What's Up?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is a run-down of the last couple of weeks via photos.

Christmas Break
The highlight was being with family, especially my nephews Alex and Jon.

This is Alex. He will be 9 years old on Valentine's Day. He was born the spring semester of my freshmen year. Yikes, I'm old! I was a live-in Nanny for my brother and sister-in-law that summer, and I kept Alex all day by myself. He is a lot like his Aunt Holly in temperament.

This is Jon. We call him Boo (due to the numerous "boo-boo's" he would get as a child). He is 100% sanguine and a goofball. Whereas Alex is more "brainier," Jon is all energy and emotion. He does a killer re-enactment of the movie Elf. He kept us laughing most of the time. As you can see, he just lost a tooth. His first grade teacher pulled it just before the break.

New Years
I got back to Norman on New Years Eve. There were about 12 girls staying at our house. I walked in and the whole house looked like a bomb had went off. There was stuff everywhere.

Allison and I cleaned the living room some (or I wouldn't have been able to function). I stayed in on New Years, which was fine with me.

I thought I would share this picture with you--it made me laugh. This is what it looks like when you have about 7 girls using one shower. I love that our house has people in and out all the time. All the girls there were extensions of our "family!" This is the picture of ministry.

The Massacre
You may call it the Orange Bowl, but I prefer "the massacre." I hear the Gaylord Family is willing to donate more money to us to build a new sign to list our back-to-back National Championship LOSSES!

Two great quotes on this sad, sad event: Dan Hay: "Congratulations to the Sooners for winning....the coin-toss." and Danny Wasielewski "This year red bracelets with the inscription "FINISH" were sold to encourage and support our football team to finish the 2004 season unlike last year with the losses to Kansas State and LSU. These bracelets will again be sold for the 2005 season with the new inscription "FINISH, SERIOUSLY"

My brother made everyone take off their "Finish" bracelets, that is, until Alex and Jon started crying (they'd worn them all year). He let the boys put them back on but forbid Cindy from wearing hers. She says he scowls every time he sees it. Also, by pure "coincidence" our Bob Stoops bobble-head fell and broke. Hmmmmm....coincidence or was it?

Ice Storm 2005
One of the news stations in town actually called it that---"Ice Storm 2005"---like it was some huge event. It made me laugh. Oklahomans take their winter weather seriously! I was at work both days of the ice storm, although my lovely roommates did not work. We had like, 7 cars parked in the back of the house. Lindsay was parked behind Sus on the two-car area of our backyard. I come home on Tuesday to find Lindsay's car still where it was before, and Susanne's car in the yard. I didn't ask.

Yesterday Crumpy goes over to help them get the car out of the yard. I get home last night, and it is buried worse than before. I walk in and say, "I see success hasn't spoiled you."

After calling a million people, we get ahold of Crumpy's roommate, Trent, who comes to help get it out. He works for a good 45 minutes before going to Wal-Mart for some chain-pull thing. He gets back, hooks it up and after little work, the thing he just bought broke in half. Needless to say, the car is still in the yard.

Oh, and the most important thing:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!!!!!

What's in a name?

I read an article today about the top ten most popular baby names of 2004 verses 2003. Looking at the list made me laugh. Name that were popular in 2003 gained popularity in 2004 many times.

It made me think of school days when we had 3 or 4 Amys or Tiffanys in one classroom, and a couple more in other classes. I always liked my name because it wasn't WEIRD and hard to say, but it was not typical either. I have only personally known three other Hollys before, and I have never really been close friends with someone who has the same name. I like that.

In the year I was born, Jennifer, Amy and Melissa were the top three girls names and Michael, Jason, and Christopher were the top boy names. Did your name rank in the top three the year you were born?? Check it out here.

And if you want to see if your name ranked in the top 100 in the year you were born, or in the top 1,000 names by decade, you can explore more here.

Here are the most popular names of 2004 and (2003).

Girls' names/Boys' names

1. Emma (Emily) 1. Jacob (Jacob)
2. Madison (Emma) 2. Aidan (Aidan)
3. Emily (Madison) 3. Ethan (Ethan)
4. Kaitlyn (Hannah) 4. Ryan (Matthew)
5. Hailey (Hailey) 5. Matthew (Nicholas)
6. Olivia (Sarah) 6. Michael (Joshua)
7. Isabella (Kaitlyn) 7. Tyler (Ryan)
8. Hannah (Isabella) 8. Joshua (Michael)
9. Sarah (Olivia) 9. Nicholas (Zachary)
10. Abigail (Abigail) 10. Connor (Tyler)

Crumpy is a punk!

Okay, so a couple of days ago I finnaly changed all of my names to the nicknames because of Crumpy getting a blog (See the December 16th posting).

I go to Crumpy's site today, and find he has closed the account!!!! So I wasted all that time for nothing! I always liked the first, last name set-up best. So if you will notice, it is now back to normal. (Hope this helps Aaron, and I am a horrible speller, sorry!)

SOOOOO........Crumpy you are in MAJOR trouble with me!

Ouch

This summer a lot of people re-wrote Boomer Sooner to "Pooper-Scooper". That sounds about right after last night. Ouch. Not fun.

Two things that make it better: (1) Ashlee Simpson was booed after singing. That makes me laugh. What was that she was wearing? (2) I'm still going to Heaven, and my significance is not based on football.

Alias starts tonight. At least that will help.

BOOMER SOONER

Today is the day we have been waiting for--The SOONERS and the Trojans meet for the National Championship! Woo Hoo!

Last night I realized that a year ago we were at Life Impact at this time. OU lost the National Championship last year and it was not fun at all to watch the game with people from the other team in the room. But last year, I kind of knew we would loose. It was not a big shock when we did. This year, though, I am confident we will do it.

Here is a section of an interview with Coach Stoops that I liked. This game, of football, is boring to some, and I understand that. But to me it is so amazing--I think of my nephews and how they may dream of greatness....like many of these players probably have as well. Tonight they get a chance to live out a dream, to impact sports history, and to live out their destiny. I think that is what we all want--to be players in the game God places us in.

Here is the quote:
Q. Every kid growing up playing ball dreams of the big game, the big moment. Some people dream of the same thing as a coach, coaching a big game, coaching the big moment. Any time in your youth or young career did you dream about a certain situation or a certain big game?
COACH BOB STOOPS: It's ironic, I as a young person for some reason always grew up young and was infatuated and thought about playing in the Orange Bowl for a National Championship or just playing in the Orange Bowl, and through college had a chance at the Rose and been to a great number and at Florida had been to the Sugar, and the year we're going to the Orange Bowl at Florida, though it wasn't the National Championship, was the year I was hired at Oklahoma.
So I was thinking, "Here's my chance to go to the Orange Bowl, and I get the head coaching job." I wasn't complaining, but I was like, well, I missed my chance.
I helped a little bit in early practices but then during the game got too busy with recruiting, and then how ironic, though, two years later as the head coach here, we were in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship, and I thought, "Well, it doesn't get much better than that for me." So yes, it's something I always wanted to do. Now we get to do it again.

Monday

Well, I am back at work after a short break for Christmas. It's been very quiet here today, and I am not complaining! I am keeping myself busy with Project Impact information and other such things.

I got an e-mail from Kate. Yesterday she left for a month in South Africa. She called last night and told us that she and her two professors were stuck in Atlanta, and the one-day trip may turn into two. Her research partner, Vincent, was on a different flight. He did not know about their delays and had no information of who to contact once he gets to Africa. He may be lost too.

Anyway, Kate and her two professors are stuck in Amsterdam after an already 48 hours of travel. Pray for Kate! I will be posting her new blog address soon. Her middle name is French and I can't remember how to spell it. As soon as I get it, you can read her blog and encourage her.

In the world of Holly....not much is going on. I miss you guys and hope to see you soon. (Sarah--thanks for the gift. I love it!!! I have something special to send you soon. Emily, I miss you too. You and I need some time together soon! Love you lots.)