Fad

 

I found this way cool website called Poladroid where you can make your digital pictures have that unique Polaroid look. I can't stop playing with it!

  

  

 

It's All Beginning

I was inspired by the Project 365 kit and have decided to willy-nilly post pictures from it every now and again.

  

 January 1st- This was about 2 minutes into the new year; we spent New Year's Eve at Shyla and Russell's, and Shyla had a blast holding that cute baby.

  

 January 2nd- We've discovered that this is a baby who likes to be propped up so he can see what's going on. It was a very useful discovery, especially in the evenings when he'd been fussy in the past.

  

 January 3rd - Having Caleb home for winter break was super beneficial for the whole family. 

  

 January 4th - Welcoming Julie home from her winter break in Redlands.

  

 January 5th- Jack is getting used to his swing, little by little. We do practice 15 minute sets a couple of times a day.

 

 And a bonus picture- Our new favorite family game is "Oh, look, Jack went potty on me."

 

Mulitply the Tags

Crazy 8s Tag

8 Favorite TV Shows:

1. The Office
   
2. 30 Rock
   
3. America's Next Top Model
   
4. American Idol
   
5. So You Think You Can Dance?
   
6. Doogie Howser, MD
   
7. How I Met Your Mother
   
8. The Biggest Loser
   

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. El Burrito
2. The Creamery on 9th
   
3. Bajio's
4. Rumbi Island Grill
   
5. Applebee's
6. Tucano's
7. Carraba's
8. Iceberg

8 Things that Happened Yesterday:

1. Took a French test - nailed it!
   
2. Dressed up as Juno for Halloween
   
3. Passed out candy to one set of trick or treaters
   
4. Watched a movie with Caleb and fell asleep
   
5. Went to my OB for my 33 week appointment
   
6. Tried to get strangers not to talk to me
   
7. Texted CHA-CHA to see when the average trick-or-treater goes out
   
8. Some random girl said "Bonjour" to me as I went to Caleb's office
   

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. No more heartburn!
   
2. Eating Ghosts in the Graveyard
   
3. The smell of our newborn baby
   
4. Sleeping on my back again
   
5. Seeing our baby get so many loves from all of our friends and family!
   
6. The 2nd Annual Winter Photo Shoot
   
7. Thanksgiving weekend, especially the Dog Show
   
8. BYU basketball
   

8 Things I Love About Fall:

1. The crisp feeling in the air
   
2. Saying goodbye to miserably hot summer nights
   
3. Pumpkin pie
   
4. Football season
5. Seeing everyone in their Halloween costumes
   
6. Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
   
7. Choosing Christmas gifts for loved ones
   
8. Looking at the beautiful Wasatch mountains
   

8 Things on My Wish List:

1. Nintendo wii & Rock Band
   
2. The baby to come after finals, but not too much after finals
   
3. A family compound where we could all live!
   
4. An El Burrito in Utah
   
5. 10,000 hot dogs to eat
6. All-the-time motivation
   
7. To paint the basement
8. To meet Neil Patrick Harris

I'm Coming Home Again

 

Walk down the spiral staircase and the Transformers welcome you to the newest Flanagan abode. They're even framed, to show how we like to blend classy and kitschy - or something.

Turn to your right to survey our finest offerings to the outside world, including scrapbooks, schoolbooks and a new piggy bank for the Jack fund. Also, our easy access to every key we own should be like an indication that we are always on the go (or that we like to make it easier for robbers and thiefs).

Quelle surprise! Caleb is aiding the proportionality of this space, as he is showing how luxuriously one can spread out on our couch. Enjoy our wireless internet and our comcast cable simultaneously, while lounging in your BYU finest.

 

A bird's eye view of the love seat and the bookshelf. Caleb so excellently made a photo cluster on the wall, featuring such classic pictures as Lively + Flanagan = Love, Holly & Megan See Maroon 5, and Caleb's Figure Skating Debut. Note the dirty cake pan and brownie pan on the love seat - we like to keep it real here at the Flanny Clan.

The office space is made up of top of the line used tables, Cadbury pen mugs and super old Holly posters.

And the bedroom, sans overhead lights, finishes the whirlwind tour of our home. The laundry in the corner will soon be replaced by a baby crib and the bump in the bed is Gunner the hippo sleeping in on a Sunday morning.

Maintenant

There are three partially-placed things going on in my head right now:

• I wish I knew enough French to only speak in French for a whole day. Though my teacher hates me, my French class has made me appreciate the sound of my own voice speaking this beautiful language.
• Partial lyrics to "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morrissette. 
• Partial verses to the song "God So Loved the World" that is in the church choirbook.

An odd list, to be sure. But I guess it also speaks to how weird and long of a week this has been. On Sunday night, I had this feeling of dread for the coming week. On Monday morning, I set out to make the best of it all. On Tuesday afternoon, I told my husband that my brain and schedule were so overloaded that the physical manifestation had kept me home from school.

His response was, "Let's just take it all one thing at a time."

And so I have been. And things have been working out. And even better than that, I knew that I wasn't having to do this alone - the value of the "Let's" portion of that phrase became immeasurable as the hours turned into days past.

******

I am so excited to be below triple digits for the Jack Attack to come. He has gotten more exciting to be around lately - when he first showed up, it was like he was barely even here. But, just thinking about how in less than 3 months we might be holding the only First Child we'll ever have, it makes him more "here" than ever. We've amassed just a few cute things, but the real gathering of baby goodness probably won't happen until it absolutely has to. The thing is, that day is sooner than it feels like!

******

I am really looking forward to this weekend.

One More Time

Miss Cari must know I love her, because I'm going to completely re-do my answers from the previous time I've done this meme. That's amore!!!
******

4 places I visit often:

• The Chevron gas station on North University Avenue in Provo, UT
  
• The ladies' room
  
• Burger's Supreme to get a chili burger!
  
• Joe and Whitney's, to borrow various items
  

4 people who call/e-mail, or text regularly:

• My friend and editor Tammy, who has now started to call me Hol
  
• Verizon Wireless, who texted me yesterday to tell me that coverage has been upped on North University Avenue
  
• My dad; apparently he sometimes feels that I am his only link to sanity
  
• hollyf@scrapbooktrends.com, because I forward work email to myself for extra reminders
  

4 favorite foods:

• Currently, my cravings are hot sauce and rainbow sherbert
  
• Lasagna
• The cheeseburgers at the Creamery on 9th
  
• Cantaloupe
  

4 places I'd rather be:

• Getting an edgy haircut at a salon where hairstylists don't feel the need to talk to me
  
• Swimming at Grandma's
  
• At my OB's office, checking out my baby on an ultrasound
  
• In my bed, instead of being on the couch
  

4 movies I'd watch over and over again:

• The music video of Paramore's "That's What You Get"
  
• A home video of 2 year-old Kellie being cute
  
• This web video of a baby laughing at tearing paper - type in "cute baby laugh" in the search
  
• The replay video of the US 4x100 men's relay winning the gold
  

3 bands/groups I like to listen to lately:

• Estelle (check out the song American Boy - it's catchy!)
  
• Phil Collins
  
• The Olympic music that plays on NBC
  

To Tim Hecht, The Greatest

Hi Tim!

You've been out almost a year, and it's blowing my mind. I was hoping that a year would go much faster than it has, but I guess that just means that I'll have to hold out the same hope for your second year!

The 4th of July was so nice!!! We were expecting triple-digit weather, but it was a beautiful 85 degrees all day. That made our plans way more fun, since we went swimming and barbecued at Grandma Chatfield's. The people who were there were me, Caleb, Julie, Shelley, Rick, Shyla and her husband Russell, and Grandma. And of course, you were there in spirit. It was very fun, but also really relaxing. After all of that, we went up to a place near the trailhead to the Y and waited for the fireworks at Stadium of Fire (which had Miley Cyrus, a.k.a. Hannah Montana, if that name means anything to you). We got there about 8:30 and it was VERY VERY windy; the fireworks didn't actually start until 9:30, but they were super beautiful. By the time they were over around 10:30, we were all exhausted! Overall, it was a great holiday.

School's been out for awhile, which has been nice, but also a little weird. You know how if someone has a lot to do, then they are really good at managing their time? That's how I feel, but now that I only have work to worry about, I'm kind of floating around lost. I am excited for more responsibility and more challenges in my life, just so I won't be bored :) I was worried for awhile about what I was going to do for school, with the baby coming on Dec 20th and school starting again in the beginning of January. But, I finally realized that I could do 12 credits all online. I'm SO excited to be able to keep going in school and also have a cute, cute baby helping me!

We are still getting together to have some parties in the week. The summer makes it kind of hard, because there aren't many tv shows or weekly occurrences that keep it regular. We make it work, though. I've started babysitting a 9 month old from my ward 2 days a week, and Julie and Shelley come over to help quite often. Also, we are watching a television show called "So You Think You Can Dance," which is like American Idol with dancing. And of course, every Sunday after dinner at Grandma's, we get together and hang out. Though, we haven't been playing nearly as many raucous games as we used to; it's really too hot to be crazy! It will be sad when Rick and Shelley leave, but that just means we'll have to replace them with some other cool people!

I am happy to hear that you are such a great missionary that you are the youngest senior companion in the mission! Whoa! And I know that you don't give yourself enough credit for knowing the language; your companion will be very happy that he has you to look to when he gets lost in Hungarian! And I wanted to tell you that I love the Hungarian you write in my letters; even though I can't read it, I still know it says such cute things!

You are so great and I know that even I'm being blessed by the good work you are doing for the Lord. Caleb and I love you so much and we will keep you updated with out crazy, crazy lives!

The Last Family Home Evening of June

As inspired by a great friend, Caleb and I finally sat down to start individual "100 things to do" lists. We wanted it to be a mixture of fun and self-improvement, wishes and goals. I don't know why Caleb seemed to whiz right through his list (he's got just over 50 so far) and I seemed to go a little blank (I struggled to get to the high twenties), but it's an ongoing process that I think will be beneficial to us.

Some of Caleb's goals include "Rent a supercar for a day" and "Write in my hand-written journal every day for 6 months"; I think both of those are so superbly Caleb.

I had a few gems, such as "Punch someone in the face" and "Donate all of my Christmas gifts one year to charity." That wide expanse between purely selfishness and charity is something I don't know whether I should be worried or proud about.

We are very blessed to be able to make lists like this and not have to include things that pertain to our daily survival. Making goals is a part of what makes us better human beings and making goals that can aid others is what helps us become nearer to each other.

Flashing Lights

They say that when you're having a bad day, all you have to do is serve someone else and feel better. While I usually don't remember this advice until my woe-is-me has passed, today I feel inspired by it.

My pregnant belly has decided that all food is yucky today and that any nourishment ingested will be immediately EXgested. It has also decreed that the baby is super hungry and therefore I am wanting to eat. And I've just come home from a lovely trip to see my Megan get married to her Josh, which means my real life has been waiting and waiting for me to come back.

But one more day off, my belly says, won't hurt because it's my time to be put first.

Bad day. A la the miracle of life.

*****

Sooooo, I've decided that I'm going to try to do very small good deeds for the people I love in my life. I'll list them here, just in case they're too miniscule for those people to notice.

For Whitney, since I understand that she's not very happy with me right now, I've decoded the mysterious Google Reader and added her wonderful photography blog to it. Google Reader may be awesome or it may just be, but I wanted to show her that it does matter to me what she says. Also, I've downloaded the podcast she suggested for me, though it's still un-listened to.

For Shell and Julie, I've brought some fabulous Disney treats that were still in my backpack. I have now moved them into the fridge, however, because they'll be much tastier that way.

For Megan, I'm not calling her on her honeymoon, though I am just bursting with curiosity about how being a married girl is for her. I know a few people made some phone calls to us on our honeymoon and now I'm trying to learn from their mistakes.

For old and new friends, I'm going to write letters tonight. Be they short or long, these letters will probably contain many of the wonderful things I think about them all the time.

And for my sweet husband Caleb, who had to suffer while I was gone, I've written on my blog. I know that he likes to see something new to read, especially if it comes from his wife's brain. I was blessed with good health long enough to enjoy his company last night and help him get a good night's sleep. So, being sick today is well worth it

***********

More Holly and Even More Holly

Just a little "tag" that I got from a dear love of mine:

Four places I go over and over:

• The Northridge Media office - I love work!
• McDonald's - representing my husband's love for the McNuggets
• Grandma Chatfield's - for Sunday dinner and other fun excursions
• Redlands, CA - Visiting family and friends, and sometimes Mickey Mouse!

Four people who e-mail me regularly:

• Alisha Gordon - a lovely friend and coworker
• Paige Evans - also a coworker and homie
• Smith Tix - updating me on every musical experience going on in Utah
• Caleb Flanagan - He gets bored at work :)

Four of my favorite places to eat:

• A&W in Mentone, CA - after a "visit" to the snow, this is the perfect place!
• Carrabba's in Provo - There are multiple Italian courses, but after the first one, I'm usually already pleasantly full
• Anywhere in Disneyland where they sell Premium All-Beef Hot Dogs
• When my pregnant cravings tell me to eat something, anywhere where that food is happens to be my favorite place to eat at that very moment.
  

Four places I would rather be right now:

• Disneyland
• Relaxing in a hotel in Park City with Caleb
• On the OTHER end of all of my deadlines at work
• On a spontaneous adventure

Four people I talk to on a daily basis:

• Caleb
• The Baby Currently Cooking in my Belly
• Whitney Hardie
• Shelley and Julie - bonus! :)

Four TV shows I watch over and over:

• The Office
• So You Think You Can Dance
• American Idol
• The Today Show

Four people I’m tagging:

• Shelley Chatfield Allison
• Joelle Walker Chatfield
• Shyla Marie Ahlstrom
• Caleb Grant "Keepin' it Real" Flanagan

********

Soon to come: tales of a bridal sleepover party gone wild and a Kanye West concert gone crazy fun.

New Place for a New Time

Happy Memorial Day, fools.

And I know we're remembering the troops, but I'm remembering the past. Just a little bit.

Caleb and I are relaxing together at home; he's been a bit more productive than I have, which is why I'm putting together this here post.

Caleb's birthday came and went. It's weird to be married to a 24 year old, but it's even weirder that this 24 year old's wife is 23. Sooooooo..... that's where that leaves us. He has blown through the Star Wars books I got for him, but luckily I also got him a new set of scriptures which will take him a bit longer to finish. But, not much longer!



I get to roll down to Redlands in less than a month, to celebrate my Best Friend's Wedding. It'll be fun to do all of those festivities, but it will also be sweet to get a change of scenery. Provo is a great place to live, but it's pretty fun to go on an excursion every now and again. I just hope that it's not too hot for a pregnant girl! And if it is, then be prepared to catch me as I daintily faint. Oh yeah, like I ever do anything dainty.

Last night, Caleb and I settled down to watch "Sleepless in Seattle." He had never seen it before, but when it popped up on television the other night, he decided it was about time. I love watching that movie; I've always enjoyed how it makes me swoon and all that, but I especially enjoyed watching it this time because I felt like I know those people in my own life now - the people who are willing to do crazy things because they feel it's the right thing. And I really like that about them. Caleb ended up feeling like the movie didn't live up to the hype, but I can imagine that it's hard for him to feel uber-connected to a 15 year-old love story that includes 90's style and corded phones.

Things are great.

That is a Fact, Jack

I'm just coming to grips with my emotional side, I think.

That occurred to me as my pout came out after my French teacher forgot to add me to the class email she sent over the weekend.

Which isn't really that big of a deal.

So, it is all good. Change, baby, change!

****

As for the birthday, some have requested a list of things that might be obtained in order to present me with a gift close to the 30th of March.

And I'm having a difficult time thinking of something.

Here's why.

All of the things I want this year are intangible. So, here's a list of them, just for example's sake.

1. A baby
2. More episodes of The Office
3. An increase in social gatherings during the week
4. The chill to leave Utah
5. For my teachers to be ultra-generous
   
6. Everyone in my life to have some mind-blowingly happy experience.

Does that help? :)

I'll come up with some more doable things. I promise.

***

And as today is St. Patrick's Day, Caleb and I will be celebrating our Irish heritage with green lemonade, green pasta roni, green mashed potatoes and green peas. Represent, sucka!
Other than that,

Save the Drama For Your Mama

I love my mommy. I was telling a friend recently that I love to read her blogs, because she appreciate things and puts them into words on a level that is so refreshing and fun. I also love to read the journals of her youth, because they are the only things more embarrassing than the journals of my youth! I hope someday that she writes a book or her memoirs or something, so we can have her thoughts for generations to come!

****

Let me apologize, first off. I have been trying to access blogger.com for two weeks now, but it would never load for me. I've had so many great adventures to share, but maybe this was a lesson in patience. Who knows?

****


GuessWhatGuessWhatGuessWHAAAAAT?! My best girl Megan is getting married!!!



She is marrying my best boy Josh!



They are getting married on June 21st! They are just the cutest and after dating for a year, they definitely know how much fun they can have for the rest of eternity!

I cannot express how happy and excited I am for these two, but more specifically for my best friend. I have always wanted her to have everything good in life, and now she is on her way to achieving it (after already graduating college and getting her dream job, natch). I just love her. And I am so blessed to have a husband who loves my friends and supports me in helping them whenever I can. YAY I'M SO EXCITED!

****

Other exciting (but not as exciting as the previous) news:

• My new job is going swimmingly. We are moving offices tomorrow, which means we will be on a main floor instead of a basement and I will get to share an office with my favorite Alisha instead of being lonely. :)
• School is rolling along.
• I am loving my nursery job; we are now the sole leaders of 7 kids, which means a lot of multi-tasking and a lot more fun.
• American Idol has started and I'm digging it.
• Tim has been on his mission for over 6 months.
• Caleb is a dream.

****

Also, as a point of reference, I got my hair dyed this weekend by the wonderful Roxikins. We went bold and it turned out like this:


I did it because Caleb got new stuff for his computer. And now I have new stuff for every day.

Caleb can't stop telling me that he likes it. And I can't stop telling people that it's darker than I originally intended.

You're My Fella, My Guy

Yep, it's me. Your friendly neighborhood Holly.

I can honestly say that I have never been more excited for a Valentine's Day than I am for this one. There are no sweepingly romantic plans (save "Step Up 2: The Streets") and I've already given my husband his big gift (a new wedding band!). I cannot put my finger on what is keeping me awake like a child before Christmas, but it's here. It's in me.

Today, in my productive day, I've given myself a lot of room to think. Sometimes, I crowd out my thoughts with peppy music or inconsequential business. Today, however, was one of those days that I felt I could trust myself. I'm so pleased with the results.

The lights are all off in the house right now, my husband snoring through cinder block walls. This is the stuff of fairy tales, people. It's where happy moments are to be found.

Let Me Start All Over Again

I'm in the middle of folding the whites. I stopped right as I finished the socks, so I could write this blog post. Right now. I am a slave to my whims.

This last week has been tough. I lost interest in school, work, friends, and life. Like, all I wanted to do was nothing and all I wanted to see was no one. Actually, it's been more than a week. But, the point is that after being confronted with some reality, I decided to re-evaluate.

Therefore, I have made list after list that has really refined where I want to be and where I want to go, rather than just seeing what happens. They go from "What do I want out of life?" to "How can I fit what I want into my day?" And you know I'd share them here, but they are just like me - bold and potentially offensive.

But, those lists have made me reconnect with life. And I feel really cool about that. I'm creeping along at building up, slowly making each day separate and worthwhile.

I can't do the positive when I'm holding on to the negative. Therefore, I'm going to start striking that from my record, too. I wish I could do that here.

And don't flatter yourself. I'm not talking about you.

Checking In

Hi.

I'm going scrapbooking in a couple of hours; I'll be there all night, and I'm pretty excited for the prospect of doing something creative. I need something to occupy my mind.

I'm one day late.

I decided that I needed to get out of the house, so Caleb and I kicked around Provo for an hour or so. We ended up at Dollar General, and I casually picked up a pregnancy test. "Just in case we need it," I said. I've vowed to myself that I'm not going to take it until Monday, at the earliest.

By then, I'll be three days late, which never happens.

And Monday's going to be a super busy day, which means I may not even find time to take it then. All in all, I am almost avoiding the topic wholly.

This has been the first chill Saturday for me in awhile. I didn't go into work, and I slept in. I took a bath when I woke up and then decided to watch that netflix movie I wasn't planning on watching. It was good; I actually liked it.

Did I tell you that the only thing I want for my birthday on March 30 is a sewing machine? I've decided that now's the time to start getting a working knowledge of sewing. The only sewing machine I've ever encountered is the one from the 1930's that my mom inherited from my great-grandma. It is a beast to use, so I've kept my distance.

I told you that I work a lot with excel now, right? I'd used it before, but only casually. It is one of the most impersonal computer programs, but one of the most useful, as well.

We might be moving in April.

The end.

-Holly

This is a Test

10 years ago: I was in 8th grade at Cope, rocking the Vans shoes, being in love with about 8 different guys, and obsessed with everything Disneyland.

5 things that are on my to-do list tomorrow:
1) Actually get up early so I can do work.
2) Read the chapter in my theories book about Feminism
3) Edit
4) Do something unexpected
5) Wait for an unwelcome visitor

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1) Oreos
2) Chicken-flavored ramen
3) Movie popcorn
4) The new Arby's chocolate turnover - it's like pain au chocolat!
5) Orange juice

What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
I'd pay off the debt of everyone I love. I would follow that by doing things that would have created problems for me before I attained my billionaire status, all of them crazy and highly contemptible.

3 of my bad habits:
1) I'm a face-toucher
2) I don't take criticism. At all.
3) I am apathetic sometimes, followed by emotionally-charged mania

5 places I have lived:
1) Redlands, CA
2) Provo, UT
3) Elk Point, SD

5 jobs that I have had:
1) Cleaning the Bishops' house
2) Jose's
3) The Malt Shoppe
4) Instructor at Archiver's
5) Editorial Assistant at Northridge Media

5 Things people don't know about me:
1) I only know how to doodle one thing (a little grass hut on the beach).
2) Sometimes, I wish I didn't know English at all and only spoke French.
3) I dream of becoming a matchmaker.
4) I am petrified to play volleyball, thanks to jamming my thumbs so many times in high school.
5) I am making a conscious effort to not let my days blend into each other, but it's not working.

Everyone I know has been tagged, so enjoy the above information without dread of being chosen next!

Don't Care How

Sometimes, people say not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Though I know the origins of this old cliche, I sometimes find it hard to follow its kooky advice.

There are so many great and quality things that I've recently been blessed with. I just scored the best job ever and school is going well; these two things particularly have been bona fide miracles, as their timings have been testaments to me that I don't always know what's best for me. I've found that my life is following this lilting tune that gives me the high notes at the perfect time and the flowing chorus when I need a little break. I finally saw all of High School Musical 2 and the entire trilogy of the "Bourne" series. Even the frigid Utah temperatures aren't really bringing the old girl down.

And is my wont, I am still wanting more.

As I alluded to in my previous post, we finally got the maternity insurance that I've been waiting for. I have had the knowledge of how babies are made, but I didn't realize that when I got into the actual game that it'd be a crap shoot. We are literally in the Flanagan Casino and I am daily showing my whole hand as I push all my chips into the center of the table. And because there isn't a light that goes on when conception happens, I am coming back to the neon slots every morning with the hopes that today will be the day.

I just keep thinking that I'll be stalwart.

For those who have seen the Holly Throughout The Ages show, it shouldn't be a surprise when I say that the real story is that I am impatient. My mind is locked in to the sound of buzzing thoughts that are barely audible and I expect the world to stop while I am Getting This Done.

There isn't anything I want more. Why I am not currently visiting the ladies' room 20 times a day is beyond me. When will I be complaining about my back and crying over the three-legged lamb? I have never desired to be so ill and cranky and glowing in my whole life.


How very Veruca Salt of me.

Rock Me Gently

The end of a crazy good week, y'all. School has been treating me like a champ (a smart champ, at that!) and I am liking work as much as ever. Caleb is just a dream and now we're covered for a huge exciting change! Life is so, so, so good.

We Never Learn, Do We

My body does strange things sometimes. Be it the occasional eye twitch or joint cracking, my body is just reliable that way. Therefore, I was not afraid during my bath this evening when I felt like my heart was beating from inside my abdominal area. But it got me to thinking, if there really is a heart beating in my stomach, I had better get out of the bath before I boil it. So, I drained the water and let my tummy stop beating.

I'm doing much better now.

********

I was asleep by 11 last night. I didn't ring in the New Year, but I do feel thoroughly cleansed from last year; it was messy and grungy. Now I feel at peace and like everything is coming together. And with that, I'll say that my fancy bath bomb I got for Christmas is totally the bomb.