Queen Bees: Holly

I feel like the second Tuesday of the month should come more often. I have loved reading the link-ups people have left to recognize the Queen Bees in their lives, so thank you for taking the time to lift each other up and cheer each other on. It takes a lot of courage to say outloud (or type for all to read) words about others - it makes you vulnerable, so thank you thank you!

Now enough "waiting" around... today I want to tell you all about my friend (in real life!) Holly.

Holly is married to Mike... aren't they adorable?

They have three precious children, Colby, Holden and Hope...

And are maybe the sweetest family in the entire universe.

I mean seriously, how cute are they? When I asked her what surprised her most about her fairy tale she said, "Let's just say - what hasn't surprised me about our "fairy tale".  I actually giggled when you asked me this question (like actually laughed out loud - not just LOLed).  

Right after Mike and I got married I had a pillow monogrammed that said, "and they lived happily ever after" - cause it was just that easy, right?!  Heck no it wasn't/isn't!  Those first few years we had moments that would have made our highlight reel but WAY more that would have made the Not Top 10!  Marriage is hard, ya'll!!!  We have our ups, we have our downs, but we always have each other."

Preach, Holly. Preach. 

Holly just happens to be Shelly's real-live bestie. They have the most amazing meet cute... I can't even make it up. They met taking water aerobics classes while they were pregnant with their two boys who are now ALSO besties. (And love each other despite the fact that one of them is always cheering for those TCU Horned Frogs! HA! Love ya, Shelly!) I love that they are best-friends and that their boys are best-friends... I can't really explain how thankful I am that I got to experience the same thing with my own bestie growing up. Friendship is such a gift. They even have a fun name - the McJanacs. I mean. Stop.

I've been reading Holly's blog for some time now but we didn't actually meet until May. And neither of us can figure out how that's possible. To begin with, she lives about .5 miles from my house. We have mutual friends, share a love for service, and have a real fear of cutting our daughters' hair. And approximately 2 weeks after meeting her, Cindy and I invited her to join our Seamless bible study and Holly offered up her home for our space, which is totally something she would do! Offer her home to practical strangers because she's JUST that AWESOME.  Sunday's at 7 couldn't have happened without her!

We've been able to hang out this summer a few times and I have found myself wanting to literally soak in her goodness. I love listening to her talk about her kids - she keeps it real celebrating their successes and seeking guidance on the tough days. I am so glad that I've added her to my arsenal of friends and Emmy and Landry are definitely thankful for her...

I have found myself being inspired by Holly on several occasions. She can be found making something super fun during one of her CRAFTernoons; she is a PRO at theme days and birthday parties are totally her jam. Holden's 10th birthday was Sew Much FUN and Hope just had her 5th birthday Paw-ty.

She has built such a great community with her blog. She started blogging in 2014 and has such a loyal following and it's because she creates a space that is inviting and real. She is so encouraging with her words and does a great job of inviting people into her space. Her Waiting on Wednesday link up has just taken off and I love seeing other bloggers sharper space.

I can honestly say that I have never met a person as committed to service as she is. And I advise a service organization for a living. Big or small, Holly finds a way to give back, lend a hand and make the world around her a better place for it. In her words...

Seriously, she is so committed and SO gifted at serving others. She has truly inspired me to find ways to help others in need and to get the entire family involved. She uses her creativity to serve her community, whether it's helping Aggies blow away finals, passing out water to service men and women, leaving dollars all over the Dollar Store or organizing a bi-weekly summer project at the Food Bank - she uses her talents well and our community is so much better off with Holly in it.

She really makes me think about the little things I can do each day to make someone else's day a little brighter.  She is one of the most thoughtful people I know - making care packages and goodies not just for her kids but for people she hardly knows because they could use some sunshine. It's almost enough to make you feel like you could never compare, but the thing about Holly is, you don't NEED to compare. She's so genuine, she's so caring, she's just so full of goodness that instead of thinking you'll never live up, you simply give thanks that there are people out there just like her.

I adore the texts we share or random emails with silly gifs and memes. I love that we have known each other for 4 months but it seems like so much longer. I love that her Gulley is Shelly. I love that she loves her husband and kids so fiercely that you can actually see it. I love her honesty, her courage and vulnerability. I love that she has let us in since that very first blog post.

One of my favorite things she's written is her response to what she wants her grand kids to know about her...

Simply put, Holly is good people. If you haven't spent time in her corner of the interwebs, then go there now! You'll be so glad you did.

A little linkup etiquette:  

We want you to post about women who inspire you so feel free to post old posts - new posts... it's up to you!  Please link to your specific post URL and not to your blog home page.

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