I have way too much time on my hands!

Which gives me lots of time to think and reflect on things.

WARNING! WARNING! YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER JILL'S BRAIN!!!

So anyways, this morning was the first week back for the women's bible study at my church. Yipee!! I will confess, though, that I hadn't been too excited about it because it is not the kind of study we normally do and there isn't any structured "traditional" homework which I tend to thrive on. You see without structure, I am just pretty well lost and scattered all over the place (I know you find that hard to believe, but really, it's true.) and I just really hate that when it comes to daily bible study. I need a plan!

Anyways! That is not really the point of what I am trying to say.

This morning as I was getting ready to go, all of a sudden this excitement began to well up inside me, and I began thinking back to the first day of the last bible study we did in the fall. I was still pretty new to the church and didn't really know people. I walked in and got my book and went over to a table and sat down by myself. I just sort of sat there watching the other ladies talk and stuff and wondered if I was ever going to get to that place again. Well, only a few months later, I have gotten to know quite a few of these ladies and they have truly become my friends. I absolutely love the women of our church! They are wonderful and sweet and caring and love Jesus so much. I feel so very blessed!! So today when I walked into bible study, I picked up my book and my already printed out nametag and went and sat down by a friend and she began to share with me some major concerns in her life, and I was so honored to be able to be that kind of friend. I am so very blessed.

Also, the bible study, "The Truth Project" is really good. My brain was spinning and felt like mush by the time it was over, but it was really good, and I look forward to what God wants to teach me through this study. Also, I have more than enough information and scripture references to keep me busy in my quiet time all week. Does that make sense, "busy in my quiet time"??? Seems like an oxymoron to me.

On another note, Yes my blog is still all Christmas-y. I'm just getting a head start on next Christmas because you know that it will be here before we know it! Just kidding. I have no idea how to change it. I have started digital scrapbooking, but I am no where near advanced enough to figure out how to change my blog yet, so it will stay this way until A) my very creative, talented, sweet, wonderful, dear friend, (Valinda) either gets so tired of my Christmas blog in July and changes it for me or B) just really feels sorry for me because I am talking about summer and swimming and vacation on my Christmas blog and decides to change it up for me or finally C) she teaches me how to change it myself because you know, I have way too much time on my hands.

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Wow! Has anyone else noticed how self-centered my blog is?? I mean the title is "Holland Happenings" and you'd think by the posts that I must be the only Holland. I'm definitely not that for sure! So, here is an update on the happenings of all of the other Holland's in our house.

First, speaking of Holland, John is again in Amsterdam this week on business. He called today and has changed his flight to arrive back home on Friday instead of Saturday so we are excited about that. He did say, though, that he will probably be out of town for the next couple of weeks so that is a bummer. Also, he has started a new and very exciting challenge in his life so keep him in your prayers that he will meet his goal. I don't have his permission to tell you what the challenge is, but hopefully over the next few months, I will be able to post some great news about it. In the mean time, just pray for him.

Next is Jared. We are still working on driver's ed with Jared. It is taking way longer than I would like because we are so busy with school and all the other activities and we only have the weekends to do it and you can only do so many hours in a day. He is finally getting better which I am very glad about. He was pretty scary there for awhile. I have definitely decided that though he may get his license in April, he will not be getting a car and have driving freedoms just yet. He still needs a lot more practice.

Jacob...oh Jacob...he is uniquely Jacob. He is really doing so well in school this year that I still can hardly believe it. He reminded me the other day that the writing TAKS test is coming up in February. I almost had a heart attack that it was already so close! I asked him if he planned on writing anything on it this time, and he laughed and said of course he was. He was going to write a lot. Awesome!!! I honestly do not even care if it is any good or what his score turns out to be. If he writes a composition at all on his TAKS, then we will celebrate great accomplishment. He has really come so far this year, that it is unbelievable. Jacob is the laughter in our house. Either he is always laughing, or he is making all of us laugh or both. I love seeing him so happy, and I love that we so rarely ever see problems with anger anymore. He is really growing up and breaking out of his shell.

Joy is still madly in love with gymnastics. It remains her biggest passion. She is now in level four and is doing really well. Her coach told me when I picked her up tonight that she had mastered her handstand on the beam and was really doing well. I think her coach is really amazed at how quickly she is learning her new skills. What can I say, she is dreaming of the 2016 Olympic games!!

Lastly, Jenna is just growing up way too fast. She will be 6 in only two months! I cannot believe it! She is now learning to read and still loves kindergarten so much. She has made lots of friends both at school and at church. Jenna even invited a little girl in her class at school to come to Christmas at the Barn and her family came. Now that family has visited our church for the last two Sundays. That is a lesson we could all learn from a five year old! Jenna is also going through a phase right now where she is afraid of everything. She is afraid of being upstairs by herself, she is afraid of the dark, she is afraid of every noise she hears. It doesn't help that the north wind we have had so much of lately causes all sorts of noises outside her window at night. So, she has wound up in bed with either mommy or Joy for the past couple of weeks. This has not been much fun, but I am a push-over and she will only be little for a little while longer so I have a tendency to cherish getting to cuddle with her more than get aggrevated at her.

Well, on that note, I am heading off to go crawl in MY bed next to JENNA and get some sleep. Goodnight.