Sweet Spots of a HollyDay

September 26, 2017 Drought. We are typically in a drought. Burn bans and water conservation are not foreign to my little corner of the world. I know that around the world there are areas that have much worse conditions. Places that deal with bigger problems and who would consider the amount of rain we get as a blessing regardless, for us rain is not as common as we would always like it to be. Today it rained. There were short periods of down pour that you couldn't see through and longer sections of light drizzle. As I sat in class and noticed the drops hit the window I thought about our typical first reaction to the rain. Many will tell you they love the rain, typically because of the calming sound of the drops falling on the roof, ground or whatever it lands on, yet when they go outside they bundle up and hide from it. Rain jackets, rain boots, hats, umbrellas, waterproof this, that and the other, the list goes on. There are many reasons for this and typically I will shield my...

September 19, 2017 Mom. We all have to have one to be alive yet each one of us has a different relationship and experience with our moms. For me she is all things positive. She nurtured, raised, and helped shape me into the woman I am today. Without her I could not imagine life. For me September 19th marks the day that her mother brought her into the world. I find the older I get the more and more I appreciate my mom and realize her wisdom. I can't put into words what she means to me and yet I thought I would write just a little something about her anyways. I am blessed beyond measure to have my mother so present in my life. She is my cheerleader and my coach. She always encourages me to do my best in everything and advises me along the way. She is always near but far enough to let me try on my own so I may learn and grow. If I succeed we celebrate but if I fail she is there to pick me back up and encourage me to try again or try something different. Regardless of the situat...

September 12, 2017 This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to the coast and assist with the clean up from hurricane Harvey. The amount of work that needs to be done is great and as the time passes the volunteers and workers become few and far between. As we drove through Aransas Pass there were some buildings that were completely leveled and while their neighbor had minor damage. This was not the first time I had seen devastation to a community. I have helped with the aftermath of a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, as well as clean up from the tornado that tore through Moore, Oklahoma a few years ago. This past summer I also had the opportunity to drive through the mountains of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and see the beginnings of regrowth after their recent fire. The difference in those occasions and this one had to do with me personally though. I had grown up going to Port Aransas and Aransas Pass and therefore I knew what it had looked like before the destruction....