Tuesday, December 26, 2017

VLOGMAS DAY 13 - The Gift Reveal

If you were anxiously waiting to see what my sister and I gave my parents for Christmas, watch this...


Thursday, December 21, 2017

BLOGMAS DAY 9, 10 & 11 - Busy Holiday Bee

Happy Thursday before Chrsitmas!  I apologize for not posting at the same time each day, but this past week has been super busy.  Catching up at work after three sick days last week can really take up a lot of time.  I swear, for every one day off, it takes two-three days to catch up and get back to normal.  I'm not complaining though, I am feeling so lucky lately to have such a great career and work for such talented, supportive, and kind people.  It almost feels like we are a little family in my office, and that feeling is extra special around the holidays.  Hashtag blessed.

Aside from work life, my social life has been super busy lately too, as expected when Jacy and Mike are in town.  We just want to spend so much time together that we don't even care how tired we are the next day.  Each night of this past week, we have been out late getting things done in preparation for the upcoming festivities and more importantly, we have been putting the finishing touches on our parents' present!  I know you saw the vlog, but do you have any ideas what it could be?  I can't wait until the damn cat's out of the bag so I can share what it is with you!

Last night, Jacy and I got manicures (I got the chrome color - best decision ever.  I know it's sort of different, but I like to be different and now I'm hooked.  I guarantee after seeing these robotic nails you're going to try it at your next nail appt too!).  Then we did some serious last minute Christmas shopping, followed by some dinner and drinks, and now the entire back seat of my Jeep is packed with gifts and wrapping paper and there is no room for anything else but that's okay because... Christmas.



Tonight I have to wrap said gifts (aka I will whine and complain until Jacy wraps them all for me), and then I have to do mounds of laundry so that I have a cute outfit for every day of the weekend.  Either that, or I'll just go shopping for new clothes and call it a day.

Tomorrow, my Aunt and Uncle arrive from SC, and I'm really hoping the pending snow doesn't slow their trip down at all because I've been waiting all year to see them.  Insert reoccurring sad feelings about my family being so far away from each other.  I guess it only makes the holidays that much more precious because we all get to relish in the togetherness of the weekend.

Saturday, I have a hair appointment with my longtime friend Beth.  This girl is amazing, and if you especially love balyage and ombre like I do, check her out on IG: hairsytlist_beth.  She works at Cut-Splice in Charlestown, MA, and her hands are magic.  You will leave her chair feeling like a million bucks, and they serve beer and wine so really what could be better?  I'll be sure to post some pictures after my appointment!  After that, Jacy and I have lunch plans with my "second sister" Erica, who is also Jacy's longtime best friend. Finally, Saturday night, the whole family has our annual Eve Before Christmas Eve party which you already read about here.  Sunday is Christmas Eve, Monday is Christmas, Tuesday my office is closed, and soon enough it will be hump day again.  I really hope time slows down over the next few days though, I want to experience the joy of Christmas for as long as I can.

Oh, and this morning I woke up and saw that Billy Costa from the Matty in the Morning Show liked my tweet.  I can now die a happy woman.

What have you all been up to in preparation of the holidays?

Saturday, December 16, 2017

BLOGMAS DAY 6 - We Reunite!

It never gets old.  The excitement I feel when Jacy and Mike come home for the holidays is almost even better than that of Christmas morning.  Sometimes when they come home in the summer or other months, I joke that I'm like a kid on Christmas, but this time I really am! Even though I'm always happy to see my sister and brother in law, there is something extra special about picking them up from the airport in December.  I feel like it's the official kickoff to the holiday season, the beginning of so many good days to come.  Nothing can get me down today, not the cold, not the fact that I'm still battling this sickness that kept me out of work for most of the week, and not the fact that I bought three scratch tickets and didn't even win a dollar.  This day is magical, and nothing can take that away from me!  So, with that being said... guess what day it is???

IT'S THE DAY I DRIVE TO LOGAN TO PICK THEM UP!  Hooray hooray!

I'll be posting more it the days to come.

Merry airport day!

Love,
Holly


Friday, December 15, 2017

BLOGMAS DAY 5 - Dear Santa

,


I haven't written to you in a while, in fact it's been decades.  I used to stay up late practicing what I would write, and then I'd finally get it all on paper, seal it up, and send it off to the North Pole.  I was so excited.  I remember those letters you sent back to me. I would bring them into school to show all my friends, and we would read them over and over again with wide eyes, declaring that you must be real because how else would you know the names of my three goldfish and the fact that I loved soccer?  You were just that good.  (P.S. Thanks Mom and Dad for the help with that, wink wink)

Well, here I am again, two months shy of 31 years old, and I still have a few things to ask of you.  Although my list may be full of less tangible things than in years past, I still have some wishes.  I've been a pretty good person over the course of my life, trying to always put others first, and I hate to sound so blunt, but I think some of the things on my wishlist are damn well deserved by now. 

First, I know it sounds cliche at best, but I really would love some more wide spread peace.  I am so sick of kids being bullied, I'm sick of hearing about North Korea, I'm tired of hearing so much negativity, and I've had enough with worrying what people are saying.  It would be nice if we could all just get the F along.  Oh right, Santa, that's another thing, I swear a lot more now - a little different from when I was 10, but life is stressful, ya know?

Next, I would really love a chance to meet some of the people who inspire me the most.  A chance to have a real life conversation with Jewel, Taylor Swift, Anna Nalick, Fiona Apple, Ashlee Simpson, Emily Giffin, or any of the other girl-power bosses who inspire me to write every day would be just phenomenal.  I feel like they deserve a hug and a huge acknowledgment of appreciation from me.  

Third, I would really enjoy a few trips to NYC where I can sit in a coffee shop, open my Mac, and let my creative juices spill out.  Something about big cities just makes me feel a certain type of way.  So can you please just tell my bosses that I need X amount of time off?

Fourth, I would love it if you could give Nala the gift of endless life.  Or at least keep her alive for the rest of my life, she's my best little friend, and I never want to live a day without her (it would also be really cool if she could talk, so if you could throw that bonus in, I wouldn't hate it).

Fifth, I really want my family to be together more often.  If you could find a way for us all to live together in perfect harmony, that would be splendid.

Last, but not least, I really want to get married in a field, barefoot and wearing a green flower crown and a white sundress, to have two perfect little kids in a quaint little town, then to move to a big penthouse apartment, write a NY Times best selling book, to be healthy, happy, and skinny forever, to be rich in my career, in love, and in money, to have both a vacation lake house and beach house, to write a number 1 song, to never have any more gray hairs, to always have perfect eyebrows, and to be able to take care of everyone I love for the rest of their lives.  That's not asking too much, now is it?

Thanks, Santa.  I know you've got this all covered.  You da man.

With love,
Holly

Thursday, December 14, 2017

BLOGMAS DAY 4 - A Poem by Me

Christmas Eve

A voice, a place, a familiar smell
A circumstance I know so well
Uniting eyes over a drinking glass
Tender smiles as people pass

It’s the “How are you? Where have you been?”
Regretting the time it’s been since then
A sudden sadness strikes the heart
Wishing time could stop, and pause to start

Red lips from wine, a buzzing smile
Wow I haven’t been here in a while
Glossy bulbs strung on the tree
A laugh, a kiss, a wink at me

Drinks collide, a joyful cheer
The well-known scent of winter beer
Delight for all, ignoring age
Of stockings green, a Christmas sage

The night moves on, we say goodbye
Some they laugh, some start to cry
For loved ones lost, prayers are prayed
Memories had, memories made

Tomorrow it will come so soon
I gaze up at the December moon
I thank the stars for cherished time
For holidays spent with this circle of mine

Merry Christmas!

Poem Written & Edited by Holly Amber Wolti ©

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

BLOGMAS DAY 3 - My Favorite Holiday Tradition

We call it the "Eve before Christmas Eve Party", and it always consists of my parents, my aunt Debbie and uncle Drew, my sister and Mike, Paul and me (or, in years past, whoever my significant other was at the time, this tradition has been going on for many years and you've gotta kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, amIright?).

As I'm sure you've gathered from its respective title, this festive function takes place the night before Christmas Eve, once my aunt and uncle are settled in from their flight from SC, and once Jacy and Mike are settled in from their flight from Nashville. This night is quite honestly my favorite of the holiday season.  Everyone is in cheery and joyful moods, we are all toasting to the days ahead, and everyone is talking about what has changed since last year and what will, thankfully, always stay the same.  Many inside jokes are replayed, and new ones are made.  I usually have too much to drink and pray to Jesus to help a sister out and let this one slide, no one likes waking up on Christmas Eve with a hangover.

Sometimes we go to a restaurant, sometimes we convene at my parents' house, but no matter where we are, we are all laughing.  My mom and Aunt will have their girl talk time.  My Dad, Uncle, and I will talk about my recent success at work and have a chuckle about how much beer I can drink for a small girl.  Jacy will talk about how she is seriously living the dream (you go girl!), and Paul and Mike will discuss what's been happening on the latest episodes of their mutually loved TV series.  The night will finish with tight hugs and bubbling conversation about what we are doing the next day, what time the annual Christmas Eve Party at my godmother's house starts, and who is riding with who.  Then, we all go home and fall asleep with visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads.  Okay maybe that last part is stretching it a bit, but I know I always fall asleep with an eagerness for the next few days, albeit with a small knot in my stomach realizing that Christmas is already here and how fast time really freaking flies.  Then, I wake up, and it all begins again.  These are the constants.  Thank God for the constants.


Here's an oldie but a goodie, I love these people.

What are YOUR favorite holiday traditions?

BLOGMAS Day 2 - Christmas Tree Reval

This post is sweet and to the point, just like our Christmas tree.  Or should I call it Nala's favorite napping fort?  Get a cat, they said...

So, for those of you who know me really well, you know that I'm no lover of overly decorated indoor spaces.  I just feel like it's pointless for me to stress over putting up a bunch of holiday decorations around my house for two weeks just to take them down the day after Christmas.  I'm trying to remove any inconvenience from my life, and this would inconvenience me.  I'm sure once I have kids though, this will most likely change.

I grew up in a house full of lots of holiday decorations, and I absolutely loved it - but I always wondered how my mom had the patience to hang up every holiday card, find a snowman that glowed all different colors of the rainbow, meticulously lay out the littlest and cutest manger on the book shelf, and put perfectly matching candles in each window.  She always made it look so warm and inviting, and she certainly had the calmness to do so, but that's one trait I just didn't receive from her.  Don't get me wrong, I love to see holiday decorations at her house and at YOUR house, but I'm just not fond of overly decorating my own.  Ya feel me?  [ Angela, this is in no way referring to your little Christmas squirrels, we know I love them :)]  So, with that being said, I'm no Grinch, and I do love the sparkle of a Christmas tree in my living room, so here's my Christmas tree reveal.  What does yours look like?






Monday, December 11, 2017

BLOGMAS DAY 1 - Holly's 2017 Holiday Wish List

So I'm a little behind in the whole Blogmas process this year, but after a few sick days on my couch, having several deep conversations with my cat, and relying solely on the Kardashians for my dose of social interactions, I figured it was probably a good idea to use my brain for something a little more productive. (No offense Nala and Kourtney, you both still mah gurls)

Alas, here I am, on December 11, 2017, posting my first Blogmas post of the month.  I hope to post each day until Christmas, but let's not kid anyone, once I get back to work tomorrow, my email box will be chock full of to-do lists, I still have to finish shopping, wrapping, planning, and I need to get to the gym each night to burn off the thousands of calories I will be eating over the next few weeks (thank you holiday breakfasts, parties, festive drinks, etc.), so posting daily might not be feasible, but I will try to post as much as I can.  That counts for something, right? #Busyladiesof2017

I figured this post would be a fun little opportunity to display some ideas on my wish list this year.  And yes, I know what you're thinking, I do understand that the holiday season is more about giving than receiving, and anyone who knows me knows that I take pride in my skillful gift giving abilities and the thought of opening presents in front of a room of people actually gives me high levels of extreme anxiety, but people have been asking me for some ideas of what they can get me, get someone else who has similar interests as me, or simply how they can keep their hair looking fresh and clean after not washing it for six days like I do. Yep.

So, with that being said, here is a sneak peak at some of my favorite products, clothes, decorations, and other items on my wish list:




What's on YOUR list?

Happy holidays!
Love,
Holly

Monday, November 20, 2017

A Thanksgiving Post



With Thanksgiving being only a few short days away (hooray for a short work week!), life is getting pretty busy.  Let's face it, we are all preoccupied with thoughts of hosting parties, traveling, accommodating guests, cooking, cleaning, outfit planning, manicures, pedicures, and where we are all drinking too much on Wednesday night. With all of these (exciting) plans, it's easy to focus less on what the holiday season is about and more about which sweater will match my leather leggings and the constant debate of whether I should wear my hair straight or wavy.  Yes, I'm super guilty of letting the little things take over, and right now I'm subconsciously stressing over where I put my favorite lipstick.  So...

With that being said, I wanted to write this quick post to let you all know that even though I am as distracted as the next person, I can't forget to say thank you for another year of loving me and loving this little blog.  Together, we have made so many of my creative dreams come true, and you've given me so much more than I ever asked for when I began writing and designing this space.  You've given me an outlet to vent, a diary to share my experiences, and you've given me a large amount of followers who at some point can all relate to the craziness that I call my life.  But more than all of that, you've all given me the the gift of confidence - confidence to speak about things I may have been once too timid to say, to make friends with complete internet strangers, and to finally finish writing my first book.  So, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart.  I love you all so much.

So, because I can admit I am an incessant, OCD, flip out if I can't find the ONE shirt I wanted to wear, will curse the day you were born if I'm having a bad hair day type of person, I'm glad I got a chance to tell you all how I feel.  Now, from today until next week, you can find me shopping, planning, preparing to host my first Thanksgiving, and getting super excited to spend the first November holiday with my sister and brother in law in so long -  boo for having a family that lives all the way in Tennessee, but yay for quick plane rides and a special sister bond that no amount of distance can ever break.  So again, thank you readers, thank you friends, thank you family, and thank you life for blessing me with so many beautiful reasons to be happy.

Love to love ya,
Holly

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Oh Toronto, We Meet Again...

It was this time last year, October 2016.  Our first #tripTOremember had just ended, and I had that pit in my stomach – the same pit I have now.   I knew I remembered the feeling, but not the specifics of it until it came back to me again.  I guess it’s like when you break a bone, the doctors tell you if you’ve done it before, you’re certain to remember the exact feeling once it happens again, and you’ll know for sure.  And yes, that is completely true, but this time it’s not a bone that is breaking, it’s a little corner of my heart – but in a good way.

I know you’re thinking god, how depressing is this girl, she just got back from a magical vacation and now she’s all rain clouds and dark skies… But no, seriously, that’s how you feel when the skyscrapers, waterfront sunsets, seamless city skies, coffee smells, and a lifestyle you were just getting used to disappears.  Okay fine, I guess I do sound a little under the weather now that the trip is over, but you would too.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – Toronto is everything.  I’ve traveled to so many different cities, but none have sucked me in and spat me out with the same force as this Canadian metropolis.  After almost a week there, I feel far more cultured, inspired, and full of desire to explore and grow than I usually do when I get back from a trip.  Maybe it’s the air, the bright city lights, the buzzing of horns, songs and laughter on sidewalk corners, the Scarborough Bluffs, the more peace and less hate you can feel among the crowds, the church bells that wake you up every hour of the night, or maybe it’s something that can’t be explained, but this city changes you.  It takes who you were, who you want to be, and it teaches you that you actually can be anything you want, and that you really can go anywhere you want to go.  It’s a wide-awake urban dream dripping in philosophy, art, music, literature, different people, food, scenery, history, charm – and when you look around at all of this, it’s then that you realize… the opportunities are endless. If you’re a romantic, a dreamer, a hopeful doer, a person with a list of goals like me but need the bravery to make them happen, then this city is for you.  And, this lesson is best learned over a hot mocha latte from Aroma Coffee, if you ask me.

And that leaves me here, writing this post, trying my hardest to fill the pit in my stomach with memories, enthusiasm for the next visit (#tripTOremember3), wisdom, and the awareness that I am just a little bit closer to who I want to be - today, October 2017.

So with that, I want to say thank you, Toronto, for inspiring me to sit here and create, to finish writing and publishing my first book, for reminding me that a special sister bond only gets stronger with age, and for also reminding me that no matter where this world takes me, one little piece in the puzzle of my life will always be there --  toasting to this beautiful life over a glass of Syrah with my sister, in our thirties, on Yonge Street, Toronto.


With love,
Holly