Hey yo! I’m starting this week off with an apology – I know I only blogged twice last week, which was not planned. Vacation kicked my ass! I got back to Austin Monday night around 9:30, and by the time I got home, showered, got myself ready for bed, and watched “Southern Charm”, it was […]
MoreAnother Monday is upon us and I’m still reeling from the “Love Hangover” – the showcase for the dance studio I’ve been taking classes at, Dance Austin Studio. It was the 10th showcase, and included some fantastic pieces, to say the least. After I performed at the last showcase, “The Aftermath”, I had a lot […]
MoreI’m writing this from the comfort of my bed – wrapped in fresh sheets and an electric blanket while it’s 65 degrees outside. There’s eucalyptus and rosemary oil pumping through my nearby diffuser. You see, for the last few weeks, I’ve had a little tiny cough – just enough to be annoying, almost more of […]
MoreToday concludes the 23rd annual Austin Film Festival – an event I honestly never pictured myself being a part of, but this year, I was! Let me explain. I know I’ve mentioned that I have had a recent interest (turned to minor obsession) in screenwriting, and back in May of this year, one of the […]
MoreI don’t even like the word “Adulting” – it sounds funny, and it also makes it seem like I’m not accepting the fact that I’m a grown-up, or doing things people my age do. If I’m being truthful, I think I’ve done adult-like things for many years. Afterall, I’ve had a job since I was […]
MoreI’ve adopted a new rule: from now on, I’m only seeing movies that star Zac Efron. If that means my movie life will be dwindled to frat boy flicks and rom-coms, then so be it! So, I had “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” on my to-see list for a while; truthfully, it was my […]
MoreIt will come as no surprise to anyone that I’ve been in the midst of tough times; because, well, that’s the kind of thing that happens as the years pass. We have good times and bad, and getting through the bad times is often when we learn the most about ourselves and the people around […]
MoreIt’s official: we have made it to Friday… And, I’m addicted to “Nurse Jackie”. And how could I not be? At the end of every episode is a cliffhanger! I watched season one in a single day, and season two was no different. At the end of season one, it’s obvious that Jackie can’t keep […]
MoreIf we were talking, there’s so many things I’d tell you; but I know the chances of that happening are slim-to-none, and for good reason. I’d like to think that our hurtful actions toward each other came from places we don’t venture often; places of anger and insecurity. But nevertheless, we are here, apart, not […]
MoreI am slowly recovering from my meltdown last week, which I discussed yesterday on the blog. Hopefully that post made history as the most insane piece you’ll ever see here, but I’m not making any promises. And thank you to those who reached out to me yesterday via this blog, Facebook, and text, to make […]
MoreLast week, I got an email from my editor at Dig: Hi Holly, I just had a team meeting with the office in Columbus, and we’re making a few changes to the structure of the magazine. With the new format, we’re looking to get away from more national trends and really focus on content that […]
MoreTwo Sundays ago, I went to “Dance to Breathe”, which was described as Austin’s Choreographer’s Ball benefitting The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The show, which featured a performance from each of Austin’s dance studios – note: Austin has a lot of dance studios – was about two hours long, and made me realize that I’ve been […]
MoreThat’s right, I have declared WAR against my apartment complex! On Friday, I posted about the terrible noise above my apartment. Well my friends, things have gotten worse. Shortly after filing the second complaint against my neighbors, I came home from work to find a notice on my door. It was a “Friendly Reminder” to […]
MoreI’ve lived in Austin, TX for 9 months now (time flies!), and I can honestly say, I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. Don’t get me wrong, in general, Austin is pretty freaking cool, but I just don’t know if I’m ready to say, yes, this is the place I’ll be for the rest […]
MoreThat’s right, forget summer (not really), ’cause I’ve got fall fashion on the brain. I’m totally blaming “The Real Housewives of New York” for this. Did you guys see last week’s episode? If not, Bethenny threw a birthday party for herself at her fabulous Hampton’s home (so jealous) and it was an outdoor BBQ, complete […]
MoreA few weeks ago, I got a survey from my apartment complex about how I liked living there. I decided to take it, because, well, there’s a few things the apartment could stand to fix. While I like my actual apartment, I felt I got screwed on some of the amenities and they make it […]
MoreSaturday night, I ventured to Cedar Park Center, home of the Texas Stars hockey team, Austin’s American Hockey League affiliate to the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars. Hockey has got to be one of my favorite sports, as I grew up at the ice rink, dated a hockey player in high school, and ventured to […]
MoreSo, let’s talk about it: the Britney Spears Sing-a-long at the Alamo Drafthouse. Yes. I went last Saturday night and it was pretty fantastic. I’d heard about it from a coworker, but pretty much everyone I know in Austin (read: 3 people) was busy with other raging Saturday night plans. I wasn’t sure if this […]
MoreThat’s right, before this weekend, I hadn’t seen “The Breakfast Club” in its entirety. I knew the general plot, and had seen parts of it, but never actually paid attention to it. So on Saturday morning, I started watching it before I headed out for the day. I was excited to see it, given it’s […]
MoreEarly last week, I randomly decided to join Periscope – the live video social media platform. I didn’t have much of a reason for joining other than I wanted to see what it was all about. I’ve heard of people (mostly celebrities or well-known personalities) using the ‘scope for an interview-like setting. Why? Well, because […]
MoreIt’s FRI-DAAAAAY! If you’ve been here all week, I really hope you’ve enjoyed the blog’s fun little twist. I really had a blast writing these posts and I’m so excited for all of the fun, HONEST content that’s coming your way. But enough business talk, and let’s get to the real shit: it’s the freakin’ […]
MoreI realize I talk a lot about being a recluse and spending my weekends indoors, and well, part of this is because I find great joy in relaxing at my home, in my sweat pants. Another thing is that, since I’m working all week, I spend a majority of my weekend writing, reading, or attempting […]
MoreThis week, it occurred to me that I’m only a few weeks away from having lived in Austin for six months! Can you believe it? It has really flown by. But, I can say that I am finally starting to feel like things are falling into place. I’m learning my way around, finding my groove, […]
MoreOver the holidays, my mom treated me to an afternoon at the spa (Viva Day Spa in downtown, Austin, if you’re curious). We had manis and pedis, but we also enjoyed organic facials. I’ve had many facials in my life, but this one was fantastic! So much so, that I wanted to get some of […]
MoreGiven that I did about ZERO reading in 2015, I only asked for one book for Christmas, and it wasn’t even a novel. Instead, I asked for a cookbook, particularly Haylie Duff’s “The Real Girl’s Kitchen,” which serves as a companion to her TV series on the Cooking Channel. Upon getting with the times and […]
MoreWhoop — first blog of 2016! I thought it would feel more weird writing that number, but I feel like I’ve had my eye on 2016 for awhile now. Perhaps it’s just because a majority of my 2015 totally sucked. But it’s a fresh year, and although I feel like I make New Years goals/resolutions […]
MoreMy Pic of the Week is of me, and if you couldn’t guess from how similar we look, my beautiful mom! She flew to Austin from Indiana to visit me for the entire week of Christmas, and we really did a lot of fun things while she was here. I had to work on that […]
MoreTo Whom it May Concern: I’ve reached that stage in grief when you’re just disappointed. Call me the Charlie Browniest, but the Austin Police Department, particularly the Burglary Unit, is the source of such disappointment. Let me explain. Last Thursday night, I came out of my dance class off 183 South to find that my […]
MoreI had every intention of posting a sexy little fiction piece today, but when I got out of my dance class (Twerk and Burn) last night, my passenger’s side window had been shattered. The bastard was after an old (very old) Coach laptop bag, and although inside the bag wasn’t a laptop (thank God), there […]
MoreAlmost 100 days ago, many of you sent your well wishes my way when I announced I was starting a new job (again, thank you). And last Wednesday, I completed my “Capstone presentation” at said job — meaning I’ve completed all of my SEO training and am in this gig for good (or at least […]
MoreRemember last week? Last week, when I was so excited to join Operation Turkey (the North Austin branch) and hundreds of volunteers to serve thousands of homeless people? Well, the actual experience completely blew. Here’s what happened… After I signed my friend and I up for the volunteer job (for which I signed us up […]
MoreThe competition is on! I’m lucky enough to live in a city that’s full of different food joints, and don’t worry, I’ve got a list of the ones I want to try (and it’s getting longer by the day). Of course, I’ll be right here to report all of my findings with you. So, the […]
MoreI’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, I just found out a few days ago that Elijah Wood lives in Austin! According to my coworker, he lives downtown and frequents the Whole Foods at least twice a week to… and here’s the bad news… get flowers for his girlfriend. WAMP WAMP. […]
MoreHola! I wanted to offer a quick apology for my lack of posts last week — it’s been a crazy few weeks with the move and all. I was really struggling to function, let alone get my five blog posts in. But I’m back in action and ready to roll! So, life in Austin means […]
MoreI moved on Saturday! I’ve spent the last few weeks packing everything I own (well, minus the things I got rid of) and prepping for a move. Now, I know moving — the physical act of doing so — is possibly the worst thing we can do to ourselves as humans. It completely sucks. Because […]
MoreI’ve been living in Austin for two weeks now, and of course, I don’t know where ANYTHING is. I have to rely completely on Siri to get me anywhere. At first, I was really thankful for Siri. What would I do without her? Use MapQuest? No. So yes, at first, I was so thankful for […]
MoreI spent last week in Austin, and made the trek back to Baton Rouge late Friday night. I wanted to visit my kitty, get some packing done, and I had one final shift to work at my retail job. My friend Derek had been telling me for weeks he was going to come over Saturday […]
MoreSome of you may remember that last week I mentioned a road trip I was taking — and yes, I did that, and can now share my adventure. It all started when I got a phone call from a company I’d had a few interviews with. “Can you be in Austin next week?” the woman […]
MoreI really hate fighting. And, over the course of my years in the dating game, there have been many-a-time when I’ve simply ignored things that were probably worth a fight, simply because I just wanted to play it cool. But, no matter how cool you are, something is likely to piss you off. And sometimes, […]
MoreSaturday, the mailman dropped a delivery that made my WEEK — a box of my books arrived! I work really hard on all of my books, but I still get really nervous and excited all at once when the box arrives. For Lemon Drops, I really hoped the cover looked as great in-person as it […]
MoreI’m skipping Fresh Friday this week to make an announcement: MY THIRD BOOK IS COMING YOUR WAY. That’s right, my third book is on its way — mark your calendars for September 22, 2014, which is EXACTLY one month from today! At that time, you’ll be able to purchase digital copies through Amazon Kindle (which […]
MoreThe first guy I fell in love with cheated on me. We were best friends before we started dating, but our relationship was long distance, and there were 15 hours between us. We had a rocky breakup, and he coincidentally had a new girlfriend right afterward. They are married now, so good for them. A […]
MoreEditor’s Note: The contest winner from Tuesday’s Tattly give away is below… Tomorrow around 5 am marks one entire year that I’ve been single. A party of one. I know that when my ex, D, and I broke up, I was miserable. Even though our relationship was not anything good, I had no idea how […]
MoreManipulate (verb) — to manage or utilize skillfully; to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one’s own advantage; to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one’s purpose. I was manipulated in relationships before I even knew what it was; that it was even something that […]
MoreThis year has been “The Year of Holly’s Past,” and if you have read any of this blog, you know that my past, when it comes to dating, is not anything to be proud of. Before the start of 2014, my ex contacted me via email. This ex isn’t my most-recent ex, but one that […]
MoreIt’s here, it’s FINALLY here! My second book, How to Make Lemonade, is published and ready for YOU to read… What’s it about? It is a memoir of my dating life in college—I had 3 serious boyfriends, which, as you can probably guess, didn’t work out, considering I’m single right now. However, the stories of […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 14: WISH YOU WERE 6 AGAIN Wednesday, May 5, 2010 Today, The Frisky asked me […]
MoreAnnouncing: my second book! My second book, How To Make Lemonade, is my story from the beginning—as far as dating goes, anyway. I tricked him into being my boyfriend. One morning before class began, I took a ring I’d gotten in one of those clear plastic bubbles and placed it in my mailbox. The mailboxes […]
MoreI can still remember my first Valentine. I was in first grade, and a boy in my class, named Dustin, gave me a small, white teddy bear with a red bow tied around his neck. At 6 years old, this was a lavish gift among the ritual of passing out store-bought cards with flat suckers. […]
MoreRemember when I told you I had been thinking of Valentine’s Days gone by? Well, as I’ve mentioned, they aren’t all ribbons and pearls, or chocolate and roses, perhaps. But, they aren’t all about me sitting and moping, either. If I think back further, years ago, there was a Valentine’s Day when I actually stood […]
MoreIn late October, Austin and I got into a pretty heated fight (big shocker, I know). He was coming into town for Thanksgiving the following month and I told him it would be a good time for us to meet each other’s parents—my mom was coming in town to cook with me and he was […]
MoreAJ, Hey you! Just wanted to say thanks for another great weekend. I have fun with you whether we’re out or just at home…because you’re that cool. I’m looking forward to another visit soon. I know things might suck now but I am certain time will help in a decision that will be the best […]
MoreToward the end of July, I had a bit of a meltdown. I hadn’t really talked to Austin much since I got home from Dallas. So I assumed he would never talk to me again. Everything he was doing I was applying it to my fear and I finally broke down. I thought about what […]
MoreBefore my trip to Dallas, Austin and I got into another fight. We talked on the phone one day when clearly, we should not have. He was being a dick because I didn’t call him when he wanted me to. So when I said I’d let him go so he could work, he got pissed. It […]
MoreShortly after my 22nd birthday, school and work were really taking up my time and energy, and I was really stressed out over my summer school classes. But since I was so busy, I didn’t have much social time. Most of my girlfriends had boyfriends or didn’t have time or money to go out, which often […]
MoreAfter Austin graduated, I went on vacation to St. Thomas with my mom and best friend. Austin was still in Baton Rouge looking for jobs. In mid June, I spent three days and nights with Austin. Thursday night was the first time we saw each other since I got back from St. Thomas. I really […]
MoreAfter I cooled off from being royally reject by Eddie, I went back on my word and started talking to Austin again. Naturally, when my friends found out Austin and I were talking again, they were skeptical—warning me that all Austin wanted from me was sex, but I gave him the benefit since I cared for […]
MoreI managed to survive my time at work, even when Austin was around. He wasn’t dating anyone else, and neither was I. In June, he told me he wanted to take me to the Marc Broussard concert that I’d bought him tickets for when we were still together. I liked Marc Broussard, but I wasn’t […]
MoreAustin and I didn’t go on many dates before we decided to be exclusive. Our first two dates went very well, and I remember wondering if things were moving too fast. I didn’t know if I was really ready for another relationship—I was still feeling the baggage from Adam. But I felt like Austin and […]
MoreI was in the stockroom at work one Saturday, trying to reorganize clothes, when Austin came in complaining about a recent date he went on. The girl he went with worked at A&F with us, just like all of the girls Austin took on dates. His general complaint was a blanket fear of never finding […]
MoreAfter Halloween, the anger portion of my grief set in. The lovely Facebook showed me pictures of Adam in a frat boy costume. He was with a girl who was dressed as a pirate wench. She is now his wife. Although I had declared my single status on Facebook, I wasn’t an idiot—Adam hadn’t met […]
MoreWhen Thanksgiving actually came around, I didn’t see or talk to Austin despite us being in the same city. I spent time with a man I was casually dating. Months passed and I distanced myself from Austin—the more time went on, I realized just how wrong he was for me, but I hadn’t had my […]
MoreIn late October 2007, Austin and I got into a pretty heated fight (big shocker, I know). He was coming into town for Thanksgiving the following month and I told him it would be a good time for us to meet each other’s parents—my mom was coming in town to cook with me and he […]
MoreOctober 7, 2007 {9:34 p.m.}: I’ve been feeling better about the AJ situation since we talked about things. When we talked, we never really got anything solved, but at least I learned Austin didn’t mean most of what he said and he was just trying to get a reaction out of me. There is still […]
MoreSeptember 30, 2007: Been a long time since I’ve been here. Been writing some on my computer—but I’ve reached that point where I really need to just WRITE. Last night, I cried for the first time over a fight Austin and I had over two weeks ago. I left for work and was coming home […]
MoreAJ, Hey you! Just wanted to say thanks for another great weekend. I have fun with you whether we’re out or just at home…because you’re that cool. I’m looking forward to another visit soon. I know things might sucks now but I am certain time will help in a decision that will be the best […]
MoreAugust 14, 2007 {9:59 a.m}: It seems airport writing has become my thing—or maybe just airports in general. I’m here in Texas on my way to Los Angeles, finally! So much has happened since I wrote last. Seriously last week was such a roller coaster. Gabe and Nik and Evan ALL contacted me so my […]
MoreJuly 25, 2007 {10:40 p.m.}: Okay, so yesterday I had a bit of a meltdown. For starters, I really hadn’t talked to Austin much since I got home from Dallas. So of course I assumed he would never talk to me again. Everything he was doing I was applying it to my fear and I […]
MoreJuly 22, 2007 {9:22 p.m.}: New journal, I know. Here I am, in Houston waiting for my next flight into New Orleans. I just finished my weekend with Austin in Dallas. I had so much fun with him and I definitely was so sad to leave him. Of course, I was wrong about so many […]
MoreJuly 10, 2007 {12:59 p.m.}: OK, so I don’t have my fucking journal, I’m at Starbucks and pissed at Austin AGAIN! This is the third time in three days. We talked yesterday when we definitely should not have. He was being a dick because I didn’t call him when he wanted me to. So when […]
MoreJuly 7, 2007{8:30 p.m.}: Okay, once again it’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I’m 22 now! School and work have been really taking up my time and energy…I’ve been really stressed. My geology grade sucks, I can’t seem to get ahold of the concepts and time is running out. But since I’ve been so […]
MoreJune 14, 2007 {11:24 p.m.}: Well, it’s been exactly two weeks since you’ve heard from me: A LOT has happened! But…first thing is first. I cried on my drive home from work tonight. I’ve cried so much this summer. The saddest part is, I can hardly pinpoint why I cry, not because I don’t have […]
MoreJune 14, 2007 {10:52 p.m.}: Well, I’m home and in my own bed…it’s Austin’s last night in Baton Rouge. I guess he read my letter this afternoon because when I got home from work there were roses on my doorstep (3 red, 2 pink). There was also a thank you card with it and he […]
MoreI ended up rewriting the letter and giving it to Austin on our last night together, in Baton Rouge. June 13, 2007{11:42 p.m.}: Okay so I just got home and into bed from saying goodbye to Austin. Needless to say, I cried my eyes out—ugly girl style. The night was awkward and short. We didn’t […]
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The Bitter Lemon 
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