i've moved

i'm over here now - hollyfrees.wordpress.com

30 before 30 update: discover my story and write it down

this is actually something i've been wanting to do for a long time. i wrote about it before, in several posts (here, here, here, and here), about how i was trying to figure out what exactly my story is.

well. it's two years later. and i found it. and i wrote it out. and i shared it with the swamp tigers. (my community group. feel free to be jealous of our name.) i'm not going to write it all out here on my blog, because it's not something that i feel needs to be shared with the world wide web. but if you know me, and you ask, i'll probably tell you. there's nothing to really be ashamed of from my story, but i stories are not something to be taken lightly.

so. i'm crossing this off the list.

30 before 30 update: 25. walk the cumberland river pedestrian bridge

on my 29th birthday, my roommates and i spent the morning walking the pedestrian bridge. it wasn't as long as i excepted actually, but it was fun to walk across and get a great view of the skyline. here's one of the pictures i snapped along the way:

30 before 30 update: shoot a real gun

as part of my 29th birthday celebration, my friends stacy, suzanne, and chad accompanied me to gun city, usa. the place was every bit as shady as the name. we rented a 38 revolver and a 9mm automatic. i wasn't a fan of the automatic at all (i only shot two bullets from it), but i did shoot a few rounds out of the revolver and finally started to feel comfortable with it. i don't plan to ever own a gun, but i figured it was something i should experience and be familiar with.

enjoy the following pictures.

30 before 30 update: have a small emergency fund

i've actually had this for awhile, i just neglected to update my blog. here's hoping that by finally posting about it, i won't jinx myself and have an emergency.

30 before 30 update: become a member of midtown

yesterday i was able to cross something else off my 30 before 30 list. after attending the church for over 5 years, i finally became a member of midtown fellowship. there's really no good reason i hadn't become one earlier, and i'm glad that i finally did. life in nashville would not be the same without the community i have through midtown.
also, my good friend kateland was baptized on the same day. hers is a beautiful story of transformation, and i'm glad we were able to share the day.

30 before 30 update: organize files (paper & electronic), part 1

one of the things on my 30 before 30 list was to organize my paper and electronic files. a few days ago i finished the first half of that - the paper files. it was getting to the point where boxes of old pay stubs and bills were exploding in my closet. so i took a saturday morning, popped "crazy, stupid, love" into the dvd-player, and sat down with a 3-ring binder and a 3-hole punch and organized all the papers. it feels good to know i'm starting 2012 off organized in at least one small corner of my world. so, in case you're wanting to do the same, i dug around on the internet and found the general rules of thumb for record retention. i printed this guide off on a piece of paper and stuck it in the front of the binder:

Tax Returns & Backup Documentation – 7 years

Health Records – indefinitely: contact info of physician, medical history, prescriptions/treatments

Medical Records – 7 years if claimed on taxes, otherwise 5 years after end of treatment

Life Insurance – life of policy + 3 years

Medical Insurance – 5 years from date of service rendered

Home Insurance – 5 years, or 10 if you predict issues

Warranty – when expired

Home Repair Bills & Contracts – 10 years

Pay Stubs – keep each stub throughout the year. At end of year keep only year-end stub. Keep these for 7 years.

Bank Statements – 3 months

Financial Documents (stocks, bonds, etc) – indefinitely

Utility Bills – if claiming on taxes 7 years, otherwise 3 months

Mortgage Statements – ownership period of the mortgaged property + 7 years

Mortgage Documents – 10 years

Credit Card Statements – 3 months (although i suggest you go the dave ramsey route and not use credit cards, ever. at almost 29-years old, i never have.)

friday photos: 2011.52

i realize it's not friday, but with 2011 ending on a saturday, i wanted to get all the last few pictures into one post. so, here's the end of my 2011 project 365. stay tuned, though, because i've decided to continue through 2012.

friday, december 23

planes, trains, and automobiles.

saturday, december 24

christmas eve fire in the fireplace. apologies to santa; i hope he didn't burn his butt.

sunday, december 25

a sears tower ornament my brother got me from the christkindlmarket.

monday, december 26

libby and i have been friends since 1986. she found this picture i drew her approximately 20 years ago and gave it back to me this christmas. sadly, my drawing has not improved and my handwriting has gotten worse.

tuesday, december 27

my reward for getting my chores done for the day.

wednesday, december 28

things found while cleaning my desk at work.

thursday, december 29

catching up with an old college friend.

friday, december 30

new shoes for the new year.

saturday, december 31

and the creepiest picture of the year award goes to..... the lovely ladies i spent my nye with.

friday photos: 2011.51

friday, december 16

dave barnes' christmas show. followed by an unphotographed christmas dance party of epic proportions.

saturday, december 17

andrew ripp & drew holcomb's christmas show

sunday, december 18

made some eggs in nests with a 4-year old.

monday, december 19

keeping up with facebook's changes.

tuesday, december 20

chad currie's first show ever.

wednesday, december 21

the best story line in "love actually".

thursday, december 22

drinks at the patterson house for myka's birthday.

friday photos: 2011.50

friday, december 9

first christmas party of the season

saturday, december 10

i scored several free books from mckay's which will eventually be journals.

sunday, december 11

tis the season.

monday, december 12

i'm dreaming of a white christmas with every christmas card i write...

tuesday, december 13

it took me almost two years to use and develop two rolls of film.

wednesday, december 14

this guy wants to work with us

thursday, december 15

swamp tiger elf-watching party

friday photos: 2011.49

friday, december 2

my manager sent me to the library to teach myself my new job.

saturday, december 3

petapalooza

sunday, december 4

daytona beach

monday, december 5

when your french press breaks, you get creative and use a giant flower vase.

tuesday, december 6

i found this note while unpacking from a weekend getaway.

wednesday, december 7

baby ben!

thursday, december 8

me vs. a 4-year old, 3-year old, 1-year old and 2 dogs. i won.

homesickness

it's not often that i get homesick. y'all know i love nashville way too much for that. but there are a few things i get homesick for, so i've decided to list them:

-waking up on a cold december morning to a foot of fallen snow glittering in the sun
-watching the sunset over lake michigan at almost 10pm in the summer
-driving through the corn fields/vineyards/apple orchards in the middle of the night and gazing at the stars

a season of reflection

december. it's that month when we all begin to reflect on the past year and plan for the one ahead. when 2009 was wrapping up, i looked back on it with fond memories. a new house, new friends, finally starting to form some community in nashville. but i had this feeling that 2010 was going to blow 2009 out of the water. and let me tell you, it did.

as 2010 ended, i felt as though 2011 would be... not bad, but less exciting and adventurous as 2010. i anticipated a little more struggle and discipline in 2011. and that's what happened.

i'm sure there's a certain degree of self-fulfilling prophecy in all of this, but whatever it is, it's there. but 2012... i think, and hope, it might even surpass 2010 as being an incredible year. i guess we'll see...

traveling thoughts

i definitely love nashville, and i'm thankful to call it home. but sometimes i hear the open road calling my name...

i'm thankful for all the road-trips i've had the chance to go on this year.

michigan, twice.
indiana, not sure how many times.
missouri
kansas
north carolina
south carolina
georgia
florida

i know it's not much compared to all the traveling musician's in this town, but it's been enough to keep me feeling alive.

30 before 30 update: physician's visit

back in august i made a list of 30 things i wanted to do before turning 30. number 28 on the list was to visit a physician. at the time of my making the list, it had been 10 years since i last visited one.

well. ten years and a $20 co-pay later i learned....

.....

drumroll.....


....

i'm normal. whatever that means.

friday photos: 2011.48

friday, november 25

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

saturday, november 26

while these aren't my favorite decorations in general, they are my favorite to set out each year.

sunday, november 27

0 mph on I-65 south.

monday, november 28

ornaments and lights all in one.

tuesday, november 29

for one of my roommates, this is her first real christmas tree. ever.

wednesday, november 30

peanut butter is good at two things: being delicious, and cleaning sap off leather.

thursday, december 1

my calendar is stalking me. it knows my name.

a month of thanks

throughout the month of november, i was tweeting one thing i was thankful for each day during the month, but i slacked off on the last couple days. so in order to complete the list and to re-jump-start my blogging efforts, i've decided to compile the list.

here are 30 things for which i am thankful.

1. a job that pays the bills.
2. nashville's fall weather.
3. the best roommates a girl could ask for (jacquelyn, stacy, & karissa).
4. living in a city full of dreamers.
5. the talent in this town #musiccity.
6. midtown fellowship.
7. pain killers, caffeine, and sleep: their powers combined working hard to battle my migraine.
8. hope in something bigger than myself.
9. my community group (aka: the swamp tigers).
10. thankful for haikus/and free baja burrito/30 days of thanks (baja had a twitter contest. the best haikus about burritos won a free meal. i won for sheer volume of haikus. maybe another post for another day.)
11. weekends.
12. restoration.
13. wine.
14. coffee.
15. god's timing.
16. facetime.
17. grace.
18. that i live in town (vs the suburbs) and therefore my normal commute is only 10 minutes
19. all the friends and memories i have because of a little orange plastic disc i bought 14 years ago.
20. opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone.
21. work-from-home mondays.
22. that i didn't die when someone almost t-boned me by making an illegal u-turn.
23. that i made it safely to michigan for thanksgiving.
24. family.
25. christmas.
26. that i had the opportunity to visit and reconnect with two friends. one whom i've known for 25 years, and one for 23 years.
27. that i made it safely back to nashville after thanksgiving, and for stacy's company along the way.
28. that both my house and my neighborhood have character.
29. opportunities to serve.
30. forgiveness.

friday photos: 2011.47

friday, november 18

car wash

saturday, november 19

treats and snoozin', snoozin' and treats.

sunday, november 20

dinner at pm with my small group

monday, november 21

secret santa dixie cup

tuesday, november 22

vote.

wednesday, november 23

sgt. pepper

thursday, november 24

thanksgiving traditions

friday photos: 2011.46

friday, november 11

typical friday night

saturday, november 12

real simple magazine, november 2011

sunday, november 13

celebrating three lovely ladies' birthdays at arrington vineyards. two of them decided to roll down the hill.

monday, november 14

nick flora's first cup of coffee. ever.

tuesday, november 15

heather's birthday, pop art style.

wednesday, november 16

sushi.

thursday, november 17

some days you just have to climb into bed and watch your favorite show on your computer.