The Holt Blog

Inspired by my mom who just cleaned our her spice shelf I set out to do the same with mine. You know, get rid of ones i never use, pass on doubles…. little did i know what i would find! From around the side where the stove vent comes up i notice video tapes. I guessed right the minute i saw them – porn tapes!!! Prior to us living here 2 batchelors owned this unit… oh man. So, the moral of the story, clean out your spice shelf frequently and thoroughly, you never know WHAT you might find!!

The last Friday of every month, we have a potluck and cram a bunch of people into our flat. It’s mostly people from church, but we’re open. Last night was one of them. Everyone brought something yummy – there was sushi, peach pie, wine, quesadeas, pizza, fudge, rolls, chocolate from Mexico, and more. I played bartender – I made a bunch of Mojitos (a cuban drink with rum, fresh mint, lime, and club soda) and Malibu Milkshakes. Everyone seemed to like my drinks, and I was happy.

One of the couples was Nathan and Priscilla. The latter is Brazillian, and until recently she lived in Canada because she could not get her green card (even though they are married). She is a chef, and brough a really nice dish. It was kind of like salmon and creamy white stuff rolled in tortilla and beautifully arranged. We were told she also hosts her own sushi parties.

We also had a ton of musicians in the room. Three guitarists (all quite good), a professional bassist, a Brazillian singer, and a drummer. So it wasn’t long before we broke into song. Due to a joke about me starting my own podcast, I was recording the whole thing. Here’s a bit of our singing! Sung in Portugese and English, of course!

I think we’ll have some pictures up soon, too. Let us know if you want to come to the next one!

Ever since I first looked at an Ikea catalog in college i have been in love. I look through them multiple times marking things and dreaming. But, small place, frugal people….we have just never had the occasion to buy anything. Until now. While we were away Ubu’s pee and our couch became one… it was not a pretty thing. But, it turned into a pretty thing in the end b/c it meant that we had to get a new couch! So, Kristen R. & Jayne and I headed out yesterday (yes, i payed tax…) and had an adventure to Ikea! It was great Everything was beautiful. I had to kinda shut my eyes to everything else b/c the couch was our 1 big item. But, we got it, did the self check out and headed out!

This past week Jill and I were trip leaders to Lake Champion, a Young Life camp in New York.  I know you’re thinking tents, cabins, campfires, and all that – like our last trip to the White Mts.  But YL camps are multi-million dollar resorts.  About 50 people work there each month for free, just to be there and serving God.  There’s two in NY, one in CO, one in VI, and probably some others.  The “cabins” are really like a hotel, there’s a rock climbing wall, pool with hottub, a lake with all kinds of boats, mountain bikes, a zip line, fields and courts for all kinds of sports, a game room with pool/foosball/ping pong/snack bar, a club room for over 500 people, etc.  The food is awesome too!  If you’ve never been to one, they allow a few adult guests to come and see this awesome place per week.

Jill and I didn’t participate in Wyldlife (Young Life for junior high kids) this year, but the normal leaders were indisposed, so they asked us.  We had gone as leaders before, but never led the entire trip.  It was hard, but rewarding.  Five girls and one guy came.  I was scared about what kind of guy it would be, since I’d be spending a four-hour car ride with him, plus “cabin time” and much of the week.  He turned out to be really cool – we had a lot in common, such as our love of video games.

Pix of the trip are up!  It’s a long album, I’d recommend the slideshow feature.