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)!

Happy first anniversary, Joyce and Norm! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Love,

~Holly, Larry, and Ryan

Hello. Been a long time, I know.

Ryan and I are pretty much over our colds. Seems like something's been going around the UK and the US.

I was noticing the other day how even though I'm not employed and don't attend school (and neither does Ryan yet), the weekends still feel different from weekdays. Each day of the week has its own feel, actually. Mondays still feel like the, back-to-work, need-to-get-things-done sorts of days. Tuesdays still have the freshness of the start of the week. Wednesdays still are the "hump" days. With Thursdays, the weekend's not quite here yet, but it's definitely starting to feel like the backside of the week. Fridays have an energy to them. Everyone seems to knock off early, and in the evenings the weekend has officially started. Saturday is great, because you have all day. Things seem to be both bustling and relaxed. Saturday nights in the city are hoppin', and even though I generally don't go anywhere, I still feel like staying up late. Sundays are quiet. Around here, not much is open besides Starbucks and a few of the bigger stores. Even so, the hours are limited. Sundays are family days, days for recovering from the weekend, and for gearing up for another week. Even though these rhythms are more for those in school or who work, they are so ingrained in our society, that those rhythms spill over into the lives of the rest of us.

Ryan's been killing me lately. For God knows what reason, he hasn't been napping. I NEED that time to myself! I lose my mind a bit just having a couple of hours between his bedtime and mine. I need a bit more to feel human!

Tuesday I ran with the Harrogate Harriers for the first time in two weeks. It was great to be back! I hadn't been running at all because of my cold. Running makes such a huge difference in the way I feel. I've been a bit down lately, and I think a lot of that is because I wasn't running.

Nothing really exceptional has been up lately. Life has been a blur of taking care of Ryan, running errands, etc. Saturday Susan came by and we got takeout and hung out. That was fun. Monday there was a spouse's coffee. That's really about it.

I'm thrilled to say it's mostly been sunny here lately. I've been trying to get Ryan outside as much as possible (trying to tire him out!). It's nice for me to be outside, too - even if I am chasing Ryan around the whole time! :) (The photo in this entry was taken with my phone at the Stray a couple of days ago.)

Spring does seem to be around the corner. It's still cold when the clouds cover the sun, and when the wind picks up. However, daffodils and crocuses have been blooming around town, swaths of yellow, white, purple and lavender all along the Stray's borders. Very pretty, and a nice harbinger of spring.

Happy anniversary, Jo and Mike!

Love,

~Holly and Ryan

The cold I have has moved from my head into my chest. :(

Ryan seems to have the cold too, though he doesn't have any symptoms except a runny nose and a very occasional cough.

This photo was taken Feb. 11. I thought it was a cute one.

To catch up, I honestly don't remember what we did Friday. My calendar is completely blank. If I had to hazard a guess, we probably walked to the shopping center and went to Starbucks, or something. :) Weird that I don't remember that day at all. I think it was nice out.

Saturday I had some photos of Ryan, and me and Ryan taken at Sarah's house. She got some cute ones, but since Ryan and I weren't feeling our best, I don't think we photographed our best. Sarah did a great job with us, though!

Later on in the afternoon, Ryan and I went over to Susan's. We hung out for a while, then went out to dinner. That was really nice. I hadn't gone out to dinner in a while, and I hadn't seen Susan in ages. It was a nice Saturday night!

I have the worst memory, apparently. I don't remember what we did Sunday, either.

Monday I went over to Natasha's and watched her kiddos for a little while.

Today I had some errands to run on post.

That's about it!

I've been trying to lay low since Ryan and I have colds. Somehow I still feel tired and busy. Not sure where the days are going.

A week ago I lost a key chain JoAnna bought me at Montmartre. I was really sad! I was in town waiting to pick up some takeout food for dinner, and I gave the key chain (a little doggie) to Ryan to play with. I KNEW I ought to have watched more carefully. We got down the street and it was gone. I retraced my steps immediately, but no luck. I'm sad because it was a gift, and a souvenir; irreplaceable.

I hope everyone's having a good week. The weather is nice today.

Happy anniversary, Tara and Brody!

Love,

~Holly

Ryan in February 2007

Here are the pictures. Enjoy!

Wow. It's been nearly two weeks since Larry left already (he left Feb. 18). The time has flown. The day before he left, we went to Sarah's sons' birthday party. That was fun. You can't go wrong with cake and a bouncy castle! For dinner, Larry and I got Thai takeout. Yum.

The next day, Ryan and I took Larry to the airport in Manchester. When we dropped Larry off, Ryan didn't want to get back in the car. He thought he should be going in the airport, too!

Not long after we got home, we met Carissa and her husband and boys for lunch at McDonald's. After lunch, we went to the park to let the kids play. The park was really busy. It was nice to get out, though.

I always feel a bit lonely the day Larry leaves. I get used to having another adult in the house!

Monday morning there was a baby sitting co-op meeting at Winkie's. Ryan loves to play there! It's fun for him, and nice for me to have the social interaction with my mom friends.

Tuesday evening Michelle came over and watched Ryan for me so I could run with the Harrogate Harriers. That was nice. Usually Larry watches Ryan while I run. Thursday night Natasha did the honors.

Friday night, I watched Natasha's girls so she and her husband could go out to dinner.

Saturday (the 24th), Carissa and her son Thomas, and Ryan and I drove to York for a Days Out With Thomas the Tank Engine. Larry and I had taken Ryan to a Days Out With Thomas last Easter, at the Embsay railway. That was fun, so I was curious to see how the one at the National Railway Museum in York would be. I would have to say that overall, this one was a bit of a disappointment. The railway museum itself was pretty nice (and is free). The boys enjoyed seeing the huge engines on display. We'd definitely like to come back just to visit the museum. Unfortunately, admission for the Days Out was 18 pounds for me and Ryan, and I would have to say it wasn't worth it. (On top of that, parking was 7 pounds!) There was a decent amount of things to see and do, but it was really crowded, and there were long lines for everything. I'd say we spent a good twenty minutes or so in line to ride a Thomas train that seriously took only about two minutes to go out and back. There was a funny sign in the car we were in, telling what to do during air raids. (I will post photos soon, hopefully.) Not that air raids are funny, but it was funny that the car was so old it had that sign in it. I think by the time we'd done that, Carissa and I were getting hungry for lunch, and the boys were getting tired. We also had a bit of a time crunch, since we needed to be back in town for a baby shower. With a bit more planning, I think we maybe could have made it a slightly longer day, but as it was, it was nice to at least get out, and to see the railway museum.

I dropped Carissa and Thomas off at their house, then went back home for a bit. Not too much later, I dropped Ryan off at Natasha's then was back out at Menwith for April's baby shower (April is a co-op member). The shower was fun. It was nice to socialize and nibble on yummy food!

Sunday I baby sat at Sarah's for just a short while. Later on in the day Larry called.

Monday morning, Natasha called me. She was really sick and needed help with her girls (her husband is TDY). I went over and spent most of the day there. At Natasha's suggestion (so she could have a little peace!), I took her daughter Savannah (who is three) and Ryan on a walk. Natasha lives in a really pretty area by a stream. It was a nice day, and the kiddos enjoyed being outside. The walk was very scenic. (I took a few photos I'll post later.)

Tuesday (two days ago), Sarah organized a small get together at a play area/farm near the Leeds/Bradford airport. Sarah and her boys, Ryan and I, and Aimee and her son all went. It was a cold, windy, rainy day, so we pretty much stuck to the indoor play area. (Here's a link: http://www.emsleys-farmshop.co.uk/index.html) Ryan had a good time. There was a big sand box to play in, which meant sand - everywhere. And I do mean everywhere!

Later on in the evening, I watched Sarah's boys for about an hour.

Yesterday I went to the commissary, only to find they were out of things I needed. I knew that they got their shipments in on Wednesdays. What I didn't know, what that the shipment isn't put out on the floor until Thursday. *sigh* Oh well. So I got what I could and went home. Later in the evening, Sarah and I went to the first meeting of a new book club. That was a lot of fun! I met new people, and had a very enjoyable time!

Today it was back to the commissary. I offered to pick up some things for Natasha, so I stopped by her place on the way home. I stayed for coffee while Ryan and Savannah played. That was nice. Spouses of TDY soldiers gotta stick together! :P

Whew! I think I am actually caught up! (Except for posting photos.) Amazing! I know I've left out little things, like errand running, etc. With how hectic things have been, I'm not surprised that I've come down with a cold. Ugh. Luckily it's mild, and just in my nose. I've been taking zinc like crazy. I think it's helping.

I want to mention that I think there's a universal law that says when you have to get up for something, that's when your kiddo will want to sleep in. When you have all the time in the world, that's when they're up bouncing around early!

The last couple of days (or is that daze?) Ryan hasn't napped. Thank goodness today he's finally taking a huge nap. Yay! He's due to be up any moment though...

The Friday before Larry left (Feb. 16), we went on a ghost walk in York. http://www.yorkshirenet.co.uk/yorkghostwalk/ We dropped Ryan off at Natasha's house, and were on the road at 7pm. York is only about 15 miles away, and the tour didn't start until 8pm. You would think an hour would be plenty of time to travel 15 miles and park. But no. This is North Yorkshire. Somehow it took us over an hour to get to York and park. Then we still had to find the King's Arms Pub, where the tour meets. We walked along the river Ouse (pronounced "ooze") on Dame Judi Dench walk. We realized we were never going to make the tour on time, but Larry was bound and determined to at least find the place.

We had pretty much chalked this trip up to Misbegotten Adventures in England (eternal thanks to Carissa for that title!), when we found the pub, AND saw that the tour was just a short way off and hadn't actually started yet. We showed up just in time to pay. (Darn!) It was a perfect night for a ghost walk: cool and misty, and dark. We'd been on a ghost walk before in Prague, but it was during high summer and it was still light out. Things just aren't as spooky in the light of day.

The tour got started, and was enjoyable. The gentleman telling the stories was an accomplished and entertaining storyteller. The stories were spooky and interesting. We walked around the city, listening to various tales. Before we knew it, the tour was over. Our tour guide had a book he'd written with all the stories and more in it, for only 3.50 pounds! Yes, we got a copy! I'm the one who wanted it, but Larry's the one who took off with it when he left for Maryland. Go figure!

There are at least a couple other ghost walks in York. Larry and I agreed it would be fun to collect them.

On the walk back to the car, we saw something swimming in the river we couldn't identify. It wasn't a duck or a fish. It seemed kind of skinny for an otter. I have no idea what varieties of semi-aquatic wildlife populate the river Ouse. Seeing an odd creature swimming in the river was a fitting end to our ghost walk experience!

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.