Easter
Topic: Holidays

This is too bizarre not to mention. On one of the music video channels here, they just had a mash of TLC's "Scrubs" and a Cure song (don't remember the name of it and they didn't say - it was a really old one that featured the flute). Never thought I'd hear that combination!

Anyway...

Today I didn't leave the house at all, AND I didn't speak to another adult. At all. Weird. Neither of those things is usual for me!

So Saturday morning the army sponsored a, "breakfast with the Easter bunny," from 8:30am to 10:30am. After that, was a base sponsored "Easter egg hunt." Ryan and I got there at around 9am. There was a buffet of eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. There was also fruit, coffee, and punch.

In addition to breakfast, there was face painting (didn't even try that with Ryan), a free raffle (we didn't win anything but hey, it was free!), and pictures with the Easter bunny. Ryan took one look at the Easter bunny and that let me know there would be no picture with the Easter bunny for us! :) I don't blame Ryan. I thought the costume was kind of scary. The expression on the bunny's face was that of somebunny who just smelled something awful.

It didn't take us long to eat. (Ryan didn't eat much, anyway.) So I was sitting there at about 9:30am wondering how I was going to keep Ryan happy for an hour until the Easter egg hunt. The breakfast was inside a pavilion, so I could pretty much let Ryan run around, like most of the rest of the kids there were doing at that point. Unfortunately, the cold I have right now was kicking my butt that morning, and Ryan was stressing me out a bit. He kept making a run for the door. I could have just played goalie I suppose, but I didn't want him running into other people's pictures with the Easter bunny, and I wanted to at least try to keep him out of trouble.

Finally around 10:15am I took Ryan outside. It was a really nice day. The "egg hunt" was originally scheduled to be in the gym, but it had been moved outside because of the great weather. The reason I say, "egg hunt," was because it really wasn't, as such. The eggs were spread out on an open lawn, with three areas divided by age group. There was a table set up where you registered by age group, and got handed a card with a sticker on it. The object of the "hunt," was to find the egg with the matching sticker. Then at the end of the field was a table with goodie bags. This seemed like of a bit of a pain, and not even a real egg hunt, but I figured the goodie bag was free, so I wasn't going to complain. I think for older kids it might be a bit more fun, but for those of us with kiddos too little to really explain it to, it was more work than anything.

It was 10:25am and Ryan was rarin' to go. I was having a really hard time hanging onto him. Right then someone made the announcement that since the venue for the hunt had been moved, they were going to wait until 11am to make sure everyone got there. I said to myself, "F this!" and out loud, "This is ridiculous!" Natasha was standing next to me and said, "Give me your card." I gave her my hearty thanks and set off for the commissary for cold medication!

Going home seemed like the right thing to do. It was still nice out, so I eventually went to Starbucks. Later on Natasha called. I felt bad because she found her daughter's sticker right away, but finding Ryan's was a pain! She asked what I was doing for Easter dinner, but I already had plans. I thought that was very kind of her to invite me though. On top of that, the next morning she instant messaged me, and said if I needed a break from Ryan for a bit, she'd watch him. Luckily I didn't need to take her up on it, but it really felt good knowing I had that option!

That is the truly great thing about the military overseas: we take care of each other. I feel so blessed and so lucky to be surrounded by such good friends. That sense of community and camaraderie is something I will truly miss once back in the States.

I made pancakes for me and Ryan for our Easter breakfast. Later on I took Ryan to the Stray since it was nice out (the wind was a bit chilly, but otherwise it was sunny). Unfortunately there were soccer games going on. There was plenty of open range for Ryan to run around on, however he kept running either towards the games, or towards traffic. While I felt better Sunday than I did Saturday, I was most certainly NOT up to chasing Ryan around. We both got frustrated. I'm sure Ryan didn't appreciate me yelling at him, and I just wished he would not run exactly where I didn't want him to.

In the evening we went over to Carissa and Tom's for dinner. That was really nice. We had grilled steak and veggie kabobs. Yum! I brought German wine and strawberry shortcake for dessert. (It just dawned on me it's a minor goal of mine to spread appreciation for German wine!) It was great to be with friends on Easter.

My cold seems to have moved into my chest. I just went through this a few weeks ago! What the heck???

(Wow, who knew "Love Shack" and "Toxic" would sound good together?)

Tomorrow Michelle is hosting a Pampered Chef party. I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Twisted Easter
Topic: Holidays

(This is really twisted, but it made me laugh!)

Happy Easter!!! :D

St. Patrick's Day
Topic: Holidays

Today Ryan is officially two and a half!

I really, really wanted to be writing this from my kitchen. (That's the only place (besides our bathroom) that gets direct sunlight in the afternoon.) I took my laptop and sat on the kitchen floor. Unfortunately, that's just not very comfortable. *sigh* Wish (for probably the 1000th time) our living room got sun! Oh well.

As I think I may have mentioned, Ryan's been having napping issues (as in, not wanting to, but desperately needing to). Thursday he didn't nap (ugh), but Friday he took a mondo nap. Woo hoo! This worked out well, since I was baby sitting for some friends, and it wound up being a late night for me and Ryan.

Yesterday, Natasha invited me and Ryan to go with her and her family down to a market in Leeds. I drove to their house, then followed them out. On the way, they needed to pick up their computer from a place that had been working on it. The business was located seemingly out in BFE (or, "the back of beyond," as Natasha calls it). The business complex is (I think) called Haggs Road Farm. It's a series of stone cottages that looks more like a Scottish farm, than business suites! That is one of the things I absolutely love about being over here. You see things like that that you would never come across in the States (or at least not any I've been to).

From there we made our way to the market. We parked in a multi-level "car park." I'd forgotten how parking can be a big pain when you're driving a left hand drive car, and are the only adult passenger. The ticket machine is, of course, on the right side, so this pretty much involves getting out of the car, getting the ticket, then hurrying back into the car, rushing like a Chinese fire drill, trying to get in and get the car through before the arm comes back down on you! (Natasha was thinking there must be some sort of sensor that would keep the arm from crashing down on the car. I certainly hope so, but I'm not taking any chances!) I was so very grateful when I saw Natasha get out of her car, and take the ticket for me! (She also put the ticket back in when we left.)

The market was pretty big. There was an indoor section and an outdoor section. We were lucky with the weather. It had started off rainy, but cleared off. We decided to walk around the outside portion first, in case the rain came back.

The market was pretty much like others I've seen over here. There are all sorts of things, from clothing to electronics. Around the perimeter were fresh fruit stands. In one corner was a merry-go-round (70 pence a ride, thank you). This is Savannah's favorite. She got right on and was ready to go. Ryan seemed somewhat interested. The merry-go-round was small and somewhat shabby. It looked thrown together from spare parts from various other kiddie rides. (It wasn't even motorized.) There were cars and boats and even a double decker bus for the kiddos to ride in. Ryan wound up with a boat. He didn't want to stay in it, though. I went ahead and rode with him, making sure he didn't try to get out and off. I'm sure that was a sight!

We went to the indoor portion of the market. The vendors there seemed a bit more permanent than the outdoor ones. It was like a big flea market. We also walked around the pedestrian area nearby. (That wonderful institution that seems the same all over Europe.)

We got some lunch at a food court in a nearby mall.

We went back and picked up some fresh fruit. Savannah wanted one more ride on the merry-go-round. I suspected that it wasn't the ride itself Ryan wasn't thrilled about, but rather the choice of vehicles. This time he got a car! (See photo at right.) This time he was happy as a clam, and rode solo on a ride for the first time ever!

Unfortunately, he did not want to get off the ride. Much crying and screaming, and kicking and flailing of limbs ensued. I think it was worse because it was about nap time. Ryan did fall asleep in the car, thank goodness!

It was fun to check out the market (I had some of the fruit for an afternoon snack, and made a smoothie for Ryan), and of course to hang out with Natasha and her family.

Later on in the evening, I dropped Ryan off at my friend Aimee's house (Aimee very kindly came over Thursday night so I could go run with the Harriers). I celebrated St. Patrick's day by attending a ceilidh. This was only the second one I'd ever been to. This one was in support of the Harrogate Theater. Dancing, and supporting the arts - what more could a person ask for? :) The venue this time was bigger and nicer - the Cairn Hotel in Harrogate. I only really knew three people there, all from the Harrogate Harriers. Apparently it's best to come to these things with a partner, since all the dances need even numbers of people. Fortunately, one of the people I knew had come alone, and volunteered to be my partner.

I only got to do about three or four dances, but they were so much fun! I love the Celtic music, and the fun steps. The last dance I did was a huge circle dance, where the inside and outside circles rotate partners. It starts off at a moderate pace, then gradually gets ridiculously fast! By the end, everyone was smiling and laughing. It was great!

I went to go get Ryan, who was still awake! He fell asleep in the car on the way home, though. The weather was awful, windy and rainy.

Speaking of weather... today's has been really wacky. It's snowed and/or hailed about half a dozen times, with sun in between, and wind all throughout. At one point there was sun AND snow at the same time, very pretty!

I haven't been out all day, because even when the sun's out, the wind is howling, and it's still very cold. When it's snowing or hailing, it's blowing horizontally, and is practically a blizzard. The precipitation moves in quickly, so it's hard to guage how much sun there'll be. All in all, not worth going out in, either walking or driving.

I've signed up for a St. Patrick's race out at Menwith Hill that takes place tomorrow. I've only run a few times in the last few weeks, and mostly without Ryan! I'm definitely not going to be setting any personal records. It should be fun though. I always get lots of fun comments when I run a race with Ryan.

Hope everyone had a good St. Patrick's Day (and great weekend)!

World Book Day
Topic: Holidays

Apparently today is World Book Day. http://www.worldbookday.com/about/ "World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. The origins of the day we now celebrate in the UK and Ireland come from Catalonia, where roses and books were given as gifts to loved ones on St. George’s Day – a tradition started over 80 years ago." (Taken from the site I linked to above.)

In honor of World Book Day, I will rectify what I realized a long time ago was a curious oversight on an entry I wrote about books. (The entry was on or about Aug. 24 of last year and is also on my myspace blog.) I left out one of my most favorite books of all time: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I first came across this book during the summer of 2000. Larry was at AIT at Goodfellow AFB in Texas, and I was at my parents' house in Palmdale. My Mom suggested the book to me. I opened it up and quickly fell completely in. The story is about a WWII combat nurse, Claire. She is on a second honeymoon in Scotland, when she touches a stone circle and is thrown back in time to 1743. There she is embroiled in politics and intrigue, and winds up falling in love in spite of herself. This book is incredibly well written, and is the sort of book that's impossible to put down. I've come back to this book, again and again. I've bought this book several times over, because when I loan a copy out, I can't stand to be without a copy of my own! The storytelling, the characters, the setting - everything about this book is enthralling. By the end, you feel as though the characters are real, and as though you've been through everything they have. Outlander has everything: history, action, intrigue, romance. I highly recommend it. I do have one word of warning: There are (so far) six books in the series (although Outlander can stand on its own nicely). After the fourth book, I'm afraid I was only reading because I loved the characters so much. I didn't like the 5th and 6th books. However, the first, Outlander, is amazing and definitely worth the read.

On the topic of holidays, I meant to write about Pancake Night, aka, Shrove Tuesday (which was not this last Tuesday, but the Tuesday before). I always thought of this as a Catholic holiday. Apparently in the UK, it's a national holiday that everyone can observe. Apparently it's the tradition to have pancakes for dinner, because all the fats in the house were supposed to be used up in preparation for Lent. Even if you don't observe Lent, the pancake part of the tradition lives on. I ran with the Harrogate Harriers that night, and one of the girls in the group asked me if I was going to have pancakes for dinner. (Which I didn't, by the way.) It was also a topic of discussion on the local radio.

Today also happens to be St. David's day, which I know nothing about, except that it seems to be a Welsh holiday.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Topic: Holidays

Myspace Layouts
Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you to everyone who's sent me Valentine's Day wishes! I hope you all are having a wonderful day, and are touched by love today, and every day!

Holiday?
Topic: Holidays
I just wanted to share with everyone that yesterday, the people out at Menwith Hill (at least those in the Army) didn't have to be in to work until noon, because of the Super Bowl! (What really amazed me, was in Germany, they got the whole day off!) I think that's pretty funny. (The Super Bowl started over here at around midnight.)

Happy New Year!!!
Topic: Holidays

Happy New Year Comment Graphics

Christmas Eve Lights
Topic: Holidays

(Taken tonight while out looking at Christmas lights.)

Merry Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving
Topic: Holidays

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I began my celebration by running the Menwith Hill Turkey Trot on Wednesday. That was a lot of fun! I ran the course while pushing Ryan in the jogging stroller. We did really well. I placed 73rd out of about 220 people, and ran the 2.8 mile course in about 27 minutes. This was a two minute, and 30 place improvement over my finish last year. I have to admit, it was fun passing people. Every time I did, I would hear, "I'm getting passed by a woman pushing a baby!!!" :) Right before the finish, I was catching up to the guy in front of me. His friend yelled, "The stroller is coming up on you!" and the guy sped up! I looked at the friend and said, "Thanks!" It made me laugh though, to be that guy's inspiration for running faster at the finish! :P

For me, the race was also so much more enjoyable this year because now I know people and have friends. Last year I was still pretty new to the area, and only had a few acquaintances. The race course took one turn through the housing area before finishing. It felt good to have friends to wave to as we went by.

On Thanksgiving Day, Ryan and I went to Sarah's house for dinner. It was really nice. Carissa and Tom and their boys were there, too. Sarah made the turkey and several wonderful sides. Carissa and I both made and brought yummy things as well. I was so happy to have good friends to spend Thanksgiving with. It was a very enjoyable evening.

When Ryan and I got home, I put Ryan to bed and spent the next couple of hours on the phone with family. I do feel a bit bad for Larry this year. He had to spend the day alone and had pizza for dinner! We did talk on the phone for quite a while though, and the Dolphins won, so that was some consolation. :D

Thanksgiving
Topic: Holidays

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