So. You may have noticed that this poor blog has been over here collecting dust. It's not because I've stopped blogging, promise. It's because I haven't made an effort to post about real life. I started blogging about wedding planning instead, since that was what was going on in my world. I figured no one here would be interested in that, since the majority of the people who (used to) read were not also planning a wedding.
Anyway, when I realized this blog was still here, I knew that this was not really the kind of blog I wanted to be writing. I want to write about things that are interesting to a broader audience, and writing about my wedding and blog-sharing with other brides-to-be was a good way to get my feet wet. Now that wedding planning is sort of winding down (or amping up?), it was time to start considering a new "real life" blog. I'm not exactly sure what shape it will take, yet, but if you've followed me for any length of time, you know it'll be awesome. ;)
Anyway, I figured I'd share my other blogs here now. If you'd like to keep reading, update your Google Reader or blogroll or whatever you use to read blogs. I'll love you forever.
Peonies and Potted Plants (Wedding Planning)
Everyday Adventures (New Blog)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Holstee Manifesto
Labels:
solutions
I'm taking this to heart...
...and considering changing some things.
...and considering changing some things.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Oh, hello there.
Labels:
blah blah blah,
fail
Hi ya'll. *Sheepish smile* I'm sorry I haven't been around a whole lot. I started this blog because I wanted to share my adventures and misadventures, but I haven't been doing a very good job. I haven't been doing a good job at having adventures either. So here are some things that are going on:
• This week our church is hosting an organization called Family Promise, where we provide dinner and hang out with some local homeless families that shuttle from church to church. Last time we did this it was a lot of fun, since one of the little girls' birthday was that night, so we had a little party with cake and ice cream for her.
• I've been going to the gym fairly consistently! Meg started a Facebook "support" group for the Couch to 5K running program, and so far I'm sticking with it! Woohoo, go me!
• Matt and I have started "Souper Salad Tuesdays." Yum.
• We went to Schlitterbahn last weekend. It was uhmazing. So glad we got to go! I don't think I'd been there since Pam, Anna and I went for our senior (in high school!) trip, where Anna kept pinching dudes' butts.
• We also went to see the Astros' AAA baseball team, the Round Rock Express play the Oklahoma Redhawks (Rangers' AAA team). The Express aren't very good, but the Redhawks are awesome, and it was a fun game.
• I started a blog specifically for wedding planning, since I didn't want to clutter this one up with all that stuff since that's not really what ya'll started reading my blog for. If you're interested in the new one, let me know and I'll send you the link. I'm hoping to apply to blog for Weddingbee in the next month or so! I will defo keep ya'll updated if/when that happens. :)
Ya'll, I don't feel like I do a whole lot these days, but somehow I wind up totally exhausted. I think hoarding my vacation time is probably bad for me, but if I want to take a couple weeks off next year then it's a necessary evil. I'm slightly overwhelmed a lot of the time, but I hide it well by either throwing myself into projects or shutting down completely. I never did learn about balance. :)
So now I'm heading home so I can play with my kitty-boo for a little bit, and then we're going to try this new experiment called HAHA YOU'RE LOCKED IN THE OTHER BEDROOM, where I lock her up at night in a room that is not mine. My parents have always done this with our cats, locking them in the laundry room at night so they know when it's bedtime and they go to sleep and everything is happy. Well, whenever I'm at work, she sleeps. And when I'm not at work, I'm likely sleeping. Elliott takes it upon herself to get attention. By biting me. A lot. While I'm sleeping. I get so frustrated with her for doing this, and I rarely get a good night's sleep because of it, and I think it will be better if I can teach her that night time is sleeping time. I anticipate her howling her head off for a few nights, but through two closed doors, I will gladly take that over nicked arms.
• This week our church is hosting an organization called Family Promise, where we provide dinner and hang out with some local homeless families that shuttle from church to church. Last time we did this it was a lot of fun, since one of the little girls' birthday was that night, so we had a little party with cake and ice cream for her.
• I've been going to the gym fairly consistently! Meg started a Facebook "support" group for the Couch to 5K running program, and so far I'm sticking with it! Woohoo, go me!
• Matt and I have started "Souper Salad Tuesdays." Yum.
• We went to Schlitterbahn last weekend. It was uhmazing. So glad we got to go! I don't think I'd been there since Pam, Anna and I went for our senior (in high school!) trip, where Anna kept pinching dudes' butts.
• We also went to see the Astros' AAA baseball team, the Round Rock Express play the Oklahoma Redhawks (Rangers' AAA team). The Express aren't very good, but the Redhawks are awesome, and it was a fun game.
• I started a blog specifically for wedding planning, since I didn't want to clutter this one up with all that stuff since that's not really what ya'll started reading my blog for. If you're interested in the new one, let me know and I'll send you the link. I'm hoping to apply to blog for Weddingbee in the next month or so! I will defo keep ya'll updated if/when that happens. :)
Ya'll, I don't feel like I do a whole lot these days, but somehow I wind up totally exhausted. I think hoarding my vacation time is probably bad for me, but if I want to take a couple weeks off next year then it's a necessary evil. I'm slightly overwhelmed a lot of the time, but I hide it well by either throwing myself into projects or shutting down completely. I never did learn about balance. :)
So now I'm heading home so I can play with my kitty-boo for a little bit, and then we're going to try this new experiment called HAHA YOU'RE LOCKED IN THE OTHER BEDROOM, where I lock her up at night in a room that is not mine. My parents have always done this with our cats, locking them in the laundry room at night so they know when it's bedtime and they go to sleep and everything is happy. Well, whenever I'm at work, she sleeps. And when I'm not at work, I'm likely sleeping. Elliott takes it upon herself to get attention. By biting me. A lot. While I'm sleeping. I get so frustrated with her for doing this, and I rarely get a good night's sleep because of it, and I think it will be better if I can teach her that night time is sleeping time. I anticipate her howling her head off for a few nights, but through two closed doors, I will gladly take that over nicked arms.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Tea and Me
Labels:
adventures,
books,
movies,
sports
I'm reading this book called Three Cups of Tea. Julie, you would really like the premise of this book: "With the first cup of tea, you are a stranger. With the second ... a friend. With the third cup of tea, you are family."
It's about an American mountain climber who stumbled into this remote Pakistani village and learned that they had no school, and children would sit outside and attempt to learn on their own in the dirt. He decided he was going to build them a school, and within a few years, had schools built all over Pakistan. There are many discussions over tea - and it's how he knew he was safe or not safe with various tribes he met.
I'm reminded of my dream to change the world; I have no real plan to do so, just a desire to do SOMETHING, to save SOMEONE, do some good SOMEHOW. I've done absolutely nothing to change the world. I'd like to think that God has a use for me, and it's bigger than I can imagine. But what in the world can I do in a career field in which a former boss once told me that everyone in this industry is basically a whore? (To consumerism, not an actual whore.)
I still want to change the world.
----------
A few things I alluded to before but never got the chance to elaborate on...
Matt and I found a church we love, and joined. I'm glad this is something we get to do together.
We joined the church's summer softball team, Scared Hitless. We've lost every game so far, by A LOT of points, but it's a lot of fun. We've made some good friends. People bring their puppies (er, mainly big dogs, but they're alllllll puppiessssss!) and bring us water and Rice Krispies.
----------
Other Stuff:
I miss vegetables.
Knight and Day was pretty good and entertaining, but Tom Cruise has Crazy Eyes. Poor Katie Holmes.
It's about an American mountain climber who stumbled into this remote Pakistani village and learned that they had no school, and children would sit outside and attempt to learn on their own in the dirt. He decided he was going to build them a school, and within a few years, had schools built all over Pakistan. There are many discussions over tea - and it's how he knew he was safe or not safe with various tribes he met.
I'm reminded of my dream to change the world; I have no real plan to do so, just a desire to do SOMETHING, to save SOMEONE, do some good SOMEHOW. I've done absolutely nothing to change the world. I'd like to think that God has a use for me, and it's bigger than I can imagine. But what in the world can I do in a career field in which a former boss once told me that everyone in this industry is basically a whore? (To consumerism, not an actual whore.)
I still want to change the world.
A few things I alluded to before but never got the chance to elaborate on...
Matt and I found a church we love, and joined. I'm glad this is something we get to do together.
We joined the church's summer softball team, Scared Hitless. We've lost every game so far, by A LOT of points, but it's a lot of fun. We've made some good friends. People bring their puppies (er, mainly big dogs, but they're alllllll puppiessssss!) and bring us water and Rice Krispies.
Other Stuff:
I miss vegetables.
Knight and Day was pretty good and entertaining, but Tom Cruise has Crazy Eyes. Poor Katie Holmes.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A year in retrospect.
I know I've been a bad little blogger, and I have several things I will post about in the very near future. But for now, I only have one thing I'd like to talk about.
I have a goal in life.
This is a big big deal to me, because life has been on the fritz, and I've been panicking and anxious a lot in the past few days. I've needed reminders that I can't do everything on my own, and that maybe I need to be taking advantage of extra opportunities that I've ignored in the past.
It's incredibly difficult for me to admit this, but ... I've been living in this college town, and I'm not very happy.
The last few years were full of high-reaching goals - pass this class or that class, get experience in my field, graduate college, graduate with a high GPA, move to be with Matt, get a job within my field of study - and I did well. Not meaning to brag. I thrived because I had stuff I wanted, and they were mine. And I did them on my own.
With the exception of my "be done with therapy" goal, I've yet to complete anything since I moved. All of the goals I've set for myself since then have not been manageable, most notably: pay off a good chunk of my student loans before I get married. You already know, I'm in a massive amount of debt from my out-of-state college. And I've always considered it to be MY debt, and I HATED the fact that getting married meant forcing MY "problem" onto someone else to deal with. Even if that someone else wanted to be burdened with it. Because he knows I CAN do it alone, but that I'm miserable trying.
So I've set a goal. It probably won't help much toward aforementioned debt, but it's something I can control and something I can do.
I'm going to start freelancing. I'm going to get five clients by the end of 2010.
This is not me begging for business. I know most of the people who read this have no use for a graphic designer. But I don't have a great way of getting the word out, so if you know anyone who needs any paper goods (brochures, ads, party invitations, wedding invitations, campus flyers, T-shirt designs, maps, ANYTHING), think of me. And if any of you do need anything, I'd be happy to do it for free just for the experience and samples.
I have a goal in life.
This is a big big deal to me, because life has been on the fritz, and I've been panicking and anxious a lot in the past few days. I've needed reminders that I can't do everything on my own, and that maybe I need to be taking advantage of extra opportunities that I've ignored in the past.
It's incredibly difficult for me to admit this, but ... I've been living in this college town, and I'm not very happy.
The last few years were full of high-reaching goals - pass this class or that class, get experience in my field, graduate college, graduate with a high GPA, move to be with Matt, get a job within my field of study - and I did well. Not meaning to brag. I thrived because I had stuff I wanted, and they were mine. And I did them on my own.
With the exception of my "be done with therapy" goal, I've yet to complete anything since I moved. All of the goals I've set for myself since then have not been manageable, most notably: pay off a good chunk of my student loans before I get married. You already know, I'm in a massive amount of debt from my out-of-state college. And I've always considered it to be MY debt, and I HATED the fact that getting married meant forcing MY "problem" onto someone else to deal with. Even if that someone else wanted to be burdened with it. Because he knows I CAN do it alone, but that I'm miserable trying.
So I've set a goal. It probably won't help much toward aforementioned debt, but it's something I can control and something I can do.
I'm going to start freelancing. I'm going to get five clients by the end of 2010.
This is not me begging for business. I know most of the people who read this have no use for a graphic designer. But I don't have a great way of getting the word out, so if you know anyone who needs any paper goods (brochures, ads, party invitations, wedding invitations, campus flyers, T-shirt designs, maps, ANYTHING), think of me. And if any of you do need anything, I'd be happy to do it for free just for the experience and samples.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Exhausted.
Labels:
blah blah blah,
problems,
social life
Work this week has been all-consuming, and I don't think I'm doing a very good job of taking care of myself in the meantime.
The beginning of the week, we were having our sales meetings company-wide, which meant I didn't get much work done outside that. I have several projects to complete by the end of the month, and I'm feeling stressy, but not under enough pressure yet to do my best under-the-wire work.
With our Monday meeting starting in the late afternoon, we got to have a "happy hour" with some yummy wine, and a (free!) dinner afterward. After that, I just wanted to go home and chill, but I let some people guilt me into going out and ended up staying out way later than I wanted to. It was a good time, we chilled out at a bar and had a good time, but by the time I came back and went to sleep, it was later than I wanted or needed.
I woke up in the middle of the night last night not feeling well. Hmmm, I wonder why that is? MAYYYYYBE it's because ... I haven't been getting enough sleep, I haven't been eating healthy (fruit snacks, cereal bars and dessert does not = great energy and confidence), I don't feel like I'm keeping on top of the things I want to do both in work and especially outside of work. I haven't been going to the gym consistently, which isn't good for my stress levels or well-being.
Most of all, I hate to admit that one of my professors may have been right: life is like a never-ending Thursday. I hate that. I would say I'm pretty happy with life, but I wish I had a little more passion for the everyday.
In other news ...
• Elliott was diagnosed with kitty acne (!!), and I think she might be allergic to the shampoo they gave me, because her chin looks wayyyy worse now. I'm trying to give it time to let it heal before I try a new astringent the vet gave me, but she keeps scratching her chin bloody. My poor baby! My cat at my parents' house, Tugger, had acne before, and my mom said she just used CLEARASIL and it healed him up! Haha, if worse comes to worse, I'm totally trying that.
• My sister is coming to see me this weekend! We're going to try on bridesmaids dresses, and I'm taking her out for sushi, since no one else in my family will let her!
• I may have some good church news in the next few weeks ...
The beginning of the week, we were having our sales meetings company-wide, which meant I didn't get much work done outside that. I have several projects to complete by the end of the month, and I'm feeling stressy, but not under enough pressure yet to do my best under-the-wire work.
With our Monday meeting starting in the late afternoon, we got to have a "happy hour" with some yummy wine, and a (free!) dinner afterward. After that, I just wanted to go home and chill, but I let some people guilt me into going out and ended up staying out way later than I wanted to. It was a good time, we chilled out at a bar and had a good time, but by the time I came back and went to sleep, it was later than I wanted or needed.
I woke up in the middle of the night last night not feeling well. Hmmm, I wonder why that is? MAYYYYYBE it's because ... I haven't been getting enough sleep, I haven't been eating healthy (fruit snacks, cereal bars and dessert does not = great energy and confidence), I don't feel like I'm keeping on top of the things I want to do both in work and especially outside of work. I haven't been going to the gym consistently, which isn't good for my stress levels or well-being.
Most of all, I hate to admit that one of my professors may have been right: life is like a never-ending Thursday. I hate that. I would say I'm pretty happy with life, but I wish I had a little more passion for the everyday.
In other news ...
• Elliott was diagnosed with kitty acne (!!), and I think she might be allergic to the shampoo they gave me, because her chin looks wayyyy worse now. I'm trying to give it time to let it heal before I try a new astringent the vet gave me, but she keeps scratching her chin bloody. My poor baby! My cat at my parents' house, Tugger, had acne before, and my mom said she just used CLEARASIL and it healed him up! Haha, if worse comes to worse, I'm totally trying that.
• My sister is coming to see me this weekend! We're going to try on bridesmaids dresses, and I'm taking her out for sushi, since no one else in my family will let her!
• I may have some good church news in the next few weeks ...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I'm RAGE-Y
Labels:
problems
Before you go any further, READ THIS ARTICLE.
Oklahoma, I am ASHAMED of your government. I am HORRIFIED at the lengths you will go to constrain the beliefs of others.
I don't care whether you approve of abortion or not. It is unconstitutional, discriminatory, illegal and horrific to PERMIT doctors to lie to women about their pregnancies in order to force their beliefs on others. Not only permit, PROTECT them.
It doesn't matter whether the child has birth defects, or is perfectly healthy. Doctors have no right to try to control a woman's rights by giving her false information. Women deserve to be educated on any potential defects so they can be prepared to live with those defects if they choose to continue their pregnancy, and if they choose not to ... well, it's none of the doctors' damn business. The doctors aren't the ones who have to live with the life-changing consequences one way or another.
Another thing that makes me horribly angry is what other provisions this could allow in the future. If a doctor is allowed to lie about the baby's state in order to prevent it from being aborted, are they allowed to lie if the mother's life is in danger because of the baby? Why should a doctor get to decide whether my life is more or less important than my (hypothetical, totally not real, don't be freaking out, people) baby's?
Where is the AMA in all this? This provision surely goes against doctors' Hippocratic oaths. If a doctor is okay with lying to his or her patients, I sure as hell don't want to ever go to that doctor.
Oklahoma, I am ASHAMED of your government. I am HORRIFIED at the lengths you will go to constrain the beliefs of others.
I don't care whether you approve of abortion or not. It is unconstitutional, discriminatory, illegal and horrific to PERMIT doctors to lie to women about their pregnancies in order to force their beliefs on others. Not only permit, PROTECT them.
It doesn't matter whether the child has birth defects, or is perfectly healthy. Doctors have no right to try to control a woman's rights by giving her false information. Women deserve to be educated on any potential defects so they can be prepared to live with those defects if they choose to continue their pregnancy, and if they choose not to ... well, it's none of the doctors' damn business. The doctors aren't the ones who have to live with the life-changing consequences one way or another.
Another thing that makes me horribly angry is what other provisions this could allow in the future. If a doctor is allowed to lie about the baby's state in order to prevent it from being aborted, are they allowed to lie if the mother's life is in danger because of the baby? Why should a doctor get to decide whether my life is more or less important than my (hypothetical, totally not real, don't be freaking out, people) baby's?
Where is the AMA in all this? This provision surely goes against doctors' Hippocratic oaths. If a doctor is okay with lying to his or her patients, I sure as hell don't want to ever go to that doctor.
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