HOLLEE 2.0 The FULL Story

Ok, I, well I suppose we, have finally gotten it together! You have been asking for the full Hollee 2.0 story for a long time! I decided to get Lee to write it for a few reasons:
1.) I love his writing style
2.) It’s funny to read the story from his perspective
3.) You all seem to love anything Lee does so I thought you would enjoy it more coming from him

I had no control over what or how he wrote. He had a few bourbons and went to town.  I am going to chime in here and there to add my two cents because, well, that’s just who I am and it IS my blog after all. My commentary is in pink to make it easy to follow!

ENJOY!

Hollee 2.0
From the top.

It was the year 2007 and I walked into BP’s for some post baseball beers. I was single and 22, what else was there to do on a weekday night? We sit down on the back patio and all of sudden this waitress walks by … and I mean walked by! After minor neck strain, I was in. I neeeeeeded to know who that was.
Luckily my good pal Paul Woldu happen to work there. So I whip out my Motorola Razor and T9 my buddy to give me the deets. “She’s recently single” Paul says … and I immediately start figuring my next move.
“Ok Lee, play it slow”.
“Oh just go over there and ask for her number”
“Nope, you don’t know her, she’ll think it’s creepy”

…. Lies down to go to sleep … “Yep you should of asked her for her number you dumbass”

I feel bad, but I do not remember him coming in at all. But I LOVED working at BP’s. It was so fun. I wore Lulu leggings and crocks. Ya that’s right Crock… I scored Lee in Crocks! All my other friends worked at Earls but it just wasn’t my vibe. Heels with the jewelry colour of the season? No thank you!

Fast forward a few weeks later and Paul and I are heading to Mexico, but departing from Calgary. On our 7 hour trek, I ask him to cold call Holly … not creepy this time because they knew each other. That’s right … a second chance at it thanks to my good pal Paul (who knew second chances would be our thing).

We start chatting away about nothing but we have her on the phone, so already a success. She ends up dropping the “Ya I’m kinda single so I don’t know what I’ll do, it’s kind of a weird situation” … and the door flung WIDE open
“Honestly … just take your time. Don’t rush into anything” I say. But deep down I’m thinking “Just wait like 8 days until I’m back from Mexico, then give it a shot”

Haha, this call I do remember… I hung up the phone and immediately searched him on Facebook. Wow, he was cute and an older man! Look at this small town farm kid in the big city catching this hotties attention, GO ME!

Luckily this was around the time that her birthday was coming up, so I naturally add her to facebook so that I can slide onto that facebook wall and let everyone know that I was wishing her a happy birthday. Or maybe into her DM’s … which back then was something else. I mean let’s be honest, I would have sent a raven with a letter if I had to.

So we get back from Mexico and there it is “It’s Holly Anne Horvath’s Birthday” in my notifications. *Cracks his knuckles, stretches his neck*, time to get to work!
So I decide I go right for it. The inbox. “Happy Birthday Holly. Hope everything worked out for ya last week! Enjoy the day birthday girl! –Lee” (In case she somehow forgot me, or couldn’t click the link to my profile … listen I was covering all angles).
In TYPICAL Holly fashion, she waits nearly 12 hours to respond. I mean at that point it took so long I felt like she was leaving me on read and I was probably contemplating never asking anyone out ever again. But boom, the response was in and what a response it was. She dropped the “Hun” bomb. I mean common … It was basically a wrap at that point.

*Eye roll…I’m pretty sure I called everyone “Hun” back then but I’ll let him think that. And OF COURSE I had to wait 12 hours, I had read that multiple times in my Cosmo magazines!

We chat back and forth over the next few days and we organize a date. Labodega’s … quiet, low key, dim lighting (I still had some acne so that worked in my favor) and great low beats vibe … perfect for an intimate conversation. I mean I was 4 years older than her, so I had to use my wise experience to charm her.
It was a hit! Dropped her off at home and I’m 99% sure she laid one on me. TBD because that may have been the second date.

It was truly the best first date ever. I remember the smallest details even down to what I ordered- Buffalo Spring Rolls, they were so good! The conversation was so easy and flowed and he was even hotter than on Facebook.   Unfortunately, I don’t remember if we kissed that first night, I’m gonna say no, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have laid one on him on our first date, he wished I did!!!

After a few months of “seeing each other” it was official. I’m not sure who it was, but I know one of us introduced each other as they BF or GF and the other didn’t correct, so in 2008, that meant you were official!

I had just ran for business student society president and got it, was working full time and taking 3 classes. Holly was working 2 jobs and full time into her education program of 5 classes, so needless to say we had our plates full (foreshadowing alert). What a year. We honestly clicked. I still remember our first fight because I stopped and said “Ok is this our first fight”, and we laughed it off. But we had all the fun!’

Lee forgot to mention that he broke up with me somewhere in this time.  I was CRUSHED and I think he was too. I’m not sure why he did, I think it was maybe getting too serious for him too quick? I’m really not sure… anyways, it only lasted about a week, thankfully. 

I then took a job in Edmonton. Something that I needed for myself. And Holly was such a trooper. She drove up to Edmonton all the time and even stayed for two summers. One summer she took it all in. Watched The View, made bad ass meals and spent Saturdays watching all the weddings down at the Ledge (yes Edmonton’s ledge. We had an apartment downtown and it was one block away, so each Saturday we would take a stroll down to the Legislative park and watch all the weddings).

I was devastated.  Crushed actually. But I knew he had to go, so I put on my big girl panties and made the best of it.  When I look back, our time in Edmonton brings back the best memories.

Holly also decided that it was a great idea to get a dog. Now before she claims I didn’t want Sunny, the truth was I wanted to wait! But when that girl has her mind set on something, there is no stopping her. The dogs name was Paul (which I wanted to keep as his name because Paul introduced us, but my battle didn’t get to far). We like to call him a rescue because she rescued him from her brother’s drunk friend who bought him on a limb the day before and woke up not realizing what he did. He was 100% not qualified to do his own laundry, let alone take care of a dog. So enter in Holly Rescue Inc. He was ours … and for the low cost $500 (previously purchased for $1800 … the day before). He came with the full kit and caboodle. Kennel, toys, leash, treats … you name it). And holy shit was he cute.

BEST decision of my life. Both my mom and Lee did not think it was a good idea. I am shocked I went against them but seriously thank God I did! 

Time stood still in those days. The summers were amazing. The camping, the football games, hikes, trips home, Marble Slab dates and battles over which Blockbuster movie we were renting and arguing over the late return fees. I was flat ass broke and fighting to make it in a fully commissioned job and barely making it. But she might not have known that. Holly wanted ice cream, we got it. Daily trips to the grocery store to pick up the “most expensive” add on to the meal to make it just right … “you got it babe!”

Reading this actually made me cry. I really did have no idea. He really did a good job of hiding it from me… he did and still does, want the best for me. Wow- I’m crying again. 

They say all good things come to an end. And this, unfortunately rings true. We broke up. She got a job in Raymore and I couldn’t move home just yet. I was still finding out who I was and if this self employed thing was going to work out. You sometimes get so caught up in the “I can be successful if I do ______”, that you loose sight of what is right in front of you. Lesson learned to all the guys out there who have a beautiful girl in their life that they have neglected recently. Careful, because one day it can all disappear so fast. And for what? A commission check? For someone else’s pocket book? To hang with the same buddies that will be there next weekend? I digress …

I remember that night like it was yesterday. Cordial! We both agreed that the long distance was tough, we were struggling to Skype all the time because it was choppy and hard and seeing each other in person once a month just wasn’t enough.

She did come up to “surprise me” one weekend but a friend spilled the beans so I knew. This didn’t make it much of a ‘surprise’ (which Holly didn’t know). She figured I just wasn’t that excited. We had a great weekend, but we still couldn’t land back together. She went home solo with no fight from me. What a mistake. I ended up heading back to Regina a few weeks later to fight for her back, but it was too late. She was gone! Oof, that one hurt! I remember driving by her sisters place one day and thinking that I should just knock on the door. Maybe it’ll be like those movies where each person is in love and they both are on the other side of the door and you are screaming for one person to open it up? Maybe that will be us. But I didn’t do it. I kept driving.

He hit the nail on the head. When I walked in he looked at me and said, “hey… what are you doing here?” It wasn’t in an excited or happy tone. It was just chill. Almost awkward.  I was like, okay…. well it’s clear. He has moved on. He is living his best single life in Edmonton and I really couldn’t blame him.  I was again crushed. I cried and ate junk food all the way home. My plan, you know the one where you break up with someone so they realize what they’re missing and then beg to have you back, you know that one? Well, it backfired.  

Back to regular life I go. But we stayed friends. As much as we could anyways. I was still pretty hurt, Holly was always texting supporting things and checking in, but I had to cut it all off. Couldn’t communicate because it felt like there would always be this hope. Plus she was happy, so it was time for me to move on as well. I did keep an old scrapbook that she made for me on my 26th birthday. But how does someone throw that away? It had pictures of me, all my friends and of course of us. But I did eventually toss those away (Sorry hun, couldn’t be caught with a scrapbook of us stored in the house … but a scrapbook of just me …. totally fine). So I ripped the photos out and just had me.

HARSH! Cuts me out of the family pick… wow. lol, how rude?!

He ripped this one out but saved it… of all the photos I have no idea why he saved this one?! I mean we did have a blast at Craven that year, great mems!

Again, with the ripping out… just so harsh.

Fast forward 9 years. Which you would think was an eternity, but it wasn’t. Your mid 20’s FLIES BY (for all the mid 20’s out there, try to slow it down, cause next thing you know you are 36 and it’s hard to put your sweats on in the morning). I remember sitting at Sky Cafe for brunch (hands down my favourite brunch in Regina btw) and someone mentioning that Holly was single. “Try to keep a straight face, Lee. Everyone is watching you” I thought to myself. I did my best to, then left the brunch and proceeded to call all the homies. “Holy shit boys, Holly is single”
To my luck, I get a call from Holly a few days later. She needs a rental, preferably fully furnished. Because we own a property management company (Regina’s #1 property management company btw … shameless plug), she needed my help. “Well I have my own basement suite coming open in 2 weeks actually, and it’s fully furnished” — “Oh shit was that too quick Lee? Play it slow dummy”. “Yes that will work perfect” she says. Now at this point I was actually renting my home out to a couple that were building a home and I was house sitting for my parents who were in Phoenix for the winter, so it’s not like she was directly beneath me … yet 😉 *LOL, wow. 

As Lee mentioned, we always kept in touch. I never felt awkward calling him. When I would run into him, I would be excited to see him and catch up.  It was always comfortable, easy, and it just felt good to see him. 

If you’re really curious,  you can check our our IG handles  here: (Lee + Holly) to see what we got up to in that 9 year gap!  Travelled, changed jobs, started companies… so which failed + others that succeeded, built and sold homes, got another dog… like Lee said, your twenties FLY by!!!

The previous renters were disgusting …and I had no idea. So I felt terrible putting her down there unless it was spotless. So I was always over in the first week or so cleaning it up, fixing the broken towel rack and toilet paper holder. Touching up paint. Cleaning filters and behind the fridge (gag on that one). But as I was doing this, I was catching all those damn feelings again. And she made it feel like it was there on her end as well. So here I am contemplating all the feels, something I had to work to hard to burry. Even her mom was over helping and we ran into each other all the time. Now if you don’t know, Holly’s mom and I are tight. Like tight tight. And she ALWAYS had my back and was rooting for me. But Holly wasn’t ready for that. Too soon.

Lots of growing happened in that cute little basement suite of Lee’s. It was the first time in nearly 7 years I had lived on my own. This was a picture of me on my 30th birthday. That smile was pretty fake.  I was single, heart broken, and living in my ex boyfriends basement suite. Most of my friends were happily married with kids… that was all I wanted.  Hawaii would solve all the problems… right? 

Holly needed a trip to Hawaii to relax. So off she goes with her sister. She comes home and I had replaced a broken mirror that her grandmother gave her with a note that said “Happy Birthday Holly. I know how important your Grandma was to you, so I hope you can this mirror makes it back into your life” (something like that). What a guy, right?! Well she invites me over for wine and proceeds to tell me she met a guy in Hawaii … on Tinder. “Oh fuck off, really Holly?!” is where my mind goes. Not against Tinder in the least bit (especially with Covid), but I just laid my heart out on a nice red carpet, only for her to bag it and put it in the freezer. But again, I had to respect her decision. It was too soon and she needed some time to spread her single wings. So naturally, like any guy would do, I had to ask her to get out lol. I was moving back upstairs and having her downstairs was not in the cards. Too close. Well 2 days later she found another place. “God damn, that quick?” I said … yep and it was …. And it was all the way …. around the block lol. “Great”, I think. “Now she’s still close but I can’t even check in casually with her. This won’t make me anxious in the least bit”.

Ugh!! I know what you’re thinking, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! HE’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!! And all I have to say is, I DON’T KNOW!!! I really don’t know what I was thinking besides the fact that I didn’t want another serious relationship right away. And I knew how serious Lee was about us having a second chance. I didn’t want to hurt him, I knew I wasn’t ready. 

I move on again! Find someone else. Only to find out that she is single again. But this time, I’m happy. I need to move forward with my life, as she has with her. I need to make sure I fully commit because it wouldn’t be fair. So I do. And she finds someone else again. Both happy!

*Not happy, but trying very hard to be! This is right around the time I am trying to get on the Bachelor lol – my goodness, can you imagine if I had went on that show!?!

But then I’m single and she is on the outs of her relationship as well. We ended up connecting back because of Covid. Her and my sister, Marlo, had bumped into each other and because Marlo was living with me while my parents quarantined, Holly was around. A LOT!
Here we go again, right! I can’t just open back up, so this time I let her make the first move. And to her avail, she did. Footsies under the table while playing card games. But who am I kidding, it was welcomed. Then it moved to us hanging out while Marlo went to bed. Another tequila? Yep! Nothing beats a good old Tuesday 12am tequila during Covid!

Who would have thought it would take a global pandemic to reunite us? But as you can see, nothing about our relationship is traditional so it is kind of fitting!

Then she was house shopping, so it was perfect time for me to bring in my expertise (I mean Leenan Homes does run Regina’s #1 home building company as well … 2nd shameless plug). But more importantly, one on one time. I was good at this stuff and the track record to prove it. She started with a house in a tough neighbourhood. So I said “honestly, Holly, great house, well renovated. BUT I wouldn’t be too comfortable you walking Sunny at night in that neighbourhood by yourself! For all the gentleman out there, that is the “I’m thinking about your safety” line to break the ice. To let her know, that I know, she knows I’m thinking about her.

This was actually super cute, I remember him saying that. I definitely picked up on it and thought it was adorable. The feelings are coming back…

Then she landed on one and put an offer in. Perfect time to celebrate. So I ask her what she is going to do celebrate and to set some time aside to pop some champagne and sip tequila to the investment (yes we had an obsession with tequila in Covid, what else was there to do in lock down V.1). She agrees. So I pop over with both bottles in my hand. But I hit her with the “Well the champagne is for when the deal closes” line. Right off the top of my head and unplanned but GENIUS because it made sure I got another shot for a better celebration ;).

We celebrated that night with take out and tequila … I stayed the night and we haven’t left each others bed since.

And there you have it folks.

Hollee 1.0 and 2.0 in 2600 words!

And like they say the rest is history!  A home renovation, engagement, and baby on the way! We finally landed it, babe! I couldn’t be happier. LOVE YOUUUUU