Early Christmas

The morning after graduation, we had an "Early Christmas" with my parents. We opened stockings and presents, and then had our traditional yummy Christmas breakfast, with Great Harvest french toast, bacon, and Reed pizza eggs. Mmmm...

I was like a kid on this "Early Christmas" morning, insisting that we open presents first!


Here's Travis with his first present--a gift certificate to Ross! I see a shopping trip in our future!


Yea! It's hard to find great (wholesome) family movies these days, so I was so happy to recieve Ratatouille and Penelope from my parents. Thanks guys!


Dad had asked for a shirt for Christmas, and this one had his name all over it, so we bought it...

...and it was a hit! It fit him just right, and he liked it so much that he wore it the rest of the day! Success! And just look at this studly man!

I love mom's expression in this one--"Ooh!"--as she opens her gold loop earrings from Travis and I. She was a happy girl.

Travis and I love playing games together, and this one's a personal favorite of his. Thanks mom and dad! We've loved playing it already!

The last time we were in Tucson, my dad confessed that he was crazy for crunchy Cheetos. So, what could we do but buy him a family size bag for Christmas? He was thrilled.

My "off the list" present for mom this year was a hand-crafted picture frame with a picture of her and me in it. Here, she's giving the "Aw, it's precious" look, so...

...another success!

And for the mother-to-be? Motherhood gift certificates! I can't wait to spend these! Thanks you guys!

We had SUCH a wonderful visit with my parents while they were here. It was especially nice to get to have a Christmas celebration with them. Thanks again, mom and dad, for all that you do for us and for the wonderful visit! We love you!

Graduation

On December 12, 2008, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in University Studies, with a Minor in Music and Clusters in Art and Dance, from Brigham Young University--Idaho. The Commencement Ceremony went as follows:
Processional (with music played by Daniel Kerr)
Posting of Colors (by the BYUI ROTC)
Welcome by President Kim B. Clark
Invocation (by a fellow Graduate)
Scripture Reading (by a fellow Graduate)
Musical Selection (Come Ye Children of the Lord, by the BYUI Collegiate Singers)
Remarks by President Clark
Presenting of the Graduates (by Fenton Broadhead)
Conferring of Degrees (by President Clark)
Musical Selection (Come Sing to the Lord, by the choir)
Address by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Benediction (by a fellow Graduate)
Recessional (with music played by Daniel Kerr)

Before we entered the Auditorium for the Commencement Ceremony, the Graduates lined up in the Hart Fieldhouse; and as we left there for the Auditorium, there lined all along the halls were the teachers and staff of BYU-Idaho, dressed in their Graduation robes, and all clapping for and congratulating us. Walking down this "hall of honor," realizing that these professors were congratulating ME and MY acheivements over the past 4 1/2 years, was one of the most incredible experiences (and feelings) of my life. I was elated. And to top it off, as we entered the Auditorium itself, the very last person in line (on my right) was President Clark, who congratulated me personally as I walked in.

After the Processional, the Graduates were seated in the middle of the Hart Auditorium. I was lucky enough to be seated in the sixth row from the stage, right next to my friend Shantyl Stears.


Here I am waving at my friends and family in the stands. Looking at them, as they smiled and waved back at me, I was overcome with such a feeling of gratitude for the love and support that all of them had given to me throughout my academic journey.


President Clark and President Uchtdorf taking the stage. (They were no more than 10 feet away from us on our left when they passed by to do this!)


President Clark giving his remarks. In them, he gave us three principles by which to guide our lives: (1) Don't let the world get to your heart, (2) Serve the Lord, and always accept and magnify your callings, and (3) Keep the Spirit with you. (Thanks for taking these notes for me dad!)

When President Uchtdorf began his address, and addressed us all as his brothers and sisters and his friends, I felt how much he (and the rest of the First Presidency) truly do love every member of the Church. Indeed, he said "I bring you the love and greetings of President Monson and President Eyring....Sister Uchtdorf and I send our love and congratulations to each of you." In his address, he then advised us to "Pluck these same leaves from the tree of Paradise: (1) Draw near unto the Lord, (2) Continue to seek learning by study and by faith, (3) Organize yourselves and prepare every needful thing, (4) Eliminate all non-essentials, and (5) What a man soweth, that shall he also reap." He continued, "My young friends, your greatest strength as you step into the world is your testimony of the Lord....Don't be guided by your fears, but be guided by the Lord!" And finally, he said, "I conclude tonight with a pronouncement that all of you can do this. You can bless not only yourselves, but your states and nation. But most important, you can raise an eternal family. You are God's precious heritage. Now go forward and be good! We love you." I really appreciated the words that he gave to us.

Travis was so kind to take all of these pictures for me (as he knows how I love to document big events). I thought this picture of his was especially good (what a great angle!).

Here I am during the Recessional. Wahoo!

After the Commencement Ceremony, we went over to the Taylor Chapel for the Convocation Ceremony. In this Ceremony, both Roger G. Christensen and President Clark gave some remarks, and then the Graduates were awarded their diplomas. Here, I am shaking hands with President Clark as he hands me my diploma cover.

At the top of our Convocation program was printed this scripture: "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days" (D&C 64:33-34). I thought it was so interesting that this should be the quote used on the program of my particular degree--University Studies--because although a degree in General Studies doesn't seem like much, it IS out of the small things that great work can be done. So, this scripture has given me greater pride in the studies I have done here at BYU-Idaho.

Here I am, having just recieved my diploma cover (and alumni pin). (Big smiles.)

The happy graduate!

With my sweet parents, who supported me all along this journey.

And with Travis and his parents, who helped push me through to the finish line. (Although they're not pictured, my Aunt Carol, Uncle Ken, and Cousin Elysia were also at my graduation, and I want to thank them for the love and support they have given me as well--and for coming!)

With all of your help, I DID IT!

Jennifer Carol Holloway, College Graduate!

Holloway Christmas Letter 2008

This has been a year full of changes for us, and all of them for the best.
In August, we learned that there would be a new little addition coming to our family, and in December, we found out that this addition would be a baby girl! We have loved tracking our baby’s progress every step of the way, and are so excited to meet her next May!
In November, after carefully weighing our options, we decided that Travis will attend the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (OCPM) in Cleveland starting next fall. We are excited for this wonderful educational opportunity, and for the chance it will afford us to explore the East coast (especially the Church History sites).
In December, I (Jenny) graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in University Studies (with minors in music, art, and dance) from BYU-Idaho. We are both proud of this accomplishment, and are happy that it will afford me the opportunity to be a full-time mom!
Besides attending school, Travis continues to work as a baker at Great Harvest Bread Co., which he has been doing since this past April. He loves his job, and we feel very blessed for him to have a job that is so perfect for him, for him to be able to work with such great people, and to receive some delicious free bread and goodies every week!
At Church this past year, Travis has changed callings from Fast Offerings coordinator to Elder’s Quorum Secretary to Ward Clerk, the last of which he has been serving as faithfully for several months now. I was recently released from my calling as Ward Primary President, which I have served as for the past year, and now await getting a new calling. Though I miss having a close association with the children in our ward, I am also excited to serve in another capacity, and participate in our Relief Society and develop new friendships there. We love our ward, and the associations we have gained there.
Throughout all of these changes, we have felt the hand of the Lord and have witnessed the many blessings that He has poured down upon us, for which we are very grateful.
We love each and every one of you and wish you everything good in this upcoming year!

Love, Jenny and Travis Holloway

We're Halfway There!

Today marks the halfway point of my pregnancy. So, in just 4 1/2 short months, our baby girl will be here. I can't believe it!
Here's a quick update on her for Week 20:
"You've got a baby the size of a small cantaloupe in your melon-size belly this week, about 10 ounces and 6 1/2 inches (crown to rump). Luckily for your baby, she still has plenty of room in your womb, which means there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, kicking, punching, and even an occaisional somersault" (I think I've felt it all, but we're still waiting until they're strong enough for Travis to be able to feel them too).
It's wierd how sometimes it feels like my belly grows in bounds. Last night, for example, my stomach suddenly felt very stretched and tight, like the baby had moved and filled the entire area. Crazy. On that note though, I visited a dietitian yesterday, and she said my weight gain looks good. (When else are you EVER going to hear that?! I was just happy that I hadn't been overdoing it--which a person worries about when they have to eat every two hours!)
And since some of you have been asking about baby names, I'll share with you our top picks for now (although nothing will be really decided until we see her pretty face in the flesh):
Evelyn
Grace
Allison, and
Kaylee
Now, we're just trying to come up with middle names for each of these, and decide which one we like best!
Finally, we wanted to share with you a short video of our baby girl moving around from our last ultrasound. I think it's great, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Ode to Travis

This post is dedicated to my AMAZING husband (because I can't help but tell you!).
What makes him so amazing, you ask?
A million little, but (really) important things...

fulfilling his calling 100% (even though that means spending at least 6 hours at church every Sunday, and doing other little duties throughout the week)
letting me sleep in til forever (even though my alarm has gone off 4 times, and he's already been up for over an hour)
eating according to the whims of a pregnant woman (which usually includes mac'n'cheese or the like)
kissing our baby goodnight
kissing me goodnight
listening to me ramble on about whatever crazy thing comes to my mind (including Jane Austen novels) at 10:30 at night when he has to go to work at 3:30am the next morning
telling me I'm beautiful (as my stomach continues to grow)
telling me how cute I am when I do the silliest things
squeezing me tight (and making me feel like everything is ok, my worries melting away from the warmth and comfort of his arms)
laughing at my increasingly cheesy jokes
never allowing me to take out the trash
doing the dishes...every time
always opening the car door for me
telling me how much he loves me about 15x a day
and a hundred other things...

But the clincher? Today, I was going to make some Pasta Roni for myself for lunch, and was destraught because the pot I needed was dirty (from the day before's Pasta Roni that had I made), but I didn't feel like washing it. Well, angel to my rescue: Travis volunteered to wash it for me (which was just really nice because: (1) I had meant to do the dishes the night before while he was at work but hadn't; and (2) he was choosing to eat leftover spagetti for lunch, which I should have also been doing but had refused to do--which meant that he was willing to clean MY pot for ME to make MY special lunch because I was being picky. Totally awful of me, I know!). And sure, him washing a pot might be a little thing, but it made me realize again just how nice and truly wonderful he always is.

I really couldn't find a husband that loves me better, and I love him SO MUCH in return!

It's a GIRL!!!

At about 11:30am this morning, we found out that our wonderful bundle from heaven is going to be a beautiful baby girl! We are so thrilled, and can't wait for her arrival!

Isn't she beautiful?!














Yup, there are no little boy parts. It's definitely a baby girl!














Here you can see her cute little foot. She was such a mover during the ultrasound--she kept flailing her arms and kicking her legs. She even had the hiccups at one point. Yep--she's already our little dancer!














I love this picture because you can see so much of her. Right next to her head is a little elbow (she had both of her hands up by her face when they took a 4D shot of her, so all we could really see was her little button nose), and by her tummy is her right knee. Also, the little dark circle in her tummy is her stomache, and the two dark spots in her chest we believe are her lungs. I just think she's so pretty!















The doctor also informed us that her measurements are just as they should be, and that my placenta is right where it is supposed to be as well...so everything looks great. And now that her grandma and grandpa have already spoiled her with early Christmas presents (a matching pack 'n' play and travel system--thanks again for everything mom and dad!), and we've looked through the entire girl's section of names in our baby names book, we're excited to get everything all ready for her to come and join our little family!

Christmas must be coming...

I have been itching to put up Christmas decorations for a week now; so, as soon as we got home on Sunday from our Thanksgiving break, up went the Christmas decorations!

Travis putting some ornaments on the tree:



















Some of our new ornaments (that I bought on our trip to Cleveland):














The finished tree, complete with colorfully wrapped presents underneath (are we on top of things or what?! =) )



















Our stockings hung on our wall with care:














We recieved this advent calendar from Cassie and Mark as an early Christmas present this year, and love having it!



















Being inspired from making my Thanksgiving sign, I decided to make a Christmas one too! I wanted it to have a special Christmas message on it, that reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas, and so I chose "Oh, come let us adore him"--reminding us to celebrate Christ's birth, as well as to come unto Him always. Now it just needs some ribbon to hang it with and it will be complete!














I LOVE having our Christmas decorations up. It makes our apartment feel SO cozy and bright, and let's us celebrate Christmas a little everyday. Only 24 more days!

And the decision is...

The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine! After much comparing & contrasting, discussing, and praying, we knew that OCPM was right for us. We are excited at the prospect of living close to Rachel and Brandon and their family soon, but we are also saddened to not have the opportunity of living close to my parents that we would have had by going to Midwestern--yet, we take comfort in knowing that we are following the Lord's plan for us. And we feel great relief in finally knowing where we're going and in having a plan! Thank you to all of you who have had us in your prayers during this time of decision! (It was definitely a tough one!) Now we just have to find somewhere to live and make the final preparations (sigh)...

A Baby Update...Finally!

We've been so busy with podiatry school interviews (and catching up in school after the interviews) that I haven't had time to give a baby update...until today! So, here it is: our baby update for Week 16.
From "What to Expect": "With a whopping weight of anywhere from 3 to 5 ounces and a length of 4 to 5 inches (just larger than a navel orange), your baby is growing up fast. Muscles are getting stronger, especially the back muscles, enabling your little one to straighten out even more. Your baby-to-be is looking more and more adorable, with a face that has eyes (complete with eyebrows and eyelashes) and ears in the right spots. What's more, those eyes are finally working! Yes, your baby's eyes are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. Your baby is also becoming more sensitive to touch. In fact, he or she will even squirm if you poke your belly."
Updates from Weeks 13-15 include: our baby's intestines are now in their permanent place; Garbonzo now has vocal chords, a longer neck and a more erect head, head and body hair, and can now also breathe, suck, swallow, wiggle it's fingers and toes, kick, flex, and move it's arms and legs.
I can't believe how quickly our little one is growing and developing! I mean, it's actually looking and acting like a real baby now! Some of my personal experiences that coordinate with what I've shared from "What to expect" are that (1) I am "showing" now (just a little bit, but my pants are definitely feeling tight!), and (2) for about the past 2-3 weeks, I've been able to feel little Garbonzo kick and squirm inside me! The first time it happened, (about 3 weeks ago) I was in bed (just after waking up), and it felt as though Garbonzo had done a quick flip or two in my tummy. I thought, "Am I actually feeling our baby?" And then, as similar things started to happen on a regular basis (about a week later) I knew I was indeed feeling our baby move inside me. It's been so fun and exciting to feel the baby and KNOW that it's really in there! Now we're just waiting until those kicks and squirms get strong enough so that Travis can feel them (there have been a couple of times when I have been able to feel the baby kick with my hand pressed against my belly, but never when "daddy" was around!). And, yes, I'm still feeling nauseous, but being able to feel our baby, and know that it's there, makes still being sick feel so much more worth it.
Oh, and since I never did post and say how things went at our Nov. 4th Dr.'s appointment, I'll go ahead and tell you now! The Dr. told me that, from the results they got back from all of my tests and from feeling my belly, that everything looks and feels good and normal--Hooray! The Dr. also did an "ultrasound" on my belly, where I got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time! It was so emotional and exciting! It's heart beat so fast, and the sound of it was kind of like Darth Vader breathing (being muffled), but it was a wonderful sound to me. =) I didn't want to stop listening to it. And then, at the end of the appointment, the Dr. told me to come back in 6 weeks for another (real) ultrasound...which means...that on December 15th we get to find out what the gender of our baby is!!! I can't wait! I was window shopping online for baby stuff the other day (again), and got so excited about buying things for our little one, realizing that in just 3 short weeks, we'll know if we need to be looking for everything "pink" or "blue."
We're so grateful everyday for the opportunity to be parents-to-be, and look forward to the day (about 5 1/2 months from now) when we'll finally meet the newest little Holloway!

Midwestern Update

Just to give you all an update, we recieved a letter from Midwestern last Thursday which announced that Travis had been accepted to their School of Podiatry (we knew he would!). So...check back later today for our final decision!

Latest Craft

This past Wednesday, our ward had an Enrichment activity, where we had a potluck Thanksgiving dinner and made a holiday craft. I was super excited about this activity because (besides eating great food) I had been hoping for an opportunity to make a Thanksgiving decoration. After stuffing myself with food, making some careful decisions, and about 2 hours of work, this was my final product:

I love it! It feels so festive and homey, and it makes me HAVE a heart full of thanks! Now to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner...

Interview with Midwestern

Hey everyone. I have another interview update for anyone interested. Jenny and I just returned from Arizona where I interviewed at Midwestern University. Six of us pre-podiatry students, four of whom (myself included) are LDS, interviewed on Monday the 10th. They started us right off with an introduction and welcome from the director of the podiatry program. He talked to us and answered questions and really gave us a great first impression of the school. After that we just sat in a waiting area until the commitees were ready to interview us. I interviewed with a panel of three people who took turns asking questions and then answered my questions at the end. It was a bit more intimidating and challenging than my interview at OCPM but they asked some really good questions and I hope they liked my answers. When I finished my interview I went into another room where they had a financial aid presentation that was nice but not very helpful. The person in charge of financial aid was gone so they grabbed a sub last-minute and she didn't really know what she was doing. I know it wasn't her fault but still, a bit frustrating. After that, we waited for almost an hour while the DO applicants continued with interviews. Waiting wasn't that bad but it would have been much more productive if they let a student come talk to us. In my opinion, the opinions and advice of current students are huge. I'd rather have an honest student tell me why they chose the school and what they like about it than an admissions employee get paid to say nice things about a school they aren't attending, just working for.
When the DO's finished they took us to the cafeteria for lunch. It was fine, but there were no podiatry students to talk to. We ate at our own table then went outside (it was sunny and in the 70's) to shoot some hoops before they took us on a tour of the school. The school has nice buildings and some new ones that should be ready for use in the fall, including a very large auditorium that will be the White Coat Ceremony venue in August and be used for class lectures. I'm glad they showed us all the buildings but again, there were no students on the tour, just an admissions guy who was nice...but probably more concerned with his Monday Night Football tailgate plans than hanging out with us. After the tour we filled out a short survey and left. I should hear back from them in the next couple weeks. Overall it was a good day. I'll get over not being able to talk to any students... It really is a nice school -- very different from Ohio's school. Ohio is completely independent; Midwestern is very integrated with their other programs (DO, dental, PA, Pharm...). Class size in Ohio is capped at 125; AZPOD is around 30. OCPM has been around a long time; Midwestern's podiatry program graduated their first class this year. Glendale and Independence are two very different cities as well. All in all, they're both nice and we have a very difficult decision ahead of us. I know this was long and probably not that interesting but thanks for reading it anyway. We'll keep you posted as the story unfolds.

A Milestone

Just had to quickly post and let you all know that the baby and I have officially graduated from our 1st trimester of pregnancy/mortal life and have entered the 2nd! Here's to the many nausea-free days ahead and to learning more about our baby!

Ohio Trip--Day 1

Day 1: We flew into the Cleveland airport, where we were picked up by Travis' brother's Jason and Brandon, and then headed over to Rachel and Brandon's house, where we were greeted with a scrumptious pasta dinner (compliments of Rachel)...yum. And after dinner? We decorated caramel apples (a Halloween tradition that should never be overlooked if you ask me)!

Rachel helped the kids out with their caramel apples first. It was so fun to watch them decorate and eat their caramel apples! While Jenna and Cailyn were big fans of the toppings and savored each sugary bite, Kaden was primarily concerned with the apple slices themselves (picking off the caramel as if it didn't belong, and then eating the apples like a watermelon slice). So cute!



The girls choosing their toppings (so many great choices!):














And our other "caramel apple-ing" buddies:

Brandon here, happily drizzling extra caramel on his apple.



















Jason and Mindi, just before they dug into the "caramel apple-ing" fun.



















Jason and Cailyn:















Kaden was kind enough to entertain us while we decorated our caramel apples (and was just so darn cute as he did!).
Here he's showing us where his eyes are...



















His ears (don't you just love that ADORABLE smile?!)...



















And his big muscles (his expression is perfect for this shot!).



















Travis with his delicious finished product.



















My caramel apple.



















Everyone's caramel apples...scrumptiliumptious!


















With our apples completed, and the kids in bed, we adults headed off to the living room to watch some episodes of "The Office" and finally eat our caramel apples (mine was seriously the tastiest, most decadent caramel apple I've EVER had--yum-o!). And to finish the night? We all played musical catch phrase (and laughed, danced--Thriller, anyone?, and sung ourselves silly)! Thanks for the great night Holloway fam! More on our Ohio trip to come soon!

Interview Update

Howdy. This is Travis just giving everyone the news from the Ohio intreview. It went well. There were seven other prospective students interviewing the same day. After some brief introductions we were turned over to two first year students who took us on a tour of the school and answered any questions we had for them. That lasted about an hour. After that we went to a conference room where they talked to us about financial aid, housing, insurance...stuff like that. The lady who interviewed us each individually talked to us for a little bit before she started pulling us out one by one for the actual interview. (The dean normally interviews us too but she was out of town at a conference.) After the first five interviews they fed us lunch and had the Vice President of the school talked to us and we asked him questions. When we were done with lunch the individual interviews continued. At the end of my interview she told me that Dean Lott had reviewed my file and wanted to offer me a conditional acceptance. The conditions are that I send my letters of recommendation and send them a final transcript when i finish at BYU-Idaho. Overall I was very impressed with the school and I liked the area. We'll go to Arizona next week and see what we think of Midwestern. I'm glad Jenny gets to go with me to both Cleveland and Glendale so we can make a decision together.


















Jenny insisted on taking a couple pictures of me at the school after the interview so here you go.

Jenny's New Dress

Remember how I won a $60 gift certificate to Mikarose from Rachel's blog a while back? Well, a long story short, they didn't have the dress that I wanted in stock, I told them I'd wait until they got it again, and about a month ago I got my new "Allison" dress in the mail! And since I'd promised you all that I'd post pictures of me in my new dress when I got it, here they are!



















I love this dress!