Happy Holidays from the Holmans!

This was out Christmas card this year! Sorry if we missed you- next year I will order more!



Card from Tiny Prints... it turned out great- and they were REALLY easy to work with!

Merry Christmas- Waco Style

Our next stop took us to Waco to visit Blake's parents, Bonnie, Burson and Blair and of course- our precious nephews, Cooper and Mason! The boys are growing up so much and Cooper was especially fun this Christmas, since he knew all about Santa and presents and the whole Christmas spirit. Again, we spent the weekend eating lots of good food, opening some really fun gifts and enjoying good ole family time! Blake and I were even able to visit my favorite store in Waco: Spice AND made a trip to George's!

The Whole Gang


Cooper playing with the soccer goal we got him for Christmas

Burson and Blair and the boys

Cooper and I being Santa's elves

Uncle Blake and Cooper being silly


"What dis?" - a common phrase this year

Uncle Blake and Mason

Merry Christmas Texas-Style

We made the 12 hour drive to Texas on Dec. 23 to celebrate the holidays with both of our families. We started in DFW at the Parker's lakehouse for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We all had a great time and it seems Santa was very good to all of us. We enjoyed LOTS and LOTS of yummy food, played the trivia game, Buzz (a new game for PS3), went to see Marley and Me (everyone left the theater crying), ate some more food, and opened lots of fun gifts!

This was the beautiful view in our neighborhood as we pulled out for the road trip- what a great sunset!

The guys enjoying the warm weather and cold drinks out by the lake

Dad got my cousins (Jackson and Colton) new rifles

Aunt Toni and Uncle Doug (with camo Frosty in the background)

Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad!

The Holmans

The Fitzhughs

Jen LOVES her mini Chi hairdryer

Amy opening some fun jewelry from Ann Taylor


The day after Christmas we headed to Waco for Christmas with the Holmans...

Blake and Heather's Christmas Celebration!

This year Blake and I decided to forego Christmas gifts for each other and instead, we enjoyed a romantic weekend getaway at the Ritz Carlton at Reynolds Plantation. Reynolds Plantation is on Lake Oconee in East Georgia. This was our last romantic getaway in Georgia before we move back to Texas, so we really lived it up and enjoyed every minute of it.

We arrived early Saturday afternoon (Dec 20) and had a FABULOUS couples massage at the Ritz spa! It was so nice and relaxing, I actually fell asleep in the middle of it :) I never fall asleep during a massage, so you can imagine it must have been pretty stinkin' relaxing. Then we had a romantic dinner at the Georgian Bistro and walked around the hotel grounds. The entire resort was decorated for the holidays, including massive Christmas trees, a life-size REAL gingerbread house (that smelled SO yummy!) and s'mores at the outdoor firepit. Not only that, but EVERY single tree on the resort had Christmas lights on it!! This place has thousands of trees, so it was very impressive! My pictures don't do it justice, so check out their website as well.

Dinner in front of the fireplace

The life-size Gingerbread House



The front of the resort with all the lights.... a little blurry

This was the perfect Christmas present and we came back home refreshed and relaxed, just in time to make the 12 hour drive to Texas for the holidays!

Back to God's Country!!!

YES!!! WE ARE MOVING BACK TO TEXAS!!! We are so absolutely excited to be coming home and getting back to what we like to refer to as God's Country!!! For those of you who don't know, I moved away from Texas in 2004, right after I graduated from Baylor. I started working for a pharmaceutical company 2 weeks after graduation and they moved me around the country for a little over a year in a "training program" - from Detroit, to Dallas, to Los Angeles. I finally ended up in Atlanta as a permanent location in August 2005. I have been with the same company ever since and have LOVED working for them. It has been very rewarding, fun and stressful all at the same time. Blake moved out to Atlanta in March 2005 to fulfill his dream of living in the Southeast. He has been working for the same insurance company for the past 3 1/2 years.

After missing home and family and friends a lot in the past six months, an opportunity became available for me to stay with the same company I have been working for and transfer to the Dallas market. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up! So after lots of praying, talking, negotiating, and decision-making, the whole thing was finalized and I signed the contract to move us back to Dallas! Blake has been so supportive through this whole process and so graciously stepping down from his job, to explore something new and different in Dallas.

We are so sad to leave some of the best friends we've ever had, here in Georgia! We have had some amazing adventures in the past 4 and half years. We've spent many evenings and dinners with the Camps, several trip to Athens to see the good ole UGA Bulldogs play some serious SEC football, wine tastings, new restaurants, a weekend in the mountains and so much more! They have been great great friends to us. We also are very very sad to leave some of our favorite Baylor alums here as well, the Holloways! We too have shared many days and nights enjoying this beautiful family. Everything from Ellie's birthday party, to concerts, lots and lots of shopping with Cara, homemade margaritas and cookouts! We will miss you dearly, but will come back often to visit and you are ALWAYS welcome in Big D anytime!

For now, we would really appreciate prayers for our upcoming adventure. We are putting our beautiful first home together on the market in January and are really praying that it will sell quickly. We are also praying that Blake will find the perfect job that will challenge him and reward him. We know God has everything in control and we are at completely peace with whatever might happen.

This will all take place very, very quickly... I start my new position on January 5th!!! Which means we will be moving over the Christmas holidays. We are also praying that we can get everything done in the next 2 weeks!! We are trying to do all our Christmas shopping, get the house ready to list, pack and tie up all the loose ends of our current jobs before Dec 23!! Not to mention, spend as much time as possible with our dear friends out here! Please keep us in mind the next couple of weeks and keep us in your prayers! We would greatly appreciate it and are VERY VERY excited to be coming home!!! Love you all!!

Busy Busy Busy!!!

Well, it has been several weeks since I have posted anything, and to be honest, it is NOT due to a lack of things going on. We have actually been swamped with everything going on in life right now... another post all in itself.

The week of Thanksgiving was so much fun! We started Wednesday afternoon, making our way to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport...not nearly as crowded as we expected. Looks like the economy IS taking toll on the airline industry. We arrived in DFW later that evening, had a great dinner with Burson, Blair and our precious nephews! Then off to Henrietta to see Meme and Gramps! We spent the next couple of days eating, eating and more eating; lots of visiting, movies, and good quality family time. Then it was back to Dallas to see Cooper and Mason again and off the Parkers for Thanksgiving #2! This time it was filled with eating, eating, football, movies, football, and lots of catching up with all my sisters and Mom and Dad! Then, back to the airport and life in Atlanta started all over again. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but always lots of fun. Unfortunately, we were so relaxed and busy at the same time, I did not get ANY pictures!! Well, I will take double the amount at Christmas.

This past weekend, we made the quick drive out to Aiken, SC to visit Blake's aunt and uncle, cousin and their kiddos. It was great! We relaxed some more, ate some more and spent a lot of time playing with the girls. Miranda (Blake's cousin) has 2 precious daughters, Haley, 3 and Reese, 18 months... and is expecting another one in May. Haley and I spent most of the time coloring in her Minnie Mouse coloring book, playing hide-and-go-seek, and shopping in the "fake store." We also went to a horse farm to feed the horses and went to the Christmas performance at Aunt Vickie and Uncle Ron's church. It is so refreshing to be around family and we really feel so close to all of them. Thanks for having us, Vic and Ron! It was such a great weekend.

Now that December is here, I can hardly believe it! It definitely came quick this year! I am not prepared at all!!! For now, enjoy the pics of Haley and Reese and our weekend in Aiken!

Blake and I with the girls after church- they are in the most adorable Christmas dresses

Haley posing for the camera

Blake and Reese playing

Just what the doctor ordered...

Blake and I are so very thankful and grateful that God has blessed us with such wonderful friends! This past weekend, our great friends, Matt and Paige, invited us to join them at their brand new cabin in the North Georgia Mountains! They just finished building this gorgeous home and it is the most relaxing place on earth.

We absolutely love hanging out with Matt and Paige and it was the perfect time to just get away and enjoy the cool weather, have some great wine and enjoy the quiet of the mountains. Enjoy the pics!

Thank you so much Camps, for allowing us to escape from the city and experience your perfect getaway!

Blake and Matt enjoying some cigars and guy talk by the outdoor fireplace

The beautiful cabin from the front with Reaux keeping watch


Wine and Cheese with Paige

The Camps!


The back deck...you can see the outdoor fireplace and above that is the rooftop deck with another fireplace!

The view from our balcony

Master Bath..isn't it gorgeous?? And the floors are heated too!




Sunrise from our balcony

And of course, we had to cheer on the OU SOONERS!!!

Playing with Reaux!!! She is so precious... after we left she ran after us down the driveway... looks like we may be thinking about getting a dog soon :)

My Man Blake!

1. Who is your man? Michael Blake Holman or as I refer to him... "Babe" or "Baby" or "B"

2. How long have you been together? 4 years...dating, engaged, married...but we've known each other for 8 years!

3. How long did you date? off and on for 5 years...only serious for 1 before we got engaged

4. How old is your man? 26....almost gonna be 27

5. Who eats more? by far Blake eats the most...usually all of his food and half of mine, although I can challenge him pretty good when it comes to chips and salsa/queso

6. Who said "I love you" first? Blake did...at my parents house in the fall of 2004

7. Who is taller? Blake

8. Who sings better? I'm going to have to say that we are both pretty awful!

9. Who is smarter? Blake is definitely smarter when it comes to finances and book smarts....I like to think I am pretty savvy when it comes to business smarts.

10. Whose temper is worse? That would definitely be me...Blake very rarely gets mad, and has NEVER raised his voice

11. Who does the laundry? 90% me - 10% Blake

12. Who takes out the garbage? Definitely Blake

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Well looking at the bed, Blake does...it's closer to the door

14. Who pays the bills? My man is in charge of that

15. Who is better with the computer? me

16. Who mows the lawn? That would be Blake, but I like to plant the flowers :)

17. Who cooks dinner? Definitely me....Blake's idea of cooking is frozen pizza (but he does like to grill)

18. Who drives when you are together? He does...I drive all day long for work, so I like to take a break

19. Who pays when you go out? The man of course

20. Who is most stubborn? I'm going to have to say Blake is pretty stubborn, more than me.

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? We are both pretty good about saying sorry and admitting when we are wrong

22. Whose parents do you see the most? probably mine...they come to Atlanta and visit pretty often...but when we are in Texas it is pretty equal

23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me when we were 18...best kiss of my life...AND he grabbed my face, which I LOVE!!!

24. Who asked who out? hmmm....I probably made the first move, all flirty and "wanna hang out sometime?" when we were freshman...but when we had our "2nd First Date" when we were 22, it was definitely all Blake's doing.

25. Who proposed? He did - I was totally shocked!

26. Who is more sensitive? Me, but I'm going to have to say that my man can be pretty sensitive too and I love that about him.

27. Who has more friends? We have a bunch of friends and most of them are mutual friends

28. Who has more siblings? Me, I have 3 sisters and a brother-in-law, Blake has one sister, one brother and a sister-in-law

29. Who wears the pants in the family? You can ask Blake this question at any time and he will always tell you the same answer...... ME!

Happy Birthday Joanna!!!

Happy Birthday to one of my greatest friends, Joanna McCord!!! Congrats on your new precious family and I hope this is the best birthday ever!

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Brother-in-Law!!

Happy Birthday Ryan Fitzhugh!! I hope you are having a fantastic birthday so far!!! Ryan has been a party of our family for many many years! In fact, I can't really even remember what our family was like without Ryan! He is one of the most genuine people you will ever meet and treats my sister like gold! I love watching football with Ryan and his passion for his beloved Dallas Cowboys! Love you, bro!! Hope you have the best birthday ever!!!