Spiders and Neck
Topic: This and That

Yesterday wasn't too fun. Since last Friday I've been having a bad muscle spasm in my right shoulder. It was at its worst yesterday. Of course since I had a doctor's appointment this morning, I woke up and it was magically almost back to normal! :) I guess I just needed to scare it into submission!

I forgot to mention that at Sherwood Forest, they had discreet information signs along the various paths through the forest. One stated that there are around 200 various species of spider in the forest, some of which jump. How fun!

Also on the topic of spiders, Larry caught another Enormous Spider on the stairs tonight. (Barry, you'll be happy to know that bug vacuum is getting quite a workout!) I really don't think spiders ought to be that big - unless they live in the rain forest and eat birds.

We were blessed with some really nice weather today. Sun, with a cool breeze. I know the closer it gets to the end of the year, the less likely sun will be, so I am enjoying every bit we get!

Bolton, Etc.
Now Playing: Larry playing Xbox Madden
Topic: Day Trips

Yesterday we wound up going back to Bolton, rather than Hadrian's wall. It was still a really nice day. We went with our friends, Tom and Carissa and their two kiddos. We'd been to Bolton Abbey before, but the whole area is rather large, with different areas you can park at and walk around in. We parked at a couple stops past where we'd visited previously. It was very enjoyable and relaxing to take a long walk with friends.

Afterwards, we had lunch at a pub at Tom's suggestion. It was nice. We had the best service I'd encountered since we've been here! It's so hard for us to go out to eat, since it gets expensive in a hurry (with the horrible exchange rate). It's just awful to realize you've spent almost $18 on a bowl of pasta with chicken. Other than that though, it was good.

Last night I went to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" with my friend Sarah. That was fun! I hadn't seen a movie in a theater since "Star Wars Episode III" over a year ago. That was the first movie I've seen over here. They had - no kidding - thirty minutes of commercials and previews before the movie. I thought that was a bit excessive! I really enjoyed the movie though. Many swashes were buckled! :P

Lately Ryan's been going through a phase where he's picking out mismatched socks. He knows full well how to match things correctly, but for the last couple of days, he's picked out socks of two different colors. Oh well. I figure it's not hurting anything and if it makes him happy, it makes me happy! :)

I met with the Harrogate Harriers again tonight. I had a really great run. I told Larry I feel like Goldilocks: the first time I ran with the Harriers it was too fast, the second time too slow, and this time just right! :P I felt good and was able to stretch it out a bit and push myself. That always feels good. The people are so nice, and this is such a scenic area to run in. The only down side tonight was nettles. The lady I was running with said she thought she'd heard we didn't have them in the States. (I've never seen them in CA, but I'm not sure about the rest of the country.) I told her we have earthquakes, fires, mudslides, and riots. We didn't need nettles. She heartily agreed! :D

Goodbye, Steve
Topic: This and That
By now I'm sure you've all heard about Steve Irwin's death. I was shocked and saddened to hear of his loss yesterday. He was such a force of positivity in the world, full of energy and a love of life. It seems there are far too few people like that in the world, and it's a blow when one of them leaves us. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones. Steve, you will be missed!

Anniversary
Topic: This and That

Happy anniversary Amber and Jeff!!!

Love,

~Holly, Larry, and Ryan

The Weekend
Topic: Day Trips

Yesterday Larry, Ryan, and I went to Sherwood Forest. Yes, THE Sherwood Forest. :) (This photo was taken there. Watch out for two year olds wielding daggers!) It was Larry's idea, and it turned out to be a good one. The forest itself was pretty, and very relaxing to stroll through. There was a restaurant and visitor's center at the front, complete with the requisite gift shop. There were different trails through the forest, which were very stroller friendly. Yay! :) One of the attractions of the forest is the Major Oak, a tree believed to be about 800 years old. It's impressive. There was also a mini-medieval fest going on, with tents, and people demonstrating things like rope making and archery. It was neat.

We got lucky with the weather. We drove through some heavy rain to get there (it's about an hour and a half away from Harrogate), but the rain held off while we were there.

Today was a lazy day, which was nice.

This evening we saw Andre Agassi's final match ever. It was pretty emotional. He's had an amazing run and it's sad to see him retire. He seems to be a true sportsman and an incredible athlete. Tennis won't be the same without him.

Tomorrow we're going to Hadrian's Wall. It's something Larry's wanted to see for a while. It should be interesting.

I realize I am very behind on posting photo albums. I do plan on rectifying this at some point!

Birthday
Topic: This and That

Happy 2nd Birthday Bryce!

Love

~Holly, Ryan, and Larry

Enormous Spider and the Hydro
Topic: This and That

This is just a quick note to say that first, a couple of nights ago, an ENORMOUS freaking spider appeared in the living room. Misty was chasing it, but not doing anything else. Larry sucked it up with our nifty bug vacuum. (I honestly didn't think the spider would fit, but it did.)

Second, the monthly baby sitting co-op meeting was today, at the Hydro. It's always fun to take Ryan to the pool.

Speaking of Ryan, he seems to be back on a better sleep/nap schedule. He was definitely all screwy there for a few days.

I am falling asleep, so I am off to bed!

Comments, Brimham Rocks, Ryan
Topic: This and That

 

First of all, I would like to thank Kate and Paula for the book recommendations! I would also like to thank my Mom, my Aunt, Paula, and Andra for the salsa, tequila, and guacamole! It's funny, here I was being all metaphysical about vegetables, and really I was just craving Mexican food! :)

Monday Ryan and I got to spend the day with Susan and her daughter Hannah. That was really nice. In the late morning, we drove to a shopping area outside of York and checked it out. In the afternoon we went to a place near Menwith Hill called Brimham Rocks. (Larry bought me a new camera that has a nifty "panoramic" option - it stitches three shots together. This photo of Brimham Rocks is my first panoramic shot with this camera.) Brimham Rocks is a smaller, British version of Vasquez Rocks. There were some trails we could take the strollers over, which was nice. It's a great place for casual rock climbing and picnicking. It was a British bank holiday, so there were lots of families there. I'm really glad Susan suggested it, because it wasn't somewhere I would have thought of to go. I didn't even realize it was right there, so close by.

Lately Ryan's sleeping patterns have been very screwy. Today he was about back on track, thank goodness!

I have to brag a bit. I don't know if this is normal for an almost two year old, but a day or two ago I sang a song from one of Ryan's books that plays music. He heard the song, then dug out the book it was in, and pressed the button to play the same song. I was impressed! He not only recognized the song, but remembered what book it was in, remembered where the book was, and knew the right button to push to play the song!

Yesterday evening I went for my second meeting with the Harrogate Harriers. It was funny because this time was completely different from last time. There were a lot more people there, for starters. Also, this time I was the one staying back with someone, rather than being the person being stayed back for! :) It was nice to take it a bit easier. This seems like a nice group of people. I've missed having a group to run with.

Birthday
Topic: This and That

Happy birthday Frank!

Much love,

~Holly and Ryan

Valley Gardens Photo
Topic: This and That

This was taken yesterday. I think it's a cute one of Ryan with his daddy.

The weather is so changeable here. I stepped out for a short run, and it was nice and sunny. Twenty-five minutes later, I stepped back inside just ahead of the rain! Of course, it cleared up a little while later, and now it's raining again!

Unfortunately Ryan seems a bit under the weather. He didn't really nap today, and was all kinds of out of sorts. We put him to bed early. We're hoping he'll feel better tomorrow.

I have to admit to a new tv show I really like: Deadwood. I saw the first episode a while back and thought, "Way too awful and violent!" and was not interested in seeing any more. I saw some of the special features, and at least appreciated the high quality of the show.

Some time later, Larry came back from his tdy and started watching the second season. I'm not sure why, but this time it caught my interest. The dialog is amazing. It's gritty, yet theatrical, incredibly crude, yet practically Shakespearian. I consider myself at least somewhat educated and intelligent, and usually at least a couple times per episode I have to say, "Huh???" after a character is done speaking.

The episodes are very well written, the production value of the show is high, the acting is very good, the show strives for historical authenticity, and overall it just sucks you in.

Of course, we're watching season two here, and I think in the States they're on season three. We don't get HBO in jolly ol' England!