Time...

I realize it's been a very long time since I have posted anything. I started to feel that the only people reading this were still getting personal updates and what was the point of updating in cyber form. I realize however, that even the closest of friends will go weeks without updates on certain things because of the fast pace of life. And so... I blog.

Over the past couple of weeks, with lack of school in my life, I've had time to read leisurely. The book I've been enjoying is by Carolyn Mahaney and it's called Feminine Appeal. It covers the godly attributes that God calls us to attain as wives and mothers in Titus 2. One of the many things I've learned is how we view time. We must gain self-control and enjoy all time. Don't sleep in late and not have enough time to do things through out the day and complain about time. Don't stay up late and then be tired the next day. Enjoy time. Use it wisely... it flies by but God has special intentions for each minute of our lives. Don't deprive your husbands of quality phileo love because you are wearing yourself out during the day and then you are at your worst when your husband is home. Use time wisely and love your husbands/kids with phileo love. Love them with an affectionate love that shows them you enjoy them and respect them.

So now that I see myself has having more "time," I have been reading, actually folding the laundry, cleaning/rearranging the house, and I have decided to start back up on the "blogging" thing.

Korey is finishing up his last class (Understanding Comics... what a 3 hr class... online) before he will be a college graduate. He will then start Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth on Mondays this fall. Him and his great friend Jeff will be driving down to take two classes on Mondays. They both feel called to attend Southern in Louisville, KY to finish their masters, but will start this fall in Fort Worth to get a jump start.

I've been looking at different jobs/early childhood opportunities for Louisville. Over 80% of their teachers have masters in Jefferson County (pretty much the entire city of Louisville). This is definitely another hint I feel that is guiding me to start my masters sooner than I had thought I would (the other is Korey's encouragement for me to get my masters). No matter what, it'll be an adventure...

I am taking 3 classes of summer school and working a little for my mom and still cleaning offices.  I am also going to be going to Zumba on Tuesday/Thursday nights. I've only been once, but it was a lot of fun and really is a workout!

Our pastor preached about missional living this past Sunday and Korey has been reading Radical by David Platt. Both of these things have been encouragement from God for Korey and I to radically abandon our own desires and former sinful lives to live for Christ and work for the gospel. This is definitely not a overnight change and something we definitely are praying for in our lives -- Selfless Radical Abandonment.

In all things, our chief end is to glorify Christ,

Crystal Hollrah (soon to be Henry - but I'll post about that later)

new friend

Our Friend TIBS


(the itsy bitsy spider) s/he lives in the ceiling fan and hangs out on the ceiling
he likes our lights we hung up for Christmas :)


S/He likes hanging out along the lights on this wall...
Brandon threatens to kill him... I hope he doesn't. I'm becoming fond of the little entertaining guy or girl.

Korey and I are pretty busy lately. Korey is going full-time at AT&T on December 1. He is currently taking a week of paid vacation. We went to a corn maze in shawnee last week with Haley and Jeff and Emily and Levi. It was a lot of fun and here are some pics from that adventure!


This was a really fun night and we are planning on going to Chickasaw for a Christmas Lights Adventure sometime end of November early December.

My mom and I ran/walked in the Race for the Cure 5k on October 10.
We are running/walking in the turkey trot on Thanksgiving.
We are training ourselves for the Memorial Marathon Relay. I'll be running a 10k leg for that.

I got to have an awesome time with my Pop last week! We went to a Relient K concert at Rose State.




Korey and I are in the process of planning and creating IMPACT - a mission week in Norman through our church, University Fellowship Church. We are coming up with a week of events that will impact Norman and our neighbors. We are kind of calling it IMPACT- "the big church event". We are in prayer about how to go about it and planning it to be purposeful and part of God's will.

I know I haven't updated in over a month! I will try to keep taking pictures and updating more often. I find it easier to update when you have pictures to go along!!

Well that's the way the cookie crumbles...
-Hollrahs Out

the blog

The E-Mealz is still really great! We had "baked crab" last week. It was baked crap! It was gross. Korey LOVES seafood and he disliked it! It definitely wasn't tasty! This week's food for 5 great huge meals was only $45!

Korey is playing on a community flag football team and really loves it! He's been pretty sore lately from it, but still enjoying it!

I don't really know if I'll keep up with this blog. Maybe when we move for seminary, It'll be more realistic to keep people updated. I just don't know what else to talk about.

Have a great first day of fall! :)

the BBQ chicken

Korey prepared our first e-mealz dinner last night. It consisted of chicken breast, red potatoes, corn on the cob, and pinto beans. It was all put together with some BBQ sauce in alum foil and baked in the oven. I get home from class on Mondays after 10. I walked in the door and the house smelled WONDERFUL! Korey had of course already ate and by looking at his foil... he liked it! I hurried and grabbed mine and enjoyed! It was so delicious! Point 1 for E-mealz!
Yummmmmy!

Goals:
-I am now walking in the Susan G. Komen with my mom. We actually have a family friend that is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
-Korey is looking into transferring AT&T stores, which would make him happier to go to work. He just isn't enjoying the atmosphere at his current store due to management.

and that's the way the cookie crumbles

the e-mealz

Korey came upon this "food program" from a friend at work. It's E-mealz. Supported by Dave Ramsey, this program sends you a meal plan and grocery list each week. There are 5 meals a week. We are using them as our dinner meals. The grocery list for these 5 meals was only $37 for this week. They look simple and easy enough for Korey and I to follow. Neither one of us are Paula Dean or Rachel Ray... but this will broaden our cooking horizons!! :) Through out this week we will be having crock pot chicken and rice, BBQ chicken and veggies, Swedish meatballs, crab cake things, and penne pasta and meatballs. We'll see how it goes! We're looking forward to more structured healthy hearty meals :)

Update on goals:
-We are starting a bible study at church during Fight Club that is going through the book "How to read the Bible for all it's Worth". We are looking forward to going deeper in God's word in a biblical and holy way.
-Korey still is very headstrong about doing p90x and we have a copy on it's way soon!
-Crystal doesn't want to get her knee replaced in 10 years from now, so my new goal is to walk the Susan G. Komen 5K.

that's the way the cookie crumbles

the runner

I have been "training" to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 10. My goal this week was to run 4 days of 2 miles each. Thinking I know the area and my "distance judgment" being pretty decent, I just took off from the house and ran what felt like 2 miles. Nope... It sure wasn't 2. It was just about 1 mile. So, the next day... Wednesday, I decide to go a little loop here and run further there... this only made it to 1.75 miles. Okay. So my "distance judgment" isn't so spectacular. I had a friend suggest mapmyrun.com. Which is an amazing website to figure out where and how far I'm running BEFORE I run. The route I was suppose to take this morning to make it 2 miles... was kind of a complex one with a bunch of turns on morningside, mockingbird, melisa, denis, barkley, shulze.. Well they all connect so when I started making the turns... I was making them too early or too late. I got a little off course (not LOST just not how I was SUPPOSE to go). Ended up only running 1.8 miles today. My knee is pretty sore when I run, but it's not too bad when I'm not running. I'm not a runner. Never have been. This is new. I want to do this.
After the 5K on October 10, Korey and I will start p90x = hello workout nightmare! Hopefully it won't be as much impact on my knee!

that's the way our cookie crumbles

the cooking wife

I made homemade Potpie for Korey

and then at half time we made homemade chocolate chip cookies

:) Yummy!

and that's the way the cookie crumbles