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Happy belated birthday Abby!
Happy birthday Dylan!
Love,
~Holly and Ryan
I would like to post a huge Congratulations to Larry, on the completion of his master's degree in Intelligence, with an emphasis in Russian studies. He got word this last week that he passed his comprehensive exam, and will officially be awarded his degree on March 31.
I spoke to Larry today on the phone. His first week in class in the States has gone well. I put Ryan on the phone with his daddy at the beginning and end of Larry's call. Ryan was the most talkative he'd ever been on the phone! I was happy for Larry that he got to hear so much of Ryan. Before, whenever Larry was away and I'd put Ryan on the phone, the most Larry would hear was Ryan breathing!
On Jan. 6, my parents took me and Ryan to LAX for our flight to Orlando. I was in the security area, where you go through the metal detectors and have all your junk inspected. There was a big African American security man with a loud voice who kept repeating, "Not now, but right now..." (make sure all your belongings... etc. etc.) What got me was how he kept saying, "Not now, but right now..." It sounded so strange! I wanted to say to everyone else around, "Is anyone else hearing this???" The man was making the announcement in the sort of way one who doesn't think anyone is really paying attention does. I couldn't help but wonder if he was choosing that phrasing to see if anyone would notice (which would tell me either he's got twisted sense of humor, or is really bored), OR if he was completely serious. For the longest time I had it stuck in my head: "Not now, but right now..." It had a distinct cadence to it. The funny thing (or sad, depending on how you look at it) is, I don't remember a thing he said after that. I know it had something to do with carry on luggage, but obviously that's not what stuck out in my mind!
Unfortunately, Ryan didn't get to sleep until 1am! I know I've mentioned it in my last two Stateside catch-up posts, but Ryan really reached the end of his rope somewhere in Vegas, and things didn't much improve until we'd been back in the UK for about three weeks!
The next day we got off to a pleasantly late start. Paula brewed a pot of some wonderfully expensive coffee by the name of "Bad Ass Coffee," complete with a drawing of a donkey on the bag!
Once we got ourselves together, Paula, Olivia, Ryan, and I drove to Daytona to meet a good friend, and colleague of Paula's, Gillian. Gillian is a lovely, worldy lady from the UK. I met her and instantly liked her! We all went to Daytona Beach, where Ryan and Olivia had a wonderful time splashing in the water. We were blessed with a warm, sunny day, and the water happened to be decently warm. Hitting the beach in January! Gotta love it!
After a while, Ryan started turning blue, so we decided to dry off the kiddos and head back to Gillian's. We had a very relaxing, enjoyable time drinking tea and chatting while Olivia and Ryan played.
After our visit with Gillian, we hit a SuperTarget on the way home. I'd never been to one before! It was amazing! It's things like SuperTargets that blow my mind after spending an extended amount of time overseas. I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed. Unfortunately I had a mildly annoying experience with the cashier. I was buying a bottle of wine. The man ringing me up (who definitely looked older than I am), took a look at the wine, then a pointed look at me, then continued to ring up my purchases without saying a word. It wasn't the fact that he didn't card me that I found vaguely offensive, it was the way he looked at me - lacking in any subtlety or tact whatsoever. Oh well.
The next day, we had another leisurely start. (Isn't that what vacations are all about?) We went to the Daytona International Speedway, where Robert works. It was fun to look around the actual track, and to browse the gift shops. I got Ryan an adorable sweater.
Afterwards, we went shopping for roller skates at the Sport Authority. (Paula is involved with roller derby.) We went to Barnes & Noble, but Ryan decided to be loud and obnoxious, so I had to take him outside. He managed to calm down and we were able to take a spin through World Market, an interesting store I'd never been to before.
That day I managed to finish my first sudoku puzzle! For some reason, I'd had a mental block with those before. I really think part of it was the book of puzzles I'd been trying to work. They were really hard! It was such a relief to finally be able to complete a puzzle, and enjoy the sudoku craze.
My last full day there, Paula indulged me and took me to a place I'd been curious about, Casadega. It's a colony of various new age, spiritualist type people. My hat is really off to Paula on this one. I didn't realize it at the time, but those sorts of places are well and truly not her cup of tea. So the fact that she put that aside for me really means a lot! We perused the bookstore, and drove around the small enclave. I really enjoyed our visit. (Unfortunately I don't think I can say the same for Paula!)
Next, we went on a holy quest for a particular item to keep Ryan busy on our flight to the UK. There was a Dora the Explorer magna doodle type toy in the car that Ryan really took a shine to. I thought it would be great for him to have on the plane. Unfortunately it took visits to two different WalMarts to find one. After that, we had dinner at the Cracker Barrel, one of my favorite restaurants. (They don't have them in CA that I'm aware of. They're more of a southern thing.) On our way out, we hit a geocache located in front of the restaurant. (Apparently there are caches at all the Cracker Barrels.)
During our stay at Paula and Robert's, Robert and Ryan had a little game they would play. It started out innocently. Ryan usurped Olivia's booster seat at the dining table. Ryan was trying to get down out of the seat, when Robert said, "You need some help?" For some reason, Ryan got back in the seat. From then on, every time Ryan would make to get out of the seat and Robert would say,"You need some help?" Ryan would get back in his seat and start laughing.
Also while we were there, Paula cooked some yummy food. One of the things Paula is famous for among family and friends, is her pumpkin rolls. These are rolls made with pumpkin bread and cream cheese. Paula walked me through making them, and I wound up carrying one on the plane! It actually survived all the way back to Harrogate.
On Jan. 10, Paula took me and Ryan to the airport. Luckily, my flight was later in the afternoon, so we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn like last time. On the way to the airport, Paula asked me what all we have in England that we have in the States. Here's a list off the top of my head:
Borders, IKEA, Toys'r'us, KFC, McDonald's, Domino's, Pizza Hut, TGIFriday's, Blockbuster, Woolworth's, Starbucks (of course!). I know there's a lot more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.
We discovered at the airport that friends can sometimes get gate passes, at the discretion of the individual airlines, for friends to help passengers. There wasn't really time for us to go back and get one for Paula, but it's definitely good to know for the next time.
I was sad to leave. I had such a great time with family and friends in the States. I was also enjoying the wonderful weather we'd had in CA, NV, and FL!
We had a short flight to Atlanta, and of course Ryan only really slept during that short flight! From there it was straight on 'til morning, literally.
We landed in Manchester to high winds and rain. Ugh. Welcome back to the UK. Things didn't go all that well once on the ground. First, I discovered that Ryan's stroller had been sent to baggage claim, instead of being brought to the gate. The reason? They didn't want it to get wet. Hmm. Let me think here. This is ENGLAND. It RAINS a lot here. You would think they would have come up with a system of getting people's strollers to them at the gate without getting them wet. Oh well. So this means I have to somehow get Ryan, the car seat, and two pieces of carry-on luggage the very long trek to the baggage claim. Next I'd discovered that I hadn't filled out enough landing cards (to get into the US, you just need one for the whole family, while in the UK each person has to have one). So I get through customs, only to find that the elevators down to baggage claim aren't working. Luckily, some kind strangers helped me down the stairs with all my stuff. I finally get the stroller and a cart for all my luggage. I've got everything together, and exit the baggage area out into the passenger pickup area. Larry is nowhere to be seen! I actually laughed out loud - quite mirthlessly - because that was just in line with how the rest of my return to England had been going. I guessed - correctly - that Larry had simply heeded a call of nature, and he appeared about five minutes after we had.
It was weird to be back. I had no idea it would take Ryan so long to readjust. However, we're fine now. Since Larry is going to be gone so long, people have asked me if I'm going back to the States. Hell no! :) The next time I'm going back to the States, it's going to be for good. The transitions are just too hard, both for me and Ryan.
I will miss living overseas when our time here is done (which will probably be sometime in early December). However, it will be great to be back on the same continent with most of my family and friends!
So it's almost two months later... I am bound and determined to catch up on that Stateside visit! :) To that end: On Jan. 3, Ryan and I drove back to Palmdale. The next day, my Mom and I took Ryan for his very first haircut. In the humid climates of the UK and FL, Ryan's long hair wound into cute curls. Unfortunately, in the dry air of the desert in CA and NV, his hair looked more like a rat's nest!
I found a place called Castle Kid's Kutz. They specialize in kiddos. It was pretty neat. The whole place is decorated like a medieval castle. They had lots of toys in the waiting area. The chairs the kids sat in looked like cars and trucks. Unfortunately, the only open one for Ryan's appointment was pink and purple! The lady cutting Ryan's hair was really nice - and quick! The clippers she used looked like a peanut. There were plenty of toys to distract Ryan while he was getting his hair cut. He did really well, but was getting antsy towards the end. The whole time, my Mom and I took pictures like madwomen! :P
At the end, I got a certificate with a lock of Ryan's hair. It's a nice keepsake.
From there, we met up with my Dad for lunch at the Texas Cattle Co. at the mall.
I have to say, with his new haircut, Ryan went from a baby to a little boy! He looked so different. It was strange, but good.
I only had a couple of days in Palmdale with my parents, and they went by in a blink. We got in a nice drive, and of course a stop at my all time favorite Mexican restaurant, Ernie's Jr., in Eagle Rock, CA.
Unfortunately, Ryan's sleeping troubles continued. It got to the point where at bedtime, he wouldn't even stay in our room. I think everything got to be a bit much for him. I can't blame him!
I left for Florida on Jan. 6. I really enjoyed the time with my parents, and was sad to leave. However, I was heading back to Paula and Robert in Florida, so I was definitely looking forward to that! (To be continued...)
First, I would like to wish Teresa a happy belated birthday!
Today Larry left for a long TDY. Ryan and I dropped him off at the airport this morning. He's going for some language training in the DC area. He won't be back until mid-July.
The first few days are always a bit of an adjustment for me and Ryan, but so far, so good!
I'm going to attempt to get to bed at a decent hour tonight, and will try to catch up more soon.
There seems to be something going around both here and in CA! Hope everyone is feeling better soon!
(This photo was taken yesterday. Too cute!)
February is a weird time of year here, weather wise. We've had some clear, sunny, almost warm days. We've had windy, below freezing days. We've had snowstorms, hail, thunder, and just plain boring rain. Today was one of those wonderful, sunny days!
The daylight hours are getting longer now, which I love. It's light around 7am, and stays the way until almost 6pm. Yay! Someone said we're gaining two minutes of light a day. Works for me!
Ryan's doing great! He had a WIC appointment on Jan. 24. On that day, he weighed 29.6 pounds, and was 36 and 1/4 inches tall. He's grown three inches in just the last six months (and six inches total in the last year)! This has put him in the 25th percentile for weight, but he's still 50th in height. We'll just keep feeding him pasta! :)
He's still caught somewhere between recognizable English, and "Ryan." There are a few words that sound most unfortunately like others. For instance, "bridge" sounds more like a female dog, and "Percy" (from Thomas and Friends) sounds like an alternate word for a cat. Oh well! We know what he means! :P
Friday night I babysat for Sarah out at Menwith Hill. In the four hours I was at her house, two inches of snow accumulated on the car. I have a serious thing about driving in snow. One particular night in Frickenhausen, Germany did it for me. (Sabrina, Heather, and Shelly, if you're reading this, you guys know the night I'm talking about!!!) Even though visibility was poor (just a few yards) and the snow was coming down pretty good, the drive home from the Hill wasn't too bad. Once I got to the main road, it was better. The road had been gritted, and everyone else out there was poking along slowly as well. There's this invisible line on the way to Harrogate where the weather always gets better. Once I was past that, I was home free.
We didn't do much over the weekend, since the weather was cold and wet. Monday night, Sarah hosted this month's spouses coffee. The theme was Oscar night! It was a lot of fun! We could dress up either in formal wear, or as a celebrity (or however the heck we wanted!). I wore my green formal gown, since I'll use any excuse to wear it! (One of the ladies there was kind enough to tell me I looked, "incredible." Wow! I don't think I've ever been told that before in my entire life!:P) Luckily, one other guest wore a formal dress, so I wasn't alone! Sarah dressed up, and one other person dressed like a rock star. That was fun! (Everyone else was in street clothes.)
Sarah had set up a "red carpet" from the door to the living room. There was a "stage" in the corner, demarcated by big silver stars on the floor. There were movie snacks: bags of popcorn, movie candy, hot dogs, and nachos, all sorts of chips and dips. Yum!
We played a couple of games. One was a trivia game on the current Oscars. I didn't even know we'd had the Oscars, let alone who was nominated or who won! :) We played a movie quote game, which I am proud to say I won! (If you know me and Larry, you know pretty much most of our communication is in movie quotes!) We played a modified game of charades. I got to act out, "Star Wars." All I had to do was spin my hair into buns on the sides! :) The prizes for the games were free movie rentals. The favors were neat, too - mini Oscar statues, and cute frame/key chain - yikes! I can't think of the name of them - those boards with the top that they use right before the director yells, "Action!" (I ought to know what those are called!)
The night was a lot of fun!
I haven't forgotten I still need to write and post photos about the rest of our time in the States. Larry is leaving soon for a long TDY, so I will have lots more time to be online! :)
Hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day!
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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!
I thought I would at least get caught up on what I've been up to since I've been back in the UK. :)
I have to mention that Monday the 5th, was the first night in the entire time we've been back in the UK that Ryan finally went to bed without any sounds of protest! I'm not sure why, but this time around, coming back here was particularly tough on Ryan. I'm sooooo glad he's finally adjusted!
So, Ryan and I got back to the UK on Jan. 11. (I will write about that when I reach the end of my Stateside recap.) That transition was hard for Ryan, however, except for dealing with his wacky sleep schedule, it was a lot better for me this year than last year. Last year I suffered from serious post-holiday letdown. I think part of that was because I didn't really have any friends here, and definitely didn't have a social circle. Also, the weather is a lot better this year. We've been very fortunate with a lot of sunny days. That makes a huge difference!
On the topic of weather, before I go any further, it snowed today! Ryan and I met Sarah and her boys at Winky's. Ryan and I took the bus, since Larry had the car. As I walked from the bus stop to Winky's, I noticed the sky and the temperature and thought it seemed like perfect snow conditions. (It was also called for in the forecast, but those things are almost never right!) After we'd been at Winky's a couple of hours, Sarah said, "Have you looked outside?" It was snowing quite heavily! I really didn't fancy the idea of walking much in a snowstorm. Sarah had the idea of calling Larry to see if he'd take us home (which I did and he did). Of course, by the time Larry came and got us, the snow had stopped falling and it wouldn't have been too bad for me and Ryan to walk in (it's a bit of a walk to and from the bus stops and home). Oh well. I was glad for the ride! I was also glad Ryan got to play. He didn't nap yesterday, and I think that's because he hasn't been getting enough exercise lately. He has gotten out some, but it's been so cold, we haven't stayed out too long. It was also very nice to get to chat with Sarah while our kids played.
Back to our arrival... It was also nice because Larry only had to work half the day, the day we got back, then had a three day weekend, so we could spend time as a family. Sunday the 14th we went to the Hard Rock Café in Manchester. That was fun. I got a very cool shirt.
Sunday the 15th was busy and fun. Larry watched Ryan while Sarah and I went to Betty's café for lunch. Afterwards, Sarah took me to see "Pursuit of Happyness." Later on in the evening, there was a babysitting co-op meeting at a pub called The Hopper. That was fun, except the service was glacially slow. The food was good, the company even better. I looked around the room and realized, that with one exception (a friend on tdy), all my Menwith friends were right there in that room with me. That was a good feeling. It was great to be back.
The 16th marked the first time Ryan ever said, "I love you!" I think he was just repeating it, but it still melted me into a puddle on the floor!
Since we've been back, we've gotten back into the groove here, running errands, actual running, etc.
Friday Feb. 2, Sarah hosted a Stampin' Up party. I'd never been to one before. Scrapbooking is something I've been interested in for a long time. I've dabbled a little, but never really gotten into it. I had a good time at the party. Unfortunately, I was really tired, so I didn't stay too late. I always love seeing the neat things people come up with, with scrapbooking. I hate to say it though, but I don't think I have the patience for it. Not right now, anyway. It's definitely something I want to pursue at some point, though.
The next day, Larry watched Ryan while Carissa and I walked around the shopping area, and had dinner. That was fun! It was good to get out and get some girl time.
I should mention that Ryan's first favorite movie is, "Cars." We watch it almost every day! It could definitely be worse...
Time seems to be zipping right by. I can't believe it's Feb. already.
Well, now at least I'm caught up on current events... just got to finish up with the trip to the States! I have two installments left: CA, and FL (both will have lots of pictures to go with).
