Remember these?

So this summer, we bought some chairs that I was supposed to make slip covers for. We got a little bit delayed when the fabric had to be ordered, but we have had the fabric for months. I have also had a book checked out from the library so long that I think I have renewed it 3 times. I did not even know that was possible. I have no excuse. I have been lazy. I guess the one excuse I do have is that when I get the desire to work on this type of thing it is typically after midnight and not the most opportune time to be running a sewing machine.

Today I worked hard, friends. I have one chair that is completed except for the cushion and some finishing work. I worked on the thing for over 5 hours. Whew, but I have to say, I am pretty happy at how it has come out so far. So even though I did not shower until midnight, I am counting it as a productive day.





Top: original chair
Middle: Chair with cover and cushion that needs covered
Bottom: Chair with cover and without cushion

Words that changed my evening...

and possibly my life.

Michelle, "Can you afford it?"
Me, "Yes."
Michelle, "Can you live without it?"
Me, with hesitation and groan, "Yes."

What I did on vacation...a picture review.

Went to Lisa Birocci's wedding with my sister. Former roommate. She looked absolutely beautiful and happy.Did not get together with my Dad's side of the family. This actually happened two Sundays. The first planned get together was cancelled due to illness the second to weather. Boo.
Enjoyed watching my sister learn, through experience, that confectioner's sugar is powdered sugar not granulated. "This frosting looks grainy." Oh man, I still laugh when I think about it.Ate lunch with my grandparents at Legends after getting my hair cut (see previous post for hair cut pics). Saw this great sign and took a picture, sorry no pictures of the grandparents. This beer is for you Rachel.
Bowling with my sister and her friend Whitney. Good times had by all. They did not have any lanes when we arrived so we also played some pool and darts.

Spent time with friends in the great town of Iowa City. I am just getting used to carrying a camera along with me, so please forgive me for not having more photos.

I met Andy's bird Mugger. I still don't like birds, but this one is ok.

Oh, just chillin. And I mean that literally. We went to Andy's after eating at the Vine to say good bye to Angie. I was wearing my coat, Andy's socks and covering myself with a blanket by the end of the evening. It was great to see the ladies at ICRC. I love the pregnant Sarah! So excited.
Jenny, what is so mellow about mellow yellow?
It is about time that someone took revenge on Suzie and took a picture while SHE was eating.

It was so nice to get to see good friends in Iowa City. The only thing I would change would be to see more people and spend more time with the people that I did get to see. I spent a good amount of time with my family, my sister especially. I think that she will be glad that I put this picture of her up.This is the gate where I ran into someone from high school that I had not seen since high school. That was pretty fun.

I have to say, Iowa did a good job of making me remember why I left her. Check out this crazy snow. You can't tell, but it was still snowing when I took that picture. And negative seven wind chill factor. You can't tell the wind chill from the picture. It was darn cold. And I didn't get to go sledding. What good is snow without sledding?

It was great to be there, but it is good to be back.

How to post comments on my blog...

This one is for you Grandma!

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Welcome Home!

To say the least, getting back to Iowa was an adventure. And the travel part was not the only adventurous part.

I thought that my trip back home was going to be the long haul (I have a 7 hour lay over on Monday to get back to Phoenix). However, getting to Des Moines seemed to be no easy feat. My lovely roommate dropped me off at the airport on Friday morning. I have this bad habit of waiting until the last moment to pack for a trip and this time was no exception. I am quite thankful for living so close to the airport.

The flight to Salt Lake City was uneventful. I listened to my iPod and enjoyed having the seat next to me empty. As we descended I realized that I had missed a lot of what was probably a beautiful flight to watch out the window. I was in awe of the white mountains and the icy bodies of water. It was so pretty I decided right then and there that sometime I would have to take a trip to Salt Lake City, something I never even thought of before.

I had three pushing on four hours to spend in the airport, so I took my time getting to my next gate. On the way there I discovered the ever present Starbucks. After finding my gate I returned to the Starbucks. I sat next to a woman reading Cultivating by John Eldridge. I knew once I took out my Bible that she would say something. Having a Bible in front of you must be body language for "talk to me."

The lady had been delayed on her first flight and that had caused her to miss her original flight in Salt Lake City. She was a lady that looked to be about my parent's age and she shared with me that she had children around my age. One of her daughters had encouraged her to read the book she had with her. She asked what I was reading and I explained that i was spending the afternoon catching up on the Bible in a year program that I was almost finished with. A few years back, she used the same program and shared some of the ways that she was encouraged by it.

After she left I put in my head phones. Bible may say, "talk to me," but head phones are American for "do NOT talk to me."

Not long after the other lady left, a woman about my age sat down. She asked me if I could look after her stuff for a minute. I know this is a big airport no, no. But I was pretty sure she looked at my Bible and decided I would be an ok person for that. And seeing as she ignored my head phones and had an accent I knew she was not American.

When she came back she shared with me that she is from Israel and that she was in America for the Urbana Missions conference. This woman was amazing. She is the leader of the department for Hebrew speaking students at the school she works at. It was definitely a Divine encounter. She shared with me from Song of Songs some things that she was learning and the Hebrew meaning of some of the passages. It was amazing. It was like God put a face and a voice on the words He wanted me to hear. Wow.

So then the travel part of the adventure started. My flight got delayed and the flight attendant lady told us that we might have to land in Cedar Rapids instead of Des Moines due to possible weather. After we boarded the plane the pilot said that the weather was perfect in Des Moines and he foresaw no reason that we would not land there. That was good, but then he informed us that there was a part on our plane that needed to be replaced. That is never something that you really want to hear.

Finally after all that we took off about the same time we were supposed to land.

Ah, you have to love traveling.

New Hair

Before. Long (for me!) New length, a little bit different color.
Super straight and from the side so you can see the angle.
Tucked behind the ears and a little curly.
Same as above, from the back.

So...what do ya think?

I'm totally black.

So, the other day I was helping someone and I had to leave to get something. When I came back, that person asked me where the black lady went.
I asked him, "What black lady?"
He responded, "Holly."
"Sir, that is me."
"Well you changed colors then!"
Oh man, that was hilarious.

By request...

One. Word. Survey. You. Can. Only. Type. One. Word.

1. Yourself: spender
2. Your sibling(s): friend
3. Your mother: Christmas
4. Your Father: thoughtful
5. Your favorite physical feature on others: eyes
6. Your dream home: full
7. Your best friends: insight
8. Your dream last night: unknown
9. Your Favorite drink: coffee (ang did you mean to imply pumpkin spice latte?)
10. Your Dream Car: infinity
11. The room you are in: dining
12. Your Ex: oops
13. Your fear: loneliness
14. What you want to be in 10 years: satisfied
15. Who you hung out with last night: players
16. Something you’re not: confident
17. Muffins: pumpkin
18. One of Your Wish List Items: camera
19. Time: night
20. The Last Thing You Did: download
21. Your Favorite Weather: hoodie
22. Your Favorite Book: james
23. The last thing you ate: bread
24. Your Life: confusing
25. Your Mood: restless
26. What are you thinking about right now: plans
27. What are you doing at the moment: typing
28. Your summer: hot
29. Your relationship status: free
30. Who You Are Now: me
31. Who You Want to be in Five Years: ready
32. What is the weather like: beautiful
33. When is the last time you laughed: tonight
34. Who should fill this out: bloggers

You know I am a sucker for a survey!

JANUARY

1. Who kissed you on new years?
Well, I brought in 2006 by playing Pretty Princess, what do you think?

2. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?
Negatory big buddy. But, in February I did decide to read the Bible in a year. Does that count?

3. Does it snow where you live?
Um...no. I live in the desert.

4. Do you like hot chocolate?
Yes, please, but I like all kinds of hot beverages.

5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?
No, my New Year's celebrations are much more exciting, see above.

FEBRUARY

1. Who was your Valentine?
Valentine? Have you met me?

2. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class?
Of course.

3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not?
What the crap, you know it is always going to be cold until it is ridiculously hot and humid in Iowa. So, who cares.

MARCH

1. Are you Irish?
Not that I know of.

2. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day?
If I remember. I just bought a green and white dress! The green is called clover. That is fun right?

3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2006?
Went to Olive Garden to celebrate my cousin's birthday.

4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over?
What is winter?

APRIL

1. Do you like the rain?
I don't mind rain, but I hate being wet, so if it means me getting wet then no. It actually rained here today. Crazy.

2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone?
Not that I remember. So, if I did it must not have been that great.

3. Do you get tons of candy on Easter?
No, we usually got a milk chocolate bunny and hunted eggs with candy in them.

4. Do you celebrate 4/20?
Right.

5. Do you love the month of April?
Love is probably not the first word that comes to mind.

MAY

1. What is your favorite flower?
Tulips

2. Do you like the spring?
yes

3. Finish the phrase "April showers":
bring may flowers, um how do people get this survey if not copying it from others...

4. What is the first color you think of when you think of Spring?
green

JUNE

1. What year did/will you graduate from high school?
2001

2. Did you do anything fun during this month?
Nothing sticks out, I can't remember exactly when my family members were here in the summer, so that was fun.

JULY

1. What did you do on the Fourth of July?
worked

2. Did you go on any vacations during this month?
Nope!

3. Do you blast the A/C all day?
yes

AUGUST

1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer?
I flew to L.A. for a weekend, that was pretty awesome.

2. What was your favorite summer memory of '06?
Probably going to L.A. that weekend.

3. Did you have a sunburn?
Duh.

4. Do you go to the beach a lot?
Is there water in Arizona?

SEPTEMBER

1. Did you attend school/college in '06?
No way Jose! I did spend time on a lot of different college campuses though.

2. Who is your favorite teacher?
My mom, David Cowger. Neither one of them are my teacher, so I suppose that does not count. So how about Mr. Z. He was pretty awesome.

3. Do you like fall better than summer?
I miss fall.

OCTOBER

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume?
My sister and I were M&M's once. That was super cute.

2. What is your favorite candy?
Probably Milky Way or Dove chocolate.

3.What did you dress up as this year?
I am pretty sure I worked Halloween this year. So a nurse, very creative.

NOVEMBER

1. Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving?
This year, Aunt Lynne's but that was on the Sunday before. I worked on Thanksgiving. Doing this survey is making me realize how many holidays I worked this year. Dang for being low man on the totem pole.

2. Do you love stuffing?
I wouldn't say it is my favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

3. What are you thankful for?
Good friends who remind me where my true identity lies.

DECEMBER

1. Do you celebrate Christmas?
Even if I didn't celebrate CHRISTmas, my name is Holly. It is kind of required.

2. What is December 1st, 2006?
over, what is this question trying to get at?

3. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?
for sure.

4. Get anything special last year?
ditto on the iPod. and i have some pretty great pictures of Joanna from Christmas.

5. What do you want this year?
Not much. I just said Merry Christmas to myself tonight. So if you didn't get me a present I can wrap one of the things I bought for myself today and put your name on it.

Now it feels like Christmas!

Thanks Mom and Dad and Megan!

Christmas in July?

Not really, but it feels like it when you live in the desert. So, it is not hot and humid like it is in July in Iowa. But it is still in the 60's and 70's most days. This week it has been cooler though, like 50's. And it does it pretty cold in the morning. Like 30's. I didn't know that happened in Phoenix, but it does.

We have decorated for Christmas. Here are some of the pictures. One night I made this thing to hang up above our counter top. What can I say. Sometimes I don't sleep at night.
We bought these vases at Ikea. Actually, we bought most of these things at Ikea. Our plan is to change out the decorations with the seasons. Oh, and in the picture above you can see the medium sized ones on the shelves next to the tea pot.
Here they are in the dark.
We have these lights hanging on our balcony. I like them a lot. We never turn them off. I thought they might deter the pigeons, but I was completely wrong on that.


We have some more decorations, but the pictures didn't turn out that great in the dark. So we will have to take some more during the day. Stay tuned for more.

It doesn't really feel like Christmas. There is no snow. I can't complain. I love the weather, but it is really hard to get into Christmas when the weather is this nice.

They are here!

Tara is here and engaged. When I got to the airport I saw her now fiance all dressed up with red roses and thought, "Did I miss the memo?" Congratulations you two!

Megan is here and the party is on. And I mean ON. No doubt. Who needs Vegas?

Woo Hoo!

I got a grown up bed yesterday! I slept in it for the first time last night. Hooray for our apartment looking more like a home.Up close on the linens.And again.Big girl bed!

Buddy Holly

Up for vote:

Do I change my cell phone ring to Weezer's Buddy Holly?

Comments are welcome and requested.

I Workout religiously

So, I was talking to one of my coworkers on the phone the other night. We were going to meet for dinner with another one of our coworkers at a Mexican restaurant. It was about 4 and we were meeting at 8. My thought was, I should work out so that I don't feel so guilty about what I am going to drink tonight. So I told my coworker that I needed to go so that I could work out. Here was the conversation:

Coworker: You work out?
Holly: Yes.
Coworker: Religiously?
Holly: No.

But you know what. I have been thinking about this since that conversation and really, I should have said yes. In many ways the way I work out is quite similar to the way I follow Jesus.

-As hard as I try, I can never be consistent.
-Sometimes I am super excited.
-It can be difficult.
-I know that it is good for me.
-There are times when I rebel.
-I get frustrated when I feel like I am not seeing results.
*Some days I have to kick myself hard and drag myself there, but afterwards, I am always glad I did.

So there you have it friends: I workout religiously.

Late Night Thoughts

I have just started reading the book "Blue Like Jazz." I know, I am way behind on the cool Christian reading list. I just completed the second chapter that talks about he problem of always thinking of ourselves and seeking to please ourselves rather than seek our pleasure in God. I think this is something that I have been struggling with a lot lately. I think, perhaps, I am supposed to be learning something here. I have been reading a Bible in one year plan and here are some of the verses that have stuck with me recently:

Proverbs 23:17
Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for fear of the Lord.

Jeremiah 7:9-10
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"- safe to do all these detestable things.

Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Jeremiah 9:20
Now, O women, hear the word of the Lord:
open your ears to the words of his mouth.
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.

Jeremiah 9:23-24
This is what the Lord says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this;
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the Lord.

It is so easy for me to think of myself first, to go after what I want and, frankly, to have no fear of the Lord. I want to be liked by my coworkers, I want to feel attractive and desired. I want to get attention from people and feel like I matter. I don't know that all of these things are bad, but at what point am I seeking these things and not the Lord. At what point am I sinning? I desire to know the Lord and to put my trust in him and to fear the Lord more than I desire the things of the world. But, man, sometimes it is so stinking hard.

Lord, I pray that these verses will stick with me. That I will continue to think of them and meditate on them so that by your grace and through your power I can know you and fear you more. I pray that I would truly confess, renounce and lament my sins and that they would become detestable to me. Lord, I pray that I would in my heart desire you more than the things of the world. Amen.

Squaw Peak Summit Trail

Today Rachel and I took our first Arizona hike. This is appropriate because hiking season is November through April in Phoenix.
I bought a book called "Best Easy Day Hikes: Phoenix" about a month ago. There are 25 hikes total and our goal is to hike all of them. I think that the one that we did today was one of the harder ones. Actually, I just looked at a list that ranks the hikes and the book ranks this one as the hardest one. The consensus of people that we met on the hike today was that this one is actually not quite as physically demanding as the one that it rated just below it.
Information about Squaw Peak Summit Trail from the book:
Total Distance: 2.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 1190 feet
"Squaw Peak, dominating Phoenix's northern skyline, is the centerpiece of the city's Phoenix Mountains Preserve....This steep trail, now trod by over 500,000 hikers annually, attracts more hikers than any other Phoenix trail and is second in Arizona only to the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail in popularity....Other than some young, cigar-shaped saguaros and fishook barrel cacti, few plans survive on these heat-blasted slopes, where surface temperatures can exceed 150 degrees F in summer....All of Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun unfolds below this lofty sky platform with its stunning 360-degree view."
All in all it was a fun trek. We enjoyed getting to the top and very much enjoyed coming back down. The people on the trail were quite friendly and we were able to have a couple of fun conversations. There was even an incident when I thought this guy had headphones on, and I was telling Rachel an embarrassing story of me falling down a rocky patch in Africa and scraping my bum because I was wearing a skirt. He WAS wearing headphones, but when I was telling that story he had taken them off. Go figure.

Hi...I Do Exist

Sorry folks. I am a bad blogger, or I guess rather, a non-blogger.
Wow, has an entire month really gone by? One exciting thing has been my mom's visit. She had a long weekend and decided to take some time to come see me. :) She was only here for a few days but we had some good times. One of the more exciting days was when we went to Sedona. I like Sedona. It is beautiful. I have seen few things as beautiful as the red rocks there.
On the way there we stopped at a restaurant that has really good pies. We didn't eat pie though, because it was breakfast time. There were a ton of rowdy boys there and it did not take long for us to realize it was a bachelor party. They were hilarious. There must have been 15 of them.
When we got to Sedona, we parked to look around some of the shops. My aunt had just got a new Merano. That is one of the Nissan SUV's. It is her grandma car. When we got out of the car some one said, "Is there a fan running or something?" My aunt said she wasn't sure, she didn't really know the car. So we walked around, had some soup, and enjoyed Sedona. When we got back to the car I heard the fan noise. Except for it wasn't a fan. The car was running. The new car has a no key feature. Basically, you can carry the key in your purse or pocket, and a sensor knows that you have the key. Then all you have to do is push a button to get in the car. You don't need the key to start the car either, you turn the dial on the dash. You also don't need to key to turn off the car. So, we left the car running, THE ENTIRE TIME. Oh man, I laughed so hard.
It was nice to have Mom here. Having someone visit every few months makes me feel like I am not that far away from home. I am looking forward to going home in January. That is right folks. Book your time now. I will be home January 5th-15th.
And...I am going to freeze. I hate to say it, but I have adjusted. Tonight Rachel and I walked to the Hollywood Video a few block from our apartment. We were both wearing jeans and a t-shirt. And I was chilled. It was about 70 degrees. I am sorry friends, 70 feels quite cool when you have gotten used to regular temperatures over 100. I occasionally wear a sweater when I go to work at night. Hey, at least the sun has gone down by that time.
Speaking of the sun going down. I cannot get it in my head that it is fall. The calendar says October, the end of October even. The sun is going down sooner. College football is in full swing and baseball is over. But, there are no changing leaves here. An there is not that cool crisp air of the fall. There are no apple orchards to go to, no Main Event, no mums, no frost, and no threat of snow. And I miss it.
The changing of the seasons has made me feel homesick. I am not sure what it is. I think one of the big things is missing out on Main Event. It is not just the conference that I miss. Don't get me wrong the conference is absolutely great. I learn a lot every year I went. Part of it is the music, the work shops, but what I miss most is the fellowship. Main Event was always a sweet weekend to really dig in to the word, learn and pray with the people that are most important to me. I read Angie's blog on Main Event and the idea of tons of women having a quiet time all in one place made me want to cry, good crying of course. I remember the missionaries sharing their hearts for the world, and then the last year I went seeing my friend share the heart that was first opened to Japan at Main Event and how she was going for two years.
Well, I think I have rambled on enough for now...I would put up pictures, but I don't have any of Rachel, because I don't have a digital camera and apparently people want to see pictures of Rachel. ;)