I can't believe I have gone so long without posting. Life has just been so busy lately that I just kept putting it off. I wanted to do some catch-up posts this weekend...but my in-laws came in town AND we had community group AND we were really busy working around the townhouse.
However, today is a sick day.
It's actually Sick Day #2.
I don't know if it's allergies or a cold, but I have been miserable. I'm completely congested in my head, my ears and my nose. I have a cough from drainage. I keep sneezing. My body hurts and I feel lethargic. I have a constant headache from blowing my nose/congestion.... I woke up this morning at 4 am unable to breathe or be comfortable. Poor Aaron...he's trying to help me and make me comfortable but he is the one that has to get up early to go to work, so I felt awful that I woke him up. :(
Remember all of those symptoms I listed? Well Monday morning I woke up feeling that way. I decided to suck it up and go to class because we were having a big group discussion and I just hated to miss it. I go downstairs (early-luckily!) put my bags in the car and open the garage door and hop in. It doesn't even attempt to start. Zilch, nada, zero. I called Aaron because I really just didn't know what to do...
Have I mentioned how blessed I am to have Aaron? BEYOND blessed.
He drove from his workplace in Springdale back to Fayetteville just to jumpstart my car. I kept telling him how much I appreciated him doing that...I really did!!! I made it to class about ten minutes late and despite missing a little pop quiz for bonus points, it wasn't that big of a deal! I got my discussion points and got credit for being in class! Score!
But all day yesterday I felt worse and worse. By the time I got back in the car, all I cared about was making it home and laying down. I didn't do much yesterday. I felt a LITTLE better this morning when I got up, but I still am very congested. I just want this crud out of my system. I want to be able to study and not constantly running to blow my nose and work on our guest room without having to take breaks because I'm so lethargic.
Basically, I'm ready for the weekend.
I'm off to cook a dinner that I probably won't be able to taste! :) / :(
Loveee, Holly
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Hogs Game & A Snow Day
My dad came up last weekend and he had two extra tickets for the Hogs VS South Carolina basketball game. We were pumped because we haven't been to a basketball game this season! It's pretty surprising actually if you have ever heard my husband talk about the Razorbacks. He is obsessed. The Hogs ended up winning so there were smiles all around! I don't think I have ever been in Bud Walton Arena (that I recall) so I enjoyed my "first" Hogs basketball game! We got to hang out in my dad's company's box. They had BBQ catered and oh.my.word. it was good! We were a liiittle bit spoiled ;) They had box seats and the row right in front of the box. Aaron and I decided to post up down there to escape the congestion of the box and it was perfect because we had no one beside us or behind us!
We have also had some crazy weather here lately! I guess you can blame it on global warming like the hippies, or you could just blame it on Arkansas. Arkansas weather is cuh-ray-zee. We had snow Monday. I was so excited because we hadn't had hardly any snow all winter! Even though I didn't really get to enjoy it, it was pretty to look at until it melted later that afternoon.
pre-game warm-up
me & my Dad
me & the Hubs
We have also had some crazy weather here lately! I guess you can blame it on global warming like the hippies, or you could just blame it on Arkansas. Arkansas weather is cuh-ray-zee. We had snow Monday. I was so excited because we hadn't had hardly any snow all winter! Even though I didn't really get to enjoy it, it was pretty to look at until it melted later that afternoon.
view from our deck
view from our deck
SOMEONE liked the snow :)
TGIAF - Thank Goodness It's Almost Friday!
Holly
Friday, February 10, 2012
My Main Fur Ball
I love my dog.
Correction: WE love our dog. (I'm sure Aaron will appreciate that I added him to the equation) :)
We really do love our dog. We may talk trash about him when he has an accident in the floor (for the millionth time) because he doesn't want to go outside because it is cold/rainy/dark. We may even threaten to get rid of him (just to keep him on his toes), but we never would.
Aaron and I got Marley back in 2006. (Whew! I can't believe it's been that long ago!) We had been talking about getting a dog together for a while, even thought my parents weren't really for it. I say my parents, because if we ever got a dog, my family had a fenced in backyard and let's be honest, the dog was really for me. Poor Aaron was just going along with my crazy idea to make me happy. He's always been really good about that... :)
It was summertime and I had been looking online and in the newspaper at puppies for MONTHS. My family had Labs for years, so I was looking for a smaller breed and something that didn't shed because I wanted a (mainly) indoor dog and my mom is kind of allergic. I don't know how we decided on a yorkie, but we did. One day we were in Hot Springs at my grandparents house. I was flipping throughout the newspaper classifieds, looking at puppies for sale by breeders. Then I saw it. There were 3 yorkie puppies for sale in Conway, AR. They were reasonably priced (still pricey!) but they weren't teacup size or bred to be >5 lbs so they weren't that bad. I told my mom we were going to call about them, just to ask. We finally got around to calling them and they had ONE male puppy left. I begged Aaron to go see it! He was so in love with me that he just couldn't say no... ;) (ha!) I can't remember exactly how that went down, but the next thing you know, we had made an appointment with the people to come see this last puppy. The day we left, my mom knew what we were doing, and I didn't really consider how mad my dad might be (if he knew) because I was SO excited! Well on the way to the address (which was not IN Conway, btw) we got a little lost (it was kind of in the outskirts of Conway). I was almost in tears. Earlier Aaron had made a stop at a Wal-Mart because we realized we didn't have a collar or leash IF we ended up getting the puppy. I was about to cry because we were going to have to return the tiny little collar and leash and we had gotten our hopes built up so much. So we tried one last time to follow the directions we were given...sure enough, after some adjustments, a little bit of guessing, and probably a little bit of luck, we found the house. We may have even called the owners for direction conformation. (I'm writing this without Aaron, so I don't really have my fact-checker)
When we pulled into the driveway, the owners came outside. They were a sweet couple, an older man and woman. And by "older" I mean older than my parents at the time. They probably weren't that old. Anyways. They walked out holding the puppy. Aaron always says that when he saw my face looking at that little puppy, he knew that we weren't leaving that house without that tiny ball of fur. I don't remember much of our conversation with the couple...Aaron's more of the "talker" in our relationship ;) (hehe) I remember that "puppy's" dad was there and they made him do some tricks for us. His name was Tucker. They gave him some treats and "puppy" was wiggling and bouncing around so they gave him some treats too. We paid the couple, got his paperwork, and thanked them (over and over). When we got back in the car, we were ecstatic.
That didn't last long. He threw up three times in the car on the way home to Searcy.
...yep.
Other than that, he was a pretty chill pup. We decided on the name Marley on the way home because that was our artist of the moment and little did we know it was the PERFECT fit.
My dad was so angry. He thought it was irresponsible...and looking back, it was, but I really don't know what we would do without the little guy now. BUT he was also feeding the little fur ball the next morning. Dog treats? No....Cheerios....out of his own cereal bowl. He still grumbled for a few years about Jo-Jo (as he has called Marley since day 1--we don't know why...) but eventually everyone grew to love him.
He's basically our extra-hairy child and has been for 5 years now. He's a character and has a stubborn personality, probably learned from his parents. He sleeps a lot. He does this weird thing where he dips his nose in water and slings it all over his food (that is not too hard for his teeth-btw) and then wipes his nose off on the kitchen floor. He burps after he eats. He licks everything within reach of his giraffe-like tongue. He lays completely flat on the floor (we call it "flat dog"). He has huge brown eyes that melt your heart. He thinks he is a Lab. He *tries* to sleep on the furniture and *tries* to use pillows...poor pup. He just knows what he likes.
He has his good days and his bad days. Sometimes he just likes to be a rebel. You can see it in his eyes. Sometimes he likes to melt your heart into a big puddle of mush. I love those days. He just wants to love on everyone he meets and to be petted and talked to constantly. I catch myself carrying on conversations with him every now and then, and he just looks at me with his big brown eyes and his head cocked to the side.
We had a sweet afternoon playing today. Aaron and I have had a busy and stressful week, so coming home from class today all I wanted to do was relax. Good thing Marley is good at that.
ttfn,
Holly
Correction: WE love our dog. (I'm sure Aaron will appreciate that I added him to the equation) :)
We really do love our dog. We may talk trash about him when he has an accident in the floor (for the millionth time) because he doesn't want to go outside because it is cold/rainy/dark. We may even threaten to get rid of him (just to keep him on his toes), but we never would.
Aaron and I got Marley back in 2006. (Whew! I can't believe it's been that long ago!) We had been talking about getting a dog together for a while, even thought my parents weren't really for it. I say my parents, because if we ever got a dog, my family had a fenced in backyard and let's be honest, the dog was really for me. Poor Aaron was just going along with my crazy idea to make me happy. He's always been really good about that... :)
It was summertime and I had been looking online and in the newspaper at puppies for MONTHS. My family had Labs for years, so I was looking for a smaller breed and something that didn't shed because I wanted a (mainly) indoor dog and my mom is kind of allergic. I don't know how we decided on a yorkie, but we did. One day we were in Hot Springs at my grandparents house. I was flipping throughout the newspaper classifieds, looking at puppies for sale by breeders. Then I saw it. There were 3 yorkie puppies for sale in Conway, AR. They were reasonably priced (still pricey!) but they weren't teacup size or bred to be >5 lbs so they weren't that bad. I told my mom we were going to call about them, just to ask. We finally got around to calling them and they had ONE male puppy left. I begged Aaron to go see it! He was so in love with me that he just couldn't say no... ;) (ha!) I can't remember exactly how that went down, but the next thing you know, we had made an appointment with the people to come see this last puppy. The day we left, my mom knew what we were doing, and I didn't really consider how mad my dad might be (if he knew) because I was SO excited! Well on the way to the address (which was not IN Conway, btw) we got a little lost (it was kind of in the outskirts of Conway). I was almost in tears. Earlier Aaron had made a stop at a Wal-Mart because we realized we didn't have a collar or leash IF we ended up getting the puppy. I was about to cry because we were going to have to return the tiny little collar and leash and we had gotten our hopes built up so much. So we tried one last time to follow the directions we were given...sure enough, after some adjustments, a little bit of guessing, and probably a little bit of luck, we found the house. We may have even called the owners for direction conformation. (I'm writing this without Aaron, so I don't really have my fact-checker)
When we pulled into the driveway, the owners came outside. They were a sweet couple, an older man and woman. And by "older" I mean older than my parents at the time. They probably weren't that old. Anyways. They walked out holding the puppy. Aaron always says that when he saw my face looking at that little puppy, he knew that we weren't leaving that house without that tiny ball of fur. I don't remember much of our conversation with the couple...Aaron's more of the "talker" in our relationship ;) (hehe) I remember that "puppy's" dad was there and they made him do some tricks for us. His name was Tucker. They gave him some treats and "puppy" was wiggling and bouncing around so they gave him some treats too. We paid the couple, got his paperwork, and thanked them (over and over). When we got back in the car, we were ecstatic.
That didn't last long. He threw up three times in the car on the way home to Searcy.
...yep.
Other than that, he was a pretty chill pup. We decided on the name Marley on the way home because that was our artist of the moment and little did we know it was the PERFECT fit.
My dad was so angry. He thought it was irresponsible...and looking back, it was, but I really don't know what we would do without the little guy now. BUT he was also feeding the little fur ball the next morning. Dog treats? No....Cheerios....out of his own cereal bowl. He still grumbled for a few years about Jo-Jo (as he has called Marley since day 1--we don't know why...) but eventually everyone grew to love him.
He's basically our extra-hairy child and has been for 5 years now. He's a character and has a stubborn personality, probably learned from his parents. He sleeps a lot. He does this weird thing where he dips his nose in water and slings it all over his food (that is not too hard for his teeth-btw) and then wipes his nose off on the kitchen floor. He burps after he eats. He licks everything within reach of his giraffe-like tongue. He lays completely flat on the floor (we call it "flat dog"). He has huge brown eyes that melt your heart. He thinks he is a Lab. He *tries* to sleep on the furniture and *tries* to use pillows...poor pup. He just knows what he likes.
"Quit blogging & play with me!"
We had a sweet afternoon playing today. Aaron and I have had a busy and stressful week, so coming home from class today all I wanted to do was relax. Good thing Marley is good at that.
Marley was being extra sweet today :)
ttfn,
Holly
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Worry
worry (noun) :
worry (verb) :
A source of nagging concern or uneasiness |
To feel uneasy or concerned about something; be troubled |
I tend to worry... a lot. I blame it on genetics. ;) I (obviously) know that worry is not genetically inherited. However, I do think that it can be indirectly inherited by growing up around someone who worries. I also think that I am at the age where worrying is so common that it is almost natural.
I'm at the age where I feel like I have a lot to worry about. I know that I don't necessarily have a lot to worry about, but the constant pressure to figure out where my life is headed is extremely stressful. Careers, moving, buying a house, getting another dog, stress with school/work, starting a family, buying a car, paying bills, finding a church, etc. I have so many questions. I know that I shouldn't try to wish my life away, but I am so excited about my life and my marriage and where we are headed that it's killing me not to know what's next!
From time to time, I get overwhelmed, or should I say, I let myself get overwhelmed. I think too hard about what I want and not enough about what God's plan is for me, and for us. I have a particular verse that I have to remind myself with on a regular basis.
"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
God doesn't want us to worry. It's just so hard for me. I have to constantly work on my patience. He has a made perfect plan for us and it is just up to us to do His will and His plan will lay itself out for us in His time.
I found this on Pinterest earlier. I love it :)
Prayers are always appreciated :)
Holly
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Let Us Run
We visited a new church on Sunday. Not that there is anything wrong with the church we have been attending, we are just wanting to check out all of our options before we decide on a church membership.
I have not been feeling well the past few days. I woke up to my alarm on Sunday and my throat was hurting. I hit the snooze button twice and after the second time, I deleted the alarm and just laid there. Then this terrible thought passed through my head... "if Aaron doesn't get up, I just won't get up."
I know...terrible.
Then another thought popped into my head. "What happened to all this excitement about visiting a new church? Where did THAT go?"
And that made me think. I have been so excited about visiting a new church for weeks now! We haven't been able to the past two weeks due to Aaron's real estate class being on the weekend. What happened to that excitement from the time I went to sleep from the time I woke up? I was seriously going to let a little sore throat steal my joy?
So I got up out of bed.
We moaned and groaned getting ready, because I legitimately didn't feel well and I'm sure I was not the most pleasant to be around that those first few waking hours (ha!) but we got ready with plenty of time to spare. My sweet husband even let us stop for coffee on the way to church because he knew that my throat was hurting and how much I love coffee. :) He's the best.
We got to church, shook a few hands, met a few people and sat down at the end of the row, as is our custom (ha.) The music was a good mix of contemporary and the occasional (more upbeat) hymn. The sermon started with the title of the sermon made me smile a little. It was "The Promise: Run."
Another little backstory: Aaron and I have started the Couch-to-5k program. It hasn't been easy, nor has it been pretty. I always joke and say that I am not built for land, I'm just built for water. Water doesn't really require balance. Water makes me appear graceful. Water blocks some of the sounds and distractions of the world. Basically, I'm not athletic unless it is swimming/water-related. Anyways... We were going to run the 3rd day of week 5 on Saturday, but the weather was rainy, my family was in town for my brother's track meet, and we were just busy. Sunday rolled around and we had a Super Bowl party to attend, so once again no running. Last night when Aaron came home from work, I was curled up in our bed still not feeling well. I have a sore throat and am just feeling not quite 100% (it's just that time of the year). I laid there for a little bit and thought about the consequences of running. If it was too cold, I could easily go from partially sick to full-blown sick. If we didn't run, we would be behind and the next time we ran would be just that much more difficult. I have been having a difficult time being motivated with this whole "getting back in shape" thing. So back to the sermon...
The sermon "The Promise: Run" was part of a study the church has been doing on Hebrews. That day it was Hebrews 12:1-2.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
How ironic was it that the day we decide to visit a new church, they discuss motivation on "running the race"? The preacher was great. He used the example of training/running marathons and how much it can related to our spiritual walk/run with God. We are supposed to run the race with endurance. This is something that I have been struggling with spiritually. I've been walking more than running. Not even a brisk walk. More like a drudge, dragging my feet. Then it hit me how applicable my situation with the c25k program is with my spiritual situation. I may groan and moan and mumble and drag my feet, but the end result is SO worth it! We are told to run the race, laying aside every weight (excess baggage) and sin, running faithfully. It isn't supposed to be easy, but our spiritual life is supposed to be like we are in training. We are training in order to perform at our spiritual best for the Lord, just like training for a marathon, where we need to be at our physical best.
Needless to say, I am glad that we got up and around and went to a new church on Sunday. I am also glad that we ended up running last night. I think I have a new found motivation, physically and spiritually. Let's just say that I'm going to try and have a better outlook on "running." I also think that we should be encouraging each other to run instead of walking in our spiritual lives. The whole point of the sermon was that we are not running alone. The verse itself says "let US run."
So...let us run.
:) Holly
I have not been feeling well the past few days. I woke up to my alarm on Sunday and my throat was hurting. I hit the snooze button twice and after the second time, I deleted the alarm and just laid there. Then this terrible thought passed through my head... "if Aaron doesn't get up, I just won't get up."
I know...terrible.
Then another thought popped into my head. "What happened to all this excitement about visiting a new church? Where did THAT go?"
And that made me think. I have been so excited about visiting a new church for weeks now! We haven't been able to the past two weeks due to Aaron's real estate class being on the weekend. What happened to that excitement from the time I went to sleep from the time I woke up? I was seriously going to let a little sore throat steal my joy?
So I got up out of bed.
We moaned and groaned getting ready, because I legitimately didn't feel well and I'm sure I was not the most pleasant to be around that those first few waking hours (ha!) but we got ready with plenty of time to spare. My sweet husband even let us stop for coffee on the way to church because he knew that my throat was hurting and how much I love coffee. :) He's the best.
We got to church, shook a few hands, met a few people and sat down at the end of the row, as is our custom (ha.) The music was a good mix of contemporary and the occasional (more upbeat) hymn. The sermon started with the title of the sermon made me smile a little. It was "The Promise: Run."
Another little backstory: Aaron and I have started the Couch-to-5k program. It hasn't been easy, nor has it been pretty. I always joke and say that I am not built for land, I'm just built for water. Water doesn't really require balance. Water makes me appear graceful. Water blocks some of the sounds and distractions of the world. Basically, I'm not athletic unless it is swimming/water-related. Anyways... We were going to run the 3rd day of week 5 on Saturday, but the weather was rainy, my family was in town for my brother's track meet, and we were just busy. Sunday rolled around and we had a Super Bowl party to attend, so once again no running. Last night when Aaron came home from work, I was curled up in our bed still not feeling well. I have a sore throat and am just feeling not quite 100% (it's just that time of the year). I laid there for a little bit and thought about the consequences of running. If it was too cold, I could easily go from partially sick to full-blown sick. If we didn't run, we would be behind and the next time we ran would be just that much more difficult. I have been having a difficult time being motivated with this whole "getting back in shape" thing. So back to the sermon...
The sermon "The Promise: Run" was part of a study the church has been doing on Hebrews. That day it was Hebrews 12:1-2.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
How ironic was it that the day we decide to visit a new church, they discuss motivation on "running the race"? The preacher was great. He used the example of training/running marathons and how much it can related to our spiritual walk/run with God. We are supposed to run the race with endurance. This is something that I have been struggling with spiritually. I've been walking more than running. Not even a brisk walk. More like a drudge, dragging my feet. Then it hit me how applicable my situation with the c25k program is with my spiritual situation. I may groan and moan and mumble and drag my feet, but the end result is SO worth it! We are told to run the race, laying aside every weight (excess baggage) and sin, running faithfully. It isn't supposed to be easy, but our spiritual life is supposed to be like we are in training. We are training in order to perform at our spiritual best for the Lord, just like training for a marathon, where we need to be at our physical best.
Needless to say, I am glad that we got up and around and went to a new church on Sunday. I am also glad that we ended up running last night. I think I have a new found motivation, physically and spiritually. Let's just say that I'm going to try and have a better outlook on "running." I also think that we should be encouraging each other to run instead of walking in our spiritual lives. The whole point of the sermon was that we are not running alone. The verse itself says "let US run."
So...let us run.
:) Holly
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Feelin' Crafty
This has been a great week! Despite not feeling 100%, I have managed to get a lot done! I have been studying, met with my professor to see if I was doing everything right (which I was!) and have had some extra time to craft! :)
A few weeks ago, I tried glass etching for the first time. It was an idea I had seen on Pinterest a few times, so when I was at HobLob with my mom one day, we picked up the needed supplies. If you are considering trying glass etching, you need patience (if you are a perfectionist) and the ability to breathe out of your mouth only for a few minutes because the etching acid smells like rotten eggs...trust me....it's gag-worthy.
Since this was my first time trying this process, NO ONE is allowed to judge. I know it's not perfect, but I will keep practicing.
Remember...no judgement....please.... :)
It doesn't look terrible does it?! I think it will be juuust fine. I don't really think what is on the outside of the dish matters as much as what is on the inside of the dish :) which makes me think about food, which is making me hungry...mmm.
By the way...my parents got me a Cricut machine for my birthday and I looove it! I haven't made much, but what I have made, I'm pretty proud of! Here are just a few things...
A few weeks ago, I tried glass etching for the first time. It was an idea I had seen on Pinterest a few times, so when I was at HobLob with my mom one day, we picked up the needed supplies. If you are considering trying glass etching, you need patience (if you are a perfectionist) and the ability to breathe out of your mouth only for a few minutes because the etching acid smells like rotten eggs...trust me....it's gag-worthy.
Since this was my first time trying this process, NO ONE is allowed to judge. I know it's not perfect, but I will keep practicing.
Remember...no judgement....please.... :)
step 1: cut out your pattern in vinyl & stick vinyl to glass
step 2: apply etching cream of choice & plug your nose
step 3: follow directions on bottle (mine said leave on for 5 minutes)
step 4: rinse off all cream, remove vinyl and ta-da!
It doesn't look terrible does it?! I think it will be juuust fine. I don't really think what is on the outside of the dish matters as much as what is on the inside of the dish :) which makes me think about food, which is making me hungry...mmm.
By the way...my parents got me a Cricut machine for my birthday and I looove it! I haven't made much, but what I have made, I'm pretty proud of! Here are just a few things...
two name signs I made for my aunts
quote by Einstein that my mom loves
I want to make some more boards with quotes on them, maybe even use canvas instead. I need to get on Pinterest for some more ideas! Speaking of Pinterest, if you don't have the app, you are MISSING OUT! I finally got my mom signed up, showed her the gist of it, and she's hooked. Next thing she'll want is a Twitter....lawd. ;)
That's all I have for now!
Loveee,
Holly
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