Carolyn and Brian

Overdue Update

Carolyn and Brian — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:45:15 +0000

On November 9th Brian and I went to wish our friends Chris and Megan () goodbye as they are both now living in Kelowna.

Megan is going to school at UBC-Okanagan, and Chris moved out there to be closer to his wife-to-be. Hope to see them over the holidays.

On December1st we celebrated our friend Kate’s birthday with dinner at the Mongolie Grill and then drinks at O’byrnes Irish Pub.

And last but not least, in exactly one week we are getting our little chocolate lab pup! Here are some recent pictures of the little ones.

We haven’t decided on a name for him yet. The only name we can even remotely agree on is “Micah”, but I’m not overly thrilled with it. I suppose it will grow on me eventually!

Christmas Letter

Carolyn and Brian — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:39:41 +0000

I have been busy over the last couple of days trying to get all of our Christmas cards ready to be sent out… and I only have about 8 sealed and ready to go! I printed off a bunch of pictures from the wedding of people who attended and am including them in some of the cards so those ones need a little more attention. We have all of our decorations up around the house, including a tree, and are ready to celebrate! Here is the letter I included in our cards:

Seasons Greetings!

We’d like to start by wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2008. We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season, filled with happiness, laughter and fun with your family and friends!

2007 was particularly busy with all of the wedding preparations, but an altogether unforgettable year for us both. Certainly the highlight of the year was our marriage on May 5^th, 2007. It’s amazing how quickly the time passes by; it has already been more that half a year since our wedding and is less than 9 months until Carolyn’s sister Jenny’s big day. Our year has been filled with incredible blessings and joy; we have never been happier.

Throughout the course of the year Brian has experienced many changes and opportunities for growth in his career. He started the year off continuing to work as a Web Designer at an IT company. Shortly before our wedding he accepted a position at a marketing company where he worked for the better half of the year. Just recently he launched his own company, Holds’worth Design, and is now working full time from our home office.

Carolyn kept busy most of the year continuing her position in the accounting department of an engineering company here in Edmonton. Recently she resigned from her position to help Brian with the company, as well as manage and maintain all other aspects of our lives. With both of us working from home it has opened up a lot of time for us to participate in more evening and weekend activities which has truly been a blessing.

We are expecting an addition to our little family over the holidays. At the end of December we will be welcoming the newest member of our small family, a chocolate lab puppy! (I know you were thinking baby, but do the math, that just doesn’t add up!) We are both really looking forward to filling this house with the love, laughter and commotion that having a dog brings.

Overall we are doing very well, but certainly we’ve had a lot of ups and downs too. Shortly after achieving our first pregnancy in August, we went on to have an early miscarriage in late September. Despite being at peace with the knowledge that this is all a part of God’s greater plan, we will always have a tender spot in our hearts for our first unborn child. We have every intention of conceiving again as soon as possible and are very hopeful for a successful second pregnancy. Please keep our little family in your thoughts and prayers as we patiently wait for God’s creative powers to touch our lives again!

We wish you all a very joyous Christmas season and all the best for the New Year.

With love,

Carolyn and Brian Holdsworth

Social Calendar

Carolyn and Brian — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:40:15 +0000

It has been almost two weeks since Brian has started working from home and all I can say is ‘so far so good’! It has opened up a lot of time for us to participate in more activities in the evenings and on the weekends which has been really nice and a welcome change for us both.

On Monday we went over to Betty and Paul’s (Brian’s Mom and Step Dad’s) house for dinner. They are both visibly happy to be welcoming 2 more grandchildren into the family next year. Paul’s daughter-in-law Christy is expecting her first little one on St. Patrick’s Day 2008 and his daughter Jill is now 3 months pregnant wither her second (after a very long and painful journey of 4 miscarriages and one stillbirth). Our good friends Nick and Sarah just recently discovered they are pregnant as well and are now almost 8 weeks along, we are very happy and excited for all of these growing families!

^ Nick and Sarah at our Wedding

Last night Brian and I were invited over for dinner by our friends Vince and Melissa and their adorable 5 1/2 month old daughter Marie-Therese. It was really nice to have the opportunity to sit down together for an evening. Vince and Melissa struggled for years of trying to conceive and also suffered a miscarriage. They gave birth to their daughter through the Shared Care Maternity Program (which I mentioned in previous posts) and couldn’t say enough good things about it. I am looking forward to finding out more information and being involved in the program through my next pregnancy.

^ Vince, Melissa and Marie-Therese

Today is Brian’s step brother Quinn’s 17th birthday and we are all going out for dinner at Tony Roma’s to celebrate. Should be a good night!

Needless to say, the ability to leave the house in the evenings without any stress or anxiety has been a true blessing for us both. We have been able to start building and sustaining relationships and involve ourselves in activities that time simply did not permit previously. Tomorrow night we don’t have anything scheduled for the first time since the beginning of the month, so if all goes well Brian won’t work too late and we will have a quiet evening together at home!

How Time Does Fly

Carolyn and Brian — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:57:27 +0000

It’s amazing how quickly the time passes by, it has already been 6 months since our wedding and less than 10 months until my sister Jenny’s big day. Our initial stages of marriage have truly been filled with blessing upon blessing and I think I speak for the both of us when I say it’s the best decision we’ve ever made and have never been happier. I am really starting to get excited about my sister’s upcoming wedding and I hope that she and her fiance Ryan are able to experience the same joy that Brian and I have found in marriage.

On an unrelated note, this Thursday is Brian’s last day at work and as of Friday he will begin working full time from home. Let this be seen in writing: if I ever catch him working in his underwear, photographs will be taken. In all seriousness though, I am so happy for him and so proud of him. I am really excited for this great opportunity and am so looking forward to seeing it all unfold.

Official Business Update

Carolyn and Brian — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:38:47 +0000

The offer from Calder Bateman came through and, for the time being, Brian has made the decision to move forward with some freelance work. He resigned from Backstreet Communicatons last week; at this point his last day is unclear, but I have every intention of celebrating when that time comes! Brian has already started on a number of projects through Holds’worth Design and the prospect of many more to come is very exciting. I am a proud wife indeed!!! Because we’re allowed, let us all stop and stare:

Nacho Libre Video Party and Axis Cafe

Carolyn and Brian — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:46:17 +0000

Two weeks ago Brian and I went a “Nacho Libre Video Party”. Our friends Kate and Jesse held a party to share, in what they would say, is the hilarity of this classic film and it’s millions of catch phrases. In honor of their beloved Nacho, a contest was held requiring the participation of all. The ladies contribution included a $5 donation to create the pot whereas the men were responsible for cultivating their best mustache possible. It was an evening to remember full of mustaches, goodies and laughter.

Last week after our Friday night gathering some of us went out to celebrate Jesse’s birthday at Axis Cafe, downtown Edmonton, where his friend Vivek was performing.

My Grandma Kay

Carolyn and Brian — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:39:05 +0000

Over the last few weeks Brian and I have had numerous visits from two young Mormon’s on Mission from Utah; Elder Bytendorp and Elder Gorringe. We’ve come to grow quite fond of these two young men and have enjoyed learning from and sharing with one another. Last week Brian was reading a few select verses from the Bible, which just so happened to be my Grandma’s (my Mom’s Mom) old Bible that was passed down to me. As it turns out, all of the verses that Brian had in mind were already underlined by my Grandma – extra bold in all the places he intended on emphasizing!

Needless to say, Brian was impressed and has developed a love for my Grandma despite never having the opportunity to meet her. By the end of our conversation with the Mormon’s Brian was convinced that there was one more person in that room than we all knew about!

The Gift of Suffering

Carolyn and Brian — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:27:36 +0000

Like clockwork, my temperature has decreased significantly, 13 days post ovulation. My period should be arriving later today or early tomorrow. Despite taking advantage of every possible symptom of fertility I am, once again, left barren. I feel alone and brokenhearted. I feel the deep emptiness of knowing there is no child residing within me. In many ways, trying to conceive has become a grieving process, characterized by sadness, anger, bargaining, and, to varying degrees, acceptance. I had no idea fertility could be this fragile.

I have felt a wide range of emotions through my grief: shock and disbelief, feeling overwhelmed and numb, deep sadness, guilt towards myself, blame towards God and others, anger, and relief. My feelings come in waves, like the ride of a roller coaster, and my emotions are constantly competing. I have joy, yet I feel sad; peace, yet I feel unrest and fear; faith, yet I have questions and doubts. I have gifts, yet I feel loss; hope, yet I feel empty and depressed. This path of grief is one I must travel. I know that to grieve deeply does not mean that I lack faith but rather that I have loved deeply and feel the loss acutely. This work of grief has to be done, in faith, and through it I will grow and heal.

Whenever I think my heart is about to break, I try to look up and remember the hope of heaven. It is a great grace for me to turn my heart back to my Creator and realize He alone is the Author of life. God, in His mercy, has allowed my miscarriage to open my eyes to how privileged I am to carry life at all. Through this suffering I have learned how incredibly precious human life is.

Home Sweet Home

Carolyn and Brian — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:29:00 +0000

The Proposal

Carolyn and Brian — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 17:50:35 +0000

As per Brian:

“Last winter, Archbishop Collins met with Fr. Paul, Lyndsey Ferguson, and I to discuss some ideas that he and I shared at the CS Lewis symposium. After a long passionate discussion in an eccentric coffee shop, the Archbishop asked me to prepare a proposal for my ministry idea so that we could have something ready to launch by September. A week later he was transferred to Toronto and all commitments were put on hold. I also became distracted by my wedding, a new job, and a new house. I’ve since completed the proposal and ask that you read it and pass it on to anyone else that might be interested to read it. I firmly believe that this ministry is desperately needed and I want to see it materialize. If you’re interested in helping make that happen, please pass this proposal around and contact me and let me know what you think.”

We’ve been meeting with a group of young adults in our living room for the past couple of months “with the intention of deliberately facilitating a culture of passion, knowledge and community within the Catholic Church as the central point of interest”. We get together on Friday nights “to worship, discuss, and grow in relationship with one another and to try and discover a deeper meaning for our lives”. Brian wants to give God the opportunity to start something big by simply offering our willingness, and so, that is what we are doing. It is his hope that it can be something fruitful for the Catholic community and that leaders who are passionate for the cause will step up and contribute for meetings on Friday nights and eventually serve a wider audience.