Michalik's = Zimbabwe

I have been blessed by having MANY precious, precious people in my life that I'm beyond BLESSED to call "friends" but the Michalik's are more than that! Charlie is one of my greatest heroes and Jennifer is one of my greatest prayer warriors in life. To have sat back and watched our Sweet Jesus work in their lives has been a true JOY in the JOURNEY to say the least!

I left my heart in Africa nearly 8 years ago and when God laid it on the Michalik's heart to give up every modern day convenience they had, pack up their children, and move to Africa to provide clean water through wells for the people of Africa my heart was definitely part of this with them! It has been the neatest (and sometimes scary) journey to watch and see God at work. He did some AMAZING things using them to further HIS Kingdom in Sudan. AND He still has some AWESOME things planned despite them having to leave that country. SO blessed they have been to come "home" and be refreshed and renewed to head out on a new part of their journey....BACK to Africa!

It has been a sweet Jesus journey to pray alongside them and "see" where God is sending them and what He is doing through them. I'm SO excited to sit back and watch what HIS plan is for them. As they board that plane on December 10th I pray for safety and for God to go AHEAD of them to lay out ALL their provisions. God knows what's BEST and NEEDED and HE is their ultimate "Father." My biggest prayer is that RIGHT at this very moment God has just the right friends for Abbu and Hunter. I'm MORE than confident God is going to bless ALL their socks off in just the RIGHT way!

I love the ENTIRE family and was even able to spend some quality time with

Abbu this past weekend.

We created frames for her closest friends as prayer reminders for her to be able to give them. Such a great way to begin teaching the youngest about how BIG God's world is and that they can be a part of this journey! Thank GOD for Facebook and Skype...it makes HIS world seem small even in the HUGE realm of them being across an ocean in another Continent!

Missing My Boys...

Barrett and Brock...

These boy simply just make me smile.

When I think of them a smile resonates on my face.

When I look at a picture it reminds me of a memory, I smile.

When I step on a Lego that has "mysteriously" showed up after all these months, I smile.

When I'm in a store and I see something they would like and can't pass it up, I smile.

When I hear their voice on my phone, I smile.

When I "see" their faces on the computer when we iChat, I smile.

When I get off a plane and see them running to me, I smile.

When I hear them call me "Aunt Holly," I smile

I absolutely LOVE that these boys have ALL these ways (and MANY more) of making me smile!

Happy Birthday Brock!

Today is one of "my kiddos" birthdays and I'm sad I wasn't there to celebrate with him! BUT...let me tell you even though I wasn't there did NOT mean that I did not SPOIL him! A Birthday Box complete with a birthday sign, balloons popping out, noise makers, birthday confetti, and LOTS of prizes were mailed to Stone Mountain, Georgia this past week and on Friday my precious Brockie was able to ENJOY his birthday box!

This sweet boy just simply makes me SMILE. His little personality is about the sweetest thing EVER! He still cuddles and loves with you (which I've told him he CANNOT outgrow). He is the GREATEST little helper. His sweet spirit is CONTAGIOUS. He loves to PLAY with his brother. He says the sweetest prayers at night when he goes to bed. LOVES friends and gets along with EVERYONE! His little voice when he talks gets me EVERY time. And my PROUDEST achievement is the fact that Aunt Holly got the Hook 'Em in his blood BEFORE his parents moved him away from the greatest state EVER! He absolutely LOVES those horns and even yesterday, Mara told me he was helping cheer them to victory over OU! I cannot believe he is 4 years old now and much less believe that I've been blessed with watching him GROW into what he's becoming. I'm confident even now at 4 years old he will make some girl an AMAZING husband one day!

God's got GREAT plans for this little man!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BROCKIE!

Aunt Holly sure does LOVE YOU!

Crafting and a GREAT Movie!

Natalie and I ENJOYED being creative together!

She was working on a CUTE Modge Podge clipboard while I made some more Fabric Flowers (a.k.a. Posie Pins). The GREATEST part was the movie...The Proposal! We had fun crafting, eating homemade peach ice cream and LAUGHING at one of the BEST movies EVER!

LOVE me some Sandra Bullock AND Ryan Reynolds!

ORANGE is in honor of the Horns victory today over OU! HOOK 'EM!

LATE...sleepless night!

I've been having A LOT of LATE, sleepless nights lately. One thing my Mom always taught me was to NEVER "lay around." Whether it's during commercials or in bed at night...because "there's ALWAYS something you can do." Her words ring true and tonight I've been productive in my scrap/craft room. I've been re-organizing some things and I'm nearly done.

One of my dearest friends, Johnna, keeps wearing this cutesy little flower brooch. EVERY time I see her with it on I have this urge to make one! The other day I found several blogs that had tutorials and so I watched several. I also am working on a Swag for my house and so last weekend I went shopping for fabric. I absolutely LOVE looking and shopping for fabric. One of my MOST favorite things to do when I'm with my other dear friend, Brooke, is to fabric shop! The colors, the schemes, the patterns...it makes me want to learn to sew but NOT really! Ha!

There are so many no-sew things out there now and that's what I'm all about! However, I can sew a mean button on to ANYTHING you need me to! ANYWAY...here's my first attempt on a flower brooch. I learned quite a bit and am anxious to make my second...third...fourth! I've seen them put on headbands for little girls, hats, bags, and dresses/jackets.

What a NEAT accessory!

My Anna Banana....

there are only a FEW things in this world that you would find me absolutely head over heels in LOVE with and one of them are the little GIRLS in my life! don't get me wrong, i absolutely ADORE my boys, too, but I LIKE...

no...i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the "girly, girl" stuff! the bows, the clothes, the ponytails, the shoes, the bling, the pink, the chic, and simply just the FUN!

this precious little girl stole my heart from day one of holding her in the hospital when she was born! her little brother (and dad) were smitten and i thought she was just simply gorgeous! as she's grown and come into her own little personality it's been so much fun watching her! last week johnna and i were talking after school one day and as you can see she was thoroughly enjoying her "Hollypop." one of the greatest rewards of having ALL "my kids" in life is being able to watch them grow up to ALL God wants them to be!

MORE than a blessing...God's true gift to my heart!

Shopping fun with Mom...

Last Friday Mom and I enjoyed our day at Round Top/Warrenton. We absolutely LOVE going shopping there when the Market Days are happening in the Spring and the Fall. As I'm walking around my brain is constantly working on the next "project" that I want to accomplish and sometimes my brain goes into overload because there's SO stinkin' much I want to do! This trip I had my mind set on something to add to my scrap room but NOT for scrapping. I wanted a shelf for all my paints, brushes, canvases, and everything else that goes with that. It was near the end of the day and I hadn't really found anything that caught my eye. Of course, I'm all about making a deal when I'm there but hesitant about asking for people to go "cheaper" if something seems priced right. My mom kept saying "what are you looking for" and I really couldn't explain it. On the other shopping front I was successful once again finding some new "flashy and trashy" necklaces that I'm famous for....I absolutely LOVE the ones I got this time.

They are BIG, BEDAZZLED, and UNIQUE!

As we were making the trek back to the lot where we parked we turned the corner down one isle...I looked up and there it was! I went straight to it and didn't even hesitate that THIS WAS IT! Even more than I had hoped for. It had a couple of extras on it that I hadn't even thought of (hooks on the sides). I got brave and asked the lady if she would go any cheaper and she knocked $10.00 off! IT WAS SOLD! She was all proud of her paint job and while I like the red it's a little too "fire engine" red for me. I'm planning on distressing it a little more to tone it down. As we were driving out of Warrenton, Mom and I drove through some of the side tents and there's this one that I absolutely LOVE their stuff! It's cheap and I always find something. The buckets were perfect for the shelves to organize my brushes and other things. I can't wait to get it in my room and get it all organized. I'll post pictures once I'm done!

While it may seem weird that a simple "shelf" excites me just keep in mind that it doesn't take much to get me excited over scrapping and crafting! Sometimes I'm so giddy over things that it's like a little girl on Christmas morning...it's just part of the obsession.

Rain, Rain Go Away...

Well, what began as a surprise for Mara and the boys has turned into a surprise for me. I came to the great town of Atlanta last Thursday for the weekend and am still here. Rain began and rain did NOT go away...Alf started making jokes saying we were going to need to build an Ark! What I've experienced this weekend is the closest I've ever been to natural devastation. Near 20 inches of rain in a given 4 day period. There is water literally everywhere. Schools are closed. Interstates have become ravines. Boat rescues are taking place in neighborhoods where people can't get out. Fires have broken out. Deaths. People missing. 17 counties declared disaster zones. And more storms possibly brewing.

One thing God has reminded me though is HE IS IN CONTROL. Of the rain and my life. There is a hope and a peace knowing AND believing that! My trip to Atlanta has turned into something I didn't expect but rather Jesus' PERFECT timing for me to be

refreshed and enjoy true rest.

Awhile ago I blogged about Crazy Love- Francis Chan's new book that had come out. I read that book twice and the Lord taught me so much about HIM! Things I had always known but this made it real all over again for me. I've had many friends who have gone through it and had the same experience in their hearts!

Well....Mr. Chan has done it again! His new book that I picked up a little over a week ago is even more anointed than the first. Forgotten God is powerful. It brings my blindness of the Holy Spirit to a clear and bright LIGHT going off in my heart. His words are profound and beyond comparison to what our flesh has done to the very Spirit that walks one foot ahead of us and many times carries us in this journey we call life. His book encourages ALL believers (and the church) to reverse the trend of neglecting the Spirit and rather pursue the

SPIRIT-filled life that God's very desire is for us.

Click here to see Francis Chan talk about his book...

The Eyes of Texas...

It only seems fitting to blog after an almost 4 month silence about College Gameday! Can't be MORE excited knowing that it is FINALLY here! I keep thinking I'll stop what I'm doing and "catch up" but to no avail it hasn't happened. I've had W-A-Y to much going on to even remotely play "catch up" so here I am just moving on. In a mere 4 hours the Texas Longhorns will kick off their 2009 Season. ALL Longhorns fans (AND non-horns) are anticipating watching what this season will bring forth. I'm from a family that bleeds orange, tailgates every game, has season tickets, and are true die-hard fans. Even when away games are taking place if we have a family gathering the game is on in the background and while we are talking we're screaming and cheering on our Horns! Most of them are graduates and even now have cousins that are students at UT. Throughout the entire year and especially on Saturdays during College Football season you won't catch ANY of them without wearing burnt orange. I, myself, have a section in my closet hanging and in a drawer of t-shirts that reflect ORANGE in the mirror.

One year ago we moved my sister into her dorm room at Texas Tech. She began her sophomore year one week ago and, YES, I have to admit she wears Red and does "support" her team but she will be the first to tell you that if you cut her she still bleeds ORANGE. You can often see her status on FB say, "Hook 'Em and Wreck 'Em" at the same time. She loves Lubbock but is from Austin. She loves being a Raider but was born a Horn. There is NO changing something that is in the blood. That's for sure.

We are PROUD of our team. PROUD of our coaches. PROUD of our city. PROUD of our school. And most of all PROUD to be a Horn! Here's to an AMAZING season...HOOK 'EM!

Seasons of Love....

Bass Concert Hall = 

AMAZING shows! 

I've always wanted to see Rent on Broadway. Going to NYC this summer I got a little giddy at the thought of going, however, quickly remembered that it's not on Broadway anymore. When I was reminded last week on the radio it was coming to Austin with two of the original cast members who also appeared in the movie, giddiness overtook me again. Jealousy quickly emerged when I found out my sister's friend asked her to go and I had not even looked up tickets to see if they were still available. 

Friday I went to dinner with Alf and Mara...

conversation began like this-

Holly: Hey, did you know that Rent is in town this weekend?

Mara: (sound of GASP) I know! 

Holly: I was thinking about going and looked up tickets today. They still have them.

Mara: Really? How much were they? (sound of GASP again)

Holly: $55.00 for Orchestra. I was surprised they still had them available. 

Alf: Why don't you go? 

Mara: (GASP and GIDDINESS all at one time) Are you serious? 

Alf: Well, yeah. 

Mara: It's not like I haven't already seen it 5 times! I would drive you crazy singing all the songs and saying all the lines.

Holly: Are you kidding me? We'll be singing TOGETHER! 

Mara: Alf, are you serious? Can I go? 

Alf: Yes, I'll keep the boys. You go. 

Mara: Okay! Well, you know I'm not going to argue with you if you say I can go. Let's look at tickets when we get back to the house. 

At approx. 9:45 tickets were purchased, secured, and even a parking space was reserved! YAHOO!!! We met my sister and Lindsay at Red Lobster beforehand for dinner and OFF WE GO to Bass Concert Hall! It was UHMAZING! I would have seriously paid for another ticket to see it today...

As the song says~ 525, 600 minutes...525,000 moments so dear....525, 600 minutes- how do you measure a year? For this one moment and for 210 minutes my heart was soaking in the wonderful show of RENT! 

Great memory!