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Friday, July 12, 2013

Ushed & Gushed: An Anniversary Post

I have ushed and gushed about our Anniversary for almost a solid week, now.

Honestly, the past several months have been cloudy with a side of mild depression.  If you've been there, you know...it is hard to sincerely feel anything.


So, with that being said, I think one of the reasons why I have just loved anticipating this anniversary is because... 

it feels so good to actually be excited about something again!!!  


     I have never before in my life had so many questions (BABIES?  HEALTH INSURANCE?  JOBS?), but I am equally as confused  intrigued as I am happy, and that's mostly because of Tim.

     Sometimes, the call to write is so strong, I can feel it in my teeth.  It keeps me up at night.  I am a hoarder of words, and a lot of those words get all jumbled together.

The other day, I had this quote rolling around in my head.  I just couldn't put it all together.

And then we had dinner with friends, and I mentioned the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...

and there it was...and I just thought it was so fitting.


Love, and my new world has a red front door,
H.

Happy Anniversary, Timothius G. Young.  You're my guy.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Yet ANOTHER Anniversary Post


Well folks, tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary, and I've come to realize that in all the years I've been blogging, I've near really talked about our wedding.  I mean, come on...seriously!?!?  I started out with a huge post about our wedding. I ended up pulling out our entire album, and spending like, an hour sorting through photos. It was super fun, but way more time-consuming than it needed to be.

I wanted to post approximately 843 more pictures, and but will settle for 700 instead.  I'm kidding.  Gotta save some for year six, kids.

And....Go!  

The Wedding

     We had our wedding at the same church Tim's mother/grandmother attended. My parents have been regular attenders for about 40 years. Tim and I met at this church and had our first kiss in the parking lot (now THAT'S a story for another time). My sister and her family are regular attenders as well.

 I just love this church, and I hope I'm 89 years old and still attending.


     I actually saw Tim before the wedding.  I just knew I would be too anxious to get to the reception, and wouldn't really enjoy the photo session after the ceremony.  He waited at the front of the sanctuary, and I walked in to meet him while the photographer snapped a few shots.
   
     Thinking back, I sort of wish it would have been just the two of us.  All the candid shots are really awkward looking.  It's a fun memory, but such an intimate moment to share with strangers holding cameras-haha.

I am SO glad I saw him beforehand, though.  I was just more relaxed that way.





The Reception

     We had the reception at a (somewhat newly renovated) local middle school, and the menu included typical “cook-out” food. Pulled pork and all the fixin's. Our favors were Pez dispensers, and Tim and his family provided much of the live music.



Instead of the father/daughter dance, I sat with my dad while he played Louis Armstrong's, “What a Wonderful World” on the piano.


     I attached Star Wars pins to my garter as a surprise for Tim. We also attached Starbucks Gift Cards to the bouquet and garter and opened “the toss” up to everyone under 40. Many of our friends were married at the time, and we wanted to avoid the awkwardness that I KNOW many people feel standing in a crowd full of 5 year olds waiting to catch the garter/bouquet. Plus, we liked the idea of including all our friends. In the end, a set of TWINS actually ended up catching the garter/bouquet.



One of my favorite memories from the reception was actually just staying until everything was being “torn down.” I always said I wanted to leave before everything was cleaned up to avoid seeing “the end," you know. It was actually nice because I just felt such a sense of relief that it was over (I know that sounds terrible, but you know what I mean),  and by the end- it was only our true “die hard” friends and family leftover. It was all very casual.  We snapped some silly photos (NONE of which I can find), and called it a day.

     We had so much love, help and support during our big day.  I only hope I can pay it forward when all of our children are grown!  


The Honeymoon

     Tim and I spent the night at a hotel and finished the trip up to Mackinac Island, Michigan the next day. We rented a little condo there, and basically just “played house” for an entire week. We took a carriage tour of the island, bought lots of fudge, went putt-putting, road our bikes around the whole island, and slept in until our hearts content.





Love and it's all I can do to stop from planning a "vow renewal ceremony,"
H.


*All Wedding Photos courtesy of Dunaway Photography (I know some of them are blurry, I can assure you they aren't this way in real life.  I think I have "manipulated" some of them too much.  You know...in the five years we've been married...resizing them...taking screenshots of screenshots and such.  Let's be honest, some of these I snatched right off of Facebook.  Of course, the digital ones are tucked away somewhere but after all the sorting and looking I did beforehand well, ain't nobody got time for that).

Sunday, July 7, 2013

An Anniversary Post!!!


     This week, Tim and I will celebrate our 5 year anniversary. Hooray for us!

      I'm really excited about this one. Five years of marriage just sounds awesome. We've got a fun vacation planned, and we're going to start partnering together on some business ventures in the future. Needless to say, I'm pretty stinking excited about Year Six.

     I wanted to write a list of 5 Things I Love About Tim, but I felt a little cheesy. Instead, I wanted to make the list a little more broad. As in, “If you are not married yet, these are qualities you need to look for in a man.” I just happened to be married to a man who embodies them because I am just that lucky and just that smart. ;)

     I also want to add that I was terrified of getting married. I was so afraid that all our little habits and quirks would come out in full force once we were living together 24/7, and we'd be at each other's throats. 

      Tim was level-headed enough to explain that we “might” actually discover even more things we liked about each other. 

I'm happy to tell you that it's totally true. 

 Maybe I “knew” all these qualities were there...I just didn't appreciate them until later.

 (Read: #'s 2, 4, & 5)

1~ He's a really good cook. It's okay to marry a man who can't/doesn't cook. I just wanted to throw that one in. Although, it must be noted that you need to marry “ a helper.” It is just that simple. Marry someone who helps.  

2 ~ He is a navigational genius. I am convinced that you could give him a 1957 chevy, a bloodhound, a ham sandwich, and a street address in Alaska, and he would be there by dinnertime. It's not even about “knowing where to go” or “being too proud to ask for directions.”

I think what I'm getting at is that he is a talented problem-solver. Traffic on the highway? He'll find a way around. Accident on the interstate? Back roads.

     When we went to Hawaii, he found a snorkeling excursion that was not part of our cruise line (more fun, so much cheaper)! We took the public bus. He had us criss-crossing all over that island, but I'll be darned if we didn't make it, and it ended up being one of the best days of my entire life.






3 ~ He is like Jesus in the sense that he is “tough & tender.”

Tim has an “animal voice.” He loves animals. It is a voice he only uses when he is speaking to animals. Even just this past weekend, he spent several minutes loving on his mom's cat and going, “Hey, Kitty-Kitty. Be my friend, Kitty-Kitty.”

It was the cutest thing ever.

Speaking of tough/tender...check out this adorable (albeit blurry)  pic. of my husband playing with the little kids at church. Holy-my-biological-clock-is-ticking, Batman!


     On the other hand, I remember one time, someone knocked on our door at like, 10pm, and I was like, “Holy Smokes. It's a murderer!!!” I was pretty much huddled in the corner whereas Tim was like...at the door...all broad shouldered.......like, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” But he didn't yell. He was like...all quiet and calm and intimidating.

Tim Young is not happy when you startle his wife at 10 o'clock at night, and I love that about him.

Let's be honest. It was hot. Ladies. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.



 4 ~ He is one of the hardest working men I know, rivaled only by my dad and both my grandfather's, and even then- it's a four-way tie for first place. I always knew he was the kind of guy who could “hold down a job,” but I did not realize he was the kind of guy who would dig a job up from under the ground until several years into our marriage. It takes a determined man to find a job, but it takes an incredibly special man to create one.



5 ~ He never complains about spending time with my family. Let me say that one again. He never complains about spending time with my family. Even if it means helping move a piece of furniture or putting the cab back on my dad's truck. He never looks at his watch. He never asks, “When are we leaving?” He never whines, “...but we were just over there last week....” He never complains.

With that being said, thank you so much for reading as I gush about my husband.

If you are married, I encourage you to make your own list. It's super fun and helpful on those, “I'm ready to put you in a headlock” days. Come on. We all have them.

If you are not yet married, I encourage you to stick to your guns, ladies. Remember: Has Job. Loves Jesus.

Love and just...hooray!

Holly & Tim

Other Anniversary Posts here and here.  

Happy Wives Club

Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Day we Celebrate

Wishing a Happy Fourth of July to You & Yours! 

I'm taking a long weekend to spend with family.  Will be back to blogging next week!  
Lots of love, and we're hunting down some fireworks! 
Holly 


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

July = More to Love

Need more to love this July?

Here's an idea.  Old Navy Vintage Tees.

I maybe have...9....?

     They are so comfy, and you can get them to match ANYTHING.  I am curvy/large busted (yowza, am I right)?  ;)   So, I'm learning that I MUCH prefer shirts/tanks that have a long/tunic-type fit.  I'm 5'4, and I'm very pleased with how these fit...just so you know.

Here's the color I'd like to get next because....SUMMER!!!

Is there a better reason?


Here's how I like to wear my coral colored one...



Here's a SMALL sampling of what it looks like in real life.  Get a load of my little friend, there!!!



So, what color are you going to get?  

Love, and I was not compensated for this post.  I've just been back for 3 days, and I'm already out of ideas...

;) 

Holly 

Monday, July 1, 2013

Hello, Cuteness

Since we're just getting back up and running...I'm trying to ease us all back into this whole "blogging thing."

Easy. Easy.

I thought it might be fun to do a few posts on things I'm really loving right now.

(This is also code for, "I'm blogging again, and the other day, I freaked out because of the pressure," i.e. what if I don't have anything worthwhile to SAY!?!?!)

You know.  Typical.  ;)

Without further ado.

Happy First Day of July!  If you're looking for an adorable way to get organized this month, you need to head on over to Hello, Cuteness and check out their free calendars.
     
What? I have a dentist appointment on Thursday?  That's ok. Because I have Adorable Lemons on my calendar, and those Adorable Lemons are giving me courage.   Thank you, Adorable Lemons! 

(I just read that 2013 is the last year that calendars will be free...so get up on it)!

      They also have lots of other cute freebies (the packing list, anyone?) and some other printables at reasonable prices.

So get to printing!

Love, and more ink cartridges,
H.

*Thanks be to Heather Jess for first sharing this discovery with me!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Adventure, Mystery, Intrigue: A Lesson in How Not to Miss Your Calling

Ok. Hi.  The only explanation for my absence is The Lord.  That's right.

The Lord.

Motion Picture Associates of America

Is your version of God, Charlton Heston, too?  I'm kidding.  Mine's really not.

Truth be told, we're transitioning a lot around This Here Place.

     And in the past few months, whenever I contemplated blogging, I distinctly heard The Voice of The Lord telling me not to. So I didn't. And I haven't, and here we are now.   This week, I started getting really excited about The Idea of Writing again so I figured that was a good sign it was time to come back, lest He strike me with His Really Big Stick.  

I'm totally kidding.  I doubt God carries a Really Big Stick.  He needs one hand to hold His coffee.  

Oh boy.  This is worse than my Dead Fish Post.  

The long and short of it is that I am not going back to work next year. 


     I know this is the right thing for our family right now, but when it was all said and done- I grieved my head off because I loved my co-workers and my kids.   (hence the two month blogging absence).  

But...

   All I can tell you is that we have a tiny hallway between our bathroom and bedrooms, and I want a life that inspires cartwheels down the hall. I have spent far too many nights sitting on the floor crying to Tim in the hallway while he showers. 



He is a good husband.  

     It is the worst feeling... That inner conflict...feeling as if you are Smack Dab in the Middle of Missing Your Calling.  For me, teaching has been nine years of, as Mark Driscoll would say, long obedience in the same direction ...and now we cut bait. 

I kept reading things that reinforced my departure from teaching.  (I'll note them below).  

Even recently, one of my favorite bloggers wrote about Her Fun Life, and I just thought....I want that.  I want a "fun" life.  

And when I think about those nights on the floor...in the hallway...it was abundantly clear that I didn't have it.*
 
     I spent a long time being Very Sad.  I was, as Oskar Schell would say, zipped up in the sleeping bag of myself, and I learned that there are 1,000 Ways to Grieve and even more reasons why.  (Mine looks like eating out every single night and stashing old pizza boxes in the bath tub because there's no room in the trash.  I'm kidding.  Kind of.)  

      It has been an interesting road but one that is hard and necessary and good; the struggle before a chick hatches. For the first time in a long time I have absolutely no idea what's coming next, but I honestly hope you'll keep reading and come along with us.  


Let's make old-time-y circus posters that say...

2013-2014...

Adventure! 

Mystery!

Intrigue! 

You grab the ink, I'll grab the paper.  
     When I blew out my birthday candles this year, I wished for peace, and even though you aren't supposed to spill those beans...

I wished for peace, and I know I'll get it. 


Love, and hold on tight!
Holly 




Here are two blogs I found helpful.  If I had a Fairy Godmother, Jen Hatmaker would be it. 


 Stuck in the Doldrums: An Attack Plan

When is it Time to Walk Away? 


*For the record, I do NOT want to sound ungrateful or as if my life isn't "fun."  And I do not want to sound like, "I quit my job to have 'fun.' " 

     
     It is so easy and so complicated at the same time.  All I can chalk it up to is something spiritual, and I hate to sound condescending, but either you've been there before,  and you get it...or you haven't, and you don't.    I know when I am older/wiser and can see the past year with more clarity, I'll realize that the unrest in my heart was truly The Lord telling me it was time to move on from teaching.  So by "fun life, " what I really mean is just what I said.... a life at peace = fun.  


I love my co-workers...I love my kids.  There were days when they were both my greatest joys.  


But, as my favorite band would say, "Pack a change of clothes, cause it's time to move on."  


If you have questions/need advice/helpful remarks, please feel free to email me at holls_y{at}hotmail.com