38 Comments

Happy birthday, Holly! 🥳

Your news about Van's first anniversary has made me realise that it must be a teeny smidgen over a year since I started to read 'Release and Gather'! Really pleased that the news is positive. Brilliant too to hear how great Jonah's doing.

The Historic Planters Building - your website - your sheer creativity and the joy it shows - are absolutely awesome. I'm thrilled that it's all going so great - all that hard work really, really shows, and it's lovely that it's doing so well!

🙌

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Thank you, Rebecca! So much good happening this year. Lots of hard work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Huge wins for your brother, Jonah, and you! There is something very gratifying about learning a skill, and then building on it. It's also awesome that Jonah's landed at what sounds like a great place to work. That's not always the case in the trades.

As for me? I took my boys down to the Gulf for a quick getaway recently. Lots of time w/them, and not a lot of time on our phones was a win all it's own (I fully intended to take a sunroof pic, but our rental didn't have one). The second win was surviving the Mississippi humidity. Whew!

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Did you *drive* to the Gulf?! That would not be a “quick getaway” for you!🤣 It’s always a winning vacay when we can stop staring at the screens and enjoy each other. I have one of those planned next month with all the kids and grands. It’s an old clubhouse on a lake that’s been converted into a BNB. We’ve been getting together there since we discovered it 10 years ago, and while I normally like getting away for vacation, this place is only a 15-minute drive for me!

Glad you could enjoy the coast with the boys even if you had to experience the humidity down here. For the record, it has been a hotter-than-normal summer, and I only visit the beach in the Fall or Spring!

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Oh no; we flew to New Orleans, drove over, and then flew home out of Gulfport. lol.

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Ooooo...the Gulfport airport! Now that’s a big one!

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lol. I'd never flown out of there, so that part was cool.

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Great post! So glad that things are going your way. A lot of hard work is paying off. Woodville should elect you as Mayor!

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Ha! No thanks!

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There is joy upon joy to discover in this piece, Holly. This line, I think, is my favorite: "But here I am doing it..." 😌

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Thank you for reminding me that I said that...because I needed my own words today!🤣

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100% get that!

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You have been creatively busy, Holly! So happy to learn that designing spaces took off!! And that it has boosted revenue for The Historic Planters Building. Wow, amazing. You started small and look how God has multiplied it. Thank you for the updates on Van Jonah. Happy to know they are well. Ahh, you are inspiring!

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Yes! We have been the outliers in that we have refused to use business capital (with the exception of a loan for the building) or credit. We pay for upgrades as we go, and it's paying off. No doubt that God is behind it all because there's more He wants to do there!

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Wonderful news about van and your thriving business. It’s a gorgeous venue and your site is fab.

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Thank you!

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Holly, your website looks great. What a beautiful building, and I love the mural idea. Such happy updates on your family! Love the questions at the end of your post. We are in the mid-wear this week, and today we got to go to the Chicago aquarium this morning with our nephew. It was a special low sensory event and it was really cool. It has been really nice spending time with family.

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We were in Chicago last summer--the aquarium experience (especially with family) sounds so nice! Thanks for checking out the website and following this story of crazy dreams, Mary!

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Yay, yay and triple YAY for all the ups in your life. I love that you have added design packages to your venue and that so enjoyed reading about the different people/organizations who are utilizing your historic space. The photos are stunning. So cool that Jonah has found a wonderful, creative, supportive community within his job. Yes! Your brother doing well, another fabulous update. A new business opening in your community (and the nature of the business) sounds like a real bonus. You know I adore your writing and was so, so glad to see you name and site in my Inbox. Keep it coming!

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Thanks for sharing in my excitement, Mary. I read your last post about Delilah, and while I was sad for you, I was very happy she was reunited with her owner after all this time. You are a gem!

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Yes, we too are so very happy our sweet Delilah was with her People and they with her. Love is a funny thing, isn't it? It is the utmost happiness and is the only thing that can bring us to the lowest of lows.

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If I lived anywhere near you, I would rent your space for my husband’s 80th birthday. I love the concept of the place, and I think it is a bonus that you offer decorating packages. I would for sure buy that bonus!

Your website looks great. Kudos to you for designing it!

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If you lived near me, I would for sure design a party that would truly celebrate his magnificent milestone. 80! Wow! Thanks for checking out the website. There are so many tools out there now that make it possible for someone like me to create something like that, and I’m so grateful.

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What a year Holly and I'm so happy and honored to celebrate virtually with you! You are such a bright light to your community. My prayers will continue for Van and Jonah.

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I’m so thankful for you, Julie!

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You are so sweet Holly! Right back at ya. :) I hope you've had a great week. Hope to see you again at a Friday write session.

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Holly, making money doing what you love is THE sweet spot. Congratulations! All this community-building news is inspiring.

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I love the decorating, but more than that O just love the people. You’d be surprised what people share with me inside the walls of that old building. I’ve had many opportunities to offer words of encouragement and even pray with clients there. That’s the best!

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Hey! All such wonderful news!! The Gloster Arts Project = how cool!!! The new grocery in town looks a bit like Rose Pharmacy (? David's business on Schitts Creek) - so cute! And you definitely are knocking it out of the park with your decorating! Congratulations! The website looks perfect. Clean, elegant, and with all the info necessary. Yay!!! Happy Summer!

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Thanks for the feedback on the site, Jan!

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Holly, congrats on all the good news! So glad to see you back writing again.

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Thanks, Al!

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I’m so glad to read these updates, Holly. I’m so glad to hear about all of the positive things happening in and around you.

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Thank you, Israel! It feels good to have the stars aligning!

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Where have you been?

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Happy Birthday!! Thanks for sharing the updates. Wonderful news on all fronts!

The decorating... beautiful! I just hosted my daughter's bridal shower and I had such fun putting together the decorations. And I bought that same color balloon, gorgeous. The photos of your space look amazing. 💜

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