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  • The Holts
    • Brett Holt[singlepic id=1100 w=320 h=240 float=right] I was born in San Jose, California on August 17, 1974. I am thrilled to have been born in the seventies so that I didn’t miss the eighties. As I grow older, I am discovering how many people missed the wonderful opportunities of the eighties. To name a few, there was the introduction of the miniature G.I. Joe action figures, Atari, A-Team, The Muppet Movie(1979, close enough), V, Transformers, Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Bon Jovi, Dukes of Hazzard, Wrestlemania 1, Poison, The Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, and Goonies. There is something about my childhood and having all of those things a part of it that I truly love. I was born and raised in the metropolitan city of San Jose, CA. It was a lot smaller than it is now. I believe the population is 900,000 and growing. I have two brothers, Mike and Mark, who are both older, and a set of parents who are divorced. Mom is in San Jose and Dad is in Oklahoma. For the most part I had a typical childhood. I spent most of my waking moments outside. My friends and I would play war games, football, baseball, wrestling, spotlight…
    • Laura[singlepic id=1098 w=320 h=240 float=right] Born: Portland, Oregon 1979 Raised: Newberg, Oregon ~ “A Great Place to Grow.” As I experience life, mostly people, but also events, objects and locations, emboss onto me, creating an ever-changing reality. Looking back on my childhood, I smile with love. My brother, two sisters and I were great entertainment for each other while growing up. Between my oldest sister and youngest sister there is only a six-year time span. My parents did us all a great benefit in teaching us the value of family. Even with Brett and me moving across the world I feel close to my siblings. Childhood Interests: Gymnastics for 10 years, tried volleyball, basketball, running, riding bikes, church youth groups, spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, singing and swinging at the same time in the backyard, listen to music, and eating sweets. Favorite Vacation: Many family vacations were spent along the Oregon Coast where both sets of grandparents live. To this day, I strongly believe the Oregon coastline is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. There is something so peaceful and powerful about listening to the crashing waves and being the only one within eyesight on the beach.…
    • Ethan[singlepic id=2994 w=320 h=240 float=left] Ethan William is our oldest child who was born in the summer of 2007. He’s a terrific kid with a heart of gold. He loves being outside, playing with trucks, swinging, constructing new buildings his Legos, watching Blue’s Clues or Bob the Builder, and books, books, books. He truly loves being read to any time of day. Some of his favorite books include whatever he gets from the library and whatever book he owns. While he isn’t picky about his books, he does enjoy Richard Scarry and any construction vehicle books. He loves playing in his playhouse and helping dad with wood projects. He’s quick to grab a tool and ask “Can I help daddy?”. Before you can say yes, he’s already down there evaluating, checking things out, and screwing/hammering the wood. [singlepic id=1092 w=320 h=240 float=left] Favorite Ethan Quotes Winnie the Pooh “Mommy, I want to go to England.” “Why do you want to go to England Ethan?” “Because that’s where the 100 acre wood is, and I want to catch a Hefalump!” Friends When all the kids and parents left his birthday party, Laura asked what was his favorite part of his birthday.…
    • Autumn[singlepic id=3000 w=320 h=240 float=center] Autumn was born in the spring of 2010 as the sun crested over the majestic Cascade Mountains. She loves watching her brother to see what kind of antics he’s up to, snuggling up to mom to find comfort and a gentle shoulder to sleep on, and laughing at dad’s silly noises. She is sleeping in her own room, wakes up a couple times a night, eats like it’s her last meal, enjoys lying on the ground and gazing up at the trees, being carried around looking forward, and snuggling her face in her blankets. Life is wonderful with Autumn Jane. [singlepic id=1081 w=320 h=240 float=center] [singlepic id=1079 w=320 h=240 float=center] [singlepic id=3260 w=320 h=240 float=center]
    • Skylee[singlepic id=2256 w=320 h=240 float=center] Arf! My name is Skylee and I have a ton of enerrrrrrrrrgy!!! Oh man, from the time I wake up until Brett or Laura go to sleep I just love to play, play, play, play. I was born in February 2003 so I am still a young girl. I don’t really know what kind of dog I am though some people think I am a mix between a collie and a terrier of some sort. Whatever. I just want to catch a ball. Come on..come on…throw it, throw it, throw it…..ok…..how about now? I spend my days beating up on my older brother Duff because he never fights back. The few times he does fight back I get my rear whoooped. That’s ok because he so much fun to play with. My all time, super dooper, el numero uno most favorite thing to do in the whole wide world is catch. I don’t care what you throw, just throw it and I’ll catch it. I am fast like lightening and love to run after flying objects. I can jump in the air and catch balls, frisbees, and toys and even bring them back to you.…
    • Duff (RIP)[singlepic id=2256 w=320 h=240 float=center] Duff passed away in July 2009. He was a little over 9 years old. This page has not been updated since he passed away. Woof! Woof! My name is Duff and I am a black lab. I have been hanging out with Brett and Laura since September 2001, though I was born in May 2000. I spent my first year living on a ranch in northern Oregon. I had a really abusive owner but his daughter was nice. She brought me to Burns where a firefigher adopted me. Him and his wife couldn’t keep me because of something called a “No Pets Allowed” policy at their home. I don’t really understand these things. But, Brett came to our home one day and I went home with him. I have been with him and Laura ever since…well most of the time. [singlepic id=1239 w=320 h=240 float=right] I spend my time sleeping and eating though when I get really excited, my butt shakes all over the place. I really enjoy car rides especially long road trips to Oregon and Montana. I have visited Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Nevada, and California. My sister Skylee has only been to…
  • Family Blog
    • Outdoor Adventures
    • Story Behind the PictureThese are the stories behind some of our more interesting experiences in life, captured on film.
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    • 2012 Road Trip: California
      • Journals
    • 2011 Road Trip: Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons  2200+ miles. Two weeks on the road. Three National Parks. 1 National Monument. 1 State Park. 3 Hotels. 5 States. 9 Camping Days. Tons of memories.   Road Trip Map View 2011 Summer Road Trip in a larger map   Road Trip Journals [blog count=”10″ cat=”885″ width=”630″]
      • Journals
  • Seattle Living
  • Peace Corps
    • The Armenian JournalsThe Peace Corps Journal Archives Welcome to the journals section. This is our collection of emails that we sent to family and friends on our email list while serving in the Peace Corps. All text remains the same. We have added photos to help provide a visual as to what or where we are discussing. We will continue to add more as we have time. This collection helped us view our progress in acclimating to a new culture, learning a new language, and becoming comfortable with being out of our comfort zone. We hope you enjoy reading them. You will notice that as time progresses, we get a little more creative with the emails, especially in Volume II. You can select a journal to read from the menu on the right.
  • Experiences
    • 2011 Summer Road TripTwo weeks on the road. Three National Parks. 1 National Monument. 1 State Park. 3 Hotels. 5 States. 9 Camping Days. Tons of memories. Road Trip Journals [blog count=”10″ cat=”885″ width=”630″]
    • Our Wedding Day[singlepic id=471 w=320 h=240 float=right]On a blistering, cold day in November 2003, we were married in Wilsonville, Oregon. The temperatures remained cool, the rain drizzled, and snow found it’s way a couple times as we exchanged wedding vows in front of our many family members and friends. To be continued as we find time to reflect on this day…
    • Boy Kicks Girl[singlepic id=1102 w=320 h=240 float=right]It’s no secret that Brett is a drummer. It’s a hard known fact that he tore it up every Sunday morning in the First Baptist Church Youth Music Band, while finishing off a chocolate glazed donut. But….what may not be as well known is his drumming days in the punk band Boy Kicks Girl. No, no. It’s true. He was punk rocker with the occasional hair color change, no tattoos or drug-use, and a mouth full of Whatchamacallit candy bars. From 1996 to 2000, Boy Kicks Girl steered away from the safety of the mainstream sound. With zero record label support, this San Jose trio played hundreds of shows throughout the United States, released two albums and developed a large following of loyal diehard fans. In only four short years, Boy Kicks Girl managed to support such major label talent as Blink 182, Tsunami Bomb, The Ataris, New Found Glory and Dropkick Murphys among others. In 1997, Boy Kicks Girl self-released their debut album …or something like that. The album quickly earned them local recognition, and set the bar high for their follow up album. In 1998 they released Public Display of Aggression and demonstrated their ability to surpass all expectations with…
    • Peace Corps[singlepic id=1425 w=320 h=240 float=right]We served with Peace Corps Armenia from June 3, 2004 through September 29, 2005. It was a wonderful, enlightening, and fulfilling experience that we will never forget, and will measure all future endeavors against. Though our time was cut short due to a medical injury, we are still working to help the people of Armenia. This section of the website focuses on our experience in Armenia. We want to educate you about our experience, the country of Armenia and Peace Corps. We have encountered many people in the United States who are not aware of the Peace Corps or think that it no longer exists. We are well aware that the Peace Corps is still serving the needs of developing countries in the world. We left on June 3, 2004 and flew from San Jose, CA to Philadelphia, PA where we met the rest of our group. Our group was called A-12 because we were the twelfth group from Peace Corps to go to Armenia. There were originally 52 volunteers in the group. While in Philadelphia we went through some pre-training and got to know the other volunteers. On June 7 we flew from New York…
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Brett and Laura hiking in the mountains in Alaverdi, Armenia

Story Behind The Picture #2: Sarahart, Armenia

Posted by By Brett Holt September 9, 2010Posted inInternational, Peace Corps, Story Behind the Picture1 Comment
September 2004 (Sarahart, Armenia): This is one of our favorite photos from our time in the Peace Corps. The location is high up in the mountains above Sarahart (Alaverdi), located in…
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Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Celebrate Vardavar

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Celebrate Vardavar

Posted by By Brett Holt August 15, 2010Posted inInternational, Peace Corps, Seattle Living2 Comments
Last weekend, we hosted a Vardavar celebration at our home with fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who served in Armenia. Our gathering included Laura and myself along with our future…
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Again, Dick is right!

Posted by By Brett Holt February 12, 2008Posted inInternational, Politics
My favorite line: "The bottom line question for me was: How many additional American lives is Saddam Hussein worth? The answer: not very damn many."
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Ethan, Into the Wild, Juno, Armenia, and PMF

Posted by By Brett Holt February 1, 2008Posted inFamily, International, Media
This past week has found my MP3 player continuously playing the soundtracks to the movies Juno and Into The Wild. I have seen the movie Juno, but only read the…
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Increase Peace Corps and International Volunteers!

Posted by By Brett Holt December 8, 2007Posted inBrett's Corner, International, Peace Corps
Lately, I've been reading articles and policy briefs arguing the need to increase the number of American volunteers abroad. The argument is basically that volunteers serve a more important role…
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