the car walking through the parking garage when Collin nonchalantly kicked a quarter that he saw on the ground. I then scolded him for treating it like a penny and not picking it up and ran over and picked it up myself. Then the four of us noticed that there were several coins on the ground and started picking them up. By the time we left the parking garage we had found over $6.00 in coins. It was so funny because all these people kept walking through the garage and staring at us like we were crazy because we were all walking around and occasionally bending down and yelling out "QUARTER", "DIME", "NICKEL", and "PENNY." We really had a lot of fun and just laughed at ourselves for being so childish. But really who would pass up free money like that?? What a great evening!!!!

And on a side note...we are leaving tomorrow morning with Eric and Sarah for a "semi-surprise" vacation, which we are super excited about. The boys planned the whole thing so Sarah and I don't really know what we are doing. (Due to some bad secret keeping some of the details have leaked out.) I don't know what the internet situation will be like on the trip so I might not be able to post again until after we get back but I will definitely share all the details and some pictures when I can!!

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Saturday, May 17, 2008

From the Lone Star State to the Mile High City

Well, it's official!! Collin and I have accepted a job with the Littleton Church of Christ in Littleton, Colorado (actually it is now in Centennial, CO but that is really beside the point). We could not be more thrilled about this opportunity. God has truly been faithful throughout this entire process and now that we have come this far we can definitely see how His hand was in everything that has happened. We are so excited to see how he will continue to work in our lives and at LCC.

We are looking forward to making the move up to Colorado, although it will be a bit of an adjustment getting used to the cold weather after growing up in Texas. But from what we hear the summers are AMAZING, so I am hoping that will make up for the cold that is immanent. Plus, you just can't beat that view of the mountains!!

We are so thankful to everyone who has been praying for us during the past few months. We know God has heard and answered the prayers sent up on our behalf. We will try to keep you updated on our transition and please continue to pray for us as we make this move and step into a new phase of life.

To those of you at LCC who might be reading my blog, please know that we are so excited to meet you and get to know you. We look forward building a close community with you all as we move away from our families here in Texas and start on this new journey in Littleton, Colorado.

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Ranger's Game tonight

Tonight we are going to see the Texas Rangers play the Houston Astros. We are going like 2 hours early per the request of my brother-in-law, Clark, to see batting practice and hopefully catch a ball or two. I am going to attempt to scorecard the game but I usually get bored with that about half-way through the game and quit, so we will see how that goes. Thankfully the weather is nice so it should be a fun evening. And you can't beat a ballpark hot dog!!!

GO RANGERS!!!!

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

When the cat's away...

You know what they say. This week Collin is in Albuquerque with his dad and his brother playing some serious golf. They are playing 8 rounds in 4 days, which if you ask me is out of control. But that means for me a whole week with my family. I am staying at my parents house while he is gone, which is something that I don't get to do very often. It's so fun because it's one of the first times me and my sisters and my brother have all been home together in a long time. So, while Collin is off on vacation I'm here enjoying my time hanging out with my family.

And today is my youngest sister, Morgan's, 21st birthday, so I get to celebrate that with her. Happy Birthday, Mo. I love ya little sis.

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Monday, May 12, 2008

My baby brother is not a baby anymore...

My little brother, Prescott, aka PJ aka Scott is not so little anymore as you can see from the picture. He is now about a foot taller than I am and probablly out-weighs me by about 30 lbs. It's really kind of weird. For so long he has been my baby brother and he will always be younger than me obviously but from here on out he will always be bigger than me. Last week he got his driving permit, which absolutely blows my mind. It's so fun to watch him grow up and mature. After growing up for the first 10 years of my life with 2 little sisters it was so much fun to get to experience having a little brother. Boys are so much different. I have loved having a baby brother and even though he is growing up he will always be my little bro.



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Sunday, May 11, 2008

I Love You, Mom

Today is Mother's day and I just wanted to say that I love my Mom so much and am so thankful for everything she has done for me. She is such a blessing in my life and I couldn't imagine having a better mother.

(Sorry you got left out of the picture, Heather and PJ)

I LOVE YOU MOM...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!


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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Graduation Day!!


Well, today Collin walked across that stage in that black gown and funny looking hat, got hooded and received a pseudo diploma (since the real one is mailed to you) and I could not be more proud. After 84 hours of classes and many many many more hours of reading and papers he was awarded his Masters of Divinity degree more commonly known as his MDiv. We have been here in Abilene for the last 2 1/2 years while he has been working on it are are so excited that he is finally finished. I know he has worked so hard and am so happy for him. Looking back now it seems like the time has gone by so fast but I know while he was going through it all it seemed like he would never get finished with school.


It is so awesome to look to the future and know that God has amazing things in store for us. It is also really nice to know that we have at least a few weeks ahead of us to just relax and not really worry about anything (except finding a job...lol). No school, no jobs, no kids, nothing. There aren't many times in a persons life (maybe never for some) when that is the case. Collin and I have been so blessed and are so thankful for our place in life right now.

Congratulations Collin. I love you and am so very proud of you!!




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Friday, May 9, 2008

Last day of work...

I'm so excited!! Today is officially my last day of work. When I got up this morning Collin sang me a lovely song and I thought I would share it with you all. (sung to the tune of Happy Birthday)

Happy last day of work to you,
Happy last day of work to you,
Happy last day of work to Holly,
Happy last day of work to you!

LOL...thanks babe for that beautiful gift of music you blessed me with this morning. It was a great way to start off my day.

Happy Friday!!!!

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Thursday, May 8, 2008

Reality has set in...

I am officially sad to be leaving and I can not believe it is in 3 days. It had not hit me until last night when I had to say good-bye to people for the last time. We went to our last Wednesday night "HIP" service at Southern Hills and then had the Elders pray for us at their meeting after church. I really wasn't expecting that to be sad at all but Ed Greenlee, one of the elders Collin and I have gotten very close to, informed me that that would be the last time I would see him because he was going to be out of town on Sunday. It really took me by surprise because I wasn't prepared to say good-bye. That is when it all kind of hit me.


After the elders meeting, we went over to a couple's house from our Young Married Life bible class to just hang out. Most of our close friends were there and we had a great time. While we were there my closest friend M'chelle wanted us to get a picture together, "our last picture" as she called it. Then she started crying and I'm was doing everything I could to keep those tears from falling. At the end of the night we had to say good-bye to our close friends Kyle and Annie for the last time because they will also be out of town next Sunday (which is our last Sunday at Southern Hills). Man it's just so hard to say good-bye.

It's really strange how quickly this time has come. When you are going through life it seems like everything is going so slow but then when you look back it seems like time has just flown by. I can honestly say that if we had left Abilene a year ago I would not have been sad at all. I didn't have that many close friends (all my friends had moved away when we graduated from undergrad). But Collin and I have made some great friends in the YML class and through the graduate school over the last year. I can not express how much I will miss everyone here in Abilene when we leave. I know people always say they will keep up with friends after they move and then somehow just sort of drift apart, but I honestly believe that we will stay close to and keep in touch with our friends here in Abilene and the ones that have also moved away.


Collin and I are so excited about what is to come next in our life but Abilene and our friends here will always hold a special place in our hearts. (I never thought I would say that about Abilene :D)

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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I have music on my blog...and a funny joke...

I'm so excited!! I found this thing where you can make a playlist and put a player on your blog so people can hear music while reading your blog :D Yay for me!!

Also, my grandpa sent me this e-mail with a bunch of cute jokes in it yesterday and I found this one particularly cute considering Collin is going to be a preacher.

"Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers.

The first boy says, 'My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50.'

The second boy says, 'That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.'

The third boy says, 'I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!' "

LOL...too cute!! Happy Wednesday!!! (half way through the week...yay for that!!)

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Tuesday, May 6, 2008

New Blog Design

I am so pleased with my new layout...I think it looks awesome. I got it done by a girl that is very talented in this area. There is a link to her blog on my page if you want to check her out...its called Pink Armchair Designs or you can copy and paste the website (since my link thingy isn't working for some reason) www.pinkarmchairdesigns.com . She is doing a promotion right now for a free blog design for mentioning her in my blog. Maybe I can win it for Collin's Blog!! :D Thanks for the awesome layout Jenny!!!

Today is my last sale day so I am off to San Angelo...I dont have time to post anything longer...

Let me know what you think of my new page :D

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Monday, May 5, 2008

Theme Song for life...

I think at any given time in your life there is a song that fits what it going on. Right now this is what I feel like the theme song of my life is...




Just patiently waiting for what is to come next in life.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Lingerie Showers are so much fun...

Today I hosted Lara's (my sister-in-law to be) lingerie shower at my house. We had so much fun. Lingerie showers are so much more fun than regular bridal showers. Everyone is more laid back and the nature of the shower just makes for a fun and funny time. She got so much cute stuff, I hope she enjoys it all. We had a great turn-out and and lots of laughs. With me being the only married person at the shower I was the go-to girl for questions...lol. It was so much fun though and I am really glad that I was able to have it at my house.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures

So I got our pictures back yesterday and I LOVE them!!! Erin did such an amazing job. Even Collin has said he is so glad that we did them. (which is amazing considering he had to miss his soccer game to take them) I have picked a few of my favorites to post below and have also put links to my facebook albums that anyone can look at that I posted about 160 of them (which is actually only half). I hope you enjoy them as much as we do...we couldn't be more pleased with the way they turned out!!!

Album 1 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055789&l=7ba78&id=54602204
Album 2 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055790&l=76a4d&id=54602204
Ablum 3 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055785&l=4fb6d&id=54602204
(for some reason the link won't work when you click on them...so try copying and pasting them)












Thursday, May 1, 2008

The Rudest Person ever...

Apparently, that person is me.

According to a phone call I got today at work, I am the rudest person ever. Yesterday we did a report for a client based out of Austin. We sent them a copy of the report, a document and an invoice. This morning we received a call from a very irate person saying the search was incomplete and that we were missing several elements that they needed. She immediately starts in on a spiel about what was missing and how we needed to do our reports in the future. I tried to stop her to explain how we do our reports and that I was sure all the information she needed was there. She then very sternly told me that I needed to stop and let her finish what she was saying. I stopped talking and she then insisted on talking to my boss. So, I set the phone down and called my boss on my cell phone and told him that I needed him to come talk to this lady. He was busy so I had to take her number and have him call her back. About an hour or so later he was able to get her on the phone and found out that she hadn't even been looking at the report. She was looking at our invoice which only had a little information to verify the order. She then realized that we had also sent her a report with the information she was needing. But even after realizing that she had mistakenly chewed me out she still had the audacity to say that I was the rudest person she had ever spoken on the phone with. HA. Whatever. I don't think I was being rude...I was just trying to explain our report and if she had just stopped to listen to me for a second she would have been able to see that she was looking at the wrong thing and that we had in fact sent her all the information she needed. Oh well...I guess such is life when you have to deal with people. Sometime down the road some one is going to chew you out for something you didn't do and you just have to get over it. So now that I have blogged about it...I'm over it :D