and i would walk 500 miles . . .

this weekend was an *interesting* one. i worked the entire weekend, so the only good thing about it was the money i was making *hello, overtime!*. we had to go out with the program manager and his group to collect data on the radios we're testing while out here. we were originally told that we would be stationary (or is it stationery?) in a parking lot while the "squads" tested radio comms between each other. however, the guy running the test had a different idea in mind.

i ended up hiking and walking all over fort bliss and into mckelligon canyon this weekend. we covered about 30 miles total. my legs are sore today, but i needed the exercise -- and sun -- so no complaints here. mckelligon canyon was actually very pretty that early in the morning and there were tons of people running the canyon and walking their dogs. i plan on going there every night once all my cuts and blisters are healed so that i can run the canyon road. there were TONS of people there. i'm glad there's at least one decent place here in hell paso.

Enjoy the pictures!

two's company . . . three's a crowd!

Here's what you're supposed to do . . . and please do not spoil the fun. Copy, repost in a new blog, delete my answers and type in your answers. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known things about each other.

Three names I go by:

*holly

*hol

*holly-dolly [but only my mama can call me that]

Three names I no longer answer to:

*hot pants

*h

*mrs. miller

Three jobs I have had in my life:

*crossing guard

*waffle cone maker

*UPS seasonal employee

Three jobs I would still like to try:

*professional writer / magazine writer

*psychiatrist

*advertising executive

Three places I have lived:

*bryan, texas

*killeen, texas

*fairbanks, alaska

Three places I have *really* loved:

*texas

*north carolina

*california

Three TV shows that I watch:

*"intervention"

*"i survived"

*"survivor"

Three TV shows I would still watch if they were still on:

*"sex and the city"

*"once and again" [anyone remember that?]

*"seinfeld"

Three places I have been:

*barstow / fort irwin, california

*las vegas, nevada

*fayetteville, north carolina

Three places I would go to in a heartbeat:

*back to bed

*tuscany, italy

*anywhere tropical!

People I e-mail regularly:

*kevin

*eric

*stanley

People I so wish would e-mail me regularly:

*brynn

*camryn

*your mom

Three of my favorite foods:

*anything mexican

*homemade stand-up fried chicken

*homemade pork chops in grey gravy

Three foods I know I'm supposed to like but I just don't:

*cabbage

*fish

*fresh fruit

Three friends I think will repost:

*vanessa

*hayley

*leslie

Three things I dread:

*getting on the scale

*hurting someone's feelings

*getting up in the morning

Three things I am looking forward to:

*going back home

*the summer

*being tan!

i do . . . or i don't. i don't know . . . ask me later!

i want to be happy. i really, really do. and for the most part, i really am! but sometimes, i can't help but think that something is missing in my life [and no, it's not religion]. i hate to admit it, but i'm starting to think that what is missing is . . . a man!

i *dated* d-wade for about two years, and quite honestly, i'm not 100% over him. i love(d) him for so long and he was in my life for a good while . . . well, a good while for me anyway. if you know me, you also know that i get bored easily. it's really hard for me to maintain any sort of relationship with a man because of this. i think i like them and *BAM!* just like that, i don't. and then everything they do just annoys me and i can't stand hanging out with them and then the very thought of their name sends chills -- and not the good kind -- up my back. his voice no longer sounds sexy or manly . . . all i can hear when they open their mouth is *blahblahblah.* i'm at that point right now.

i tried really hard to like ray lewis. he is the perfect gentleman. he's very nice, my friends like him. he's also funny, good-looking, *employed* and all that jazz. but i hung out with him for too long and now we're in the *bro stage.* i can go grab a drink with him or eat dinner, but i cannot, in any way, find him attractive beyond anything platonic. he hung out with me one night before i came here to el paso and he *tried to kiss me* before he left. i turned my head and yeah . . . i think he got the point. i am not even entirely sure why i don't like him anymore. but i don't.

another thing about me. i'm fiercely independent. i have a hard time asking for help and i hate having to answer to someone. i dislike hurting people's feelings and so a lot of times, that alone prevents me from getting involved. men: sometimes i don't wanna see you, sometimes i don't wanna hang out, sometimes i will choose my friends over you. sometimes i *just want to be alone.* that seems to be an issue. i hate having to tell someone where i am or why i'm going, and i'd rather keep most of my business to myself. again, another issue.

i'm not saying that a man is required to have happiness. but i see couples all the time who seem to be okay *being a couple.* maybe i'm not at that level yet, but i'd like to maybe get there at some point. maybe.

apparently i also have a fear of *commitment.*

the blasted IRS

isn't it funny that when you submit a tax return online in which you're receiving a refund, it takes *days* for the IRS to accept and approve it, but when you're sending one in that you owe on, they approve and accept it *that very same day?* and while you can wait up to a good three weeks before you get your refund deposited into your account, they take money out of your account the very next day?

interesting . . . i am now beginning to understand how this thing called *government* works.

when you're alone and life is making you lonely . . . you can always go *downtown*

i decided to do a bit of exploring downtown today because i needed to get out of the room and didn't want to spend money. as good as my intentions are to *not* spend it, put me in a mall, a target, a walmart -- anywhere that has something to be purchased -- and i will spend money. and so i decided to take a driving tour of the area to just see if i could find *something* to do!

downtown el paso is very interesting. there were a few museums i saw that i'd like to check out -- the art museum, the el paso holocaust museum -- but unfortunately, being that it's sunday, they were all closed. i will have to go down there sometime during the week and hope to catch them during business hours. other than that, there really wasn't much to the downtown area. there are a ton of tall buildings but it seems pretty rundown for the most part. there are a lot of cramped stores altogether in the area, most of them with signs written in spanish. i didn't stop just because nothing seemed to be worth my time. most of it looked secondhand but there were also shops with little trinkets and those mexican blankets [are they called sarapis?]. either way, i figured if i went downtown to explore again, i'd wait til there was a group of us so that it wouldn't be just me being bored.

there really wasn't much of anything else down there. for some reason, i guess i was expecting it to be a lot like dallas or austin, but nope. i admit i was a little disappointed. there seemed to be a lot of little taquerias i might check out, though . . . i am always on a mission to find great mexican / tex-mex food, and the more authentic, the better! the rest of the test team gets here this coming week, to include one of my best friends, ben, so maybe i'll drag him around on my quest to find the perfect gordita!

anyhow, i'll leave you with my *new* favorite church sign of the moment that i saw on the way back to the hotel on some spanish church:

*the easter bunny didn't rise from the dead, but jesus did*

HAPPY SUNDAY, EVERYONE!

saturday in el paso

well what a saturday it's been. pretty . . . uneventful.

woke up at like 930am cuz the wind outside my hotel room was *super* crazy loud. not sure why it's suddenly become so windy, but i sure hope that it goes away soon. there are *dust* warnings all over town. reminded me and dad of driving to dugway from toole, where the crosswinds kicked in.

decided i had better get my booty back into the gym since i hadn't gone in over a week and since we get free membership to a gym here in town for staying at this hotel. i got dressed, threw on my new running shoes, and headed across town. got to the gym . . . wasn't too impressed, but decided it would have to do for the next two months. it seems a bit crazy how missing a week and a half at the gym can make you feel like you're starting completely over! when i left fort hood last week, i was up to running three miles a day. today, i was barely able to crank out a mile. how sad! i know that i'll keep going, though, and that my three miles will come soon enough. just seems unfair that it takes so long to build up and so little to lose it.

dad and i decided that we'd do a little sight-seeing around el paso today. we made it all the way to anthony, texas, which is the first city inside texas coming from new mexico. we went to the visitor's center there, got some pamphlets about different things to do here and decided we'd head back. i wanted to stop at the outlet centers, but i knew that that would be *utter torture* for dad, so we decided to go to walmart in town instead. however, before we could venture there, dad decided he was too tired and we came back here to the hotel room instead.

and now it's 418pm on saturday and i'm out of things to do. i don't wanna go anywhere cuz i know i love to spend money and i know i shouldn't be. however, there really isn't much on television on saturday. i guess i could do laundry, but then i'd have to do laundry and quite frankly, i just don't feel like doing it today. oh well . . . maybe i'll take a nap myself.

april 23rd couldn't get here fast enough!

my personality?

I took the Keirsey Temperament Sorter Test cuz i was bored and found it on Scott and Val's website. Apparently, it's some sort of personality quiz or something. Either way, it says i'm an ARTISAN, and i posted my results. Is it me?

Your Keirsey Temperament Sorter Results indicates that your personality type is that of the Artisan.

Artisans are the temperament with a natural ability to excel in any of the arts, not only the fine arts such as painting and sculpting, or the performing arts such as music, theater, and dance, but also the athletic, military, political, mechanical, and industrial arts, as well as the "art of the deal" in business.

Artisans are most at home in the real world of solid objects that can be made and manipulated, and of real-life events that can be experienced in the here and now. Artisans have exceptionally keen senses, and love working with their hands. They seem right at home with tools, instruments, and vehicles of all kinds, and their actions are usually aimed at getting them where they want to go, and as quickly as possible. Thus Artisans will strike off boldly down roads that others might consider risky or impossible, doing whatever it takes, rules or no rules, to accomplish their goals. This devil-may-care attitude also gives the Artisans a winning way with people, and they are often irresistibly charming with family, friends, and co-workers.

Artisans want to be where the action is; they seek out adventure and show a constant hunger for pleasure and stimulation. They believe that variety is the spice of life, and that doing things that aren't fun or exciting is a waste of time. Artisans are impulsive, adaptable, competitive, and believe the next throw of the dice will be the lucky one. They can also be generous to a fault, always ready to share with their friends from the bounty of life. Above all, Artisans need to be free to do what they wish, when they wish. They resist being tied or bound or confined or obligated; they would rather not wait, or save, or store, or live for tomorrow. In the Artisan view, today must be enjoyed, for tomorrow may never come.

There are many Artisans, perhaps 30 to 35 percent of the population, which is good, because they create much of the beauty, grace, fun, and excitement the rest of us enjoy in life.

Artisans seek to make an impact upon the organizations where they work and upon society at large. Their alertness to current realities, the joy they take in variation, and their tendency to follow their instincts to 'what works' make them good troubleshooters and negotiators, talented performers and craftspeople and excellent leaders in all kinds of emergencies and chaotic situations.

Even at work, your motto could be, "Let me entertain you. Let me make you smile." In fact, bringing playfulness to situations can be one of your greatest contributions on the job. In your ideal job, you have the opportunity to apply your talent for performing and improvising communications so that they appeal to the individuals or groups of people in your environment. Because of your gift for words, your ideal position might include tasks that allow you to apply your communications talent for the good of the organization.

how sweet it is . . .

i stole these two pictures off of valerie's blog because they were just the type of pictures i envisioned taking of my nephew and niece when i went to visit them earlier this week. so for my sake, i am going to *pretend* that these are ones i took and post them for everyone to look at, coo over and leave comments on!

*enjoy!*

a quizful of questions

so i was looking around on facebook and found this quiz that was filled out by one of my friends. i was going to post it there, but not sure that i will or not. i prolly will. but i thought i'd post it here, too. enjoy!

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
*not exactly. my parents had to choose an H name for me to be named because my three older sisters all had H names, so they gave my sisters the choice between hayley and holly. and they all chose holly. my mom *really* wanted to name me meghan, so for awhile, she teased my sisters that she would name me Hmeghan, with a silent H at the beginning.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
*uh, it's been awhile. i try not to cry often. oh wait! i remember . . . it was at the dentist's office when i found out i had a cavity. the other day.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
*i suppose. i typically don't handwrite anything anymore, though. yay technology!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
*i am partial to mom's homemade chicken salad, but i'm not sure that qualifies as *lunch meat.* so i'd say either turkey or ham.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
*oh no . . . kids are *not* for me. i do haev a ton of nieces and nephews, though!

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
*of course! i am *hilarious* . . .

DO YOU USE SARCASM?
*only every single day!

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
*nope . . . had them removed when i was eighteen, i think.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
*oh no . . . i like to keep my feet on the ground!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
*cream of wheat with butter, honey, coconut and milk. yummy!

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
*not typically. and i don't even untie them when i put them on!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
*it's a tie between mint chocolate chip and chocolate peanut butter.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
*overall appearance, i suppose. there really isn't anything else you can notice *first thing,* is there?

RED OR PINK?
*depends on what is red or pink. i can do either!

WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
*my ability to over-analyze EVERYTHING! no joke . . . i mean everything. oh -- and my upper arms. i am working on getting them toned again!

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
*aside from my brothers and sisters who aren't living near me, my gramma. she and i were *best* friends!

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
*charcoal grey sweat pants with pink, white and blue on them; charcoal grey and white shoes.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
*i wish it was music! but my iPod is charging. so i'm listening to the clacking of the keyboard.

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
*charcoal grey . . . no one ever uses grey, so i'd be around for a very long time!

FAVORITE SMELLS?
*ah, so many to list! anything foody and homemade; victoria's secret and armani perfumes; polo double black cologne, d-wade, and my pomegranate candle.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
*mi madre . . . was calling her about something, but now i can't remember.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
*NBA basketball . . . particularly dwyane wade and the miami heat, or the lakers.

HAIR COLOR?
*brownish, reddish, blondish. i need to get it done again!

EYE COLOR?
*they're green . . . and apparently mysterious.

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
*almost everyday since i was fourteen!

FAVORITE FOOD?
*anything mexican or homemade!

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
*happy endings. i *never* do scary movies!

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
*"madea goes to jail" . . . it was sheer torture.

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
*pink

HUGS OR KISSES?
*kisses . . . i do not like hugs . . . too much in my personal space!

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
*oh so many! but i need to finish at least one soon.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
*nothing. i think the one at home is just black. the one here at the hotel says "chase suites hotel el paso airport."

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
*"survivor," "the first 48," and "snapped!"

FAVORITE SOUND(S)?
*the sound of silence. haha . . . only kidding. music, for sure!

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
*eh, doesn't matter.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
*no clue. either california or north carolina . . . which is further?

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
*not that i can think of.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
*dothan, alabama

HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
*uh, i have neither. i am single and somewhat happy about it!

welcome to *hell* paso!

so far, the only good thing i've discovered about this place is the weather. it's 80-something degrees and there is absolutely *no humidity.* i could really learn to appreciate that. i am in shorts and flip flops today. i need my action packer to hurry up and get here, though . . . i packed my other three pair of shorts in it cuz *i didn't realize how warm it would be!*

otherwise, there is nothing really great about this place. i will try to get out and about to take some pictures of the ugly brown mountains, but we'll see if i decide to even waste the time! at least the hotel rooms aren't so bad! and since i have no other pictures to post of anything, here is the hotel room!

oh yeah . . . more pictures of jared and alexis

i went over to scott's and val's house on monday to see their little kiddos together. unfortunately, jared had just gotten up from his nap -- which apparently was very short -- and would have none of it. he stayed clung to scott the entire time we were there, so there were *no cute pics of him kissing alexis* or holding her or anything like that that i had envisioned taking on the way over. however, because i am the proud, doting [and might i add *favorite*] aunt, here are some more pics of them. enjoy!

maxwell beck pritchard

i received a text message last night that my second oldest brother, todd, and his wife, sunde, added *maxwell beck* to their growing brood. little max -- who his two sisters brynn and cam refer to as "smally smalls" -- was born four weeks early. sunde just texted me, however, and said that they have moved him from the NICU into the regular nursery and that if things continue going well, they will get to take him home tomorrow! he was just over six pounds by two ounces and we think todd said he was nineteen inches. either way, he's precious! so far, we've only received two pictures of him, but todd and sunde *promised* to send out more! i love the second pic cuz he looks so mad! but take a gander and check out my 27th niece / nephew, maxwell beck pritchard!

"it's not a too-muh . . . "

no . . . it's a *cavity.*

i went to the dentist today for my teeth cleaning / x-ray appointment cuz i'm leaving for two months and well, that appointment was way overdue! so i get there and notice that they have this new hi-tech patient self-check in system that does everything for you online so you don't have to fill out tons and tons of paperwork. so i do that and i wait for emily, the newest dental hygenist at the office, to call my name.

i go back there and we make idle chit-chat about whatever there is to talk about: me leaving for el paso, her obsession with this season's "the bachelor" -- which, i might add, i got the blow-by-blow replay of -- and why breaking up on national television must suck, ski resorts in utah versus new mexico, etc. she was nice enough. and i can say i really liked her. until she said those horrible, awful, blasphemous words:

*looks like you have a cavity*

the words didn't quite register when she said that, cuz, well frankly, i've never had a cavity before. and if there is anything i'm more than slightly OCD about, it's my teeth. seriously. i must brush them 5-10 times a day, and only that little cuz my dentist once told me brushing them 30 times a day was actually bad for me. and so i sat there. and then the letters all came together in my head and formed that horrid word: cavity.

"look again," i tell her. "you must be mistaken."

"well it's no big deal," she says. "people typically get one to two cavities in their lifetime." her reassuringly sweet voice did not reassure me.

"you don't understand," i stammer, holding back the tears that have now formed in my eyes [and no, i'm not exaggerating]. "i don't get cavities."

she continues cleaning what she calls my "beautiful teeth" and says that she'll pass the word along to the dentist and he can check it out before she signs off on me having one. when she's done with the cleaning and x-rays, she moves me to another examination room and i wait. the dentist comes in and asks me if i have any questions or concerns.

"uh, yeah . . . that cavity emily says i might have."

totally unaware, he says, "oh, well let's have a look. you've never had a cavity before."

and so he sits in his adjustable chair and shines that annoying light into my mouth and begins scraping away with his little hooky-deal thing.

"yep . . . looks to be something there."

and immediately my eyes well up with tears and one falls down my cheek. i was not prepared for a cavity. you could've told me i had breast cancer and i would've handled it better than a cavity.

"let's take a look at the x-rays and i can tell you better about it."

so he positions my chair upright and moves the computer screen so that i can see what he sees. and he tells me where each molar and cuspid is on the screen, points out what's enamel, what's soft tissue, what's nerve endings. and then he points to the blasted cavity.

"see that dark spot there?"

and i nod in horror at the spot on my molar that is slightly darker than the rest of the tooth.

"that there is your cavity," he says, pointing his little hooky-deal at the screen. "It's just a tiny one. and don't worry. as we get older" -- ERRRRT! hold on, sir . . . he actually used the words "older" and by the way, i am not even 30 yet, thank you very much! -- "our teeth mature like we do and age. this cavity is in one of those deep pits and grooves that no one can do anything about. no toothbrush bristle can get that deep in there and sometimes, that results in tooth decay."

he sees my tears and tells me it's no big deal. he can do some filling thing when i get back in two whole months from el paso and everything will be normal again.

but i realize just then, that things are not normal. i have a cavity. which i have never had in my life.

and you know? i don't care what that dentist says. when i brushed my teeth 30 times a day, i never had one.

*i'm going back to that routine.*

i hate the IRS

so it's official . . . the IRS sucks. *i've never owed in taxes before,* so quite honestly, i never had issue with them. but this year, i owe. and it's not just a couple hundred bucks. more like *a couple thousand.* i wanted to cry. but at least i filed already and can start paying them off.

remind me not to take unemployment or 1099s ever again.

introducing . . . *Alexis Hope Pritchard*

so yesterday morning, at 838am, my newest niece was born. valerie and scott headed up to the hospital at around 2am and six and a half hours later, alexis hope pritchard, was born. i can't remember all the stats, but i think she was about 7 1/2 pounds, 21 inches long. either way, i am *totally* in love with her at the moment! i took a TON of pics, but i uploaded all of those onto my facebook page. and since i'm blogging about this at work, i can't add all those pics here because the army has some retarded policy about USB thumbdrives or something. so here are the pics i had on my phone . . . sorry if they're blurry. [check out my facebook page if you want to see more!]