Topic: This and That
Oh my. It's been a week already!
(This is a picture I took with my phone. Ryan and I were out for a jog on the Stray. I'd let Ryan out to run around. I just thought this looked kind of neat.)
I keep forgetting the Rat Droppings. :D When we went to Middleham, there was a small gift shop (there's ALWAYS a gift shop) outside the castle. Among other interesting items, were Rat Droppings, which were chocolate candies of some sort. I almost got some, just to say I ate a bag of Rat Droppings!!! :P
Today the sun came out. YAY!!! The sun hasn't been out in several days. Normally this would send me into a SAD (seasonal affective disorder) state, but I've been busy, and out and about, so that's taken the edge off.
Thursday the 12th I took Ryan and went for a run on the Stray (that's when I took that picture). There's a hill that separates two sections of the Stray. Ryan ran up and down both sides of the hill for ten minutes straight! Ah, to have boundless energy again...
Friday the 13th, Larry did come home just fine. He took the train in, which was nice. That way, Ryan and I were spared about four hours in the car, and yet another trip to Manchester. :)
Saturday night was the Navy Ball. Once again I assisted Sarah. This time was a little different. The ball was in a different building, and they had Sarah and me off to the side in a little room by ourselves. We still did a pretty good business, though.
This ball didn't seem quite as organized as the Army or Air Force balls. At one point during the ceremonial part of the evening, dignitaries were supposed to enter the main room. The dignitaries were all down a hallway talking and drinking and had no idea they were supposed to be on! So Sarah and I went and got them. I had the script for the evening's events, so I called out the order the dignitaries were supposed to be in, and they moved into line nicely.
One thing the Navy had that the other two services didn't was on-site child care. Sarah and I thought that was great! They also had a designated driver, which I think the Army had, but I'm not sure about the Air Force.
We got to eat at a table with the rest of the guests. That was nice! We took the places of two people who weren't able to be there.
Things weren't as hectic at this ball. (At the Air Force ball, the AF was paying for everyone to have a complimentary photo. We were swamped!) However, things were definitely more drunk towards the end of the night! There was one Navy girl who wanted photos, and couldn't even write her name on the order form!
All in all, it was a fun night.
Unfortunately, Larry had to work Sunday. Sarah was doing Halloween photos, so Ryan and I grabbed the bus and headed out to MHS. Sarah and I tried really hard, but Ryan was NOT in the mood the have his pictures taken. It's really hard to photograph an uncooperative two year old! We got one or two that are ok, at least.
After that, Ryan and I jumped back on the bus and headed back to town. We went to Starbucks and got something warm to drink. It had been freezing out at Menwith, but seemed at least five degrees (if not more) warmer in town. MHS always seems to have its own weather going on.
Monday night was a spouse's coffee. That was fun. The lady that hosted it did everything in an autumnal/Halloween theme. Almost all the food was pumpkin, which I love! It was really nice to socialize and relax a bit.
Last night I ran with the Harrogate Harriers. It was dark and drizzly. I was thinking, "I'm running in the dark and in the rain - voluntarily!!!" :P I didn't get a chance to run with them last week, so it was nice to get to do it last night.
Ryan is doing well. His sleeping and napping have been a bit all over the place, but that happens now and then.
Yesterday he did something funny. He was all dirty and wet from playing outside, so I needed to put clean pants on him. I picked out some track pants, and started to put them on. He shook his head and said, "Jeans!" So I got a pair of jeans and he was happy to wear them! Ryan definitely has particular ideas about what he wants - whether it's clothes, or food, or toys, or anything! :)
I hope everyone is having a good week.